When Morocco takes to the pitch Wednesday night against France in the World Cup semifinals, they'll do so as 6/1 outsiders against the defending world champions. But one advantage the record-setting African side will have is nearly the entire backing of the 68,895 capacity Al-Bayt Stadium.
DOHA - Ashraf Ali arrived at Stadium 974 six hours ahead of the Argentina-Poland World Cup match and, in desperation, raised a hand-written sign: "We need tickets."
Someone offered one for $2,000, nine times face value.
That was too steep for Ali, 30, who traveled to Qatar from Egypt to fulfill a dream to see Argentina star Lionel Messi play. Thirty minutes before kickoff, he managed to nab a ticket for $500 and witnessed Argentina's 2-0 win.
Since the draw for the 2022 World Cup occurred in April, the Black Friday USA matchup against England had been circled on the calendar for both sides. With so much history both off the field and on, we arrived at the next chapter thirsty for a fantastic show.
The last time USA and England met in a World Cup, the match ended as a 1-1 draw in 2010 after Clint Dempsey fired home a shot that bounced off Robert Green's hands and rolled behind him into the net.
It's October in North American soccer, meaning it's time for fans in this portion of the world to widely celebrate the one event that largely separates us from the rest of the planet: the playoffs.
It's been glorious.
NYON, Switzerland - Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday, in what they hailed as an act of European solidarity.
They said the decision, announced at a news conference at the Swiss headquarters of UEFA, had the full support of European soccer's governing body and also of the Spanish, Portuguese and Ukrainian governments.
"Our bid is not an Iberian bid anymore, it's a European bid," Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, said.
Saturday night's soccer stadium disaster in Indonesia was one of the world's worst such incidents. Here is a look at some of the worst soccer stadium disasters over the last 40 years:
On Tuesday night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, Lionel Messi was limited to 34 minutes off the bench but again demonstrated why his form has Argentina firmly placed among the favorites in Qatar.
Messi scored twice — giving him nine goals in his last three international appearances — to continue his incredible start to 2022-23 (he has six goals and eight assists in 11 games for PSG).
The first was a 22-yard rip that skipped into the corner beyond a despairing Andre Blake in the 86th minute.
Back in March, Charlotte FC set the MLS attendance record when 74,479 showed up at Bank of America Stadium for the club's inaugural home match against LA Galaxy. Now the visitors are looking to bring the record back home with a 2023 El Tráfico of LA Galaxy vs LAFC at the Rose Bowl (capacity: 88,565).
Oh, and it's the season opener.
Leicester City's King Power Stadium, which opened in 2002 and became world-renowned as boisterous crowds of over 32,000 roared the Foxes to an impossible 2015-16 Premier League title, has been given the green light by city council to construct an entirely new East Stand.
When you see photos of the ground, you're usually given a view of the 7,000-seat West Stand facing the River Soar.
MUNICH - Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández laughed off the notion that playing at Bayern Munich is like visiting the "house of horrors" ahead of Tuesday's mouthwatering Champions League Group C clash.
They met in last season's group stage, with the Germans twice winning 3-0, although Barça are now a very different side and spearheaded by striker Robert Lewandowski, who moved to the Nou Camp from the Bavarians in the close season.