Football

Football – Asia 2027: Lebanon in Full Control, Qualification in Sight

The ideal script for a potentially tricky trip. At the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Miodrag Radulović’s side killed the suspense early, navigated the heat and time-zone shock, and stuck to their plan: high block, clean ball circulation, regained efficiency. Just three minutes in, Malek Fakhro opened the scoring with a long-range lob after ...

Said El Mala: The Lebanese-German Talent Now at the Top of Barcelona’s List

A Childhood Between Two Worlds Born in Krefeld in 2006 to a Lebanese father, Mohammed, and a German mother, Sabrina, El Mala grew up in a home shaped by two cultures and one obsession: football. His father played at an amateur level and passed on both the passion and the ambition. Said and his twin brother, Malek, learned early to move between ...

Mannschaft in Demolition Mode: Ticket Punched for the 2026 World Cup

Some nights, everything falls back into place. In the biting cold, the Red Bull Arena witnessed a compact, vertical, hungry Germany. First, a methodical occupation of the Slovak half, then acceleration at the right moment. Nick Woltemade set the tone with a furious header on a pinpoint service from Joshua Kimmich. Serge Gnabry doubled the lead ...

Football – Asia 2027: Brunei Ahead, Lebanon One Step Away From Qualification

On Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. (Beirut time), at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Lebanon visits Brunei for Matchday 5 of Group B in the third qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup. Sitting atop the group with 10 points, the Lebanese are targeting a fourth victory that would put qualification within reach — a draw against Yemen on March 31, ...

France Qualify for World Cup as Portugal, Norway Forced to Wait

France reached the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine on Thursday as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, while Portugal were made to wait after losing 2-0 in Dublin as Cristiano Ronaldo saw red. Norway must also be patient after Italy struck late in Moldova to prevent them from stamping their ticket to next ...

Asia 2027: Lebanon Heads to Kuwait Camp Before Facing Brunei and Sudan

The stage is set Group B leaders with 10 points, Lebanon approaches the 5th matchday of the third round of 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers with a two-point lead over Yemen. Brunei (3 points) and Bhutan (1 point) trail behind. The Cedars face Brunei Darussalam on November 18, then Sudan on November 26 in Doha’s Al-Gharafa Stadium for the Arab Cup ...

Cristiano Ronaldo: The Obsession with Perfection

In the world of football, Cristiano Ronaldo stands in a league of his own. He has reached the top not just through talent and hard work but by embodying the idea of the complete athlete, where every detail matters. With him, nothing is left to chance. The daily training, the sculpted body, and the carefully measured diet all reflect a mindset ...

Lionel Messi: The Quiet Hero

In a world highly obsessed with noise and spectacle, Messi stands as a rare exception. Far from flashes and bombastic declarations, he has built his legend through restraint and subtle gestures. On the pitch as in life, he speaks little, yet every action resonates more powerfully than words ever could. He embodies a rare kind of greatness that ...

Paola Rizk, a New Lebanese Face at FIFA: Setting Course for “Grassroots”

In Zurich, the news landed like an opening goal in the 5th minute: Paola Pharaon Rizk has been appointed a member of FIFA’s Grassroots and Amateur Football Committee. From Racing Beirut to international bodies, she has established herself as one of the faces of modern football governance in the Land of the Cedars. This promotion comes as part of ...

U17 – Asia: the Broken Dream, a Cruel Ending for Lebanon

Mission (almost) accomplished. In the final of the 12th West Asian Football Federation tournament, Lebanon U17 led deep into the home straight before being pegged back and then falling in the shootout. Adnan Madi had shown the way in the 73rd minute, punishing a Saudi goalkeeper error with a clever strike. But in stoppage time, Saudi Arabia ...

Arise and Bend it: Sir David, Knee to the Ground, England on its Feet

Windsor put on its sharpest pressing. Three-piece suit, tails, and a captain’s smile: David Beckham steps toward Charles III, a ceremonial tap of the sword, a royal handshake. This Tuesday morning, the English football legend received from King Charles III a medal that officially makes him a knight for services to football and British society ...

Football – West Asia U17: Lebanon into the Final, Syria Knocked out on Penalties

Mission accomplished. In the heat of Aqaba, the Lebanon U17 national team kept their nerves to clinch their ticket to the final of the 12th West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) edition. A cup-tie script: early opener from Youssef Badran (12'), Syrian equalizer, then a knife-edge shootout where the young Cedars kept a steady hand (4–3). ...