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 – His country having just been cleared to play in the World Cup despite an appeal by Chile and Peru that they should have been thrown out for fielding an eligible player in qualifying, Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso (pictured) has decided not to attend the high profile opener against Qatar, citing domestic unrest.
November 10 – 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosts Football Australia have agreed a multi-year sponsorship with LEGO Australia to become the first official partner of Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 programmes.
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)’).
By Andrew Warshaw
November 9 – World Cup organisers are breathing a sigh of relief after Chile’s protracted appeal to have Ecuador thrown out of the competition was rejected at the 11th hour by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
By Andrew Warshaw
November 9 – The impasse between UEFA and backers of a breakaway European Super League has intensified after a secret meeting between the two sides ended in stalemate and acrimony.
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 – The backlash from yesterday’s meeting between European Super League promoters A22 Sports, UEFA and European football stakeholders has continued with both the European Club Association (ECA) and a number of LaLiga clubs unequivocally coming out against the A22 plan.
November 9 – The next two European championships will remain free to the general public after UK public-service broadcaster the BBC and commercial broadcaster ITV agreed to continue to share the rights.
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 – Coors Light will be the official beer of the Leagues Cup – the new MLS vs LigaMx club competition kicking off in 2023 – in what is described as a multi-year partner agreement.
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?