Promoted Sunderland, who have defied expectations to stay in the top half of the Premier League table, could be the worst affected with six players going to the tournament, while the likes of Fulham, Manchester United, Burnley and Crystal Palace will also have to make do without some key personnel.
Cape Verde rarely played international football some 25 years ago but now head to next year's finals in North America as one of the nine African representatives.
The teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Hosts France will play an Olympic men's football final for the first time in 40 years after beating Egypt 3-1 in extra-time at the Lyon stadium on Monday and will face Spain for the gold medal.
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Chelsea - their 12th in 13 league matches - Aston Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
Aitana Bonmat won the women's Ballon d'Or for the third year running while the 18-year-old Yamal, who was Dembele's teammate at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, was again awarded the men's Kopa Trophy.
Salah was seen with controversial Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov while he was recuperating from the shoulder injury he suffered during the Champions League final.
Mo Salah is third on Liverpool's all-time goal scoring list with 243 goals in 394 games.
Seventy-four people were killed and at least 1,000 injured on Wednesday when Egyptian football fans staged a pitch invasion in the city of Port Said, the deadliest incident since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak from power.
An Egyptian court today sentenced 11 youths to death for their involvement in the deadliest sport-related incident in the soccer-crazy nation.
'...we say that sport is this great phenomenon that is so wonderful and it's healthy and it's good for us all. Let's make sure that it doesn't bring suffering or disadvantage to anybody because of a major event that's come.'
Salah got 48% of the vote, ahead of Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne
The win clinched Egypt a long-awaited spot in Russia for the 2018 World Cup finals, where the Arab world's most populous country will compete on football's ultimate stage for the first time since Italy in 1990.
The Egyptian Football Association denied reports that talismanic striker Mohamed Salah was on the verge of quitting international football
"We want an investigation into the performance of the whole refereeing team," Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida said on Friday.
From the passion of MotoGP champions to the intensity of football pitches and the elegance of synchronised swimming, this collection of images captures unforgettable moments in sports and beyond.
Egypt striker Mohamed Salah was voted as the African Footballer of the Year for the second successive year at the Confederation of African Football's awards ceremony in Dakar on Tuesday.
Spain secured the gold medal in the Olympic men's soccer tournament after Sergio Camello scored twice in extra-time to earn a dramatic 5-3 win over hosts France in a nail-biting final at Parc des Princes on Friday.
An Egyptian court on Tuesday upheld the death sentences against 11 people for their involvement in the country's worst-ever soccer violence that killed 74 fans after a top-league game in the coastal Port Said city.
Russia face Egypt in their second match in St Petersburg on Tuesday after a resounding 5-0 victory over the Saudis that has catapulted them to the top of Group A, ahead of Uruguay on goal difference.
Hosts France reached the Olympic men's football semi-finals for the first time in 40 years with a 1-0 win over Argentina thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's first-half goal in a grudge match in Bordeaux on Friday.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam has been left out of a 23-man squad named by Egypt coach Hassan Shehata on Tuesday for the weekend's African Nations Cup qualifier against Mauritania.
Egypt are hopeful Mohamed Salah will be available for the start of their World Cup campaign in Russia but the team must find a way to avoid depending too much on the striker, coach Hector Cuper has said.
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has tested positive for the coronavirus on the eve of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo, the Egyptian Football Association said on Friday.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field
Kingfisher East Bengal and McDowells Mohun Bagan played out a 1-1 draw in the 19th round I-League clash played at the Yuba Bharati Krinangan, in Kolkata on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
'Soul might not win trophies. But, unlike trophies, soul actually matters,' says Shougat Dasgupta.
Seventy-four people were killed and at least 1,000 injured on Wednesday when Egyptian football fans staged a pitch invasion in the city of Port Said, the deadliest incident since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak from power.
The uncertainty surrounding the Liverpool forward's participation after he suffered shoulder ligament damage in last month's Champions League final, had a huge impact on both preparations and team confidence coming into the tournament.
A summary of the man's football matches at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.
India's FIFA U-17 World Cup team coach Luis Norton de Matos on Saturday refused to predict his side's chances in the upcoming tournament, saying that instead of thinking about the results the country should take it as "a first step for the future".
India's football campaign in the ongoing fourth Military World Games came to an end after Egypt defeated the hosts 1-0 in the quarter-final.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Summary of all that transpired on and off the football field
Data and measurement company Nielsen Sports which ranked 30 countries according to the percentage of the population who described themselves as interested in football, showed that UAE tops list of soccer crazy nations.
Sadio Mane injured his right fibula playing for German club Bayern Munich.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Alexis Sanchez shrugged off an ankle injury and continued his resurgent form at the Copa America. The Chile striker fired his side to a 2-1 victory over Ecuador on Friday which took the holders into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Retired Ivorian player and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba: "They did it!!!! Well done Morocco for this feat. Long live Africa."
