Page 25 - Latest Updates on FIFA World Cup

Game changers

The last thing world football needs is more games

FIFA to investigate possibility of hosting World Cup every two years

FIFA will be investigating the possibility of holding the World Cup every two years instead of four, for both the men's and women's tournaments

Europe starts 2022 World Cup qualifying amid pause for pandemic

The 55 national soccer teams in Europe will start World Cup qualifying this week for the 2022 tournament in Qatar even as South America and Asia pause amid the coronavirus pandemic. The 10 European qualifying groups kick off Wednesday and will play 75 games in eight days. Some teams will play triple-headers in a schedule squeezed by the loss of dates in June because of the postponed European Championship. No World Cup qualifying game in Europe has been lost to travel and quarantine restrictions. Fears that players based in Germany would be denied travel did not materialize, so Robert Lewandowski can play for Poland in England and David Alaba will join Austria in Scotland. The pandemic was felt in three teams losing what home advantage exists when most games are still played without fans. Cristiano Ronaldo will not play for Portugal at home, though he will be on familiar ground in Turin, Italy. Portugal chose the stadium of Juventus as the neutral host for its opening qualifier agai

Asian soccer gets 8 host hubs for World Cup qualifying games

The delayed World Cup qualifying matches in Asia will be completed in June with each of the eight groups playing in a separate host nation because of the COVID-19 pandemic

India's football WC qualifying round matches scheduled for March postponed

India's 2022 FIFA World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualifying round matches, which were scheduled to be played next month, have been postponed to June due to Covid-related travel and quarantine restrictions

EAM S Jaishankar visits FIFA 2022 World Cup venue in Qatar built by L&T

Union Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar, alongside India's ambassador in Qatar Deepak Mittal, visited the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium which is a 2022 FIFA World Cup venue built by Indian construction giant Larsen & Tubro.

FIFA provides breakdown of expanded 2023 Women's World Cup field

CONCACAF will have four direct berths for the expanded Women's World Cup in 2023, and two more teams from the region will have a chance to join them via a 10-team playoff tournament

AFC guaranteed six direct slots for 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

Members from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will have six direct slots for the 32-team 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

After 6-0 loss, Joachim Low under pressure as German federation plans talks

The loss in Seville was Germany's heaviest defeat since 1931 and ended the team's chances of qualifying for the Nations League final four

Silence on field numbs Rs 2,150-cr Jalandhar, Meerut sports goods industry

like elsewhere, the Covid-19 lockdown followed by a continuing inertia in the sporting ecosystem have had a seismic effect on the two centres

Messi, Neymar aim for World Cup qualifying amid Covid-19 pandemic

Ten teams are battling for four direct berths. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia, in that order, start as favorites for those spots.

Fifa approves September start for CONMEBOL 2022 World Cup qualifiers

The FIFA Council has approved the plans by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to begin its 2022 World Cup qualifiers in September.

Australia, New Zealand win joint bid to host 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup

The island neighbours beat Colombia 22-13 on Thursday in a vote by the Fifa Council

Landmarks to highlight Australia-New Zealand Fifa women's WC 2023 bid

Sydney Opera House and Auckland's Sky Tower will be lit up simultaneously to highlight the joint bid from Australia and New Zealand in the final hours before Fifa decides on venue for 2023 Women's WC

Aus and NZ Prime Ministers pledge support for Fifa Women's WC 2023 bid

Football Federation Australia and New Zealand Football are proposing a historic and exciting step forward for world football with a tournament of firsts

Australia-NZ favourites for hosting 2023 Women's football WC as Japan quits

The combined bid performed significantly stronger than its only remaining rival, Colombia, in the Fifa inspection report scoring 4.1 to 2.8

Sports books to keep you going while you wait for the real action to resume

If you're done with endless TV re-runs of classic matches, Dhruv Munjal offers a choice of entertaining sports books to keep you going.

Qatar denies US claim of bribing Fifa officials to host 2022 World Cup

The allegations are linked to a wide-ranging 2015 corruption scandal that left world football's governing body Fifa in turmoil and led to the downfall of then-president Sepp Blatter.

More than happy to get a point against Asian Champion Qatar: India coach

The Indian team's coach, Igor Stimac, former Croatian international, wants the Indian players to stay focussed and garner more points in their upcoming matches

Tickets for India's opening match in FIFA World Cup qualifier up for sale

The match is scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on September 4