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PSG’s injury concerns clear up with Dembélé and Hakimi healthy for Champions League final

BUDAPEST: Paris Saint-Germain’s injury worries have cleared up ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal on Saturday. PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé has been managing a calf issue in the final weeks of the season but the reigning Ballon d’Or winner said Friday he is “100 percent ready and raring to go.” There was more concern about the health of defender Achraf Hakimi, who hasn’t played since sustaining a right thigh injury against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals on April 28. However, the attacking right back, who was selected by Morocco for the World Cup this week, was also spotted in training on Tuesday and has been given the all-clear by PSG coach Luis Enrique, who said Hakimi was “OK and able to play tomorrow.” PSG will be looking to successfully defend the title the team won in record-breaking fashion last year with a 5-0 win over Inter Milan — the most lopsided final in the competition’s 70-year history. Dembélé was substituted in the first half of PSG’s final game in their latest title-winning campaign in the French league, a loss to Paris FC on May 17. “I wasn’t scared about missing the final,” Dembélé told a news conference at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

Brazil Star Neymar Unlikely To Be Ready For World Cup Opener With Calf Injury

Picking injury-prone Neymar in Brazil’s World Cup squad seemed like a risk and so it proved just 10 days later on Thursday.

Scotland coach Steve Clarke extends contract to 2030 World Cup

GLASGOW: Scotland coach Steve Clarke has signed a new contract before the World Cup that could extend his tenure to a record 11 years. Clarke’s new four-year deal was finalized on Thursday and runs through the 2030 World Cup and includes the 2028 European Championship that Scotland will co-host with England, Wales and Ireland. “I am truly honored to lead my squad into our first men’s World Cup in 28 years and I’m proud to continue as head coach,” Clarke said in a statement from the Scottish Football Association. The World Cup next month when Scotland will play in a group with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti was widely expected until recent weeks to be the 62-year-old Clarke’s farewell. Qualifying for the World Cup last November — sealed by a hugely emotional 4-2 win over Denmark in Glasgow — restored Clarke’s popularity with fans after the team underperformed at Euro 2024. The former Chelsea defender hired in 2019 is already Scotland’s most successful ever coach by qualifying for three major tournaments. Scotland’s longest-serving coach is currently Craig Brown whose eight years in the job until 2001 included taking the Tartan Army to the 1998 World Cup. In eight previous appearances at the World Cup, Scotland have never advanced from the group stage.

Club success hands South Africa boost for World Cup

JOHANNESBURG, May 28 : Success for South African club Mamelodi Sundowns in the African Champions League final has come as a major boost to the country’s World Cup squad, national team coach Hugo Broos said on Thursday.

Neymar out of Brazil friendlies and set to miss World Cup opener

May 28 : Neymar has been ruled out of Brazil's upcoming friendlies and is set to miss their World Cup opener after scans revealed a grade-two calf injury, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Thursday.

Neymar calf scare turns Brazil's World Cup camp into waiting room

May 27 : Brazil's World Cup preparations were jolted on Wednesday as Neymar missed the national team's first training session to undergo medical tests, leaving his place in the squad hanging in the balance.

2026 World Cup Odds: Which Will Be Highest, Lowest-Scoring Countries?

Making the World Cup doesn't mean you're expected to make goals.

Sundowns, Pirates dominate South Africa World Cup squad

PRETORIA: Recent major trophy winners Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominated the South Africa 2026 World Cup squad named in Pretoria on Wednesday with eight players each. Sundowns won the CAF Champions League a second time last Sunday, defeating Moroccan rivals FAR Rabat 2-1 on aggregate in the final. A day earlier, Pirates were crowned South African Premiership champions for the first time since 2012, ending a run of eight consecutive league titles by Sundowns. A surprise omission was Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen, whose outstanding form helped his club finish third behind Pirates and Sundowns in the Premiership. He was set to be called up for World Cup warm-up matches against Panama two months ago, only to be sidelined by appendix surgery. Belgian coach Hugo Broos included 19 local players in his 26-man squad, five play in Europe and two in the United States. Among the 10 African qualifiers, Egypt are the only other nation that will rely largely on home-based stars. There were 18 in a preliminary squad of 27 chosen by coach Hossam Hassan. Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams will captain South Africa, who face co-hosts Mexico in the World Cup opener on June 11, then tackle the Czech Republic and South Korea. Group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 32 in a tournament boasting a record 48 teams.

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PSG’s injury concerns clear up with Dembélé and Hakimi healthy for Champions League final

Brazil Star Neymar Unlikely To Be Ready For World Cup Opener With Calf Injury

Scotland coach Steve Clarke extends contract to 2030 World Cup

Club success hands South Africa boost for World Cup

Neymar out of Brazil friendlies and set to miss World Cup opener

Neymar calf scare turns Brazil's World Cup camp into waiting room

2026 World Cup Odds: Which Will Be Highest, Lowest-Scoring Countries?

Sundowns, Pirates dominate South Africa World Cup squad