In America, there's a very sizable contingent of once-every-four-year fans who usually only get their soccer fix via the rare SportsCenter highlight or through that one friend who's always at the Irish pub early on Saturdays. But when the World Cup rolls around, this crowd appreciates and gets down with the month-long spectacle, making the U.S. feel as soccer-mad as any other country on the planet.
An investigation into former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter's dispute with his wife outside a bar in 1992 concluded that U.S. Soccer was not in the wrong for hiring him as the national team coach, the federation said on Monday.
The investigators' conclusions mean there is now no legal impediment to employing Berhalter, who remains a candidate for the coaching job which is now held by Anthony Hudson on an interim basis.
MANCHESTER, England - Global soccer players union FIFPRO said that the World Cup should never again be squeezed into a November-December window, and that Raphaël Varane's international retirement should ring alarm bells about the sport's smothering schedule.
FIFPRO released their World Cup 2022 Post-Tournament Review and Player Survey on Thursday, and said the results confirmed their fears around players' mental and physical fatigue and injury risk.
PARIS - France women's national soccer team coach Corinne Diacre has been sacked on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the French soccer federation (FFF) said on Thursday.
Former France captain Wendie Renard said last month she would not play at this year's World Cup and French multimedia outlet RMC Sport reported that Renard said she would not represent the national side as long as Diacre is in charge.
With just over 130 days to go until the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the hype within the host nations has already reached fever pitch. Australia's Matildas open play on July 20 against Ireland with a crowd of over 80,000 expected in Sydney.
The excitement around the event has only been amplified by the team's recent performances on the pitch, where Australia's riding a seven-game win streak that's included triumphs over Sweden, Spain and Denmark.
With kick-off less than 20 weeks away (135 days) and Wednesday serving as the global celebration of International Women's Day, FIFA marked the occasion by unveiling the official poster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The main poster is accompanied by one for each of the nine host cities, "highlighting the iconic and historical landmarks, wildlife and vibrant cultures that are unique to each."
March 4 (Reuters) - New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell has thrown his support behind coach Jitka Klimková to turn around the fortunes of her underperforming team with less than five months before the Women's World Cup begins.
New Zealand, who will co-host the World Cup with neighbors Australia from July 20 to Aug. 20, lost all their friendlies last month, suffering a 5-0 hammering by Portugal before falling 2-0 and 1-0 to Argentina.
The 2026 World Cup — the first World Cup to ever be joint-hosted by three countries (USA–Mexico–Canada), will see the U.S. host 60 games in 11 stadiums across the country between June 8 and July 3 of that summer. It’s going to be nuts.
WE GOT NEXT
The men's FIFA World Cup in 2026 can't come soon enough ⏳ pic.twitter.com/3TyNn9P8hq
Newly appointed China head coach Aleksandar Janković is aiming to guide the Asian country to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the Serbian said, adding that the team has room for improvement.
Despite major government ambitions for the team, China have qualified for the World Cup only once in 2002 when they lost all three of their group matches and failed to score a goal.
FIFA's appointment of supermodel Adriana Lima as its global fan ambassador in a Women's World Cup year is "baffling" and sends the wrong message to players and fans, former FIFA Council member Moya Dodd said.
Brazilian Lima will "develop, promote and participate in several global initiatives" in her role as FIFA's first global fan ambassador, the governing body said in a statement on Monday.