Football

Euro 2024: A Comprehensive Guide to the Upcoming TournamentThe UEFA European Football Championship, commonly known as the Euros, is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world. The 2024 edition of the tournament will be held in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024.Host Cities and StadiumsThe tournament will be hosted in 10 cities across Germany: Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart. Each city will host three group stage matches and one knockout match.Participating TeamsA total of 24 teams will participate in Euro 2024. The teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.Group StageThe group stage will take place from June 14 to June 26. The teams will play three matches each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.Knockout StageThe knockout stage will begin on June 29 with the round of 16. The eight teams that advance from the group stage will be paired off in single-elimination matches. The winners of the round of 16 will advance to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and the final.Key Players to WatchSome of the key players to watch in Euro 2024 include:* Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)* Kylian Mbappé (France)* Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)* Harry Kane (England)* Robert Lewandowski (Poland)Favorites to WinThe favorites to win Euro 2024 are France, England, and Germany. France is the defending champion, while England and Germany have both been in impressive form in recent years.History of the EurosThe UEFA European Football Championship was first held in 1960. The tournament has been won by 10 different countries, with Germany and Spain being the most successful teams with three titles each.Impact on GermanyEuro 2024 is expected to have a significant impact on Germany. The tournament will bring in millions of visitors and generate billions of euros in revenue. It will also be a major opportunity for Germany to showcase its footballing infrastructure and culture.

Poland's Euro 2024 preparations have been marred by injuries, with talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski and strike partner Karol Swiderski both forced off in their final warm-up match against Turkey.Lewandowski, who has scored 82 goals in 149 appearances for his country, limped off after just 32 minutes with an unspecified injury. Swiderski had already left the field after hurting his right ankle while celebrating his goal that gave Poland an early lead.The injuries add to Poland's woes, as they have already lost Juventus striker Arkadiusz Milik to a knee injury. Milik underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss the tournament.Poland, who kick off their Euro campaign against the Netherlands on June 16, are now facing a striker crisis. Lewandowski, who is 35, would have been appearing in his fourth European Championship.Turkey, who are in Group F, also suffered an injury blow as defender Merih Demiral was forced off with a hamstring problem.Despite the injuries, Poland managed to secure a 2-1 victory over Turkey in Warsaw. Nicola Zalewski scored the winning goal in added time after Baris Yilmaz had leveled for Turkey in the 77th minute.Poland will be hoping that Lewandowski and Swiderski can recover in time for the tournament, but their absence would be a major blow to their chances of success.

Argentina's Copa America preparations got off to a winning start as they edged past Ecuador 1-0 in a friendly encounter in Chicago. Angel Di Maria, donning the captain's armband in Lionel Messi's absence, proved to be the match-winner, scoring the solitary goal in the 40th minute.The game began with both teams showing attacking intent, but it was Argentina who took the lead through a moment of brilliance. Rodrigo De Paul's incisive pass found Cristian Romero in an advanced position, and the Tottenham defender executed a superb reverse pass to Di Maria. The veteran winger made no mistake, slotting the ball past Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez.Ecuador responded well to the setback and created several chances of their own. However, Argentina's defense, marshaled by Nicolas Otamendi and Lisandro Martinez, stood firm. Di Maria made way for Messi in the 56th minute, but the Inter Miami star was unable to add to the scoreline.Argentina continued to dominate possession but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. Ecuador, on the other hand, showed glimpses of their attacking potential, but their finishing let them down. The game ended 1-0, giving Argentina a morale-boosting victory ahead of the Copa America.The reigning world champions will face Guatemala in their final friendly before the tournament kicks off on June 20. They will be looking to build on their performance against Ecuador and fine-tune their preparations for the defense of their Copa America crown.

Frenkie de Jong, the Dutch playmaking midfielder, has returned to training ahead of the Netherlands' opening match at the European Championship. The 24-year-old has been struggling with ankle injuries this season and has not played a match since April.De Jong's return to fitness is a major boost for the Netherlands, who are seen as one of the favorites to win the tournament. The midfielder is a key part of coach Ronald Koeman's plans, and his presence in the squad will give the Dutch a much-needed boost.Koeman said that De Jong is not yet ready to play a full 90 minutes, but he is hopeful that the midfielder will be fit enough to start the tournament. "He was part of the training but we kept him away from any contact," Koeman said. "It is possible that Frenkie will not make it to the first match. But we can wait until the second or third game. That's a possibility. Even if he can't play the first two games, we'll stick with him. But if it looks as if he will miss the entire group stage, I might have to rethink his selection."The Netherlands will play their opening match against Poland on Sunday, June 13. They will also face Austria and Ukraine in Group C.

India's national football team, the Blue Tigers, have appointed goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as their captain for the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Qatar. The match, scheduled for Tuesday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, is a must-win for India to keep their hopes of reaching the third round of qualifiers alive.Sandhu, with 71 caps, is the most experienced and longest-serving player in the national team after the retirement of Sunil Chhetri. Head coach Igor Stimac stated that the decision to hand the captaincy to Sandhu was a natural choice, given his leadership qualities and experience.India's squad for the match includes 23 players, with defenders Amey Ranawade, Lalchungnunga, and Subhasish Bose not traveling to Qatar. Ranawade and Lalchungnunga were released to focus on their development, while Bose was granted leave for personal reasons.Qatar, who have already qualified for the third round as group toppers, have named a young squad for the match, with 21 players under the age of 24. Despite their dominance in their previous match against Afghanistan, Qatar failed to score, highlighting India's defensive resilience.Stimac emphasized the importance of attacking transitions in the upcoming match, as India aims to create and convert scoring opportunities. The Blue Tigers will have their first practice session in Doha on Sunday evening, followed by an official training session at the match venue on Monday.A win for India would put them in a strong position to qualify for the World Cup qualifiers third round and secure a direct spot at the 2027 Asian Cup. However, a loss would eliminate them from the qualifiers, and they would have to compete in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers third round for a place at the tournament in Saudi Arabia.If India draws against Qatar, they will qualify for the third round only if the match between Kuwait and Afghanistan, which will kick off two hours later, also ends in a draw. In that scenario, India would finish second in the group with six points, the same as Afghanistan, but with a better goal difference.

United States coach Gregg Berhalter expressed severe disappointment and accused his players of lacking respect after Colombia's emphatic 5-1 friendly victory on Saturday. The South Americans ruthlessly exploited American blunders, leaving Berhalter aghast at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.Jhon Arias and Rafael Borre gave Colombia a 2-0 lead within 19 minutes. Despite Timothy Weah's goal in the 58th minute, "Los Cafeteros" continued their relentless attack, scoring three unanswered goals through Richard Rios, Jorge Carrascal, and Luis Sinisterra.The rout marked the first time the US had conceded five goals in a game since their 5-0 defeat to Mexico in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Berhalter's side could have faced an even worse fate, as Colombia squandered several other scoring opportunities."I'm really disappointed, obviously with the result," Berhalter said. "We're not framing it as a lesson learned, we're framing it as a wake-up call. A really poor performance against a top team."Berhalter criticized his team's lack of respect for the opponent and the game itself, particularly in the final 15 minutes. "If you give a team like that the opportunities that we gave them, you're going to have no chance to win," he said.Despite some positive moments, Berhalter acknowledged that the 5-1 scoreline was unacceptable. "There were some positive chunks of the game, right. But when I'm looking right now at 5-1, it's not good enough."Berhalter fielded a starting lineup comprised entirely of players from Europe's top five leagues in preparation for their Copa America Group C opener against Bolivia on June 23. However, Colombia's early dominance threatened to overwhelm the US.Arias opened the scoring after just six minutes, capitalizing on a defensive error by Antonee Robinson. Borre doubled Colombia's lead with an overhead kick on 19 minutes.Weah's goal gave the US hope, but Rios's goal in the 77th minute put Colombia back in control. Carrascal and Sinisterra added late goals to seal the emphatic victory.The US will continue their Copa America preparations with a friendly against Brazil on Wednesday.

Spain's Euro 2024 preparations received a major boost as they thrashed Northern Ireland 5-1 in their final friendly before the tournament. Pedri Gonzalez emerged as the star of the show, scoring twice to lead La Roja to a convincing victory.After a shaky start that saw Northern Ireland take an early lead, Spain quickly regained their composure and dominated the match. Pedri equalized with a low drive from the edge of the box, before Alvaro Morata headed Spain ahead. Pedri struck again after a neat move, and Fabian Ruiz headed home to make it 4-0.The second half was a more subdued affair, but Mikel Oyarzabal added a fifth goal for Spain after being set up by the impressive Lamine Yamal. The victory was a timely confidence boost for Luis de la Fuente's side, who face a tough group at Euro 2024.Pedri, who has been in excellent form in recent weeks, expressed his determination to make an impact at the tournament. "I've worked hard to be in good shape at the end of the season," he said. "We'll go for (the Euros), with the idea of winning."Spain's victory over Northern Ireland was their second in as many friendlies, having previously thrashed Andorra 5-0. They will now turn their attention to their opening Euro 2024 fixture against Croatia on June 15.

Arkadiusz Milik's hopes of representing Poland at Euro 2024 have been dashed after he suffered a knee injury in the team's 3-1 victory over Ukraine on Friday. The Juventus striker went down in the second minute of the match and was assisted off the pitch by medical staff. Manager Michal Probierz confirmed afterwards that Milik's Euro chances were over.This is a cruel blow for Milik, who was also ruled out of Poland's squad for the previous Euros due to an injury sustained in Olympique de Marseille's final match of the 2021 season. Kacper Urbanski, who replaced Milik against Ukraine to make his debut, has been included in the squad for the tournament in Germany.Poland have one final warm-up game against Turkey on Monday before their Euro campaign begins. They will face France, the Netherlands, and Austria in Group D.Milik's absence is a significant loss for Poland, as he is one of their most experienced and dangerous forwards. He has scored 16 goals in 64 appearances for his country and was expected to play a key role in their Euro hopes.Despite Milik's injury, Poland still have a strong squad with plenty of quality and experience. Robert Lewandowski, the Barcelona striker, is one of the best players in the world and will be looking to lead his team to success.Other key players in the Poland squad include Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielenski, Brighton midfielder Jakub Moder, and Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior.Poland will be hoping to make a strong impact at Euro 2024 and reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2016. They will face a tough challenge in Group D, but they have the quality and experience to progress.

Manchester City's backup goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega, has extended his contract with the club until the summer of 2026. The 31-year-old German joined City in 2022 and has made 20 appearances for the team, including a crucial Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur where he denied Son Heung-min with a fine save late on.Ortega's extension is a testament to his value to the team, despite being behind Ederson in the pecking order. His performances in cup competitions and when called upon in the league have impressed manager Pep Guardiola, who has praised his reliability and professionalism."Stefan is the best number two goalkeeper we've ever had," said City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain. "He provides us with quality, stability, and experience."Ortega himself is delighted to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium. "I am motivated and challenged every single day," he said. "I have improved as a goalkeeper since coming here two years ago."The German goalkeeper's extension comes amid speculation linking Ederson with a move to Saudi Arabia. However, Begiristain has dismissed these rumors, stating that the Brazilian is "not for sale."Ortega's contract extension is a significant boost for City, who are looking to maintain their dominance in English football. The club has won the Premier League title four times in the past five seasons and is currently on course for a third consecutive triumph.Ortega's experience and reliability will be crucial for City as they navigate a busy schedule in the coming months. The team is still competing in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, and Ortega is likely to play a significant role in all three competitions.