FIFA

Norway's soccer federation plans to abstain from giving its approval when Saudi Arabia is confirmed Wednesday as the 2034 World Cup host, saying FIFA has done too little to protect human rights around the tournament. FIFA's own guidelines for human rights and due diligence have also not been adequately integrated into the process, increasing the risk of human rights violations, Norway federation president Lise Klaveness said in a statement Tuesday. FIFA's 211 member federations are holding an online meeting on Wednesday to rubberstamp the decision to give Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup and award the 2030 edition to a six-nation project led by Spain, Portugal and Morocco that will see games played on three continents. (Wednesday's) vote is not about who gets the 2030 and 2034 World Cups that has already been decided, Klaveness said, adding that FIFA's approval without an itemized vote does not align with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system. FIFA shaped the

The inevitable result has been clear since last year: Saudi Arabia will be confirmed by FIFA as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. The 2030 World Cup also will be awarded to a six-nation, three-continent project led by co-hosts Spain, Portugal Morocco. It gives a single game each at South American neighbors Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the first host in 1930. Two men's World Cups, one candidate for each, both a shoo-in to win. The outcome will be as FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino intended in October last year. Then, on the same day, the 2030 race was effectively decided and the 2034 one surprisingly opened. FIFA is sending one of the biggest prizes in world sports toward the state modernizing project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A decade of global scrutiny will follow. WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON WEDNESDAY? FIFA hosts a special congress in Zurich from 3 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) and its 211 member federations will attend remotely online. The closed-doors me

The World Cup, which will be held as part of the FIFAe Finals 2024 in Riyadh, will feature competitions on both console and mobile platforms

The Spanish league is trying to get approval to play a match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Miami in December. The league said its partner in the US, Relevent Sports, is working with FIFA to make sure the league is cleared to host the match outside of Spain. The league first tried to play a regular season match in the United States about five years ago, but its plans at the time were scrapped after opposition by Spain's soccer federation and the players' union. Staging the match abroad is part of the league's goal of promoting soccer and its brand in other countries. It has been expanding internationally for some time, hoping to close the gap on the powerful English Premier League. Critics say playing abroad would create unfair competition in the league.

Former U.S. national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema are among more than 100 women's soccer players who have signed an open letter protesting FIFA's sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco. The letter calls the deal, which includes sponsorship at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, "much worse than an own goal," citing Saudi Arabia's record on the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people and the impact of Aramco's oil and gas production on climate change. Sauerbrunn voiced concern for women who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. The safety of those women, the rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money, Sauerbrunn said in comments via campaign group Athletes Of The World. The letter calls on FIFA to replace Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet, and to give players a voice

Lionel Messi is heading to the Club World Cup next year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced Saturday night that Inter Miami will play in the tournament, something that had been long expected given Messi's enormous popularity around the world and how the tournament already planned on some matches in South Florida. The event, which is set to be played every four years, includes 32 teams from FIFA's six soccer confederations. Inter Miami will play in the tournament opener, scheduled for June 15, 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. I am proud to announce that as one of the best clubs in the world, you are deserved participants in the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as the host club representing the United States, Infantino said in an on-field ceremony after Inter Miami broke Major League Soccer's mark for most points in a regular season. The tournament runs through July 13, with the final scheduled for New Jersey's MetLife Stadium also the site of the 2026 World Cup final.

Seattle's Lumen Field will host six games during next year's Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. The Seattle Sounders, which earned a spot in the competition by winning the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, will host all three of their group matches at their home stadium. Three other matches will also be played at Lumen Field, one of 12 stadiums that will host a total of 63 games during the tournament. The event, which is now set to be played every four years, will include an expanded field of 32 teams from FIFA's six soccer confederations. "I arrived yesterday and visited Lumen Field. Great arena, very special arena which has a special soul, a special heart inside," Infantino said on Tuesday. "You can feel it when you are in some stadiums, they don't have to be the biggest or the most special. This one is very special." The tournament is set to start on June 15 and run through July 13, with the final set for New Jersey's MetLife Stadium also the site of the 2026

FIFA has agreed on interim transfer rules aiming to help players change teams and go to the Club World Cup in the United States next June-July. The move on Thursday opens the door for players whose contracts expire on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams who qualified for the relaunched FIFA club tournament. They include Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Potential free agents who could be pursued by Club World Cup teams include Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, plus Lille forward Jonathan David and Tottenham captain Son Heung-min. FIFA's council approved interim transfer market rules that give member federations the option of opening an exceptional transfer window from June 1-10. If agreements are reached between clubs, the FIFA transfer amendments would let players represent a new team for two weeks from mid-June, before their formal contract expires, in a tournament that is technica

FIFA stopped short of suspending the Israeli soccer federation on Thursday, but asked for a disciplinary investigation of possible discrimination alleged by Palestinian soccer officials. A senior FIFA panel overseeing governance will separately investigate the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine, soccer's governing body said after a meeting of its ruling Council. The Palestinian soccer federation has consistently asked FIFA for more than a decade to take action against the Israeli soccer body for incorporating teams from West Bank settlements in its leagues. The compromise decisions came more than four months after Palestinian officials had urged FIFA to suspend Israel's membership at a meeting in May. The request to FIFA's congress in May also cited international law violations" in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict and directed the soccer body to its statutory commitments on human rights and against ...

The FIFA coach capacity building workshop, a vital component of the world football governing body's Women's League Development, which falls under the broader FIFA Women's Development Programme, will be held at the AIFF National Centre of Excellence (NCE) in Kolkata from September 16 to 18. The workshop will be conducted by FIFA experts Simon Toselli and Stphanie Spielmann. Toselli, a FIFA women's football technical expert, had previously conducted the women's football strategy workshop in New Delhi in June this year. He has been collaborating with 25 countries on different projects and implementation of strategies (AFC, OFC, CAF and UEFA). Spielmann, a former player, is a UEFA A-License coach and a FIFA and OFC instructor. She has been part of the FIFA coach mentorship programme with the Belgium women's national team. She has coached the senior, U19 and U16 women's teams of Tahiti and has also been the women's football development officer in the island nation. The FIFA coach capac

Standard edition of FC 25 will be available starting September 27, while pre-ordering the ultimate edition will offer early access to the game on September 20 with in-game perks

Football is seldom ever just about sports, and that's especially the case in this tournament

Gary Lineker's stinging criticism of England created waves at the European Championship. Gareth Southgate, however, said he was oblivious to the four-letter assessment delivered by one of England's greatest players and one of Britain's biggest television stars. It is not important to me at all, he said on Monday. If you don't open yourself to it, it can't affect you. England's preparations for its final Group C game against Slovenia on Tuesday have been conducted against the backdrop of media and public criticism after the team's 1-1 draw with Denmark. We have to reflect the mood of the nation, Lineker, the former England captain, said on his podcast, The Rest is Football. I can't imagine anybody, who is English, that would have enjoyed England's performance because it was lethargic, it was dour ... You can think of all sorts of words and expletives if you like, he added, before using a four-letter word of his own. His comments made headlines in the English media and earned rebuk

Kylian Mbapp was due to have tests on his broken nose on Wednesday as France tried to assess what part he could play in the European Championship. The World Cup winner sustained the injury during his team's 1-0 win against Austria on Monday and will have to wear a face mask if he plays on at the tournament. There will be more tests tomorrow to see how things are developing. Obviously it was a big collision," France coach Didier Deschamps said Tuesday. "The medical staff have done what they needed to reduce it as much as possible. This morning he was a bit better, so we will see that and we will follow it closely each day. France plays the Netherlands in its second game of Euro 2024 on Friday. It was not known if Mbapp would be able to play after his face collided with the shoulder Austria's Kevin Danso as he attempted a header late in the Group D match at Dusseldorf Arena. The French Football Federation said it had received positive news about Mbapp's chances of continuing at the .

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday sacked Igor Stimac as the head coach of the country's senior's men's team following a disappointing campaign in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Stimac, who was appointed as the head coach in 2019, was given an extension last year by the sport's apex body. India could not make the third round of the World Cup qualifier following a 1-2 defeat against Qatar in their final second round match. "Noting the disappointing outcome of the Senior Men's National Team's FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, the members unanimously agreed that a new Head Coach would be best placed to take the team forward," the AIFF said in a statement. "A notice of termination has been issued to Mr. Stimac by the AIFF Secretariat, and he stands relieved of his obligations with immediate effect." The 56-year-old Stimac, who was part of the Croatia team that made the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup, had taken charge of the Blue Tigers in 2019, after t

Soccer's international governing body is implementing new measures designed to further support the well-being of players and coaches during pregnancy and after the birth of their children. The FIFA protocols give both players and coaches a minimum of 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, and a minimum of eight weeks paid leave for those who adopt a child younger than 2. There is also a minimum eight weeks paid for women who are non-biological parents of newborns. While the players' maternity leave was previously adopted in 2020, the new rules extend it to coaches, non-biological and adoptive mothers. The protocol goes into effect on Saturday. It was approved last month by the FIFA Council. I think it's a big statement, former U.S. coach Jill Ellis said in a statement Friday. These are big steps and big strides to really normalize the life that we go through as women that's what we want to provide now at every level, the club level, the national team level the opportunity for pro play

FIFA moved Wednesday toward ending decades of soccer tradition by reviewing the rules that currently block domestic league games being played in other countries. Fans are likely to object to their teams' home matches potentially being moved thousands of miles (kilometers) away. The United States and Saudi Arabia are expected to be willing hosts to lure competitive games from top European countries, and FIFA recently agreed to withdraw from an ongoing court case in New York filed by promoter Relevent to challenge the policy. The new FIFA policy will likely be attractive to the growing number of international owners of European clubs, including the wave of U.S. investors in the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1, and state-backed teams like Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City, Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi-owned Newcastle. FIFA is now creating a panel of 10-15 people representing soccer stakeholders to advise within months on amending the rules on ..

Injured central defender Sandesh Jhingan missed out as Indian senior men's team head coach Igor Stimac on Tuesday announced his second list of 15 probables for the Bhubaneswar camp ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 preliminary joint qualification round 2 matches against Kuwait and Qatar. The first list of probables was announced on Saturday. Key defender Jhingan, who sustained a right knee injury during India's Asian Cup group match against Syria in January, missed out of the list. The 26 players from the first list will begin training in the Odisha capital on May 10. The 15 players from the second list, comprising players from Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan SG, who contested the ISL Cup final, will join the camp on May 15. A total of 41 players will take part in the national camp. The Blue Tigers will face Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6 before travelling away to take on Qatar on June 11 in their last two matches of Group A. India are currently placed second in the group, with four po

The tournament will be held in the United States for the first time next summer, the report said, adding that a deal could be announced as soon as this month

The Nehru Stadium here will be rebuilt and transformed into a 30,000 seater exclusive football venue with world-class facilities, a top official of Assam Football Association (AFA) said on Sunday. AFA's general secretary Sangrang Brahma said this ahead of the India-Aghanistan 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier to be played in the city on Tuesday. "Nehru Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt into a football exclusive stadium which would be of international standard. It would be an exclusive football stadium of international standard in India. Work on it would start soon," Brahma told PTI Videos. Brahma informed that the AFA also plans to set up 10 football academies in the state for developing grassroots level talent besides a dedicated centre of excellence in the capital. "We are planning to establish at least 10 academies in Assam in various locations. We also have a plan to establish a high-performance training centre that would be based in Guwahati." India and Afghanistan settled f