Real Madrid president Florentino Perez appointed Arbeloa to replace Xabi Alonso in January and he is set to be replaced himself by Portuguese veteran Mourinho.

Tuchel has taken a risk on centre-back John Stones despite his lack of involvement at Manchester City during an injury-hit season.

The French team won hearts and minds at the FIFA World Cup in Mexico that year, finishing third, 28 years after securing the bronze at the 1958 edition in Sweden.

Countdowns will be introduced for goal-kicks, throw-ins and substitutions in an attempt to discourage time-wasting.

Norway are in Group I along with France, Senegal and Iraq. It has been billed as one of the World Cup's toughest groups.

The country’s dominant force in recent years, Kings have been struggling to clear wages for both local and foreign players since last season

England defender Harry Maguire said Thursday he was "shocked and gutted" to have been left out of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 win over Damac on Thursday, ending his long wait for domestic silverware.

In a press release, the BFF stated: “We look forward to appointing Thomas Dooley as the new head coach of the Bangladesh men’s national team.”

Senegal have "big dreams" to "achieve great things" at the 2026 World Cup, coach Pape Thiaw said Thursday as he unveiled an expanded 28-man squad for next month's tournament.

Mikel Arteta said he was barbecuing alone in his garden when Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to win the Premier League this week.

Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was handed a surprise recall to Germany's 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, coming out of international retirement to play in the tournament for a fifth time.

The lights hadn't faded yet. In the stands, there were thousands of faces, a wave of flags, flashes of cameras, screams, and the colors of celebration -- everything was there. But in the midst of all that brilliance, one man suddenly seemed utterly alone.

Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique has lavished praise on Arsenal ahead of this month's Champions League final, dubbing them the best team in the world without the ball.

Canada is expected to spend just over C$1 billion ($727 million) to host the World Cup this summer, according to a report from the federal budget watchdog published on Wednesday.

Unai Emery not only cemented his status as undisputed king of the Europa League with Wednesday's astonishing fifth win as a manager - but also sealed Aston Villa's resurgence as a major force in football.

The Democratic Republic of Congo national football team have cancelled a planned pre-World Cup training camp at home after the country was hit by an Ebola outbreak, a team official told AFP Wednesday.

Aston Villa captain John McGinn invited Prince William to join his side's Europa League victory party after the royal watched their 3-0 win in Wednesday's final against Freiburg.

Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia scored stunning goals as Aston Villa outclassed Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday to end a 30-year wait for silverware and earn their coach Unai Emery a record-extending fifth win in the competition.

The top league will comprise 36 countries - determined by the restructured 2028/29 UEFA Nations League - and be divided into three groups of 12 teams.