International Football
World Cup Tickets On Sale From This Thursday
Fans can now beat many countries in securing World Cup tickets. At the moment, only seven other countries apart from hosts, Russia have secured tickets to the lead FIFA event.
The qualified teams are Iran, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.
But while many countries are still battling for tickets, individual fans worldwide can obtain theirs from 10:00 Nigerian time on Thursday.
According to a media release by FIFA, the tickets will be exclusively on sale on FIFA.com/tickets.
“We have put in place a ticketing system that will enable all fans a fair chance to secure tickets. Throughout history, fans have made a key contribution to the fascination of the FIFA World Cup.
“Russia promises to be a unique continuation of this history, with outstanding organisation and a great atmosphere in the stadiums,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.
According to the release, World Cup tickets will be available during the sales phases. There will be the first sales phase which is divided into two stages.
During the first period of sales phase 1, which starts this Thursday and run through to October 12, fans will be able to submit their ticket applications.
During this sales period, it will make no difference whether they submit their applications on Day 1, the last day or any time in between, as all applications will have the same chance of being successful.
In cases where the number of tickets applied for exceeds the available inventory, tickets will be allocated by a random selection draw process.
All successful, partially successful and unsuccessful applicants will be duly notified of the outcome of their applications by November 16.
From November 16 to 28, tickets will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The second phase of tickets sales will begin after the Final Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on December 1.
Like the first phase, it will also have two stages. This will comprise a random selection draw period from December 5 to 31 January 2018 and a further first-come, first-served period from 13 March to 3 April 2018.
Tickets purchased during sales phases 1 and 2 will be delivered free of charge to fans in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with deliveries planned to start in April/May 2018. This is however subject to change.
There is also a window for last minute sales which will be implemented on a first-come, first-served basis from 18 April to 15 July 2018, the day of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final.
FIFA also explained the types of tickets that will be available. In the first phase of tickets’ sales, individual match tickets for a specific matches, will be available for all matches from the opening game through to the final.
Also, there will be venue-specific ticket series and ticket strips for a specific stadium. These strips include the group matches (except the opening match), the round-of-16 match and the play-off for third place played at the specific venue of choice.
For instance, the venue-specific ticket series for Luzhniki Stadium includes three group matches and one round-of-16 match. It does not include the opening match, semi-final or final.
There will also be team-specific ticket series. These are ticket strips for fans to follow the national team of their choice. Team-specific ticket series are available as packages that include three to seven matches and can only be requested during sales phase 1.
There is a fourth ticket sale category which is in line with the ticketing policy implemented at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. Residents of the host country will exclusively benefit from this special price category.
The mode of payments for the tickets in the first two phases will be by Visa card which is the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA.
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat

Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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International Football
Former England and Man Utd midfielder Ince charged with drink-driving

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro

“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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