football news

An industry academic has warned soaring ticket prices and transport costs at this year's World Cup will lure fans into cyber fraud and scams by the enticement of forgeries as supporters mistakenly believe they have bagged a bargain. As a result, scam artists are on the prowl during every major global sporting event but there's an added peril of World Cup tickets being costlier than at any previous edition, said Nuno Sebastiao, CEO and co-founder of Feedzai. "A World Cup or a massive

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

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

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

When England’s national football team announced their squad, much debate was sparked again over the inclusion of a man who nearly always raises more questions than answers — Trent Alexander-Arnold. Thomas Tuchel's decision to drop the right-back was unexpected, especially given that he had overcome recent fitness concerns and hit form at Real Madrid. “It’s a sporting decision,” Tuchel said, making it clear that despite his quality other players are ahead of him at the moment. Yet the absence has resurrected divided views

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

And the shorter wait is the one that deserves much more scrutiny. It was the second in successive World Cups for Northern Ireland, who last appeared on the biggest stage four decades ago. Any regret about finishing third in a group with Brazil and Spain was tempered by the expectation of an imminent return. There has been no additional seat at the international football dining table. That World Cup hiatus under Italy’s belt includes failure to qualify in 2018 and 2022 (those two

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

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

Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean scored injury-time wonder-goals to help Scotland to a 4-2 win over Denmark on Tuesday and book their place at the 2026 World Cup, while Spain also secured their place with a 2-2 draw against Turkey. Belgium romped to a 7-0 win over Liechtenstein to qualify for next year's competition and Switzerland and Austria managed draws to guarantee their places in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Scotland's late action in Glasgow sees Steve Clarke's team qualify for the

Inter Milan's treble hopes are alive and well after reaching the semifinals of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, with the Serie A giants winning a thrilling last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate. The reigning Serie A champions Inter face Barcelona in the semis after goals from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard in quick succession erased a goal from Bayern's Harry Kane which had balanced the tie in the 52nd minute. Dier’s looping header in the 76th minute put

The Saudi Arabian coach Roberto Mancini was fired after a poor performance. Roberto Mancini has been ousted as the coach of the Saudi football national team after overseeing disappointing results. Only 14 months into the job, Roberto was ejected because of having weak results with the Green Falcons. Roberto Mancini, who led Italy to its Euro 2020 victory, failed to bend the curve much in Saudi Arabia as he could only win 7 out of 18 games. In a statement that read, “a

Barcelona in Crisis: Xavi's Departure Amid Defensive Struggles The weekend across European soccer brought unexpected twists, with notable results in LaLiga, the Bundesliga, and the FA Cup. Barcelona, in particular, faced a crushing 5-3 defeat at home against Villarreal, leading to a seismic announcement post-match—Xavi will not return as the manager after June. Saturday's events at Montjuic unfolded in two parts: Barcelona's third loss in five games, conceding a staggering 16 goals in the process, and Xavi's declaration of an "irreversible" decision to

The Best FIFA Football Awards unfolded in London, crowning Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmatí as The Best FIFA Men's and Women's Players, with Pep Guardiola and Sarina Wiegman named Best FIFA Coaches. Manchester City's Éderson and Manchester United's Mary Earps claimed The Best FIFA Goalkeeper awards. Guilherme Madruga won the Puskas Award, and Brazil legend Marta received The Best FIFA Special Award for her outstanding career. Messi's Narrow Victory Over Haaland The highlight of the awards night was Lionel Messi narrowly clinching The

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has shed light on the demanding nature of playing for the prestigious club, suggesting that some players struggle to handle the immense pressure associated with representing the Red Devils. Despite recent loan moves for players like Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho, Ten Hag emphasizes that joining Manchester United remains a formidable and rewarding challenge for any footballer. The Manager's Perspective As the January transfer window unfolds, Erik ten Hag has authorized significant moves,