Sports

FIFA To Announce 2026 World Cup Host Cities June

Published

2 years ago

May 20, 2022

Editor

FIFA plans to announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup in North America on June 16 in New York, football’s global governing body said Friday.

The contenders for what are expected to be at least 16 venues include 17 stadiums in 16 US cities, with the Los Angeles area submitting both SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena – site of the 1994 World Cup final.

FIFA are expected to select three venues each in Mexico and Canada for the first World Cup with three co-hosting nations, with the remainder to be in the United States, where 60 games are planned including all from the quarter-finals.

FIFA awarded the tournament — which will be the first 48-team World Cup — in June of 2018.

The venue selection process has since been slowed by the pandemic.

Venues under consideration in Mexico include the iconic Estadio Azteca as well as stadiums in Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Canada’s bidders include Toronto’s BMO Field as well as venues in Edmonton and Vancouver.

In addition to the Los Angeles-area venues, US hosting hopefuls include Dallas, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, New York/New Jersey, Foxborough in Massachusetts, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

FIFA said the decision on venues, which in the US include an array of state-of-the-art NFL stadiums as well as iconic venues like the Rose Bowl, will take into account broader factors including general infrastructure and financial impact as well as sustainability.

The final decisions will aim to “lay the foundations for the tournament to be delivered successfully across all three countries,” said FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, who is also president of regional governing body CONCACAF.

AFP/PUNCH

Sports

Super Eagles Stars, Calvin Bassey And Alex Iwobi Caught On Camera Shopping Together In London

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

Super Eagles stars, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were spotted shopping together at a store in London.

The Nigerian internationals play for Fulham FC in the Premier League.

Sports

10 Facts About New Super Eagles Coach, Finidi George

Published

3 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Football Federation on Monday announced the appointment of former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team.

The announcement came in a statement, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

The new Super Eagles boss’s immediate task will be to guide the team to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks.

However, takes a look at 10 things about Finidi George as compiled by The PUNCH.

1.⁠ ⁠Finidi George was born on April 15, 1971, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

2.⁠ ⁠⁠He played as a right winger and was known for his pace, accurate crosses, efficient dribbling, and free-kick abilities. He played for three clubs in Nigeria including Calabar Rovers and Sharks of Port Harcourt.

3.⁠ ⁠⁠George had a successful club career with Ajax, winning 8 major titles including the 1995 Champions League.

4.⁠ ⁠⁠He also played for Real Betis in Spain, nearly joining Real Madrid before that move fell through.

5.⁠ ⁠⁠George spent one season with Mallorca and then joined Ipswich Town in the Premier League for £3.1 million in 2002.

6.⁠ ⁠⁠He made his international debut for Nigeria in 1991 and earned 62 caps, appearing at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

7.⁠ ⁠⁠George won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and helped them reach the round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup.

8.⁠ ⁠⁠At the 1994 World Cup, he scored against Greece and celebrated with a famous ‘urinating dog’ celebration.

9.⁠ ⁠⁠He has 11 brothers, two of whom (Igeniwari and Celestine) were also professional footballers.

10.⁠ ⁠⁠In September 2021, George was appointed head coach of Nigerian club Enyimba F.C. and won the Nigeria Premier League with them in June 2023.

Sports

JUST IN: Finidi George Appointed New Super Eagles Head Coach

Published

3 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team.

The announcement came in a statement on Monday, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

Finidi George, who spent 20 months as an assistant to the outgoing José Santos Peseiro, had been serving as the interim coach after the Portuguese tactician’s departure following the Super Eagles’ impressive run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

During his interim tenure, George oversaw two friendly matches in Morocco last month, where the team ended an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory before suffering a 0-2 loss to Mali.

“George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals,” the NFF statement read.

Reflecting on his illustrious playing career, the statement highlighted George’s achievements, which include “gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.”

One of George’s most memorable moments came when he “assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994,” the statement noted.

The NFF statement emphasised that “the matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.”