Tag: World Cup 2026

No country has ever won the World Cup with a foreign-born coach, but Carlo Ancelotti said Monday that there was “always a first time” as he eyes glory with Brazil in 2026.

The Italian became Brazil’s first overseas coach in six decades when he took over in May, and he helped the five-times champions punch their ticket for next summer’s World Cup.

Brazil face Japan in a friendly in Tokyo on Tuesday, fresh from a 5-0 hammering of South Korea in Seoul last week.

Ancelotti said he is aiming to create history for himself and his team at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“My goal is to give my best for the Brazil national team, to try to get them to perform at their best and to win the World Cup,” he said.

“Of course, no foreign-born coach has ever won the World Cup, but there is always a first time in life.”

Brazil made hard work of qualifying, finishing fifth in the South American table.

Ancelotti is their fourth coach since Tite stepped down following the quarter-final loss to Croatia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Brazil sparkled against South Korea, with 18-year-old starlet Estevao scoring twice and Real Madrid pair Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. also among the goals.

Brazilian fans hailed the win as a return to “jogo bonito,” but Ancelotti said there was more to his team than that.

“Brazilian players have the quality to play beautiful football, but you have to think about what you mean by beautiful football,” he said.

“Brazilian players have individual quality, but that is combined with teamwork and movement off the ball, and that’s very important in football.”

Brazil travelled to Asia without forward Neymar, who was ruled out of action until at least November with a thigh injury.

Time is running out for Brazil’s record goalscorer to force his way back into the squad before the World Cup.

Ancelotti said there were no questions over Neymar’s quality.

“If Neymar is in good condition, then of course he can fit into the national team,” he said. “If Neymar is fit, then he can play in any team in the world.”

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Mohammed Kudus scored as Ghana beat Comoros 1-0 in Accra on Sunday to win Group I and become the fifth African qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Cheered on by a capacity 40,000 crowd, Ghana dominated first-half possession and territory, but slow, predictable attacks meant Comoros goalkeeper Adel Anzimati-Aboudou was seldom troubled.

However, the home side wasted little time after the interval in taking the lead as Tottenham midfielder Kudus struck on 47 minutes.

Comoros only partially cleared a goalmouth scramble, and when the ball was crossed low into the six-yard box, Kudus tapped it into the net from point-blank range.

Success against Comoros was particularly sweet as the Indian Ocean islanders shocked Ghana at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and beat them again in the second round of World Cup qualifying two years ago.

Ghana top the group with 25 points from 10 matches. Madagascar finished second with 19 points despite a 4-1 loss to third-placed Mali in Bamako.

It will be the fifth appearance by the Black Stars in the global showpiece. Their best performance was in 2010 in South Africa, where they lost to Uruguay after a quarter-final penalty shootout.

Qualification for the expanded 48-nation 2026 tournament, which the United States, Canada, and Mexico will co-host, justified the faith of Ghanaian officials in coach Otto Addo, who was under fire last year.

There were persistent demands from the public and media in the West African country for Addo to be sacked after a disastrous 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign.

Ghana, winners of the competition four times between 1963 and 1982, did not win any of the six AFCON qualifiers and finished a humiliating last behind Angola, Sudan, and Niger with just three points.

The other four automatic African qualifiers for the World Cup will be decided on Monday and Tuesday, with Benin, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, and Senegal the group leaders.

Egypt rested Liverpool star Mohamed Salah for their final match at home to Guinea-Bissau, and an early goal from Mohamed Hamdy delivered a 1-0 Group A victory in Cairo.

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Niger upset Zambia 1-0 in Ndola to finish second in Group E behind Morocco, and currently lie third in the mini-leagues runners-up table behind Gabon and Burkina Faso.

The four best-ranked second-placed teams after the final qualifiers on Tuesday advance to the play-offs in Morocco during November.

Whoever wins the mini-tournament, featuring single-match semi-finals and a final, qualifies for six-nation inter-continental play-offs next March with two World Cup places up for grabs.

Niger striker Daniel Sosah scored in his third straight qualifier, firing a rebound into the net on 56 minutes after goalkeeper Lawrence Mulenga failed to hold a Victorien Adebayor shot.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian squad, coaches, technical staff, and officials arrived safely in the southeastern city of Uyo on Sunday.

Returning home after a Group C win over Lesotho in South Africa last Friday, the jet carrying the Super Eagles had to make an emergency landing in Angola due to a cracked windscreen.

The team media officer, Promise Efoghe, said a replacement aircraft was sent to Luanda and the journey to Nigeria was safely completed.

Nigeria, the pre-qualifying favourites to win Group C, are third entering the final round on Tuesday, three points behind Benin and one point below South Africa.

However, the Super Eagles could finish first if they defeat shock leaders Benin in Uyo and South Africa do not win at home to Rwanda.

South Sudan coach Nicolas Dupuis has reportedly been suspended for 15 days and told to stay away from the national squad after a 5-0 home loss to Group B leaders Senegal on Friday.

France-born Dupuis, 57, guided Madagascar to a shock win over Nigeria in the 2019 Cup of Nations in Egypt, and the islanders exceeded expectations by reaching the quarter-finals in their first appearance.

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Brazil great Ronaldo has called on the Selecao’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti to restore Neymar to the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America.

Brazil’s record goalscorer with 79 goals from 128 matches, Neymar, has not pulled on the yellow jersey since October 2023, when he suffered a serious knee injury.

The 33-year-old has played regularly for the Sao Paulo side Santos since he returned to his first club in January following a fruitless spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal.

Even so, in his four matches in charge, Ancelotti has not called up Neymar.

“He is a decisive player for the Brazilian Selecao. We don’t have another player like Neymar,” Ronaldo, who twice won the World Cup with Brazil, said during a publicity event in Sao Paulo alongside his compatriot.

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“The people hope 100 percent that he will go to the World Cup because if he is there, we will definitely have better results than if he’s not there,” added Ronaldo, 49, who scored 62 goals in 99 Brazil games.

Neymar has been injury-plagued in the last few years and missed Brazil’s Copa America triumph on home soil in 2019.

He joined Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023 but after playing just five times and scoring one goal, he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament on international duty against Uruguay.

He was out of action for a year and would play only two more games for the Saudi side before leaving for Santos.

After leaving Neymar out of his squad for World Cup qualifiers in September, Ancelotti said that he “needs to get in better shape to help the national team and to give the best of himself at the World Cup.”

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Sandro Tonali earned Italy a thrilling 5-4 win against Israel on Monday with the decisive late strike in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier, just as it looked the Azzurri were plunging into another crisis.

Newcastle United midfielder Tonali wheeled off in celebration in stoppage time when his speculative effort went through a sea of legs and into the net to win a rollercoaster of a match in Debrecen, Hungary, which Italy looked to have thrown away.

The Azzurri, who have missed the last two World Cups, were leading 4-2 in the 81st minute when substitute Giacomo Raspadori rolled home almost immediately after replacing the impressive Moise Kean, who netted Italy’s first two goals.

However, a clumsy Alessandro Bastoni own-goal and Dor Peretz’s header drew Israel level before Tonali’s fortunate effort moved Italy up to second in Group I, level on nine points with Israel, who have played a game more, and in the play-off spot.

“We’ll take the win, which was crucial for us, but we’re completely nuts, nuts because we conceded some absurd goals,” said Gennaro Gattuso.

“We need to work on that because we’re too fragile, and we concede goals too easily. The boys know that, but this is my problem to fix.

“You have to give credit to the boys because every time they took a slap, they dared to react and fight back.”

Italy trail leaders Norway by three points and still have a chance of taking first place and the group’s sole direct qualifying spot.

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Monday’s match had cast a political cloud over Gattuso’s first fixtures in charge of Italy due to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The small group of Italian fans present turned their backs to the pitch during the Israeli national anthem, while boos also rang out from sections of the stadium, before then holding up banners which read “stop”.

And the Italians on the pitch looked equally uninterested in the match come kick-off, with Israel snappier and more aggressive than the four-time world champions.

The nominal home had already had a goal disallowed by the time Locatelli bundled Dan Biton’s cross into his own net.

Locatelli almost made up for his own-goal when he struck the bar with an acrobatic volley in the 31st minute, seconds before Kean wasted a great opportunity from a Gianluca Mancini cut-back.

But 10 minutes later, Kean thumped a low drive past Daniel Peretz after collecting a knockdown from strike partner Mateo Retegui.

And Kean came to the rescue again nine minutes after the break, levelling with another powerful low shot just seconds after Peretz put Israel ahead for the second time with a brilliant first-time effort.

Politano finally put Italy ahead with a great volley after more fine work from Retegui, and when Raspadori rolled home the fourth, it seemed the away team looked out of the woods.

But it took Tonali’s unusual winner to finally secure the three points after uncharacteristically bad defending nearly left Italy’s hopes of qualification hanging by a thread.

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Morocco trounced 10-man Niger 5-0 in Rabat on Friday to win Group E and become the first African qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Ismael Saibari scored twice in the first half after Abdul-Latif Goumey was sent off, and second-half goals from Ayoub el Kaabi, Hamza Igamane, and Azzedine Ounahi completed the rout.

A sixth straight victory lifted Morocco to an unassailable lead with 18 points, eight more than Tanzania, and sealed a seventh appearance at the global showpiece with two matches to spare.

Morocco were shock semi-finalists at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, topping a group including Croatia and Belgium and eliminating Spain and Portugal in the knockout phase.

The stunning run came to an end in the semi-finals as they lost 2-0 to France.

Only Ounahi of the scorers against Niger was in the 2022 World Cup squad, with coach Walid Regragui introducing new faces since, including Saibari from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.

In Group A, Egypt beat Ethiopia 2-0 in Cairo with Premier League stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush converting late first-half penalties.

Egypt can join Morocco at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico if they win away to second-placed Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

Newcastle United signing Yoane Wissa was among the goals as the Democratic Republic of Congo hammered South Sudan 4-1 in Juba to stay top of Group B.

Wissa moved from Brentford in a £50 million ($67 mn) deal after Sweden striker Alexander Isak left Newcastle for Liverpool in a British record move.

The Congolese are hoping to return to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when the Central African country was known as Zaire.

Cedric Bakambu scored twice to help the visitors build a three-goal half-time advantage, and Wissa added a fourth before Keer Majak claimed a consolation goal.

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Senegal trail DR Congo by one point ahead of a top-of-the-table showdown in Kinshasa on Tuesday after beating Sudan 2-0 in Diamniadio through goals from Kalidou Koulibaly and Pape Matar Sarr.

South Africa maintained a five-point lead in Group C thanks to a comfortable 3-0 ‘away’ victory over neighbours Lesotho in Bloemfontein.

The home fixture for Lesotho was moved to the central South African city, 145 kilometres by road from the border, because the mountain kingdom does not have a FIFA-approved stadium.

Mohau Nkota, who quit famed Soweto club Orlando Pirates last month to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ettifaq, scored his first international goal for Bafana Bafana (the Boys) in 15 minutes.

Lyle Foster from Premier League returnees Burnley and Oswin Appollis netted within four minutes midway through the second half.

Victory did come at a cost for South Africa, though, with defenders Nyiko Mobbie and Thabo Moloisane retiring injured ahead of a key clash with Nigeria at the same venue on Tuesday.

South Africa have 16 points, five more than Benin, who edged Zimbabwe 1-0 in Abidjan through a Steve Mounie goal. Nigeria, nine points behind the leaders, hosts Rwanda on Saturday.

Clinical first-half finishing earned Gambia a surprise 3-1 win over Kenya in Nairobi, with Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh scoring the second.

However, the result had no impact on the top of Group F, with reigning African champions the Ivory Coast away to Gabon on Tuesday in a match likely to decide who finishes first.

Serhou Guirassy, a prolific scorer for Borussia Dortmund with 38 goals in all competitions last season, bagged his first for Guinea in World Cup qualifying to set up a 3-0 win over Somalia.

But a disappointing campaign by Guinea, who lie fourth, eight points behind Group G leaders Algeria, means Guirassy will almost certainly miss the World Cup.

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Tottenham’s Djed Spence said the opportunity to make history as the first male player who publicly identifies as a Muslim to represent England was a “blessing” as he prepares for a potential debut.

The 25-year-old defender was one of two new faces included in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.

It is understood Spence could become the first Muslim man to play for England’s senior team.

“I’ve seen that,” the versatile full-back said at England’s training base. “It’s a blessing, it’s amazing. I did see something like that.

“I was surprised, really, first ever. It’s just amazing. I don’t have the words really.”

But the former England Under-21s international said he did not feel under extra pressure, adding: “I just play football with a smile on my face.”

Spence’s faith is a major part of his identity and is something he frequently acknowledges on social media.

“First things first, God is the greatest,” he said. “I pray a lot. I give gratitude to God.

“In the toughest moments of my life, the darkest moments, I’ve always believed that God has always been by my side.

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“When I’m winning, when I’m in a good moment, I promote God as well because he’s always been by my side. It’s a big thing for me, my faith.”

Spence’s rise has been a slow one. After impressing in the Championship for Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, he moved to Premier League Tottenham in 2022.

But he initially struggled to make an impression under former Tottenham boss Antonio Conte, and spent time on loan at Rennes, Leeds, and Genoa.

The defender only made his full Spurs debut in December, two-and-a-half years after he joined the club in what proved a breakthrough campaign that culminated in Europa League glory.

He came on as a substitute in the Bilbao final, having initially been omitted from Ange Postecoglou’s group-stage squad earlier in the season.

“Without (a strong) mentality, you won’t make it to the top,” said Djed Spence. “I definitely think I have got a strong mentality, especially to fight through challenges.”

“I do have a mental note of people who doubted me, for sure, and it does feel good to prove them wrong,” he added.

Now the full-back hopes to inspire others.

“If I can do it, you can do it,” he said. “Not just Muslim kids, any child of any faith. Put your mind to something and you can do it.”

England face Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday before travelling to play Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday.

Tuchel’s men are top of Group K with three wins from three matches so far.

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FIFA will kick off a multi-phase ticket sale process for the World Cup 2026 this month with initial single-seat prices as low as $60 for group-stage matches and as high as $6,710 for the final.

Those prices will fluctuate based on demand, and fans will be able to buy single-game tickets, venue-specific tickets, and team-specific packages, the world football governing body said Wednesday as it announced a schedule for the first phase of sales.

Forty-eight teams, the biggest field in World Cup history, will play in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 next year.

Fans who have a Visa card can register for a FIFA ID on the body’s website to enter a presale draw to be held September 10-19.

Those selected through the randomized presale draw can then apply to purchase tickets starting October 1.

Sales will be capped at four tickets per person per match, and no person can purchase more than 40 for the entire tournament.

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Further ticket sales will be launched in the coming months, with registration for Phase Two expected to take place from October 27 to 31, followed by sales from mid-November to early December.

Phase three will begin shortly after the tournament draw is held in Washington on December 5, and fans can submit applications for specific matches.

Closer to the tournament, fans will be able to buy remaining inventory on a first-come, first-served basis.

FIFA said in a statement it planned to offer additional products such as supporter tickets for fans who want to sit with others backing the same team, and conditional supporter tickets for fans who want to reserve a place in potential knockout rounds.

FIFA will also launch an official resale platform.

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Spain named Rodri and Dani Carvajal in their squad on Friday for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey.

Both players have returned to action for their clubs at the Club World Cup after being absent with long-term knee injuries.

Spain visit Bulgaria on September 4 in their Group E opener, before travelling to Turkey on September 7.

Georgia are the other nation in the four-team group, with the winners progressing to the tournament next summer in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

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Manchester City midfielder Rodri helped lead Spain to Euro 2024 glory but was sidelined in September that year after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, only making his return during the Club World Cup this summer.

Real Madrid right-back Carvajal was injured in October 2024, rupturing two knee ligaments and a tendon, also making his return in July in the United States at the expanded FIFA tournament.

Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Pedri form part of the squad, along with team-mate Fermin Lopez, who has been linked with a move away from the Catalan giants, but new arrival goalkeeper Joan Garcia was not selected.

Spain squad

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad)

Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen (both Real Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Robin Le Normand (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Rodrigo (Manchester City), Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pedri Gonzalez, Dani Olmo (all Barcelona), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Fabian Ruiz (PSG)

Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres (both Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Alvaro Morata, Jesus Rodriguez (both Como)

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FIFA has established an office inside Trump Tower in New York City as it intensifies preparations for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the governing body of world football announced.

“FIFA is a global organisation and to be global, you have to be local, you have to be everywhere, so we have to be in New York,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at an event in Manhattan.

“So today, we are opening an office of FIFA here in Trump Tower.”

FIFA already has offices in Miami, and the move deepens ties between Infantino and US President Donald Trump.

Infantino attended Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, has appeared alongside the US President at the Oval Office, and joined him on a recent visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

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“Thanks, of course, to President Trump as well, who is a big fan of soccer, (together with) the whole family,” added Infantino, who was speaking ahead of the semi-finals of the Club World Cup taking place at the MetLife Stadium just across the Hudson River from Manhattan.

The first 32-team Club World Cup concludes this weekend, while the World Cup 2026, scheduled for June and July, will be the first to feature 48 teams.

Eleven of the 16 venues in 2026 will be in the United States, with three in Mexico and two in Canada. The final will take place in the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“We have received such big support from the government and from the President with the White House Task Force for the FIFA Club World Cup and for the FIFA World Cup next year,” Infantino said before declaring the ongoing tournament “an incredible success”.

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Australia qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America, while Oman ended the hopes of Palestine for their first appearance at the finals with a last-gasp draw on Tuesday.

Tony Popovic’s Socceroos, who went into the third round’s final match day heavy favourites to progress, defeated direct rivals Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Jeddah to seal the second automatic qualification spot in Group C.

Saudi Arabia must instead make do with a place in the fourth round, alongside Indonesia. Japan had already secured top place in the group.

“We’ve built a good foundation now and we want to really get better, kick on and try and do something special at the World Cup,” said Popovic.

Herve Renard’s Saudi side went into the decider at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium knowing only a win by a five-goal margin would be enough to usurp Australia in second.

The hosts were given the perfect start when Abdulrahman Al-Aboud opened the scoring 19 minutes in.

The visitors pulled level just before half-time through Connor Metcalfe’s left-footed strike.

Australia were soon ahead, when three minutes into the second half Mitch Duke met Martin Boyle’s cross to head home from close range.

Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan then saved Salem Al-Dawsari’s late penalty to earn Australia a memorable victory and secure the country’s sixth successive appearance at a World Cup in style.

“To show that character, resilience and then quality to come back and actually take the lead and win the game, I’m delighted,” said Popovic.

In Group B, Palestinian hearts were broken when they conceded a penalty deep into injury time to draw 1-1 with Oman in Amman.

Palestine, playing their home fixtures at a neutral venue, took the lead on 49 minutes when Oday Kharoub headed Adam Kaied’s corner into the top corner.

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Oman were reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute after Harib Al-Saadi was shown a second yellow card.

Yet the visitors rallied to snatch a precious point in the 97th minute, Issam Al-Sabhi converting a spot-kick following a foul on Muhsen Al-Ghassani.

The result means Oman finish fourth in the group at Palestine’s expense and therefore advance to the next phase of qualification.

The top two teams in each of the three groups go straight to the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while those in third and fourth move on to the fourth round.

Taking place in October, and comprising two groups of three, there are two places at next summer’s tournament up for grabs with Oman, UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia all in the running.

Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice for Japan and Paris Saint Germain’s Lee Kang-in netted for South Korea as the Asian giants rounded off successful World Cup qualifying campaigns in style.

Japan romped to a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert’s Indonesia in Osaka while South Korea cruised to a 4-0 win over Kuwait in Seoul where fans were treated to a late appearance by Son Heung-min.

FA Cup winner Kamada struck twice in the first half for Japan, with Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya also on target against Indonesia, who finished fourth in Group C.

Iran and Uzbekistan are already through to next year’s finals from Group A, as are Jordan and South Korea from Group B, who both secured qualification last week with a game to spare.

Jeon Jin-woo and goals from European-based trio Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyeon-gyu of Belgium’s Genk and Lee Jae-sung of Germany’s Mainz sealed the win.

Tottenham’s Son, who has been struggling with injury, came on as a 75th-minute substitute.

Iraq confirmed third place in the group with a 1-0 victory against Jordan in Amman, the hosts having already clinched a first appearance at the World Cup.

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