World Cup

The Draw for 2026 World Cup

Following is the draw for next year's 48-team World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. GROUP A…

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World Cup play-off semi-finals

The semi-finals will take place on Thursday March 26 and the finals on Tuesday March 31 . The winners of the four play-off finals qualify for the World Cup and…

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Scotland Ends 28-Year Wait as Curaçao and Haiti Make Historic World Cup Breakthroughs

Scotland, Curaçao and Haiti each carved out a place in football history this week, delivering a qualification round that will be remembered for decades across three continents. In an era…

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Cape Verde seal historic debut place at World Cup 2026

Cape Verde have booked their place as debutants at the 2026 World Cup after a 3-0 home victory over Eswatini secured top spot in their African qualifying group. With a…

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Security concerns overshadow Israel’s World Cup qualifiers in Norway and Italy

Israel's World Cup qualifiers in Norway and Italy are being overshadowed by security concerns, with the mayor of the northern Italian city of Udine warning about the situation ahead of…

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Saudi Arabia to Host 2034 World Cup Amid Human Rights Concerns, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco to Host it in 2030

Soccer's international governing body FIFA confirmed Wednesday the locations for the next two men's World Cups, announcing Spain, Portugal and Morocco as joint hosts for the 2030 tournament, with games…

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African Development Bank pledges $1 billion to Morocco for 2030 World Cup

The African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a deal to lend 350 million euros ($370 mln) to Morocco and is considering loaning the country another 650 million euros to finance infrastructure…

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Morocco, Spain and Portugal to host 2030 World Cup, three games in S America

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Morocco, Spain and Portugal have been named hosts of the 2030 soccer World Cup, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will host the opening matches to mark…

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World Cup matches were politics free so fans could enjoy the football – Infantino

The Qatar World Cup kept political messaging away from the football so that fans could enjoy "a little moment of pleasure and joy", FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Friday.…

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Messi confirms Qatar final will be his last World Cup game

Lionel Messi has confirmed he will play his last World Cup game when Argentina take on France or Morocco in Sunday's final in Qatar. Messi lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia…

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France favourites but Morocco eye another knockout punch

After putting Belgium, Portugal and Spain to the sword in Qatar, Morocco are looking to bring another soccer superpower to their knees when they face France in the World Cup…

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Ronaldo says dedication to Portugal unchanged but will ‘let time be a good adviser’

Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday that he had always been dedicated to being a part of the Portuguese national team, which was knocked out of the World Cup a day…

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Late Casemiro strike lifts Brazil 1-0 over Swiss and into last 16

Midfielder Casemiro showed his misfiring strikers how to finish on Monday when he lashed in an unstoppable late shot to give Brazil a 1-0 win over Switzerland that sent them into the…

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Making up for lost time: World Cup matches run longer than ever

Matches at the World Cup in Qatar are running longer than at any other tournament after referees were told to account for time-wasting and delays more punctiliously. The four halves…

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Denmark and Tunisia play out first goalless draw at Qatar World Cup

Denmark hit the woodwork in the second half as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tunisia in their Group D World Cup opener that smouldered and sparked, but never…

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Wales boss Page lauds Bale for point-saving penalty

Wales manager Rob Page hailed Gareth Bale and revealed he had been considering substituting his talisman in the second half of the 1-1 draw with the United States on Monday…

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Poland’s Dragowski out of World Cup, Grabara called up

(Reuters) - Poland keeper Bartlomiej Dragowski will miss the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a serious ankle injury playing for his club Spezia in their 2-1 Serie A win…

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World Cup 2022: full list of 26-man squads playing in FIFA tournament

(Reuters) - Following is a list of players who have been called up for the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar. ARGENTINA Injured forward Paulo Dybala has not played…

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‘Qatar is a mistake,’ says former FIFA President Sepp Blatter

"It is too small of a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for it," Blatter said of Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host…

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Qatar minister accuses Germany of ‘double standards’ in World Cup criticism

Qatar's foreign minister has accused Germany of "double standards" over its criticism of the World Cup host's human rights record and has defended its summoning of the German ambassador, in…

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Whatever we do won’t be enough, says Henderson on Qatar protests

England's Harry Kane will join other captains and wear 'One Love' armbands at the Qatar World Cup but midfielder Jordan Henderson says some fans will expect players to do more…

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FIFA warn World Cup-bound Tunisia over state interference

(Reuters) - FIFA have warned the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF) their participation at the World Cup could be under threat if there is found to be government interference within the…

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Qatar faced unprecedented criticism as host country of World Cup, Emir says

Qatar has faced unprecedented criticism since it was picked as the host of the 2022 World Cup, some of which has amounted to slander, the country's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad…

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Semi-automated offside technology approved by FIFA for 2022 World Cup

(Reuters) - Semi-automated offside technology will be used at this year's World Cup, promising decisions that are more accurate and a lot quicker, world soccer's governing body FIFA said on…

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FIFA approves increase of World Cup squads to 26 players

Football governing body FIFA has approved the increase of the World Cup squads to a maximum of 26 players, the federation said on Thursday. National teams are to take at…

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World Cup draw: Spain v Germany; Messi v Lewandowski; US v Iran

There will be no group of death at the 2022 World Cup but excitement is guaranteed with former champions Spain and Germany pitted against each other while World Footballers Lionel…

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FIFA’s Infantino scraps plans for a biennial World Cup

DOHA (Reuters) - Gianni Infantino has stepped sharply back from hotly contested plans for a biennial World Cup, telling world soccer’s leadership that FIFA had never proposed such an idea.…

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Messi praises home fans in possible farewell before World Cup

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Lionel Messi paid tribute to Argentina fans in what could be their last home game before November’s World Cup finals and said the raucous support in…

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Italy FA boss backs Mancini to stay despite missing out on World Cup

(Reuters) - Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina has backed coach Roberto Mancini to continue in his role despite the team failing to qualify for this year's World Cup…

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Italy to miss World Cup after loosing to N Macedonia

Italy will miss out on a second successive World Cup after Aleksandar Trajkovski's stoppage-time strike gave North Macedonia a sensational 1-0 victory at Renzo Barbera. Having also failed to qualify…

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FIFA decides: Ukraine’s World Cup play-off delayed, Poland progress

Ukraine will visit Scotland in their World Cup play-off semi-final in June rather than this month following the invasion by Russia, global football governing body FIFA said Tuesday. It was…

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UPDATE – Poland, Sweden refuse to play World Cup match with Russia

WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland and Sweden said they would not play their soccer World Cup qualifiers against Russia in March, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the governing bodies of both national…

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Canada beats US to close in on World Cup berth

(AFP/Reuters) - Canada took a giant step towards their first World Cup qualification in 36 years on Sunday. Canada struck early and again late on to defeat the U.S. men's…

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Mbappe, Lewandowski say quality will suffer with biennial World Cups

France forward Kylian Mbappe and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski expressed their reservations about a biennial World Cup, saying quality would take a hit if overworked players are forced to play…

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Italy and Portugal on collision course in World Cup playoffs

ZURICH (Reuters) -The last two European champions, Italy and Portugal, could face off for a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after they were drawn on Friday in…

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Europeans ready to block FIFA World Cup plans regardless of vote

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - FIFA’s plans for a biennial World Cup face being blocked by European and South American opponents, even if they are given the backing of the majority…

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Hungary ordered to play World Cup qualifier behind closed doors

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Hungary must play their next World Cup qualifier behind closed doors after FIFA imposed a ban on fans and a 200,000 Swiss franc ($217,000) fine following racist…

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Premier clubs could face sanctions if they play South American players

Premier League clubs could face sanctions from FIFA if they play South American players, who were not released for international duty, in this weekend's games. Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and…

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Southgate open-minded about FIFA’s biennial World Cup proposal

England manager Gareth Southgate said he is open-minded about FIFA's proposals to hold the World Cup every two years, though he thought the tournament may lose some of its appeal if it moves…

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FIFA chief says Brazil game abandonment was ‘crazy’

FIFA is investigating the abandonment of the Brazil-Argentina World Cup qualifier with its president Gianni Infantino labelling the events "crazy", while Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to take disciplinary action against their Argentine…

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France’s winless run continues with Ukraine draw

France's winless streak stretched to five games as Les Bleus were held to a 1-1 draw away to Ukraine in their World Cup qualifier in Group D on Saturday. The…

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UEFA set to oppose FIFA over biennial World Cup

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Proposals to hold the World Cup every two years, being pushed by governing body FIFA, are set to be opposed by UEFA and Europe's leading clubs,…

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Mancini keeps faith with Euro winners for World Cup qualifiers

Aug 27 (Reuters) - Coach Roberto Mancini has recalled all but the injured Leonardo Spinazzola from Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 squad for their World Cup qualifiers. Mancini has called up…

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FIFA to carry out study on holding World Cup every two years

FIFA will carry out a feasibility study on holding the World Cup and the women's World Cup every two years after backing a proposal at its annual congress on Friday.…

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Spain cruise to top spot in qualfiers despite keeper howler

Spain secured a convincing 3-1 home win over Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, although goalkeeper Unai Simon made a huge blunder to cost his side a goal. Dani Olmo gave Spain a…

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Belgium without seven players for World Cup trip to Prague

Belgium must do without seven squad members for their trip to Prague to play the Czech Republic on Saturday in World Cup qualification. The team’s five Bundesliga-based players will not…

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French authorities allow foreign players to forgo quarantine

PARIS (Reuters) - The French sports ministry on Saturday opened the door for foreign players in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to join their national teams for World Cup qualifiers…

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Qatar World Cup will be played in full stadiums – Infantino

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Cup matches scheduled next year in Qatar will be played in front of full stadiums This was announced by the president of FIFA Gianni Infantino.…

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FIFA aiming to announce 2026 World Cup venues by end of 2021

FIFA will aim to announce in the last quarter of 2021 the host cities for the 2026 World Cup being jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico, soccer's…

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Italy’82 World Cup heroes carry their colleague in moving funeral

VICENZA, Italy (Reuters) - Marco Tardelli, Giancarlo Antognoni, Antonio Cabrini and Fulvio Collovati, former teammates of Paolo Rossi in the victory of the '82 World Cup carried Paolo Rossi's coffin…

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Will European football’s season be moved from its traditional window?

FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani has said that moving the European football season to the calendar year is a "possibility to be discussed" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which…

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Italy World Cup Champions back ‘in action’ to beat the CoVid Challenge

The players who in 2006 won the World Cup is back in action as it prepares to give their part to win a new challenge, this time the coronavirus. The…

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South Africa win Rugby World Cup 2019

South African captain Siya Kolisi (C) holds the cup as the team celebrates winning the Rugby World Cup final match between England and South Africa at the International Stadium Yokohama,…

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USA reaches World Cup final after beating England

The U.S. defeated England 2-1 in a close match on Tuesday and will advance to the 2019 Women's World Cup final on Sunday. The U.S. will face the winner of…

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Qatar prepares for 2022 World Cup, increasing beer price by 100 percent tax

Qatar has introduced a 100 per cent tax on alcohol, doubling prices overnight. The tax came into effect on New Year’s Day in the conservative Gulf state, which will host…

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Theresa May would back a joint UK and Ireland bid for 2030 World Cup

A joint bid from the UK and Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup would receive the "full support" of government, Theresa May has announced. The Football Associations of England,…

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Qatar denies reports about wrongdoings in 2022 World Cup Bid

AIPS Media : Shortly before the World Cup kicked off in Russia sports journalists covering the FIFA ‘beat’ began receiving a stream of virulent PR attacks on the staging of the…

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