#world-cup-qualifying

#world-cup-qualifying

"We've felt so much recognition, that was so nice. You can really feel the appreciation. "It's incredible. When I came here in 2021 I never expected it to be like this. It's been so special. To be so accepted here and the journey we've been on, to be an honourary dame, is hard to describe what an honour it is."

It is less than seven weeks until Northern Ireland Women begin their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign and they still do not have a manager. In fact, the Irish Football Association is welcoming applications for the role until Friday, 23 January - just 37 days before their opening fixture, away to Switzerland on Tuesday, 3 March. Tanya Oxtoby stepped away from the role on 20 November to take over as Newcastle United Women's manager after two years in charge.

The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual nationality. There are so many of them that have European passports, some of them French passports, some of them Dutch passports. The rules are very clear. We cannot say anything now but we have submitted our protest to FIFA. There are players that got theirs in just three months. So there is to us, what is considered as a breach of the regulation. That is why took that decision.

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) The final six places for the 2026 World Cup will be determined by two playoff tournaments in March. Four more teams will qualify from Europe, along with two from the rest of the world. The UEFA playoffs will consist of 16 nations, while FIFA's intercontinental playoffs feature six. The successful teams will join the 42 other nations to have qualified for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which runs through June and July. Here's what to know about the playoffs.

PRAGUE -- The Czech Republic soccer association stripped Tomás Soucek of his captaincy Tuesday and denied financial bonuses to national team players as punishment for ignoring their fans after their final World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar. Czechia, who had been assured of second place in Group L, won the home game 6-0 in Olomouc on Monday, but the players didn't go thank the diehard fans who were critical of their performance in the qualifying campaign.

Wales already have their place in the World Cup qualifying play-offs, but there is still a chance they could gain an automatic spot in Group J. The Dragons currently sit third, behind tonight's opponents North Macedonia and Belgium, but it is tight at the top. A win on home soil will guarantee them second place, but a slip-up from the Red Devils against Liechtenstein and top spot is theirs.

Hungary and the Republic of Ireland are hoping to at least seal places in the 2026 World Cup qualifying play-offs when they meet at the Puskas Arena on Sunday. While the sides could still qualify directly by winning Group F if Portugal slip up at home to Armenia, the likelihood is that the winners of the match will earn the second spot required for a play-off place.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain maintained their perfect form in World Cup qualifying with a 4-0 win in Georgia on Saturday as it closed in on a berth at next year's showpiece tournament. Luis de la Fuente's side has scored 19 times while conceding zero goals in five group victories. The European champions are poised to wrap up a spot in the finals when they meets Turkey on Tuesday in their last qualifier.

We are playing in front of our fans against a team we respect, but they're a team against whom we want to demonstrate our level and secure qualification. Armenia are a team that tries to play. They're very intelligent and have creative ability. Defensively, they have a solid back five. They're a very competitive team, which we respect a lot. I really like the coach's work.

"I'm happy to be back with the team. It's a lot of fun to be on the pitch with these guys. Representing my country is always an honor. I'm happy to get an assist today and repay the coach's trust a bit. We know each other well, we have a good relationship and a good exchange. Being at the World Cup is my big goal. We'll see what happens."

It's clearly a foul on Daniel. It's a foul, it isn't given and the goal stands. The yellow card for Daniel is just a joke - when you look at the incident back, it's poor. We feel a bit aggrieved because of that.

The most serious thing yesterday was Cristiano Ronaldo doing his own thing. What the captain of Portugal did was unfortunate. And I don't just mean aggression, because losing your head in a moment of frustration can, although it shouldn't, happen. Ronaldo is 40 years old. At Wednesday's press conference, he made a point of provoking opponents, the Irish coach and the public. He was the one who created the climate that he couldn't handle.