Saudi Arabia to meet Iraq, Indonesia in World Cup qualifiers
The winners of each of the three-team groups, which will be played in October, will join already-qualified Australia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran and Jordan at next year's expanded 48-nation finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Saudi Arabia, who are attempting to qualify for a seventh World Cup finals since 1994, will host Group A and open against Indonesia on October 8. Indonesia will then play Graham Arnold's Iraq on October 11 before the Saudis and Iraq face off on October 14. Iraq have only qualified once in their history, in 1986.
Group B hosts Qatar, organizers of the 2022 World Cup but who have never qualified for the finals, will take on Oman in their first game on October 8. UAE will face the Omanis on October 11, with Qatar and the UAE meeting on October 14. The United Arab Emirates reached the World Cup one time, in 1990, while Oman have never qualified.
The nations finishing in second place in each group will advance to a further round of qualifying, which will be held over two legs in November on a home-and-away basis. Asia has been granted eight guaranteed berths at the finals. A possible ninth berth is available to the winner of November's match-up via an intercontinental playoff in March.
Dutch-born players
Patrick Kuivert's Indonesia have embarked on a recruitment drive of Dutch-born players and backroom staff to bolster their bid for a first World Cup finals berth since becoming an independent nation.
Jordi Cruyff, son of Dutch football legend Johan, was in February appointed technical adviser to the Football Association of Indonesia to work alongside Kluivert. Indonesia last qualified for a World Cup while still under Dutch colonial rule and lost 6-0 to Hungary in their only match of that tournament, hosted by France.
They will face a difficult task against Middle East giants Saudi Arabia, who have home advantage and will be heavily favored to top Group B. The Saudis have qualified for the World Cup on seven previous occasions including the last two editions. Australia, Japan, Jordan, Iran, South Korea and Uzbekistan have already secured their World Cup berths from the Asian confederation. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
4 hours ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait U-23 wraps up preparations for Asian Cup qualifiers
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 6: Kuwait's Olympic national football team continues its preparations for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers with a final friendly against Fahaheel, scheduled for 7:30 pm. Fahaheel is also building toward the start of the Zain Premier League on September 12, where it will open against Al-Jahra. The Olympic team recently earned a 3–1 win over Kazma in a previous warm-up match. After tonight's game, the team will travel next week to Thailand for a training camp ahead of the Asian Cup qualifiers, which will take place in Saudi Arabia in January. Kuwait has been drawn into Group B alongside Japan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. The group stage matches will be hosted in Myanmar from September 1 to 9. Arabi Club will conclude its training camp in Abu Dhabi today with a final friendly match against UAE club Al-Wahda at 6:30 pm. Arabi will head to the Maldives tomorrow to prepare for a crucial AFC Challenge League playoff against Maziya S&RC, set for August 12 on Maldivian soil. Head coach Marco Alves is expected to field his strongest lineup against Al-Wahda, aiming to test the starting eleven he intends to use against Maziya. The Portuguese coach had used the first two friendlies to assess his full squad and finalize team selections. Tadamon Club has finalized its list of foreign signings by adding Congolese forward Folabi to its roster. He joins French players Jonathan Bamba and Zakaria Slimani, Portuguese midfielder Pedro, and Syrian attacker Ahmad Al-Dali. With the club's home ground currently under maintenance, Tadamon has relocated its training sessions to the secondary pitch at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. Preseason preparations began last Saturday under Portuguese head coach Miguel Leal, as the team looks ahead to its season opener against Kuwait SC on September 12. Tadamon also boosted its local squad with new signings, including Abdulmohsen Al-Ajmi, Salman Al-Ajmi, Turki Al-Mutairi, and Ali Fadel.
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
FIFA faces class action over player transfer regulations
FIFA faces class action over player transfer regulations Suit stems from EU ruling on Lassana Diarra LONDON: A Dutch soccer players' group is preparing a 'potentially billion-dollar' Europe-wide class action claim against FIFA and other associations, seeking compensation over alleged loss of income due to restrictive transfer rules, it said on Monday. The Dutch Foundation for Justice said world soccer governing body FIFA's rules had affected approximately 100,000 players in European member states and the United Kingdom since 2002. The foundation added that consultancy firm Compass Lexecon had estimated that damages could run into billions of euros, with the foundation's board member Dolf Segaar telling Dutch news agency NOS that 'it is a billion-dollar claim'. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is among the associations to be named in the suit. 'This case is being brought in the Netherlands under the Dutch Act on the Settlement of Mass Damages in Collective Action (WAMCA), which allows this legal action to be launched by JfP on behalf of a large group of professional footballers,' it added. FIFA and the KNVB did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. The foundation added that a preliminary analysis from Compass Lexecon estimated that professional footballers collectively earned around 8% less over their careers than they would have due to FIFA's regulations. 'All professional football players have lost a significant amount of earnings due to the unlawful FIFA Regulations,' foundation chair Lucia Melcherts said in a statement. ''Justice for Players' is bringing this claim to help achieve justice for footballers and fairness.' The foundation added that the case was launched following a ruling on French player Lassana Diarra, who was fined 10 million euros ($11.56 million) by FIFA for leaving Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year deal. In October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union said some of FIFA's rules on player transfers went against European Union laws and free movement principles in the case linked to former Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid player Diarra. Following the ruling by the EU's top court, FIFA in December adopted an interim framework concerning the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. The interim regulatory framework affects the calculation of compensation payable if there is a breach of contract and the burden of proof in relation to both compensation payable and an inducement to breach a contract. Justice for Players said it will be advised by law firm Dupont-Hissel, founded by Jean-Louis Dupont. Dupont is the same lawyer who took the landmark case of Belgian Jean-Marc Bosman, which in 1995 cleared the way for players in the European Union to move to other clubs at the end of contracts without a transfer fee being paid. Dupont-Hissel also represented Diarra in his case against FIFA, with Dupont saying in 2024 that a judgment backing the player would be a milestone in modernizing football governance. He added that it would allow players' unions and club associations to regulate their employment practices. — Reuters
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Lando Norris wins Hungarian GP in another McLaren 1-2
Hamilton feeling 'useless' after GP qualifying flop BUDAPEST: Lando Norris fended off teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday and maintain McLaren's relentless march through the season. Mercedes' George Russell took third as McLaren celebrated their 200th F1 win over half a century since their first and fourth consecutive 1-2 this year. Norris, on a one-stop strategy, held off a charging Piastri on fresher tyres to take the chequered flag by less than one second. Norris moved to within nine points of Piastri in the drivers' championship ahead of F1's mid-season break. 'I'm dead, it was tough!' said Norris. 'I wasn't planning the one-stop strategy, my voice has gone, but even more rewarding because of that.' 'I pushed as hard as I could, looking forward to a few weeks off,' said Piastri. 'Everyone's going to sleep well tonight, great way to go into the summer break. The drivers were awesome,' said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. Polesitter Charles Leclerc was furious with his Ferrari team's strategy as he came in fourth leaving the Scuderia still waiting for their first win of the season. Fernando Alonso, nursing a bad back, was right in the thick of things to finish fifth for Aston Martin, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Lance Stroll in the other Aston, and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls). Max Verstappen, in his 200th drive for Red Bull, had to settle for ninth with Kimi Antonelli rounding out the top 10 as the man he replaced at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, could only manage 12th in the second Ferrari. Hamilton feeling 'useless' Meanwhile, a crestfallen Lewis Hamilton declared himself 'useless' after qualifying in 12th position for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday as Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc surged to pole position. Seven-time world champion Hamilton exited the session in Q2 with his head down and his helmet on as the 40-year-old retreated to the team's motor home. 'I'm useless,' said the British driver. 'Absolutely useless. The team has no problem. You've seen the car on pole so they probably need to change driver.' But he was backed to bounce back by four-time champion Max Verstappen who himself ranted about his Red Bull car and team after struggling to line up eighth on the grid. 'Looking at the whole weekend, I think we're happy to be in Q3 because I've been more outside the top 10 than in it - so, yeah, it's been difficult this whole weekend,' said the Dutch driver. 'No grip, front and rear, and it was the same in qualifying so, for me, it was not really a shock. I just drove to what I already feel the whole weekend.' The 27-year-old Dutchman added that Red Bull - who had left a towel in his cockpit during a pitstop on Friday which led him to throw it out of the car, 24 hours after he had declared he was staying for 2026 - did not yet understand the problems with the car. 'No, clearly not,' he said. 'I mean, otherwise, of course, we would have changed it already, but somehow, this weekend, nothing seems to work.' 'Nothing works' Last year, Verstappen said he had been quick enough to challenge for pole, but this season, 'from lap one, it just felt off — and we threw the car around a lot and nothing really gave a direction. 'Now, it's just nothing works. You know, it's like just going around in circles and nothing gives you any kind of idea of what to do.' Looking ahead to Sunday's race, he said: 'There may be a few cars in front of me that I can maybe battle with a little bit and, of course, Lewis is still a bit further down the road which, I think, he shouldn't be there right? So, he will come through a bit.' The two multiple champions, who battled so intensely in 2021 when Verstappen claimed his first title after a controversial victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, appear to have found a rapprochement and mutual respect. But Hamilton's heart-on-sleeve vulnerability as he seeks his first Ferrari podium after 13 races this year may soon become a sad ending story if he cannot sort out his qualifying woes. As the record-holder of nine poles and a record eight wins at the Hungaroring, he has to produce a rousing reminder of his best racing days on Sunday, as Verstappen expects. — AFP
