World Cup

Read more news and analysis on the Fifa World Cup.

States of Play: How Sportswashing took over Football by Miguel Delaney - Admirably thorough, depressingly persuasive

Author argues convincingly that soccer’s Faustian bargain with big moneyed interests is undermining its sporting competitiveness and moral integrity

Gianni Infantino to avoid spotlight with 2026 World Cup draw held virtually

Controversy remains over decision to give the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia

Fifa is ‘ignoring human rights report’ into Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid

Lawyers say Fifa is ‘dealing with the devil’ with Saudi bid

Netherlands and Ajax great Johan Neeskens dies aged 73

Midfielder considered one of the best of all-time in his position won three European Cups with Ajax

Totò Schillaci obituary: Striker who shot to global fame in the summer of 1990

Salvatore Schillaci became the unlikely personification of Italy’s notti magiche, or magical nights

LGBTQ fans would be welcome in Saudi Arabia for World Cup, says 2034 bid chief

Hammad Albalawi denied accusations of sportswashing country’s human rights record ahead of football tournament’s hosts announcement this December

Mauricio Pochettino lands in the USA full of hope, but World Cup glory looks a long way off

The Argentinian’s task is to figure out a winning formula for a squad that has continually added up to less than the sum of its parts

Totò Schillaci’s joy was infectious and he was loved in Ireland, despite that goal

Italian striker who scored six goals in Italia 90, including one to knock out Ireland, died at the age of just 59

Former Italy striker Totò Schillaci dies aged 59

Totò Schillaci, an Italian Golden Boot winner, scored the goal that knocked Ireland out of the 1990 World Cup

Global economy headed for ‘soft landing’ after four years of crises, World Bank says

Washington-based institution cautions that better outlook comes with several high-profile risks including possibility of another commodity price shock.

Germany World Cup winner Andreas Brehme dies aged 63 after cardiac arrest

Defender scored winner in 1990 final against Argentina from the penalty spot

Ireland kitman Charlie O’Leary at 100: ‘You’d have to say to yourself, what did I do to deserve this?’

A kitman for Jack Charlton’s Ireland team, O’Leary had a front row ticket to one of the greatest shows in Irish sport

Doha Letter: Museum of slavery casts light on plight of migrant workers everywhere

Qatar officially ended slavery in 1952 but there were accusations of modern-day enslavement in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup

Franz Beckenbauer obituary: Footballer who radiated an iconic status

The German became the kind of central defender that football had never seen before

Jonathan Wilson: Beckenbauer transformed football and made it conform to his skills

Germany could not quite fathom where to play him, so he effectively invented a role for himself

Mario Zagallo, World Cup winner as player and manager, dies aged 92

Brazilian won as a player in 1958 and 1962 before winning the tournament as a manager in 1970

What our experts got right and wrong in sporting predictions for 2023

Based on past experience, we IT sportswriters should probably offer advance apologies to all those we have predicted to have a mighty 2024

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni says he may quit after win in Brazil

The World Champions hand Brazil third straight loss after crowd violence delay in Rio

Saudi Arabia confirmed as sole bidder to host 2034 World Cup

A statement from Football Australia said it had ‘explored the opportunity’ of a bid but had decided against it

World Cup in 2030 to be played in Europe, Africa and South America

Decision looks to have paved the way for Saudi Arabia to host the tournament in 2034

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