Page 7 - Fifa World Cup

Argentina secure WC spot, celebrate it with 4-1 win over rivals Brazil

Defending champion Argentina celebrated throughout Tuesday as the team secured its place at the 2026 World Cup hours before an historic 4-1 win over archrival Brazil. Bolivia's failure to beat Uruguay meant Argentina had enough cushion in South American qualifying to secure one of the continent's six direct spots for the 48-team World Cup set to be co-hosted next year by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. After Bolivia's 0-0 draw with Uruguay at El Alto, about 85,000 raucous Argentina fans kicked off the festivities at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium despite the absence of Lionel Messi. They were chanting into the night in Buenos Aires, now more confident their team can defend the World Cup title. For Brazil, its worst deficit in South American World Cup qualifying history compounded pressure on coach Dorival Jnior. Brazil is in fourth place in South American qualifying with 21 points, 10 behind Argentina but only two behind second-place Ecuador, which was held to a 0-0 draw by Chile. ..

FIFA details Club World Cup prize money with $125M target for the winner

The winner of FIFA's first 32-team Club World Cup in the United States could earn $125 million as details of a $1 billion prize money fund were finally published Wednesday. FIFA said it allocated $525 million in guaranteed fees for teams taking part in the June 14-July 13 tournament, ranging from $38.19 million to the top-ranked European team likely Real Madrid to $3.58 million for the Oceania representative Auckland City. A further $475 million is earned by results in the 63 games, with $2 million paid for winning group stage games, $7.5 million for playing in the round of 16 and $40 million to the team that wins the final at MetLife Stadium near New York. The golden trophy has been sitting in the Oval Office at the White House this month after FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered it to President Donald Trump. The prize fund was delayed until a global broadcast deal was belatedly agreed in December with streaming service DAZN, which then got a major investment from a ...

Reece James leads England to 3-0 win over Latvia in the WC qualifier

Reece James scored a brilliant free kick and Eberechi Eze grabbed his maiden international goal as England beat Latvia 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium on Monday. James, making his first start in 2 1/2 years, curled a 25-meter free kick into the top corner after 37 minutes. The goal was his first in 18 England appearances and broke down a stuffy Latvia side. Midway through the second half, with the home crowd starting to get restless, young midfielder Morgan Rogers combined well with Declan Rice to pave the way for a Harry Kane tap-in. Then Eze cut in from the right and his shot hit the back of the net after taking a slight deflection. England is the hot favorite to win Europe Group K and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. New coach Thomas Tuchel, in just his second game in charge, was content with the result if not the performance against a side 136 places behind it in the FIFA rankings. The German praised the returning James, a player he knows from his time managing

NZ qualifies for 2026 FIFA World Cup after 3-0 win in Oceania final

New Zealand will play at the 2026 World Cup after beating New Caledonia 3-0 on Monday in the final of the Oceania confederation qualifying series. The New Zealand All Whites reached the World Cup for the third time after qualifying in Spain in 1982 and South Africa in 2010. They join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico and Japan, which last week became the first team to qualify for the 48-team tournament. New Caledonia still has a chance to qualify through a six-team inter-continental playoff involving teams from the Asian, African, North and Central American and South American confederations. New Zealand had a setback when its captain, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, was forced from the field with a hip injury in the 53rd minute with the score still 0-0. Wood is the focus of the New Zealand attack, scoring three headed goals in New Zealand's 7-0 semifinal win over Fiji on Friday. Up stepped an unlikely star in Wood's absence. In the 62nd Michael Boxall, the 36-year-o

Argentina one draw away from booking their place in 2026 FIFA World Cup

Argentina didn't miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martnez and other key players and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American World Cup qualifying match. Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box on Friday, putting the defending champions one point away from its direct spot in the tournament next year. Argentina leads the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure its place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of 7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition. The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the tournament once again. Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 .

2026 WC: New Zealand, New Caledonia to meet in Oceania qualifier final

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood scored a hat trick of headed goals as New Zealand beat Fiji 7-0 Friday to join New Caledonia in the Oceania qualifying final for the 2026 World Cup. New Caledonia earlier beat Tahiti 3-0 in the first semifinal in FIFA's smallest confederation. The winner of the Oceania qualifying series will gain direct entry to the World Cup for the first time. That means the victor in Monday's final in Auckland, New Zealand will join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico and Japan, which on Thursday became the first nation to qualify for the 48-team tournament. New Zealand captain Wood headed Sarpreet Singh's cross home to open New Zealand's scoring in the sixth minute as it led 4-0 halftime. He then scored off Tim Payne crosses in the 56th and 59th minutes for his 43rd and 44th goals in 81 internationals before being substituted in the 61st minute. Wood received a yellow card when climbed into the grandstand to finish the game among the crowd, surrounded

FIFA World Cup 2026: Japan becomes first team to qualify after Bahrain win

The win on Thursday guarantees Japan one of the two automatic spots in Group C of the Asian qualifiers, securing their place with three games still to play.

Chris Wood wants automatic World Cup qualifying for Oceania minnows

New Zealand captain Chris Wood says it's "only fair" that FIFA's smallest confederation, Oceania, has been given direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup. New Zealand will play Fiji and Tahiti will play New Caledonia in Wellington, New Zealand on Friday in the semifinals of the Oceania qualifying tournament. The final will be played in Auckland next Monday and the winner will be among the first teams to join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico at next year's expanded 48-team World Cup. It's the first time a team from Oceania has directly qualified for the World Cup finals rather than having to go through an intercontinental playoff. The loser of the Oceania final still will have a chance to qualify through a playoff series involving teams from the Asian, African, South American and CONCACAF confederations. New Zealand, at 89 in the FIFA rankings, is favored to qualify as the largest Oceania nation and after also qualifying through a more rigorous process for the finals in

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers full schedule, live time, streaming in India

This is the first-ever FIFA World Cup which will see 48 teams feature in the competition and three host countries (Canada, Mexico and USA) co-hosting the event.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier: Messi ruled out due to adductor injury

Lionel Messi will miss Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days because of an injury to his adductor. The 37-year-old Messi was not included in the 25-man squad announced on Monday by coach Lionel Scaloni. Later Monday, Inter Miami said Messi the reigning Major League Soccer MVP underwent an MRI to assess the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region, an injury that the team said occurred in Sunday's win over Atlanta United. The examination's findings confirmed the presence of a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle, Inter Miami said. His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition. Argentine media initially reported Messi suffered a sore left thigh on Sunday during Inter Miami's 2-1 victory. Argentina, which leads South America, will visit second-placed Uruguay on Friday and host fifth-placed Brazil four days later at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. Messi was not the only ...

FIFA unveils Miami's sonic ID for 2026 World Cup celebrating diversity

On Monday, March 3, the unique sound of Miami was revealed, with renowned producer Mr. NaisGai selected to craft the city's custom Sonic ID.

Deschamps' France coaching career to end after 2026 FIFA World Cup

France coach Didier Deschamps plans to announce on Wednesday that he won't continue in the role after the next World Cup, according to reports in French media. L'Equipe and RMC Sport were among the outlets to report that the 56-year-old Deschamps would leave when his contract expires in the summer of 2026. Deschamps, a World Cup winner as a player, took over as coach of Les Bleus in July 2012 and led France to the World Cup title in 2018, beating Croatia in the final. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, France reached the final and lost and epic title match to Argentina. Europe will send 16 teams to the first 48-team World Cup, being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2026.

Mexico City to boost mobility, security ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

The city's proposed mobility budget, which includes initiatives to make it easier for fans to enter and exit the iconic Azteca stadium, will increase to nearly 7 billion pesos

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