Garcia: Belli has given Venezuela belief
The ball falls to her feet, just outside the box, and she does not hesitate. She brings it under control with a single touch, makes a quick adjustment and then fires the ball into the top corner with a powerful right-footed shot. For a moment, time seems to stand still as the goalkeeper dives for […]
Iraq at the FIFA World Cup: Team profile and history
Mexico will forever be a touchstone for Iraqi football. Four decades after a Fernando Quirarte volley stamped their exit papers from the 1986 FIFA World Cup™, the Lions of Mesopotamia are back on the global stage having secured their return via the FIFA Play-Off Tournament in the northeastern city of Monterrey. In the intervening decades […]
Watch OFC qualifiers on FIFA+
Just four Oceania teams remain alive in the hunt for the region’s lone direct berth for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, and you can watch all the decisive third round matches live and free on FIFA+. After last year’s first stage concluded, American Samoa joined the seven highest-ranked nations in the second round, […]
World Cup wonder goals: Chavez’s fantastic free-kick
64 days to go… We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day. Luis Chavez Saudi Arabia v Mexico Qatar 2022 | Group C Lusail Stadium, Al Daayen It sounds ludicrous. It’s legitimate. A curler was the most powerfully struck goal of Qatar 2022’s group […]
64 days to go: The Dragons’ long-awaited return
Wales hold the record for the longest gap between World Cup participations: 64 years. The Dragons thrived at their first World Cup at Sweden 1958. Jack Kelsey, Terry Medwin, Cliff Jones, Ivor Allchurch, John Charles and Co decked Hungary to reach the knockout phase, and gave Brazil a strict examination in the quarter-finals, only losing […]
USA forward Agyemang ruled out
USA forward Patrick Agyemang will miss the FIFA World Cup 2026™ after suffering a serious Achilles injury while playing for English Championship club Derby County. Agyemang landed awkwardly during Derby’s 2-0 home victory over Stoke City on Monday and had to leave the field on a stretcher. “The club can confirm Patrick Agyemang suffered a […]
Romania great Lucescu passes away
Former Romania player and coach Mircea Lucescu has passed away aged 80. His death was confirmed by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF). Lucescu had been in his second stint as Romania coach before falling ill last Thursday during a training session. Three days prior, he was on the touchline when they were defeated by Türkiye […]
Czechia at the FIFA World Cup: Team profile and history
Czechia clinched their FIFA World Cup 2026™ ticket in dramatic fashion. Successive penalty-shootout wins against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in the UEFA play-offs booked their return to the global finals after a 20-year absence. The Czechs will be out to make an impact in North America, where they will contest Group A with […]
26 Superstars: Florian Wirtz
An undeniably top-class operator blending sublime dribbling skills with an outstanding football IQ and an exceptional engine, Florian Wirtz has all the ingredients to set the world alight at the FIFA World Cup 2026™. A measure of just how highly Julian Nagelsmann rates the midfield maestro is the fact that the coach has built his […]
World Cup wonder goals: Cubillas’ outside-of-the-boot special
65 days to go… We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day. Teofilo Cubillas Peru v Scotland Argentina 1978 | Group 4 Estadio Olimpico Chateau Carreras, Cordoba ‘The Kid’ was no longer a kid. Teofilo Cubillas, an unknown 21-year-old, had hit five goals in […]