SPLIT, Croatia - Croatia clinched an automatic berth in next year's World Cup finals in dramatic fashion as a late Fyodor Kudryashov own goal gave them a 1-0 home win over Russia in their crunch Group D qualifier on Sunday.
Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, jumped above Russia to top the standings on 23 points from 10 games, one more than the second-placed Russians who will head into the March playoffs.
United States' Christian Pulisic was on target in Friday's 2-0 win over Mexico, but it was the message scrawled on his T-shirt that made headlines as the winger responded to a pre-match jibe from their North American arch rivals with one of his own.
Second-half substitute Pulisic headed home a cross within five minutes of coming on, while Weston McKennie scored another as a young U.S. team moved to the top of the World Cup qualifying CONCACAF standings.
PARIS - Kylian Mbappé continued his meteoric rise on Saturday with another jaw-dropping performance as France qualified for next year's World Cup with an 8-0 demolition of Kazakhstan.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker became the first player to score four goals for France in a single game since Just Fontaine against Sweden at the 1958 World Cup.
Five weeks before his 23rd birthday, Mbappé has scored 23 international goals from 52 caps — bettering the marks of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age.
OSLO — Norway's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup finals in Qatar suffered a serious blow when they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Latvia in their Group G clash on Saturday.
The single point earned leaves the Norwegians in third spot in the group on 18 points, behind second-placed Turkey on goal difference with Netherlands in the lead on 19 points. The Dutch can win the group by beating Montenegro later on Saturday.
The USMNT had an iconic 2-0 victory against Mexico Friday night with Christian Pulisic scoring the game’s opening goal. During Captain America’s celebration he revealed a message written on his undershirt that had fans asking: “What did Pulisic’s shirt say?”
Pulisic pulled out one of the most badass undershirt reveals since Mario Balotelli’s “Why always me?” shirt.
The history of Dos a Cero had a beautiful addition to the lore Friday night as the USMNT defeated Mexico 2-0 Friday night at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The same American stars that put Mexico to the sword five months prior in the Concacaf Nations League returned to finish what they started five months ago.
The USMNT is preparing to host Mexico in a crucial World Cup qualifying game at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Friday night. The weather calls for cool temperatures in the 40s with a slight chance of rain. This is far from the coldest USA Mexico game ever played.
Mexico has routinely made trips to Columbus, Ohio, in the months of February and November. The weather has never been outrageously cold or wild like the Snow Clasico against Costa Rica in 2013. There was one game against El Tri that does stand out though.
Premier League clubs have unanimously opposed FIFA's plans for a biennial World Cup and extended international breaks from 2024, the league's chief executive Richard Masters said on Thursday.
Soccer's world governing body is considering holding the global showpiece event every two years instead of every four once the international match calendar is revamped after 2024.
The Premier League will pause after the weekend of Nov. 12-13 next season and resume on Dec. 26 to accommodate the World Cup, the league said on Thursday.
The season will start on Aug. 6, with Matchday 16 being the last week of games ahead of the call-up period for the World Cup. The final round of league games will be played on May 28, 2023, with all matches kicking off simultaneously as usual.
Next season's dates have been confirmed ✅