World Cup

DOHA: Qatar is in talks with coronavirus vaccine makers to ensure all fans attending the 2022 World Cup in the country have been vaccinated, the foreign minister said Friday (Apr 16). The Gulf nation is facing a resurgence of virus cases and deaths despite progress in its mass vaccination programme, forcing authorities to impose a nationwide lockdown. "We have been negotiating and talking to the vaccination providers on how we can make sure that everyone attending the World Cup is vaccinated," Foreign Minister

DUISBURG, Germany: Germany's performance was dubbed "embarrassing" after they suffered their first World Cup qualifying defeat for 20 years in a humiliating 2-1 home loss to North Macedonia which heaped pressure on coach Joachim Loew. "The disappointment is huge," said a crest-fallen Loew after the final whistle in Duisburg on Wednesday. "This is a set-back. There were a lot of mistakes and we didn't find a way to break down the deep-standing North Macedonians. "We also let them counter-attack and had no grip

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu praised his side's ruthlessness after they recorded their biggest win in World Cup qualifying with Tuesday's (Mar 30) 14-0 thrashing of Mongolia. The win fell one goal short of matching their all-time record, a 15-0 victory over the Philippines in Olympic qualifying in 1967, but Moriyasu was delighted with the way his side took Mongolia apart in the Group F match behind closed doors at Chiba's Fukuda Denshi Arena. The players were focused on what they could accomplish rather

DEBRECEN, Hungary - World Cup hosts Qatar continued their impressive run as they drew 1-1 with struggling Ireland in Debrecen on Tuesday. Ireland were hoping to bounce back from their humiliating defeat by Luxembourg in their Group A World Cup qualifier at the weekend and took the lead in the first half through James McClean’s deflected strike. But Mohammed Muntari levelled for a lively Qatar side with a fine finish early in the second half. The non-competitive Group A game was originally scheduled

LONDON: Gareth Bale admits his international career could be drawing to a close, with the current World Cup qualifying campaign possibly his last in a Wales shirt. Wales play the Czech Republic in Cardiff on Tuesday seeking their first points in Group E after an opening defeat to Belgium. Wales still have the delayed Euro 2020 to look forward to, starting in June, but Tottenham's Wales captain will be 33 by the time of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. "I haven't

Coach Steve Clarke hailed Scotland's never-say-die attitude after they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Austria in Thursday's (Mar 25) World Cup qualifier, a point which may prove crucial in their bid to reach the finals for the first time since 1998. John McGinn's spectacular bicycle kick five minutes from time secured a share of the spoils in the Group F match at Hampden Park as they kicked off their campaign to qualify for Qatar 2022. “We’re progressing. We can believe

LONDON - Former champions Germany, England and Italy got off to winning starts in their World Cup qualifying campaigns on Thursday but Spain were held to a 1-1 home draw by Greece. Four-times winners Germany enjoyed a 3-0 win over Group J rivals Iceland in Duisburg thanks to goals from Leon Goretzka, Kai Havertz and Ilkay Gundogan. The German team followed the example of Norway on Wednesday in making a protest before the start of the game, lining up in Tee-shirts spelling out

The Netherlands team hope that this week's start of the World Cup qualifiers in Europe will highlight the plight of migrant workers in Qatar and help to improve their working conditions. "A lot of attention is now focused on whether we should go there if we qualify," coach Frank de Boer told news conference on the eve of his team's opening Group G match against Turkey in Istanbul, amid growing controversy at home over Qatar's hosting of the 2022 finals. "It is right

Steven Gerrard said he was surprised by England coach Gareth Southgate's decision to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold from the squad for their World Cup qualifiers and described the Liverpool defender as the "best English right back in the country". Steven Gerrard said he was surprised by England coach Gareth Southgate's decision to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold from the squad for their World Cup qualifiers and described the Liverpool defender as the "best English right back in the country". Alexander-Arnold was left out of Southgate's 26-man

It was only the eighth time in 84 innings that Kohli opened batting Virat Kohli plans to reinvent himself as a Twenty20 opener with an eye on the 20-overs World Cup at home later this year, the India captain said after the team's series victory against England. Kohli joined deputy Rohit Sharma at the top in Saturday's decider. Their 94-run opening stand helped India amass 224-2, their highest total against England. It was only the eighth time in 84 innings that Kohli opened

LONDON: Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone received their first England call-ups on Thursday (Mar 18) ahead of three World Cup qualifiers. England manager Gareth Southgate has named a 26-man squad for this month's triple-header against San Marino, Albania and Poland. Leeds striker Patrick Bamford had been widely tipped for a call-up but Southgate has turned to Watkins, who has impressed since joining Villa from Brentford last year. "Bamford was very close. There's a number of positions in

JOHANNESBURG: New Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe raised the bar Tuesday (Mar 16) for national teams in the continent by insisting one of them must win the World Cup soon. "An African team must win the World Cup in the near future," said the 59-year-old South African billionaire at a press conference in Johannesburg. Motsepe was elected unopposed last Friday to lead trouble-torn CAF after a two-year ban over "governance issues" prevented Malagasy Ahmad Ahmad seeking re-election for a second

STOCKHOLM: Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be about to thrill Swedish soccer fans again if Janne Andersson names him in his squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers after the pair settled their differences to pave the way for the talismanic striker's return. Ibrahimovic, 39, walked away from the national team after Sweden exited Euro 2016 at the group stage and his relationship with Andersson, who took over after that tournament, was limited to sniping form the sidelines while hinting at a comeback. Throughout that

The Qatari Shooting Mission arrived in Cairo to participate in the World Cup for Shooting, which is organized by the Egyptian Federation for Shooting in the Shooting and Hunting Fields in Giza during the period from February 22 to March 5, and the Al-Adaam Skeet Shooting Mission finished the training yesterday morning at the Lusail Fields Complex for Shooting. Skeet is represented by Nasser Al-Attiyah, Rashid Saleh and Al-Atrab Muhammad Al-Rumaihi and Saeed Abu Sharb and the mission is headed by Ibrahim Al-Muhannadi,

Reigning QNB Stars League (QSL) champions Al Duhail will enter the field as the underdogs when they face Egypt’s Al Ahly – regarded as the world’s most decorated club -  on their FIFA Club World Cup debut on Thursday.         The second round clash at the Education City Stadium will be the toughest test yet for Sabri Lamouchi-coached Red Knights, who are representing hosts Qatar, just like Al Sadd did in the last edition.    Al Duhail – formed in 2017

Iraq’s legendary captain Younis Mahmoud understands football’s power to unite millions of people. When he led the Lions of Mesopotamia to Asian Cup glory in 2007, the team’s victory played a crucial role in promoting peace throughout the war-torn country. Mahmoud captained Iraq for ten years during a career that earned him 148 international caps and a reputation as one of the greatest strikers in Asian football history. Although Mahmoud never led his team to the FIFA World Cup™ finals, he continues to

It wasn’t only a dream season in terms of trophies for Manchester City last season, but also from a financial point of view. The defending Premier League champions netted a total of £3.9m from players to appear at the World Cup from the club’s squad, beating heavy-weights like Real Madrid and Barcelona. And while it is a proud moment for any player to get the national call-up, it is merrier for the player’s club as well. FIFA, the governing body of football, pays

While there would have been tears of joy in the Netherlands dressing room after the side beat reigning World Champions France in the UEFA Nations League. However, a former World Champion nation, Germany was in literal tears. Netherlands’ 2-0 win over France meant that Germany were left at the bottom of Group 1 of League A in the UEFA Nations League, meaning they will be relegated to League B of the competition next season. Germany still have a game left against the Dutch