Tag: FIFA

FIFA selects Kovacs for 1000th World Cup match

MEXICO CITY, JUNE 19 -- Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs has been chosen to officiate the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Thursday, Xinhua reported. Kovacs will take charge of the Group F match between Tunisia and Japan at Monterrey Stadium on Saturday, according to a FIFA statement. According to the statement, he will be assisted by compatriots Ferencz Tunyogi and Mihai Marica, along with Costa Ricans Juan Calderon and Juan Carlos Mora, serving as fourth official and reserve assistant referees, respectively. FIFA's chief refereeing officer and chairman of the referees' committee Pierluigi Collina said Kovacs was selected according to the usual criteria, even for special matches. "We chose the referee we thought was the best one for this match," Collina said. "And of course, coincidentally, he was also appointed for the 1,000th game. So, for him, it was something extra -- something special." "Referring a FIFA World Cup match is always a privilege, it's an honour," said the Italian, who refereed the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. Kovacs, 41, is part of the match officials panel at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, serving as fourth official eight times. -- BERNAMA-XINHUA

MEXICO CITY, JUNE 19 — Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs has been chosen to officiate the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Thursday, Xinhua reported. Kovacs will take charge of the Group F match between Tunisia and Japan at Monterrey Stadium on Saturday, according to a FIFA statement. […]

Harimau Malaya Up To 136th In FIFA World Rankings After Two-place Rise

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 -- Malaysia’s Harimau Malaya football team has climbed to 136th place in the latest world rankings issued by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). In the latest update today, the national team has collected 1,086.22 points, moving up two places from their previous position of 138th in the world. The rise was driven by results involving other teams, including India and Latvia, as Malaysia did not play during the international window. Thailand remains Southeast Asia’s top-ranked team at 94th, ahead of Vietnam (99), Indonesia (118), the Philippines (135) and Singapore (148). Japan holds its position as Asia’s top-ranked side at 18th in the world, followed by Iran in 20th and South Korea in 25th. -- BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Malaysia’s Harimau Malaya football team has climbed to 136th place in the latest world rankings issued by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). In the latest update today, the national team has collected 1,086.22 points, moving up two places from their previous position of 138th in the world. The rise […]

Mexico Wins Easily Against South Africa In Opening Match Of 2026 World Cup

ISTANBUL, June 13 -- Mexico claimed an easy 2-0 victory on Thursday in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup against South Africa, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the tournament, placing Mexico in an early lead in the 10th minute. Mexico dominated the rest of the half with 10 shots, with two on target, while South Africa struggled to create chances. South African Teboho Mokoena got the first yellow card of the tournament, followed shortly thereafter by Mexican Brian Gutierrez. Shortly after the second half started, South African Yaya Sithole denied Gutierrez a clear goalscoring opportunity and was sent off with the first red card of the tournament, leaving Bafana Bafana with only 10 players on the pitch. Sithole's red card was the first in a World Cup opening match since Bolivian Marco Etcheverry’s against Germany in 1994. Subbing in at minute 66, Gilberto Mora, at age 17 years and 239 days, became the youngest player to represent Mexico in the World Cup. Mexico doubled the lead with veteran striker Raul Jimenez’s header in the 67th minute. South Africa went down to 9 players when Themba Zwane was sent off for violent conduct in the 85th minute, the first time this had happened since Portugal and the Netherlands both had two players dismissed against each other in the 2006 round of 16. Mexican Cesar Montes got a straight red card for denying South African Khuliso Mudau a goalscoring opportunity dropping Mexico to 10 players. In the end, Mexico rose to the top of the leaderboard of Group A, while South Africa are at the bottom. -- BERNAMA-ANADOLU

ISTANBUL, June 12 — Mexico claimed an easy 2-0 victory on Thursday in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup against South Africa, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the tournament, placing Mexico in an early lead in the 10th minute. Mexico dominated the rest of the half with […]

Hamidin given responsibility at the 2026 World Cup

KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 13 -- Honorary President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin has been entrusted with the position of head of delegation and representative to the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, for several venues of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Hamidin said he was entrusted by Infantino to ensure the smooth organisation and conduct of all matches in two cities, namely Los Angeles and San Francisco, in line with his role as a FIFA Council Member.    "I am one of the FIFA Council Members. So, this edition involves 16 distant locations and that is why I was appointed as the head of the delegation and the FIFA President's representative responsible for Los Angeles and San Francisco." "My duties include monitoring the smooth running of the matches at both venues starting from the group stage. After that, until the quarter-finals, I will be based in Los Angeles. I will also be involved until the semi-finals and finals," he said when met recently. The 2026 FIFA World Cup competition opened early this morning with the opening match of Group A between hosts Mexico and South Africa which took place at 3 am Malaysian time. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest edition in its history with the participation of 48 teams. -- BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 12 — Honorary President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin has been entrusted with the position of head of delegation and representative to the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, for several venues of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. […]

World Cup: FIFA rejects Iran’s request to move match to Mexico

MEXICO CITY: The International Football Federation (FIFA) has decided not to move a World Cup match involving the Iranian team from the United States (US) to Mexico, despite the conflict in West Asia. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this on Friday in a press conference, according to a report by the German News Agency (dpa). Iran has requested not to play in three group stage matches in the US following the US and Israeli attacks on Feb 28. Although the fighting has been halted by a fragile ceasefire, Washington has warned of further attacks. "FIFA ultimately decided that the match could not be moved from the original venue," Sheinbaum said. According to him, from FIFA's perspective, the move would involve "a very large logistical effort." World football's governing body had previously expressed doubts about Iran's request to move matches against Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt at the World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 in the US, Mexico and Canada. FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously insisted that Iran should continue to participate despite tense relations between Tehran and Washington. "We want Iran to play and Iran will play in the World Cup. There is no Plan B, C or D – there is only Plan A," Infantino told Mexican broadcaster N+ Univision two weeks ago. Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj recently stated that the team was boycotting the US, but not the World Cup, without elaborating on the details, the state news agency IRNA reported. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump described Iran's involvement as "inappropriate" due to "their own lives and safety." Amid a ceasefire that began Tuesday, talks between the US and Iran for a lasting peace settlement are scheduled to take place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Friday. Iran has previously launched retaliatory strikes after attacks by the US and Israel, including targeting Gulf countries and closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route.

MEXICO CITY: The International Football Federation (FIFA) has decided not to move a World Cup match involving the Iranian team from the United States (US) to Mexico, despite the conflict in West Asia. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this on Friday in a press conference, according to a report by the German News Agency (dpa). […]

Final Phase of 2026 World Cup Ticket Sales Begins April 1

GENEVA — Ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will enter their fourth and final phase on April 1, running until the conclusion of the tournament, FIFA announced on Wednesday, according to Xinhua. In this final phase, tickets will be made available to fans on a “first come, first served” basis through FIFA’s official ticketing platform. Supporters will also have the option to select their seats upon purchase, while those who secured tickets in earlier phases will be able to view their assigned seating. The expanded 48-team tournament is scheduled to take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States in June and July. FIFA revealed that demand for tickets has been exceptionally strong, with more than 500 million requests submitted during the Random Selection Draw phase alone. This resulted in over one million tickets being sold by the end of that sales period on Feb 27. “With the tournament now less than 80 days away, the cumulative attendance record of 3.5 million set at the 1994 FIFA World Cup could be surpassed at this year’s competition,” FIFA said. — BERNAMA-XINHUA

GENEVA — Ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will enter their fourth and final phase on April 1, running until the conclusion of the tournament, FIFA announced on Wednesday, according to Xinhua. In this final phase, tickets will be made available to fans on a “first come, first served” basis through FIFA’s official […]