Germany

England manager Gareth Southgate has challenged the current crop of players to garner valuable experience which would put them in good stead by the time the next World Cup arrives. The Three Lions was recently rewarded with a new contract after guiding the team to the semi-final stage of the previous World Cup in Russia and he has now set the benchmark for the squad to go and win the next global tournament in Qatar.

Speaking to reporters, Southgate said that the current squad needs to learn to make an impact in the big matches and he agrees with FA chief Martin Glenn’s comments about England winning the European Championship or World Cup in the near future, he said: “Martin’s point was right. What we set about with the junior teams was we want to be in and around semi-finals all the time — where you’re in the matches that give you a chance to have success and consistency. Consistently high performance is what we’ve got aim for. I think all sports teams have to gear towards that. Then you learn how to win those really big games, because you’re in there all the time and experiencing those moments of pressure. That’s what we want our players to have.”

The secret to the glittering career of ex-Chelsea and Ghana legend Michael Essien has been revealed by one of his old teammates.

Derek Boateng who played alongside the powerhouse midfielder for their country at youth and senior levels he is not surprised by the fact the 34-year-old is still going strong playing in the Indonesian top flight side Persib Bandung.

Chris Coleman has claimed that he will consider starting with Joe Ledley if the player is fit enough to start the match. Ledley is without the club after deciding to leave Crystal Palace in the summer.

However, he has not been able to find the club in the last few months, and it is looking increasingly likely that the 30-year-old will have to drop down a division or two in order to find regular first-team football. The former Cardiff youngster made the switch to Celtic which brought him to greater prominence across European football in 2010. After spending four years at Celtic, he returned to English football with Crystal Palace in the January transfer window of 2014 for around € 3.5 million.

World Cup 2018 hosts Russia are spending more than initial estimates in a bid to put all in place when they host the rest of the world for the prestigious tournament.

They increased their spending by £260 million, according to Russian news agency TASS.

The chairman of Wales football fan group is quite shocked to hear that they will receive about 3,300 tickets for the World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on March 24.

Vince Alm expected an allocation of 10% of the Aviva Stadium’s 51,700 capacity, but the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is offering just 6.5%. Wales’ home venue, Cardiff City Stadium, has a capacity of 33,280 and Republic of Ireland fans have been given 10% of the tickets for their visit.

Former Brazil and Real Madrid forward Julio Baptista said that Russia has the potential to host a fantastic World Cup.

He was speaking after the Confederations Cup draw that was held in Russia. He said that the Confederation Cup would be a great rehearsal for the World Cup and this can give you an idea of the talent and skills of Russians when it comes to organizing a big tournament.

Throughout the entire history of the Canadian national football team, they have consistently struggled to qualify for the World Cup.

As each year passes by, Canada just can’t seem to snatch a qualification spot that would allow them to compete in the worldwide competition.

The newly appointed coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr says he would take the three time African champions to the World Cup despite the tight qualification rope and even excel at the tournament.

The German tactician was announced this week by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), after the coach agreed to a two year deal to lead the side.

The coach of Spain, Vicente del Bosque, wants the team to learn from their World Cup experience in Brazil as they attempt a third successive campaign at the Euro 2016 in France.

After the team lifted the Euro 2008 and 2012, also winning their first ever World Cup in South Africa 2010, they could not cope with the very high pressure of being the favourites to lift the trophy for a second successive time. They were surprisingly knocked out from the tournament in the first round.

The United States is the best candidate to host the 2026 World Cup, according to former international defender Alexi Lalas.

FIFA is looking for a fresh start after being involved in several corruption scandals and undergoing new presidential elections, which saw Gianni Infantino take over from Sepp Blatter. The organisation recently announced new rules for countries wishing to host the World Cup. The selection process for the 2018 and 2022 world cups have already been concluded and they have been awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively. Interested parties will have to undergo rigorous consultation, campaigning, and evaluation processes.