Tickets for Pakistan-Saudi Arabia football World Cup qualifier go up for sale

Tickets for Pakistan-Saudi Arabia football World Cup qualifier go up for sale
Pakistan's Fareed Ullah (C) heads the ball during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier football match between Pakistan and Tajikistan at the Jinnah Sports stadium in Islamabad. (AFP/File)
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Updated 24 May 2024
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Tickets for Pakistan-Saudi Arabia football World Cup qualifier go up for sale

Tickets for Pakistan-Saudi Arabia football World Cup qualifier go up for sale
  • Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will play against each other in Islamabad on June 6 for round two of World Cup qualifier
  • Saudi Arabia beat Pakistan 4-0 in November 2023 when the two sides met each other for first round of qualifiers

ISLAMABAD: Tickets for Pakistan’s upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Round 2 home-leg match against Saudi Arabia are officially on sale, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Thursday. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will lock horns at the Jinnah Football Stadium in Islamabad on June 6, with the match scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time. 

Pakistan is in Group G of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tajikistan. The South Asian country will face Tajikistan on June 11 in an away fixture. 

A total of 36 football squads have been split into nine groups with four teams each in the second round of qualifiers. The winners and runners-up from each group would progress through to the third round.

“In a bid to make the event accessible to all football enthusiasts, ticket prices have been thoughtfully set at budget-friendly rates,” the PFF said in a media release, adding that tickets were available at Bookme.pk website. 

It said tickets for the Premium Plus enclosures were set at Rs4,000 [$14.37] while the Premium enclosure tickets were priced at Rs1,500 [$5.39]. The General enclosure tickets are being sold for Rs750 [$2.69]. 

Saudi Arabia thrashed Pakistan 4-0 when the two sides met in November 2023 for their first clash of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Al Ahsa. 

Preliminary Pakistan squad

Goalkeepers: Hassan Ali and Tanveer

Defenders: Haseeb Khan, Mamoon Moosa Khan, Huzaifa, Waqar Ihtisham, Abdul Rehman, Umar Hayat, Muhammad Adeel, Muhammad Saddam and Zain ul Abideen

Midfielders: Yasir Arafat, Alamgir Ghazi, Ali Uzair, Rajab Ali, Moin Ali, Junaid Ahmed and Fahim

Forwards: Adeel Younas, Shayak Dost, Ali Zafar and Fareedullah

The PFF said the names of diaspora players joining the national training camp later would be included in the final squad.


Man Utd not yet out of Premier League title race, says Arteta

Man Utd not yet out of Premier League title race, says Arteta
Updated 03 December 2024
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Man Utd not yet out of Premier League title race, says Arteta

Man Utd not yet out of Premier League title race, says Arteta
  • “It’s still very early in the season,” said the Spaniard
  • Arteta said champions Manchester City were still a danger despite their recent slump

LONDON: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says it is too early to rule Manchester United out of the Premier League title race as he prepares his in-form team to face Ruben Amorim’s resurgent side on Wednesday.
United are 15 points behind leaders Liverpool and four points off the Champions League spots after 13 matches.
Arteta was asked at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday whether United could be in the title mix despite their poor start to the season under the sacked Erik ten Hag.
“It’s still very early in the season,” said the Spaniard, whose team are second in the table, six points clear of United.
“Any team that has the capacity to put five or six wins in a row is going to be up there because it’s so tough and you see every week how all the teams are struggling to maintain winning, winning and winning. So I think anything is possible.”
And Arteta said champions Manchester City were still a danger despite their recent slump — Pep Guardiola’s men have lost their past four league matches to fall 11 points behind Liverpool.
“Again, if there is a team with the capacity to turn it around and start to win, win, win and win — don’t rule them out because you know how much quality they have,” he said.
Arsenal have a good recent home record against United, who have won two and drawn one of their first three games in all competitions under Amorim.
Arteta said he could already see the influence of the former Sporting Lisbon boss, just weeks after he replaced Ten Hag.
“You can see his fingerprints in what he wants to do straight away,” he said. “I think he’s been very clear, he’s been very successful with Sporting.
“He brings energy to a new club and to the players new ideas and that’s always something positive but we have to focus on what we have to do.”
Arsenal have also been drawn against holders United in the third round of the FA Cup, which takes place early next month.
“We play at home, it’s going to be a big match again and it’s a little bit of the story of the last few seasons that in the third or fourth round we are playing big opponents,” he said.
“But we want to do what we have done historically at this club and in the end, you have to beat the big teams to win it. It is what it is. We are excited.”


Guardiola says Man City can hit top form again despite slump

Guardiola says Man City can hit top form again despite slump
Updated 03 December 2024
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Guardiola says Man City can hit top form again despite slump

Guardiola says Man City can hit top form again despite slump
  • “With all the squad this season, we’ll be close to the level that we reached last season,” Guardiola said
  • The club have been beset by injury problems this season, most notably the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the rest of the campaign

LONDON: Pep Guardiola says struggling Manchester City can hit the heights of recent seasons once he has all his top players back despite their alarming slump.
The defending Premier League champions have lost six of their past seven games in all competitions — falling 11 points behind leaders Liverpool in the English top flight.
It is an extraordinary collapse for a team that have won six of the past seven Premier League titles, including the past four.
Guardiola, whose team host Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, told a pre-match press conference he was confident City’s decline is not terminal.
“With all the squad this season, we’ll be close to the level that we reached last season,” he said on Tuesday.
The club have been beset by injury problems this season, most notably the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the rest of the campaign.
A number of other key players have spent time in the treatment room including Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Dias.
Guardiola described City as “magnificent” at Liverpool on Sunday despite their 2-0 defeat.
“I would say we are not far away from the team second in the Premier League (City are two points behind Arsenal),” he said.
“But always it’s the way you play, the consistency you have in the boxes, and many things that give you the positive thoughts of what is going to happen in future.”
Guardiola said the club would talk “internally” over whether they would bolster the squad in next month’s transfer window.
And he confirmed that Ederson remained his number one goalkeeper after he was dropped for the Liverpool match in favor of understudy Stefan Ortega following a mistake in last week’s 3-3 draw against Feyenoord.
He said the Brazilian had reacted well to his decision.
“Ederson number one, Stefan number two,” he said. “But maybe Stefan continues. We’ll see tomorrow and the next games.”
Guardiola called on City’s fans to help lift the team against Forest, who are sixth in the table, a point behind his men.
“Many, many good moments we’ve lived together,” he said. “They know that we need absolute support because all of us, the players especially, are human beings.”


Man United open FA Cup title defense at Arsenal and Man City to play ‘Class of 92’-owned Salford

Man United open FA Cup title defense at Arsenal and Man City to play ‘Class of 92’-owned Salford
Updated 03 December 2024
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Man United open FA Cup title defense at Arsenal and Man City to play ‘Class of 92’-owned Salford

Man United open FA Cup title defense at Arsenal and Man City to play ‘Class of 92’-owned Salford
  • The standout match features the competition’s two most successful teams, with Arsenal having won the trophy 14 times compared to United’s 13
  • The third round will take place around the weekend of Jan. 11-12 and sees the 44 clubs from the Premier League and second-tier Championship enter the competition

LONDON: Manchester United will start their FA Cup title defense with a trip to Arsenal in a third-round draw containing a host of intriguing English Premier League vs. lower league matchups.

Among the best were Tamworth, one of only two non-league clubs in the draw, getting to host Tottenham and Manchester City at home to Salford City — the team owned by members of Man United’s famed “Class of 92” such as Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

Accrington Stanley, in sixth-to-last place in fourth-tier League Two, face a daunting trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield. Chelsea, meanwhile, will host Morecambe, which are bottom of League Two.

The standout match features the competition’s two most successful teams, with Arsenal having won the trophy 14 times compared to United’s 13. Arsenal last lifted it in 2020 while United beat City in a second straight Manchester derby in the FA Cup final last season.

The third round will take place around the weekend of Jan. 11-12 and sees the 44 clubs from the Premier League and second-tier Championship enter the competition, joining the 20 lower-league and non-league sides who won in the previous round.

Draw:

Southampton vs. Swansea

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Exeter vs. Oxford United

Leyton Orient vs. Derby County

Reading vs. Burnley

Aston Villa vs. West Ham

Norwich vs. Brighton

Manchester City vs. Salford

Millwall vs. Dagenham & Redbridge

Liverpool vs. Accrington Stanley

Bristol City vs. Wolverhampton

Preston vs. Charlton

Chelsea vs. Morecambe

Middlesbrough vs. Blackburn

Bournemouth vs. West Bromwich Albion

Mansfield vs. Wigan

Tamworth vs. Tottenham

Hull vs. Doncaster

Sunderland vs. Stoke

Leicester vs. Queens Park Rangers

Brentford vs. Plymouth

Coventry vs. Sheffield Wednesday

Newcastle vs. Bromley

Everton vs. Peterborough

Wycombe vs. Portsmouth

Birmingham vs. Lincoln

Leeds vs. Harrogate

Nottingham Forest vs. Luton

Sheffield United vs. Cardiff

Ipswich vs. Bristol Rovers

Fulham vs. Watford

Crystal Palace vs. Stockport


Messi, Ronaldo only World XI nominees from clubs outside Europe as voted by players

Messi, Ronaldo only World XI nominees from clubs outside Europe as voted by players
Updated 03 December 2024
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Messi, Ronaldo only World XI nominees from clubs outside Europe as voted by players

Messi, Ronaldo only World XI nominees from clubs outside Europe as voted by players
  • The 37-year-old Messi and 39-year-old Ronaldo were the only players not with clubs in Europe to be voted on a 26-man shortlist for the world team of the year
  • FIFPRO said the final team will include the highest-polling goalkeeper, plus each of the top three vote-getters among defenders, midfielders and forward

HOOFDDORP, Netherlands: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still popular and respected by their fellow players even though they no longer play for European clubs.

The 37-year-old Messi and 39-year-old Ronaldo were the only players not with clubs in Europe to be voted on a 26-man shortlist for the world team of the year organized by global players’ union FIFPRO on Monday.

The other 24 nominees played in the past year with clubs in England, Germany, Spain and France, though Kylian Mbappé was the only French connection after spending last season at Paris Saint-Germain.

No player from any Italian club was selected, nor from any club in South America or Africa.

Eight players from Real Madrid, including Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were on the shortlist, plus seven from Manchester City including Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.

Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old from Barcelona who was the breakout star of Spain’s European Championship title, also made it in polling by union members worldwide.

Messi, in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, and Ronaldo, in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, will find out on Dec. 9 if they are in the World XI lineup.

FIFPRO said the final team will include the highest-polling goalkeeper, plus each of the top three vote-getters among defenders, midfielders and forward. The final place goes to the outfield player with the next highest votes total.

The Netherlands-based union said 28,000 players from 70 countries sent votes.

Goalkeepers: Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich, Germany).

Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, Spain), Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen, Netherlands), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany), William Saliba (Arsenal, France), Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Phil Foden (Manchester City, England), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany), Luka Modrić (Real Madrid, Croatia), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich, Germany), Rodri (Manchester City, Spain), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay).

Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid, France), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina), Cole Palmer (Manchester City/Chelsea, England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain).


World Football Summit in Riyadh aims to shape future of game regionally

World Football Summit in Riyadh aims to shape future of game regionally
Updated 02 December 2024
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World Football Summit in Riyadh aims to shape future of game regionally

World Football Summit in Riyadh aims to shape future of game regionally
  • Summit comes ahead of FIFA’s official announcement of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup, expected on Dec. 11
  • Jan Alessie: WFS Asia 2024 represents a crucial milestone in the evolution of football business in the GCC region

RIYADH: The World Football Summit kicked off on Monday in Riyadh, promising to be a key gathering for shaping the future of football in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and beyond.

Running from Dec. 2-3 with the participation of leading figures from the football world, the summit comes ahead of FIFA’s official announcement of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup, expected on Dec. 11.

The WFS Asia 2024 in Riyadh follows on from the first WFS held last year in Jeddah, which saw two days of discussions, strategic networking, and the acceleration of business and sports opportunities.

This year’s summit is expected to welcome more than 2,000 attendees, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Participants will discuss various topics related to football development, including the integration of football technology and innovation in fan engagement, the development of sports tourism and sustainability in football, the growth of women’s football, and youth development programs.

The lineup of industry leaders taking part includes Hammad Albalawi, the Saudi FIFA World Cup 2034 bid head; Omar Mugharbel, Saudi Pro League CEO; Mauricio Macri, former Argentine president and FIFA executive chairman; Esteve Calzada, CEO of Al-Hilal; Monika Staab, SAFF women’s football technical director; James Bisgrove, CEO of Al-Qadsia Club; La Liga President Javier Tebas; and Juventus CMO Mike Armstrong.

Other representatives from premier football organizations include UEFA, the Saudi Pro League, Serie A, and clubs such as Manchester United and Al-Nassr, who will also contribute to discussions that will take place over the two-days.

“WFS Asia 2024 represents a crucial milestone in the evolution of football business in the GCC region,” said Jan Alessie, co-founder and director at World Football Summit.

“By bringing together the industry’s most influential voices in Riyadh, we are not just hosting an event — we are creating a platform that will accelerate the next chapter of football’s growth. The caliber of participants and the depth of discussions planned reflect our commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue and partnerships that will impact the entire football world.”

SAFF President Yasser Al-Misehal welcomed the guests to the conference, highlighting the significant progress the Kingdom is experiencing in hosting global sports events, supported by the Saudi leadership’s backing of the sports sector along with the Ministry of Sports.

He said that the WFS reflects the SAFF’s ongoing efforts to contribute to the advancement of football-related businesses that serve the global standing of Saudi football.

The summit’s agenda features panels such as “Saudi Arabia’s growing importance in World Football” and “One nation, one dream: The FIFA World Cup 2034 bid journey to success.”

Notably, the Saudi bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 has received a rating of 419.8 out of 500, the highest technical rating ever given to a file submitted to host the event, the federation said.

FIFA’s announcement came ahead of the federation’s general assembly on Dec. 11 to decide which countries would host the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, the Saudi Press Agency reported early on Saturday.

On July 29, a Saudi delegation led by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, minister of sport and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Al-Misehal officially submitted the Kingdom’s bid book to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 at a ceremony hosted in Paris, France.

Last October, a FIFA delegation arrived in the Kingdom to review the details of the bid. As proposed, 48 teams will be participating at venues in one country for the first time in history.