National Teams

Barbora Votikova made eight saves for the Czech Republic in a surprising 0-0 tie with the U.S. women's national team in Carson, California, in their opening match of the SheBelieves Cup.

One of Votikova's best saves was on a blast by Catarina Macario in the 29th minute. In the 66th minute, Rose Lavelle forced a near-post save, and a Kristie Mewis header in the middle of the box was stopped 10 minutes later.

As much as 75% of men's professional footballers opt for maintaining the current World Cup cycle and want it to be played every four years, global players' union FIFPRO said in a statement on Tuesday.

In November FIFPRO surveyed more than 1,000 players from six continents, including more than 70 different nationalities, following a proposal by football's governing body FIFA to switch to a biennial format.

ROME - The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has requested the postponement of a round of Serie A fixtures to help the Italy national team in its preparations for the FIFA World Cup playoffs, FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said on Monday.

European champions Italy risk failing to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup after finishing behind Switzerland in their qualifying group, and they face North Macedonia in a playoff in Palermo on March 24.

The women’s soccer world anxiously awaits the outcome of a much-needed investigation into widespread abuse of players in the National Women’s Soccer League.

USWNT stars have demanded answers. On Thursday, they got some, but they probably won’t appease immediate concerns over systemic abuse in women’s soccer. 

Despite USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter claiming that his team was “dominant” in its 2-0 defeat vs. Canada, FIFA didn’t see it that way. This was evident in the latest FIFA Rankings where Mexico leapfrogged the U.S. 

The teams around the U.S. in the world rankings now look like this.

Latest USMNT FIFA Rankings

11. Germany

12. Mexico

13. U.S.

14. Switzerland

Nine of the world’s best footballers want answers. Christen Press, Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Sam Mewis, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn are questioning how so many kids and women were allowed to be abused repeatedly just for playing the sport they love. And the women’s soccer world hopes they get those answers.

Trinity Rodman's profile continues to expand after the 19-year-old was added to the United States women's national team roster Monday for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup.

Rodman, a Washington Spirit forward who last week signed the most lucrative contract in NWSL history, was named as an injury replacement for defender Abby Dahlkemper. It is her first appearance with the USWNT.

In the Africa Cup of Nations final billed as Sadio Mané versus Mohamed Salah, it was Mané's Senegal that ultimately triumphed in a shootout on Sunday to claim its first-ever AFCON title. 

Salah individually outperformed Mané over 120 minutes of action, but two Egypt misses in the shootout denied Salah an opportunity in the fifth spot, whereas Mané made amends for an early penalty miss of his own by converting Senegal's all-important fifth attempt.       

China claimed a record-extending ninth Women's Asian Cup title after staging a dramatic second-half comeback to hand South Korea a 3-2 defeat in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.

Xiao Yuyi scored three minutes into injury time to cap a late title-winning resurgence from the Chinese, who had trailed to strikes from Choe Yu-ri and Ji So-yun at halftime.

Minutes to win it