Football News

Samantha Johnson will present the live-streamed event on 21 April. FIFA Legends Lindsay Tarpley and Ryan Nelsen will be the draw assistants. The 28 teams that have qualified for the Olympic football tournaments will discover their first opponents in the draw, to be held on 21 April at 10:00 CET, at the Home of FIFA in Zurich. Hosts Japan will take the lead spot in Group A (men’s) and Group E (women’s), with the men's teams allocated into four pots based on a ranking built according to performances at the past five Olympic football tournaments. The ranking is weighted so that recent performances play a more prominent role, and a bonus is given to those nations who finished their qualifying competition as continental champions. The 16 sides will be drawn into four groups of four (Groups...

Due to the current epidemiological situation in Zurich and Switzerland as a whole, FIFA and the Organising Committee have decided to postpone the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup, which is traditionally held over the Ascension holiday. COVID-19 caused the cancellation of last year’s tournament – but the organisers are still hoping that this year’s event will go ahead, if possible, at the end of August. As was the case in 2020, there are serious doubts as to whether this year’s Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup tournament at the Buchlern sports complex in Altstetten, Zurich, will take place. For FIFA and the Organising Committee, it is already clear that the original dates on which it was due to be held – 12 and 13 May – are out of the question since, bearing in mind the current pandemic situation, it ...

A total of 60 national teams will participate in the FIFAe Nations Series 2021 FIFAe Nations Cup 2021 to take place from 20 to 22 August in Copenhagen Nations to compete for a total prize pool of USD 500,000 The very best EA SPORTS™ FIFA 21 national teams will compete from 20 to 22 August in Copenhagen, Denmark for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2021™ title. The final tournament will pit 24 teams against each other (three players per team) on the biggest stage of competitive FIFA. Within the FIFAe Nations Series, a total of 60 nations will challenge each other for a prize pool of USD 500,000. For many of the world’s best players, representing their country and competing for ultimate glory in the second edition of the FIFAe Nations Cup is a dream come true – and the challenge of a lifetime. T...

China PR dramatically pipped Korea Republic for an Olympic place Wang Shuang was the extra-time hero The 26-year-old discusses their qualification and Tokyo targets The scene of a weeping Wang Shuang, hugging team-mates after 120 minutes in Suzhou yesterday, told its own story. It had been a year since China PR were due to face Korea Republic in a winner-takes-all showdown for a Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 place. Due to the COVID-19, however, the two teams didn't square off until recently. Jia Xiuquan’s Steel Roses battled to a 2-1 away win in the first leg in Korea Republic, with Wang scoring the winner, but the Taeguek Ladies emerged a different team in the return match, going in 2-0 up at the break. With little over 20 minutes remaining, however, Wang's free-kic...

Women’s Olympic Football Tournament history This will be Chile’s first appearance in the competition. The road to Tokyo La Roja’s quest to reach Tokyo 2020 began at the Copa America Femenina 2018, where they finished runners-up to Brazil courtesy of three wins, three draws and a solitary defeat – unsurprisingly against A Seleção in the final phase. Chile’s second-place finish earned them an intercontinental play-off against Cameroon, who they duly beat 2-1 on aggregate to seal their historic Olympic qualification. The stat 2 – The Olympic Football Tournament is the second major event Chile’s ‘Golden Generation’ have debuted at, following the country’s maiden appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ at France 2019.

Chile edge Cameroon 2-1 on aggregate La Roja are headed to the Women's Olympic Football Tournament for the first time All 12 teams confirmed for Tokyo 2020 Chile clinched the final ticket for the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 by edging Cameroon 2-1 on aggregate in their two-legged intercontinental play-off. The victory is hugely significant for Chilean women's football as it will be the first time in the nation's history that they will compete at the Olympics, building on their first appearance at the FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019™. Although La Roja failed to progress past the group stage in France, they did claim a historic first victory at the world finals when they defeated Thailand 2-0. Jose Letelier's side put in a solid, defensive performance to keep the ...

Emile Heskey represented England at four major tournaments The former Liverpool striker is now coaching Leicester City's women He tells FIFA.com about that job and gives his take on England's Class of 2021 Emile Heskey is one of Leicester’s favourite football sons. A local lad made good, he lifted two League Cups for his hometown team before becoming a treble-winner at Liverpool and earning 62 caps for his country. In a ‘golden generation’ of dazzling individual English talent, he was the unflashy personification of humility and hard work. Michael Owen, for whom he acted as a tireless and selfless foil, still names him – without hesitation – as his best strike partner. Now 43, Heskey finds himself back at Leicester City, beginning his coaching career where he started out as a player...

Venezuelan injured in qualifiers for Lithuania 2021 Pandemic allowed him to recover for World Cup Player talks about that experience, as well as team preparations and goals It was 6 February 2020, with Venezuela contesting the biggest game in their futsal history, when Alfredo de Jesus Vidal felt something was not right. Instinctively, he looked to the bench and signalled for a change. After being seen by the team doctor on the sidelines, the player tried to briefly accelerate, “only to feel my knee go”. On the court, his Vinotinto team-mates continued to battle Chile as they sought to seal a maiden berth at the FIFA Futsal World Cup. "I calmed down and tried to do my bit from the sidelines, still wanting to get back out there but knowing I couldn’t," Vidal tells FIFA.com. "When the...

Australia and New Zealand’s squads have been largely settled in recent years Several fresh faces lit up the recent W-League season FIFA.com looks at newer names hoping to feature at a home Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand are set to welcome the world at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™, and, as always, much interest will focus on the hosts. Both nations have enjoyed settled line-ups in recent years. New Zealand arrived at France 2019 with an incredible 17 players backing up from four years earlier, while Australia were similarly placed with 14 returnees. Respective coaches Tom Sermanni and Tony Gustavsson will be mindful of building depth over the next two years, while in the short term the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament looms for both countries. Australia’s latest W...

Multiple FIFA World Cup records were set on this day 20 years ago American Samoa faced numerous hurdles in the lead-up FIFA.com chronicles the back-story to a unique match Twenty years ago today a world record international score was set. Australia 31-0 American Samoa It is a mark that will surely never be surpassed. This is the back-story of how the record books were torn to shreds in Coffs Harbour. About six hours north of Sydney, the area’s beachside ambience is more renowned as a summer holiday spot. But in football circles, the town’s name has become more synonymous with a barely believable 90 minutes. Newly-minted international striker Archie Thompson scored an unthinkable 13 goals, another world record that seems certain never to be erased. Unbelievably, Thompson posted a n...