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Japan can become the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup this week while Son Heung-min will try to forget his Tottenham woes by firing South Korea to the finals.
Asian nations play two rounds of games, on Thursday and Tuesday, as qualifying for the enlarged 48-team tournament in North America approaches the business end in the region.
Japan will seal their spot with three qualifying matches to go if, as expected, they beat Bahrain at home in Saitama on Thursday.
Even if they stumble, it looks only a matter of time until they secure a place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as they have another home match against Saudi Arabia next week.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side are nine points clear of Australia at the top of Group C, having won five and drawn one of their six games in this phase of qualifying, scoring 22 goals and conceding twice.

Moriyasu named a full-strength squad led by Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, but said there were plenty of other players who deserved call-ups.
“There are a lot of players who are showing what they can do in the J.League and in Europe and wouldn’t look out of place in this squad,” he said.
There are three groups in the third Asian qualifying round for 2026, with the top two in each going straight to the World Cup.
Japan are sitting pretty on 16 points with four matches to play but the five-way battle to qualify second from the group could go to the wire.
Australia have seven points, while Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China all have six.
The Socceroos, who are without several players through injury, on Thursday host an Indonesia side in Sydney led for the first time by Barcelona and Dutch great Patrick Kluivert.

Indonesia have leaned heavily on the Netherlands as they look to reach the World Cup for the first time since the Asian nation gained independence from the Dutch in 1945.
Indonesia have recruited a dozen players born in the Netherlands and in January added Kluivert as coach, with Jordi Cruyff also coming in as technical adviser.
South Korea are well on their way and will seal their spot at the 2026 World Cup with home wins over Oman and Jordan.
The 32-year-old forward Son has struggled for fitness and form in the Premier League this season, scoring seven times for Spurs, with the London club languishing in the bottom half of the table.
But the skipper continues to be South Korea’s talisman, with 51 goals in 131 appearances.
“There are many discussions regarding his recent form, including his goal tally,” said coach Hong Myung-bo. “However, we must not forget everything he has accomplished so far.”

South Korea have been dealt a blow with the loss of Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae to an Achilles tendon injury.
South Korea top Group B with 14 points with Iraq, who are likely to clinch second place, on 11. Jordan are third on nine points.
Iraq next face Kuwait and Palestine, the bottom two in the group.
Iran lead the way in Group A with 16 points from six games, ahead of Uzbekistan on 13 and the United Arab Emirates on 10.
Qatar, who won the Asian Cup on home soil 13 months ago, are fourth on seven points.
Even if they finish outside the top two, their World Cup hopes will not be over.
The teams that finish third and fourth in the three groups go through to a further round of qualifying.

The knockout stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League are here, and there are some blockbuster fixtures to come.
Barcelona are the current holders of the competition, having overcome Lyon in the final last season, and they are undoubtedly among the favourites once again. All three English clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, have reached the quarter-finals, with two set to face each other in the next round.

Both of Germany’s top clubs, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg, have progressed, while eight-time winners Lyon also made it through the group stage and will be determined to win their first title since 2022.

Katikaa  predicts the outcome of the quarter-final ties and who will progress into the last four…

Real Madrid vs Arsenal

The first tie will see Women’s Super League giants Arsenal take on Real Madrid. The Spanish club’s best run in the competition came in 2022 when they reached the quarter-finals, while Arsenal lifted the trophy in 2007 and were semi-finalists as recently as the 2022/23 campaign.
After a poor start to the season under Jonas Eidevall, the Gunners have been in strong form since Renee Slegers took charge in October. They topped their group in the Champions League and have also turned their domestic campaign around.

Real Madrid remain second in Liga F behind Barcelona, but they proved their quality in the group stage with narrow defeats to Chelsea. This will be a closely contested tie, but over two legs, Arsenal should have enough to progress.

Predicted tie winner: Arsenal

Bayern Munich vs Lyon

Next up, eight-time winners Lyon will face Bayern Munich in the last eight. After falling to Barcelona in last season’s final in Bilbao, Lyon are back with a point to prove.
The French club’s status as the best team in women’s football has been challenged in recent years by Barcelona’s rapid rise, but they will be determined to reclaim their crown. Bayern’s best finish in the competition was the semi-finals in 2020/21. Yet they have fail to go beyond the quarter-finals in two of the last three seasons, and did not make it out of the group stage last term.

The Frauen-Bundesliga title race is extremely tight, with Eintracht Frankfurt just three points behind Bayern, forcing them to balance their priorities. Lyon, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in Division 1 Feminine and have a more comfortable lead, allowing them to focus fully on the Champions League, which should be enough to see them through.

Predicted tie winner: Lyon

Wolfsburg vs Barcelona

The draw could not be much tougher for Wolfsburg as they prepare to face Barcelona, who have won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles. The German side were narrowly beaten 3-2 by Barcelona in the 2023 final, a defeat that will still be fresh in the minds of their players.

There is no denying that Wolfsburg are the underdogs in this tie, but they are embracing that status with open arms. The pressure is firmly on Barcelona, as most expect them to progress.
That being said, Barcelona have not looked as invincible this season, suffering defeat to Manchester City in the group stage and losing once in Liga F. That offers Wolfsburg a glimmer of hope, but over two legs, the Spanish side should have enough to get over the line.

Predicted tie winner: Barcelona

Manchester City vs Chelsea

The most mouth-watering tie of all is between English giants Chelsea and Manchester City. For Chelsea, this season feels like the perfect opportunity to go all the way in Europe and make up for their 2021 final defeat to Barcelona.

Under new manager Sonia Bompastor, who has experience winning this competition with Lyon, the London club look like a different force this season. They strengthened significantly, adding Lucy Bronze in the summer and Keira Walsh in January, both of whom lifted the trophy with Barcelona in 2023 and 2024. The arrival of Naomi Girma, arguably the best defender in the world, also gives them an extra edge as they enter the latter stages of the competition.
City, on the other hand, have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals, and their drop-off in the WSL title race suggests they are struggling to compete on all fronts. March will see these two sides face off four times across multiple competitions, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this tie.

That unpredictable dynamic makes this one of the hardest quarter-finals to call, but if you had to back one team, Chelsea’s greater experience in Europe just gives them the edge.

Predicted tie winner: Chelsea

Lionel Messi will sit out Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days due to an adductor injury. The 37-year-old Inter Miami star was not included in the 25-man squad announced on Monday by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. The news came as a surprise because Messi, who had missed three league games in a row earlier this month due to an unspecified leg muscle strain, returned to action last week and scored in back-to-back victories against Cavalier FC in Jamaica last Thursday and Atlanta United on Sunday.

He came off the bench in Jamaica and played the full 90 minutes against Atlanta. But Inter Miami announced early Monday evening that Messi felt discomfort in his thigh area during Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United

According to a team release: Messi underwent an MRI Monday morning to assess the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region, which he experienced during Sunday night’s match against Atlanta United. The examination’s findings confirmed the presence of a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle. His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition.

Miami coach Javier Mascherano gave no indication in the post-game interview in Atlanta Sunday night that Messi was injured. He praised Messi, saying of his first-half goal: “That was a goal that only he could have scored, the best player in the history of the sport. There is nothing else to say. He is a player who has the ability to produce the most beautiful goals one can ever see.”

Argentina, which sits in first place in South American World Cup qualifying, will face second-placed Uruguay on the road Friday and host fifth-placed Brazil four days later in Buenos Aires. Inter Miami returns to MLS action Mar. 29 at home against Philadelphia Union. Miami is in first place in the Eastern Conference and Philadelphia is second.

Manchester United today confirmed its Season Ticket prices for the 2025/26 men’s team campaign, including a price freeze for under-16s.

All other Season Tickets will increase by around five per cent, which is an average of £2.50 per game.

The under-16 price freeze reflects the club’s commitment to preserving access to Old Trafford for our next generation of fans, following consultation with the Fans’ Advisory Board.

The increase for other categories aims to strike a balance between keeping tickets affordable for fans and keeping the club financially sustainable.

Omar Berrada, chief executive of Manchester United, said: “We appreciate the loyal and patient support of our fans, and particularly our Season-Ticket holders who represent the core of our match-going support base. We understand the importance of their backing for the team and have worked hard to come up with a pricing package that is fair and reasonable.

In addition to the Season-Ticket pricing change, the following adjustments will also be made for the 2025/26 campaign:

– Introduction of game categorisation for match-by-match tickets (not applicable to Season-Ticket holders). More details on pricing and which games are in which category will be issued before the release of Premier League fixtures. For the avoidance of doubt, concessions will continue to apply to these tickets.
– The late listing of tickets for re-sale greatly impacts the ability for our Members to purchase tickets for the game. From next season, when fans wish to sell their ticket back to the club at late notice (within 14 days of the game), there will be a fee of £10 deducted from their refund. There is no fee for reselling prior to 14 days and the forwarding and donating to the MU Foundation options will remain unchanged.

– Minimum usage of a Season Ticket (which includes forwarding, donating to MU Foundation or reselling to the club) will increase by one game to a minimum of 16 out of 19 Premier League games.
– The age at which our ‘senior’ discount (25% off) is applied will now track the state pension age. This is currently 66 years old.

– All fans aged 66 or over will now receive a 25% discount (removing the inconsistency with some who previously received a 50% discount).

– Some of the general admission tickets directly adjacent to the home and away dugouts will be converted to hospitality seats, reflecting the high value of this unique location. We appreciate the disruption this will cause those fans who currently sit there and we will be contacting them individually to ensure a suitable alternative seat is found.

Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs are also on the cards in a week where all the European big guns are in action.
AFP Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the action:

Spain title defence gets serious

Spain face the Netherlands on Thursday in the Nations League quarter-final, with Luis de la Fuente’s side looking to win their third-straight title after success in the 2023 edition of the competition and their stunning European Championship victory last year.
Euro 2024 break-out stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, as well as Dani Olmo and Alvaro Morata are in the squad which will play a two-legged tie against the Dutch with a semi-final berth awaiting the winners.
Denmark take on Portugal and France face Croatia in the last eight as well for this first edition of the expanded Nations League final phase.

Battle of the hosts

Germany and Italy clash in the other quarter-final, with the winner not only advancing to the last four but also confirming their status as hosts of the Nations League finals.
Germany travel to Euro 2020 winners Italy for the first leg at Milan’s San Siro on Thursday, before the reverse fixture takes place three days later in the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.
The four-team final tournament begins with the semi-finals on June 4-5. The final is scheduled for June 8.

Tuchel debut

England begin their journey to reach the 2026 World Cup with a new manager at the helm following the appointment of former Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel

The German will be under no illusions that his reign will ultimately be judged by success in major tournaments as England seek to win their first silverware since the 1966 World Cup.
“Exciting and a bit surreal,” Tuchel said last Friday of becoming the first German to lead England.
“It’s a big honour and I’m very proud of it. I’m very well aware of it, I will make sure that I earn my rights to be in this place.”
Tuchel will make his debut next Friday when Albania travel to Wembley, before Latvia visit London on March 24.

Start of the end for Deschamps

One coach whose achievements Tuchel will doubtless be desperate to replicate is outgoing France coach Didier Deschamps, who announced in January he would be stepping down from his role after the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The captain of France’s first World Cup-winning side in 1998 took over as coach in 2012 and masterminded his country’s second triumph in football’s biggest tournament six years later.
“All good things come to an end, and you also need to know when to stop,” Deschamps said in January.
“It has been 12 years, and it will have been 14, which is fine. I have done my time, and I still have time left.”

Fittingly, Deschamps will begin the end of his reign as France boss against Croatia in the Nations League quarter-finals — the same side he defeated in the 2018 World Cup final.

Courtois returns from wilderness

Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois was included in the Belgium squad on Friday for the first time since going into self-imposed exile following a dispute with then coach Domenico Tedesco in summer 2023.
But following the appointment of Rudi Garcia as Belgium boss in January, the 32-year-old opened himself up to a return from the international wilderness.
Ahead of Courtois’ inclusion, Koen Casteels — Belgium’s No 1 in his absence — announced he was “no longer available for the national team” and stated that other squad members were also not best pleased with the Madrid man’s expected return.
Belgium will defend their place in League A in a two-legged tie against Ukraine.

Manchester United loanee Antony played a key role again as Real Betis came from behind to defeat Leganes in La Liga lunchtime on Sunday. The Brazilian forward continued his fine form with an assist for their winning goal in the chaotic comeback win.

Antony set up Cucho Hernandez for the late winner when he embarked on a mazy run after a poor Leganes corner and picked out the striker with a smart ball. It means he has nine goal contributions in 11 matches for Betis, more than he managed since the start of the 2023-24 season at United.

His impressive form has raised the question about his long-term future at the club, though United still intend to sell him permanently at the end of the season after he was allowed to leave on loan in the January transfer window. Here is everything you need to know:

Manchester United eye permanent Antony sale

Antony left Manchester United for Real Betis in a loan deal that does not include the option to make it permanent at the end of the season. It could prove to be a masterstroke. United could have insisted on a fixed fee for Antony to complete a summer move but instead demanded Betis pay a minimum 84% of his current salary demands.

In order not to make a loss on the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules, United would need to sell Antony for £32.52 million this summer. It still looks a little too high for a side to pay, but his impressive form at Betis should see them raise closer to that figure than they would have done if a fixed fee was included in the loan deal.

United might be better off sending him out on another loan move at the end of the season, either with the option or obligation for a permanent sale, given the figure they’d need to sell him for would be lower in a year.

Speaking over the weekend, Antony said his form in Spain was partly down to the positive impact the climate had on his wellbeing. “The city has also played a lot, which is better [than Manchester] and good here,” he told Spanish TV. “I am very happy here with it. And the sun here helps a lot. You’re every day at noon, awake, listening to yourself, I go to sleep smiling and that’s the most important thing for me.”

Enzo Maresca believes there is ‘no big difference’ between Chelsea and Arsenal despite the Blues suffering a setback to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League at Emirates Stadium.

Makeshift striker Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the game in an uneventful afternoon, with both teams missing key attacking players.
Cole Palmer will need a scan on a muscular issue, Maresca revealed post match while suggesting the gap between the two London club’s isn’t very big at all.
Asked whether there maybe a lack of belief from Chelsea in big games, Maresca responded: “If the results say that. What I can say between the first game against Arsenal and today’s game, to be honest, I don’t see a big difference between us and them.
“This means we are, for me, since I arrived, I have the feeling we are on the right path and we are very close. We need just that step forward to compete in these kind of games. That step comes finishing in the top four, top five, Champions League spot.
“First of all we are going to try and win games away. At the moment, we are winning games at home and we are going to try and do the same away.
“At the beginning of the season, we were winning games away and struggled at home. Now it’s the other side. We are there, for sure, we need to improve away but overall I think we are good.”

And on Palmer’s issue, Maresca explained: “We don’t wish players injured but in Cole’s case, in this moment, it will give him some rest physically and mentally. It could be good.
“He needs a scan and the scan is planned for tomorrow. It’s not just about one player. When I say we cannot rely on Cole, it’s correct to say because you cannot rely on one player. It’s about the team and don’t give too much pressure on Cole.”

Real Madrid secured a very important victory over Villarreal on Saturday, but the club has been far from happy in the aftermath of this. Specifically, there has been a lot of unhappiness surrounding the decision for the match to be played when it was, considering that Los Blancos were in Champions League action against Atletico Madrid only three days prior.

After the match at La Ceramica, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed his anger and frustration in regards to the situation, and he claimed that the club had asked for the fixture to be moved to allow for his players to rest more after playing 120 minutes at the Metropolitano on Wednesday.
However, these claims made by Ancelotti have now been rejected by La Liga themselves, who have told Marca that Real Madrid have never requested for their match against Villarreal to be moved.

This is not the first issue that Real Madrid have butted heads with authorities over, but La Liga are clear that they have gone little wrong as per their guidelines, and also the rules of the Spanish Football Federation.
Ancelotti stated that he would threatened to withdrawn his Real Madrid from the La Liga match if his scenario was repeated in the future, but for now, it is not expected to happen again this season. Their Champions League quarter-final tie against Arsenal is one of the “long” ties scheduled by UEFA, meaning that there is an eight-day gap between the two legs, whereas Barcelona’s match-up against Borussia Dortmund has only six days – and as a result, they will have to deal with the same situation as Real Madrid have had to this weekend.

Former England star Dele Alli endured a nightmare return on his first competitive appearance in over two years as he was sent off less than 10 minutes into his debut for Serie A side Como.
Dele, once a leading light at Tottenham and a World Cup semi-finalist with Gareth Southgate’s England in 2018, has been trying to put his career back on track after being picked up by Como boss Cesc Fabregas before Christmas.

He was summoned from the bench in the 81st minute of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at AC Milan, stepping out at San Siro to end a wait that dates back to his last appearance on loan at Besiktas in February 2023.

But his comeback turned sour when he made a clumsy challenge on former England team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek at the start of added time. He was shown an initial yellow card by referee Matteo Marchetti but a VAR review saw the caution turned into a red.
Another of his former England colleagues, Milan full-back Kyle Walker, appeared to try and talk Marchetti into showing lenience but the decision was already made.

Chelsea beat Man City in Women’s League Cup final to kick off quadruple chas

A 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final on Saturday earned Chelsea its first piece of silverware this season.
Chelsea — still unbeaten in all competitions — leads the Women’s Super League by eight points with six games remaining in its title defense, is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and has reached the FA Cup semifinals.
Yui Hasegawa’s unfortunate own-goal in the 77th minute clinched the win for Chelsea, which took the lead after eight minutes through Mayra Ramirez. It was also the Colombia striker who delivered the right-wing cross that Hasegawa sliced into her own net.

Hasegawa, the Japan midfielder, was in tears after the match and was consoled by her teammates.
Aoba Fujino equalized for City with a brilliant strike from the edge of the area in the 64th.
Chelsea had lost the previous three League Cup finals.
“It’s been doing my head in for a long time,” said Chelsea captain Millie Bright, who played a key role in resisting many City attacks in the second half.
“We have a mentality to never give in,” Bright added. “It’s something Chelsea has in its DNA.”
It was the first of four games between Chelsea and City in a 12-day span. They also meet in the two-legged Champions League quarterfinals — the first leg is on Wednesday — with a Women’s Super League match in between.

My players know exactly the rules. I told them that it’s important to celebrate for sure, but we have a game against City on Wednesday and we’ll need to be ready because again we expect a tough game,” said Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor, who collected her first trophy since joining the club in last year’s offseason.
“They can just go out until 9 o’clock,” she said about her players’ celebrations. “9:30, in bed.”

FC Barcelona were unable to play their league match against Osasuna scheduled for last week because of the sudden death of a first-team doctor, Carles Minarro.

The Blaugranes had requested La Liga to postpone this game, and the Pamplona side also agreed to this, keeping in view the unprecedented situation.
As things stand, a date on which this postponed match will be played is yet to be decided, but according to Diario AS, this match is looking most likely to be played on May 21st, particularly as the two sides believe this is the best time to play this game.

One issue that can arise regarding this date is that it will come in between the final two matchdays of the league, and La Liga is not too keen to see Barcelona play their postponed match on this date as they will likely be competing for the league title.
Earlier, the organisers had put forward March 27th as a suitable date to schedule this game. However, both the involved clubs objected to it, as this comes right after the upcoming international break.

The Catalans would have been particularly affected by the selection of that date, as two of their players, Raphinha and Araujo, are likely to play for their respective international teams on 26th and 25th March respectively, and neither would be in a position to play again on 27th.
Thus, May 21st is emerging as the only viable date for now. However, La Liga can also decide to see how the Blaugranes’ UCL campaign goes, as more slots can open up if they get eliminated before the semi-finals, which are scheduled for April 29/30 or May 6/7.

Furthermore, if Barcelona are eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the upcoming second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, which currently stands at 4-4 on aggregate, April 26th, the day for the cup final, or the next day, can also be a suitable date to hold this postponed game.

Thomas Tuchel claims that Jordan Henderson’s leadership, fitness and being a “serial winner” was at the crux of his surprise England call-up. At 34 years of age, Henderson was Tuchel’s unlikely choice in his inaugural England selection, despite the ex-Liverpool skipper previously believing his time on the national team had drawn to a close.
Starting with an extensive roster of 55 prospects, Tuchel refined it to a 26-strong contingent for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. Henderson, currently plying his trade at Ajax and last seen in an England jersey in November 2023, had been omitted from the Euros last summer and experienced a turbulent phase following his move to the Netherlands after a less-than-successful stint in Saudi Arabia.

Nonetheless, Tuchel stands firm that Henderson’s inclusion hinges not only on his footballing prowess but equally on his leadership qualities. The England manager aims to cultivate a club-like camaraderie on international turf.
Although Tuchel himself hasn’t personally observed Henderson’s performances recently—leaving that to assistant Anthony Barry—he mentioned their virtual conversation: “I gave him a call and he said he’s pickable all the time, the club manages his minutes to bring him through the season. This was the foundation for the decision. He is also a serial winner.

He is still the leader there, he is the vice captain there and brings to the team what he brings to every team. In terms of leadership, character, personality, energy, and because he made himself available by the way he played and the minutes he played we had the chance to bring him back.

“He will help talent to grow. He will help the talents to be there. If we nominate now everyone who is 20 because they’re then 22 in America this will not work.
“Jordan will make sure at the moment, in this camp, for everyone to be a better version. He will help us to build a team. I am very sure of that, otherwise I would not have done it.”

Henderson feels more like a cheerleader and good influence rather than a genuine choice over, for example, Morgan Gibbs-White. It was a similar story for Newcastle’s uncaptured defender Dan Burn who is 32 but also, at 6ft 7in, looks rather ungainly for an international player.
Yet again, one gets the impression that this selection is as much about Burn’s contribution to the camaraderie in the changing room as it is to his capabilities on the field.

Former boss Gareth Southgate engendered a sense of unity throughout his time in charge, but during the Euros last summer, the atmosphere in the squad was sometimes less than congenial, with suggestions that certain elements of the team’s dynamic were not as strong.

Tuchel, who mentioned having met Southgate just once at a Manchester City clash with Real Madrid, commented: “I was surprised that Dan was never called up, but he’s such a tall guy, but obviously it’s easy to overlook him.

These two phone calls, if you see the reaction from Jordan, this natural reaction when he was called up, and this natural reaction from Dan Bird, you instantly know that you picked the right guys.
“It is about building a team that loves to play with each other, that transports the spirit to the fans, to the nation, to the country, and it is about building a brotherhood.