May 15 – FIFA has turned up the promotion for the hastily re-organised U-20 World Cup whose hosting was moved at the last minute from Indonesia to Argentina.
How they qualified
The Croatians did not qualify the easy way for the finals. In a tough group, they struggled with an opening defeat at home to Austria, 3-0. A 1-1 draw with France kept the East Europeans in the race and with perseverance two wins against Denmark as well as a victory in Paris proved to be decisive. They edged the team of Kasper Hjulmand Danish team for the top spot by a single point.
How they qualified
Mexico only just squeezed past Jamaica to top their group, drawing with the Reggae Boyz 2-2 in the final group game, but they had to come from behind twice to win the point needed to qualify. Bobby De Cordova-Reid opened the scoring in the 8th minute for Jamaica before Orbelín Pineda levelled on 17 minutes. Jamaica were ahead again 16 minutes later when a ball from De Cordova-Reid bounced off the left thigh of Edson Álvarez for an own goal.
How they Qualified
The USMNT secured their qualification for the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Final Four with a 1-0 win against El Salvador on March 27 at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando. The US had gone into the game needing just a point to qualify. Ricardo Pepi was the saviour for the US, coming off the bench in the second half against El Salvador to score with his first touch. Three days earlier the US had demolished Grenada 7-1,
How they qualified
Like the other finalists, Spain were inconsistent in the group stage with a home defeat to Switzerland and a draw against the Czech Republic. Alvaro Morata got his team across the finish line with a late strike in a 1-0 win away to Portugal.
Tournament record
Spain didn’t make the finals in 2019, finishing runners-up behind England in their group, but they came close in the last edition.
How they qualified
Los Canaleros (the Canal Men) qualified at the expense of fellow Central Americans Costa Rica who they have been battling with for qualification Panama clinched their spot with a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in San José. The Panamanians needed a draw or a win to qualify with Jose Fajardo’s solitary goal in the 77th minute proving to be sweet revenge for missing out on Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification to Costa Rica.
How they qualified
The 2022 World Cup finalists had to wait until the final two rounds of qualifying to top their group and book a ticket for Las Vegas. Going into the last round they were behind group leaders Honduras, having lost earlier in the group stage away from home. A 4-1 win over the Hondurans in the final game sealed qualification after a 2-1 win over Curacao had pushed them to the top of the group.
How they qualified
En route to the Netherlands, they were beaten 5-2 by Germany, but Roberto Mancini’s came good with back-to-back wins against England and Hungary to top Group 3 on 11 points, one more than the Eastern Europeans.
Tournament record
Italy staged the last edition of the final four in Torino and Milano and suffered defeat at the hands of Spain in the semi-finals 2-1.
May 12 – While the Manchester United sale process closes in on naming a preferred bidder another of Europe’s biggest clubs looks to be readying for a sale of stock.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
May 12 – Qatar will kick off the 2023 Asian Cup on January 12 at the Al Bayt Stadium as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) released the matched schedule for the tournament. The same venue will stage the final on February 10.
May 12 – Australia’s Graham Arnold has vowed that his team’s intensity will not drop following a historic World Cup campaign in a bid to win the 2024 Asian Cup.
May 12 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) have at last found a venue willing and able to host the Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki on May 24. The Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos will host a final that will be played behind closed doors.
May 12 – EA Sports FIFA video game, in the last season of its license of the FIFA name, has delivered a huge bonus for the gaming giant.
May 12 – Ahead of the World Cup 2026 brand reveal in Los Angeles next week, FIFA has launched a campaign titled #WeAre26 to raise the profile of the event and host cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
May 12 – FIFA has landed Unilever personal care brands as Official Sponsors of the Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 in a deal that will run through to the 2027 Women’s World Cup and include the men’s World Cup in 2026.