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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (left) embraces Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before a match in Manchester, England, on April 1, 2023.
SOCCER
Mar 11, 2024

Premier League rivalry between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola ends on high note

The pair have gone head-to-head in several epic title races
South Korea's Son Jun-ho (center) in action against Brazil's Raphinha during a 2022 World Cup Round of 16 clash in Doha.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2024

South Korea's Son Jun-ho joins fifth-tier side after China release

Son was detained in May last year "on suspicion of accepting bribes by non-state employees."
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters (left) stands with the Premier League trophy in Manchester on May 21.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2024

Independent regulator a big risk, warns Premier League chief

Amongst its tasks, the regulator would set up a licensing system for the top five tiers in English soccer.
Yokohama F. Marinos coach Harry Kewell watches the AFC Champions League semifinal first-leg soccer match between his team and South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC in Ulsan, South Korea, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2024

Kewell tells Yokohama to summon spirit of Istanbul to reach final

The former Leeds and Liverpool winger took over as Yokohama coach at the start of this year.
Urawa's Kiko Seike (right) celebrates with Yu Endo during the AFC Women’s Championship Cup at Urawa Komaba Stadium in Saitama on Friday.
SOCCER
May 13, 2024

Kiko Seike shines as Urawa Reds Ladies add two titles to collection over weekend

Urawa won the AFC Women’s Championship Cup on Friday and clinched the WE League title on Sunday.
Makoto Hasebe during a news conference following his retirement, in Tokyo on Friday. Hasebe played in 114 games for Japan's national team and played over 500 professional games between Japan and Germany.
SOCCER
May 24, 2024

Makoto Hasebe at peace with retirement, says body still 'wants to kick the ball'

Hasebe will eventually return to Germany and begin to lay the foundation for his coaching career.
Germany's Toni Kroos during a friendly against the Netherlands on March 26
SOCCER
Jun 13, 2024

Germany braced for Euro 2024 kickoff with France and England favored

The hosts will be looking to make a surprise run on home soil despite the apparent strength of the French and English sides.
Al Ain players and coaches celebrate after winning the AFC Champions League final over Yokohama F. Marinos on May 25.
SOCCER
Jun 19, 2024

New Asian champions to earn $12 million in club competition revamp

The new competition, which kicks off with a preliminary round in August, is at the heart of a major revamp of club soccer across the continent.
Former Japan international Kazuyoshi Miura holds a news conference in Tokyo to announce a temporary transfer to Atletico Suzuka in Japan's fourth tier, at National Stadium on Tuesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 26, 2024

Japanese striker 'King Kazu' Miura plays on at 57

The striker, known as "King Kazu," has signed for Atletico Suzuka Club in Japan's fourth tier, on loan from Yokohama FC in the second division.
Ukraine players applaud the fans in Stuttgart at the end of thir Euro 2024 run.
SOCCER
Jun 27, 2024

Ukrainians keen for a wartime success lament Euro elimination

Ukraine drew 0-0 against Belgium and finished the group stage with 4 points.
Italy's Andrea Cambiaso, Davide Frattesi and Alessandro Bastoni look dejected after their team's loss to Switzerland on Saturday in Berlin.
SOCCER
Jun 30, 2024

Italy and coach Spalletti at crossroads after Euro title defense disaster

A shockingly one-sided match in Berlin led to a dismal last-16 exit after Luciano Spalletti's side had scraped through the group stage by the skin of its teeth.
France forward Kylian Mbappe during his team's quarterfinal win over Portugal on Friday.
SOCCER
Jul 7, 2024

Winning is all that matters at Euro 2024 for Mbappe's minimalist France

Mbappe is surrounded by other world-class attackers, but his penalty in a group-stage match is the only goal scored by a French player at Euro 2024.
England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after the team's Euro 2024 semifinal win over the Netherlands on Wednesday in Dortmund, Germany.
SOCCER
Jul 12, 2024

England ready to reap benefits of decade of development in Euro 2024 final

England will face Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Michael Olise of France celebrates after a goal from teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta on Monday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2024

France sets up Olympic men's soccer final against Spain

France is looking for its second Olympic men's soccer gold medal and first since 1984.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes celebrates with American players after the U.S. defeated Brazil in the gold-medal match of the Olympic women's soccer competition on Saturday in Paris.
OLYMPICS / Soccer
Aug 11, 2024

Emma Hayes 'repays' U.S. by bringing back joy — and Olympic soccer gold

It is a fifth gold for the U.S. but one that many had doubted they were capable of winning after their early exit from last year's women's World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe made his Real Madrid debut on Wednesday and started as he means to go on, scoring and lifting the UEFA Super Cup in a 2-0 win over Atalanta.
SOCCER
Aug 15, 2024

Mbappe bolsters stellar Real Madrid's La Liga title defense

Mbappe made his Real Madrid debut on Wednesday and started as he means to go on, scoring and lifting the UEFA Super Cup in a 2-0 win over Atalanta.
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring against Bayern Munich during their Champions League match in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Oct 3, 2024

Aston Villa stuns Bayern in repeat of 1982 European Cup final

Prince William was among the over 40,000 Villa fans who inspired Unai Emery's men to shrug off the vast gulf in Champions League pedigree between the sides.
Former Japan player Tadanari Lee believes Samurai Blue's victory over Australia in the 2011 Asian Cup final represented a major shift in the rivalry between the two nations.
SOCCER
Oct 13, 2024

Japan and Australia set to write latest chapter of fast-growing rivalry

This will be the fifth consecutive time the teams have been grouped together in the decisive round of qualifiers for the quadrennial showpiece.
Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are guarded by police after violence targeting Israeli football fans broke out in Amsterdam on Friday.
WORLD
Nov 9, 2024

Amsterdam bans protests after 'antisemitic squads' attack Israeli soccer fans

Israel sent planes to the Netherlands to fly fans home after overnight attacks on Israeli soccer supporters by "antisemitic hit-and-run squads."
Japan's Koki Ogawa (left) fights for the ball with Indonesia's Rizky Ridho Ramadhan during the 2026 World Cup Asian qualification soccer match at the Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 16, 2024

Japan hammer Indonesia to edge closer to World Cup spot

Japan defeated a hapless Indonesia side 4-0 on Friday, extending their lead at the top of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
SOCCER
Nov 19, 2024

San Marino beats Liechtenstein to claim Nations League promotion

San Marino is currently international soccer's bottom-ranked team.
Workers building a railway in front of Lusail Stadium in Doha in 2018
SOCCER
Nov 30, 2024

FIFA should pay workers injured building Qatar World Cup, internal report says

The report offered no specific dollar amount of compensation.
Real Madrid players train in Doha on Tuesday. The Spanish club is closely aligned with A22, which launched the Unify League on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Dec 18, 2024

European Super League promoters launch Unify League, call on UEFA to recognize it

It is the latest attempt by A22 to get the competition off the ground after the original European Super League collapsed in 2021.
In October, the EU's top court said some of FIFA's rules on player transfers went against European Union laws and free movement principles.
SOCCER
Dec 24, 2024

FIFA amends transfer regulations following Diarra ruling

The interim regulatory framework affects issues such as the calculation of compensation payable if there is a breach of contract.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (left) moves past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (center) during their match in Manchester, England, on Dec. 26, 2024.
SOCCER
Jan 3, 2025

Premier League chief concerned about impact of Club World Cup's impact on Man City and Chelsea

The two clubs will be England's representatives in FIFA's expanded 32-team event in the United States, with players' unions threatening legal action on welfare grounds.
SC Freiburg's Noah Atubolu is shown a yellow card by referee Daniel Siebert during a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich in Freiburg, Germany, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Jan 28, 2025

Bundesliga to test in-stadium refereeing announcements

Nine clubs from the top two tiers of German soccer have agreed to take part in the trial.
Morocco's Achraf Dari celebrates scoring a goal against Croatia in the third-place World Cup match at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar on December 17, 2022.
SOCCER
Feb 5, 2025

African football may have platform for historic World Cup success

Benjamin Balkin thinks Eyeball, the digital platform he co-founded in 2020, could be the determining factor in enabling an African World Cup champion.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveils Brazil as the winner of the bid to host the 2027 Women's World Cup at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok on May 17, 2024.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Mar 6, 2025

Japan shut out of bid process for hosting 2031 World Cup

Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said in an interview last year that Japan wanted to host the 2031 event to "raise the value of women's football here."
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin speaks during a news conference after the UEFA Ordinary Congress in Belgrade on Thursday.
SOCCER
Apr 4, 2025

UEFA president calls 64-team World Cup for 2030 'bad idea'

The 2030 World Cup will be played in three continents, with Portugal, Spain and Morocco the main hosts.
Nadeshiko Japan's Yuka Momiki (left) and Yui Hasegawa celebrate after Momiki's goal against the United States during the SheBelieves Cup in San Diego on Feb. 27.
SOCCER
Apr 4, 2025

Yuka Momiki and Nadeshiko Japan brimming with confidence under Nils Nielsen

Momiki said playing with Yui Hasegawa has been the most enjoyable experience of her career.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes