Mohammed Kudus has been ruled out of next month’s FIFA World Cup after missing out on Ghana’s preliminary 28-man squad announced on Tuesday by coach Carlos Queiroz.

The Tottenham Hotspur F.C. forward has been sidelined since January with a quadriceps injury and suffered a further setback in his recovery, ending hopes of returning in time for the tournament.

Kudus, 25, was initially expected back in March but has not featured for Tottenham since the injury problem worsened. The former West Ham United F.C. player has made 19 Premier League appearances for Spurs this season, scoring twice.

His absence is a major blow for the Ghana national football team, with Kudus having scored 13 goals in 46 international appearances for the Black Stars.

Queiroz is expected to rely heavily on attacking options such as Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams as Ghana prepares for the tournament.

The squad announcement also saw the return of experienced defender Abdul Rahman Baba, who earned a recall for the first time since 2023. The former Chelsea F.C. defender, now with PAOK FC, brings valuable experience to the team’s backline.

Ghana have been drawn in a difficult Group L alongside the Croatia national football team, England national football team and the Panama national football team.

JOIN THE SPORTS VILLAGE SQUARE CHANNEL:

https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

FIFA confirmed Monday that Iran relocated its planned World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico amid the war in the ​Middle East and security concerns.

Iran had originally selected a sports ‌complex in Tucson, Ariz., to serve as their national team’s de facto headquarters during the World Cup, but the country sought a change after the U.S. and ​Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.

FIFA ​published the final list of team base camp locations on Monday, ⁠with Iran now setting up shop at Centro Xoloitzcuintle in Tijuana.

There are ​not yet any plans to change the location of Iran’s group-stage matches. ​As part of Group G, Iran is set to play its first two matches in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June ​21, with a June 26 matchup against Egypt in Seattle.

But Tijuana’s location ​directly across the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego could help with visa issues when ‌the ⁠team needs to enter the country, according to Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation

Taj initially announced the camp’s move on Saturday before FIFA made it official.

“All team base camps for the countries participating in the ​World Cup must ​be approved by FIFA,” ⁠Taj said in a statement. “Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and ​World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the ​webinar ⁠meeting we had yesterday in Tehran with the respected FIFA secretary general, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to ⁠Mexico ​was approved.”

Iranian officials said earlier this month ​their players and staff had not yet received U.S. visas.

The World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., ​Canada and Mexico, runs from June 11 through July 19.

-Reuters

JOIN THE SPORTS VILLAGE SQUARE CHANNEL:

https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Fears over the fitness of Lionel Messi eased on Sunday after Inter Miami CF coach Guillermo Hoyos said the Argentine captain was suffering only from fatigue when he was substituted during his club’s high-scoring victory over the Philadelphia Union.

Messi was taken off in the 73rd minute of Inter Miami’s dramatic 6-4 win after appearing to clutch the back of his thigh following one of his trademark free kicks, briefly raising concerns ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was playing his final club match before joining Argentina’s national team camp for the World Cup, which kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Speaking after the match, Hoyos downplayed fears of a serious injury, insisting the substitution was merely precautionary.

“We don’t have a medical report on that yet, but we will have one shortly,” Hoyos told reporters.

“He was genuinely suffering from fatigue in that regard; it is indeed fatigue. He was tired, the pitch was heavy and when in doubt, the standard approach is always to ensure you don’t take any risks.”

Messi’s withdrawal immediately sparked anxiety among Argentine supporters, given his central role in the team’s bid to defend the World Cup title they won in Qatar four years ago.

The 38-year-old remains the heartbeat of coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad and was included in the preliminary 55-man roster announced earlier this month. Scaloni must trim the squad to FIFA’s required 26-man list before the June 1 deadline.

Major League Soccer has now entered a mid-season pause to accommodate the expanded World Cup tournament.

Argentina begin their title defence against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16 as they seek to retain the trophy Messi famously lifted in Doha in 2022.

JOIN THE SPORTS VILLAGE SQUARE CHANNEL:

https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H