FIFA members will decide on Wednesday whether the 2026 World Cup should be played in North America or return to Africa for just the second time, in Morocco. The choice is clear — between a slick bid based on gleaming stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada or an ambitious attempt from Morocco based on as-yet largely unbuilt facilities. ...

DHAKA: Bangladesh showered its women cricketers with cash rewards Tuesday for their upset triumph over India in the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament. The women´s team defeated six-times champions India by three wickets in Sunday´s final in Kuala Lumpur to claim their maiden title. Bangladesh became the first side ever to beat India in the group phase of the tournament before ...

MOSCOW: Reigning champions Germany are set to arrive in Russia on Tuesday to join the World Cup party as Belgium downplayed an injury scare over star player Eden Hazard in their final warm-up match. Gareth Southgate’s youthful England team are also due to touch down as anticipation mounts ahead of Thursday’s opening fixture in Moscow between host nation Russia and ...

MOSCOW: Moscow authorities are pleading with locals not to drive in the runup to Thursday´s World Cup opening match to avoid causing gridlock in the city. The Russian capital of 12 million people is creaking at the seams as it starts receiving hundreds of thousands visitors for the month-long football final. Fans from the 32 participating nations will almost all ...

Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy is thrilled to have Steve Smith on his team for the inaugural Global T20 Canada league even though the disgraced Australian is banned from playing for his own country following a ball-tampering scandal. Smith´s career was thrown into turmoil in March for his role in the incident that took place in South Africa and ...

Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate has been suspended for their next two games by the England and Wales Cricket Board after repeated disciplinary breaches. The 37-year-old’s latest incident came in this week’s win over Lancashire. The Netherlands international breached Level 1 of the ECB’s directives. It relates to “wilfully mistreating any part of a cricket ground, equipment or implements used ...

 LONDON: Around two dozen international wrestlers will be visiting Pakistan next month to take part in Pakistan’s second international professional wrestling event which will take place in August across various Pakistani venues. Well-known wrestlers Bram, Tiny Iron, Pram and Chardonhay attended a press conference with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK Syed Ibne Abbas and Imran Shah, the CEO of ...

Roger Federer said on Monday his motivation is sky-high as he bids for a possible return to the number one ranking if he reaches the final at the Stuttgart Cup. The 36-year-old Swiss, second in the ATP standings behind 11-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, has it all to play for this week at the hilltop Weissenhof club, where he ...

India pacer Mohammed Shami was dropped from the Test team for the one-off match against Afghanistan after he failed to clear the fitness test at NCA, Bengaluru, BCCI’s All-India Senior Selection Committee said on Monday. Fast bowler Navdeep Saini was named as Shami’s replacement for the lone Test. “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Navdeep Saini as Mohammed Shami’s ...

West Indies completed a crushing 226-run victory over Sri Lanka just after lunch on the final day of the first Test on Sunday as the tourists surrendered meekly following the demise of century-maker Kusal Mendis and captain Dinesh Chandimal. Set a daunting target of 453, the Sri Lankans crashed from 189 for three in mid-morning to be dismissed for 226 ...