Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup explained: Why FIFA’s awarding of the competition is controversial
Host status for the 2034 World Cup is expected to be awarded to Saudi Arabia by FIFA today
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Football
Apologies to any North American readers but this page is wholly concerned with the original game of football, which, strangely enough, is largely played with the feet rather than the hands, unlike the gridiron version. As the weeks and months go by we will attempt to bring as much useful (and sometimes not) information about the ‘beautiful game’, but in particular the major European leagues and international competitions.
Read MoreSaudi Arabia 2034 World Cup explained: Why FIFA’s awarding of the competition is controversial
USMNT connections link Liga MX’s biggest game
A pair of Americans will face off for Mexican soccer’s top domestic prize this week, while seeking to boost their USMNT prospects.
Levante raise more than €16k for Valencia flood victims with auction of mud-stained shirts
Spanish club Levante have raised €16,025 (£13,200, $16,833) for the victims of the recent flash floods in Valencia through the auction of mud-stained football shirts. The Valencia-based team wore the shirts in last month’s second-division match against Elche — their first game following the flooding caused by Storm DANA and amid ongoing clean-up attempts in the region. The specially designed shirts were stained brown as a tribute to those who had been impacted by the events and carried the message: “In tribute to all those who will be there when…
FIFA criticised by Norwegian FA over ‘flawed’ 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cup bidding process
The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has criticised the bidding process for the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups, which it says are “flawed and inconsistent with the principles of FIFA’s own reforms.” In a formal letter to FIFA, the NFF is demanding “greater transparency, fairness, and stricter adherence to FIFA’s 2016 reforms” which relate to “good governance and transparent World Cup allocations”. The 2030 World Cup will be held across six nations — Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay — while Saudi Arabia is the…
Celtic ‘gaining confidence’ despite missed chance
Celtic miss an opportunity to end their seven-year wait for an away win the in the Champions League, but are “gaining confidence” at this level, says Brendan Rodgers.
Saudi Arabia World Cup 2034 explained: Why the FIFA vote is already a done deal
Tomorrow, the Gulf state will secure football’s biggest prize. This is how Saudi did it
Is Angel City cleaning house? Plus, College Cup final preview
Welcome to Full Time, The Athletic’s women’s soccer newsletter.
Christian Pulisic: The stigma of American soccer players in Europe ‘p***** me off’
The USMNT star on his docuseries, his father’s influence, the stigma of American players in Europe, and that Copa America bust
When River Plate icon Diaz took over fourth-tier Oxford
Twenty years on from Ramon Diaz’s surprising appointment at Oxford United, BBC Sport looks at what happened and how it went.
Bayern Munich retire No 5 shirt in honour of Franz Beckenbauer
Bayern Munich members have voted to retire the club’s No 5 shirt in honour of their former player and manager Franz Beckenbauer, who died in January this year aged 78. Beckenbauer — nicknamed ‘Der Kaiser’ — was widely considered to be one of the greatest ever footballers and is one of just three men (alongside Mario Zagallo and Didier Deschamps) to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager, lifting the trophy in 1974 and again in 1990. The German club’s members voted to pass the motion…