Page 4 - Football

Morocco youngest top-ranked Fifa World Cup squad, Brazil oldest: LCP study

Mexico leads in professional footballers and clubs, while the US and Saudi Arabia show rising football depth

Ronaldinho 'ready for action' after signing with Serie C side Ravenna at 46

Brazil great Ronaldinho has signed with Italian Serie C club Ravenna at age 46, more than a decade after retiring. "I cannot wait to dance with the ball," Ronaldinho said. "Football has always been joyful for me, and I'm excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!" The Ravenna club is run by Ignazio Cipriani of the Cipriani restaurant brand. "(Ronaldinho) was my idol growing up," Cipriani said at a presentation in Miami. "I hope his involvement inspires a new generation of supporters to fall in love with Ravenna." Ronaldinho last played professionally for Fluminense in 2015. It will mark his second spell in Italy after featuring for AC Milan from 2008-11. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005.

Fifa WC: Portugal vs Colombia match on June 28 to decide Group K toppers

Fifa World Cup 2026 group K round of 32 qualification scenarios: Colombia are through; Portugal need a point, while DR Congo and Uzbekistan must win and rely on third-place calculations.

Fifa mulls keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups: Infantino

FIFA will consider keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups despite backlash to the extra stoppages in play at this year's tournament. Gianni Infantino, the soccer body's president, defended the decision to introduce breaks - which come midway through each half - at this World Cup and said Tuesday they may be providing more entertainment for fans. He said FIFA would analyze what it will do in future tournaments "based on this experience." But after criticism that the breaks were a stealth way to insert advertising or American-style timeouts, Infantino suggested the stoppages have been positive. "Maybe the coach can reassess certain situations, correct certain mistakes. The players get a little rest and come back in full speed. Well, is that bad necessarily? Maybe it's good," Infantino said. "And we see as well the intensity of the games. We've never seen 90 minutes in a tournament like this played in such an intensity. "Until the last second of the match, players attack and s

Fifa WC 2026: Paraguay's Miguel Almiron handed one-game ban after red card

Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron has been given a one-match suspension after he was the first player to be sent off at the World Cup for covering his mouth. FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that Almiron will miss Paraguay's final group game against Australia on Thursday. World soccer's governing body said the decision was not subject to appeal. Almiron made history when he was issued a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey's Mert Mulder late in the first half of Paraguay's 1-0 win last Friday. Under new rules, players are not allowed to cover their mouths to disguise what they are saying during confrontations, with infringements leading to an instant dismissal. FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushed for the legislation after a high-profile incident in a Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica last season. Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni tried to hide verbal insults toward Madrid's Vinicius Junior. UEFA later issued Prestianni a six-game ban --

Fifa World Cup 2026: Croatia stay alive, eliminate Panama With 1-0 win

Josip Stanisic lifted a curving cross onto the boot of Ante Budimir, who tapped it into an open net in the 54th minute Tuesday, giving Croatia a 1-0 win over Panama in the World Cup. Croatia remains in contention for the knockout round ahead of its third and final group-stage match against Ghana on Saturday. Panama was eliminated and is still seeking its first World Cup point in two appearances. After a slow-moving first half at BMO Field, Croatia broke through Panama's strong back line after the break, with substitute Budimir finding the net just four minutes after coming on. The Vatreni nearly added another goal three minutes later when 40-year-old Luka Modric -- making his 200th international appearance -- passed ahead to Marco Pasalic on a breakaway, but Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera blocked Pasalic's shot. Panama had three straight chances in the 67th minute to knot things up. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a trio of dazzling saves; on the third, he just manage

England, Ghana play out goalless draw after late World Cup drama

England dominated possession but came up empty on several late scoring opportunities in a 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday at the World Cup. Both teams won their opening matches, with Ghana beating Panama 1-0 and England defeating Croatia 4-2. Now both still have work to do in Group L before securing a spot in the knockout round. England, which has not lost to an African country at the World Cup in nine meetings, outshot Ghana 19-1 but failed capitalise on multiple chances in the closing minutes. England lost to France in the quarterfinals at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Ghana has not made it to the knockout round since reaching the quarterfinals at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Three Lions had a chance to take the lead in the 86th minute when Nico O'Reilly's header hit the crossbar. Harry Kane gathered the rebound but could not get enough on it with his left foot and shot high. Ghana's best chance came in the 78th minute came when Abdul Fatawu outfought England midfielde

Brazil vs Haiti HIGHLIGHTS FIFA WC 2026: Brazil and Morocco register first wins of the tournament

While Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 earlier, Brazil stole the show with a 3-0 win against Haiti

FIFA World Cup 2026: Why the Golden Boot race could be toughest this year?

Just one round of group-stage matches into the tournament, the race is already crowded with some of the biggest names in football.

Morocco to Cape Verde: Africa's strong start reshaping the WC narrative

Across the United States, Canada and Mexico, African nations have demonstrated that they are no longer content with simply participating.

Kerala Budget boosts sports and culture with stadium, film city projects

The revised Kerala Budget for 2026-27 presented in the Assembly by Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday gave a major push to the sports and cultural sectors, announcing projects, including an international-standard football stadium in Malabar, a film city in Kochi and a cultural park in Kozhikode. In a move likely to enthuse football fans, especially in north Kerala, Satheesan announced the construction of a world-class football stadium in the Malabar region and allocated Rs 50 crore for the project. Referring to the state's passion for football, he said a world-class stadium was essential to systematically identify and train football talent and host prestigious international matches. "Recognising the immense passion and profound love for the game among football fans in Kerala, an international standard football stadium equipped with ultra-modern facilities will be constructed in the Malabar region. An amount of Rs 50 crore is allocated for this project," he said. In the first ..

Fifa World Cup 2026 dynamic pricing has tickets going one way: Up

Record-high World Cup ticket prices have failed to deter fans, with resale values rising and stadiums filling despite early criticism

FIFA World Cup 2026 June 20 schedule, live match timings (IST), streaming

USA vs Australia at 12:30 AM, followed by Scotland vs Morocco at 3:30 AM, Brazil vs Haiti at 6:00 AM, Türkiye vs Paraguay at 8:30 AM, and concludes with Netherlands vs Sweden at 10:30 PM.

Tori Penso leads historic all-women refereeing team at FIFA World Cup

Referee Tori Penso, alongside assistant referees Kathryn Nesbitt and Brooke Mayo, became only the second all-female on-field officiating crew to oversee a men's World Cup match.

Neymar's recovery leaves Brazil searching for inspiration at World Cup 2026

Neymar's inclusion in Brazil's World Cup squad was one of the most debated decisions before the tournament.

FIFA World Cup 2026 June 19 schedule, live match timings (IST), streaming

FIFA World Cup 2026 June 19 fixtures (IST): Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (12:30 am), Canada vs Qatar (3:30 am), Mexico vs South Korea (6:30 am).

FIFA World Cup 2026: Tuchel's England impresses in 4-2 win against Croatia

In a thrilling Group L encounter, Harry Kane scored twice while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also found the net as Thomas Tuchel's side overcame a spirited Croatian challenge.

Netherlands vs Japan HIGHLIGHTS FIFA World Cup: JPN hold NED 2-2 in Dallas; GER humble Curacao 7-1

Four-time world champions Germany humbled World Cup debutants Curaçao 7-1 at Houston's NRG Stadium in their opening Group E fixture.

FIFA World Cup: Khoukhi's stoppage time goal helps Qatar hold Switzerland

Boualem Khoukhi scored an equalising goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Qatar spoiled a dominant day by Switzerland in a 1-1 draw Saturday in Group B of the World Cup. Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground in celebration of the late goal as others ran to each other to embrace. Breel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the US following a visa delay, but the Swiss failed to capitalize on multiple other scoring chances. In the 13th minute, Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play. Abunada lay face down and appeared motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was able to stand up again. When Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands of Levi's Stadium. The 29-year-old forward applied for an

Brazil vs Morocco HIGHLIGHTS FIFA World Cup: Atlas Lions hold Brazil to 1-1 draw in New Jersey

Brazil started their campaign without Neymar, who continues his recovery from a calf injury.