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Maroc
6 days ago
- Sport
- Maroc
CAF, Morocco LOC Announce Match Venues for CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco 2024)
The African Football Confederation (CAF) along with Morocco's Local Organizing Committee (LOC) unveiled Tuesday the venues that will host the matches of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Morocco 2024 from 05-26 July, 2025. Six stadiums in five cities will host the matches of this continental competition, scheduled from July 5 to 26, 2025, CAF stated on its website. These are the Larbi Zaouli and Père Jégo Stadiums in Casablanca, the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, the El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia, the Stade d'Honneur in Oujda, and the Municipal Stadium in Berkane. "As seen across all CAF competitions over the last four years, the CAF WAFCON, Morocco 2024 is expected to build on the record-breaking success of its previous editions, with expectations to surpass past figures in stadium attendance, global broadcast viewership and engagement across digital platforms," the CAF says in a press release. Twelve teams, divided into three groups, will participate in this competition. Morocco, the host country, has been placed in Group A, alongside Zambia, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Group B includes Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana, while Group C is composed of South Africa, Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania. MAP: 27 mai 2025
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
New Zealand returns to action in Toronto after punching 2026 World Cup ticket
TORONTO – Michael Boxall has scored just one goal for New Zealand, but it was one of consequence. Rising high, the Minnesota United defender headed home a corner from substitute Francis de Vries in the 61st minute to open the scoring March 24 in 86th-ranked New Zealand's 3-0 win over No. 151 New Caledonia in the Oceania Football Confederation qualifying final at Auckland's Eden Park. 'It took a long time to get there,' a chuckling Boxall, who made his New Zealand debut in 2011, said of opening his scoring account in his 55th international appearance. The victory sent New Zealand to the 2026 World Cup, its third trip to the soccer showcase after 1982 and 2010. The All Whites' first games since their qualifying success come at the four-team Canadian Shield Tournament, against the 41st-ranked Ivory Coast on June 7 and No. 25 Ukraine on June 10 at Toronto's BMO Field. New Zealand won't play host Canada, ranked 30th in the world, at the tournament. 'To face two top 50 sides, in a tournament situation, in one of the FIFA World Cup 2026 host venues, is the perfect challenge for us,' said New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley. The 36-year-old Boxall, whose long throw-ins add to the attack options for both club and country, relishes the chance to represent New Zealand again. 'Obviously competition in Oceania isn't the stiffest but New Caledonia made it a tough test for us,' said Boxall. 'And yes, we definitely excited to get back (in action) now that we've punched our ticket for 2026.' And like Canada, he welcomes the chances to face elite opposition at the new Toronto tournament. 'The last few (FIFA international) windows, we've kind of only been up against teams from our confederation,' Boxall said in an interview. 'So we need to prepare ourselves to play against world-class opposition … It will be a huge step up and it will be a good marker to see where we're at and what we need to work on heading towards the World Cup.' New Zealand failed to get out of the group stage in its previous trips to the World Cup. In 1982, the All Whites lost all three games to Scotland (5-2), the Soviet Union (3-0) and Brazil (4-0). In 2010, they fared better, drawing Slovakia (1-1), Italy (1-1) and Paraguay (0-0) but still went home early. New Zealand is unbeaten in seven matches, having won six straight — including five in World Cup qualifying — since drawing the United States in an international friendly. Its last loss was 3-0 to Mexico in a friendly at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 7. The famous win over New Caledonia came some 33 months after New Zealand lost 1-0 to Costa Rica in an intercontinental playoff in Doha, Qatar, for the last berth at the 2022 World Cup. Boxall started his MLS career with the Vancouver Whitecaps, who selected him first overall in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft out of University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) where he was the Big West Defender of the Year in 2010. In 2012, Boxall he returned home to join Wellington Phoenix in the Australian A-League. In 2105, he joined South Africa's SuperSport United, helping the team to back-to-back Nedbank Cup titles. He returned to MLS in 2017 with Minnesota United, also home to Canadian goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and forward Tani Oluwaseyi. Playing for the All Whites in Toronto comes with a bonus of reduced travel time. Boxall is a road warrior when it comes to playing for New Zealand. 'The last window I missed a flight on the way to New Zealand and had a flight cancelled on the way back,' he said. 'So I'm not seeing too many flight issues in the hour-and-half trip of whatever it is from here to Toronto (one hour 58 minutes in actuality). So that will be nice.' Bazeley's 23-man Toronto roster features five changes to the squad called up for the Oceania Qualifiers. Saint-Etienne attacker Ben Old returns from injury with Portland Timbers defender Finn Surman also back after missing the previous international window by agreement with his MLS club. There are recalls for goalkeeper Nik Tzanev (Northampton Town) and defenders Callan Elliot (Auckland FC) and Bill Tuiloma (Charlotte FC). New Zealand is slated to face Norway in October in Oslo in an international friendly that will likely feature two top scorers from England's Premier League in All Whites captain Chris Wood, who plays his club football for Nottingham Forest, and Norway star Erling Haaland (Manchester City). With New Zealand enjoying its highest world ranking since October 2013, Boxall believes his team is indeed on the rise. 'The talent's there. And it's just about us getting all on the same page against teams that are ranked higher than us and doing the job against them.' Boxall, wife Libby and their two kids split their off-season between Minnesota and their home in New Zealand. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. New Zealand Kosta Barbarouses, Wellington Phoenix (New Zealand); Joe Bell Viking FK (Norway); Tyler Bindon, Reading (England, on loan from Nottingham Forest); Michael Boxall, Minnesota United (MLS); Liberato Cacace, Empoli (Italy); Max Crocombe, Burton Albion (England); Callan Elliot, Auckland FC (New Zealand); Matt Garbett, NAC Breda (the Netherlands); Eli Just, SKN St. Pölten (Austria, on loan from Horsens); Callum McCowatt, Silkeborg IF (Denmark); Ben Old, AS Saint-Etienne (France); Alex Paulsen, Auckland FC (New Zealand, on loan from AFC Bournemouth); Nando Pijnaker, Auckland FC (New Zealand); Alex Rufer, Wellington Phoenix (New Zealand); Sarpreet Singh, U.D. Leiria (Portugal); Tommy Smith, Auckland FC (New Zealand); Marko Stamenic, Olympiacos (Greece, on loan from Nottingham Forest); Finn Surman, Portland Timbers (MLS); Bill Tuiloma, Charlotte FC (MLS); Nik Tzanev, Northampton Town (England); Francis de Vries, Auckland FC (New Zealand); Ben Waine, Mansfield Town (England, on loan from Plymouth Argyle); Chris Wood, Nottingham Forest (England). — This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Lion City Sailors denied at final hurdle as Sharjah FC clinch AFC Champions League Two title at Bishan
Lion City Sailors' Bart Ramselaar has his shot closed down by Sharjah FC's Shahin Abdulrahman and Khaled Ibrahim in the ACL2 final. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR Lion City Sailors denied at final hurdle as Sharjah FC clinch AFC Champions League Two title at Bishan SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors' bid to become the first club from Singapore to win a continental title came to an agonising end on May 18. Despite fervent support from a capacity crowd of 9,737 at the Bishan Stadium, the Sailors were edged out 2-1 by Emirati heavyweights Sharjah FC in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two final. The tight encounter saw the Sailors enjoy most of the chances, but it was Sharjah who made the breakthrough in the 74th minute. Brazil-born attacker Caio Lucas was afforded enough space and time to pick out the overlapping Khaled Ibrahim at the far post who then pulled it back for Tunisian international Firas Ben Larbi to finish past Izwan Mahbud. Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne looked to have sent the game into extra time when he stepped up in the second of 11 minutes of added time with a strike from just outside the box. But Sharjah restored their advantage with Marcus Meloni dribbling past Sailors' defenders and finding the far corner of Izwan's net in the seventh minute of added time, as their 500 travelling fans erupted in sheer delirium. The Sailors, who became Singapore's first privatised football team in 2020, had already made history by being the first team from the Republic to ever feature in a continental final. Their journey to the final started with them topping Group F ahead of 2023 Chinese Super League second runners-up Zhejiang Professional, Thai League 1's third-placed Port FC and Indonesia Liga 1 champions Persib Bandung. In the knockout rounds, there was a convincing aggregate win over Muangthong United from Thailand in the round of 16 before lady luck shone on them, as they were able to turn a 6-1 quarter-final, first-leg loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima into a 3-0 win after the Japanese side fielded an ineligible player. They then held the Japanese side to a brave 1-1 draw at home. In the semi-finals, the Sailors came through with a 2-1 aggregate win over Australia's Sydney FC. Having clinched the 2024-25 Singapore Premier League title on May 10, they are still on course for a double, though. They will face DPMM in a two-legged Singapore Cup semi-final on May 21 and May 27. Full match report to follow. Deepanraj Ganesan is a sports journalist at The Straits Times focusing on football, athletics, combat sports and policy-related news. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Real Madrid's last-gasp winner against Mallorca delays Barcelona title party
This may have done no more than delay the inevitable and no one truly believes in a miracle, but suddenly there was a roar, a release, some life at the Santiago Bernabéu. The day before, Carlo Ancelotti had talked about the many wonderful comebacks over his years at Real Madrid, moments he said would never be forgotten, and now here in his penultimate game in this stadium was another, 20-year-old centre-back Jacobo Ramón scoring with the last kick of the game to defeat Real Mallorca and keep the league title alive for another day at least. It came late, very late on a grey, wet Wednesday night in front of perhaps 30,000 empty seats. It came with a manager whose departure was announced two days earlier and a dozen players missing, at the end of an evening that had felt empty for a long time. And ultimately it probably doesn't mean much to Madrid. But it meant the world to Ramón and for a moment everyone could forget how this season has gone, the defender's strike in the 95th minute overturning Martin Valjent's opener after just 11 minutes. Advertisement Related: Ten transfer targets for Premier League clubs from across Europe That leaves Madrid four points behind Barcelona, with two games to play and Barça with three. It also, in truth, leaves Madrid where they were, just waiting for the end. If Barcelona win against Espanyol on Thursday night that will come within 24 little hours. The statements will follow immediately: Madrid will at last officially announce what the Brazilian Football Confederation already has – that Ancelotti is the leaving for the only job in world football bigger, as coach of the Seleção. Then they will confirm another open secret: that Xabi Alonso is his replacement. And then attention will turn elsewhere, or it would do if it hadn't already. The league may be mathematically alive, but it was effectively concluded when Barcelona won the clásico on Sunday. That made this a strange occasion; for much of the night, it had felt like what it was: a game too far, hearts no longer in it. In the end though there was at least rebellion, pride, Madrid racking up more than 30 shots, and a final explosion. There were still tickets on sale at kick-off, for the first time all season, hope abandoned. From some of those that came there were whistles when the teams were read out. They were timid, no full-scale protest. And not everyone was there. Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão and David Alaba have missed much of the season. Antonio Rüdiger, suspended after throwing ice at the referee in the dying seconds of their Copa del Rey final defeat by Barcelona, had surgery. Eduardo Camavinga had torn a muscle three days earlier. And then came what you could be forgiven for thinking was a serious outbreak of season's-over-itis. Advertisement Lucas Vázquez and Vinícius Júnior were injured in the clásico. Rodrygo, who didn't play a minute, walked out for training on Tuesday morning and then walked back in again. On the morning of this game, Andriy Lunin pulled out. In the afternoon, so too did Brahim Díaz. Aurélien Tchouaméni was suspended. Madrid were left with 10 first-team players, and one of those is the strange case of Jesús Vallejo, the footballer who has been on the bench for 43 games and on the pitch for one, disastrous, 10-minute cameo. Here, he got on again and even provided the assist at death. No one could ever have imagined that, although the night could have started well when Arda Guler sent Endrick running right through the middle after just two minutes. He reached the edge of the area but, falling as he struck the ball having been given a slight push in the back by José Copete, the shot was saved by Leo Román. That was to be a recurring theme, once Mallorca took the lead. Dani Ceballos was unable to cut out a pass from Mateu Morey on the right and Valjent swung his left foot to send the ball past Thibaut Courtois. Madrid's reaction was timid at first and although it did gather pace, the shot count rising and Román providing to be a formidable barrier. He made saves from Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde in the first half and carried on the same way in the second, resisting until there was only quarter of an hour left. Then Mbappé found a way through Morey and Valjent with a combination of elegance and strength, then hit a superb near-post finish to put Madrid level. The French forward had underlined once again one of the great contradictions of this campaign: this was his 28th league goal, his 40th in all competitions yet few would call it an unqualified success. He had at least given them a glimpse of hope on the night, the chances increasing, the saves too. Madrid kept coming, an occasion made of this. Román kept saving, Valjent cleared one off the line, Gonzalo García missed a clear chance at the far post and then there was Ramón to complete one last remontada for old times' sake.
Daily Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Ancelotti to Take Charge of Brazil After Real Madrid Exit
Carlo Ancelotti will step down as Real Madrid manager at the end of the season to become Brazil's new head coach, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has confirmed. The 65-year-old Italian, one of the game's most decorated managers, is set to begin his new role next week ahead of Brazil's World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay. The move ends a long-running pursuit by the CBF, who first expressed interest in Ancelotti following the 2022 World Cup. Ancelotti has spent four seasons in his second spell at the Bernabéu, winning a host of trophies including the Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey. However, Real Madrid are expected to finish the current campaign without silverware, prompting a change. He will reportedly become the highest-paid national team coach with an initial one-year contract, extendable beyond the 2026 World Cup. The CBF hailed the appointment as a major statement of intent. 'He is the greatest coach in history and now he is at the helm of the greatest national team on the planet,' said CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues. Xabi Alonso is expected to succeed Ancelotti at Real Madrid, with the former midfielder set to arrive from Bayer Leverkusen.
