Italy are hoping to end a 12-year absence from the World Cup as one of the planet's most important footballing nations heads to the qualifying play-offs in the midst of another identity crisis.

Iran were one of the first nations to qualify for the finals but their participation has been in doubt since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with the Islamic Republic broke out at the end of February.

Mohamed Salah is to leave Liverpool at the end of this season, the Premier League champions announced Tuesday.

Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer Romelu Lukaku will miss his country's visit to the United States for two 2026 World Cup warm-up matches, the Belgian football federation (RBFA) announced on Tuesday.

The 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden was never meant to belong to France. Talented though they were, they were not considered an unstoppable force on football’s grandest stage. Yet, by the end of that tournament, they had become one, and at the heart of it stood Just Fontaine.

Ahead of the match, the team completed their third training session on Tuesday morning at Boonyachinda Stadium.

Antoine Griezmann will leave Atletico Madrid for MLS side Orlando City at the end of the season, the two clubs announced on Tuesday.

Hamza Choudhury said he is ready for Bangladesh’s upcoming assignments in Vietnam after arriving in Hanoi on Tuesday to join the rest of the squad.

Ronan Sullivan made an immediate impact on his debut in Bangladesh colours, scoring twice as the men in red and green began their SAFF U-20 Championship campaign with a 2-0 win over Pakistan at the Maldives National Football Stadium in Male on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old who is working as Red Bull's head of global soccer left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season after a nine-year spell that delivered major honours including Champions League and Premier League titles.

Asian Champions League last-16 ties postponed by the war in the Middle East will now take place over one leg in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the continental football body said Tuesday.

"I have made a 100% recovery," Mbappe told AS.

With the spectre of failed 2018 and 2022 qualification campaigns looming over the squad, Gattuso knows his players must overcome the mental weakness that has plagued Italy's World Cup ambitions.

Zidane, 53, reportedly reached a verbal agreement with the Federation Francaise de Football to replace Didier Deschamps, who has held the role since 2012.

In that fleeting second, he became the Icarus of myth -- the man who dared to touch the sun with wings of wax.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has called for composure ahead of Italy’s World Cup playoff semi-final against Northern Ireland on Thursday, urging his players to block out the trauma of past failures.

Tottenham on Monday offered their "thoughts and condolences" to interim boss Igor Tudor following the death of his father.

Federico Chiesa has been dropped by Italy after being found not fit to play in the Azzurri's 2026 World Cup qualifying play-off with Northern Ireland, the country's football federation (FIGC) said on Monday.

Coach Nils Nielsen warned Monday that Japan need "different tools" to win next year's Women's World Cup after sweeping to the Asian title with a series of barnstorming performances.

Was the London sky a little grayer that day? Or did the grass at Wembley bend in mourning beneath the weight of a superhuman tragedy?