FIFA World Cup 2022

United States men's national team midfielder Weston McKennie is in a race against time to be healthy for the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. McKennie will be out at least 15 days with a thigh injury, according to multiple reports. Sky Sports Italia broke the news on Sunday, a day after the 24-year-old Texan was substituted at halftime of Juventus 1-0 win over Lecce in Serie A, Italy's top division. The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Nov. 20. The Americans play their first game in the competition the following day, against Wales. The U.S. will also meet England and Iran in the group stage. Most of the European club-based U.S. players are expected to arrive in Doha on Nov. 13. Because Juventus plays Lazio that day, McKennie was scheduled to fly travel on Nov. 14, one week before the USA's opening match. It's not clear if McKennie's injury would allow him to travel to Qatar earlier now that he's been ruled out of the Lazio match.

Imagine being a Wales fan and not going to the World Cup. It is the first time they have qualified since 1958, which was so long ago that the goal that knocked them out was scored by an unknown teenager called Pelé. Sixty-four years later and it is Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Rob Page looking to set the world on fire. What a time to be alive! Except, for some Wales fans, they are going to pass, thanks very much. Some of the same supporters who found themselves in tears of ecstasy in Zenica, on their way to Euro 2016 despite defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina, or who phoned home to delay their return one more time as Chris Coleman’s team became the sensation of the finals in France, are choosing to sit this one out. If anyone has reckoned with the complicated issues surrounding this much-maligned tournament, it is them. Kevin Davies is a veteran of nearly 70 away trips with the Welsh national team. He has seen them lose in Montenegro and Macedonia and get thumped 5-0 by Georgia. He was also...

Football’s world governing body FIFA has warned the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF) that their team’s participation at World Cup 2022 could be under threat if there is found to be government interference within the organisation. Having qualified for their sixth World Cup, the North African country is in Group D along with reigning world champions France, Australia and Denmark, whom they face in their November 22 opener. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) sent a letter to TFF earlier this week outlining concerns after Tunisia’s Youth and Sports Minister Kamel Deguiche had threatened to dissolve some federal offices, among other recent comments that have irked the global governing body. As per FIFA rules, federations of all member nations must be free of any third-party or government involvement. Kenya and Zimbabwe are currently banned because of this breach. India was briefly suspended for the same reason in August this year. FIFA confirmed the letter to Reu...

  Tunisia could be excluded from next month's World Cup in Qatar if the country's government interferes in footballing matters, world governing body Fifa has warned. Fifa's member federations must be free from legal and political interference. The warning comes after repeated comments from Tunisia's Youth and Sports Minister, Kamel Deguiche, about the possibility of "dissolving federal bureaux". Fifa considers his statement an attempt to meddle in the running of the country's football federation (FTF), and has asked the latter for clarification about attempts to interfere in its internal affairs and threats to dissolve its office. The Zurich-based organisation has also reminded the FTF that member associations are "legally obligated to conduct their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties". "Any failure to comply with these obligations may result in the imposition of penalties under the Fifa laws, including suspe...

According to AS, Enrique has selected five different goalkeepers in the 55-man list but De Gea is not one of them. The three goalkeepers expected to fly to Qatar are Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon, Brighton's Robert Sanchez and Brentford's David Raya. Meanwhile, Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga and Getafe's David Soria have been chosen as back-ups in case of any injuries or illnesses prior to the tournament. The former's inclusion in the squad may come as a surprise considering he has played half as many Premier League games this season compared to De Gea.  The only other known players that have made Spain's list are full-backs Alejandro Balde, Jordi Alba and Jose Gaya.  De Gea's omission will come as a surprise to some - given his long history playing for the national side - but his exclusion has been in the making for a number of years now. He's not been in a Spain squad since their 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Sweden in November last year where he w...

  Australia have released a collective statement against Qatar's human rights record, becoming the first 2022 World Cup team to do so. The video message criticises the World Cup hosts' treatment of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ people. Football Australia also released a statement saying the "suffering" felt by workers and their families caused by the tournament "cannot be ignored". Australia will play at the tournament in Qatar, which starts on November 20. The video, which features 16 players, calls for "effective remedy" for migrant workers and the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships. The 16 Australia players involved in the video include captain Mat Ryan, Sunderland defender Bailey Wright, Hearts' Kye Rowles and Alex Wilkinson, the president of players' union Professional Footballers Australia who last represented the Socceroos in 2015. "Addressing these issues is not easy, and we do not have all the answers," the players ...

  Rafael Leao, Beto, Rui Patricio and Mario Rui are the four Portugal internationals playing in Serie A included in their country’s provisional World Cup squad. Coach Fernando Santos has released a 55-man squad list with his preliminary picks ahead of Qatar 2022. It’s been leaked by CMTV and will be officially confirmed in the coming hours. It includes four Serie A players: Milan striker Rafael Leao, Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio, Napoli full-back Mario Rui and Udinese striker Beto. The final World Cup squad must consist of 26 players – no longer 23 – and will be released next month. Both Leao and Rui Patricio are expected to make the final Portugal squad in Qatar, but both Mario Rui and Beto face stiff competition. The Udinese striker, scorer of five goals in 11 Serie A appearances this season, has never featured for his country, while the Napoli defender made his first appearance in nearly two years during the international break in September when he played for 90 minutes in a 4-0...

 Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez, Jeronimo Rulli, Franco Armani, Juan Musso Defender: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Christian Romero, German Petzela, Nickolas  Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuña, Nickolas Taliafico, Juan Faith, Facundo Medina, Nahuen Perez, Lucas Martinez Quarta/Marco Senesi. Midfielder: Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Giovanni Lo Celso, Alexis McAllister, Guido Rodriguez, Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez, Enzo Fernandez, Esquiel Palacios, Thiago Almada. Forward: Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, Julián Alvarez, Paulo Dybala, Nicolas Gonzales, Angel Correa, Joaquin Correa, Giovanni Simeone/Emiliano Buendia, Lucas Alario/Lucas Ocampos/Nicolas Dominguez.

The World Cup is now only weeks away and Van Gaal has confirmed the 39 players that make up his provisional squad. PSV Eindhoven youngster Xavi Simons is in the squad after a fine start to the campaign along with other potential debutantes such as Micky van de Ven (Wolfsburg), Sven Botman (Newcastle United), Mitchel Bakker (Bayer Leverkusen), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen) and Pascal Struijk (Leeds United). Some players to miss out on a squad place are Joey Veerman (PSV), Jerdy Schouten (Bologna), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord) and Joel Veltman (Brighton). Ajax is the main supplier to the national team with nine players, while PSV contributes four. The final 26-man squad will be announced on the 11th of November. Netherlands begin their World Cup campaign ten days later against Senegal.

  ne of the most awaited moments of any World Cup is getting closer and closer: the Opening Ceremony. In Qatar 2022 it will take place on Sunday, November 20 at the Al Bayt Stadium in the city of Jor at 19:00 (local time). It is still not officially known who the singers will be, however, FIFA expects to seal the participation of the band BTS and according to various media, Shakira could be again at the opening ceremony. According to Total Reporter, the Colombian singer will open the World Cup alongside Dua Lipa and the members of BTS, who will make their debut on the World Cup opening stage. The 'Waka Waka' singer would not be alone on stage, as she would be accompanied by other artists who are currently popular around the world: Dua Lipa and the popular Korean K-Pop group, BTS. FIFA has not yet confirmed the news, but rumours are starting to spread and fans are already imagining how spectacular the show will be before the Qatar vs Ecuador match, the first of the tournament. T...

  The Fifa World Cup 2022 is all about celebrating diversity and it’s showing through their official soundtrack ‘Light The Sky’ that features Moroccan Bollywood star Nora Fatehi, Emirati singer Balqees, Iraqi artist Rahma Riad and Moroccan singer Manal Benchlikha. The official track dropped on Friday with Fatehi, Balqees, Riad and Benchlikha’s vocals opening the song and lyrics that ask the fans to light the sky up and shout along with them. “This is an astonishing music video made with love by the name of women empowerment with beauties Rahma Riadh, Nora Fatehi, Manal Benchlikha and produced by Red One,” Balqees wrote in her Instagram post with a snippet of herself from the official music video. The soundtrack features not only English but bits of Hindi by Fatehi, and a little bit of Moroccan Arabic. The official video paid homage to the women on the field as it featured a short clip of female referees of the 2022 World Cup. Shakira sang the 2010 World Cup song ‘Waka Waka’ that ga...

Doha, Qatar – Holding the World Cup in November and December during the world’s top league’s mid-season will produce a higher level of football compared with previous World Cups, according to former England captain David Beckham. This year’s tournament kicks off in Qatar on November 20, with the final taking place on December 18. The tournament was moved to Qatar’s winter period due to the extreme heat during its summer where temperatures often exceed 40C (113F). While it means some of the world’s top leagues will be put on hold for the tournament, Beckham, who is also a Qatar 2022 ambassador, believes the timing will have benefits. “I was lucky enough to play in three World Cups and I know that I went into each one of those World Cups playing probably 50 to 60 games in the season,” Beckham told Al Jazeera in Doha. “Players are coming into this World Cup after playing 25 games. So they will be arriving fresh and excited. Their energy is going to be at the top level, so I think what you...

  Before the kick-start of the World’s mega event FIFA World Cup 2022 —which is set to start on November 20 this year in Qatar— Google accidentally claimed its finalists in the Lusail Stadium. While it remains a norm for people to seek forecast FIFA wins using different animals, including elephants, ostriches, octopuses, and dolphins but this time — in a strange move —  the tech giant joined the race and left football fans amazed. In a surprising disclosure, the news of the finalists was on the search engine for a few hours before it was taken down, revealing that Brazil will be locking horns with France in FIFA 2022’s final.  The reason for this glitch is yet to be known. Google usually tells about ‘TBC’ (to be confirmed) teams which are scheduled to confront each other but to reveal the finalists is something unprecedented for the search engine.