Fifa World Cup

Ronaldo hails 2030 World Cup as 'most special' after Portugal named co-host

Cristiano Ronaldo led the celebrations after Portugal and five other countries were officially announced as hosts of the 2030 men's World Cup, with the player saying the unique tournament will be the "most special" yet. The 2030 tournament will be the first World Cup played in six different counties, with Spain, Portugal and Morocco as the main hosts while South American nations Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each get one game. The format will help FIFA mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. "A dream come true," the 39-year-old Ronaldo wrote in an Instagram post that had a photo of him celebrating while wearing Portugal's jersey and featured the words: "The Most Special World Cup ever." Ronaldo is the only man to have scored at five World Cup tournaments, but he is unlikely to still be playing in 2030. "Portugal will host the 2030 World Cup and make us proud," he wrote. The approval of the six-nation bid was mostly a formality at FIFA's online me

Saudi Arabia officially announced as host for Fifa World Cup 2034

Saudi Arabia is eight years into a multi-trillion dollar transformation agenda aimed at freeing the economy from its reliance on petrodollars. The plan includes creating dozens of new industries

Norway to protest FIFA, abstain from 2034 World Cup vote for Saudi Arabia

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

FIFA and Saudi Arabia brace for decade of scrutiny after World Cup rights

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

India all set to debut in Fifae World Cup 2024 featuring eFootball

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

Dybala left out of Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers, Martnez back

Roma striker Paulo Dybala was left out of the Argentina squad for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martnez is back after a suspension. Coach Lionel Scaloni announced his squad on Tuesday, with the absence of Dybala and the inclusion of Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea the two big surprises. Martnez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for offensive behavior in two previous matches in September, but he will be available for the match at Paraguay on Nov. 14 and the home game against Peru five days later. Argentina leads South American World Cup qualifying with 22 points from 10 matches. The top six teams will get direct spots at the 2026 tournament. ___ Squad: Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Walter Bentez (PSV Eindhoven), Gernimo Rulli (Marseille). Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germn Pezzella (River Plate), Nehun Prez (Porto), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille

Lenovo to be FIFA's technology partner for 2026 WC and 2027 Women's WC

Lenovo has signed on to be the official technology partner for FIFA, which includes the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The announcement was made during Lenovo's Tech World innovation event in Seattle on Tuesday. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement the deal will continue to upgrade fan experiences as well as continue to make data more accessible to fans and teams. "At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport. Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better," he said. The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 through July 19 in 16 cities throughout North America. It will also see the tournament expand from 32 to 48 teams. The 2027 Women's World Cup will feature 32 teams, but the da

Messi equals Ronaldo's record, check full list of most int'l hattricks

An all-round performance from the talisman saw him registering 2 assists along with his hattrick to complete a five-star performance on the night.

Brazil beat Chile away from home in WC qualifying, Messi's Argentina draws

An 89th-minute goal by substitute Luiz Henrique gave Brazil a 2-1 away win over Chile in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match. The win meant under-pressure Brazil coach Dorival Jnior's team will finish the ninth round of the round-robin competition in fourth place in South American qualifying. Earlier, Lionel Messi's Argentina drew Venezuela 1-1 in a match that was delayed for 30 minutes due to a wet pitch at Monumental Stadium in the Venezuelan city of Maturin. Argentina, which leads the 10-team competition, has 19 points after nine matches. Colombia, with 16 points, remains in second place after losing 1-0 at Bolivia. Uruguay is third with 15 points and has a chance to add more in a match against Peru on Friday. Brazil has 13 points. Brazil has dramatic comebackChile, one of the worst-performing teams in South American qualifying, opened the scoring seconds after the kickoff at the National Stadium in Santiago. Veteran striker Eduardo Vargas headed past goalkeeper Ederson, with the

Mbappe among stars missing from Nations League while teams eye WC berths

In a congested soccer season where elite players have aired the idea of going on strike, the Nations League returns this week looking less than a top priority. France captain Kylian Mbapp opted to stay away, his probable deputy Antoine Griezmann retired from the national team, and Romelu Lukaku asked to work on his fitness at new club Napoli rather than join the Belgium camp. Add a wave of injury call-offs in Germany and elsewhere some of them serious, for Spain defender Dani Carvajal and German goalkeeper Marc-Andr ter Stegen and the Nations League will open an international door for newcomers. Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco called up four potential debutants to experiment in games in what is the third-tier competition for European teams. We will not do it during the important World Cup qualification, said Tedesco, looking ahead to that important next stage in 2025. The 2026 World Cup in North America is, however, already now in play for teams targeting that tournament and each

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson to miss World Cup qualifiers after injury

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson will miss a few weeks after he was injured and substituted in Saturday's English Premier League match against Crystal Palace. Alisson appeared to hurt his hamstring when clearing the ball in the second half at Selhurst Park and had to leave the field in the 79th minute. Liverpool manager Arne Slot expected him to miss Brazil's World Cup qualifiers and Liverpool's next game, at least. What we do know is that if a player walks off like he did, that normally means that he is not in the Brazil squad and I don't expect him to be in the team in the first game we play after (the international break)," Slot said. It is going to take a few weeks I assume for him to be back. I think it is (his hamstring). Brazil has World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru during the upcoming international break. Alisson limped off to be replaced by Vitezslav Jaros. Alisson has only recently returned after a muscle injury and was holding the back of his right leg on the ...

2026 FIFA World Cup final venue will also host 2025 Club World Cup finals

Next year's championship of the expanded Club World Cup will be played on July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, site of the 2026 World Cup final. Twelve stadiums will be used for the 32-team tournament, FIFA said Saturday night, including five of the 11 US venues for the 2026 World Cup. Sites include six NFL stadiums; four Major League Soccer homes; the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, site of the 1994 World Cup final; and Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, another 1994 World Cup site. FIFA made the announcement at 6:20 p.m. EDT on a Saturday, when US sports attention was focused on college football and Major League Baseball pennant races. FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed the sites at the Global Citizen Festival, an anti-poverty group's event in New York's Central Park. FIFPRO, the international players' union, in December criticised FIFA for scheduling an event that will undercut the rest and recovery time of these players at the end of the .

UEFA Nations League to play vital role in FIFA's World Cup qualification

FIFA is preparing a more complicated draw for the European World Cup qualifying groups, giving greater weight to the upcoming UEFA Nations League rather than relying solely on world rankings but also making most teams wait months to find out their full slate of opponents. The new system will see the list of top-seeded teams for the 12 groups made up of the eight Nations League quarterfinalists plus the four top-ranked teams among those who don't make the last eight of the UEFA competition. That means when the draw is held in December, only placeholder names will be used for the top-seeded teams in each group as the Nations League program will still be underway. The quarterfinals are not completed until March 23, when teams will finally know which top-seeded side they will be facing. FIFA detailed its preferred format in a briefing note Tuesday to UEFA member federations, outlining the changes compared to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, when seedings relied on the FIFA world ...

Olympic soccer preview: Spain women seek gold after lifting World Cup

Coach Montse Tom proclaimed that Spain's women's soccer team has "insatiable ambition" heading into the Olympics. That mentality has served the squad well. La Roja is seeking to become the first team to win a gold medal in France after lifting a Women's World Cup trophy. "We have a group of players who love what they do. We take them to work, work and work," Tom said. And in that work, their enjoyment comes out and their talent shines and they can be competitive, because we have footballers who have an insatiable ambition and mentality. Loaded with talent, including reigning Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati and two-time former winner Alexia Putellas, Spain won the World Cup despite turmoil surrounding the squad. Before the tournament even started in Australia and New Zealand, more than a dozen players stepped away from the national team, citing poor treatment of the squad. Then-coach Jorge Vilda was peppered with questions about the mutiny throughout the event. After the 1-0 vict

Players deserve apology, not sanctions: Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa

Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa thinks his players deserve an apology, not sanctions, for going into the stands at Bank of America Stadium and participating in a fight with Colombia fans following his team's 1-0 Copa America semifinal loss. An angry Bielsa criticised tournament organizers for not doing enough to protect the families of players seated behind the Uruguay bench and he justified players taking matters into their own hands to protect their loved ones. "We are in the United States, the country of security," Bielsa said through an interpreter during an emotional 45-minute news conference Friday. "How can you not defend your mother, your sister, a baby? If they did not do it, they would have been condemned by all of us." CONMEBOL, South American soccer's governing body, said on Thursday its disciplinary committee opened an investigation. "It is unacceptable that an incident like this turns passion into violence," the federation said in a statement. Asked if he feared sancti

Euro 2024: Rodri calls for more protection for players after Pedri's injury

Rodri has called for more protection for players after one of his Spain teammates was ruled out of the rest of the European Championship. Pedri's tournament was ended after the midfielder sustained a knee injury last Friday in a hefty challenge by Toni Kroos at the start of the quarterfinal against Germany, which La Roja went on to win 2-1. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Kroos should have been sent off in the final match of his illustrious career. He did not even receive a yellow card. As football players, we always want to be protected, Rodri said on Monday. This is the job of the referee. I mean, he puts the standard, so what is a yellow card or red card is his job, It's not our job. And we play with the rules or with the level he put. This is the reality. Rodri, considered the best defensive midfielder in the world, is expecting another hard-fought encounter in Tuesday's semifinal against France. Tomorrow is going to be a very, very physical battle because they are a very

Much-changed Spain beats Albania 1-0 at Euro 2024 to finish group stage

Spain changed almost its entire lineup and still kept up its victorious start to the European Championship with a 1-0 win over Albania, which was eliminated. With his team already assured of winning Group B, coach Luis de la Fuente changed 10 of his starters and Spain won all three group games at a Euros for the first time since 2008, when it went on to win the tournament. A 13th-minute goal from Ferran Torres and goalkeeper David Raya's stoppage-time save from Armando Broja ensured Spain completed the group stage without conceding a goal. Every player is ready to play in this first 11 and that's key. Anyone can decide a game for you and players coming off the bench are very important as well, Torres, who made his first start of Euro 2024, said through a translator. I will try to make things difficult for my coach so that he will have to play me. Torres scored with a deflection off the post from Dani OImo's pass, and put his fingers to his ears in his goal celebration. He said the

'Oblivious' of Lineker's four-letter criticism of England, says Southgate

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

Euro to FIFA World Cup: Fastest goals scored in international, club history

Albania's Nedim Bajrami scored the fastest goal in the history of European Championship (Euro Cup) history. Turkey's Hakan Sukur scored the fastest goal in FIFA World Cup history.

Days after World Cup qualifier loss, AIFFS sacks head coach Igor Stimac

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