Latest news with #FifaWorldCup2026
Observer
16 hours ago
- General
- Observer
Oman host Jordan for AFC Asian and WC Qualifiers
MUSCAT, JUNE 4 Red Warriors will eye for a triumph as they will host Jordan in a decisive clash on Thursday night at Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex for AFC Asian Qualifiers — Road to 26 in Group B. The match will begin at 8:00 pm. With the race for direct qualification to the Fifa World Cup 2026 heating up, the match has been dubbed a must-win by both sides. Oman will aim to utilise the fans support and home ground advantage in this essential crunch which act as match booster for reviving the hopes of earning a direct qualification berth into next year's Fifa World Cup. Essam al Subhi and his teammates managed to earn four crucial points from their March fixtures including a 1-1 draw in Seoul and 1-0 win over Kuwait which point Oman in fourth position with ten points and by three points behind Jordan who occupy the second automatic spot in the group. Red Warriors, who are chasing up for their historic first appearance on the global stage, will enter this fixture with a mixed squad of experienced and young faces as coach Rasheed will depend on different key players including: Ali al Busaidy, Ahmed al Khamisi, Harib al Saadi, Fayez al Rushaidi, Esam al Subhi, Al Mundher al Alawi, Jameel al Yhamadi and other players in the squad. Oman played two successful friendly matches behind closed doors including a 4-1 win against Niger and a 1-0 victory over Lebanon, with the team showing clear progress in attacking fluidity and defensive structure. In contrast, Jordan's recent friendly ended in a 2-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia last Friday with goals from Hassan al Tambakti and Muhanad al Saad. On the other side, the opponent team will be looking forward for the victory as the triumph will remain them firmly in the driver's seat going into their final matchday clash with Iraq. Jordan are currently one point ahead of Iraq, who will play table-toppers South Korea on Thursday and victory will set them up nicely for Tuesday's showdown with Iraq in Amman. Jordan coach will depend on the key players especially return of Ali Olwan beside attendance of Yazen Emad, Moosa Tamari and the rest of Jordanian players. Essential Game Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber voiced confidently in the match that the team are in best shape for the game. ' It is very important match and we can call this is as world cup game. Each team has its own goals and I need from my players to deliver their top efforts and full focus during the match. Jordan team considered as very dangerous in attacking side but we are ready for the game. Everyone in the team are very ambitious and fully confident to perfrom top game,' he said ' The crowd will be our energy. Their support can make the difference in these 90 critical minutes,' he ended Goalkeeper Fayez al Rushaidi, one of the team's most experienced players, echoed this sentiment: 'This is a decisive match. We learned a lot from previous games and now is the time to show our strength. We are ready and we need the fans with us throughout the match.' On the opposing side, Jordan, coached by Jamal Selami, are equally aware of the magnitude of the tie. Selami confident on his squad and he highlighted on the return of Ali Olwan and the presence of stars like Yazan Emad and Moosa Tamari. 'It is a tough game against a strong Oman side playing at home. But our preparations went according to plan. The Saudi match helped simulate Oman's environment. Apart from Ihsan Haddad, who's out with injury, we have a complete squad ready to compete.' said Selami Jordan's striker Ali Olwan, who recently returned from injury, shared his thoughts:' This is an essential match. I am glad to be back and grateful to the medical and coaching staff for helping me recover. I wish Ihsan a quick recovery and we are ready to give everything.'
Observer
2 days ago
- General
- Observer
Red Warriors charged up for Jordan encounter
MUSCAT, JUNE 3 With anticipation building and stakes higher than ever, the Oman national football team continued their final preparations ahead of the crucial clash against Jordan on Thursday in the decisive rounds of the AFC Asian Qualifiers — Road to 2026. The Red Warriors will conclude their warm-up sessions with a final training on Wednesday night at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, the same venue that will host Thursday's pivotal encounter. This match marks the penultimate fixture for Oman in Group C, to be followed by an away challenge against Palestine on Tuesday in Amman city in Jordan. Oman's head coach Rasheed Jaber, supported by his assistant Yaqoob al Sabahi, is counting on the depth and experience of key players including: Ali al Busaidy, Ahmed al Khamisi, Harib al Saadi and Esam al Subhi, who recently scored the decisive goal in Oman's 1-0 friendly win over Lebanon. The squad also boasts promising young talents, such as Tariq al Saadi, who are ready to contribute in this defining phase beside many other young players. The striker Mohsin al Ghassani will miss Jordan match due to the yellow cards accumulative. The Jordanian team, led by head coach Jamal Salami, is expected to hold their official training session at the match venue on Wednesday, after concluding two warm-up days at Seeb Stadium. Jordan, like Oman, is targeting an automatic qualification berth and will be eager to protect their advantage from the first-leg win 4-0 last October. However, the calculations will be much different on Thursday assignment as Red Warriors will take the advantage of the home and fans support to register a positive result that will keep Oman's hopes alive for sealing direct berth towards USA, Mexico and Canada next year. Both teams will hold their official pre-match press conference and technical meeting on Wednesday, offering final insights into their preparations and strategies for what promises to be a tense, high-stakes contest. Oman, With ten points in hand, will aim to produce a statement performance to bring their Fifa World Cup 2026 dreams closer to reality especially they will receive an advantage of home support.
Observer
3 days ago
- Sport
- Observer
Red Warriors eye triumph against Jordan in Muscat
MUSCAT, JUNE 2 All eyes will be on the final two matches of the AFC Asian Qualifiers — Road to 26 as Red Warriors will take on Jordan on Thursday in Muscat and followed by Palestine match on next Tuesday in Amman city. Red Warriors will focus to target for the triumph against Jordan to get inch closer for an automatic spot at the Fifa World Cup 2026 which will be be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Oman under the coaching guidance of the experienced domestic coach Rasheed Jaber are seeking for a historic appearance at the global showpiece and all the fans are looking for achieving this dream which is getting closer in this qualifier. Coaching staff headed by Rasheed Jaber and his assistant Yaqoob al Sabahi are very busy to find the alternative for Amjad al Harthy in the defending line and the goalie Ibrahim al Mukhaini who both were suffering to an injury. Jameel al Yahmadi, Thani al Rushaidi and Mulhem al Sunaidy are different options for the coaching staff to cover Amjad's position while the goalie Fayez al Rushaidi is currently under a tight training sessions to register a come back to the team after his absence in the last few matches due to the injury. As part of their comprehensive preparations, Oman played two successful friendly matches behind closed doors including a 4-1 win against Niger and a 1-0 victory over Lebanon, with the team showing clear progress in attacking fluidity and defensive structure. In contrast, Jordan's recent friendly ended in a 2-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia last Friday with goals from Hassan Al Tambakti and Muhanad Al Saad. Jordan's head coach Jamal Salami is expected to focus on addressing tactical lapses and defensive errors from that match, though they also face injury concerns of their own, including the absence of Ihsan Haddad, while Noor Al Rawabdeh and Ali Alwan under medical team supervision before returning to action. Oman will be seeking revenge after suffering a 4-0 defeat to Jordan in the first-leg encounter in Amman last October. With a passionate home crowd behind them and momentum on their side, the Red Warriors will aim to flip the narrative and move a step closer to making history. Following the Jordan clash, Oman will conclude their qualification campaign with an away fixture against Palestine on Tuesday in what could be a decisive match for a place in the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
The right name for the Gulf of Mexico
US president Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is an act of geographical chest-thumping. But imagine if he added a key word and called it the Gulf of North America. That simple tweak would trigger a meaningful shift in perspective. The gulf's current name dates to the mid-sixteenth century, coined by Spanish cartographers mapping the waters of New Spain, then a colony that encompassed much of present-day Mexico and parts of the southern US. It is, in other words, a legacy of European imperialism. True to his worldview, Trump envisions a new American imperialism, extending from Panama to Greenland. Geographically, the claim is a draw: depending on how you measure it, the US and Mexico have roughly the same amount of coastline along the gulf. What is clear is that the body of water is essentially enclosed by North America – an integral part of the Western hemisphere. Renaming it the Gulf of North America would serve as a reminder of that. It would also be a historic way for Trump to mark the first Fifa World Cup hosted by the three North American countries – Mexico, the US, and Canada – in 2026. To understand the Americas' strategic importance in the twenty-first century, we must begin with their people. By mid-century, nearly one in three US residents will trace their heritage to Latin America, just as many once traced theirs to Europe. Economically, culturally, and politically, Americans of Hispanic origin will be more oriented towards Latin America, rather than towards Europe or Asia. Nearly 60% of Latinos in the US are of Mexican descent, laying a foundation for greater cross-border integration. While Trump has issued an executive order designating English as the official language of the US, Spanish is certainly not going away. Hundreds of millions of people in countries with close ties to the US speak it – Miami, for example, is often described as Latin America's economic capital. In states like Texas, California, and Florida, Spanish-English bilingualism is often a practical necessity for business, education, and governance. Ironically, Trump has helped advance North American economic integration by accelerating the turn towards industrial policy that began with president Barack Obama's auto-industry bailout and US$90 billion investment in clean energy. To be sure, Trump's version relied on a different strategy: tariffs, tax cuts, and deregulation. His successor, Joe Biden, combined these approaches – retaining Trump's tariffs while rebuilding infrastructure and subsidising green and high-tech industries. Both Trump and Biden encouraged nearshoring in response to geopolitical rivalry with China and post-pandemic supply-chain shocks. Now, Trump is doubling down on his first-term trade and economic policies. Mexico has been a major beneficiary of this shift. In 2023, it overtook China to become the largest US trade partner, with its total goods trade reaching nearly US$800 billion. In 2024, Mexico received more than US$35 billion in foreign direct investment, part of a larger nearshoring trend in Latin America. US firms are increasingly investing in Mexico, as well as countries in Central and South America, not just due to their proximity, but also because they are young, digitally connected, and economically ambitious. Even with rising US protectionism, the region's geographic and cultural alignment makes it a better bet than Europe or Asia for companies producing goods and services for the US market. Politically, however, Trump often paints the region as a cesspool of criminality, focussing on gangs and drug trafficking. He is pressuring Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum to stop the flow of drugs and people over the border, using his 25% tariff on Mexican auto, steel, and aluminum exports as a powerful bargaining chip. Moreover, Trump frames problems in a way that allows him to step in with 'solutions' that suit his interests and, crucially, can be easily spun into political wins. For example, by emphasising the China-Mexico fentanyl pipeline – where China supplies precursor chemicals that Mexican cartels use to manufacture the drug – Trump justifies his trade war on both countries. Likewise, Trump has focussed his ire on the relatively small number of undocumented migrants in the US who have committed crimes – a problem that he can 'address' with dramatic mass deportations of alleged Latin American gang members. Once this performative phase ends, Trump will almost certainly revive and take credit for the package of immigration reforms contained in last year's bipartisan border-security bill, which the Republicans killed at Trump's behest, so that he could continue campaigning on illegal immigration. These reforms could lay the groundwork for a US-Mexico migration agreement that would create a more fluid visa system for provisional workers. But decreasing immigration in the long term requires strengthening the Mexican economy and improving the government's ability to fight corruption and protect its citizens. Meanwhile, demographic forces will continue to do their work. American Latinos will build businesses that connect communities across the Western hemisphere. Cultural and educational exchanges will grow organically. Even as many governments implement stricter visa rules, US citizens can still travel, study, and retire in Mexico and other Latin American countries. When Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, US newspapers trumpeted the first American pope. But the Vatican News heralded the arrival of the 'second Roman Pontiff – after Pope Francis – from the Americas'. The point was not that Prevost had spent decades in Peru and had become a naturalised Peruvian citizen. It was that Pope Francis was from South America, and Pope Leo 'is from the northern part of the continent'. Viewing the Americas as one continent is a useful way to see the world – an outlook that will probably gain ground this century. Trump is unlikely to accept my suggestion about the Gulf of North America. But his successor might. Regardless of the name, it is the geographic and economic reality. Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former director of policy planning in the US state department, is CEO of the think tank New America and professor emerita of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Observer
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Oman gear up for closed friendly match with Lebanon
MUSCAT: The Oman national football team will play a crucial closed-door friendly match against Lebanon on Wednesday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex as part of their ongoing domestic training camp in preparation for the final round of the Fifa World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers. The match will kick off at 8:00 pm (Oman time). This friendly encounter against Lebanon will serve as a final rehearsal allowing the technical staff to fine-tune the lineup and ensure peak readiness for what promises to be two defining fixtures on the road to the Fifa World Cup 2026. Oman players during the training camp Furthermore, the preparatory against Lebanon will mark the second preparatory match for the Red Warriors, following their 4-1 victory over Niger last week. The fixture which arranged at the request of both coaching staffs will take place at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex venue behind closed doors to maintain tactical confidentiality ahead of the critical qualifiers. Since last Friday, Oman team moved their training sessions at Seeb Stadium, following a the coaching staff decision by head coach Rasheed Jaber and his team to shift from the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. The venue switch has allowed the squad to intensify preparations in a focused environment. Lebanon match will mark the second preparatory match Today's match may see the return of key players who missed the first friendly including Al Mundher al Alawi, Essam al Subhi and players from Seeb Club who were absent during the Niger fixture due to club commitments. Their inclusion is expected to provide valuable depth and experience to the squad as final adjustments are made before the competitive matches. The Oman Football Association (OFA) confirmed that goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini remains sidelined due to a finger injury and will be out for four weeks. Additionally, defender Amjad al Harthy has been ruled out of the upcoming qualifiers after suffering a leg injury based OFA announcement in social media channels of OFA. Oman gear up for closed friendly match with Lebanon His absence is a significant setback to the defensive lineup as Oman eyes crucial wins in the last two fixtures. It is expected that the coaching staff will work to provide the alternative player in this position. Meanwhile, Salah al Yahyaei, who is still engaged with his club duties at Al Khalidiya SC in Bahrain, is set to join the national team squad after the Lebanon match, further strengthening the side ahead of the qualifiers. Oman is currently fourth in their group with ten points from eight matches, trailing leaders South Korea by six points. With matches against Jordan on June 5 in Muscat and Palestine on June 10 in Jordan, the Red Warriors are aiming to build on their recent form and secure a place in the next stage of qualification.
