National Teams

FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings looking into the clashes at Wembley Stadium between police and Hungarian supporters at Tuesday's game against England, saying it has "zero tolerance against such abhorrent behaviour."

World soccer's governing body added on Wednesday that it has also started investigating incidents during the game between Albania and Poland in Tirana, where bottles were thrown on the pitch after Poland scored.

Carli Lloyd’s playing career is coming to an end. But first, two final farewell matches later this month against South Korea. On Wednesday, coach Vlatko Andonovski named his USWNT roster for the upcoming friendlies, which are little more than a chance to send Lloyd off in style. 

Lloyd announced in August she will retire after the 2021 NWSL season, calling an end to an historic career.

MADRID — A Madrid court has sentenced Bayern Munich and France defender Lucas Hernandez to six months in prison for disobeying a restraining order following a 2017 conviction of domestic violence against his wife.

A court document released on Wednesday said Hernandez, 25, had been denied an appeal by a criminal court in Madrid against a previous suspended prison sentence for defying the restraining order.

The document said Hernandez had been denied the appeal as he had been given two previous criminal sentences, both relating to the February 2017 incident.

Gianni Infantino, the ninth President of FIFA, has found himself increasingly in the news of late, which we’ve come to learn is never, ever a good sign when it comes to FIFA presidents. The 51-year-old’s latest fixation is a biennial World Cup that’s been panned by everyone with a genuine love for the game, so it’s only a matter of time before the plan becomes reality.

After suffering a 2-1 defeat to Greece back on Sept. 8, Sweden exacted a bit of revenge on Tuesday by winning 2-0 in Stockholm to leapfrog Spain at the top of UEFA World Cup qualifying Group B with only two matches remaining.

Third-place Greece hasn’t been eliminated mathematically, but really it’s over for the Ethniki. 

Few teams in the history of sport have been through what Denmark experienced this summer. Christian Eriksen, the nation’s talismanic midfielder, suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch in front of millions of viewers at Euros 2020. Forced to finish the match against Finland later that day, the Danes were unable to shake off the horror of nearly watching their friend and teammate die on the pitch, losing in an upset. 

Oman’s national team may have created one of the best corner kick strategies ever seen on a soccer field. Oman defeated Vietnam 3-1 on Tuesday with a game that featured a bicycle kick, an Olimpico goal and a horrendous VAR decision.

Like it or not, the fate of the USMNT is intrinsically linked with Major League Soccer. While there will always be players who jump straight to European football like Christian Pulisic, the U.S. men’s squad will always be comprised mostly of players who at some point in their careers have gone through the MLS ranks. For this reason, the league’s 22 Under 22 list of the best young MLS players is a road map for future USMNT success.

Australia's record-breaking run in World Cup qualifying ended on Tuesday when Aziz Behich's late own goal handed Japan a lifeline as the Samurai Blue earned a 2-1 victory at Saitama Stadium.

Behich bundled the ball over his own goal line after Takuma Asano's late shot looped up and hit the post, ensuring Australia missed out on a 12th straight win on the road to Qatar 2022.