Russia has been expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions “until further notice”, Fifa and Uefa announced in a joint statement on Monday, while European football’s governing body also ended its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
Russia’s future in the World Cup is teetering on a knife-edge after Fifa’s plan to allow them to play on neutral territory were dismissed as “unacceptable” by rivals, plunging the qualifying process for football’s showpiece event into chaos.
Sadio Mane trumped Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations final, but the Egyptian will soon have a chance to even the score in a World Cup play-off.
England manager Gareth Southgate has set his sights on the nation’s “missing piece” as he targets World Cup glory in 2022.
European champions Italy and Portugal could meet for a place at the 2022 World Cup after being drawn in the same play-off path on Friday.
The Confederation of African Football has decided to back Fifa’s plans to host the World Cup every two years if the organisation can prove it is feasible.
The Ghana Football Association has released an official statement in response to the South African Football Association’s formal complaint to world football governing body Fifa regarding the controversial match between Bafana Bafana and Ghana.
World football governing body Fifa has confirmed it received a protest letter from the South African Football Association (Safa).
The World Cup 2022 UEFA play-offs kick off in March with only a handful of teams set to qualify for Qatar.
European champions Italy missed out on automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup after being held to a goalless draw by Northern Ireland in Belfast on Monday, ceding top spot in Group C to Switzerland who beat Bulgaria 4-0.