National Teams

Australia Scraps November Plan To Play USMNT In London Due To COVID-19 Crisis

Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Thursday it has called off a training camp in Europe and scrapped plans for matches against England and the United States in London next month due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis on the continent.

The FFA had been close to confirming dates for the November friendlies but said the "ongoing and worsening COVID-19 landscape across Europe" had forced it to reconsider.

Three European Countries Looking To Co-Host The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands unveiled plans on Monday for a joint bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2027.

A statement released by the three countries' football associations said they had already expressed their intention to bid to world football’s governing body FIFA and that they would put together a formal agreement by the end of the year.

Perception Of ‘Cute White Girls’ Key For USWNT Popularity, Says WNBA Legend Sue Bird

Seattle Storm's Sue Bird believes women's soccer players in the United States are more widely supported than their counterparts in the WNBA because of the public perception of them as "cute little white girls."

Point guard Bird, who won her fourth WNBA title this month, said in an interview with CNN that elite basketball players were more quickly judged by people based on their appearance.

Virgil Van Dijk To Undergo Surgery For Damaged Knee Ligaments, Likely Out For Season

Liverpool center back Virgil van Dijk has damaged knee ligaments and is set to undergo surgery after he was injured in Saturday's Merseyside derby draw against Everton, the Premier League club confirmed on Sunday.

The Dutch defender was substituted early in the game when Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made a reckless challenge in the box, which left Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp fuming.

Harry Maguire Gets 2 Yellow Cards In First 30 Minutes As England Falls To Denmark

LONDON — Christian Eriksen's penalty on his 100th appearance for Denmark earned his side a 1-0 win over England in their Nations League clash at Wembley on Wednesday as the hosts played more than half the game with 10 men.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eriksen powered his spot-kick past Jordan Pickford in the 35th minute, a couple of minutes after England centre back Harry Maguire had received a red card for a second booking.

No Ronaldo, No Problem — Portugal Routs Sweden

Goals from Bernardo Silva and a brace from Diogo Jota gave Portugal a comfortable 3-0 win over Sweden in the Nations League on Wednesday as the hosts made light of the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Fan Reaction To Ronaldo’s Covid-19 Surprisingly Rational

LISBON — Football fans in Lisbon were unsurprised after Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive COVID-19, saying it simply showed everyone was at risk of getting infected — and famous athletes were no exception.

Portugal's Football Federation said in a statement on Tuesday the 35-year-old Juventus forward was asymptomatic and would miss Wednesday's UEFA Nations League game against Sweden as he self-isolates.

In Portugal's capital Lisbon, not too far from the football facility where Ronaldo is, fans were not shocked by the news.

Neymar Has Passed Ronaldo Into Second On Brazil’s All-Time Scoring List

Neymar overtook Ronaldo and moved into second place behind Pele on Brazil's all-time goalscoring list after notching a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Peru on Tuesday in a World Cup qualifier.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker now has 64 goals, two more than Ronaldo and 13 behind Pele, who heads the list with 77, according to the count by world governing body FIFA.

Brazil coach Tite was reluctant to compare his current star with past greats.

Iceland Replacing Entire Coaching Staff Ahead Of Belgium Match Due To Covid

Iceland will replace head coach Erik Hamren and his entire backroom team for Wednesday's Nations League clash with Belgium in Reykjavik after an unnamed staff member contracted COVID-19, the country's FA said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The FA said that coaches from the nation's under-age teams would fill the breach after previously announcing that Hamren and his staff had all been quarantined following a positive test.

Raúl Jiménez Provides Spectacular Assist On Diego Lainez’s First Mexico Goal

Mexico salvaged a 2-2 draw against 10-man Algeria on Tuesday with Jesús Corona’s beautiful opener pegged back by goals from Ismaël Bennacer and Riyad Mahrez before Diego Lainez provided one final flourish to the script in The Hague.    

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