Europe

Tame would be an understatement when discussing the "One Love" campaign. A message that hopes to unite everyone, "One Love" promotes diversity of thought and acceptance, especially with regard to sexual orientation. Regardless, FIFA felt the need to threaten players with “sporting sanctions” if they were to make a statement on the world stage. While many European nations opted to abandon their message of inclusion, Alex Scott remained undeterred.

FIFA’s concussion protocol is still Medieval and that was on full display during the first half of England’s opener vs. Iran on Monday. Iran’s goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, had a nasty clash of heads with teammate Majid Hosseini in the eighth minute.

Iran Goalkeeper Concussion Controversy

Here was the incident that took place.

England is already knocking pic.twitter.com/Y9t5lfHMi6

It's officially been confirmed that France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has picked up an injury in training, forcing him to miss the World Cup. 

The Frenchman had only joined his teammates Saturday as he recovered from a previous injury but had to leave the session after sustaining a further knock. According to the French national team, he injured his left quadriceps in training. The precise extent of the injury is unknown, but Benzema will not take any further part in his national team's campaign or preparations.

DOHA - France coach Didier Deschamps has decided not to replace injured striker Karim Benzema in his World Cup squad, leaving the reigning champions with 25 players for their title defense.

Benzema trained with the squad for the first time since arriving in Qatar on Saturday but was forced to leave the session early with a thigh injury and scans ruled him out of the tournament.

Asked on Sunday by TeleFoot whether he would replace the Ballon d'Or winner in his squad, Deschamps said "No".

Weston McKennie is one of soccer's most unique talents. Even on the world's biggest stage, the 24-year-old American stands out in the middle of the pitch with his all-action style, covering every blade of grass, arriving first to every contested ball and occasionally looking like a one-man midfield out there.

But Weston would be the first to admit that his meteoric rise to playing for Italy's biggest club and representing his country on the world’s stage is grounded in the help, commitment and sacrifice of teammates, family, friends, and coaches.

KUWAIT CITY — Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Egypt in a friendly international on Friday in a sobering defeat that belied their status as one of the fancied teams for the World Cup in Qatar.

An error by Kevin De Bruyne and an inspired pass from Mohamed Salah ensured goals for Egypt, who narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification in March, as they posted victory in a stop-start affair in Kuwait City.

Mostafa Mohamed scored in the 33rd minute with a rasping short ball after De Bruyne had lost possession just outside his own penalty area to give Egypt a halftime lead.

The Philadelphia Union agreed to transfer homegrown midfielder Paxten Aaronson on Thursday to German side Eintracht Frankfurt of Bundesliga for a multimillion-dollar transfer fee.

The Union will also retain a percentage of any future transfer fees for Aaronson, who will join Frankfurt in January.

Paxten Aaronson has completed his transfer from the Philadelphia Union to Eintracht Frankfurt. The deal is worth $4m + add-ons + a big sell-on%. No loan back.

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here's the Portugal World Cup preview 2022. The Seleção das Quinas will play in Group H against Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Portugal World Cup Preview 2022

World Cup appearances: 8th

Best finish: Third place (1966)