World Cup

The USMNT is only two matches into its 14-game CONCACAF World Cup qualifying odyssey, but one look at the early table shows you why Wednesday’s meeting between the U.S. and Honduras in San Pedro Sula is feeling like a must-win.

While qualification obviously doesn’t hinge on the result, there’s a sense that if the tournament successes of the past summer are to have any real meaning, then the U.S. needs to end this September window with its first win of the Octagonal. 

As things stand, we’re not going to the World Cup. We’re going to the inter-confederation playoffs. Yes, it’s only two games down and 12 to go, but we’ve already messed with the formula. Don't ever mess with the formula: win at home and draw away.

The scoreless stalemate against El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlán last Thursday could be forgiven as part of the plan, but not this. Not like this. Not Alphonso Davies skinning DeAndre Yedlin out wide to silence Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The highly anticipated, world-stopping World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina in São Paulo ended in farce on Sunday afternoon. The buildup to the match had been dominated by COVID-19 guidelines, which ruled out the Premier League-based players for both countries.

England, the world’s fourth-ranked nation, went through the motions against Andorra, ranked 156th, in World Cup qualifying at Wembley on Sunday. Jesse Lingard was England’s standout performer with two goals in the 4-0 win, but the man who really captured the eye was 41-year-old defender Ildefons Lima.

SAO PAULO — Brazilian health officials accused four Argentine footballers of breaking quarantine rules on Saturday and began an investigation that could lead to their exclusion from this weekend's World Cup qualifier between the two sides.

The Argentina squad flew into Brazil on Friday, the day after beating Venezuela 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Caracas.

The squad for Sunday's game at the Corinthians arena contains four players who play in England, Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur duo Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero.

Four years ago, in the midst of his team’s ill-fated quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, USMNT coach Bruce Arena challenged any European nation to try to qualify for the World Cup in Concacaf. Arena compared Concacaf World Cup qualifying to a season of Survivor, I think.

Proposals to hold the World Cup every two years, being pushed by governing body FIFA, are set to be opposed by UEFA and Europe's leading clubs, sources have told Reuters.

Arsène Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, has been promoting the idea as part of the organization's review of the international match calendar and this week repeated his support for the change from the established four-year cycle.

Win at home; draw on the road — that’s long been said to be the formula for success in Concacaf World Cup qualifying. If true, the U.S. is at least on track to book a trip to Qatar, but it wasn’t exactly the barnstorming start to World Cup qualifying many U.S. fans were hoping for after a summer full of trophies.

HONG KONG - Issam Al Sabhi's goal two minutes from time gave Oman a 1-0 shock win over Japan in their opening clash in the final round of Asia's World Cup preliminaries for Qatar 2022 as South Korea and Iraq played out a scoreless draw in Seoul.

Al Sabhi swept home Salah Al Yahyaei's cross from the right to stun the home side to take all three points in the nations' Group B meeting and heap the pressure on Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu.

CLUTCH FINISH.

Concacaf may be home to the most unusual of shenanigans in World Cup qualifying, but it definitely doesn’t have a monopoly. On Wednesday, the kickoff of a UEFA World Cup qualifier was delayed because of a drone buzzing around above the pitch.

Austria’s visit to Moldova began about 15 minutes late because of the drone, but it didn’t stop the Austrians from securing a 2-0 victory over one of two Group F minnows.