Doha, Qatar - An Asian Cup full of late goals and surprises reaches a climax on Saturday when hosts and holders Qatar face a Jordan side looking to make yet more history. The 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, where Lionel Messi's Argentina beat France in the World Cup final 14 months ago, will...

The Palestinian Football Association had celebrated in June last year when the national team won -- for the third time -- a spot in the Asian cup. But with no end in sight to the Gaza war, the team now feels crushed as they try to prepare for the upcoming...

Pep Guardiola also made history as the first coach to lift the Club World Cup on four occasions and with three different clubs after previously winning the competition twice at Barcelona and once in charge of Bayern Munich. "To win the treble was truly special, but to win two more...

Two goals in the final 20 minutes in Jeddah by Jhon Arias, from the penalty spot, and then John Kennedy carried the Brazilians into Friday's final against European Champions League winners Manchester City or Japanese side Urawa Reds.

Despite summer temperatures touching 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in the major cities, Saudi Arabian Football Federation president Yasser al-Misehal did not rule out playing the tournament in the hottest months. "Of course, we are ready for all possibilities," Misehal said late on Tuesday at the Asian Football Confederation awards...

The Saudi bid comes one year after neighboring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East, where the kingdom's national team scored a surprse group stage victory over eventual winners Argentina. It is set to take over from a tri-continental line-up for the 2030 event to be shared...

Last week, Indonesian FA president Erick Thohir had said the country was in talks with Australia for a possible joint 2034 World Cup bid, despite the Asian confederation having declared its support for Saudi Arabia's candidacy. But Thohir --  who also serves as a government minister and was formerly the owner...

A FIFA+ documentary released last month tracks how the national team has seized on new freedoms, contrasting the hostility its members once received for pursuing a "masculine" sport with today's new era of deep-pocketed government support. A press release for the film also highlights fans of the team outside Saudi...

Doha, Qatar -- More than 2.56 million people visited Qatar from January to August 25, which is more than the full-year arrivals in 2022 and marking a 157 percent increase over the same period last year, according to Qatar Tourism. Qatar Tourism said in statement that the latest achievement bears...

Miami, United States--Two convictions in the FIFA corruption case have been overturned by a US federal judge citing a recent Supreme Court ruling. Hernan Lopez, a former executive with 21st Century Fox and Argentine sports marketing firm Full Play were found guilty in March of paying bribes and kickbacks to South...

Many fans who had travelled to Doha to support the Atlas Lions last year found themselves deprived of free tickets promised to them by the Moroccan Football Federation. The tickets were sold on the black market at four or five times their face value, according to accounts gathered at the...

Singapore, Singapore - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday urged football authorities to address the late closure of the transfer window in the Saudi Arabia league, fearing it may have a detrimental effect on European clubs. Speaking in Singapore on the eve of his team’s pre-season friendly against German champions Bayern...

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND - Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi club Al-Nassr are banned from registering new players until unpaid debts are settled, FIFA said on Thursday. The team "is currently prevented from registering new players due to outstanding debts", a FIFA spokesperson told AFP, without revealing the amount of the debts. World football's governing...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA- The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) announced on Monday that Jeddah will host the next edition of the FIFA Club World Cup 2023. This follows an official visit made by a FIFA delegation to Jeddah last week to inspect...

Organisers had hoped hosting Israeli games on the Hindu-majority island of Bali would offer a buffer against local backlash, but Koster's opposition has cast that into doubt. Officials in Jakarta said they feared losing hosting rights to the country's first major tournament and being isolated by the world governing body...

Morocco has joined the bid by Spain and Portugal to host the centenary World Cup in 2030, according to its ruler, King Mohammed VI. The king said in a message delivered as he was named the winner of the African Football Confederation 2022 Award of Excellence in Kigali, where FIFA...

Egypt is focused on rebuilding the state and infrastructure. The country has dropped unemployment levels from 18 percent to 7.2 percent in the current period as a result of launching of major projects in the past few years, which compensated for the decline in the private sector's contribution to growth...

At the time of the approval, the budget was estimated to hit a deficit of QAR 8.3 billion. "The deficit estimate was a result of the expenses related to hosting the World Cup, including security and all events accompanying the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,”  said Qatar’s Finance Minister Ali...

Doha, Qatar-- As a windfall of the FIFA World Cup, banks in Qatar are expected to build profits and shore up their capital base and liquidity position in 2023, according to media report citing analysts. Qatari lenders had immense tournament-linked lending opportunities that began years ago, and it will help...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia hopes that Cristiano Ronaldo will "rediscover the pleasure of playing" when he brings a little stardust to the Saudi Arabian league. "The only thing I wish for Ronaldo is that he rediscovers the pleasure of playing and smiles again because in recent months...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia's first female international referee was appointed by FIFA on Thursday, less than a year after the conservative kingdom's national women's team made their debut. Anoud Al-Asmari's international badge is the latest in a series of steps in football by the Saudis, who have got 37-year-old...

Doha, Qatar-- Qatar has recycled some 80 percent of waste collected from stadiums during the FIFA World Cup games. According to Bodour Al Meer, the Sustainability Executive Director at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, nearly 54 percent of the waste has been converted into compost, 22 percent into...

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva led the tributes as Brazil said its final farewell to football legend Pele, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. Fans, politicians and football dignitaries flocked to pay their respects to Pele in Santos, home to the club where he spent most...

The year 2022 was crowned with excellent ratings for the Qatari economy, as the S&P's credit rating agency raised the rating of the State of Qatar from "-AA" to "AA" during the year 2022, and Moody's credit rating agency raised the outlook for the country from stable to positive.

The Gulf Cup brings together the hosts as well as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. It will be held in Iraq's southern city of Basra from January 6-19.

Millions of Argentines who crammed the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate an unforgettable moment with Lionel Messi and his World Cup winning teammates instead found themselves at a giant party bereft of its hallmark bus parade.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward scored only the second hat-trick in World Cup final history but his bid to become the youngest two-time winner since Pele in 1962 ended in heartbreak in Qatar. Mbappe, who turns 24 on Tuesday, is just the second man to score in back-to-back World Cup finals, and...

Argentina defeated France 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the World Cup for the third time on Sunday. Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored twice and France striker Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as a thrilling World Cup final finished 3-3 after extra time. Argentinian substitute Gonzalo Montiel stroked home...

Messi, 35, has collected seven Ballon d'Or awards for the best player in the world, but the last time he reached the World Cup final it ended in the bitter disappointment of defeat to Germany in 2014.

Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third place play-off on Saturday, with Mislav Orsic curling home the winner. Josko Gvardiol, one of the stars of the tournament in Qatar, headed Croatia into the lead in the seventh minute at the Khalifa International Stadium but Achraf Dari brought Morocco...

Despite robust opposition from Europe's biggest clubs, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has announced plans for a 32-team Club World Cup from 2025. An expansion of the competition has long been a pet project of Infantino. In 2021 a 24-team event was planned but was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

DOHA, QATAR - Morocco will host the next Club World Cup in February, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Friday, while the planned expanded version of the competition is now set to start in 2025. The tournament will take place from February 1 to 11, 2023, Infantino told reporters at a...

France beat Morocco 2-0 on Wednesday to set up a World Cup final showdown against Argentina and Lionel Messi. Theo Hernandez put the defending champions ahead in the fifth minute after Morocco failed to clear their lines and substitute Randal Kolo Muani doubled their lead in the 79th minute.

France captain Hugo Lloris is desperate to avoid the whiff of complacency for a team who have become used to competing at the sharp end of tournaments.

There were celebrations across the Arab world and in Europe after Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 in Qatar to become the first African or Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final.

There are already air-conditioned streets in the Katara cultural district and Qatar has a 1.1 kilometer air-conditioned jogging track in one city park. Media reports have said an Olympic marathon could also be specially cooled.

Doha, Qatar— After fierce criticism of the Qatar World Cup, the head of the UN labour agency on Sunday pressed FIFA's president for a greater role scrutinizing future World Cup hosts. International Labour Organisation director general Gilbert Houngbo told AFP before meeting with Gianni Infantino that Qatar has been a victim...

The proposed bilateral business council, aimed at developing joint projects and exchange expertise, is likely to be formed by the first quarter of 2023.

Some say the absence of booze in stadiums and its limited availability elsewhere in the Arab nation has detracted from the atmosphere inside and outside stadiums.

Doha, Qatar---World Cup fans without tickets can travel to Qatar and watch the rest of the matches after the group stage ends, said Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. The Committee said the Early December feature, which allows fans without tickets to apply for a Hayya Card, will be valid...

More than 400 migrant workers died in labor accidents in Qatar in the build up to the World Cup, according to the head of country's delivery and legacy organizing committee. The official revealed this during a British television interview when asked how many workers had died doing work for the...

Iran has seen more than two months of demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. She had been arrested for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women. "In an unprofessional act, the Instagram page of the US football federation removed...

A surveillance helicopter flew over the city before calm was restored at around 7:00pm (18:00GMT). A journalist saw protesters burning a car, rubbish bins and a number of electric scooters.

Doha, Qatar— After the first round of FIFA World Cup group stage matches were completed, official figures show that the average overall match attendance stands at an impressive 94% compared to stadium capacities for the event, according to a report published by FIFA on its website. With all 32 nations...

FIFA threatened to impose "unlimited" sanctions against players who wore the "OneLove" rainbow-themed armband for World Cup matches in Qatar. This was revealed by the head of English football, after many European nations abandoned the initiative to wear the armbands.

In recent days, Messi has twice trained apart from the rest of the squad but he moved to dispell any concerns amongst Argentines that he might not be fit for Saudi Arabia. Argentina head into the tournament as Copa America holders and unbeaten in 36 matches dating back to 2019....

The kingdom has long been obsessed with football, but interest in playing -- not just watching -- has surged in recent years amid a government push to promote physical activity.

England, Germany and five other European teams at the World Cup on Monday abandoned plans to wear a rainbow-themed armband in support of LGBTQ rights. Under FIFA rules, players wearing kit that is not authorized by football's world governing body could be shown a yellow card.

Gunners fans that have marveled at his early season form -- five goals and two assists in 14 Premier League matches -- it took many aback in his homeland. A video even began circulating on social media purporting to show Brazil's talisman Neymar reacting with surprise to Martinelli's inclusion when...

Washington, US— US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going to arrive in Doha on Monday to support Team USA in its first 2022 FIFA World Cup match and to attend the US-Qatar joint Strategic Dialogue, a State Department statement said. Blinken will recognize Doha’s important contribution to international sports...