A World Cup without Germany used to be unthinkable. Now the four-time champion needs to turn things around to ensure a spot at next year's tournament.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino issued an appeal for protesters to keep calm ahead of Israel's upcoming soccer World Cup qualifying matches in Norway and Italy after an agreement was reached with Hamas to a pause in their devastating two-year war.

Laura Youngson didn't expect to focus so much on football cleats when she organized a group of women to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and play a high-altitude match.

The point of the 2017 game was to highlight inequality in sports for women and girls. On that front, Youngson achieved her goal with the match becoming the subject of a documentary and landing the group in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The qualifying process for the 2026 World Cup is nearing conclusion.

Israel's World Cup qualifying match at Italy next week is expected to attract more pro-Palestinian protesters outside the football stadium in Udine than ticket-holding spectators inside the arena.

Protesters already approached the gates of Italy's training center in Florence last week to demand that the match isn't played because of the war in Gaza — part of a national strike that saw millions of activists take to the streets.

Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen has been dropped from Spain's squad for World Cup qualifiers because of a muscle injury.

Jose Mourinho insisted fond memories of his time at Chelsea were not enough to satisfy him after Benfica were beaten 1-0 on his return to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

By the age of 19 Kylian Mbappe had won the World Cup, become one of the most expensive soccer players ever and was labeled the heir-apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Seven years later, and with Messi and Ronaldo long past their peak, Mbappe is still to be officially recognized as the best player in the world.

Concerns have been raised about the welfare of Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and the "alarming" demands on him at such a young age.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described José Mourinho as a "legend" ahead of the return to Stamford Bridge of the Portuguese coach who had two successful spells at the London club.

After five years out of the Champions League, Mourinho is back in Europe's top club competition as the new coach of Benfica — and his first game in the league stage just happens to be on Tuesday at Chelsea, where he is still revered by fans.