FIFA.com - News

Belgium move clear, Portugal claim key win

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 03:01:00 GMT

FIFA.com reviews Friday's matchday in European qualifying for Brazil 2014 as Belgium and Portugal improved their prospects, while Croatia and Montenegro both stumbled at home.

Crunch time for Portugal in Europe

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:09:00 GMT

Russia's trip to face an under-pressure Portugal side is arguably the highlight of an intriguing programme of European Zone qualifiers on Friday, which also includes Belgium-Serbia, Czech Republic-Italy and Austria-Sweden.

Dutch go fifth, quartet reach personal bests

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:59:00 GMT

The Netherlands have moved up to fifth on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, while Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mali and Albania have hit their highest-ever spots.

Women’s round-up: April 2013

Wed, 01 May 2013 07:47:00 GMT

FIFA.com runs the rule over an action-packed month of women's football, which witnessed the qualifying campaign for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015™ gather pace and the dawn of a new era in the USA.

Qualifying route laid out in Europe

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:01:00 GMT

Local rivalries and heaveight clashes were thrown up in today's draw for the qualifying group stage in Europe, with England-Ukraine, Spain-Italy and Sweden-Scotland just a few of the duels in prospect.

Croatia and Ecuador on the up

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:00:00 GMT

The April edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking sees movement within the top ten, as Ecuador enter for the first time and Croatia climb to their highest position since 1998.

Debutants pass first test en route to Canada

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:47:00 GMT

FIFA.com rounds up the highlights of the first matches in FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 qualifying, which recently took place in Lithuania and Malta.

Lithuania, Malta first stops on road to Canada

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

FIFA.com looks ahead to the Canada 2015 qualifiers, with global qualifying commencing on Thursday with a mini-tournament involving Europe's eight lowest-ranked teams.

Spain stumble, Portugal rescue point

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:25:00 GMT

FIFA.com reviews all the action from a massive evening of Brazil 2014 qualifiers in Europe highlighted by a shock draw at home for world champions Spain against Finland, while Portugal narrowly avoided defeat in Israel.

Salihi's strike sinks Norway

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:28:00 GMT

Norway dropped two places in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying Group E after losing 1-0 at home to Albania, courtesy of a 67th minute strike from Hamdi Salihi.

Henriksen: Albania will be a tough test

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:51:00 GMT

Norway's game against Albania will be no easy task according to the hosts' midfielder Markus Henriksen, who expects a the visitors will give them a tough game in Group E, while Slovenia will host Iceland in the group's other game.

Albania's Italian influence

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:16:00 GMT

Italian coach Giovanni De Biasi has made a great impression on Albania since taking over in 2011, with his side breaking back into Europe's top 30 sides after a lengthy absence.

Ujkani on loan to Chievo

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:15:00 GMT

Albanian keeper Samir Ujkani will spend the remainder of the 2012/13 Serie A season at Chievo on loan.

Who should your club sign?

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:54:00 GMT

FIFA.com wants to know who you reckon your club should sign in January 2013.

UEFA confirm multi-city EURO 2020

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:50:00 GMT

UEFA have confirmed that UEFA EURO 2020 will not take place in a single country, instead being staged across multiple cities around the continent.

What is international football’s biggest rivalry?

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 10:36:00 GMT

FIFA.com wants to know what you feel is the biggest rivalry in the international game.

Sting in the tail for Germany, Spain

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:58:00 GMT

Surprise results littered Tuesday's 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ qualification, as Germany let slip a four goal lead to draw 4-4 with Sweden, Northern Ireland held Portugal and France stunned Spain to grab a point in the closing seconds.

Roshi strikes as Albania edge Slovenia

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:32:00 GMT

Odise Roshi's 37th-minute goal was enough to earn Albania a victory over Slovenia which keeps them in the FIFA World Cup™ qualifying picture in Group E.

Excitement as Euro elite face off

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Five games pit table-toppers against close rivals on Matchday 4 of European Zone qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, as FIFA.com explains.

Jets edge Sydney, Roar thrash Victory

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:34:00 GMT

Despite an Alessandro Del Piero goal, Sydney FC lost 3-2 at home to Newcastle Jets, for whom Emile Heskey was on target, while Brisbane Roar overwhelmed Melbourne Victory 5-0.

Sigurdsson claims second win for Iceland

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:49:00 GMT

Iceland claimed their second FIFA World Cup qualifying victory in Group E after Gylfi Sigurdsson struck a late winner to earn a 2-1 win away from home against Albania.

High stakes in Belgrade, Moscow and Piraeus

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:08:00 GMT

England, the Netherlands and Sweden may be expected to build up their goal difference on Matchday 3, but in Serbia-Belgium, Russia-Portugal and Greece-Bosnia-Herzegovina, the menu has some fascinating, hard-to-call fixtures.

Powerhouses make steady progress

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:23:00 GMT

FIFA.com reviews all the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying action from Europe on a positive evening for the continent's major nations, although both Germany and Spain were made to work overtime before collecting wins.

World champions join the party

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 09:26:00 GMT

After a dramatic opening weekend of FIFA World Cup qualifying action in the European Zone, Spain begin their campaign tomorrow with a match in Georgia. FIFA.com looks ahead to all the action in the old continent.

Big guns hit ground running

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:56:00 GMT

The likes of England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal made winning starts to European Zone qualifying for Brazil 2014, while Italy were held to a 2-2 draw in Bulgaria.

Late goals grant Albania victory

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:07:00 GMT

Albania required two late goals to open their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a victory over Group E rivals Cyprus in Tirana.

Inter, Liverpool enter latest round

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:01:00 GMT

Inter Milan and Liverpool are among the sides to enter the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, for which the draw was announced on Friday.

Third qualifying round draw revealed

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:36:00 GMT

The draw for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League was held on Friday, with sides such as Anderlecht, Celtic, Dynamo Kyiv, Feyenoord and Panathinaikos discovering their fate.

Development efforts to the fore in June

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 10:30:00 GMT

A large number of development initiatives were carried out in June as member associations from every confederation reaped the benefits of FIFA programmes.

High-flying Berisha living the dream

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:18:00 GMT

Besart Berisha, who recently broke an A-League record for goals in a season, speaks to FIFA.com about his difficult upbringing, love of football, life at Australian champions Brisbane Roar and future with Albania.

Glory, goal machines and a goalie

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:03:00 GMT

An impressive milestone for Brad Friedel features along with goalscoring feats from Besart Berisha and Cristiano Ronaldo, and championship parties in Australia, Germany and India in FIFA.com's latest stats review.

Pfannenstiel's remarkable journey

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:30:00 GMT

German goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel hung up his gloves in 2010 following a nomadic career which saw him play on all six football continents. Not content with merely travelling the world, however, his latest mission is to save it.

Novara lose Ujkani for relegation run-in

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:30:00 GMT

Novara will have to continue their Serie A relegation battle without goalkeeper Samir Ujkani, who will miss the rest of the campaign with a hand injury he suffered at the weekend.

A year of transfers in numbers

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:02:00 GMT

Recently, a full calendar year of transfers were recorded and analysed in FIFA's Transfer Matching System. FIFA.com brings you some of the statistical highlights from the resulting report.

Sub Roshi secures win for Cologne

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:56:00 GMT

Cologne ended their long wait for a Bundesliga victory against Kaiserslautern, substitute Odise Roshi scoring within two minutes of coming on to secure a 1-0 win for the visitors.

Cana faces two month lay-off

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:42:00 GMT

Lazio are set to be without midfielder Lorik Cana for two months after the Albanian international suffered a back injury in their 4-0 defeat to Siena on Saturday.

Albania name De Biasi coach

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:18:00 GMT

Albania have appointed Italian Giovanni de Biasi as head coach of the senior national team, signing the 55-year-old to a two-year contract after former manager Josip Kuze left his post in October.

Berisha fires four in Roar rout

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:53:00 GMT

Brisbane Roar came from a goal behind to thrash Adelaide United 7-1 in the A-League today, with Besart Berisha grabbing four goals and Henrique adding a double of his own.

Albania, Romania draw out

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:12:00 GMT

Srgian Luchin netted a late equaliser to earn Romania a draw from their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying trip to Albania today.

Remy ready for Bosnia showdown

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:13:00 GMT

Loic Remy feels tomorrow's game against Bosnia-Herzegovina will be one of the big games of France coach Laurent Blanc's era, with a draw enough to secure UEFA EURO 2012 qualification for the Group D leaders.

England join EURO elite

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:38:00 GMT

FIFA.com reviews an exciting night of UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying action that saw England secure their place at next year’s finals, and Montenegro and Sweden confirm play-off berths.

Greece, Belgium push for qualification

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:36:00 GMT

Greece moved into pole position in UEFA EURO 2012 qualification Group F after beating fellow contenders Croatia 2-0, while Belgium beat Kazakhstan 4-1 to move into second in Group A at Turkey's expense.

French on song in Albania win

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:42:00 GMT

France produced the necessary response to Bosnia & Herzegovina's hammering of Luxembourg as victory over Albania gave them the upper hand going into their final UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier.

Cisse aims to prove his worth

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:14:00 GMT

Djibril Cisse is looking to grasp his chance in the France squad for their final two crucial UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers, which Les Bleus must win to prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina having a chance of topping Group D.

Cisse, Gomis recalled by injury-hit France

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 02:46:00 GMT

A place at UEFA EURO 2012 is well within reach for France, but the squad, recently hit by several injuries, may face an uphill climb as they look to collect four points from their last two qualifying games.

Ribery, Matuidi join France injury list

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:23:00 GMT

France have had a further two injuries strike their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier squad in the shape of Franck Ribery and Blaise Matuidi, adding to the already withdrawn Karim Benzema and Bakary Sagna.

Benzema to miss France qualifiers

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:27:00 GMT

France will be without Karim Benzema for their final two UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers after coach Laurent Blanc revealed the Real Madrid man would not recover from a groin injury in time.

Benzema boosted by Bleus victory

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:22:00 GMT

Karim Benzema believes France are getting better with every game after the striker scored as Les Bleus recorded a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Albania in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group D.

France made to sweat in Albania

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:34:00 GMT

France survived a second-half scare to defeat Albania 2-1, scoring through Karim Benzema and Yann M'Vila to move three points clear at the top of UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group D.

Injured Koscielny makes France squad

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:39:00 GMT

Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny has been called up for the France squad to face Albania and Romania in the upcoming UEFA EURO 2012 qualifers, despite being injured.