WORLD CUP

Playing as the center forward for Brazil at a World Cup is one of the biggest honors in soccer and Gabriel Jesus knows all about it.

Brazil insisted that it won't play its suspended World Cup qualifying match against Argentina next month, arguing Wednesday that the risks are too high ahead of the tournament in Qatar. The qualifier nearly one year ago in Sao Paulo was stopped by local health officials after six minutes due to COVID-19 protocols regarding four Argentinian players. FIFA fined the soccer bodies of both countries and demanded the match be played.

The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled.

Host nation Qatar is set to play in the opening game of its own World Cup tournament after all — and on a stand-alone day being added to the schedule barely 100 days before kickoff. The proposal will be put before a committee comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the heads of the six continental soccer bodies, the person said. According to a letter sent by FIFA this week and seen by the AP, the governing body is asking for approval from the continental soccer bodies by Thursday.

England’s women’s soccer team is continuing to generate unprecedented fan interest following its European Championship victory, with 65,000 tickets sold in less than 24 hours for its planned game against the United States at Wembley Stadium in October.

An Asian soccer rivalry unlike no other is starting to become one-sided. When Japan made its first World Cup appearance in 1998, South Korea was playing in its fifth tournament. The South Koreans reached the semifinals in 2002 when the two countries co-hosted and remains the best performance by any Asian team at the World Cup.

The U.S. women's national soccer team has a new look with young talent, and coach Vlatko Andonovski has tweaked its traditional straightforward and speedy attack to take a more nuanced approach.

Alex Morgan converted on a penalty in the 78th minute and the U.S. national team won the CONCACAF W Championship 1-0 over Canada on Monday night to secure one of the region’s spots in the 2024 Olympics.

Alex Morgan and the U.S. women's national soccer team are in Mexico preparing for a showdown with rival Canada on Monday night in the title game of the CONCACAF W Championship.

As the U.S. national team has focused on developing young talent in anticipation of next summer's World Cup, veteran forward Alex Morgan has assumed a more vocal role. Morgan, 33, is now one of the more senior members of the team, which has brought in budding players like fellow forwards Sophia Smith, Mallory Pugh, and Trinity Rodman since the Tokyo Olympics. Morgan and the defending World Cup champions are in Mexico preparing for a showdown with rival Canada on Monday night in the title game of the CONCACAF W Championship.

Russia remains barred from international soccer competitions including the Champions League after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected appeals by the national soccer federation and four clubs.

The U.S. women’s national team qualified for the 2023 World Cup on Thursday night at the CONCACAF W Championship.

For the first time in five years, the best women’s football squads in the Europe get set to meet on the in international stage, as they battle for continental bragging rights in the UEFA Women’s European Championship. Watch the UEFA Women’s Euro on FuboTV (Free Trial)THE HOSTS LOOK TO BE THE MOSTEngland comes into the Euros as the favorite to make it out of the group on top. AUSTRIA WANTS TO ADVANCEAustria might be the dark horse in this group, as they have the ability to surprise some teams. To help make them more competitive, the squad has partaken in a seven-month training camp, hoping camaraderie will help them look for a stunner in the group stage. Watch the UEFA Women’s Euro on FuboTV (Free Trial)ENGLAND vs. AUSTRIAWhen: Wednesday, July 6Time: 3 p.m.

FIFA will introduce new technology to improve offside calls at the World Cup in Qatar this year, using a limb-tracking camera system.

World Cup qualifying resumes Thursday for USA Basketball.

Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan is one of three women picked by FIFA to be referees at the upcoming men's soccer World Cup in Qatar.

There’s a push for the cities awarded games for the 2026 World Cup to commit to livable wages, and equitable hiring and worker protection.

The city is already a regional sports hub with relatively cheap housing. Attention from hosting the ultimate soccer event could help make it the next migration hot spot for the US.

Briana Scurry's soccer jersey from the 1999 Women's World Cup is at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The United States will play Japan and Saudia Arabia in its last two World Cup warmups.

The term has been thrown around a lot because of what people perceive is taking place with the new LIV golf league.

Sixteen U.S. cities will host games, including Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Miami.

The U.S., Canada and Mexico will host the first-ever 48-team World Cup. Sixty of the matches will be played at stadiums across the U.S.

FIFA, the world’s governing body of soccer and organizer of the World Cup, will announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup during a 5 p.m. ET event in New York City.

Australia qualified for a fifth straight World Cup after a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Peru in their intercontinental playoff on Monday. The teams failed to score in regulation and extra time at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, and goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, sent on as a substitute for captain Mat Ryan in the dying seconds of extra time, proved to be the star for Australia by saving the last penalty from Alex Valera. “I’m not a hero,” Redmayne said.

Australia and Peru, which both qualified for the last World Cup via intercontinental playoffs, are ready to play off for a spot in Qatar when soccer’s marquee tournament kicks off in November. Back in 2017 Peru beat Oceania champion New Zealand and Australia beat Honduras to book their places in Russia. Unlike those home and away encounters, this is a one-off, winner-takes all match in Al Rayyan, Qatar late Monday.

U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter did not have forward Christian Pulisic and midfielder Tyler Adams dress for a World Cup warmup against 170th-ranked Grenada in the CONCACAF Nations League.

Ecuador has kept its place at the World Cup.

Members of Wales' LGBTQ+ supporters group refuse to travel to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

In the Welsh capital, rivalries were put aside as a message of peace in English and Ukrainian was displayed on screens in the Cardiff City Stadium.

Jesús Ferreira failed to convert a pair of first-half chances as U.S. forwards kept up their goal-scoring struggles and the Americans played a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in their second of four World Cup warmup matches this month.

The Ukrainian footballers exempted from military service are trying to complete the mission to lead their country to the World Cup.

Watch the UEFA Nations League on FuboTV (Try now)HUNGARY vs. ENGLANDGroup A3Time : 12 p.m. They have shown to play clubs tough, including drawing with Germany in Euro 2020, along with England during a World Cup qualifier. Watch the UEFA Nations League on FuboTV (Try now)ITALY vs. GERMANYGroup A3Time : 2:45 p.m. Even though they took the gold in the Euros last year, they failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in-a-row. Check out the Nations League schedule here

Ukrainian refugees in Wales are to be given 100 free tickets for the countries' World Cup play-off.

U.S. captain Christian Pulisic was critical of the level of American support from the crowd of 19,512 at TQL Stadium during a 3-0 win over Morocco on in the first of four World Cup warmup matches in June.

Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 in a pulsating World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal on Wednesday.

Watch the UEFA Nations League on FuboTV (Try now)Poland comes into the Nations League on a massive high, having qualified for their second consecutive World Cup. In the first two Nationals League, the Polish have failed to make it out of the group stage. This will be Wales’ first try in the ‘A’ group of the Nations League, as they were promoted from League B after finishing atop their group with a 5-1-0 record back during the 2020-21 season. What: UEFA Nations League (Matchday 1)Who: Poland vs. WalesWhen: Wednesday, June 1Time: 12:00 p.m. ETWhere: Tarcyznyski Arena Wroclaw (Wroclaw, Poland)Channel: Fubo Sports NetworkStream: FuboTVCheck out the Nations League groups and results here

Panama has replaced Iran as Canada's opponent for a World Cup prep exhibition on Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian Soccer Association announced Iran as the opponent for the friendly on May 12, then canceled last week following criticism by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ukrainian soccer star Oleksandr Zinchenko couldn’t hold back the tears as he tried to explain what it means to represent his country’s national team at this moment, with a spot at the World Cup within reach.

Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman is switching affiliation from Germany to the United States and is among 27 players invited to the Americans’ next-to-last training camp ahead of the World Cup.

Female referees will make World Cup history this year by working games at a major men’s tournament for the first time in Qatar.

The agreement follows complains from the women's team that they were paid less for a "superior performance."

The move ends years of often acrimonious negotiations.

Los Angeles' Angel City Football Club is the largest female-led ownership group in professional sports. Jamie Yuccas shows us how the team is trying to elevate women's sports.

In just one night of observing, scientists detected a new record-breaker, the most distant megamaser known to date.

The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup is for sale for the first time.

The United States will play either Ukraine, Wales or Scotland in its World Cup opener, then meet England and Iran in its return to the tournament.

As the 2030 World Cup hosting race takes shape, South American soccer officials said Friday they are still working on a four-nation bid that would celebrate the tournament's 100th birthday in its first home in Uruguay. The emotional pull of playing games in 2030 at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo that hosted the 1930 final — won by the home team — is an advantage for South American soccer body CONMEBOL, its president Alejandro Dominguez said in Qatar. Respect for Uruguay’s place in World Cup history is reflected by speculation in Europe that UEFA’s expected 2030 co-hosting bid from Spain and Portugal could also include games in the South American country.

The most controversial World Cup ever will feature in Qatar the most politically charged matchups.

A senior Qatari leader overseeing security for the World Cup has told The Associated Press that rainbow flags could be taken from supporters.

Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams had relief on their faces as they headed straight from the stadium for a charter jet to Europe and weekend club games Coach Gregg Berhalter had already headed off for a red-eye to New York and a 12 1/2-hour connecting flight to Friday’s World Cup draw in Doha.

On the eve of the World Cup draw, Qatar's chief organizer says “nobody accepts any sort of suffering" that his country has tried to prevent with changes to labor laws.

Following the Americans' 5-1 blowout against Panama last weekend, the U.S. team merely had to avoid losing to Costa Rica by six goals or more.

Following the Americans' 5-1 blowout against Panama last weekend, the U.S. team merely had to avoid losing to Costa Rica by six goals or more.

A Norwegian soccer official has delivered a scathing criticism of World Cup host Qatar and FIFA to an audience of executives on the eve of the tournament’s draw.

It will be their first World Cup tournament since a loss to Belgium in July 2014.

The U.S. will learn on Friday which three nations it will face in the group stage of the World Cup, which starts Nov. 21.

The U.S. will learn on Friday which three nations it will face in the group stage of the World Cup, which starts Nov. 21. The men's team returns after a 2018 loss that broke its qualifying streak.

The United States men are returning to the World Cup after the anguish of missing the 2018 tournament, clinching a berth for this year’s championship in Qatar despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on the final night of qualifying.

Ricardo Pepi, Kellyn Acosta, Tim Weah and DeAndre Yedlin returned to the starting lineup as U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter made four changes for the Americans' final World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica.

Brazil is about to overtake top spot in the FIFA rankings and Argentina hasn't lost a single match in 1,000 days. It's clear the two South American soccer powers have more than just Neymar and Lionel Messi going for them as they head to the World Cup in Qatar hoping to end 20 years of European domination. Brazil has already broken the points record in South American qualifying with 45, six points ahead of second-place Argentina — even before the two meet for a final game that was suspended last year.

A World Cup like no other in its 92-year history will take shape this week at an unprecedented tournament draw.

American soccer’s harrowing memory of the loss in Trinidad 4 1/2 years ago remains omnipresent, if no longer raw.

Christian Pulisic struggled in January, was played out of position by Chelsea and even was benched for a World Cup qualifier against Honduras.

Christian Pulisic scored his first international hat trick, leading the United States to the brink of returning to the World Cup with a 5-1 rout of Panama.

Christian Pulisic scored his first international hat trick, leading the United States to the brink of returning to the World Cup with a 5-1 rout of Panama on Sunday night. Pulisic converted two penalty kicks during a four-goal burst in the first half that also saw Paul Arriola and Jesús Ferreira score, then boosted the lead to 5-0 on memorable goal with two brilliant touches that evaded a pair of defenders. With fans still fretting after the Americans' failure to reach the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. assumed a commanding position to qualify for the November tournament in Qatar.

Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan and Junior Hoilett scored and Canada secured its first World Cup berth in 36 years with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica on Sunday.

Lionel Messi says he will reconsider his future in soccer later this year but said it's likely “many things will change" after the World Cup in November and December in Qatar. Messi's comments came after Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 on Friday in the remaining match of the penultimate round of South American World Cup qualifying.

With a dazzling 14-touch run.

All at once, Gio Reyna showed the promise of the U.S. national team’s future and the frustration of its present. Just back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for more than half a season, the young American midfielder entered Thursday night's World Cup qualifier in the 60th minute. In the match's most memorable moment, the 19-year-old ran onto a ball poked loose by Walker Zimmerman outside the U.S. penalty area and sprinted half the length of the field on a dazzling run of 14 touches.

It was a disaster for soccer in Italy when the national team missed out on the last World Cup.

The U.S. and Mexico finish in an intense scoreless draw played before a half-capacity stadium due to sanctions imposed over fans' anti-gay slurs.

The United States escaped a half-full Estadio Azteca with a gritty 0-0 draw against Mexico and moved into position to all but clinch a World Cup berth with a victory at home against Panama this weekend.

With games against Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, a spot in the tournament is far from certain.

Nearly five years after the United States men’s national soccer team famously blew a spot in the 2018 World Cup by losing to a vastly inferior Trinidad and Tobago squad in October of 2017 in the final game of qualifying, the moment of redemption has finally arrived for the Americans.

After failing to qualify in 2017, the U.S. men's soccer team has three crucial qualifying games coming up in the next week. Here's everything you need to know.

Gio Reyna has a chance to play at Azteca for the first time Thursday night, when the U.S. faces El Tri in the start of the last trio of World Cup qualifiers.

Next week’s World Cup draw will have some of its seedings skewed because of Russia’s war with Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Henrik Kristoffersen has clinched the men’s slalom title in the last event of the World Cup ski season.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s standout World Cup season has ended by letting the giant slalom title slip away to Tessa Worley.

Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been denied.

The American downhill skier may not have won a medal in Beijing, but he got the most style points by far

The team made the unusual annoucement Wednesday, a day before U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter is scheduled to issue his roster. "Josh Sargent has been named on the reserve list for the USA’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches," Norwich tweeted. A 22-year-old from O'Fallon, Missouri, Sargent was on the roster for the first three qualifiers in September, starting at El Salvador and Honduras, and appearing as a second-half substitute against Canada.

Mikaela Shiffrin increased her lead over Petra Vlhová in a close race for the overall title by winning the downhill at the World Cup Finals.

Mikaela Shiffrin increased her lead over Petra Vlhová in a close race for the overall title by winning the downhill on Wednesday at the World Cup Finals. Shiffrin had barely raced downhill this season — two World Cup events in December and then last month's Beijing Olympics. The American put down a clean run on the new Eclipse course to earn the victory and 100 World Cup points.

The ban on Russian soccer teams from European competition has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The letter has become widely regarded as a symbol of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian military vehicles participating in the invasion have donned the letter.

Ivan Kuliak is facing disciplinary action from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) after appearing to wear a Russian war symbol on the podium at a World Cup event in Doha.

Excluding Russia from the sports and art worlds over its war against Ukraine threatens Putin’s image in the way economic and political sanctions cannot.

The suspension includes qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, which were supposed to happen in three weeks.

The suspension includes qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, which were supposed to happen in three weeks.

Russian athletic teams continue to feel the consequences of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. FIFA and UEFA announced Monday that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, will be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice. “Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” a statement reads. Sweden and the Czech Republic also quickly said they would not play Russia. The 2022 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18.

Russia's soccer teams were suspended from international play by the sport's governing bodies due to the Ukraine invasion. The ban means no World Cup for Russia.

The IOC also withdrew the Olympic Order it gave Vladimir Putin in 2001, and other Russian officials since.

Russian skiers are not welcome to compete in Norway because of “violations of international law and attacks on the Ukrainian people,” the Nordic country's ski federation said Saturday. “The Norwegian Ski Federation’s message to Russia and Russian athletes is crystal clear; We do not want your participation!” it said in a statement. Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine since Thursday requires “international condemnation and sanctions,” the Norwegian federation said.

Her uncharacteristic performance at the Beijing Olympics was among the most surprising developments of the entire Games.

FIFA has dismissed a protest filed by the Jamaica Football Federation over its 1-1 draw with the United States in a World Cup qualifier on Nov. 16. In a 34-point, eight-page decision, FIFA's disciplinary committee said Jamaica failed to notify the match commissioner of the protest and failed to make a payment of 1,000 Swiss francs (then $1,075) to accompany the protest. Jamaica said Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderón improperly failed to call a hand ball in the first half, when Reggae Boyz claimed Chris Richards should have been penalized for a ball that struck him in the penalty area.

The U.S. Biathlon team has never won an Olympic medal — the only U.S. athletes not to do so. New innovations may lead to a medal finish in the combined cross-country skiing and target shooting event.

El Salvador's national soccer team plays its World Cup qualifying match against Canada Wednesday night — with several players and coaches from the United States.

The Pillow Fight Championship, PFC, held its first televised event and crowned its first ever winners.