1:56 PM ET Supporters were turned away from the FIFA Fan Festival in Al Bidda amid chaotic scenes due to overcrowding for the World Cup opener between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday. Security shut down access to the Fan Festival as it reached capacity and security services were pushed to physically hold back spectators

11:14 AM ET For the U.S. men’s national team, the past World Cup cycle in 2018 was disastrous and disappointing. After failing to qualify (their first absence in more than three decades), they finally return to the big stage in 2022. The excitement across the fan base is evident, and with all this optimism brewing,

1:01 PM ET Ecuador eased past World Cup debutants Qatar 2-0 on Sunday with two goals from veteran striker Enner Valencia in the first opening-game defeat for a host nation in the tournament’s history. Valencia scored an early penalty and added a well-taken 31st-minute header to give the South Americans a commanding first-half lead as

5:00 AM ET The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a tournament like no other in that it starts just a week after the domestic season was put on pause. 2 Related Unsurprisingly, that has meant a host of injury issues, given that a three-week issue can rule a player out of the World Cup

5:32 PM ET France striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an injury to his left thigh during training on Saturday in Doha, the French federation have confirmed. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner felt a strong pain in his thigh during a sprint toward the end of the training

4:25 AM ET FIFA president Gianni Infantino has lashed out at what he described as “hypocrisy” and “racism” from countries moralising about the Qatar World Cup and claimed Europe should be “apologising for the next 3,000 years” for past mistakes. In an astonishing one-hour monologue that opened a Saturday news conference in Doha, Infantino, who

7:54 PM ET Two more sleeps before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, and ESPN has you covered for the world’s biggest sporting event. Ahead of Sunday’s opener between the hosts Qatar and Ecuador, we have tons of great previews and reads to get you prepared for it all. Get started with our 2022

2:24 PM ET There are just a few days left until the 2022 World Cup begins in Qatar. The first match will be Sunday with the host nation playing Ecuador in Al Khor. After friendlies in nearby countries, the last of the teams arrived in Qatar on Friday. While they’ll soon be donning official training

4:47 AM ET World Cup organisers have banned the sale of alcohol around stadiums in Qatar after last-minute showdown talks, FIFA announced on Friday. First reported by British newspaper The Times, FIFA and Qatari organisers were engaged in late negotiations over whether beer would be sold at the stadiums during the tournament, which begins on

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