Infantino remembers Father Amir as mentor

Doha, Qatar: FIFA President Gianni Infantino paid an emotional tribute to the Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, describing him as a visionary leader, mentor and close friend whose influence would endure for generations. noplasticplease.life

In a message posted on social media following the passing of H H the Father Amir, Infantino said: “Today, a visionary has left us, but his vision will remain forever in the heart, soul, and the country he was born to, lived in, and cherished deeply. Today, the father has left us, but he is not gone.”

The FIFA President said he was deeply saddened by the loss of H H the Father Amir, whom he described as “a special person, a mentor, a visionary, and someone I was very close to.”

Infantino said the late Father Amir’s life should be celebrated for its many achievements, noting that during his 18 years as Qatar’s ruler he played a pivotal role in the nation’s development and helped shape it into the country it is today.

“I feel fortunate to have spent valuable time in his company. He was always inspiring, kind, and gracious in everything he did,” Infantino said.

Reflecting on their relationship, Infantino said H H the Father taught him that “vision is not only words; it is actions to be taken, a stand to be taken, a truth to be spoken.”

He also thanked H H the Father Amir for welcoming him to Qatar, saying the country had become “my home, my country” because of his “contagious love for this beautiful Qatar.”

Infantino recalled the success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, saying millions celebrated the tournament in Qatar “thanks to his determination and a vision bigger than all of us.”

“Today, we mourn a visionary, but we also celebrate a vision that will stay in the memory and the hearts of everyone,” he said.

The FIFA President concluded by extending his condolences to the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Al-Thani family and the people of Qatar, saying his “heart, thoughts, and prayers” were with them during this difficult time.

Miami, United States: Jude Bellingham was England's hero once more by scoring twice as the Three Lions came from behind to end Norway's historic run and reach the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win after extra-time on Saturday.

In their first ever quarter-final, Andreas Schjelderup fired Norway into a shock lead in the searing Miami heat.

But Bellingham, who also netted a double in a memorable 3-2 over Mexico in the last 16, produced a moment of magic to equalise just before half-time.

Norway had a second goal controversially disallowed after a VAR review in the second half for a foul by Erling Haaland as both sets of players were pushed to their physical limits by going to extra-time.

Bellingham came up with another big moment as he pounced on an error by Orjan Nyland to sweep in his sixth goal of the tournament.

England will face Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday for the chance to reach a first World Cup final in 60 years.

Haaland's spectacular run of scoring in his last 14 competitive matches for Norway came to an end against the land of his birth with Norway's exhausted talisman replaced at half-time of extra-time.

Having failed to win a World Cup knockout game after conceding first since the final of 1966 before this tournament, England have now done so twice in three matches.

Energy-sapping heat

Harry Kane's heroics prevented an embarrassing early exit to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 32.

But it is Bellingham who has stood up in the past two matches to keep England in the hunt to end their long wait for major tournament glory despite far from flawless performances.

The 5:00 pm local time (2100 GMT) kick-off in Florida meant that temperatures remained above 30 degrees Celsius throughout, with intense humidity making for draining conditions for the players.

The heat looked as if it would spoil the spectacle in the first half.

Thomas Tuchel's men were rattled as England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved low from Martin Odegaard before Alexander Sorloth wasted a glorious chance when he failed to feed Haaland and instead went for goal himself.

Almost immediately Bellingham pulled his team out of the mire once more.

Bellingham had been well marshalled until he collected Anthony Gordon's pass, burst into the box at speed and then slotted home on his weaker left foot.

Momentum was suddenly in England's favour and they nearly went into the break ahead.

Bellingham was this time the creator for Kane, who dinked the ball coolly over Nyland, but had just drifted offside.

Tuchel introduced Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze at the break for the ineffective Noni Madueke and Declan Rice -- the Arsenal midfielder had been suffering with illness earlier in the week.

But those changes left England light in midfield and they were left hanging on at spells in the second half.

Torbjorn Heggem made the most of some sloppy defending to turn in at the back post, but Haaland was penalised for a push on new Manchester City teammate Elliott Anderson before the corner had been taken, and the goal was disallowed.

Norway were inches away from a winner again when Kristoffer Ajer hit the bar after England fail to deal with another dangerous corner.

Both sides visibly wilted in the energy-sapping conditions late on but were forced to endure an extra 30 minutes.

Nyland had been Norway's supporting act in the last 16 win over Brazil with a series of saves before Haaland struck twice late on for a landmark victory.

This time the Sevilla goalkeeper was the villain as he spilled substitute Morgan Rogers' shot from distance and Bellingham pounced and scored.

England were awarded a penalty moments later, but this time VAR intervened in Norway's favour to deem Djed Spence had initiated contact inside the box.

Yet, Norway's spirit was already crushed, epitomised by a slouched Haaland watching on from the bench with nothing more to give.

إنجاز عالمي جديد لأصحاب الهمم في باريس؛ منتخب الإمارات يحرز المركز الرابع في كأس العالم لكرة القدم الموحدة للأولمبياد الخاص أبوظبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة، 13 يوليو 2026: حقق منتخب الإمارات لكرة القدم الموحدة المركز الرابع ضمن المجموعة الثانية (B) افي منافسات كأس العالم لكرة القدم الموحدة للأولمبياد الخاص – باريس 2026 التي استضافتها العاصمة الفرنسية خلال الفترة من 6 إلى 12 يوليو الجاري. وقدم … Continue reading منتخب الإمارات يحرز المركز الرابع في كأس العالم لكرة القدم الموحدة للأولمبياد الخاص →

DOHA: Argentina (1st, up 2), the reigning world champions, will begin their title defence as the world’s top-ranked side after the June Men’s World Ranking was released hours before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday.

Argentina reclaimed top spot following friendly wins over Iceland and Honduras, overtaking Spain (2nd, unchanged), who were held by Iraq before beating Peru, and France (3rd, down 2), who dropped after defeat to Côte d’Ivoire and victory over Northern Ireland.

Qatar, who lost their friendly against Ireland and played a goalless draw against El Salvador, slipped one place to 56th ahead of their opening Group B clash against Switzerland, who are ranked 19th.

Morocco (7th, up 1) climbed to their highest-ever ranking since 1993, overtaking the Netherlands (8th, down 1).

Mexico (14th, up 1), Uruguay (16th, up 1) and Iran (20th, up 1) all moved up, while Senegal (15th, down 1) and the United States (17th, down 1) slipped.

Hungary (39th, up 3), Chile (51st, up 3) and China PR (91st, up 3) were the biggest climbers, while Serbia (41st, down 4), Mali (55th, down 3) and Benin (93rd, down 3) saw the sharpest falls.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the governing body will consider expanding the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.

FIFA will examine a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, president Gianni Infantino said, potentially adding another 16 nations to the tournament.

“A 64-team tournament is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.

Infantino described the 48-team format as a success and argued that broader participation could encourage football development in smaller countries.

The South American Football Confederation had previously proposed a one-off 64-team tournament in 2025 to mark the World Cup’s centenary.

At the time, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez said the expansion would allow more countries to participate in the anniversary edition, 100 years after Uruguay hosted the inaugural tournament.

The proposal has faced opposition from senior football officials. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said a 64-team competition would weaken both the World Cup and regional qualifying tournaments.

The 2030 World Cup will be hosted primarily by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will each stage one opening match as part of the centenary celebrations.

Under the existing 48-team format, the tournament would feature 104 matches. A 64-team competition would require FIFA to revise the qualification system, tournament structure, and match schedule.

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