By David Owen
September 1 – It is exactly 100 years since, Spain, nowadays one of the powers of the global game, appeared in its first international football tournament.
July 28 – Concacaf has scheduled the 2021 Gold Cup in the US for next July, and in a unique revamp of qualification – and to take account of lost international windows due to the Covid pandemic – the preliminary rounds will see the 12 competing teams centralised in the US.
June 25 – Odds-on favourites Australia and New Zealand won the right today to stage the 2023 women’s World Cup, beating outsiders Colombia in a two-horse race to make history by bringing the tournament to the southern hemisphere for the first time.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 25 – The vote later today for the right to stage the 2023 women’s World Cup is likely to be much closer than anticipated after it emerged that UEFA has controversially called on its nine FIFA Council members to back outsiders Colombia, according to sources close to the bid process.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 23 – The pain still lingers but all good things come to those who wait. Ten years after the humiliation of being trounced when bidding for the 2022 World Cup, Australia are poised to be granted what could arguably be described as the next best thing – the women’s equivalent. Even if it means sharing with neighbours New Zealand.
By Paul Nicholson
June 22 – Japan have withdrawn their bid to host the Women’s World Cup 2023 leaving just two bids still in contention for the blue riband women’s event, with the joint Australia-New Zealand bid being the clear favourite against the submission from Colombia.
June 11 – The prospects of an Australasian women’s World Cup in 2023 has received a significant boost after the joint Australia-New Zealand bid received a higher rating by FIFA’s evaluation team than rivals Japan and Colombia.
June 8 – Even though the tournament is not for another three years, Brazil has withdrawn its bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, saying it cannot offer FIFA the financial assurances needed as a result of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
May 18 – The 2023 Women’s World Cup host will be picked by FIFA’s ruling council on June 25.
March 27 – South Korea and Australia have called on FIFA to raise the age limit for the Olympic football tournament in 2021 with a view to keeping the players that helped participants qualify eligible for the tournament.
By David Owen
March 24 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has finally bowed to the inevitable and postponed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
March 3 – The bidding race for the 2023 Women’s World Cup is shifting gear. On the eve of the UEFA Congress in the Dutch capital, the four bids pitched their tournament plans to the European governing body’s Executive Committee.
February 11 – On the eve of the FIFA delegation’s on-the-ground inspection of Australia and New Zealand’s bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Football Federation Australia boss James Johnson has expressed his confidence in the Antipodean quest to co-host the tournament.
February 10 – Defending champions Brazil have qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer after overcoming rivals Argentina 3-0 in a crunch qualifier. The Argentineans had already booked their ticket.
January 30 – With 12 teams now qualified for the 2021 Gold Cup – the 16th edition of Concacaf’s blue riband national men’s team competition – the draw for the play-offs for the final four spots has been released. The deciders will be via elimination rounds in the March 2020 international window before a final round of play-offs in June 2020.