World Cup holders France will need Kylian Mbappe at his best in Qatar following the loss of Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema to injury, coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday.... more »
England, Germany and five other European teams at the World Cup on Monday abandoned plans to wear a rainbow-themed armband in support of LGBTQ rights, citing the threat of disciplinary action from FIFA.... more »
Qatari media laid into a "weak" performance by the national team on Monday after the hosts' much-heralded World Cup debut ended in a tame 2-0 defeat by Ecuador.... more »
An illness meant Japan's Kaoru Mitoma arrived late in Qatar but the livewire winger insisted Sunday he will be "100 percent" ready for his team's World Cup opener against Germany.... more »
Nearly three million World Cup tickets have been sold, FIFA said Sunday, as the governing body's president revealed the tournament had helped push revenues over the past four years to a record $7.5 billion.... more »
Qatar became the first World Cup hosts in history to lose their opening match, going down 2-0 to Ecuador on Sunday as football's showpiece got under way after 12 years of turbulent preparations.... more »
Gareth Southgate said on Sunday that England will take the knee before their World Cup matches in Qatar to send a strong message of "inclusivity".... more »
German forward Serge Gnabry said Sunday it felt "weird" to be playing at a World Cup in the middle of the league season, but conceded there were advantages too.... more »
Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk said he was sad to learn that former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane would miss the World Cup due to injury, even if it will boost Dutch hopes.... more »
Romelu Lukaku will not play for Belgium at the World Cup until at least their final Group F match against Croatia, a team source told AFP on Sunday.... more »
Eight of Japan's World Cup squad play in the Bundesliga but forward Ritsu Doan said Saturday that friendships are on hold when they meet Germany in their opening game in Qatar.... more »
FIFA president Gianni Infantino blasted the "hypocrisy" of Western critics of Qatar's human rights record on Saturday, making a passionate defence of the World Cup in the Gulf state on the eve of the kick-off.... more »
FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed support for the LGBTQ community and migrant workers in his opening press conference of the Qatar World Cup on Saturday.... more »
Croatia say they thrive on being considered underdogs and warned on Saturday that they have what it takes to reach the World Cup final again.... more »
Several global stars have refused to take part in the opening ceremony of the Qatar World Cup, and with two days to go, it is still not clear who will perform.... more »
