FIFA World Cup (Men's)

TORONTO — Canada can complete phase one of a remarkable rebuild when they visit Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday knowing a victory would see the country secure a place at the global showcase for the second time.

Canada's World Cup history so far makes dreadful reading.

Only once have they qualified for the World Cup - in 1986 when they lost all three group games and failed to score.

The nearly four decades since have been filled with cringe-worthy displays and epic failures.

STOCKHOLM — Sweden's all-time record goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic is preparing to pass the torch to a new generation of young players such as Anthony Elanga as his side prepare for their World Cup playoff semifinal against the Czech Republic on Thursday.

The 40-year-old striker recalled playing with the Manchester United winger's father Joseph for Malmo FF over 20 years ago and he is now sharing a dressing room with his son.

The three most important USMNT matches of the last half-decade are scheduled for March 24-30, seven days that will define whether the Americans qualify for the 2022 World Cup or watch from home. Nearly five years after the debacle in Trinidad and Tobago left the U.S. out of the 2018 World Cup, several USMNT injuries are threatening to derail the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Portugal defender Pepe will miss their World Cup playoff semi-final against Turkey on Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19, the Portuguese Football Federation said.

The 39-year-old's absence means the former European champions will be without their two first-choice centre backs for the clash at Porto, with Ruben Dias ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

Portugal will be without these players against Turkey:

With its spot in the World Cup already clinched, the Netherlands is using the March international window for a pair of friendlies against Denmark and Germany in Amsterdam. 

While Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay were arriving at the KNVB Campus in Zeist on Monday, 70-year-old manager Louis van Gaal was giving a customarily unfiltered press conference on player selection, his choice for national team successor and the prospect of a World Cup in Qatar. 

Van Gaal didn't hold back when asked to discuss the host nation.

Editor’s Note: See update at bottom.

The Orlando Pride are, by their very name, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. Many of the Pride’s most prominent players have been gay, and Exploria Stadium includes 49 rainbow-colored seats as a memorial to the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub mass shooting. But apparently, the word “gay” is too political for the team.