Costa Rica beat New Zealand 1-0 in the World Cup play-off final Former Arsenal man Joel Campbell helped Costa Rica book their place at November's World Cup in Qatar as they beat New Zealand 1-0 in their closely-contested high-stakes play-off. Ticos have appeared at three of the last four tournaments having previously featured in Germany (2006), Brazil (2014) and Russia (2018). Now they have mo...Full Story »

FOOTIE fans going to Qatar for the World Cup face paying for the world’s most expensive beer — at £9.98 per pint. The cost is more than double the average UK beer price of £4.07. Footie fans going to the World Cup in Qatar will pay as much as £9.98 per pint United Arab Emirates is second at £9.94 a pint and Oman third at £7.97. All three are Muslim countr...Full Story »

L'Equipe claims his lifestyle and performances irritate PSG owners Neymar recibe una falta ante el Girondins. AP Doha has had enough of Neymar, both on and off the pitch with the Paris Saint-Germain forward now drawing the ire of the club's Qatari owners. Off it, they have grown sick and tired of his glamorous lifestyle, unlike that of many other elite athletes, and on the field, they feel th...Full Story »

Souq Al-Wakra Hotel does not have a great of facilities, according to Hancock Football chiefs have picked a hotel from a 'school trip back in the 1980s' as England's Qatar World Cup finals HQ, according to a sports travel guru. David Hancock, who has inspected the Souq Al-Wakra Hotel 10 miles from the Gulf state's capital Doha warned Three Lions' stars 'may well be in for a shock'. He said the...Full Story »

Gareth Southgate has questioned the benefits of England boycotting the World Cup finals in Qatar over the country's human rights record. Concerns over the treatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBTQ+ community have prompted Southgate and his players to consider taking some sort of action to highlight the issues. Southgate held a 30-minute meeting at St George's Park on Tuesday to dis...Full Story »

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal says it is "ridiculous" that this year's World Cup is being played in Qatar, accusing FIFA of taking the tournament to the Middle East for money and commercial reasons. Van Gaal said FIFA's reasons for awarding the finals to Qatar, where his side will be competing in the November and December finals, were spurious. "Now, everybody knows that I find that ridic...Full Story »

GARETH SOUTHGATE says it's "horrible" that female and gay England fans fear travelling to the Qatar World Cup. The Three Lions boss said he and his team will try to put pressure on the Qatari authorities to make their country more welcoming. Southgate has spoken on issues facing fans who intend to travel to Qatar They will also address concerns about workers' rights and human rights. Southga...Full Story »

Alcohol is barred from the hotel England are staying at in Qatar later this year - so the players' wives and girlfriends have already chosen to set up camp on a luxury cruise ship instead England's WAGs will take a booze cruise during the World Cup finals in Qatar - as the footballers’ hotel is dry. Alcohol is barred at the five-star Souq Al Wakra beach resort where Gareth Southgate̵...Full Story »

Bayern Munich's fans expressed their disapproval this week at a decision by the club to renew their sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways. The German side are currently top of the Bundesliga table and this week qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League. Despite the good run of form, however, Bayern are seemingly weighed down by the disapproval of their fans over their connection with Q...Full Story »

The international prize is the only major one missing from the striker's glittering CV, but will his country even make it to Qatar? Portugal missed the chance to book their place at World Cup 2022 after losing 2-1 to Serbia in their final group game, with a late goal from Aleksandr Mitrovic sealing top spot in Group A for their opponents. Cristiano Ronaldo has not missed a World Cup since ma...Full Story »

Gareth Southgate has promised England will not close their eyes to the controversies surrounding Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup when they play there next year.England formally confirmed their place at the tournament in 12 months with a 10-0 thrashing of San Marino in Serravalle on Monday.Qatar has been heavily criticised by organisations such as Amnesty International over its human right...Full Story »

David Beckham is set to become the face of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which will see him earn a fortune in the process. He'll also become the ambassador for Qatar over the next ten years in a deal that will see him earn over 175 million euros. This historic World Cup, which will take place for the first time during the European wintertime, will also see some other faces such as Xavi Hernandez...Full Story »

Callum Robinson plundered a hat-trick as the Republic of Ireland beat World Cup hosts Qatar 4-0 to win back-to-back games for the first time since March 2019.Robinson, whose first-half double in Azerbaijan on Saturday set up a 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory, repeated the trick inside 13 minutes at the Aviva Stadium and then added a third eight minutes after the restart to become the first Irel...Full Story »

James Rodriguez is expected to part ways with Everton soon as the Colombian international has reached an agreement to join Qatari side Al Rayyan. The former Real Madrid playmaker was spotted at the Manchester Airport on Sunday, reportedly travelling from there to Qatar to undergo medicals. Details about the agreement between Everton and Al Rayyan have yet to be revealed, but James is most li...Full Story »

James McClean’s first international goal for three and a half years handed the Republic of Ireland a friendly draw with Qatar as Stephen Kenny’s wait for a first win extended to 11 games.McClean fired Ireland, who were out to restore pride against the World Cup hosts at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen after Saturday’s desperate qualifying defeat by Luxembourg, into a fourth-m...Full Story »

The 40,000-capacity Al Rayyan Stadium, which is situated next to a vast shopping mall on the outskirts of the capital Doha, is scheduled to host six group matches and a last-16 tie in the first winter World Cup. Some 40,000 fans can fit in the Al Rayyan Stadium Credit: Reuters Qatar 2022 organisers welcomed the opening of the arena on Wednesday Credit: Reuters It will be inaugurated with a ma...Full Story »

MESUT OZIL still has a number of escape options from Arsenal even though the European transfer window has ended. The 32-year-old has not played since March for the Gunners as Mikel Arteta’s side attempted to force their highest-paid player out of the club. Mesut Ozil still has a number of transfer options But after failing to reach a pay-off settlement with the £350,000-a-week Germ...Full Story »

PSG are ready to play their remaining European games in Qatar as the French authorities call a day on the 2019/20 season. The French outfit are 12 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and await a decision from the league's chiefs as to whether they will be crowned champions. French prime minister Edouard Philippe has brought a stop to all 'major sporting events, especially football, before Septe...Full Story »

The 44-year-old was speaking during a visit to the tiny Gulf state to watch the Club World Cup, which sees Liverpool play in the final against Brazil's Flamengo on Saturday. David Beckham in the stands during the FIFA Club World Cup semi final match at the Khalifa International StadiumCredit: PA:Press Association Beckham said he wished he was still playing football after touring the stadiums t...Full Story »

Liverpool have now discovered the six teams they will compete with for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar next month. The Reds travel to Doha in December to take part in the 16th edition of the competition, having never previously lifted the trophy. Who will compete at the 2019 CWC? Five things to know… · As winners of the Champions League Liverpool will enter the competition ...Full Story »