Qatar confirms talks over hosting 2036 Games
The country, which hosted soccer's World Cup in 2022 and the Asian Cup in 2024, is the latest to join the race to stage the 2036 Games after confirmed bids from Indonesia, Turkey, India and Chile.
Other Asian countries considering a bid include Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Egypt, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Canada have also shown interest .
"We currently have 95% of the required sports infrastructure in place to host the Games, and we have a comprehensive national plan to ensure 100% readiness of all facilities," Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, the president of QOC, told the state-run Qatar News Agency.
"This plan is rooted in a long-term vision aimed at building a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable legacy."
Qatar's capital Doha is set to host the Asian Games in 2030, having staged the event in 2006.
A successful bid would make Qatar the first country in the Middle East to host the Olympics amid the region's growing influence over major sporting events. Saudi Arabia is set to hold the soccer World Cup in 2034.
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Leader Live
6 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Five key takeaways as England reach Euros final with last-minute win
England delivered another heart-stopping win in extra-time to make the Euro 2025 final with a 2-1 victory over Italy. It required an added time equaliser and last-minute winner but somehow the Lionesses got over the line once more in Geneva. Here are five key takeaways from a night that provoked nearly every emotion in the book. England into a third consecutive major tournament final No doubt performances will be raked over and tactics dissected as England turned in another questionable display in Geneva that saw them require late intervention once more, but their achievement is undeniably brilliant. The Lionesses will now appear in a third consecutive major tournament final - a feat of consistency that is nothing short of remarkable. The feat also marks a fifth consecutive major final for Sarina Wiegman, having reached two with the Netherlands before joining England. Whatever it is that has got them here - resilience, belief or just a 'proper English attitude' - it surely cannot just be luck after completing the feat so many times. They will either meet Spain or Germany to set up a definite repeat of one of their prior two finals - losing to Spain 1-0 in the World Cup final in 2023 and defeating Germany 2-1 at Euro 2022. Poor start proves costly…again When the post-mortem started on England's questionable first 70 minutes against Sweden in the quarter-finals, the overwhelming call was simple: start better. It was a call it felt obvious for the Lionesses to heed as they entered the semi-finals as clear favourites against an Italy side who had last reached a European Championship semi-final in 1997. Though in control for large periods of the opening half, England seemed to coast rather than take the impetus to press for a goal. It fell straight into the hands of an Italy side who clearly planned to sit back and soak up England pressure before raiding on the break. And that was exactly what happened as Sofia Cantore charged down the right to fire in a cross that was not dealt with by the Lionesses and Barbara Bonansea was on hand to fire home at the far post. Once more, it left England with a deficit to fight back from and they left it right until the last minute to save themselves. If they start like this again in the final, the outcome could prove much worse. WE'RE IN THE #WEURO2025 FINAL! 🙌 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 22, 2025 Italy's back five brilliance If Andrea Soncin could have produced a blueprint of how he wanted the semi-final to play out, it probably would not have looked too dissimilar to the 90 minutes that emerged in Geneva. It was only the added and extra-time after that proved the manager's undoing. Setting up in a back five, the Italians sought to absorb England's early pressure and did so to full effect, soaking up all their threat and with it seemingly any attacking impetus from the Lionesses. Soncin had clearly set up to hit England on the break and they did so devastatingly in the 33rd minute as Cantore burst down the right with pace and caught their opponents' defence off guard. Bonansea was on hand to deliver what appeared to be a fatal blow and from there they could set up to frustrate. Bodies behind the ball, time-wasting unlocked with Laura Giuliani booked for the offence, and it never looked likely that the Lionesses would penetrate the blockade until the entrance of Michelle Agyemang. Agyemang again Michelle Agyemang just continues to deliver. At 19 years old she has delivered in a major tournament twice in just a handful of appearances. On Tuesday evening, she was once more in the right place at the right time and showed maturity beyond her years to finish with aplomb. In a performance where England were all too often too hasty with their final ball, rushed passes and shots. With a performance that was veering towards head loss, Agyemang brought a calm in the box. Despite being the youngest player on the pitch, when Beth Mead cut the ball back into her path, she waited a second before placing her shot past Giuliani. Good morning everyone - from our #WEURO25 finalists 🤗 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 23, 2025 It was with just four minutes of extra time remaining that Agyemang came millimetres away from turning from hero to legend. Breaking free of the Italy defence she showed her strength to fire a deliberately clipped shot towards the goal that dipped to hit the crossbar and rebound off. Agyemang is not a star in the making but a star already shining the brightest in the Lionesses' constellation. Chloe Kelly is clutch It was not an all-time performance from Chloe Kelly and yet she still picked up the official Player of the Match award. The scenario was exactly what you would expect of a player of Kelly's mentality. Shunned at Manchester City this season, leaving her in a place where she considered quitting football, Kelly forced a move to Arsenal to rejuvenate her England hopes. Despite the doubters, in north London she thrived. She would not only force her way into a strong starting XI but start as Arsenal won the Champions League after defeating Barcelona. Having been named on the bench for all of England's games at Euro 2025 so far, she came on once more to prove her worth. Against Sweden, that had shown in the form of two brilliant assists/pre-assists to set-up England's comeback. On Wednesday that contribution shifted because while her crossing was not up to scratch, noticeably putting a corner straight into the side-netting with minutes left, she stepped up to take a potentially game-winning penalty. Despite seeing her first attempt saved, she was on hand to show that resilience again, and power home the rebound. It marks a second time the winger has given England an historic 2-1 win in extra-time, having been the scorer of the winner at Wembley back in 2022.
Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool-bound Hugo Ekitike knows how star loved by Jurgen Klopp feels about him
Hugo Ekitike is expected to finalise his move to Liverpool in the coming days, with the French striker arriving in the UK for his medical earlier this week Hugo Ekitike has already shared the pitch with some legendary figures, and the striker is now poised to add another chapter to his journey with a move to Liverpool. The 23-year-old is set to become the Reds' newest blockbuster arrival, with a £79million transfer agreed with Eintracht Frankfurt. Ekitike, who underwent a medical on Tuesday, will be the club's third major signing from the Bundesliga this summer, following in the footsteps of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, both of whom arrived from Bayer Leverkusen. The deal for Ekitike comes after a frantic few days at Anfield, which began with the club going after Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. But when the Magpies insisted the striker wasn't for sale at any price, Liverpool pivoted to Ekitike and moved swiftly to agree a deal. Now, the French forward is set to form a central part of Arne Slot's new-look attack, alongside Mo Salah, Wirtz and flying full-backs Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, with Liverpool going all out in the transfer market in a bid to successfully defend their Premier League title. Once the move is finalised, the Reds will have secured one of the most highly-rated young forwards in the game. Ekitike netted 22 times and provided 12 assists - stats that have made him a target for several elite sides. He has already brushed shoulders with icons such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at PSG, and also shared a dressing room with World Cup final goalscorer Mario Gotze during his stint at Frankfurt. Gotze had glowing things to say about the striker - words that will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans. "I think Hugo Ekitike has an ability that few players have with his dribbling, his finishing, and his speed," Gotze told beIN Sports last year. "Of course, he can help us [Frankfurt] a lot. "We saw it last year: we simply need everyone to be at 100 per cent. This applies to everyone who has played, to the new ones, to those who have been here a little longer. And he is undoubtedly an added value for the team.' Gotze's praise carries even more weight at Anfield because of his history with Jurgen Klopp. The midfielder was a central figure in Dortmund's success under Klopp and even came close to joining him at Liverpool in 2016 - a move he later admitted he should have made. "I went to his house in Liverpool, where we sat down together in the living room with our wives," Gotze told The Player's Tribune. "What makes Jurgen special is that he sees Mario the person. We did not talk much about football. He wasn't saying, 'How can I convince you? What do you want?' "He asked me about life in general, and I think he said something like, 'Look, Mario, you'll play a lot, and you'll have fun here. I know that's the most important thing for you. The club is amazing. Have a think about it.' I really wanted to play for him again." While Ekitike won't experience playing under Klopp, his arrival could be a key part of Slot's evolving team as Liverpool prepare to defend their Premier League crown and push for more glory next season.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Agyemang reacts to wild journey from England ball girl to Euro 2025 saviour
Michelle Agyemang is loving her 'crazy' experience at Euro 2025, becoming England's hero just four years after being a ball girl at a Lionesses game. The 19-year-old scored the 96th minute equaliser for England against Italy in the semi-finals on Tuesday before Chloe Kelly netted the winner in extra-time to send Sarina Wiegman's team into the final. It was Agyemang's third goal in just four caps having also scored the equaliser in the quarter-finals against Sweden. The Arsenal striker, who spent last season on loan at Brighton, has come a long way in a very short amount of time. The teenager was a ball girl in Wiegman's third game in charge of England four years ago and now she is a national hero, a wild journey although she remains incredibly humble about it. 'It means the world to me, I'm so grateful, and as I always say I'm so grateful to God for where he's brought me from,' she told ITV. 'Four years ago, I was just a kid throwing the ball to some of these girls, now I'm here playing with them! It's a great opportunity and I'm so happy that I'm here.' On her superb scoring record so early in her international career, she joked: 'It's decent! To be doing this at this level and helping out this team is more than what I could have wished for, I'm so grateful to be here.' She added on Sky Sports: 'I'm buzzing, I might not look it but I am buzzing, It's crazy to do that two games in a row in that kind of fashion. It shows the character of this team and I'm so grateful that we're still here to see another week.' Agyemang was only called up to the England squad for the first time in April this year and has felt welcomed by her teammates who have achieved so much beforehand. 'I think being here for such a short amount of time, my teammates have been so supportive,' she said. 'It's easy to come here and not really be connected to a team because of the short amount of time but the team have really taken me in and I'm so grateful for every single person on this team.' Asked whether she expected tournament football to be quite as dramatic as it has been in Switzerland so far, she said: 'Absolutely not! Oh my goodness! It's a lot! But it's a lot of learning and experience. I'm so grateful that I'm here. 'I'm so happy to be here and bring on Basel! I'm excited for whoever we play against.' Speaking of her ball girl experience during a World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland four years ago, Agyemang told BBC Sport: 'It was crazy. 'Seeing the girls so close to my face. Beth Mead got a hat-trick that day, so to be a part of that experience was invaluable and I'll never forget it.' There is no romanticism in her selection, though, with Wiegman not surprised by her killer instincts in the penalty box. Speaking after her heroics against Sweden, the manager said of the striker: 'This is basically why we selected her. 'We know she hasn't been in our environment for a long period of time, but the moment she came in she did really well and she brings something different. 'She has shown that in training, against Belgium, against France. She's so strong and then she scores a goal too. She's shown that she can do that.' Wiegman added after the teenager's goal against the Italians: 'She has something special. She's only 19 years old, she's very mature, she knows exactly what she has to do. 'When you talk about little things that she picks up straight away, because she's not only in the 18-yard box very dangerous but when we have to go to her as a target player, she keeps the ball really well too. 'Even when you saw her shot hit the crossbar, that was not just a shot, she was aiming for it. If she continues like this she has a very bright future.' Agyemang is unlikely to start Sunday's final against either Germany or Spain, likely sticking to her super sub role, but her teammates are well aware of what she brings to the table. More Trending Pubs can stay open until 1am for England vs Italy Euros semi final 'She feels inevitable right now,' captain Leah Williamson said of the striker. Lucy Bronze added: 'You see it when she comes on. Defenders are petrified of her.' Esme Morgan said: 'She has such awareness of where she needs to be in the box. She's just such an incredibly intelligent player to know what spaces to pick up and then such a composed finisher when she gets the opportunity. She's an incredible person to be able to rely on.' MORE: Italy complain about England penalty after Euro 2025 heartbreak MORE: England hero Chloe Kelly reveals Arsenal legend inspired iconic goal celebration MORE: Sarina Wiegman singles out 'special' England star and provides Lauren James injury update
