Italy's Sport Minister Andrea Abodi said on Wednesday the head of the country's football federation should step down after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

Music, fireworks and the occasional round of gunfire erupted across Iraq's capital Baghdad early Wednesday after the national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in decades.

Football is often called the beautiful game. But what unfolded on that night in 2006 at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, (now the Max-Morlock-Stadion) could hardly be described as beautiful.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso was emotional and apologetic after his side suffered a playoff penalty shootout loss in Bosnia on Tuesday, to miss out on their third successive World Cup, but he refused to talk about his future.

Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico to seal their first appearance at the finals in 40 years.

Goals from Danilo, Igor Thiago and Gabriel Martinelli secured victory in what was Brazil's final game before coach Carlo Ancelotti names his World Cup squad.

The 38-year-old superstar set up the opening goal for Julian Alvarez before bagging his 116th goal for Argentina with an individual strike just before half-time.

Bangladesh are bracing for any challenge -- even a penalty shootout -- but remain confident of reaching the final, head coach Mark Cox said ahead of their SAFF U-20 Championship semifinal against Nepal in Maldives on Wednesday.

Bangladesh are all set to mark their debut in the AFC Women’s U-20 Asian Cup when they take on Thailand in Group A opener at the Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok today.

A Rio de Janeiro court has overturned a fine of more than $3 million against football star Neymar for allegedly damaging the environment by building an artificial lake at his mansion.

Michal Sadilek's penalty sent the Czech Republic to the World Cup as they beat Denmark in a shootout in Prague on Tuesday following a 2-2 draw after extra time.

Italy will miss out on a third straight World Cup after falling to Bosnia and Hercegovina in Tuesday's breathless qualification playoff final, the Azzurri blowing their chance to reach this summer's tournament in North America with a 4-1 penalty shootout defeat.

Japan made history with their first-ever win against England as Kaoru Mitoma sealed a 1-0 victory in Tuesday's friendly at Wembley.

Turkiye ended a 24-year wait to qualify for the World Cup by beating Kosovo 1-0 in their playoff final on Tuesday, sealing a return to football’s biggest stage for the first time since 2002.

Sweden beat Poland 3-2 to book their ticket to the World Cup on Tuesday, as Viktor Gyokeres struck two minutes from time to decide a frantic qualification playoff final.

Iranian officials said some of the children pictured were the victims of an airstrike on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli assault, that killed at least 170 people including students and teachers.

Former Brighton and Marseille boss De Zerbi has reportedly been handed a lucrative five-year deal to convince him to take the job immediately rather than waiting to see which division Spurs are in next season.

Chelsea's Marc Cucurella believes former manager Enzo Maresca's departure and the club's policy of signing young players is behind the London side's recent struggles.

Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera cut a proud yet frustrated figure after his side’s AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Singapore, insisting his team deserved more from what he described as their best performance.

Bangladesh concluded their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign on a sombre note today, falling 1-0 to hosts Singapore at the National Stadium in Kallang.