Valvoline becomes 8th official partner of Concacaf Gold Cup
May 7 – Concacaf has added car lubricants brand Valvoline as an official partner of the expanded 2019 Gold Cup.
World Tournaments
Ballon d’Or star Hegerberg left out of Norwegian World Cup squad
May 3 – Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, who took a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, has been left out of the country’s World Cup squad for next month’s finals in France starting on June 7.
2020 Olympic tournament to kick off in Sapporo two days before opening ceremony
By David Owen
April 17 – The schedule for the men’s and women’s Olympic football tournaments next year in Japan has been published, with the sport getting up and running as usual well before the official opening ceremony for the Games.
Conmebol still to confirm 2020 Copa America hosting as doubts over Argentina increase
By Paul Nicholson and Samindra Kunti
April 9 – Conmebol will finally decide where it intends to play its 2020 Copa America this week – the competition is also being played this summer in Brazil and is switching its staging to even numbered years in 2020.
Infantino suggests joint Korean bid for 2023 Women’s World Cup is on the cards
March 4 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hinted at a potential joint Korean bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Australia, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand have already expressed their interest in hosting the tournament.
LaLiga becomes official partner of World Cup organisers Beach Soccer Worldwide
February 25 – Beach Soccer Worldwide, organisers of FIFA’s Beach Soccer World Cup, have signed LaLiga as an Official Global Partner until the end of the 2020/2021 season.
No decision yet on goal-line technology for Tokyo 2020 football tournament
By David Owen
February 13 – FIFA has yet to decide whether to use goal-line technology at next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic football tournament.
Women’s World Cup: Ticket take-up hits 330K as FIFA announces new sales window
February 11 – Individual match tickets for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France will go on sale to the general public on March 7. To date 300,000 tickets have been sold out of a total allocation of 1.3 million.
Qatar’s golden generation break Asian Cup records
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
February 1 – Almost no one was expecting the Qatar national team to drive their way through to become the continental champions in the AFC 2019 Asian Cup that completed in the United Arab Emirates Firday night.
2019 Women’s World Cup refs warm-up in Qatar at Alkass International Cup
February 4 – A 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup referees workshop is being held in the Aspire Zone in Qatar for the next 12 days.
Almoez brilliance and Qatar’s defensive blockade shock Japan
Japan 1 Qatar 3
By Paul Nicholson
February 1 – The Qatar football project is bearing fruit. Ably supported by an army of Omanis who once again had driven across the border, this time in their thousands, to support them, Qatar lifted their first-ever Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi with a 3-1 win over a Japanese team that started as favourites.
Almoez and Al Rawi cleared to play in tonight’s final as AFC dismisses UAE eligibility complaint
February 1 – Game on, all players available. The protest lodged the by United Arab Emirates FA concerning the eligibility of Qataris players Almoez Ali and Bassam Al Rawi has been unanimously dismissed by the AFC disciplinary committee, just four hours before the final between Qatar and the UAE is due to take place.
Asian Cup Final: Qatar vs Japan head-to-head stats
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
February 1 – Qatar is appearing for the first time in the AFC Asian Cup finals and will take on the 4-time Asian Cup champions Japan.
Asian Cup Final preview: Japan vs Qatar
By Samindra Kunti
January 31 – First-time finalists Qatar will seek to make national history on Friday in the final of the Asian Cup by overcoming continental powerhouse Japan. The Samurai Blue will aim for a record fifth continental crown in a final that is predicted to go down the wire.
UAE protest eligibility of Qatar’s Almoez and Al Rawi and demand AFC Final spot
By Paul Nicholson in Abu Dhabi
January 31 – The UAE Football Association has formally protested against the eligibility of two Qatari footballers who played in the Asian Cup semi-final on Tuesday.