Sport

Brazil, Ukraine, Argentina and France through to Futsal World Cup semi-finals

The tournament’s most successful team so far has been Brazil, with Marcel the top scorer.

Published

2 hours ago

October 1, 2024

Brazil, Ukraine, Argentina and debutants France are all through to this year’s FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan after having come out tops through the groups stage, round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

Semis will kick off on Wednesday, October 2, when Brazil face Ukraine in Tashkent.

On Thursday, October 3, Argentina will face France.

Third-place match will be played on Sunday, October 6 in Tashkent.

The final will follow later in the day.

The tournament’s most successful team so far has been Brazil with Marcel the top scorer.

There have been 341 goals scored in 48 matches, averaging 7.1 goals per match up to the quarterfinals. Leading the pack is Brazil’s Marcel, who has scored an impressive 10 goals.

Close behind is Argentina’s Alan Brandi with 7 goals.

Iran’s Salar Aghapour follows with 6 goals and several players are tied with 5 goals each, including Argentina’s Kevin Arrieta and Matías Rosa, Brazil’s Pito, Kazakhstan’s Arnold Knaub, and Venezuela’s Kevin Briceño.

Francis Lokoka, Abdessamad Mohammed and Raphael Reynaud discuss France beating Paraguay and reaching the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 quarter-finals.

For France however, making it to the semi-finals is a dream come true. Making their first ever appearance at this global event, team member Abdessamad Mohammed summed it up after they beat Paraguay. “I’m not sure we could have dreamt for more than this,” he said.

Fellow teammate Francis Lokoka added: “It is absolutely amazing. If somebody had told me this was going to happen, I would not have believed them in my wildest dreams.”

“It is unbelievable,” said coach Raphael Reynaud. “When we came here our aim was to make it through the group stage. But we are competitors so once we’d achieved that, we told ourselves that anything was possible. We believe that we can go far in this tournament.

“What is happening here is a dream come true, but we have worked hard to get here, putting the pieces together one step at a time. It is no accident that we have come this far. You do not beat Paraguay in a World Cup quarter-final by chance.”

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Ukraine secures spot in FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-final

Sport

Ukraine secures spot in FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-final

Kazakhstan meanwhile take on Argentina on Monday night, after eliminating reigning world and European champions Portugal. Argentina defeated Croatia in their round of 16 match.

Published

22 hours ago

September 30, 2024

Ariana News

Ukraine has reached their first Futsal World Cup semi-final since 1996 after beating Venezuela 9-4 on Sunday to set up a Wednesday tie with Brazil, who knocked out Morocco.

The final two quarter-finals matches are on Monday and first up will be France and Paraguay. This comes after France beat Thailand 5-2 in the round of 16.

Kazakhstan meanwhile take on Argentina on Monday night, after eliminating reigning world and European champions Portugal. Argentina defeated Croatia in their round of 16 match.

Quarter-finals

30 September: France vs Paraguay (14:30, Bukhara)
30 September: Kazakhstan vs Argentina (17:00, Tashkent)

Semi-finals

Semis will get underway on Wednesday, October 2, when Ukraine face Brazil in Tashkent.

On Thursday, October 3, Kazakhstan or Argentina will face France of Paraguay.

Third-place match
This match will be played on Sunday, 6 October in Tashkent.
The final will follow later in the day.

Don’t forget to tune in to Ariana Television to watch these exciting matches - which are being broadcast live by Ariana Television Network.

Sport

Afghanistan to play three ODIs against Bangladesh in November

The three-match ODI series will begin on the 6th of November, with the 2nd and 3rd ODIs scheduled to be played on the 9th and 11th of November, respectively. The exact venue is yet to be finalized.

Published

2 days ago

September 29, 2024

Ariana News

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday confirmed that it will host Bangladesh for a series of three One Day International (ODI) matches from November 06 – 11 in the United Arab Emirates.

The three-match ODI series will begin on the 6th of November, with the 2nd and 3rd ODIs scheduled to be played on the 9th and 11th of November, respectively. The exact venue is yet to be finalized.

These three ODIs, along with three T20Is and two Tests, were originally part of Afghanistan’s Future Tour Program (FTP) and scheduled for July-August this year. However, the series was postponed due to extreme heat in the UAE and India, where ACB usually hosts its home events, ACB said in a statement.

Following extensive discussions, both boards have agreed to proceed with just the ODI leg, which will be crucial in both teams' preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy which is set to take place in Pakistan in February next year, the statement said.

Afghanistan recently secured a historic 2-1 series victory over South Africa and are set to tour Zimbabwe in December for an all-format series against the home side.

Sport

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Everything you need to know

This new club competition – the FIFA Club World Cup 202 – will make its debut at a total of 12 stadiums across the United States

Published

2 days ago

September 29, 2024

Ariana News

FIFA will launch an exciting new club tournament next year that will feature the world’s best 32 teams from the six international football confederations.

This new club competition - the FIFA Club World Cup 202 - will make its debut at a total of 12 stadiums across the United States with the final to be played at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey.

The tournament will kick off on June 15 and end on July 13 next year.

This global event will bring together the most successful club sides from each of the six international confederations: AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA.

A total of 12 venues will be used to host the 63 matches which will be played across the United States.

FIFA confirmed the 12 stadiums on Saturday. These are:

MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle), and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).

The final, on July 13, will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey

FIFA President Gianni Infantino made the announcement in Central Park, New York and said: “Football is the most popular sport on the planet, and in 2025 a new era for club football will kick off when FIFA stages the greatest, most inclusive and merit-based global club competition right here in the United States.”

“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will feature 12 fantastic stadiums where a new chapter in football’s global history will be written by great players from the 32 best clubs in the world,” Infantino continued.

“This new FIFA competition is the only true example in worldwide club football of real solidarity and inclusivity, allowing the best clubs from Africa, Asia, Central and North America and Oceania to play the powerhouses of Europe and South America in an incredible new World Cup which will impact enormously the growth of club football and talent globally,” he said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino made the announcement in Central Park, New York

With the draw set for December, just two of the 32 teams are still to be confirmed: one from South America, the other representing the host country.

How many teams will take part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and how do they qualify?

A total of 32 teams will compete in the tournament, with places distributed as follows between the international football confederations.
Africa - 4 CAF teams. Three via champions pathway (CAF Champions League) and one via ranking pathway.
Asia - 4 AFC teams. Three via champions pathway (AFC Champions League) and one via ranking pathway.
Europe - 12 UEFA teams. Four via champions pathway (UEFA Champions League) and eight via ranking pathway.
North and Central America, Caribbean - 4 Concacaf teams. All via champions pathway (Concacaf Champions Cup).
Oceania - 1 OFC team. Via ranking pathway.
South America - 6 CONMEBOL teams. Four via champions pathway (CONMEBOL Libertadores) and two via ranking pathway.
Host country - 1 team.

Which teams have qualified?