FIFA Men's World Cup

NO BEER! Qatar changes decision on selling beer around World Cup stadiums 2 days before tournament

World Cup stadiums are prohibited from selling alcohol in Qatar, FIFA announced on Friday two days before the tournament begins.

The reversal permits World Cup sites to sell only non-alcoholic beverages, which represents a reversal of an agreement that approved international sponsor Budweiser to sell at all events.

The18's World Cup predictions

It's time to get laughed at. Here are The18's 2022 FIFA World Cup predictions, although many of our employees have elected the safest route after gazing into their crystal balls.

Team-by-team guide: 2022 Portugal World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here's the Portugal World Cup preview 2022. The Seleção das Quinas will play in Group H against Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Portugal World Cup Preview 2022

World Cup appearances: 8th

Best finish: Third place (1966)  

‘Glue guy’ DeAndre Yedlin serving as the only link to USMNT's World Cup past

DOHA - As the only player on the United States roster with any World Cup experience DeAndre Yedlin has been a man in demand around the American locker room as the team prepare to take on Wales in their tournament opener.

With the U.S. having failed to qualify for the 2018 showcase tournament in Russia coach Gregg Berhalter did not have a large pool of experience to dip into.

Terrible, horrible, godawful news: Sadio Mané is out of the World Cup

Senegal forward Sadio Mané has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar in a crushing blow to his team’s chances after officials confirmed on Thursday he would need surgery on a leg injury sustained in the run-up to the tournament.

Mané had been a doubt for the west African side after injuring his right fibula playing for German club Bayern Munich.

"Unfortunately, today's (Thursday) MRI shows us that the recovery is not as favorable as we hoped and we unfortunately resolve to declare Sadio's withdrawal from the World Cup," Senegal team doctor Manuel Afonso told reporters.

Morocco just recalled Hakim Ziyech for the World Cup — that was a great idea

Hakim Ziyech is a shooter. We've forgotten that this year with the Moroccan winger rarely playing for Chelsea, but when the goals were flying in at Ajax he was averaging 5.3 shots per game, and when he last represented his country at a major tournament (AFCON 2019) he was firing off 4.5 per game.

What time is the World Cup opening ceremony and who is performing?

Here's what you need to know about the opening ceremony that will take place ahead of the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar, including what time is the World Cup opening ceremony, who's performing and where.

WHAT TIME IS THE WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY?

* The opening ceremony of the World Cup will take place on Nov. 20, ahead of the opening Group A match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.

* The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET on FS1 and Telemundo. 

The oldest players at the 2022 World Cup

Egyptian Essam El-Hadary is the oldest player ever at a World Cup. The goalkeeper was called-up for Russia 2018 and even had the privilege of playing against Saudi Arabia in a group stage game at the age of 45 years and ten days.

Yeah, kudos to Essam.

His record, by the way, will remain untouchable during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, that didn't stop us from asking who's going to be the oldest players at the tournament. And well, from two Mexican goalkeepers to stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić, here's the answer. 

Can an African team win the World Cup?

Many football lovers hope an African team will finally win the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup. The world has been waiting for this since the great Brazilian player Pelé predicted (in the 1970s) that an African country would win before the year 2000. That didn’t happen, but it didn’t stop Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, from saying (in 2021): "An African team must win the World Cup in the near future."

Team-by-team guide: 2022 South Korea World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This is for Group H's South Korea.

South Korea World Cup 2022 Preview

World Cup appearances: 11th 

Best finish: Fourth place (2002) 

How they got here: South Korea achieved automatic qualification by finishing second in AFC Group A behind Iran. 

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