National Teams

Brazil forward Neymar will not recover from knee surgery in time to play at next year's Copa America, national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said on Tuesday.

Brazil's top scorer underwent surgery last month after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee on international duty in October.

Lasmar, who carried out the surgery, said the 31-year-old is not expected to be fit until August and they do not intend to take short cuts in the recovery process for him to play at the June 20-July 14 tournament in the United States.

Belgium's number one goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has said he will not go to next year's European Championship in order to fully recover from a knee injury, he told Belgian TV station VRT broadcast on Tuesday.

"I need to recover fully, so it's better to provide clarity now," the Real Madrid player said.

"If I'm lucky, I might be able to play a match come May, but I'll never be ready for the tournament. I can't be in the goal at 80% or 85%, I should step aside for other good players."

Courtois Euro 2024

The first place a match-worn soccer jersey usually goes is the washing machine, however that wasn’t the case for six Lionel Messi shirts worn at the 2022 World Cup. A Messi shirts auction saw six of the Argentine’s World Cup jerseys sold for a staggering $7.8 million.

Messi shirts auction

New York based auction house Sotheby sold the six jerseys for a price tag higher than nearly any other jersey in history. The most expensive in sports history was a Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals that sold for $10.1 million.

One in five players were the target of online abuse during the 2023 Women's World Cup, FIFA said on Monday as a package of social media protection tools hid nearly 117,000 comments.

The Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), developed by the world governing body with players' union FIFPRO and launched at the 2022 men's World Cup, was offered to teams at the women's finals in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA said in June.

Former Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has decided to retire from professional football, the 39-year-old announced on Twitter on Tuesday.

Chiellini, who played for Major League Soccer (MLS) club Los Angeles FC this season, retires after losing the MLS Cup final 2-1 to Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Chiellini retires

One of the biggest “What-ifs” for the United States women’s national team in 2023 is what would the year have looked like if star forward Mallory Swanson didn’t suffer a knee injury in April.

During a friendly against Republic of Ireland Swanson’s 2023 World Cup dreams were shattered after suffering a gruesome tear to the patellar tendon in her left knee. She hasn’t played for the USWNT or the Chicago Red Stars since.

Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands have submitted a joint bid to world soccer governing body FIFA to host the Women's World Cup in 2027, the countries' football associations said on Friday.

Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will face competition from Brazil, who are looking to bring the @FIFAWWC to South America for the first time. pic.twitter.com/VJMEVW4glL

The United States men’s national team will face Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia in Group C of the 2024 Copa América. The USMNT Copa América group is looking great.

The draw for the tournament took place on Thursday. It took 50 minutes until a ball was drawn, but the groups for the 2024 Copa América are now official.

2024 Copa América groups

The CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 draw is set

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi was named Athlete of the Year by Time Magazine on Wednesday, thanks in large part to his decision to bring his talents to Inter Miami and ultimately raise the profile of Major League Soccer.

The honor comes just over a year from Messi's win with Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In July, the 36-year-old left Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami.