Lyon's Corentin Tolisso targets a return to the France squad
In an interview with L'Équipe, Corentin Tolisso (30) has revealed he is targeting a return to the France squad in the near future, hoping that Didier Deschamps has taken notice of his improved form at Lyon this season.
Winning the World Cup with France in 2018, the 30-year-old is no stranger to representing Les Bleus at the top level. After making his debut in 2017 against Spain, the Lyon academy graduate has gone on to make 28 appearances for his country. However, he has not played for Les Bleus under Deschamps since 2021 at UEFA EURO 2020.
Since returning to OL, Tolisso had struggled to recreate the form that saw him represent France on a regular basis and earned him a move to Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, the France international has refound that form this season – proving pivotal to any successes the Rhône club has had this term.
Commenting on his goals for the future with Lyon and the national team, Tolisso said, 'It is an objective to return to the France squad. When you have won the World Cup and the Champions League, what else can you aspire to?… I want to win trophies, to win titles, I want to relive that.'
GFFN | Liam Wraith
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USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Group stage schedule, odds, TV and live streaming options
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Group stage schedule, odds, TV and live streaming options Show Caption Hide Caption Inter Miami and Messi took alternate route to FIFA Club World Cup Safid Deen explains that while Inter Miami may have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup differently than others, we should be happy they'e in period. Sports Seriously It took until the 115th minute of a play-in game created on the fly ahead of the Club World Cup, but the group stage is finally set for this 2005 international soccer event that's attempting to blend the format of the World Cup with a global field of professional teams reminiscent of the Champions League. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup officially began on Saturday, May 31 when an extra-time goal by Denis Bouanga gave LAFC of Major League Soccer the final spot in the 32-team tournament taking place in venues around the United States for the first time beginning June 14. There are 64 matches on the docket to decide the tournament winner, with the champion crowned after the finals at MetLife Stadium outside New York on July 13. Some of the sport's biggest stars and tradition-rich clubs are slated to participate, including Real Madrid, Paris-St. Germain, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. There's potential for some dream matchups on American soil. The new 2025 group stage and bracket has 12 clubs from Europe, seven from South America, four from Africa, three from the United States, two from Mexico, two from the Middle East, two from Asia and one from Oceania. The Seattle Sounders of MLS also qualified for this year's tournament. Here's more information on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, including the teams participating, a full tournament schedule for the group stage, and the favorites to win this reformatted international soccer event: When is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup? Group Stage : June 14-June 26 : June 14-June 26 Round of 16 : June 28-July 1 : June 28-July 1 Quarterfinals : July 4-5 : July 4-5 Semifinals : July 8-9 : July 8-9 Finals: July 13 What teams are in FIFA Club World Cup? There are 32 teams in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup that have been separated into eight groups of four for the round-robin group stage in June. Here's how the field breaks down Group A Al Ahly FC (Egypt) FC Porto (Portugal) SE Palmeiras (Brazil) Inter Miami (United States) Group B Paris Saint-Germain (France) Atlético de Madrid (Spain) Botafogo (Brazil) Seattle Sounders FC (United States) Group C FC Bayern München (Germany) Auckland City FC (New Zealand) CA Boca Juniors (Argentina) SL Benfica (Portugal) Group D Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) CR Flamengo (Brazil) Chelsea FC (England) LAFC (United States) Group E CA River Plate (Argentina) Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) CF Monterrey (Mexico) Inter Milan (Italy) Group F Fluminense FC (Brazil) Borussia Dortmund (Germany) Ulsan HD (South Korea) Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) Group G Manchester City (England) Wydad AC (Morocco) Al Ain FC (United Arab Emirates) Juventus FC (Italy) Group H Real Madrid (Spain) Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) CF Pachuca (Mexico) FC Salzburg (Austria) Watch FIFA Club World Cup FREE with DAZN How to watch FIFA World Cup 2025: TV, streaming options Every match during the 2025 FIFA World Cup will be live streamed for free on which is the exclusive global broadcaster of the event. TNT will also air 24 matches in the United States. FIFA Club World Cup odds: Favorites to win Real Madrid is currently a slight favorite over Paris-St. Germain and Manchester City to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. BetMGM odds are as of 11 a.m. ET on Monday, June 9. Real Madrid (+400) Paris-St. Germain (+450) Manchester City (+500) Bayern Munich (+700) Chelsea (+1000) Inter Milan (+1400) Atletico Madrid (+1600) FIFA Club World Cup 2025 match schedule GROUP STAGE Saturday, June 14 Group A: Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami, 8 p.m. ET (Miami) Sunday, June 15 Group C: Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Group A: SE Palmeiras vs. FC Porto, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) SE Palmeiras vs. FC Porto, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group B: Botafogo vs. Seattle Sounders, 10 p.m. ET (Seattle) Monday, June 16 Group D: Chelsea vs. LAFC, 3 p.m. ET (Atlanta) Chelsea vs. LAFC, 3 p.m. ET (Atlanta) Group C: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica, 6 p.m. ET (Miami) Boca Juniors vs. Benfica, 6 p.m. ET (Miami) Group D: Flamengo vs. Espérance de Tunis, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Tuesday, June 17 Group F: Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group E: River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group F: Ulsan HD vs. Mamelodi Sundowns, 6 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Ulsan HD vs. Mamelodi Sundowns, 6 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Group E: Monterrey vs. Inter Milan, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Wednesday, June 18 Group G: Manchester City vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Manchester City vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group H: Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Group H: Pachuca vs. FC Salzburg, 6 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Pachuca vs. FC Salzburg, 6 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group G: Al Ain vs. Juventus, 9 p.m. (Washington, D.C.) Thursday, June 19 Group A: Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly, 12 p.m. ET, (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly, 12 p.m. ET, (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group A: Inter Miami vs. Porto, 3 p.m. ET, (Atlanta) Inter Miami vs. Porto, 3 p.m. ET, (Atlanta) Group B: Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid, 6 p.m. ET (Seattle) Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid, 6 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Friday, June 20 Group C: Benfica vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Benfica vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Group D: Flamengo vs. Chelsea, 2 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Flamengo vs. Chelsea, 2 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group D : LAFC vs. Espérance de Tunis, 6 p.m. ET (Nashville, Tennessee) : LAFC vs. Espérance de Tunis, 6 p.m. ET (Nashville, Tennessee) Group C: Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors, 9 p.m. ET (Miami) Saturday, June 21 Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group E: Inter Milan vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Inter Milan vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group F: Fluminense vs. Ulsan HD, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Fluminense vs. Ulsan HD, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group E: River Plate vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Sunday, June 22 Group G: Juventus vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Juventus vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group H: Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte, North Carolina) Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte, North Carolina) Group H: FC Salzburg vs. Al Hilal, 6 p.m. ET (Washington, D.C.) FC Salzburg vs. Al Hilal, 6 p.m. ET (Washington, D.C.) Group G: Manchester City vs. Al Ain, 9 p.m. ET (Atlanta) Monday, June 23 Group B: Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Group B : Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) : Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group A: Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, 9 p.m. ET (Miami) Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, 9 p.m. ET (Miami) Group A: Porto vs. Al Ahly, 9 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Tuesday, June 24 Group C: Benfica vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte) Benfica vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte) Group C: Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors, 3 p.m. ET (Nashville) Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors, 3 p.m. ET (Nashville) Group D: Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group D: LAFC vs. Flamengo, 9 p.m. ET (Orlando) Wednesday, June 25 Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan HD, 3 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan HD, 3 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Group E: Inter Milan vs. River Plate, 9 p.m. ET (Seattle) Inter Milan vs. River Plate, 9 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena) Thursday, June 26
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
2026 World Cup Q&A with Tony Meola: USMNT must make semifinals to be considered 'great'
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Wednesday, June 11 marks exactly one year until the FIFA World Cup officially returns to the United States for the first time since that memorable 1994 experience. Canada and Mexico also will serve as co-hosts next year, with the first games of the tournament scheduled to take place in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 11, 2026. The United States and Canada will play their first games of the group stage on June 12, 2026, with matches slated for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and BMO Field in Toronto. GOLD CUP: USMNT goalkeeper to miss Gold Cup with knee injury A lot of has changed within the American soccer infrastructure over the past 31 years, beginning with the introduction of Major League Soccer in the aftermath of the sport's surging popularity coming off the first American-hosted World Cup. 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But I said, 'ok, well four years from now, if we continue to improve in this fashion, we're going to be pretty good' and we've kind of pumped the breaks a little bit on that. But I'm steadfast on this team will be good enough at the World Cup.' USA TODAY: What is a realistic goal for success for the U.S. men's national team at the 2026 World Cup? Tony Meola: 'If we were in a quarterfinal in 2002, we need to surpass that. That's the next step for me. I don't know if I'll measure success (that way). It's the World Cup. Your team could play great and, like, we got a bad call in that game against Germany (in 2002), that could happen here in the tournament. That doesn't mean you played poorly. It just means something didn't go your way. But me, personally, the next great national team will be the team that gets to a semifinal of the World Cup. That's just my personal opinion. Other people will judge it other ways. But that's how I'll judge it.' USA TODAY: Do you have a favorite moment from the 1994 World Cup? Tony Meola: 'I hope the players have the feeling that we had when that final whistle blew against Colombia. If you go back and look at those pictures of the Rose Bowl and you look at the flags being thrown on the field to the players, I hope there's a moment like that for this group in 2026 because I can still feel the ground underneath my feet right now when I talk about it and mention it. I can feel Thomas Dooley jumping on my shoulders. I still can feel that moment and it doesn't matter if you played at the biggest club in Europe or the smallest team in the world. Those moments you'll never forget.' The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
With FIFA World Cup one year away, fans and politicians still aren't sure what to expect
Soccer fans watch a friendly match between Manchester United and Arsenal at SoFi Stadium in July 2024. SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images) Think of the World Cup as a big dinner party. Only instead of asking over family, neighbors and some folks from the office, the whole planet has been invited. Many of those people will be coming to Southern California, and with Wednesday marking the one-year countdown to the tournament's kickoff, Larry Freedman, co-chair of the Los Angeles World Cup host committee, acknowledges there's still a lot of tidying up that has to be done before the guests arrive. Advertisement 'As with any event of this magnitude, there are a tremendous number of moving pieces,' he said. 'Nobody is ready, 100%, a year out. When we signed up for this, we knew we would be working to the end to get ready.' The 2026 World Cup will be the largest and most complex sporting event in history, with 48 national teams playing 104 games in 16 cities spread across the U.S., Mexico and Canada over 39 days. Eight games will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Read more: Visa approval crisis threatens to cost 2026 World Cup and L.A. Olympics millions With more than 6 million fans expected to attend matches and another 6 billion engaging globally, FIFA, the World Cup's organizer, says the economic impact to the three countries could top $40 billion. But the number of obstacles host cities will have to negotiate are almost as large and complex as the tournament itself. Advertisement 'Transportation, communications, ticketing, security, the fan fest,' Freedman said. 'You name it.' Hovering over it all like a black cloud are uncertainties over visas, which about half the fans coming to the U.S. for the tournament will need in order to enter the country. 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Sports & Entertainment Commission, considers both a unique opportunity and a major responsibility. 'The thing that keeps me awake at night is how quickly this has been,' she said. 'We started in 2017 on this bid and it just always seemed like it was a long way away. Then, all of sudden, poof, we're at one year out.' 'I want to make a positive impact on people and their memories,' she continued. 'That, to me, is the biggest responsibility here because we're not going to have this event here again in my lifetime. So this is the one opportunity of the world's biggest event to really do some good in L.A.' Advertisement This is already the second World Cup played in the U.S. in Schloessman's lifetime. The first, in 1994, was the most successful in history, setting records for average and overall attendance and returning a record $50-million profit to its organizing committee, headed by Alan Rothenberg. 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Fans pack the Rose Bowl during a World Cup match between Brazil and Italy on July 17, 1994. (Lois Bernstein / Associated Press) And Rothenberg could do that because, as president of U.S. Soccer and chairman of the World Cup organizing committee, he was in charge of the entire tournament. That has changed. FIFA now runs the show, overseeing each of the 16 World Cup cities, who are acting independently of one another. Advertisement The financial agreements between FIFA and the World Cup hosts have also changed, which is why it's highly unlikely any future tournament will be as profitable for the host country as Rothenberg's was for the U.S. In 1994, FIFA shared some of its earnings with local organizers, who were also allowed to cut their own sponsorship deals. That led to a $50 million surplus that funded the U.S. Soccer Foundation. This time around FIFA is taking virtually all tournament-related revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships and broadcasting, even at the local level, while leaving host cities on the hook for public services, security and stadium operations. The relationship is so one-sided that Chicago, where the World Cup opened in 1994, backed out of the 2026 tournament citing the costs to the public. Los Angeles threatened to pass on the tournament as well until a privately funded host committee made up of nearly a dozen local sports and civic organizations agreed to cover much of the risks to taxpayers. In return, a report by Micronomics Economic Research and Consulting estimates Southern California will receive $594 million in economic impact from the tournament, including $343 million in direct spending on hotels, meals, transportation and other services from the estimated 180,000 out-of-town World Cup visitors. Advertisement But that's assuming those visitors show up. According to the State Department website, wait times for a non-immigrant B1/B2 visa — the one World Cup visitors who do not qualify for a visa waiver will need to enter the U.S. — topped a year in Colombia, Honduras and several cities in Mexico. And things may be getting worse. 'Based on our experience, the approval rate for B1/B2 tourist and/or temporary business visas in Colombia has changed,' said Pamela Monroy, a paralegal who helps prospective U.S. visitors through the immigration process. 'There has been a considerable increase in the denial rate for this visa category. We believe this is a result of the ongoing policies and changes in immigration matters being implemented by the Donald Trump administration.' Those kinds of stories worry Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), whose district borders SoFi Stadium. 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A month later he signed the travel ban, effectively limiting the definition of 'everyone.' President Trump signs a soccer ball as Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, right, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino look on at Lusail Palace in Doha, Qatar, on May 14. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) At that same White House meeting in May, Vice President JD Vance, the co-chair of the task force, warned World Cup visitors that they would have to leave immediately after the tournament. 'Otherwise,' he said 'they will have to talk to Secretary Noem,' referring to Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency has detained and interrogated people with approved immigration documents at U.S. points of entry. Advertisement The last two World Cup hosts — Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 — allowed visitors to enter their countries with a game ticket essentially doubling as their visa. Both governments also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the tournament. Trump's travel ban, which took effect Monday, bars travel to the U.S. for people in 12 countries and severely limits access to people from seven others. In addition to Iran, which has already assured itself a place in the 2026 tournament, those 19 countries include Sudan, Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela, whose teams still have a chance to earn World Cup bids via regional qualifying tournaments. An exception to the travel ban will allow athletes, coaches and support staff into the U.S. but not fans, directly contradicting FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who told delegates at last month's FIFA Congress that 'the world is welcome in America ... but definitely also all the fans.' Infantino has built a relationship with Trump, attending the president's inauguration in January. If the administration's seemingly contradictory actions caught the FIFA leader by surprise, it also might have convinced some foreign soccer fans to not attend games in the U.S. Advertisement Read more: L.A. Olympic organizers confident they will cover estimated $7.1 billion cost of Games Marcel Ott, a 30-year-old software consultant from Leipzig, Germany, has long been saving for a trip to the World Cup but reports of German tourists being detained, some for weeks, at U.S. airports has led him to reconsider. 'Now I'm not so sure because of the political developments in the U.S.,' he said in German. 'I don't know if it's worth the risk of getting stopped and detained at the airport and risk being deporting back to Germany.' Germany is one of 42 countries whose citizens are eligible for the visa waiver program, which generally allows them to enter the U.S. for visits of up to 90 days without a visa. However, they must obtain Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel and can be turned away at any point of entry by Customs and Border Protection officers. Advertisement Ott, who has attended two World Cups, said he may fly to Canada and try to enter the U.S. from there. 'If I get sent back at the border crossing to Canada, I won't have to fly back to Germany right away,' he said. 'I'm thinking the guards at the border to Canada might be a little more relaxed. And there are World Cup games in Canada, too, so it wouldn't be so bad if I get sent back at the Canadian border. 'To be honest, I am still not sure what to do next year.' Marlene, 33, who declined to give her last name, is also uncertain. A city government employee in Berlin, she attended the last two World Cups in Russia and Qatar and planned to travel to the U.S. next summer 'but the general events and U.S. politics put me off. I think it would be better for me not to travel to the USA.' Advertisement But Volker Heun, who worked as a bank executive in the U.S. and once golfed with Trump, said those fears are misplaced, citing the nearly two million Germans who visited America without issue last year. 'This whole issue is being totally overblown in the German media,' said Heun, who plans to enter a World Cup lottery for tickets to multiple games. 'The atmosphere is going to be great.' In South Korea, Jo Ho-tae, who helps manage the Red Devils, a supporter group that recently followed the country's national team to a qualifying match in Jordan, said he will rely on government officials to warn of potential problems. 'I haven't thought too much about Trump's immigration policy yet,' he said. 'But who even knows if our matches will be held in the U.S. and not in Canada or Mexico?' Advertisement The White House could always reverse its immigration policy, as it has done repeatedly with tariffs, and prioritize visa requests for World Cup travelers. That's the solution Freedman, L.A. organizing committee co-chair, is betting on. 'They are looking at this as a showcase event for the country and the host cities. And they understand, it seems, how important it is to welcome the world,' he said. 'I am hopeful that it all gets sorted out in a good way.' Read more: News Analysis: Why are big-name U.S. players passing on World Cup tuneup? Many close observers of World Cup preparations share Freedman's optimism. Advertisement Whether that cautious optimism is justified may soon be known. Tickets for the tournament are expected to go on sale this summer and the draw to determine matchups and venues for the group-play stage of the tournament will be held this winter. Those two events could go a long way toward determining how the World Cup plays out, said Travis Murphy, a former U.S. diplomat who is founder and chief executive of Jetr Global Sports + Entertainment, a Washington-based firm that works to solve visa and immigrant issues for athletes and sports franchises. 'There's kind of this stopwatch that begins the moment the draw is complete to figure out [training] camps and logistics and visas and travel arrangements,' he said. 'I do think they'll make it happen. Is that to say there won't be any issues? Of course not. There was never going to be a scenario where there's not significant challenges to get all these people into the country. 'There are times when the rhetoric seems to run contrary to what's happening on the ground. But it does, at least for the moment, seem like they're implementing changes that are ultimately going to be helpful.' Advertisement Baxter reported from Los Angeles, special correspondent Kirschbaum from Berlin and staff writer Max Kim from Seoul. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
