A summary of Friday's action in the FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA Qualifiers.
The wicketkeeper-batter has been retained by RCB alongside seasoned campaigners like Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry for the next year's competition, and planning is in full swing to get their hands on the elusive trophy.
Deepti Sharma, the World Cup's leading wicket-taker who took a magnificent 5/39 in the final, is joined by teammates Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues in World Cup's Team of the Tournament.
Former spinner Amit Mishra backed the inclusion of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to in the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying that there is no one better in the team who can handle pressure better than the legendary duo.
Football Supporters Europe accused FIFA of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that risk shutting ordinary fans out of the World Cup.
'From the heartbreak of 2005 to the fight of 2017, every tear, every sacrifice, every young girl who picked up a bat believing we belong here, it all led to this moment.'
With a population of 156,000, Curacao is the least populous country to go to the World Cup, beating the previous record held by Iceland with its 350,000 inhabitants.
The 2026 World Cup will kick off-on June 11 with joint-hosts Mexico playing South Africa at the Azteca Stadium - iconic venue of the 1970 and 1986 finals - followed by South Korea against a play-off winner after the complex draw was made on Friday.
'India is struggling against spin. So how do you solve that? Try to rearrange the batting order in a way that naturally good players of spin are batting up the order, and people like Tilak Varma, who is struggling a little bit, can come down the order.'
India cruised into the Super Six stage of the U19 World Cup 2026, finishing as Group B toppers after a comfortable seven-wicket win over New Zealand in a rain-interrupted game at Bulawayo on Saturday.
Aishwary, who is a double Olympian, former junior world champion, and reigning Asian champion, has also won a silver in the World Championship last month.
Pakistan to tour SL in January for 3 T20Is ahead of next year's T20 WC
Portugal qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday with a 9-1 hammering of Armenia that included hat-tricks from both Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves.
Bangladesh refused to send its national cricket team for the T20 World Cup in India, effectively paving the way for Scotland to take its place in the tournament roster after the ICC dismissed the country's demand for a change of venue.
For Gautam Gambhir, the essence of team sport is acknowledgement of every contribution big or small, which according to him was missing in Indian cricket for long.
Namibia have qualified for the last three ICC T20 World Cups (2021, 2022 and 2024). They are one of the three hosts of the 2026 T20 World Cup, alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Now that the suspense is over, India batter Tilak Varma on Wednesday said the team is excited for the high-pressure game against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on February 15.
Captain Thomas Rew led the way with a splendid century to guide England to 277/7 against Australia in the first semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup.
South African bowler Lungi Ngidi attributes his T20 bowling evolution to his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he honed his slower ball variations.
India all-rounder Washington Sundar was on Wednesday ruled out of the five-match T20 series against New Zealand due to a side strain.
Germany beat Spain in shoot-out to win eighth FIH Junior WC title
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the World champions will stick to the same winning formula that delivered glory at the Qatar 2022 World Cup after on Friday finding out their group opponents for next year's global tournament.
India asserted its supremacy with a commanding 3-1 victory over Wales in a 9/16 classification match at the FIH Junior Women's World Cup.
Chelsea's James warns England of extreme heat at 2026 World Cup
Captain Suryakumar Yadav didn't hesitate to accept that the batting unit could have been "smarter and better" during India's hard-earned 29-run win against USA.
India Under-19 sealed their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 U-19 World Cup on Sunday, knocking arch-rivals Pakistan out of contention with a disciplined all-round performance at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar identified Shubman Gill's recent lack of runs and combination compulsions as reasons for his omission from India's squad for the T20 World Cup.
FIDE World Cup: Gukesh seeded top, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa second and third
Agra welcomes home hero Deepti Sharma with 10km roaring roadshow
Qatar's Al Haydos pledges Gaza school, sports hall after reaching World Cup
India restricted Nepal to 114/5 after opting to bowl before they coasted to 117/3 in just 12 overs to win the title.
'He worked very hard in the last two years, he played a lot of domestic cricket, focused on his batting.'
Ravi Shastri praises Sanju Samson's defining innings, highlighting his calmness, composure, and class under pressure in a crucial knockout contest.
Ishan Kishan displayed the menacing form he has shown of late in the India nets on Wednesday until being hit by a sharp Jasprit Bumrah yorker.
'The Women in Blue's final act drew a peak concurrency of 21 million viewers as Harmanpreet Kaur's team became the first Asian team to lift the Women's World Cup.'
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam on Monday said he had requested Pakistan to end its boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India.
India and Pakistan will meet on Sunday for what could turn into a decider for a semi-final spot, albeit with net run-rate a factor as well.
'Don't bring up this whole age issue that he is touching 40.' 'He's fit, batting well and catching brilliantly at slips.' 'What else do you need?'
Four-time World champions Italy now have to battle through the playoffs in March if they are to avoid missing the tournament for a third straight occasion.
FIDE World Cup: Two more draws in the second game of semifinals
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