Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wales secured a home semi-final in the World Cup qualifying play-offs as Kieffer Moore's equaliser earned an impressive 1-1 draw against Belgium on Tuesday. Rob Page's side were already guaranteed a World Cup play-off spot in March through their Nations League results. But finishing second in Group E would ensure […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Karl Toko Ekambi was the toast of Cameroon on Tuesday as his first-half goal delivered a 1-0 win over Ivory Coast and a place in the African play-offs for the 2022 World Cup. The 29-year-old Lyon forward struck on 21 minutes to decide a clash of giants with Cameroon having qualified for […]

Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – China are on the brink of suffering more World Cup heartache despite clinching an impressive 1-1 draw with Australia on Tuesday in qualifying for next year's football showpiece in Qatar. A 38th-minute strike by Mitchell Duke appeared to have condemned the global Olympic and economic powerhouse to their fourth […]

Anticipation is building for the decision on the next Premier League U.S. media rights. Final bids have to be submitted by Thursday. With this in mind, expect an announcement soon after. One of the bidders is NBCUniversal, home of both NBC Sports and Telemundo Deportes. As a result, both the English-language and Spanish-language broadcasters are […]

Berlin (AFP) – A senior German politician has called to make it mandatory for all professional footballers in Germany to be vaccinated as the country struggles to contain a ferocious fourth wave of Covid-19. "I'm in favour of compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups — that's what we need," Bavarian state leader Markus Soeder told […]

Some things in life are just meant to be. After Friday night’s 2-0 win by the US over Mexico, it certainly seems like Dos a Cero is one of them. The U.S. played home World Cup Qualifiers against Mexico in the state of Ohio a total of six times. The first five occurred in Columbus, […]

Nanterre (France) (AFP) – The Paris Saint-Germain women's footballer Kheira Hamraoui, who had her legs beaten in a mysterious street attack, appealed Tuesday to the media to respect her privacy amid speculation about her relations with former French international Eric Abidal. The assault on Hamraoui, 31, took place while she was being driven home from […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney's Derby are facing relegation from the second-tier Championship after being deducted a further nine points for breaches of English Football League accounting rules. It takes the total points docked this season to 21, after the club were previously deducted 12 points for entering administration. A further three-point deduction, which is […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City and French international defender Benjamin Mendy has been charged with two additional counts of rape, prosecutors said on Tuesday. He now faces six counts of rape and one of sexual assault relating to four complainants aged over 16, with all the alleged offences relating to the period between October 2020 […]

Nicosia (AFP) – A year before the World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International Tuesday urged the energy-rich emirate to end abuses against migrant workers, many of whom built the tournament's infrastructure. "The daily reality for many migrant workers in the country remains harsh, despite legal changes introduced since 2017," the London-based human rights group said. […]

Serravalle (San Marino) (AFP) – Gareth Southgate says England will "educate themselves" before deciding whether to protest Qatar's human rights record after sealing their place at the World Cup. Southgate's side qualified for next year's tournament with a 10-0 demolition of San Marino in their last Group I match on Monday. Qatar's human rights record […]

Paris (AFP) – European champions Italy missed out on automatic qualification for next year's World Cup after being held to a goalless draw by Northern Ireland in Belfast on Monday, ceding top spot in Group C to Switzerland who beat Bulgaria 4-0. The Italians needed to match Switzerland's result to qualify directly but while Roberto […]

Serravalle (San Marino) (AFP) – Harry Kane praised "fantastic" England after they booked a place at next year's World Cup with a ruthless 10-0 demolition of hapless San Marino on Monday. England captain Kane scored four times in the first half after Harry Maguire's opener and a Filippo Fabbri own goal. Emile Smith Rowe, Tyrone […]

Serravalle (San Marino) (AFP) – England qualified for the World Cup in record-breaking style as Harry Kane scored four times in a 10-0 demolition of San Marino that ranked as the Three Lions' biggest ever victory in a competitive match. Needing a draw from their last Group I qualifier to reach next year's tournament in […]

Belfast (AFP) – Italy will have to get through the play-offs if they are to return to the World Cup after a goalless draw at Northern Ireland on Monday allowed Switzerland to pip them on the final day of qualifying. Roberto Mancini's European champions knew that they needed to match the Swiss' result against Bulgaria […]