Latest news with #2026WorldCup
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hopping Mad: Club World Cup Players Getting a Bad Bounce
Hopping Mad: Club World Cup Players Getting a Bad Bounce originally appeared on Athlon Sports. FIFA's Club World Cup pitches are bouncing players into a fury, with surfaces so shoddy they're more suited for rabbits than world-class footballers. Jude Bellingham blasted the turf, saying, 'The ball barely bounces'. With the 2026 World Cup looming, can FIFA fix this pitch pickle? Advertisement Real Madrid's Bellingham didn't mince words, calling the pitches 'tough on the knees' and urging FIFA to act. PSG's Luis Enrique hopped on the complaint train, joking, 'The ball looked more like a rabbit jumping'. Players are leaping over divots like bunnies dodging a fox. 'It holds up the ball,' Bellingham groaned, noting the dry, patchy grass. Even FIFA's year-long grass studies haven't saved these fields from player scorn. Next: Two GOATs at the next World Cup? Are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Ageless? Weather isn't helping the pitch plight. 'They watered it, but ten minutes later it was bone dry,' a groundskeeper admitted to Scorching June heat evaporates moisture faster than a SpaceX rocket during launch, leaving surfaces cracked and unforgiving. Advertisement Prize money, reportedly $50 million for the winner, fuels FIFA's coffers according to Sky Sports. Yet, players wonder why funds aren't funneled into fields. 'It's a money grab,' one anonymous star quipped, dodging FIFA's wrath like a nimble hare. What a Messi these pitches are! - The Aptly Named Hard Rock StadiumPhoto by Rodolfo Buhrer/SportsBellingham's plea for better pitches echoes across the tournament. 'It's important to protect players,' he stressed, eyeing the World Cup. If FIFA doesn't act, 2026 could see stars hopping mad on subpar surfaces. Enrique's rabbit jab sparked chuckles, but the issue's no laughing matter. Poor pitches risk injuries and tarnish FIFA's shiny event. Fans deserve to see Messi the Magician, not Roger the Rabbit. Advertisement FIFA's turf troubles aren't new. Past tournaments faced similar gripes, yet solutions lag behind them. With $2 billion in Club World Cup revenue projected, surely FIFA can spare a carrot or two for quality grass? Players like Estevao slammed MetLife's field, calling it 'unplayable' talking to The Athletic. The Brazilian wonderkid's frustration mirrors a tournament-wide sentiment. Nobody wants to chase a ball down a rabbit-hole. The Club World Cup should showcase football's best, not its worst lawns. FIFA must sow seeds for better pitches before the World Cup. Until then, players will keep hopping over divots, dreaming of greener pastures. Next: Football's Dark Side: Rudiger Faces Racism from Fellow Player This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yomiuri Shimbun
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Belarus Qualifying for European Soccer Event Forces UEFA to Find Third Co-Host Nation
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA changed the hosting plan for its 2026 European Championship for indoor soccer on Friday because Russia's military ally Belarus has qualified for the finals tournament. Co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania 'prohibit the organization of matches involving Belarusian teams on their domestic territories,' said UEFA, which added Slovenia as a third host for the 16-team futsal event. Slovenia, the home nation of UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, will now organize more than half of the four-yearly tournament that opens on Jan. 20 and includes Ukraine. UEFA said Belarus will be drawn to play in one of the two groups moved to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, which also will stage two quarterfinals, both semifinals and the final. One group will be played in each of Riga, Latvia's capital, and Kaunas in Lithuania. 'Each city will also host one quarterfinal, reaffirming their central roles in the tournament,' UEFA said, giving no details of how Ukraine will be separated from Belarus in the draw. Russian teams have been banned from international competitions by UEFA and FIFA since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. UEFA's move in 2023 to reintegrate Russian under-17s teams was stopped by a backlash from Ukraine and other member federations. National and club teams from Belarus have continued to play, though must host 'home' games in neutral countries with no fans in the stadium. Belarus will start qualifying for the men's 2026 World Cup in September in a group with Denmark, Scotland and Greece. Belarus is playing home games in Hungary. The previous futsal Euros played in the Netherlands saw one of the last soccer matches between teams from Russia and Ukraine, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 4, 2022. Russia won 3-2.
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Belarus qualifying for European soccer event forces UEFA to find third co-host nation
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA changed the hosting plan for its 2026 European Championship for indoor soccer on Friday because Russia's military ally Belarus has qualified for the finals tournament. Co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania 'prohibit the organization of matches involving Belarusian teams on their domestic territories,' said UEFA, which added Slovenia as a third host for the 16-team futsal event. Slovenia, the home nation of UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, will now organize more than half of the four-yearly tournament that opens on Jan. 20 and includes Ukraine. UEFA said Belarus will be drawn to play in one of the two groups moved to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, which also will stage two quarterfinals, both semifinals and the final. One group will be played in each of Riga, Latvia's capital, and Kaunas in Lithuania. 'Each city will also host one quarterfinal, reaffirming their central roles in the tournament,' UEFA said, giving no details of how Ukraine will be separated from Belarus in the draw. Russian teams have been banned from international competitions by UEFA and FIFA since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. UEFA's move in 2023 to reintegrate Russian under-17s teams was stopped by a backlash from Ukraine and other member federations. National and club teams from Belarus have continued to play, though must host 'home' games in neutral countries with no fans in the stadium. Belarus will start qualifying for the men's 2026 World Cup in September in a group with Denmark, Scotland and Greece. Belarus is playing home games in Hungary. The previous futsal Euros played in the Netherlands saw one of the last soccer matches between teams from Russia and Ukraine, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 4, 2022. Russia won 3-2. ___
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Belarus qualifying for European soccer event forces UEFA to find third co-host nation
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA changed the hosting plan for its 2026 European Championship for indoor soccer on Friday because Russia's military ally Belarus has qualified for the finals tournament. Co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania 'prohibit the organization of matches involving Belarusian teams on their domestic territories,' said UEFA, which added Slovenia as a third host for the 16-team futsal event. Slovenia, the home nation of UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, will now organize more than half of the four-yearly tournament that opens on Jan. 20 and includes Ukraine. UEFA said Belarus will be drawn to play in one of the two groups moved to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, which also will stage two quarterfinals, both semifinals and the final. One group will be played in each of Riga, Latvia's capital, and Kaunas in Lithuania. 'Each city will also host one quarterfinal, reaffirming their central roles in the tournament,' UEFA said, giving no details of how Ukraine will be separated from Belarus in the draw. Russian teams have been banned from international competitions by UEFA and FIFA since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. UEFA's move in 2023 to reintegrate Russian under-17s teams was stopped by a backlash from Ukraine and other member federations. National and club teams from Belarus have continued to play, though must host 'home' games in neutral countries with no fans in the stadium. Belarus will start qualifying for the men's 2026 World Cup in September in a group with Denmark, Scotland and Greece. Belarus is playing home games in Hungary. The previous futsal Euros played in the Netherlands saw one of the last soccer matches between teams from Russia and Ukraine, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 4, 2022. Russia won 3-2. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Belarus qualifying for European soccer event forces UEFA to find third co-host nation
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA changed the hosting plan for its 2026 European Championship for indoor soccer on Friday because Russia's military ally Belarus has qualified for the finals tournament. Co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania 'prohibit the organization of matches involving Belarusian teams on their domestic territories,' said UEFA, which added Slovenia as a third host for the 16-team futsal event. Slovenia, the home nation of UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, will now organize more than half of the four-yearly tournament that opens on Jan. 20 and includes Ukraine. UEFA said Belarus will be drawn to play in one of the two groups moved to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, which also will stage two quarterfinals, both semifinals and the final. One group will be played in each of Riga, Latvia's capital, and Kaunas in Lithuania. 'Each city will also host one quarterfinal, reaffirming their central roles in the tournament,' UEFA said, giving no details of how Ukraine will be separated from Belarus in the draw. Russian teams have been banned from international competitions by UEFA and FIFA since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. UEFA's move in 2023 to reintegrate Russian under-17s teams was stopped by a backlash from Ukraine and other member federations. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. National and club teams from Belarus have continued to play, though must host 'home' games in neutral countries with no fans in the stadium. Belarus will start qualifying for the men's 2026 World Cup in September in a group with Denmark, Scotland and Greece. Belarus is playing home games in Hungary. The previous futsal Euros played in the Netherlands saw one of the last soccer matches between teams from Russia and Ukraine, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 4, 2022. Russia won 3-2. ___ AP soccer:
