England

FRANKFURT, Germany - Defending champions Italy will face England in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, a repeat of last year's tournament final, following the draw on Sunday in Frankfurt's Festhalle.

The Italians, who beat England 3-2 on penalties at London's Wembley stadium in 2021 to lift the trophy will also play North Macedonia, who prevented Roberto Mancini's side from reaching the World Cup, and Malta in Group C.

MILAN — England's sorry Nations League run continued on Friday as Giacomo Raspadori's 68th-minute strike gave Italy a deserved 1-0 win that relegated the shot-shy visitors to the second tier League B and kept the Italians in the hunt to top Group 3.

There was little to provide optimism for England’s fans with Qatar only two months away but at least they will be going, unlike Italy, still trying to come to terms with their failure to qualify for the second World Cup in a row either side of winning the European Championship.

Brentford's in-form striker Ivan Toney earned his first England call-up on Thursday as manager Gareth Southgate named his squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Italy and Germany.

Toney's inclusion, together with the omission of Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, was the most significant development as Southgate named his final squad before deciding which players will make his World Cup selection.

HONG KONG - Iran hopes history will repeat itself at this November's World Cup in Qatar, 24 years after overcoming a fractious build-up to score a memorable triumph over the United States — the country's decades-long geopolitical rival — in France.

As the teams prepare to clash again, and their governments wrangle over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear pact, the Iranian side's preparations have been thrown into turmoil by a divided squad and maneuvering over its leadership.

The U.S. men’s national team can breathe a sigh of relief after finishing World Cup qualifying in March with just enough points (and goals) to ensure its spot among the 32 teams in Qatar. The team can also take a bit of a break, as there are just two matches remaining on the 2022 USMNT schedule before the start of the 2022 World Cup in November.

A well-oiled defense can be the difference between going out in the group stage and winning a tournament. Scoring four goals in a game is well and good until you turn around are realize the other team scored five. Every successful team needs to be able to keep the ball out of its own net. Defending is an art, and at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, many artists will be on display, putting their bodies on the line to ensure their team advances to the next round. But not all defenders are created equal.