Central & South America

Chile and Perú are making one last attempt to steal Ecuador's World Cup spot

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered an appeal by the Chilean football federation (FFCH) against FIFA's decision to allow Ecuador to play at the World Cup despite allegations they fielded an ineligible player, it said on Friday.

World governing body FIFA earlier this month dismissed an appeal in the case of Ecuadorean player Byron Castillo, who Chile had alleged was ineligible to play in qualifying since he was born in Colombia.

Video: Belgrano players almost decapitated in team bus celebration

Belgrano were crowned Argentine second division champions after defeating Club Atlético Brown in the 34th matchday of the Primera Nacional.

Who will win the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 World Cup Golden Boot odds leave a lot of room for debate as the tournament sees Ballon d'Or finalists like Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane, Vinícius Júnior and Sadio Mané all vying for the prestigious individual award that awaits the competition's top scorer.

Some big names won't be with us in Qatar after qualifying failure (Norway's Erling Haaland, Egypt's Mohamed Salah, Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović), but we've also got the usual suspects like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to consider.

Messi's 2-goal masterclass in New Jersey overshadowed by constant pitch invaders

On Tuesday night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, Lionel Messi was limited to 34 minutes off the bench but again demonstrated why his form has Argentina firmly placed among the favorites in Qatar.

Messi scored twice — giving him nine goals in his last three international appearances — to continue his incredible start to 2022-23 (he has six goals and eight assists in 11 games for PSG).

The first was a 22-yard rip that skipped into the corner beyond a despairing Andre Blake in the 86th minute. 

Racist fans throw a banana at Richarlison — Brazil responds by torching Tunisia with five goals

Racism in soccer reared its ugly head on Tuesday during a friendly game between Brazil and Tunisia when fans of the African nation threw a banana at Richarlison while he celebrated a goal.

Fans Throw Banana At Richarlison

Magisterial Lionel Messi chip shot goal vs. Honduras in Miami brought down the house

Lionel Messi was involved in all three of his team’s goals vs. Honduras on Friday as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory. The PSG forward is a man on a mission and he showed that at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with this ridiculous chip shot.

Lionel Messi Chip Shot vs Honduras

In the 69th minute (nice) and Argentina leading 2-0, Messi scored a worldie. The goal was so nonchalant and peak Messi. He didn’t even look like he was trying, no first touch, just shoot.

Predicting 10 Of The Biggest World Cup Snubs

This week serves as the final international break before clubs must release players to their national teams just one week before the World Cup begins, so the latest squad selections should be huge indicators of the final 26-man rosters for the competing nations.

However, a look at the current teams indicates that this won't be a traditional World Cup of blockbuster snubs, but rather an exploration of player pools in an attritional battle against lingering muscle strains.

Honduras Player Was Doping For Qualifier vs. USMNT, Still Lost 3-0 And Now Faces 18-Month Ban

Honduras defender Wisdom Quaye has been banned for 18 months due to an anti-doping rule violation, soccer's global governing body FIFA said on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old right back tested positive for clostebol — which is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency — following a World Cup qualifying match vs. the United States on Feb. 2.

Coleccionista de huesos ahora casi deja sin tobillos a Yefferson Soteldo

Con apenas 21 años en la espalda, Danilo comienza a hacerse fama de coleccionista de huesos. El volante de Palmeiras tiene talento, pero su ímpetu a la hora de recuperar balones lo ha llevado a ir construyendo un generoso archivo de patadas criminales.

Hace poquito más de un mes, de hecho, le dejó sus tapones de recuerdo a Zaracho del Atlético Mineiro, en un duelo por Copa Libertadores...

Team-By-Team Guides: 2022 World Cup Previews

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched 2022 World Cup team previews for each of the 32 nations competing in Qatar. 

Below you will find each team listed along with a link to those previews that have been published. Check back throughout the buildup to the 2022 World Cup as we publish a complete list of World Cup team previews, updated with the latest on each team participating in the greatest men's soccer tournament in the world. 

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