Sports
Spain fine-tune World Cup ambitions against Iraq in A Coruna
Spain’s road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in earnest Thursday when the reigning European champions host Iraq in a friendly at Estadio Municipal de Riazor in A Coruña, the first of two final tune-up matches before heading to North America.
Ranked second in the world behind France, Spain arrive at the tournament carrying heightened expectations after a dominant run under coach Luis de la Fuente.
La Roja are among the leading contenders to lift football’s most coveted trophy and are aiming to capture their first World Cup title since their historic triumph in South Africa in 2010.
That success has not been followed by similar achievements on the global stage.
Spain exited in the group phase in 2014 and suffered consecutive round-of-16 eliminations in 2018 and 2022. Yet the current generation appears poised to challenge for the title after winning Euro 2024 and cruising through World Cup qualifying unbeaten with five wins and one draw, finishing ahead of Türkiye, Georgia and Bulgaria.
Consistency has become Spain’s hallmark. Over the last 27 months, De la Fuente’s side have lost just once in 28 international matches across all competitions, posting 22 victories and five draws. Their only setback came in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, where they fell to Portugal in a penalty shootout.
Thursday’s match also offers Spain one final opportunity to play in front of home supporters before departing for Mexico, where they will face Peru in their last warm-up fixture. Spain are unbeaten in their previous 16 home internationals and will be eager to continue that streak after being held to a scoreless draw by Egypt in March.
For Iraq, the match represents another important step in a remarkable journey back to football’s biggest stage. The Lions of Mesopotamia have qualified for only their second World Cup and their first since 1986, when they lost all three group-stage matches in Mexico.
Their qualification campaign was a lengthy one, requiring them to navigate three AFC qualifying rounds before defeating Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in April to secure a place in the tournament.
Since Australian coach Graham Arnold took charge, Iraq have shown signs of progress, winning nine of their last 14 matches while recording two draws and three defeats. Although they closed 2025 with losses to Algeria and Jordan at the Arab Cup, they responded with victories over Bolivia and Andorra, defeating the latter 1-0 in their most recent outing.
The challenge awaiting Iraq in North America is formidable. They have been drawn into Group I alongside top-ranked France, African powerhouse Senegal and Norway, led by prolific striker Erling Haaland. Iraq will open their campaign against Norway on June 16.
History offers little encouragement. The only previous meeting between Spain and Iraq came at the 2009 Confederations Cup, where Spain secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from David Villa. While Thursday’s encounter carries no competitive stakes, Iraq enter as clear underdogs against one of the tournament favorites.
Spain may rotate several key players as De la Fuente manages workloads ahead of the World Cup. Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal remains doubtful with a hamstring issue, while Nico Williams and Mikel Merino are also recovering from injuries.
Goalkeeper David Raya, midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Paris Saint-Germain star Fabian Ruiz were involved in last weekend’s Champions League final and could be rested. If so, Unai Simon is expected to start in goal.
Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill, the only uncapped player in the Spanish squad, could make his senior international debut. The 22-year-old is competing for a starting role alongside Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia and Aymeric Laporte in central defense.
Captain Rodri is available but is unlikely to play the full match as Spain carefully manages his fitness. Midfielders Gavi and Pedri, along with attacking options Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, are also expected to feature.
Iraq captain Jalal Hassan could earn his 101st international appearance in goal and may be shielded by a defensive line featuring Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim and Merchas Doski.
In midfield, former Manchester United prospect Zidane Iqbal is battling for a starting place alongside Amir Al-Ammari, Aimar Sher and Kevin Yakob. Up front, Iraq will look to experienced striker Aymen Hussein, who has scored 33 goals in 93 appearances for his country, with Ipswich Town forward Ali Al-Hamadi expected to provide support.
Six Arab football federations backed Gianni Infantino on Thursday, giving the FIFA president a show of support as opposition to his leadership grows following the collapse of a controversial private investment plan involving the World Cup.
The federations of Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan said they had “full support” and “confidence” in Infantino and praised his efforts to expand the global reach of the sport.
“We, the undersigned leaders of our respective football associations, express our full support for Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership and continued commitment to the development of football worldwide,” the federations said in a joint statement.
The statement also praised Infantino for advancing football in different regions and strengthening its role in bringing communities together.
The endorsement came as Infantino faces his most serious challenge to his leadership since becoming FIFA president in 2016. He is seeking a fourth term at next year’s FIFA Congress in Morocco and had appeared certain to win re-election unopposed before the dispute over the investment proposal triggered a backlash across several confederations.
Four of the six Arab federation presidents who signed the statement are members of the FIFA Council: Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida, Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya. The other signatories were Lebanese Football Association president Hashem Haidar and Sudan Football Association president Moatasem Gafar.
Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup, while Qatar staged the 2022 tournament.
The latest support contrasts sharply with the growing opposition from several of FIFA’s regional confederations.
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, have called for greater scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership after FIFA withdrew its plan to bring private investment into the commercial rights of its competitions.
The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, would have involved selling a 20% stake in World Cup commercial rights to private investors. FIFA had estimated that the plan could raise about $4.2 billion.
The proposal also included a $20 million payment to each member association during the next funding cycle, with that amount potentially doubling for federations that agreed to participate.
The plan was withdrawn after widespread criticism, including an open letter from UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF that described the proposal as a “fundamental breach of trust” and accused FIFA of “deception.”
FIFA subsequently apologized to its 211 member associations for the way the proposal had been handled and said its leadership retained full support for Infantino.
But the fallout has continued.
The Football Association of Ireland said Thursday it had withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election, citing concerns over governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.
England and Wales had already withdrawn their backing, while Northern Ireland said it supported UEFA’s position.
New Zealand Football became the latest national federation to break ranks with its regional confederation, announcing Friday that it had withdrawn its support for Infantino and was calling for an independent review of the abandoned investment plan.
“We’ve called for an independent review specifically because what we don’t want to see is a sort of in-house quick washover of this,” New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell told Reuters.
“An independent review is something else that has been called for by other confederations that will help restore some of the trust.”
New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation member to qualify for this year’s World Cup, said the review should examine how the investment proposal was developed, who was involved and how decisions were overseen.
Pragnell also said the review should examine the proposed involvement of Thrive Capital, a U.S. investment firm with family ties to President Donald Trump, in the venture.
“I think the scope needs to be considered really carefully, but what’s most important is that all confederations should agree on the scope, and it needs to get underway with urgency,” Pragnell said.
The Oceania Football Confederation, however, stopped short of criticizing Infantino personally.
The OFC welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon the proposal and said the organization should use the review to identify any changes needed while recognizing what it described as significant progress in developing football across the region during Infantino’s tenure.
The split highlights the increasingly complicated battle for support ahead of the FIFA presidential election.
The three confederations opposing or questioning Infantino represent 136 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, giving them significant influence over the March election. At the same time, Infantino retains powerful allies.
The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee unanimously reaffirmed its support for him, although that decision does not guarantee that all 54 African federations will vote as a bloc.
Several Arab federations have also continued to publicly back the FIFA president, while Infantino’s official Instagram account has previously featured letters of support from Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Qatar and Lebanon’s latest endorsement puts them at odds with the AFC, whose leadership has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in demanding greater scrutiny of FIFA’s handling of the investment proposal.
Australia, another AFC member, has also called for an independent review without publicly taking a position on whether Infantino should remain FIFA president.
FIFA has set Nov. 18 as the deadline for candidates to enter the presidential race.
Infantino, who succeeded Sepp Blatter in 2016, has been widely expected to secure a fourth term. The growing number of federations withdrawing their support, however, has transformed what once appeared to be a routine re-election campaign into an increasingly contested fight over FIFA’s leadership, governance and financial direction.
Serbian international Dusan Vlahovic signed a three-year deal with Turkish club Beşiktaş Thursday, after an injury-marred final year in Italy with Juventus.
The 26-year-old forward, whose contract with the Serie A giants expired this summer, will earn 7.5 million euros ($8.6 million) per season in Istanbul, Beşiktaş said in a statement.
The 41-times capped player was greeted by a crowd of supporters as he touched down in Istanbul on Wednesday night.
“We want to be champions,” the Serb declared on his arrival.
In Türkiye, he will play alongside Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, who joined from Arsenal in mid-July.
Vlahovic began his professional career with Serbian club Partizan before moving to Italian Serie A side Fiorentina in 2018.
He scored 49 goals in 108 appearances across all competitions for Fiorentina before joining Juventus in the summer of 2022. He scored 68 goals in 168 matches for the Turin club.
However, Serie A’s second-highest scorer in the 2023-2024 season with 16 goals subsequently fell down the pecking order of strikers.
After returning last April from a long layoff due to a thigh injury, the Serbian suffered a calf problem, finishing the league season with just seven goals to his name.
Last crowned Turkish champions in 2021, Beşiktaş have since struggled to compete with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, the city’s other two major clubs.
Beşiktaş advanced to the UEFA Europa League playoff round after defeating Czech side Hradec Kralove in the third qualifying round tie on Thursday.
The Black Eagles, who had won the first leg 1-0 away, sealed qualification with another 1-0 victory at Tüpraş Stadium.
The match’s only goal came from Czech forward Vaclav Cerny.
The result also guarantees Beşiktaş a place in European competition for the 2026-27 season.
If they win their playoff tie, they will qualify for the Europa League league phase. If they are eliminated, they will enter the UEFA Conference League league phase instead.
New signing Leandro Trossard made his Beşiktaş debut after coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute. He joined the club from Arsenal in mid-July.
Another major transfer, Serbian international Dusan Vlahovic, watched the game from the stands.
The 26-year-old forward, whose contract with the Serie A giants Juventus expired this summer, signed a three-year deal with Beşiktaş on Thursday.
Beşiktaş will face Lithuanian club Kauno Zalgiris in the Europa League playoff round.
Xavi Hernandez has been appointed coach of the Netherlands, taking charge of the Dutch national team on a four-year contract that will run through the 2030 World Cup.
The former Barcelona midfielder and coach succeeds Ronald Koeman, who resigned after the Netherlands were eliminated by Morocco on penalties in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup. The Dutch lost 3-2 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw in Guadalupe, Mexico, marking their earliest exit in 12 World Cup appearances.
Xavi, 46, will oversee the Netherlands through the 2028 European Championship and the 2030 World Cup. His first match is scheduled for Sept. 24, when the Dutch face Germany in the Nations League at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.
The appointment gives Xavi an opportunity to apply the football philosophy that defined much of his playing career to a national team with a long history of possession-based, attacking football.
“As someone who received his training at the Barcelona academy, with strong influences from Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, among others, I feel a special connection to Dutch football,” Xavi said.
“You could say that I am a bit of a son of Dutch football.”
Xavi said Dutch football’s emphasis on possession, creativity and attacking play closely matches his own approach.
“The Netherlands has a rich football culture and a clear vision that also appeals to me enormously: attacking football, based on possession, with creativity, passion, and conviction,” he said.
“Of course, the most important goal is and always will be to win, but I prefer to do so in a way that reflects those characteristics and that people can enjoy.”
Xavi’s appointment also carries a strong historical connection. He was heavily influenced by Dutch football during his development at Barcelona, where coaches such as Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard helped shape his understanding of the game.
He also played a major role in one of the Netherlands’ most painful defeats. Xavi was in Spain’s midfield when the Dutch lost 1-0 after extra time in the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg, South Africa. He later helped Spain win the European Championship in 2012, adding to the continental title he won in 2008.
His club career with Barcelona was equally decorated. Xavi won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies and made 767 appearances for the Catalan club, second only to Lionel Messi.
For much of that era, he formed one of football’s most celebrated midfield partnerships with Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
His coaching career has been considerably shorter.
Xavi’s first senior coaching job came at Al-Sadd in Qatar, where he spent two years before returning to Barcelona in November 2021. He guided Barcelona to the 2022-23 La Liga title but left the club in 2024 and has not held a head coaching position since.
Now, he inherits a Netherlands team trying to overcome a familiar problem: coming close without winning the biggest prizes.
The Dutch have reached three World Cup finals but lost each time, the most World Cup final defeats by a nation that has never won the tournament. Their only major international trophy remains the 1988 European Championship.
Netherlands football director Nigel de Jong believes Xavi’s playing and coaching background makes him a natural fit for the job.
“As a player alone, Xavi has experienced and won everything, with a World Cup, multiple national titles, and Champions League titles to his name,” de Jong said.
De Jong also pointed to Xavi’s education under coaches whose football philosophy closely resembles the Netherlands’ traditional style.
“As a coach, he has been shaped by years of working with top coaches who espouse a football vision that aligns very well with the way we want to play with the Dutch national team,” de Jong said. “Taking initiative, dominant and attractive football, combined with the flexibility that modern elite football demands.”
Xavi now has the chance to bring those principles to a national team that has often been associated with attractive football but has struggled to turn that style into major international success.
As a player, he was part of the Spain team that transformed from perennial underachievers into one of the dominant sides of his generation, winning three consecutive major international tournaments between 2008 and 2012.
Lionel Messi made an emotional return to action Wednesday following the death of his father, but his comeback was not enough to save Inter Miami from a 3-2 loss to Mexico’s Leon that knocked the club out of the Leagues Cup.
The Miami captain flew back to Florida from Argentina on Tuesday night after attending his father Jorge’s funeral Sunday. He entered at halftime to a huge ovation from the home crowd.
Jorge Messi, who served as his son’s longtime agent and adviser, died last week at age 68.
Earlier Wednesday, Messi paid an emotional tribute to his father on social media, reflecting on his loss and acknowledging uncertainty over whether he wants to continue his football career.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without you, I don’t know how to go on,” Messi wrote.
“I just played football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing to do so for much longer.”
Miami led 1-0, but two goals from Colombian Daniel Arcila fueled Leon’s comeback victory, making the Mexican club the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament featuring MLS and Liga MX clubs.
Messi made himself available to Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos for the must-win final group-stage match after missing Saturday’s loss to Monterrey.
Yannick Bright, who scored one of Miami’s goals, called Messi’s return “incredible,” adding that he and his teammates simply wanted to support their captain.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Bright said. “It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% for him.
“It’s a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it’s a lot.”
Brazilian teammate Casemiro, who joined Miami after the World Cup, said Messi was “an example for all of us” because of his commitment to playing during such a difficult personal time.
Leon coach Javier Gandolfi echoed those thoughts.
“Today he demonstrated once more what he’s made of,” Gandolfi said of Messi. “He is a human being that is different to the rest.”
It was the first time Miami had been knocked out in the opening phase since the Leagues Cup was expanded in 2023.
Miami lifted the trophy that year with Messi, shortly after he arrived at the Florida franchise alongside Spaniards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Miami reached the 2025 final but was beaten 3-0 by the Seattle Sounders, a match marked by a brawl after the final whistle that led to Luis Suarez being suspended for all of this year’s tournament.
The 2027 Spanish Super Cup will be played in Istanbul, bringing four of Spain’s biggest clubs to Türkiye for a six-day tournament in February.
The Spanish Football Federation announced Thursday that the competition will be held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium from Feb. 2-7, 2027. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid will compete for the trophy in the four-team format.
Real Sociedad will face Real Madrid in one semifinal, while defending champion Barcelona will meet Atletico Madrid in the other. The two semifinal winners will advance to the final.
The move to Istanbul represents a temporary change of venue for a competition that has been staged in Saudi Arabia in recent years.
The 2027 tournament could not be held in Saudi Arabia because of a scheduling conflict with the Asian Cup, which the country is due to host in January and February 2027.
The Spanish federation, working with SELA, evaluated several bids before selecting Istanbul. Reports said locations including Miami and Qatar were among those considered.
Istanbul will become only the third country outside Spain to host the Spanish Super Cup, after Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The competition is expected to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028.
A major European venue
The Atatürk Olympic Stadium, in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district, has a capacity of about 77,500 and is one of Türkiye’s most prominent football venues.
The stadium has hosted two Champions League finals, including Liverpool’s dramatic comeback against AC Milan in 2005 and Manchester City’s victory over Inter Milan in 2023.
Its selection gives the Spanish Super Cup a high-profile European setting after several years in the Middle East.
The competition has been played as a four-team Final Four tournament since the 2019-20 season, bringing together the winners and runners-up of La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
The format has helped turn the Super Cup into a major international event, with the tournament broadcast in more than 150 countries.
Barcelona return as defending champions
Barcelona will arrive in Istanbul as the defending champions after beating Real Madrid 3-2 in the 2026 final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Raphinha scored twice and Robert Lewandowski also found the net for Barcelona, while Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia scored for Madrid.
The victory gave Barcelona a record-extending 16th Spanish Super Cup title and a second consecutive championship.
Barcelona now face Atletico Madrid in the 2027 semifinals, while Real Madrid will meet Real Sociedad.
A Barcelona-Real Madrid final would set up another El Clasico on Turkish soil, although both teams must first win their respective semifinal matches.
A boost for Spanish football
The Spanish federation has highlighted the Super Cup’s growing international reach and its financial importance to Spanish football.
Revenue generated by the competition contributes to the wider football structure in Spain, supporting clubs across the men’s and women’s game at different levels.
Taking the 2027 edition to Istanbul allows the federation to maintain that international reach while working around the crowded 2027 football calendar.
For Istanbul, the tournament adds another major international football event to a city that has established itself as a regular host of elite European competition.
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