David Squires on … the Socceroos reaching a sixth successive World Cup
Our cartoonist looks at the final round of Asian qualifying that saw Australia beat Japan and Saudi Arabia to book their place in North America
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Reuters
24 minutes ago
- Reuters
Saudi Arabia, Qatar to host fourth round of Asia's World Cup qualifiers
June 13 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been awarded the hosting rights for the fourth round of Asia's 2026 World Cup preliminaries in October, the Asian Football Confederation said on Friday. The pair have reached the next phase of the continent's qualifiers and will be joined by Iraq, Oman, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates in the draw, which takes place on July 17. The decision to award the rights to Saudi Arabia and Qatar comes after Iraq confirmed earlier this week that they had bid to host one of the groups. Teams will be divided into two groups of three nations and the winners of each will join Japan, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan in qualifying for the newly-expanded 48-nation finals from the continental preliminaries. Games will be played across three match days from Oct. 8 to 14. The runners-up in each group will advance to a playoff in November, with the winners of that clash featuring in an intercontinental playoff tournament in March to determine the two remaining World Cup spots. The six competing nations qualified for the fourth phase by finishing either third or fourth in their respective groups in the third round of qualifying, which was completed on Tuesday.
BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Barrow AFC asks Fleetwood Town 'can we have our ball back?'
A football club's appeal to get its ball back after a rival side appeared to use it in a kit launch has gone Two team Fleetwood Town shared a picture on social media of midfielder Mark Helm posing in the club's new strip with his foot resting on a ball, on which had been handwritten "BAFC".Barrow AFC's post in response asking "can we have our ball back please?" attracted more than 56,000 likes and hundreds of comments.A Fleetwood Town spokesman said the club would not comment on the post, but "maybe one day the ball will return". Fleetwood initially responded to Barrow saying: "That could be anyone's ball." Others have suggested the ball belonged to League One side Burton Albion, which 22-year-old Helm joined Fleetwood from in July shared the kit launch photo with the caption "perfection".Barrow finished 16th in the League Two table in the season that has just ended, one point and two places behind AFC has been approached for comment. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Man City SLASH matchday ticket prices by significant amount in major win for fans - as club caves in to pressure after a decade of rises
Manchester City have taken the extraordinary step of reducing matchday ticket prices by up to 43 per cent after lengthy negotiations with the club's fan advisory board. Supporters led demonstrations around ticketing issues towards the end of last season, thousands remaining on the Etihad Stadium concourses at the start of two Premier League matches. That and consistent lobbying by fans during meetings with club officials led to chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak promising 'solutions' to the impasse on tickets. Al Mubarak admitted he was 'not OK' with how the problems played out in public and wanted change, with City now delivering on that. Fans will be charged between £40 and £60 for Category A games - visits from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool – with a further £5 reduction for Category B and £10 for Category C. The largest savings come in the biggest games, with Arsenal among the most attractive opposition. The cheapest tickets for Category A fixtures are down 43 per cent and the most expensive 22 per cent. The news serves as a major triumph for supporters, who had already fought to freeze season tickets after a decade of rises. Pep Guardiola had publicly backed their right to protest. City have also committed to prices of tickets for games moved for television not increasing and they could decrease if the time slot is seen to be inconvenient. They are yet to release Champions League pricing – which is another divisive issue – but those are expected to come down as well. There remain conversations around maximum occupancy of season tickets, where holders must attend 10 games themselves to retain their pass. 'This has been a relationship built on trust between the fans and the club,' Al Mubarak said last month. 'And that trust comes both ways. I think this issue on ticketing is no doubt something that has… I'm not OK with the way it played out. 'I think the management team is working very closely with City Matters, addressing and understanding the issues.' The club's fan advisory board, City Matters, said: 'We warmly welcome this announcement from the club, making matchday attendance more accessible and ensuring a vibrant atmosphere. 'Through our dialogue with the club, the matchday pricing reductions, season ticket price freeze, release of new season tickets, and Flexi Gold season ticket fee adjustments highlight the value of fan voices through City Matters.'
