At the Emirates Stadium, Brazil fans may have caught their first real glimpse of someone who is not merely the next Neymar, nor a Messi imitation, but a player whose emergence makes the idea of restoring a dynasty feel possible again.

A 96th-minute Troy Parrott goal to complete his hat-trick booked Ireland a spot in the playoffs for next year's World Cup with a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over their nearest Group F rivals Hungary in a must-win game in Budapest.

Portugal thrashed Armenia 9-1 in their final Group F qualifier on Sunday to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as group toppers, with Bruno Fernandes leading the charge with a hattrick.

With 95 goals in 157 international appearances, Chhetri is the fourth-highest goal scorer in international football, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ali Daei.

Bangladesh have set their sights on reaching the finals of the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup as the qualifying rounds kick off across seven venues on November 22, with the boys in red and green placed in a challenging Group A in China.

India’s key players have expressed their assurance over the security arrangements made for them ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Dhaka on Tuesday, affirming that they have only football on their mind.

FIFA said on Sunday it had stepped up efforts to tackle online abuse directed at players and officials, reporting a surge in harmful content and referring more offenders to police.

The 32-year-old is enjoying arguably the best campaign of his career with 23 goals in 17 appearances for Bayern.

European champions Spain will qualify if they avoid an unlikely seven-goal defeat at home to Turkey.

A disappointed Jeremy Doku said Belgium have not been good enough in most of their World Cup qualifiers, even though they have the routine task of needing to beat tiny Liechtenstein at home on Tuesday to secure a berth at next year's finals.

In-form striker Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain thrashed Georgia 4-0 away on Saturday to set a national record and all but guarantee their place in next year's World Cup finals.

First-half goals from Estevao and Casemiro secured a 2-0 victory for Brazil over Senegal in a fiery friendly at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Shomit Shome is optimistic Bangladesh will end their winless streak in international football when they take on neighbours India in an AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture in Dhaka on November 18.

Special Olympics Bangladesh (SOBD) achieved a remarkable double triumph at the Special Olympics Southeast Asia Football Competition 2025, winning both the male and female Division 1 Championships in Indonesia from November 10–14.

On Thursday, all lenses naturally were fixated on Bangladesh star midfielder Hamza Chowdhury, who delivered the shots of a lifetime for any Bangladesh fan -- a spectacular bicycle kick followed by a coolly taken Panenka penalty -- in Bangladesh’s 2-2 draw against Nepal in a FIFA friendly at the National Stadium. As the men in red and green gear up for their high-voltage AFC Asian Cup qualifier against India on November 18 at the very same ground, a buoyant Hamza -- known for scanning the field and sniffing out danger -- was spotted scanning through a different lens altogether, playfully turning into a shutterbug during training. With fans swept up in full-fledged Hamzamania, the Leicester City midfielder, ever cheerful in his jolly demeanour, greeted supporters with smiles, posed for selfies, and even signed a hand-drawn sketch of himself offered by a young fan. Hamza has four goals to his name in five matches for Bangladesh and expectedly, the onus will be on him to spur his team on against India. Photos: Firoz Ahmed  

India have named Australia-born footballer Ryan Williams in their 23-member squad for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Bangladesh set to take place in Dhaka on November 18.

Still reeling from the stoppage time equaliser from Nepal that denied them a win on Thursday, Bangladesh are shifting their focus to the AFC Asian Cup Qualifying tie against India.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Friday his squad are on their way to becoming "legendary" like the players that won the country's first World Cup, in 2010, and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

Croatia booked their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in North America with an unconvincing 3-1 win over the in-form Faroe Islands on Friday as the Netherlands all but booked their spot in the finals too.

Germany forward Nick Woltemade scored twice in the second half to give the four-time world champions a hard-earned 2-0 win over Luxembourg in their penultimate 2026 World Cup qualifier on Friday, leaving them on the brink of automatic qualification.