world-cup-qualifying Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
US Men’s Soccer Team Can Screw Up World Cup Qualifying in a Whole New Way This Time
If you can believe it, World Cup Qualifying in CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) was supposed to have started already. However, with FIFA canceling the spring, summer, and September international windows due to COVID-19, the North American region ...
The North Korea-South Korea World Cup Qualifier Was Played In A Silent, Violent Haze
On Tuesday, North Korea hosted South Korea in the two countries’ first-ever competitive match in Pyongyang against one another. However, there were no reports on the game from inside the 50,000-seat Kim Il-sung stadium until Thursday. That’s because North Korea held the match under a media blackout,...
Hong Kong Soccer Fans Turn Their Backs And Boo Chinese National Anthem
Fans at Hong Kong Stadium turned their backs on the Chinese national anthem prior to a World Cup qualifying match against Iran on Tuesday, bringing the long-running pro-democracy protests to the sporting world, per the Associated Press. The fans not only turned their backs, but also held up signs wi...
CONCACAF's New World Cup Qualifying Format Is Bigger (And Dumber) Than Ever
CONCACAF’s convoluted World Cup qualifying format has always been tilted in favor the big boys at the expense of the teams in the confederation’s bottom tier, making it so the dozens of small nations had essentially no hope of ever playing in the World Cup. It’s understandable why CONCACAF sought to...
No, The USMNT Will Not Be Replacing Peru In The World Cup
Maybe you have seen this rumor circulating recently: Peru, the last team to earn their spot in the 2018 World Cup, might be passing a law that would disqualify them from participating in the World Cup, and like some dismal, shameful Christmas miracle, your very own U.S. Men’s National Team might rep...
Peru Beats New Zealand, Becomes Final Team To Qualify For World Cup
Peru defeated New Zealand tonight, 2-0, to qualify for their first World Cup since 1982 and complete next year’s 32-team field....
Sweden Knock Italy Out Of World Cup Qualifying
For the first time since 1958 and only the second time ever, the Italian national team will not qualify for the World Cup. A 0-0 draw with Sweden in the second leg of the European play-off round sealed their fate, after the Azzurri lost 1-0 in the first leg on Friday....
Honduras Accuses Australia Of Spying With A Drone Before World Cup Playoff
Australia and Honduras are currently in the midst of a two-leg playoff for one of the last available World Cup spots. The two sides played to a scoreless draw in San Pedro Sula last week, and they’ll meet again in Sydney on Wednesday for the rubber match. Tensions are obviously high between the two ...
The USMNT Got Exactly What It Deserved
So here we are. After a shambolic qualifying campaign full of perceived nadirs, false dawns, and nearly constant disappointment, the USMNT has finished behind Mexico and Costa Rica and Panama and Honduras in the hexagonal table. The U.S. fell to Trinidad & Tobago last night, and will not compete in ...
Fuck All Of This
There is a certain type of American who, as he or she watched the seconds tick down on the USMNT’s devastating loss to Trinidad & Tobago and, moments later, those in Honduras’s stunning win over Mexico, felt a rush of self-important pride. Whether it be for reasons of philosophical differences about...
U.S.A. Out Of World Cup On Phantom Goal<em></em>
A nightmare World Cup cycle for the USMNT came to an end tonight, as a 2-1 U.S. loss to Trinidad and Tobago, coupled with wins by Panama and Honduras, eliminated the Americans from the competition....
Lionel Messi Saves Argentina's Ass
Tonight couldn’t have started any worse for Argentina. On the outside looking in at the beginning of the final day of World Cup qualification, they needed a win in Ecuador to at least keep their hopes alive. But within the first minute, the home side delivered a stunning blow, taking a very quick, p...
Oh No
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Trinidad And Tobago's Golazo Adds To American Frustration
All the USMNT needed tonight was some sort of result in order to get peace of mind and guarantee World Cup qualification, but an own goal from Omar Gonzalez, and then, a stunning long-distance golazo from Trinidad & Tobago’s Alvin Jones has put the Americans down 2-0 at half....
Tim Cahill Eliminates Syria From World Cup Qualification With Extra-Time Header
Syria’s run through World Cup qualification ended in heartbreak today. Tim Cahill headed in a goal, his second, in extra time to put Australia past Syria, 2-1, in the second leg of their fifth-place AFC playoff. Australia won, 3-2, on aggregate and advanced to the inter-confederation playoffs....
Iceland's Soccer Warriors Do Thor Proud By Qualifying For Their First World Cup Ever
Iceland is a nation that for generations has gazed upon the horizon and seen dozens of armies gearing up for the battle that is World Cup qualifying, each one with infantry ranks wildly outnumbering their own. Yet in the face of this enormous challenge the mighty Icelanders sharpened their swords wi...
James McClean Ruins Wales And Keeps Irish World Cup Hopes Alive
The stage could not have been more perfectly set in the final stretch of European World Cup Qualifying, with a rivalry match in Cardiff between Ireland and the Gareth Bale-less Wales squad turning into a loser-goes-home affair. As group-leaders Serbia faced an easy opponent in Georgia, it was on eac...
The USMNT's World Cup Qualifier Might Be A Little Underwater
The U.S. Men’s National Team can all but clinch a place in the 2018 World Cup with any sort of result at Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday evening. Except: It’s now looking kind of questionable whether the match will be able to be played. The pitch at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva is sodden and in places...
Ghana Effectively Knocked Out Of World Cup Qualifying By Bullshit Offside Call
Raphael Dwamena’s match-winning goal with 15 seconds remaining in added time against Uganda came off the board as South African referee Daniel Bennett inexplicably ruled Dwamena to be offside, effectively eliminating Ghana from World Cup contention. ...
Christian Pulisic And The USMNT Are Destroying Panama
The USMNT needed to whoop on Panama tonight, and they got off to a thrilling start, unzipping the Panamanian defense twice in the first 20 minutes and adding a penalty right before halftime. The entire first half was a thrilling affair despite the soggy Orlando pitch, and there could have been at le...