World Football History made: Debutants Uzbekistan and Jordan celebrate World Cup places
Uzbekistan and Jordan have qualified for the men's Fifa World Cup for the first time, but what's the reaction been like and how significant is it for the two countries?
World Football's Isaac Fanin spoke to BBC journalists Khaldoon Alshamayleh in Amman, the capital of Jordan, and Firdavs Zavkiev in the Uzbek capital Tashkent to gauge the reaction.
South Korea also secured their place at the tournament with 10 countries now confirmed for the expanded 48-team tournament in United States, Canada and Mexico.
The three hosts have qualified automatically, while Japan, New Zealand, Iran and Argentina have also confirmed their spots.
Image: Uzbekistan's players celebrate after their 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier football match against the United Arab Emirates ended in a draw, qualifying them for the World Cup for the first time, at Al-Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on June 5, 2025. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Chou to meet Antonsen in Indonesia Open final as top two seeds exit
June 7 (Reuters) - Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan beat world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-16 23-21 in the Indonesia Open in Jakarta on Saturday to set up a final against Anders Antonsen, who defeated defending champion Shi Yuqi. Second seed Vitidsarn shot out of the blocks in both games and racked up 5-1 leads but the 35-year-old Chou showed great resilience, fighting back to secure a spot in his first final since last month's Taipei Open. China's Shi began his semi-final strongly, taking the first game 21-9, while third-seeded Antonsen was much more competitive in the second game and pounced on a string of errors from the top seed to wrest control of the match. Shi had the lead early in the tight third game but Antonsen rose to the challenge to win 9-21 21-18 21-19 -- his first victory over the two-times Asian Games gold medallist since January 2024. In the women's draw, top seed An Se-young of South Korea faced third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi, the second time the pair had met in the semi-finals of a Super 1000 tournament this year. Much like their meeting at the All England Open in March, reigning Olympic champion An held off her Japanese opponent to win 21-18 21-17 and secure a spot in the Indonesia Open final for a third time in her career. An will come up against Wang Zhiyi in Sunday's final after the Chinese world number two beat compatriot Han Yue 21-12 21-13 in 39 minutes.


The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Club World Cup to trial FIVE ‘trailblazing innovations' as Fifa chief confirms ‘groundbreaking' new rule changes
THE Club World Cup will trial five brand new rule changes when it kicks off later this month. Fifa 's revamped tournament gets underway on June 15 and will see top clubs from around the globe face off for an elaborate trophy and mega prize money. 5 The tournament, which used to feature just six teams, has been expanded to 32 teams, spanning Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. But it's not just the tournament format that is going to look different, but also the way the games are officiated, after Fifa announced five "trailblazing innovations" to be used in the competition. Football 's world governing body, and tournament organisers, have revealed that fans will get to see more of the referee's decision making than ever before. The first change announced is that referees will wear body cameras during matches, with the footage used during live match broadcasts. While footage from referee monitor reviews (VAR) will be aired live inside the stadium - something Premier League fans have been asking to see for some time. Fifa will also trial an "advanced" semi-automated offside technology using sensors inside the balls, in hopes of making further improvement on the tech already used in Uefa competitions like the Champions League. A fourth change will be the use of AI to collect live match data, helping fans see even more stats and figures to dissect the match. While the final innovation is that managers and coaching staff will be able to request their substitutions to the fourth official through a digital tablet, doing away with the old fashioned paper slips used at present. 5 5 Club World Cup 2025 Guide SOME of the world's biggest clubs are heading Stateside for a MAMMOTH Club World Cup. Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Man City, and Inter Miami are among the 32 teams taking part in the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 13. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane will be showing their skills to packed crowds across the US. Los Blancos are favourites to lift the trophy in New York but will face stiff competition from around the globe. Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 on DAZN Here's everything you need to know ahead of the tournament... INFO Everything you need to know ahead of the Club World Cup Club World Cup draw in FULL LATEST NEWS & FEATURES Club World Cup winner to be given special shirt for four years Gary Lineker agrees deal to present Club World Cup Referees to wear bodycams - with footage shown to fans How Liam Delap can re-invigorate Cole Palmer in the US Jack Grealish to be SNUBBED in Man City Club World Cup squad DAZN unveil brilliant promo with legendary boxing announcer drafted in Fifa's secretary general Mattias Grafstrom praised the organisation for the new additions. He said: "Fifa has a proud history of breaking new ground at its elite tournaments, and the Fifa Club World Cup will continue that trend. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will see the World's best players decide which club is the greatest "With the best clubs competing for the title of world champions, it is fitting that these trailblazing innovations will be on display at such a prestigious tournament." The tournament will be broadcast for free on streaming service DAZN in the UK. Fans can look forward to rare matchups between teams from different continents with clubs like Real Madrid, Flamengo, Man City, Chelsea and Lionel Messi 's Inter Miami all involved. The tournament is taking place across the United States of America, with top NFL and MLS stadiums hosting the matches. The final, which takes place on July 13, will be hosted in New York at the MetLife Stadium - home of the New York Jets and New York Giants. 5


South Wales Guardian
7 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Ollie Watkins withdraws from England squad as precaution over minor injury
Thomas Tuchel's side are preparing for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona before hosting Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground on Tuesday. Watkins was part of England's training camp in Spain this week but the Football Association has confirmed the 18-cap Euro 2024 semi-final hero will play no part in the June double-header. Ollie Watkins has withdrawn from the #ThreeLions camp as a precaution due to a minor injury. — England (@England) June 6, 2025 'Ollie Watkins will play no part in England's forthcoming fixtures against Andorra and Senegal,' read an update from the governing body. 'The Aston Villa striker has withdrawn from the squad as a precaution due to a minor injury. 'A 25-man squad will now continue preparations for Saturday's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona.' England will be expected to make it three wins from three in the Group K, having beaten Albania and Latvia at Wembley in March. But Tuchel warned they would need patience to break down the Andorran defence. 'It is on us to keep the tempo high. It is on us to bring the energy to the pitch,' he said. 'It is on us to bring the attacking energy to the pitch and to do this in a relentless way. 'I can fully understand that this is not the easiest time of the season for an international break. 'The players come from a short break of holiday. The players come from a long and tiring season and then accepting again the role. 'It is important not to over expect from us, in terms of that we expect already, like clear result, biggest chances, goals already, after 10-20 minutes and get impatient and get frustrated with ourselves. Friday focus ☑️Matchday 🔜 — England (@England) June 6, 2025 'I think it's a test to our patience. Andorra played against Spain and it was 1-0 at half-time with a set-piece. 'It's a World Cup qualifier. Respect your opponent. You respect the quality, the defensive organisation of your opponent. Then you understand how difficult it is to break down.' Spain and France set the standard with a thrilling Nations League semi-final on Thursday, where the Euro 2024 champions won 5-4. Tuchel said it would be unfair to expect his side to hit the same level on Saturday night. 'It's hard to compare a Nations League semi-final between Spain and France to our match tomorrow,' he said. 'But I personally feel always a responsibility to entertain. We always look to win. We always look to entertain and win and entertain at the same time. 'It was a spectacle yesterday. It was very offensive. It was like dominated by offensive quality of both teams. 'This is, I think, at the moment, one of the highest levels in Europe and it would be not fair to us. 'I think it will be a very, very different, different setting. We will be very offensive tomorrow – the mindset will be offensive.'