South African football news

Paul Okon-Engstler’s emotions before making his World Cup debut for Australia belied the performance that followed against Turkey in Vancouver Lost in the celebrations of Australia’s victory over Turkey was its poignant opening and the image of young Paul Okon-Engstler, wiping away tears brought on by his World Cup…

• AUS

If there were a shift in world football power, it may look something like the impressive results from South Korea, Japan, Qatar and Australia Predict the winner | Daily podcast | Download our app Daichi Kamada’s late equaliser for Japan against the Netherlands on Sunday did not merely mean that the scoreline more ac…

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• KOR
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• JAP

⚽️ Kick-off time: 3pm local/5pm BST/12pm EDT/2am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Wallchart | And mail Daniel Email! “Don’t forget the story of Pico Lopes,” chides Tikthra, “a lad from Crumlin in inner-city Dublin who was first called up to the Cape Verde team in 2019 and became only the second ever League of I…

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• SPA

The return of 4-4-2? False nines? BBC Sport looks at the tactical trends emerging at the World Cup so far.

Some young athletes continue to change the narrative shaping their visibility rather than simply enduring abuse.

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Iran’s World Cup campaign gets underway in the United States

• IRA

Ruben Amorim is appointed head coach at AC Milan, five months after being sacked by Manchester United.

• MUN

Fifa is seeking an explanation over a hand gesture made by video assistant referee Shaun Evans before Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao on Sunday.

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Marc Cucurella has officially joined Real Madrid just hours before his opening World Cup game with Spain, raising the question of whether his former Chelsea team-mate Enzo Fernandez follows.

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• CHE
• SPA

Portuguese will replace Massimiliano Allegri at San Siro United will not need to pay full £16.7m compensation Ruben Amorim is poised to return to management after agreeing to become Milan’s head coach. The move will make Manchester United a significant saving on his compensation package, the club having dismissed hi…

• MUN

John Stones' selection for England's World Cup squad may have raised a few eyebrows but the player says he had to "dig deep" to secure his place in the 26-man travelling party.

• ENG

French captain Kylian Mbappe vows to increase his defensive efforts at the World Cup in the face of criticism.

• FRA

Arsenal are set-piece masters, with prominent figures in England's World Cup squad, so it is understandable that Thomas Tuchel will look to play to the Premier League champions' strengths.

• ARS
• ENG

Tournament open to all Fifa members, including Russia Infantino wants to use football to promote peace Fifa wants to schedule a symbolic match between Israel and Palestine as the opening game of a new under-15s tournament in the United States in September. Although not an official Under-15 World Cup, the competition…

Ståle Solbakken’s fast, flexible side are far from the no-frills unit that last made the World Cup but new challenges await If Norway’s highly fancied generation need a warning from history they need only look back 32 years and study the lessons from another searing, suspenseful American summer. They had raced throu…

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They have become a regular feature at World Cup games - but who are the winners and who are losers of the mandatory hydration breaks?

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• IRA

Gareth Southgate was looking to the future when he dropped midfielder but, as Jude Bellingham says, the veteran’s influence is indispensable The cat is well truly out of the bag. Nobody expected the conversation to be quite so revealing when Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers sat on the Lions’ Den sofa last week. Con…

• ENG

They are one of the smallest countries to play in a World Cup, but Cape Verde are aiming high, with a Dublin-born defender who used to work in a bank among their ranks.

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Celtic make preliminary inquiries about former Hibernian striker Kieron Bowie following Hellas Verona's relegation from Serie A.

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⚽️ Iran’s Taremi says tension ‘undermines joy’ ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Wallchart | Mail Sarah Sometimes a team needs a player to have some standout performances to jump start a tournament and Jordan Henderson believes that player for England will be Jude Bellingham. Henderson said: I’m sure he will have a b…

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Iran's striker Mehdi Taremi said the country's political predicament "undermines the joy of the World Cup".

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