Indonesian officials couldn’t have guessed who would qualify for their FIFA U-20 World Cup. Now, they might be left without a tournament. Indonesia’s getting ready to host next year’s World Cup for under-20s, the first-ever FIFA tournament to be played in their country. Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno stadium is set…

Partizan’s black and white colours weren’t good enough camouflage for some would-be coup plotters. Football matches have been held behind closed doors for a variety of reasons. The spectacle of mute stadiums during the pandemic aside, teams are routinely forced to keep their fans out as punishment for their unruly…

New Zealand, Nigeria and North Macedonia would all be there, hoping they don’t get a day off at the end of the group stage. FIFA unveiled a new format for the 2026 World Cup, expanding the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, increasing the number of matches to 80 —…

Serbia and Croatia managed to dominate FIFA World Cup headlines for reasons that had little to do with their on-pitch performances and all to do with the troubled 1990s. Two banners landed Balkan neighbours Croatia and Serbia in hot water last week, adding further controversy to a tournament that really…

A disgraced official who lost his job over colluding with Nazis is now running Greece’s football federation. Greece’s national football team has been struggling on the pitch since Fernando Santos led the side to its first ever knockout round at a FIFA World Cup in 2014. Greece, which lost to…

While asking to “give peace a chance,” Red Star Belgrade ultras forgot a war close to home — and their bloody role in it. FK Crvena Zvezda, better known outside the Balkans as Red Star Belgrade, met Glasgow’s Rangers in the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League. A…

Players, clubs and leagues are caught between a ‘right to choose’ and the pandemic. Europe’s governments are taking turns in announcing new measures to tackle yet another ‘wave’ of a pandemic that seems certain to drag on for months — if not years. …

A Ukrainian fan drew the ire of his hosts, even though they’d probably agree with his intentions. Back in 2004, athletes and supporters of New Zealand’s Olympic team were advised to leave their national flag at home and show up at venues with the iconic Silver Fern instead. The reason…

Cuba’s national team lost the chance to qualify for the Gold Cup because they could not get their U.S. visas on time. Cuba had huge hopes for its national side this summer. Breaking with previous practice, the team is now open to Cuban players plying their trade abroad, including the…