November 11 – Hit like many countries by a number of injuries, especially in defence, England unveiled their World Cup squad on Thursday with manager Gareth Southgate (pictured) optimistic he has struck the right balance.
November 11 – Israelis and Palestinians will be allowed to travel together to the World Cup following an agreement brokered by FIFA who met with representatives from the Qatar 2022 organising committee, and from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture and Sport.
November 11 – Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has added his voice to those who believe Iran should be kicked out of the World Cup because of the country’s brutal crackdown against anti-government protests.
November 11 – There are mixed opinions about the World Cup being held in late November and December. It’s created a domestic league situation the likes of which we haven’t seen. Even countries that haven’t qualified for the finals are being affected and are seeing their domestic league seasons fractured.
November 10 – Qatar’s World Cup organisers have again strenuously denied claims by a former whistleblower that the country offered cash for votes in order to land the tournament.
November 10 – Qatar Airway CEO Akbar Al Baker (pictured) has hit back at the critics of the World Cup host nation, stressing that his nation will “always rub salt into the wound” of its adversaries.
November 10 – Romelu Lukaku will be heading to Qatar, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez confirmed on Thursday, naming his 26-men World Cup squad. The Spaniard also sprang a few surprises at the back, including Zeno Debast, Wout Faes and Arthur Theate.
November 10 – Unsurprisingly, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have pulled their weight behind Gianni Infantino’s highly controversial ‘shut-up-and-play’ message to the 32 World Cup finalists on the eve of the tournament.
November 10 – A French judge has placed Vinci Construction Grands Projets, a unit of French construction group Vinci, under formal investigation over allegations it violated the rights of migrant workers in Qatar.
November 10 – French coach Didier Deschamps has named only a 25-man squad for the World Cup, despite being able to select one more, and has included Raphael Varane even though the Manchester United defender tore his hamstring last month.
November 10 – Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Authority has extended its own use of the Hayya Card – the mandatory card that allows fans entry to Qatar for the World Cup – to include three more people travelling with the car holder (‘Hayya with Me (1+3)’).
November 9 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has added his once powerful voice to criticism of Qatar staging the World Cup by saying the decision 12 years ago was a mistake.
November 9 – In the latest rebuttal of the constant criticism faced by host nation Qatar, World Cup CEO Nasser Al Khater (pictured) has claimed that Europeans think they hold a monopoly on the tournament.
November 9 – In an analysis that will surprise few observers, data scientists from KU Leuven have calculated that Brazil have a one in five chance to win the World Cup, confirming their status as top favourites in Qatar.
November 9 – There are five or six teams that wouldn’t be a surprise to see win the World Cup, but early on an arguably more interesting talking point will be which teams among the world’s elite, and who are at short odds in World Cup betting, will end up falling at the first hurdle?