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Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Qatar and Saudi Arabia find out AFC qualifying fate for 2026 FIFA World Cup
The draw for the fourth round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has revealed the fate of the final six teams from the continent vying for a place at next summer's 48-team expanded edition. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the back-to-back AFC Cup winners, had already secured home advantage for the next round of qualifiers before Thursday's draw, which was made at AFC House, the headquarters of the football governing body on the continent, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at what comes next for the AFC nations that remain part of the qualifying process. Which AFC teams can still qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq, and Oman all missed out on qualification from the third round of AFC qualifiers but have progressed to the latest stage. How do the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup work? Two more AFC teams will directly join the six that had already qualified in the third round for the World Cup. One intercontinental playoffs spot will still be available beyond the fourth round of qualifiers. How will the fourth round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup work? Two round-robin groups will result in the top team from each taking Asia's last two remaining automatic spots. What is the draw for the AFC fourth round of qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup? Qatar will host Group A, which also contains the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Saudi Arabia welcomes Iraq and Indonesia into Group B. When will the fourth round of AFC qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup be played? 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. Group B is hosted by Qatar, organisers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but who have never qualified for the finals. They 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. How do the Intercontinental qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup work? The teams that finish second in the round-robin groups in the fourth round of AFC qualifiers will meet in a playoff over two legs, home and away, in November. The winner of that match progresses to intercontinental playoffs for the final 2026 FIFA World Cup place, which are scheduled for March 2026. Which teams have confirmed their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Six teams from Asia secured qualification last month from the third round of qualifiers by finishing in the top two of the three groups at that stage. Japan, Iran, South Korea and Australia have all participated numerous times, while Jordan and Uzbekistan will be making their first appearance. When will all teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup be confirmed? The European qualification rounds will not be completed until March, with the intercontinental playoff final scheduled for March 31. As a result, we will not know the final 48 teams for the World Cup until less than three months before the tournament. Where will the FIFA World Cup games be in 2026? The United States, Canada and Mexico are jointly hosting the next edition of FIFA's showpiece international event. When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled? The tournament begins in Mexico City on June 11 and ends with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
Al Jazeera
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Alcaraz targets Wimbledon three-peat in final against Sinner
Who: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner What: Wimbledon 2025 men's singles final Where: Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom When: Sunday, July 13, starting at not before 4pm local (15:00 GMT) How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:30pm local (12:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream. For Italy's Jannik Sinner, Sunday's Wimbledon final offers a chance of redemption; for Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, it is an opportunity to join an elite club of men who have won the title three years in succession. There are many other plot lines, but above all, the showdown will help to cement a rivalry that could dominate tennis for a decade. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the final. Who did Alcaraz and Sinner beat in their semifinals? The Spaniard overcame American Taylor Fritz in a four-set win in the first semifinal on Friday. Sinner then overcame Serbia's Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the second last-four clash. When did Alcaraz and Sinner last meet? The pair met in a mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever French Open final. The match, which 22-year-old Alcaraz won at Roland-Garros, is being touted as one of the greatest of all time. Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner, a year older than his Spanish opponent, have shared the last six Grand Slam titles. What happened in the French Open final between Alcaraz and Sinner? The Spaniard came back from two sets down and saved three match points on his way to a fifth Grand Slam title, in the process taking his head-to-head record over Sinner to 8-4, including winning all of the last four. It was a painful defeat for world number one Sinner, but he has not had to wait long to try to set the record straight. 2 - Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are just the second pair in the Open Era to meet in the Men's Singles final at Wimbledon and Roland Garros in a season, after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (2006-08). Rivalry. #Wimbledon | @Wimbledon @atptour @ATPMediaInfo — OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 11, 2025 What titles has Sinner won? Sinner's three Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts, two in Melbourne and one in New York. What titles has Alcaraz won? Alcaraz's major titles have come on all the sport's surfaces, suggesting a more complete game. The Spaniard, who is on a 24-match winning streak, has claimed both the Wimbledon and French Open titles twice, while also lifting the winner's trophy at the US Open. What chance does Sinner have against Alcaraz on grass? Sinner's performances against Ben Shelton in the quarters and Djokovic in the semis show just how suited his game is to grass. His laser-like ground strokes, powerful serve and his ability to turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye were all on display, and Alcaraz knows he faces a challenge every bit as tough as Roland-Garros on Centre Court on Sunday. Have Alcaraz and Sinner met on grass before? The only other time they have met on grass was at Wimbledon in 2022 when Sinner won their last-16 clash in four sets. Who else has won a Wimbledon three-peat? Should Alcaraz prevail, he would join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic as the only men to win the Wimbledon title three years in a row, and he would also surpass Nadal's two Wimbledon crowns. How have Alcaraz and Sinner fared at Wimbledon 2025 Alcaraz flirted with a shock first-round defeat against Italian Fabio Fognini, needing five sets. Sinner trailed by two sets against Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round after hurting his elbow, but was given a reprieve when the Bulgarian retired injured. Sinner, the third Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final after Matteo Berrettini in 2021 and Jasmine Paolini last year, has looked unhindered by his elbow despite wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm in his last two matches. 'I think we are handling this small problem at the moment very well,' he said. Stat attack – Alcaraz Alcaraz, at 22 years 56 days, has become the third-youngest player in the Open Era to reach consecutive men's singles finals at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros, after Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal (22 years 20 days). Stat attack – Sinner Only three players in the Open Era have conceded fewer games en route to a men's singles final at Wimbledon than Sinner (56) – Roger Federer (52, 2006), Jimmy Connors (54, 1975) and John McEnroe (54, 1982). How much will the Wimbledon men's singles winner be paid? This year's winner will take home $4.05m, and the runner-up will leave with $2.05m. Last year's prize was $3.64m. What time does the men's singles final start? The start time for the final on Sunday will be fluid depending on the duration of matches earlier in the day. The organisers, however, issued the advisory that the match will not start before 4pm at Wimbledon (15:00 GMT).
Al Jazeera
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Alcaraz targets Wimbledon three-peat in final against Fritz
Who: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner What: Wimbledon 2025 men's singles final Where: Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom When: Sunday, July 13, starting at not before 4pm local (15:00 GMT) How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:30pm local (12:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream. For Italy's Jannik Sinner, Sunday's Wimbledon final offers a chance of redemption; for Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, it is an opportunity to join an elite club of men who have won the title three years in succession. There are many other plot lines, but above all, the showdown will help to cement a rivalry that could dominate tennis for a decade. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the final. Who did Alcaraz and Sinner beat in their semifinals? The Spaniard overcame American Taylor Fritz in a four-set win in the first semifinal on Friday. Sinner then overcame Serbia's Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the second last-four clash. When did Alcaraz and Sinner last meet? The pair met in a mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever French Open final. The match, which 22-year-old Alcaraz won at Roland-Garros, is being touted as one of the greatest of all time. Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner, a year older than his Spanish opponent, have shared the last six Grand Slam titles. What happened in the French Open final between Alcaraz and Sinner? The Spaniard came back from two sets down and saved three match points on his way to a fifth Grand Slam title, in the process taking his head-to-head record over Sinner to 8-4, including winning all of the last four. It was a painful defeat for world number one Sinner, but he has not had to wait long to try to set the record straight. 2 - Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are just the second pair in the Open Era to meet in the Men's Singles final at Wimbledon and Roland Garros in a season, after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (2006-08). Rivalry. #Wimbledon | @Wimbledon @atptour @ATPMediaInfo — OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 11, 2025 What titles has Sinner won? Sinner's three Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts, two in Melbourne and one in New York. What titles has Alcaraz won? Alcaraz's major titles have come on all the sport's surfaces, suggesting a more complete game. The Spaniard, who is on a 24-match winning streak, has claimed both the Wimbledon and French Open titles twice, while also lifting the winner's trophy at the US Open. What chance does Sinner have against Alcaraz on grass? Sinner's performances against Ben Shelton in the quarters and Djokovic in the semis show just how suited his game is to grass. His laser-like ground strokes, powerful serve and his ability to turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye were all on display, and Alcaraz knows he faces a challenge every bit as tough as Roland-Garros on Centre Court on Sunday. Have Alcaraz and Sinner met on grass before? The only other time they have met on grass was at Wimbledon in 2022 when Sinner won their last-16 clash in four sets. Who else has won a Wimbledon three-peat? Should Alcaraz prevail, he would join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic as the only men to win the Wimbledon title three years in a row, and he would also surpass Nadal's two Wimbledon crowns. How have Alcaraz and Sinner fared at Wimbledon 2025 Alcaraz flirted with a shock first-round defeat against Italian Fabio Fognini, needing five sets. Sinner trailed by two sets against Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round after hurting his elbow, but was given a reprieve when the Bulgarian retired injured. Sinner, the third Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final after Matteo Berrettini in 2021 and Jasmine Paolini last year, has looked unhindered by his elbow despite wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm in his last two matches. 'I think we are handling this small problem at the moment very well,' he said. Stat attack – Alcaraz Alcaraz, at 22 years 56 days, has become the third-youngest player in the Open Era to reach consecutive men's singles finals at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros, after Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal (22 years 20 days). Stat attack – Sinner Only three players in the Open Era have conceded fewer games en route to a men's singles final at Wimbledon than Sinner (56) – Roger Federer (52, 2006), Jimmy Connors (54, 1975) and John McEnroe (54, 1982). How much will the Wimbledon men's singles winner be paid? This year's winner will take home $4.05m, and the runner-up will leave with $2.05m. Last year's prize was $3.64m. What time does the men's singles final start? The start time for the final on Sunday will be fluid depending on the duration of matches earlier in the day. The organisers, however, issued the advisory that the match will not start before 4pm at Wimbledon (15:00 GMT).
Al Jazeera
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Fluminense vs Chelsea 0-2: FIFA Club World Cup semifinal
This page is now closed, but a summary of the match is available below, and you can click here for our full match report. Thanks for joining us at Al Jazeera Sport.
Al Jazeera
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Record CWC winners Real face Dortmund in UCL 2024 final rerun
Who: Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund What: FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Where: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States When: Saturday, July 5 at 4pm local time (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 6pm local (22:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream. Record FIFA Club World Cup winners Real Madrid face the side they beat to claim the 2024 European crown, Borussia Dortmund, for a place in the semifinals. Real lifted the Champions League trophy two seasons ago with a 2-0 win at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom, now Dortmund have the chance to exact revenge by ending Real's hunt for a sixth FIFA title. Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the tie. How did Real Madrid reach the quarterfinals? Real opened their tournament with a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal but went on to beat Pachuca 3-1 and Real Salzburg 3-0, in doing so claiming top spot in Group H. That set up a blockbuster round-of-16 tie with fellow European giants Juventus. Gonzalo Garcia's 54th-minute header was enough to seal a 1-0 win for the Spaniards against the Italians. How did Borussia Dortmund reach the quarterfinals? Dortmund also opened with a draw – a 0-0 stalemate against Fluminense – but secured wins against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai. Their top spot in Group F lead to a round-of-16 meeting with Mexico's Monterrey. Serhou Guirassy netted in the 14th and 24th minutes, with German Berterame tightening matters in a 2-1 win for the German club. What happened in Real Madrid's last meeting with Borussia Dortmund? The sides have already had one rerun of the 2024 Champions League final when they met in the League Phase of last season's competition. Dortmund, however, missed out on the chance to get one back on Real, who ran out 5-2 winners in the match in Spain. Real Madrid team news Kylian Mbappe continues his return from an illness which kept him out of the group stage of the tournament. The French forward did, however, make his first appearance at this year's CWC when he came off the bench in the 68th minute of the win against Juventus. Borussia Dortmund team news Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham serves a one-match ban following a second booking of the competition in the win against Monterrey. It means there will be no head-to-head with his brother, Jude. Head-to-head This is the 17th meeting between the sides, with Real winning on eight occasions and Dortmund claiming the spoils in three of the encounters. The Spaniards haven't lost in the last six meetings, claiming four wins in that time. The run included the Champions League final two seasons ago when Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior's goals secured the trophy for Los Blancos. How many Club World Cups have Real Madrid won? Real Madrid have lifted the trophy, in its various guises, on a record five occasions, with their 2023 victory against Al Hilal being the last. That does not include lifting the inaugural FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December after their victory against Pachuca, despite that competition taking on the former format of the Club World Cup. Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso's pre-match thoughts 'I'm really delighted with the result [against Juventus], going through, and with the performance as well. We had to work, it was going to be tough, but we were professional and did really well.' Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac's pre-match thoughts 'We know [Xabi Alonso] very well. He worked two and a half years in Germany, and he did a fantastic job. Now he's implementing everything he had at Bayer Leverkusen at Real Madrid. So we're expecting the same what we had in Leverkusen, only with different players. We're looking forward to it, but you have to play football for 90 minutes, and if we put everything on to the pitch, I think that we will have a good chance.' Possible Real Madrid starting lineup Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Huijsen, Garcia, Valverde, Bellingham, Guler, Mbappe, Junior Possible Borussia Dortmund starting lineup Kobel, Ryerson, Sule, Anton, Bensebaini, Svensson, Nmecha, Gross, Sabitzer, Guirassy, Adeyemi
