Football

FafaFifa on Tuesday raised total World Cup cash distributions to almost $900 million after teams hours and mounting costs of participation to the tournament. FIFA, football's global governing body, said the money split between the 48 teams competing in next year's finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States would now amount to $871 million - with FIFA increasing an initial figure of $727 million announced in December. The large increase is largely due to the fact that Fifa members reportedly contended that

Al Shamal took on Al Sadd for the finale of the Qatar Stars League 2025-26 on 27 April 2026 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. A brace by Al Sadd's Akram Afif and Roberto Firmino in the 20th and 22nd minute respectively saw them easily break the deadlock for a quick early lead of 2-0. Bahdad Bounedjah pulled a goal back in the 65th minute for Al Shamal making it 2-1. In the 68th minute, Paulo Otavio pushed Al Sadd's lead to 3-1

Qatar's national football side will meet El Salvador in a friendly as part of their build-up for FIFA World Cup 2026, which takes place in the United States, Mexico and Canada from 11 June to 19 July 2026. In a news release dated Thursday, 23 April 2026, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) said the matchup would be in Los Angeles on 06 June. Qatar have been placed in Group B with Canada, Switzerland and Bosnia Herzegovina. National coach Felix Sanchez is expected to

Lamine Yamal will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury in his left leg but is expected to be available for this year's World Cup, Spanish side Barcelona said Thursday. Yamal hobbled off the pitch during Wednesday's 1-0 league victory over Celta Vigo — when the 18-year-old netted his side a penalty winner. Barcelona posted on X: "Tests carried out have confirmed that first-team player Lamine Yamal has a hamstring injury in his left leg (biceps femoris muscle)." The player

An aide to US President Donald Trump has called for the Fifa to swap Iran with Italy in the next World Cup, according to reports in the Financial Times on Wednesday. According to the FT, which cites people familiar with the matter, the plan is also part of an effort to mend relations between Mr Trump and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after her government and widely supportive sections of the Italian media fell out with the American president following his assaults on

People pay attention when a legend like Cafu talks. And his most recent opinion is brave: he thinks Brazil has the best chance to win the World Cup again in 2026. A 24-Year Wait for Redemption Brazil hasn't won the World Cup since 2002, even though they always have world-class teams. They've lost in every tournament, sometimes because of strategy and sometimes because of their minds. The question is now simple: what sets 2026 apart? A Squad Built for Modern Football The Brazilian

Iran will play their World Cup matches in the US as scheduled despite armed conflict between them and the tournament's co-hosts, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said on Tuesday. Iranian FA president (FFIRI) has now tried to bash the US as the team is trying to move their three group matches in this World Cup from America to Mexico, citing American military backing of Israel when the two began assaults that led into renewed war in our region. Earlier this month, the FFIRI said

Barcelona forward Raphinha tore into the officiating in their Champions League quarterfinal when his team exited 3-2 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, having ended both legs with 10 players. The Brazilian did not play in either match but accused the referees Clement Turpin, who officiated the second game, and Istvan Kovacs, of the first, of "robbing" his team. “I think it was a robbery, not just in this match but in the other one (the first leg) as well,” Raphinha told

Argentina will finalize their preparations for the World Cup in June with friendly matches against Honduras and Iceland in the United States, the Argentine football federation said on Thursday. (Depleted world champions Argentina play Honduras on June 6 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, and Iceland three days later at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Argentina will be in Group J with Austria, Algeria and Jordan at the World Cup, which starts on June 11 and will be played in the United

Liverpool manager Arne Slot conceded that his side had been conclusively outplayed by Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday but defended his choice to field three central defenders, while maintaining that the Reds remained hopeful heading into the second leg. “Paris Saint-Germain was much better today and could have scored more than two goals — the good thing is that the players showed fighting spirit all the time and kept going,” Slot said after his team fell, 2-0,

A 1-0 home victory over Sporting in the second leg of a Champions League quarterfinal was a huge swing for Arsenal at the end of their week — an English club recovering from back-to-back elimination rounds in both domestic cups — said attacker Kai Havertz. Havertz scored the winning goal against Sporting in the tie, again as a substitute, which gave Arsenal an edge going into next week’s return leg in London. “A big turnaround for us for sure because we lost the

Al Ain, on Sunday, returned to the top spot in the ADNOC Pro League following a 2-0 win over Ajman at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. The victory lifts Al Ain to 53 points and returns them to the top, one point clear of second-placed Shabab Al Ahli on 52 points. Ajman stayed in seventh place on 24 points. Al Ain made an explosive start and took just six minutes to go in front. Soufian Rahimi touched home a cross from Amadu Niang to

Music, fireworks and a few rounds of gunfire broke out across Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Wednesday after the national team qualified for its first World Cup in decades. The “Lions of Mesopotamia” cemented its first World Cup appearance since 1986, when the tournament took place in Mexico, with a 2-1 victory over Bolivia on Tuesday night. The lead up to the match had been marred however by the outbreak of the Middle East war since late February, when US and Israel launched attacks

Italy will not be at a third consecutive World Cup after crashing in Tuesday’s (March 31, 2026) frenzied qualification play-off final to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Azzurri fumbling their opportunity of moving on to this summer’s tournament in North America with a miserable 4-1 penalty shoot-out loss. The Bosnians secured a place in Group B, and matches against co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, by winning the shootout when Esmir Bajraktarevic delivered the decisive spot-kick in Zenica that sent Italy withering toward yet another

The Premier League may be the world's most popular but it's also one of the most expensive places to watch soccer, and as the arms race for talent escalates, fans are being squeezed. According to a recent UEFA report, English football’s ‘Big Six’ — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham — pulled in close to 20 per cent more selling tickets for home games in the 2024-25 season as they did a year earlier. Bumper broadcasting deals and commercial sponsorship

As Pep Guardiola wiped away the sting of the Champagne sprayed by his ecstatic players after Sunday’s League Cup final victory over Arsenal, the Manchester City manager faced a crucial question. Nico O’Reilly’s double in the second half had just secured a 2-0 triumph in the Wembley showpiece to give City mental edge over their Premier League title challengers. But will this record-extending fifth League Cup under Guardiola serve as a springboard to catch Arsenal in the title race? Having not masterminded a

Four soccer games in Mexico were postponed when violence erupted near the city of Guadalajara following a military operation that killed the cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, and Fifa is monitoring the situation in that 2026 World Cup host city. Oseguera — whose nickname “El Mencho” and involvement with the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG turned him into one of Mexico’s most-wanted drug lords — died in custody after suffering injuries during a special forces operation on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Jalisco

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he is determined to see that Russia's four-year suspension from international competitions "is lifted because it has achieved nothing". Russian clubs and the national team were banned from Fifa and Uefa competitions after their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “This ban has not produced anything positive at all; it has only created more frustration and hatred,” Infantino said. “If we could play football in other parts of Europe with Russian girls and boys, it would probably do a power of good.”

Pep Guardiola vowed Manchester City will not give up the Premier League title without a fight after his team failed to get on the scoresheet in a damaging 2-2 draw at Tottenham on Sunday. Guardiola’s team ran riot in north London courtesy of first half strikes from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. But City crumbled after the break. Dominic Solanke bundled home to pull one back, meeting the ball off with what appeared to be a kick on the back of City defender Marc Guehi’s leg as

Strutting in like a Neymar with his wing runs and Yamal with his hairstyle, Soham Bhagawati has stunned a lot of footballers in Spain where the Dubai lad plays club football. But what has further startled them is Soham’s Indian passport. “Many people don’t put India on the map in terms of this level of football. They are genuinely shocked when I tell them that I’m an Indian,” the 22-year-old recalled. “But the people here they value the fact that someone has travelled this far out of