#World Cup

#World Cup

As soaked Senegal fans celebrated winning the Africa Cup of Nations in a Moroccan rainstorm, thoughts and talk would likely have soon turned to a World Cup opener against France less than six months away. The June 16 clash against their former colonial rulers, who Senegal memorably beat in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, is in the New Jersey stadium which will host the World Cup final. While the 300,000 strong Senegalese diaspora in France should ensure some fans are backing the African champions, those who hold only Senegalese passports will not be allowed in the US.

"It's going to be interesting because, for fans of certain clubs who need managers, you'll be thinking 'I wonder if we can get that person or that person'," former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's the World Cup to add a bit of nuance to that as well. Some managers becoming available at what seems like the best time. Some managers' contracts being available. "Some managers trying to do well for their nations at the World Cup at the summer. It's really exciting and it feels like there's going to be a reset at so many clubs."

That was exciting! This is insane how many people are here. It's so cool! Thank you for coming. This crowd tonight was... I mean you can see the footprints all the way up the side of the slope. That was special.

Pepi was on a good run, had a strong training camp and was all the way back, Bosz said. He became more confident in rounding and was in that good flow again. All signs were green for a strong second half of the season, so this is incredibly disappointing. First and foremost for him and obviously for us as well.

The Croatian defender sustained the injury in the second half of the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and had to be substituted immediately. Gvardiol is likely to miss the remainder of the season, and his participation in this summer's World Cup is also in doubt. It comes as a major blow to Pep Guardiola, who is already missing a number of senior players through injury, whilst Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are still on international duty.

It's time for another dastardly football wordsearch from FourFourTwo. It is the destiny of every great footballer to end up in a puzzle for fans to solve in their tea or coffee breaks, and have we got some great footballers for you. 20 Brazil players have been hidden in our wordsearch grid just waiting to be found. There's no time limit for you to crack this one but we do want to know your time,

We felt that, a little bit, at the last Euros. We got to the final and there was still a lot of negative noise around us. We knew that unless we won it that noise was going to continue, and it did, that's part and parcel of it. The success we've been building since 2018, semi-finals of the World Cup, a final, quarter-final, then another final, we've been knocking on the door, and we've consistently been one of the best teams in the world.

🏒 The gay hockey romance Heated Rivalry has been a massive hit, and the show has fans taking a closer look at the NHL -- the only major North American men's sports league with no current or former out gay players. Mey Rude explores whether that might change soon. Speaking of professional sports, the World Cup is coming to the U.S. this summer, and this week we learned that the Seattle-based game designated locally as the "Pride Match" will feature two countries where being gay is illegal.

In Guadalajara, the road to the World Cup is paved with erasure of the missing. The city of Guadalajara in Mexico is scheduled to host four World Cup matches next year, and labourers are working around the clock to revamp infrastructure in time for the tournament. On account of frenzied construction, the city's roads are presently a bona fide mess, constituting a perpetual headache for those who must transit them.

In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it's fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace. Football stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, the FIFA Peace Prize Football Unites the World will recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.

"I think that Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time, but he also knows that I'm a good player. There will be mutual respect if we play against each other." "He knows that I'm not trying to be him, to play like him, or wear the #10 like him. I want to be my own," he added. Speaking on how the Argentine was one of his role models, he said, "As a kid, I used to study Messi's passes. Other players made good passes, but Messi's passes were pretty much goals."

Al Jazeera reflects on the passing of World Cup-winning forward Diego Maradona, who died five years ago on Tuesday. The fifth anniversary of the death of one of football's most famous stars, Diego Maradona, was marked by his fans in Argentina on Tuesday. Considered by many the greatest football player in history, the World Cup winner enjoyed stellar careers at the club level in Spain with Barcelona and in Italy with Napoli.

The 27-year-old, who is eligible to play for the Scots through his grandparents, netted twice for Eddie Howe's men at St James' Park as they edged out Pep Guardiola's side in a thrilling Saturday night victory. Will that performance have swayed any Scotland fans sitting on the fence? Or perhaps it has flipped opinions entirely? Here, BBC Scotland looks at the state of play, the mood among the Tartan Army and what Barnes could bring to Steve Clarke's team.

I had to push so hard but it was really nice with the sun on the second run,

He's got a massive journey ahead of him," said head coach David Gray of Kieron Bowie after the Hibernian striker's display in Saturday's 2-0 win over Dundee.