FIFA.com - News

The flawless, troubled and triumphant

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:01:00 GMT

With 240 matches played among nine qualifying groups, FIFA.com reviews the most memorable moments from the 13-month-long qualifying campaign for next summer's UEFA EURO 2012.

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.

Swedes slam San Marino late

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:13:00 GMT

Sweden left it late before scoring five goals inside the final 30 minutes to beat ten-man San Marino in their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier in Serravalle tonight.

Robben, Afellay missing for Dutch

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:17:00 GMT

Bert van Marwijk has left injured duo Arjen Robben and Ibrahim Afellay out of his squad to face San Marino and Finland next week, although he hopes the former could still play some part.

Familiar foes await England

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:59:00 GMT

Ukraine, Poland and Montenegro, all of whom have taken points off England in previous qualifying campaigns, are once again preparing to challenge the Three Lions in Group H.

The preliminaries in numbers

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:30:00 GMT

Ahead of Saturday's Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, FIFA.com looks at some statistics from the qualifying competition's history and some other records on the verge of crashing.

Atletico dealt Norwegian Europa trip

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Atletico Madrid will face Norwegian side Stromsgodset, who last appeared in the UEFA Cup 13 years ago, while Stoke City have been been paired against Hadjuk Split in the UEFA Europa League.

Hungary three sink San Marino

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:57:00 GMT

Hungary defeated San Marino 3-0 with goals from Zoltan Liptak, Imre Szabics and Vladimir Koman, keeping the pressure on Sweden who are just three points ahead in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group E.

Sweden aim to reduce Dutch lead

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:50:00 GMT

Sweden will be without injured captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic as they aim to cut Netherlands' Group E lead by beating Moldova, while the other group game features Finland against San Marino.

Who’ve been the stars of 2010/11?

Wed, 18 May 2011 10:09:00 GMT

FIFA.com wants to know which players have impressed you the most during the 2010/11 season across Europe.

Messi sinks Brazil, Spain slump in Lisbon

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:14:00 GMT

Argentina hit the headlines in Wednesday’s international action by beating Brazil for the first time in five years, world champions Spain came unstuck in spectacular fashion against Portugal while England lost to a rejuvenated France.

Finland stun San Marino

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:11:00 GMT

Mikael Forssell helped himself to a hat-trick as Finland picked up their first points of their UEFA EURO 2012 qualification campaign with a sensational 8-0 win over San Marino in Helsinki.

Moldova beat sorry San Marino

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:39:00 GMT

San Marino lost their fourth consecutive match in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying, visitors Moldova recording their second win of the campaign with a 2-0 victory.

Szalai stars in Hungary goalfest

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:19:00 GMT

Hungary overwhelmed minnows San Marino, winning 8-0 at home to record a second win in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group E, Adam Szalai the star with a hat-trick.

Van Marwijk calls for Dutch focus

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:04:00 GMT

Bert Van Marwijk has warned his Netherlands players against complacency ahead of their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier away to Moldova, whose fans he described as “fanatical”.

French relief, Scandinavian success

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:36:00 GMT

France deservedly won in Bosnia-Herzegovina as fellow strugglers Portugal lost away to Norway, while Sweden, Italy and Germany posted emphatic victories and England saw off Switzerland.

Favourites to the fore

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Europe's major nations scored impressive wins in the latest round of UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers with England, France, Germany and Italy victorious with only Portugal left shocked by defeat in Norway.

France stunned as forwards thrive

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:35:00 GMT

Belarus won 1-0 in France as Portugal were held 4-4 by visiting Cyprus, while Italy's Antonio Cassano, Fernando Torres of Spain and England talisman Wayne Rooney inspired victories.

47 days to go

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:21:00 GMT

In their 10 matches, all defeats, San Marino conceded 47 goals in their qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while scoring just once.

Stadiums offer the comforts of home

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:11:00 GMT

From Wembley to the Azteca to the Stadio Olimpico in San Marino, national team home stadiums are some of the most prized places on planet football.

TheKingKelly triumphs as CTID77 climbs

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:06:00 GMT

TheKingKelly posted 475 points to win a signed FIFA World Cup winner's jersey, while CTID77 jumped from 25th to fourth in Round 13.

Slovenia settle for second place

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Slovenia cruised to victory away to San Marino, but were forced to settle for a place in the play-offs courtesy of Slovakia's 1-0 success in Poland.

Vittek: Slovakia will qualify

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:06:00 GMT

Slovakia captain Robert Vittek has vowed that "qualification will be ours" after suffering a setback in their South Africa 2010 bid against Slovenia.

Brecko: A full-blooded clash

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:47:00 GMT

Cologne defender Miso Brecko tells FIFA.com all about Slovenia's plans to spoil the Slovak party ahead of their qualifying clash in Bratislava.

Czechs hit seven to revive hopes

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:22:00 GMT

Milan Baros and Vaclav Sverkos contributed six goals between them as Czech Republic beat San Marino 7-0 to move back into Group 3 contention.

England and Serbia on the verge

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:54:00 GMT

England and Serbia will have the chance to reach South Africa 2010 in midweek, while Denmark, Slovakia and Spain could also secure qualification.

Polak out of Czech qualifiers

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Anderlecht midfielder Jan Polak has been ruled out of the Czech Republic's two qualifiers against Slovakia and San Marino after tearing knee ligaments.

Five-star Slovenia

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Slovenia recorded their third-biggest victory as they defeated San Marino 5-0 to keep their dreams of qualifying for South Africa 2010 very much alive.

Big guns deliver as Norway dazzle

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Norway were the day's big winners with a 4-0 victory over Scotland, while Germany and France both edged closer to a place at South Africa 2010.

Race resumes in Europe

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:09:00 GMT

Norway and Belarus will host Scotland and Croatia respectively amid high stakes, while France and Germany can ill-afford to stumble on their travels.

Defence and strategy for 11

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:13:00 GMT

In the second of our Matchday 11 features for McDonald's FIFA World Cup Fantasy, we focus on choosing defenders, goalkeepers and coaches.

Who will your forwards be?

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:07:00 GMT

As Matchday 11 of FIFA World Cup Fantasy approaches, FIFA.com takes a closer look at the strikers and midfielders eligible for August's qualifiers.

European encounters in 11

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:04:00 GMT

With a slight variation in format, Matchday 11 of McDonald's FIFA World Cup Predictor consists of eight fixtures instead of the usual ten.

Safe passage for Netherlands

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:56:00 GMT

The Netherlands became the first European side to book passage to South Africa as England, Serbia, Denmark and Slovakia moved closer to the finals.

Seven up for Slovakia

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:04:00 GMT

An emphatic 7-0 victory over San Marino in Bratislava took Slovakia into first place in Group 3 of European Zone qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Europe salutes Barcelona

Thu, 28 May 2009 19:28:00 GMT

After a dazzling display of flowing football against the English holders, Barcelona were crowned worthy European champions in Rome.

Slovaks shock the Czechs

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:41:00 GMT

Slovakia shook off neighbours and arch-rivals Czech Republic with a 2-1 win in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Prague on Wednesday evening.

Flawless trio aim for more

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:38:00 GMT

Spain, England and Netherlands have won all their games to date and are out to consolidate their leads on matchday six in the European Zone.

Poland drop keeper Boruc

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been dropped from the side and allowed to return to Glasgow after a nightmare display against Northern Ireland.

Mazza relishing San Marino's task

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:08:00 GMT

San Marino might be the smallest of Europe's minnows, but coach Giampolo Mazza says they enjoy the challenge of facing the continent's best.

Northern Ireland cruise in San Marino

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:02:00 GMT

Northern Ireland strolled to a 3-0 win over San Marino but picked up some costly bookings that leave problems in store when they face Poland.

Can you manage the pressure?

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:20:00 GMT

With fewer than 100 points separating the top 100 managers, and 12 matchdays left, no one is safe. Welcome to Matchday 6.

Race resumes on Matchday 6

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:16:00 GMT

Old rivalries will be revisited when South Africa 2010 qualification resumes. Will home records remain intact or be broken on Matchday 6?

Will hearts rule heads?

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:35:00 GMT

Whether you predict with head or heart, Round 16 will test your limits with matches that could prove to be our most classic predictor encounters yet.

Fresh feel to leaderboard

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:22:00 GMT

Christmas came a few weeks early for some predictors in Round 15. With the race now wide open at the top, a fierce battle for glory ensues.

Cech misses San Marino match

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:48:00 GMT

Petr Cech will miss the Czech Republic's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against San Marino on Wednesday because of a thigh injury.

Round 5 set to fire things up

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:03:00 GMT

Prepare for all-or-nothing showdowns in Round 5 as some teams have one last chance to progress to the next round of FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers.

Crunch time for favourites and underdogs

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:09:00 GMT

The overall table is bursting with activity and smart, risky predictions could net you big points in Round 5. Time is running out; get those predictions in!

Determining Europe's runners-up

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:17:00 GMT

FIFA has revealed the criteria that will determine the eight best runners-up in the group phase of European Zone qualifying for South Africa 2010.

Fearsome foursome lead the way

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:10:00 GMT

Four teams have maintained a perfect record on the first three matchdays of European qualifying for South Africa 2010. Can they keep it up?