ZURICH: Thomas Tuchel’s first official duty as England coach on Friday was to see his new team drawn in a 2026 World Cup qualifying group with Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.
Tuchel starts work in January as the first German coach of the 1966 World Cup winner but was at FIFA headquarters to see the 54 European teams drawn into 12 qualifying groups. Games start in March for some groups, while others will begin in June or September.
“It’s a difficult group, is my first impression,” said Tuchel, who must wait for FIFA to approve the fixture list to see if his England debut will be a qualifying game in March or a warm-up friendly.
Europe will send 16 teams to the first 48-team World Cup, being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 12 group winners next November advance directly and runners-up go to a playoff in March 2026, joined by four more teams who won a Nations League group last month.
England are one of the few top-seeded teams to already know their qualifying opponents. Most groups are still incomplete as eight top-seeded teams will be placed based on the results of their Nations League quarterfinals in March.
The winner of the quarterfinal between European champion Spain and the Netherlands faces a tough Group E with Turkiye, Georgia and Bulgaria.
Spain ended Georgia’s impressive run at their first major tournament, winning 4-1 in the round of 16 at Euro 2024 in Germany.
Georgia coach Willy Sagnol acknowledged “it will be a difficult group,” with Turkiye having lost a Euro 2024 quarterfinal to the Netherlands.
The loser between Spain and the Netherlands be in a five-team group with Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Malta that shapes to be less challenging.
The winner between France and Croatia in March will head Group D with Ukraine, Iceland and Azerbaijan. The loser of that Nations League quarterfinal will be in the five-team Group L with the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faeroe Islands and Gibraltar.
For Germany and Italy, the group draw could be an added incentive to win their Nations League meeting and land in Group A.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann acknowledged it would be “a bit easier” to play in a four-team group with Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. The loser will face Erling Haaland and Norway in a five-team group that also includes, Israel, Estonia and Moldova. Israel have been unable to host games for security reasons since the Hamas attacks in October last year, and likely will continue playing home games in Hungary.
Russia were excluded from Friday’s draw because their teams are banned from international competitions by FIFA and UEFA since the military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia’s military ally Belarus, which will play in a group with either Portugal or Denmark, plus Greece and Scotland, have been forced to host games in neutral countries because of the war.
One security challenge could arise in England’s group, with Serbia set to host Albania for the first time since the famous “drone game” in 2014 between the Balkan near-neighbors.
A decade ago, the game in Belgrade abandoned after a fan outside the stadium flew a drone over the field with an Albanian nationalist banner, leading to clashes between players and a field invasion by Serbian fans. UEFA awarded Serbia a win by default that was overturned on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, ultimately sending Albania to their tournament debut at Euro 2016.
Soccer relations between Serbia and Albania — at federation level, if not among ultras fan groups — are much improved and they are set to be confirmed Monday as co-hosts of the Under-21 Euros in 2027.
England and new coach Tuchel land in 2026 World Cup qualifying group with Serbia and Albania
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England and new coach Tuchel land in 2026 World Cup qualifying group with Serbia and Albania
- “It’s a difficult group, is my first impression,” said Tuchel
- Europe will send 16 teams to the first 48-team World Cup, being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico
New Rangers boss Martin aims to win over fans as he targets Celtic crown
Martin guided Saints to promotion to the Premier League last year
LONDON: Rangers head coach Russell Martin said Thursday his “whole career has been based on proving people wrong” after he was unveiled as the new man in the Ibrox hot seat.
The 39-year-old former Southampton manager, who has signed a three-year contract with Rangers, has the daunting task of toppling champions Celtic, who have a stranglehold on the Scottish game.
Martin guided Saints to promotion to the Premier League last year but was sacked in December following one win from their first 16 games. The club were subsequently relegated.
Rangers finished last season second in the Scottish Premiership under the caretaker management of former captain Barry Ferguson, having dismissed Philippe Clement in February.
Ex-Scotland defender Martin, who had a short loan spell as a player at Rangers in 2018 and has also managed MK Dons and Swansea, was asked at a press conference about negative reaction from fans to his appointment.
“To the fans, I have to win. I don’t think I’ve been the number one choice at any club I’ve been at,” he said.
“By the time we’ve left every team I’ve been at, we’ve formed a real connection with the supporters. I hope this will be the same.
“My whole playing career was based on hard work and resilience. It was not done on talent.”
Martin said success at Ibrox would be measured in trophies, admitting he had “a lot to prove.”
Celtic have an iron grip on Scottish football, recently wrapping up a 13th title in 14 seasons.
But Martin is confident he can eventually knock Rangers’ bitter Glasgow rivals from their perch.
“My whole career has been based on proving people wrong,” he said. “I got to the Premier
League as a player, played international football. It’s the same as a manager.
“I feel after five and a half years of being a coach and a leader, I love doing it. I will be all-in here with my energy and my love for it. Hopefully it will reflect on the pitch.”
Martin was criticized for sticking to an attacking approach at Southampton even as his team was losing consistently but he defended his methods.
“We are here to win and we’ll do that in the best way we possibly can within a similar concept of the game,” he said.
“That is to be dominant with the ball, which I think is what Rangers fans expect, but to be really aggressive, really intense, really passionate, really hard-working first and foremost.”
Martin’s arrival is the latest in a series of major changes at Rangers.
An American consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises secured a majority shareholding on Friday, while new sporting director Kevin Thelwell officially began work on Monday.
Australia on brink of World Cup after dramatic late winner
- In front of a sell-out crowd of 57,226 at Optus Stadium, the Socceroos were outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side
- After beating Japan for the first time since 2009, Australia are on the cusp of next year’s World Cup in North America
PERTH: Australia moved to the brink of the World Cup after beating already qualified Japan 1-0 in Perth on Thursday thanks to Aziz Behich’s 90th-minute winner.
In front of a sell-out crowd of 57,226 at Optus Stadium, the Socceroos were outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side.
But then substitute Riley McGree cut the ball back to defender Behich, who rifled a bullet into the corner for his first international goal in 13 years and trigger scenes of jubilation.
After beating Japan for the first time since 2009, Australia are on the cusp of next year’s World Cup in North America.
“We know there’s room to grow and room to improve, but we’ve done something special tonight,” coach Tony Popovic said.
Before the game the Socceroos had a three-point lead and a significantly better goal difference over Saudi Arabia with two matches left.
The win does not totally guarantee Australia’s passage, with Saudi Arabia at Bahrain later on Thursday.
Australia then face the Saudis in Jeddah on June 10 in their final Group C match in the battle for second behind Japan.
Teams that finish in the top two of the six-team group guarantee their automatic spot at the World Cup.
After what had been a lacklustre performance for much of the game, Australia’s last-gasp victory continued their turnaround since Popovic arrived in September.
“We’ve all played a part in getting us to this point,” he said.
“We want to go to Saudi Arabia and really finish the job off.”
After becoming the first team to punch their ticket to the World Cup, Japan coach Hajjime
Moriyasu used the trip to Australia as an opportunity to experiment.
“I wanted to see what they (the inexperienced players) could do against a strong opponent in very difficult circumstances,” Moriyasu said.
“We have to improve and expand our squad.”
Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo started on the bench as Japan fielded three debutants in the starting line-up.
Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada, playing his 41st international, was considerably their most experienced starter.
Japan completely dominated the first half with 21-year-old midfielder Kota Tawaratsumida impressing on his debut.
It was only a matter of time before Japan had a clear-cut chance, with Yuito Suzuki having an attempt from long range on the half-hour mark.
Japan continued to attack with debutant Yu Hirakawa firing just wide of the left post after beating outstretched goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.
The break arrived at a good time for Australia.
After being brought on in the 64th minute, Kubo curled past the right post, before Behich stepped up late with his priceless goal.
Kohli ‘lost for words’ after 11 die celebrating Bengaluru IPL win
- Stampede near Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy cricket stadium killed 11 on Wednesday as players paraded trophy
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Kohli, delighted thousands of fans after maiden IPL trophy win in 18 years this week
BENGALURU: Virat Kohli said he was lost for words after celebrations of a dream IPL title turned to tragedy when 11 mainly young cricket fans were crushed to death in Bengaluru.
Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets Wednesday to welcome home their hero Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) after they had beaten Punjab Kings a day earlier in a thrilling Indian Premier League final.
But the euphoria of the vast crowds in the southern tech city of Bengaluru ended in disaster, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it “absolutely heartrending.”
Karnataka state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said most of the 11 dead were young people and there were 47 others injured in the crush after a stampede near the city’s M. Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, where the players were parading the trophy for fans.
Kohli, who top scored in the final, said earlier it had been “as much for the fans” after the 36-year-old finally celebrated winning the IPL at his 18th attempt.
Later, Kohli wrote on social media: “At a loss for words.
“Absolutely gutted,” he added, alongside a statement from the RCB team saying they were “deeply anguished” at what had unfolded.
One of the people injured described to AFP how a “huge crowd” had crushed her.
“They stamped on me,” said the woman, who did not give her name, from a wheelchair.
“I was not able to breathe. I fell unconscious.”
Most of the dead were young fans who had gone out just to catch a glimpse of their sporting heroes.
Street food vendor Manoj Kumar mourned the death of his 18-year-old son, killed in the stampede, who he said he had stopped from working on his stall so he could study.
“I wanted him to go to college,” Kumar told the Indian Express newspaper.
“I brought him up with a lot of care. Now, he is gone.”
A grieving mother outside a city mortuary said her 22-year-old engineering student son had also died in the crush.
“He was crazy about RCB,” she was quoted as saying by the Indian Express on Thursday.
“He died in an RCB shirt. They danced when RCB won and now he is gone. Can RCB give him back to us?”
Authorities had already called off RCB’s proposed open-top bus victory parade through the streets after anticipating vast crowds.
But organizers pressed ahead with the welcome ceremony and celebrations inside the stadium.
RCB’s social media account posted a video of cheering crowds lining the streets as the players waved back from their team bus on their way to the stadium.
The team said they cut short the celebrations “immediately upon being made aware of the situation.”
Siddaramaiah said that the stadium had a capacity of “only 35,000 people, but 200,000-300,000 people came.”
Bengaluru offer cash help after deadly India cricket stampede
- The euphoria of the vast crowds ended in disaster when 11 fans died in a stampede near the city’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
- Most of the dead were young fans aged between 14 and 29 who had gone out just to catch a glimpse of their heroes
BENGALURU: Royal Challengers Bengaluru said Thursday they stood “united” with fans as the Indian Premier League champions announced financial aid to families of those crushed to death during their title celebrations.
Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Wednesday to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and his RCB team-mates after they beat Punjab Kings in a thrilling IPL final.
But the euphoria of the vast crowds ended in disaster when 11 fans died in a stampede near the city’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the players were parading the trophy.
Most of the dead were young fans aged between 14 and 29 who had gone out just to catch a glimpse of their heroes.
Dozens of abandoned shoes and flip-flops littered the site in the aftermath.
RCB offered financial aid of $11,655 to each family of those killed.
Indian media have widely reported the team earned $2.3 million in prize money alone for taking the title on Wednesday.
“Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do,” RCB said. “We remain united in grief.”
Kohli, who top-scored in the final, said he was “at a loss for words” after celebrations of a dream IPL crown turned to tragedy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the accident “absolutely heartrending.”
Police used mild force to disperse people outside the stadium, an eyewitness told AFP, but the crowd was “extremely difficult” to control.
Lakshminarayan, who lost his 14-year-old granddaughter in the crush, said his family carried the child in a motor rickshaw to hospital.
He said celebrations should have been delayed to prepare for the widely expected mass crowds.
“There was no need to conduct celebrations the very next day, they should have postponed it to a week and organized it a better way,” he said.
“You should take all precautionary measures, they should have police protection and follow the queue system.”
One of the people injured described to AFP how a “huge crowd” had crushed her.
“They stamped on me,” said the woman, who did not give her name, from a wheelchair.
“I was not able to breathe. I fell unconscious.”
Street food vendor Manoj Kumar mourned the death of his 18-year-old son.
“I wanted him to go to college,” Kumar told the Indian Express newspaper.
“I brought him up with a lot of care. Now he is gone.”
A grieving mother outside a city mortuary said her 22-year-old engineering student son had also died.
“He was crazy about RCB,” she was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
“He died in an RCB shirt. They danced when RCB won and now he is gone. Can RCB give him back to us?“
Authorities had already called off RCB’s proposed open-top bus victory parade through the streets after anticipating vast crowds.
But organizers pressed ahead with the welcome ceremony and celebrations inside the stadium.
RCB’s social media account posted a video of cheering crowds lining the streets as the players waved back from their team bus on their way to the stadium.
The team said they cut short the celebrations “immediately upon being made aware of the situation.”
Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah said that the stadium had a capacity of “only 35,000 people, but 200,000-300,000 people came.”
Swiatek faces Sabalenka as Boisson eyes ‘dream’ French Open final
- The biggest rivalry in the current women’s game will get its first instalment since last August in Cincinnati
- Swiatek holds an 8-4 winning record against Sabalenka, but came into the tournament under a cloud after a disappointing clay-court season
PARIS: Iga Swiatek puts her bid for a fourth straight French Open title on the line against world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, before surprise French hero Lois Boisson aims to continue her fairytale run against Coco Gauff in the second semifinal.
The biggest rivalry in the current women’s game will get its first instalment since last August in Cincinnati when the reigning Roland Garros champion goes up against the top seed.
It will be only their second ever meeting at a Grand Slam tournament and their first since a three-set win for Swiatek in the 2022 US Open semifinals en route to the title.
Swiatek holds an 8-4 winning record against Sabalenka, but came into the tournament under a cloud after a disappointing clay-court season and without even a final appearance since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen 12 months ago.
But the Pole is on a remarkable 26-match winning streak in the French Open and could become the first woman to win four straight titles at Roland Garros since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
“I don’t know if she elevates my game,” she said of Sabalenka.
“But for sure our rivalry is pushing both of us, I think, but it’s not only about the level of tennis. It’s about like everything, how we work, and how professional we are.”
The pair practiced together in the build-up to the tournament, and Sabalenka credits their improving relationship off-court to a dance video they did for TikTok at last year’s WTA Finals.
Sabalenka has only beaten Swiatek once on clay, in the 2023 Madrid Open final.
Their most memorable clash was the 2024 final in the Spanish capital when Swiatek saved three championship points and won in a deciding-set tie-break.
“We’ve had a lot of great battles in the past,” Sabalenka said after her quarter-final win over Zheng Qinwen.
“I’m super excited to go out there and to fight and to do everything I need to get the win.”
Sabalenka has powered through the draw so far without dropping a set.
Swiatek has also been in dominant form, with the exception a battling comeback victory over Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, a performance she said she “needed.”
World number 361 Boisson is still dreaming of an improbable title on her Grand Slam debut after a memorable quarter-final triumph over rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva.
The 22-year-old Boisson missed out on making her first Roland Garros appearance last year after suffering a knee injury shortly before the tournament, but has more than made up for lost time with a stunning run through the draw.
She had never played a top-50 opponent before this week, but has now beaten two in the top 10 in third-ranked Jessica Pegula and world number six Andreeva to set up her last-four clash with Gauff.
“I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a Slam. More for French players to win Roland Garros, for sure,” said Boisson.
“So, yeah, it’s a dream. For sure I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semifinal.”
Andreeva was overwhelmed by the atmosphere on Court Philippe Chatrier as she lost the last six games of her quarter-final against Boisson.
But Gauff has a plan to try and block out the noise from the partisan home crowd.
“I think there are two ways I have done it in the past. Either, A: just pretend they’re cheering for you, and B: just using it and not letting that get to you,” she said after defeating Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the last eight.
The American is bidding to reach her second French Open final after a demoralizing defeat by Swiatek in the 2022 showpiece.
Gauff has since won the US Open, in 2023, and climbed to second in the world.
The 21-year-old will be hoping her added experience can help her finally clinch the title at a tournament in which she has reached at least the quarter-finals in five successive years.
