Soccer (FIFA)

Soccer (FIFA)

VfB Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß has a long history with Bayern Munich, including his time as the manager of Bayern II. What does that mean? Well, mostly that Hoeneß knows better than to think a Bayern Munich team that has not looked quite right of late is going to be easy to take advantage of.

"Brazil have fantastic players and we can have a fantastic World Cup," he told TNT Sports. "It's a fantastic experience, different job, we have a fantastic goal, to be competitive at the World Cup and to try and win it. "I love this period but it's different. "Maybe I needed this after a lot of years training day by day, and the matches, I have more quiet now and more focus on my team."

President Donald Trump on Friday weighed in on the longstanding name debate involving soccer and football and he sided with the international community. Moments after Trump received FIFA's inaugural FIFA Peace Prize from federation President Gianni Infantino, he was joined onstage by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. There, the three leaders conducted the World Cup draw to determine the groups in which the participating countries would be placed.

Germany's opponents at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curaçao. Germany have only played Ecuador once, in the 2006 World Cup that they hosted. The hosts won 3-0 in Berlin, with Bayern alumni Miroslav Klose (twice) and Lukas Podolski scoring the goals. As for Ivory Coast, Germany have also only faced them once, a 2-2 friendly draw in 2009.

Image source, BBC Sport Artificial intelligence is making a big mark in elite football, and England are at the cutting edge when it comes to using it in the men's international game. From penalty taking and powering players' wellbeing to targeting their rivals' tactical weaknesses, AI is underpinning the Three Lions' plans for next summer's World Cup. Could a technology which is beginning to change the world around us really help England to glory in North America?

We know them but they know us. The most important is the evolution, and keep improving, in all the areas, for us, like a team. To be sure that in our [play] I think we will be stronger than today. That for me is the objective, [be] better and show full respect to Paraguay and Australia and the fourth that we are going to find out about in March.

Wales are two wins away from qualifying for their second successive World Cup and only a third in their history. Craig Bellamy's side host Bosnia-Herzegovina in their play-off semi-final on 26 March and, if victorious, will face Italy or Northern Ireland in Cardiff five days later for a place in the 2026 World Cup. The draw for the World Cup takes place in Washington DC on Friday.

He is slowly going about his business and becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Not many people have been speaking about him - there's not really been an argument for him to be England's number one but you could make that after this season's performances, like in the win at Burnley. Steady, efficient and a friend of mine said that the best goalkeepers are the ones you never speak about - I don't think Henderson gets spoken about anywhere near enough so that must make him very good.