All Things Mexico

CONCACAF has unveiled a new qualification format for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after COVID-19 forced a rejig of the usual system, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean said on Monday.

The new format, which will feature all 35 of the region's members, has been split into three rounds with the first being played in October and November with teams ranked from No. 6 to No. 35 in CONCACAF as of July 16 drawn into six groups of five.

In a world marked by unpredictability, chaos and ever-shifting plot lines, it’s only right that Liga MX returns this week with the beginning of the Apertura tournament (renamed Guardianes in honor of Mexico’s healthcare workers).

For supporters of Club Deportivo Chivas de Guadalajara, the return of the top flight can’t come soon enough. Chivas, after winning the 2017 Clausura, experienced a dramatic decline that cost Matías Almeyda his job while missing out on five consecutive liguillas, recording finishes of 13th, 17th, 11th, 14th and 10th. 

It’s been a long time coming but the Real Madrid Femenino team has finally arrived, and there’s some North American representation in the form of Mexican defender Kenti Robles.

Previously known as Club Deportivo Tacón, Real Madrid officially announced the absorption of the team back in June of 2019 following its promotion to the Primera División. The club spent the 2019-20 season as Tacón, finishing in 10th with a record of six wins, five draws and 10 defeats in a season that was brought to a premature end by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Wolves boosted its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with an emphatic 3-0 home win over Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Victory lifted Nuno Espírito Santo’s side up to sixth in the standings with 55 points — four points behind fourth-placed Leicester City who plays Bournemouth later on Sunday. Everton remained in 11th place on 45 points, with Carlo Ancelotti's dreams of European qualification fading with only three games left in the season.

Real Betis became the first LaLiga club to sack a coach since the season re-started after being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, firing Rubi who failed to win any of the team's first three matches in their return to action.

Betis lost their first game back 2-0 to Sevilla and drew 2-2 with Granada in mid-week while the final straw proved to be Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Athletic Bilbao, after Sergio Canales missed a late penalty.

Of all the clubs that can feel hard done-by the suspension of football, Wolves certainly has a case to be near the top of the list. After a six-year spell outside the Premier League, Wolves firmly established itself in England’s top division last season with a seventh-place finish and qualification to this year's Europa League.

The format and dates for CONCACAF's qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are up in the air due to the sports shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, confederation president Victor Montagliani said Monday. 

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Montagliani admitted that CONCACAF could wind up changing how it determines which three teams will earn direct berths in the World Cup and which one will head to an inter-continental playoff.