PARIS - Lionel Messi was named FIFA player of the year 2022 on Monday as Argentina scooped all major men's awards after winning a vintage World Cup final last December.
The 35-year-old forward scored two goals in the final against France, with the South Americans emerging triumphant on penalties following a 3-3 draw after extra time in Qatar.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is quickly approaching. Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the tournament will feature 32 teams for the first time, eight more than the previous high. Let’s take a closer look at what countries qualified for the Women's World Cup.
FIFA had a council meeting on Tuesday in which they mostly talked about money and patted their own backs, saying they are the best organization in the universe since the Big Bang. But, hey! They also talked about soccer, revealing the number of teams representing each confederation in the revamped Club World Cup to be played in 2025.
If you were living inside a bubble, FIFA announced last year their plan to expand the Club World Cup from seven to 32 teams starting in 2025.
BERLIN - A future European Super League could include as many as 80 teams, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, a company formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of a breakaway soccer league, said on Thursday.
In a statement outlining the preliminary results of talks that A22 had with what it said was 50 European clubs and stakeholders of football, the company said change was necessary.
Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo suffered a surprising 3-2 Club World Cup semifinal defeat to Asian representatives Al-Hilal on Tuesday, meaning that South American sides have advanced to the final in only three of the last seven tournaments.
Flamengo manager Vítor Pereira and veteran defender David Luiz promised they wouldn't fall into the traditional Conmebol trap of overlooking their semifinal opponents while dreaming of Real Madrid, but before the halftime whistle had even sounded the Brazilian club had conceded two stupid penalties and been issued a red card.
MELBOURNE - Former New Zealand international Maia Jackman said Saudi sponsorship of the Women's World Cup would be in "complete opposition" to female empowerment and set back her work as an ambassador for the tournament.
Australia and New Zealand, co-hosts of this year's World Cup, wrote to global soccer governing body FIFA on Wednesday seeking urgent clarification after The Guardian reported Visit Saudi will be named as a major sponsor of the tournament.
MEXICO CITY — FIFA sanctioned the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) for the offensive chants the country's fans made during their matches at last year's World Cup by ordering it to play a game behind closed doors and fined it $108,000.
"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has fined FMF with a fine of CHF 100,000 and one match to be played behind closed doors in light of chants by Mexican supporters during the Mexico v. Poland and Saudi Arabia v. Mexico World Cup matches," FIFA said in a statement on Friday.
While the world mourns Pelé's death, there is a question that people are constantly asking: How many goals did Pelé score throughout his career?
The answer is not easy and will depend on who is answering it.
Since his irruption in the game in the 1958 World Cup, Pelé promptly showed the globe he was a goal-scoring machine and the image of him jumping with a fist into the air became iconic. The problem? Stats at the time were not as developed as today, so the counting was not as precise as today.
Euphoria levels are still high in Argentina after the World Cup title. People are not tired of celebrating and talking about Messi's masterstrokes, Dibu Martínez's antics in the penalty shootouts vs. the Netherlands and France, or Enzo Fernández's bright future.
FIFA has launched an investigation to determine how in the hell restaurant owner and famous chef Salt Bae got access to the field during Argentina's World Cup celebrations in Qatar.
"Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18," the world soccer body said in a press release.
Although FIFA didn't name Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, you don't need to be a genius to know what's going on here.