Julen Lopetegui: ‘Going to the World Cup just for the sake of going is stupid’
Eight years on from being sacked by Spain on the eve of the World Cup, Julen Lopetegui will get his chance on the big stage as head coach of Qatar When the Qatari national team’s flight from Dublin touched down in Los Angeles at 2.12pm on 30 May there was applause on board the Boeing 777‑300ER. For the 26 players ar…
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- Guardian — FootballThu, 01 Oct · 15:23
Yemen and football in the face of civil war: ‘It would be very nice to give the world a different headline’
Coach Noureddine Ould Ali is staying positive despite a difficult situation at home and tough opponents at the Gulf Cup The Yemen national coach, Noureddine Ould Ali, chose not to reach for a good old-fashioned football excuse after his team’s 1-0 loss to Qatar in the Gulf Cup on Saturday, despite a clear penalty no…
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- Guardian — FootballWed, 05 Aug · 21:00
Infantino is getting his karmic kicking, but why did football take so long to rebel against Fifa? | Jonathan Liew
Federation leaders are massing forces at the gates, but years after the first proposed selling off of its commercial legacy and the Qatar World Cup In recent decades the city of Salé, just across the river from Rabat on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, has undergone a remarkable transformation. At the start of this century…
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- Guardian — FootballFri, 10 Jul · 00:13
Mbappé stunner ends Morocco resistance to send France into World Cup semi-finals
There is a relentlessness to this France that might make them irresistible. Morocco no doubt had the best of intentions, ideas of how they could hurt the side that had beaten them in the semi-final in Qatar, but France press so well that they soon accepted they had no option but to retreat and endure, and France hav…
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- Guardian — FootballThu, 09 Jul · 20:05
France v Morocco: World Cup 2026 quarter-final – live
⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 4pm EDT/9pm BST/6am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Scott France have long demonstrated the benefits of diversity at the World Cup. Now Morocco are reaping similar rewards, with six members of Morocco’s squad – Ayyoub Bouaddi, Issa Diop, Neil El Aynaoui, Samir El Moura…
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- BBC Sport — FootballWed, 08 Jul · 12:56
A striker duel for the ages & Qatar revenge - what to expect in quarter-finals
Setting the scene for each of the four intriguing World Cup quarter-finals that begin on Thursday.
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- Guardian — FootballTue, 07 Jul · 21:01
Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties: World Cup 2026 last 16 – live
⚽️ Kick-off time: 1pm local/4pm EDT//9pm BST/6am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Billy “I like coffee. I like chocolate. I like knockout football. I’ve come to the right place, haven’t I?” Yes you have, Peter Oh. Apparently Vancouver is a coffee-keen city too, but I’m relying on a Google AI…
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