Soccer

11/7/2025 |  FIFA fines Norway, Italy for fan incidents at World Cup qualifiers against Israel (Associated Press (AP)) ZURICH (AP) — The Norwegian and Italian soccer federations have been fined by FIFA for fan incidents at World Cup qualifying games against Israel last month.
Both federations faced charges relating to disturbance of national anthems, spectators invading the field of play and “order and security” at games, FIFA said. It published a document of World Cup disciplinary cases late Thursday.

11/7/2025 |  UK police arrest 11 around soccer match between Aston Villa and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv (Associated Press (AP)) LONDON (AP) — British police said Friday that 11 people were arrested the previous night around the highly charged Europa League soccer match in Birmingham between English Premier League side Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, a match that saw fans of the Israeli team banned.

11/7/2025 |  FIFA to host draws for World Cup qualifying playoffs in Zurich on Nov. 20 (Associated Press (AP)) ZURICH (AP) — FIFA will host draws on Nov. 20 in Zurich for playoff brackets to decide the last six entries at the 48-team 2026 World Cup, the world soccer body said Friday.
The European brackets will have 16 teams — likely including four-time champion Italy — playing for four places at the tournament next June and July in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

11/7/2025 |  Fans watch as Barcelona trains for first time at remodeled Camp Nou (Associated Press (AP)) LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool striker Alexander Isak will return to training with the senior squad on Friday after three weeks out, ahead of a blockbuster Premier League meeting with Manchester City.

11/7/2025 |  France players to honor victims of Paris attacks in 2015 (Associated Press (AP)) PARIS (AP) — The French soccer federation will pay tribute to the victims of the November 2015 attacks that targeted the Bataclan theater, Paris cafés and the national stadium in assaults that killed more than 130 people and injured over 400.
France’s national team hosts Ukraine on Nov. 13 in a men’s World Cup qualifier, 10 years after the worst attack on French soil since World War II.