United News of Bangladesh

Barcelona overturned an early setback caused by goalkeeper Joan García’s blunder to secure a 3-1 win at promoted Oviedo in the Spanish league on Thursday. The Catalans fell behind in the 33rd minute when García, venturing outside the area, misplaced a clearance that fell to Alberto Reina, who struck from nearly 35 meters to score his first top-flight goal. Barcelona responded strongly after the break. Eric García equalized in the 56th minute, converting after Ferran Torres’ effort came off the post. Substitute Robert Lewandowski headed in the go-ahead goal from a Frenkie de Jong cross in the 70th, and Ronald Araujo sealed victory with another header late in the 88th. FIFA reportedly weighing plan for 64-nation World Cup in 2030 The win marked Barcelona’s fifth in six matches, keeping them two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who maintained a perfect record with a 4-1 victory over Levante. Coach Hansi Flick downplayed the goalkeeping error, saying, “He made one mistake, but we came back and won, which is what matters.” Oviedo, back in La Liga after two decades, has now lost five of its six matches despite veteran Santi Cazorla’s leadership. Source: Agency 

A proposal to expand the FIFA World Cup to an unprecedented 64 teams for the 2030 centenary tournament is reportedly under consideration after top South American football executives met with FIFA on Tuesday. CONMEBOL pushes for maximum scale While next summer’s 2026 World Cup will already be the largest ever with 48 teams, the South American confederation, CONMEBOL, is pushing for an even grander scale in 2030. The confederation is determined to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the tournament—which was first held in Uruguay in 1930—by hosting as many matches as possible on the continent. The 2030 World Cup is currently scheduled to be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with three ceremonial opening matches slated for Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. CONMEBOL’s proposal seeks to significantly increase the number of participating nations and, consequently, the number of games played. To advance their vision, FIFA leaders met on Tuesday in New York with the heads of state from Uruguay and Paraguay, along with the leadership of CONMEBOL and the head of Argentina’s football association. “We want to call for unity, creativity, and believing big,” said CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez in a social media post following the meeting. “Because when football is shared by everyone, the celebration is truly global.” Dominguez emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “As we get closer to the date, we must reiterate that this cannot be just another event, it cannot be just another World Cup. We believe this is a once-in-a-century opportunity.” Impact of expanded tournament FIFA is obligated to consider all proposals and ideas presented by its member associations. However, a 64-team tournament is not currently a stated policy priority for the current FIFA administration, and no decision has been made regarding the expansion of the 2030 event. Should the 64-team plan be adopted, nearly a third of FIFA’s 211 member associations would qualify for the finals. This level of expansion would likely render the qualifying process little more than a formality for many of the world’s strongest sides. The concept of a 64-team World Cup was first formally raised at a FIFA Council meeting in March by Uruguay FA President Ignacio Alonso. In May, his confederation president, Dominguez, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “no one should be left out” of the 2030 World Cup. Historically, the World Cup final tournament expanded to 24 teams in 1982 (Spain) and subsequently to 32 teams in 1998 (France).

European football’s governing body, UEFA, is reportedly moving towards a vote on the potential suspension of its member federation, Israel, due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Sources familiar with the proposal informed The Associated Press (AP) on Thursday that a majority of the 20-member UEFA Executive Committee is anticipated to support a vote in favor of suspending Israeli teams from international competitions. The two sources spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity, citing the extreme sensitivity of the subject matter. Implications and upcoming schedule This development comes just two weeks before the Israel men’s national team is scheduled to resume its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with crucial away matches against Norway and Italy. The calls to exclude Israel from international soccer and other sports have intensified in recent weeks, fueled by the rising global outcry over the humanitarian toll of its military campaign in Gaza. Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly stated that Israel should face similar sanctions to those imposed on Russia, which was sidelined from international sports following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. UEFA and its President, Aleksander Ceferin, signaled a tougher stance last month when banners reading “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians” were displayed on the field ahead of the Super Cup game between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham in Udine, Italy. FIFA’s position and Israeli efforts The extent to which the world soccer body, FIFA, will support the exclusion of Israel remains uncertain, given the notably close relationship between FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and US President Donald Trump. The Trump administration’s support—particularly in securing the World Cup and expediting visas for players, officials, and the hundreds of thousands of potential fans—is viewed as critical for FIFA to successfully host the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico next year. FIFA’s ruling council, which includes eight members from UEFA, is slated to meet in Zurich next week. Meanwhile, Israel is working “intensively behind the scenes” to block the efforts to oust its federation from UEFA. The office of Israel’s Sports and Culture Minister, Miki Zohar, confirmed the efforts on Thursday, stating that Zohar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the head of Israel’s soccer federation, Moshe Zuares, are all involved. “The right step now is to act responsibly with the professionals and not to make statements, and this is how all the parties involved in the efforts are acting. We will address this later,” Zohar’s office added.

Following the completion of the English Football League (EFL) Cup, popularly known as the Carabao Cup, third-round fixtures last night, the fourth-round draw has been finalized, setting the stage for several high-profile Premier League clashes. Defending champions Newcastle United will host Tottenham Hotspur in one of the standout ties, with several Premier League giants set for challenging encounters. Premier League heavyweights drawn together In what is arguably the tie of the round, holders Newcastle United will welcome Tottenham Hotspur to St. James’ Park. Newcastle, who ended a 70-year trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup earlier this year, advanced comfortably with a 4-1 victory over League One leaders Bradford. Elsewhere, an all-Premier League affair sees Arsenal drawn against Brighton. Meanwhile, record ten-time winners Liverpool will host fellow top-flight side Crystal Palace at Anfield. Liverpool progressed after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Southampton, a match notable for Hugo Ekikite’s late winner and subsequent sending-off for taking his shirt off during the celebration. In other significant matchups, Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) will host Chelsea, ensuring another Premier League giant will be eliminated. Only Manchester City has a comparatively easier task on paper, drawn away to Championship club Swansea. Giant-killers eyeing more upsets The competition’s current giant-killers, Grimsby Town, have another golden opportunity to cause an upset after being drawn at home to Premier League side Brentford. The only remaining League Two side has already impressively dispatched Manchester United at home and Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday away, and their reward is yet another Premier League opponent at home as they seek to continue their remarkable cup run. Championship newcomers Wrexham were drawn against Cardiff City, marking the first meeting between the two Welsh clubs since 2002. Additionally, League One side Wycombe Wanderers have the chance to create their own magic as they host Premier League club Fulham. The fourth-round ties are scheduled to be played during the week of October 27. Carabao Cup fourth-round draw: - Arsenal v Brighton- Grimsby Town v Brentford- Swansea v Manchester City- Newcastle v Tottenham- Wrexham v Cardiff- Liverpool v Crystal Palace- Wolves v Chelsea- Wycombe v Fulham

Bangladesh booked their place in the SAFF U-17 Championship final defeating Pakistan 2-0 in Thursday’s first semi-final at Colombo Racecourse Ground. The defending finalists struck twice in the space of a minute in the first half to seize control of the match. Nazmul Huda Faisal opened the scoring before Apu Rahman doubled the lead moments later. This sudden, overwhelming flurry of goals in the opening minutes effectively decided the contest, leaving Pakistan with a steep mountain to climb for the remainder of the game. Bangladesh, who advanced to the last four as group champions, began aggressively and capitalised on a costly blunder from Pakistan goalkeeper Samar Razzak in just the third minute. Razzak’s poor throw gifted possession to Apu whose misdirected pass ricocheted off a defender and fell to Faisal. With the keeper stranded, Faisal slotted into an empty net. The momentum carried forward immediately, as Apu made amends with a sharp strike that pierced through two defenders and slipped past the diving Razzak to make it 2-0. In the second half, Bangladesh focused on maintaining their lead, while Pakistan failed to stage a comeback. The win brings Bangladesh within touching distance of their first-ever title in this age category. They will face the winner of the second semi-final between India and Nepal in Saturday’s final.

Lionel Messi netted two goals and provided an assist, reaching 37 goal contributions this season, as Inter Miami sealed a playoff spot with a 4-0 triumph over New York City FC on Wednesday night. Inter Miami (16-6-7) claimed its third consecutive victory, extending its league-leading goal tally to 64 this season. Five of Miami’s last six MLS games have seen at least three goals, including a recent 3-2 win over D.C. United. Messi, after setting up the first goal in the opening half, became the first player in MLS history to register at least 35 goal contributions in back-to-back seasons. His two second-half goals also made him the fourth player in league history to record eight multi-goal games in a single campaign. He opened the scoring in the 74th minute by chipping the ball over goalkeeper Matt Freese, who had rushed out during a breakaway. Luis Suárez, returning from suspension, converted a penalty in the 83rd minute, and Messi added another goal three minutes later. FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain, England home kit designs leaked Goalkeeper Óscar Ustari earned his sixth clean sheet of the season. New York City FC (16-10-5) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. The visitors had two notable chances in the first half, with Thiago Martins’ header from a corner saved by Ustari, and Nicolás Fernández’s close-range effort going just wide after deceiving the goalkeeper. Source: Agency 

Hugo Ekitike has apologized to Liverpool fans after being sent off for celebrating his winning goal against Southampton in the English League Cup on Tuesday. Liverpool coach Arne Slot described the France striker’s behavior as “needless” and “stupid.” Ekitike received a red card for removing his shirt while celebrating his 85th-minute goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory, which means he will miss the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday. “The emotion got the better of me tonight. My apologies to all the Red family,” Ekitike wrote on Instagram after the match. The 23-year-old forward had already been booked for dissent after coming on as a halftime substitute. “Needless? Yes. And it was stupid. The first one was already needless and, to some extent, stupid, as you have to control your emotions,” Slot said. “I told him that if you score in the Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting the top corner, I could maybe understand. But he said, ‘This is all about me, what did I do?’ “I’m old-fashioned, 47, and never played at this level, but I did score a few goals. If I scored a goal like this, I’d have turned to Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, not me.’” Ekitike’s latest strike was his fifth in eight appearances for Liverpool since joining the Premier League champions from Eintracht Frankfurt for $93.5 million in July.

The Afghanistan women's national soccer team, made up of refugee players, will play its first official matches next month at a four-team tournament in Dubai, according to FIFA. The tournament, which takes place from October 23 to 29, will see the team compete against the United Arab Emirates, Chad, and Libya. Due to the Taliban's return to power in 2021, women's sports in Afghanistan were effectively halted, and the national team hasn't participated in any competitive matches since 2018. Although the Afghanistan Football Federation has not been suspended by FIFA, it is required to follow FIFA's anti-discrimination regulations. FIFA emphasized that the tournament is part of its ongoing efforts to support women's rights to play soccer, chase their dreams, and excel in the sport. The women's teams from Chad and Libya do not yet have FIFA rankings, while the UAE team is currently ranked 117th. FIFA confirmed that all matches will be broadcast live on its streaming platform.

Images of the home kits for two of the favorites at the 2026 World Cup—reigning European champions Spain and a resurgent England—have been leaked online, giving fans a first look at what their teams could be wearing in North America next summer. Spain Opaleak has leaked images of Spain’s home kit, which show an adidas design that blends tradition with a bold new twist. The base is a deep red body paired with dark navy sleeves, while the three adidas shoulder stripes run in a red-yellow-red sequence, a subtle nod to the Spanish flag. Fine yellow pinstripes with dotted detailing run vertically down the jersey, adding texture and depth.

Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to the season with arguably their most impressive performance yet, humbling Levante 4-1 away from home at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Tuesday night. All three of Real’s starting forwards showed their class, as the prolific Kylian Mbappe packed a second half brace to move to 9 goals from 7 games this season, after Vinicius Junior netted a spectacular goal and set up Franco Mastantuono for his first goal in a Madrid shirt - itself a spectacular strike - to put Real 2-0 ahead at halftime.  Vinicius found his form in Valencia, striking a brilliant opener with the outside of his boot in the 28th minute. Just 10 minutes later, the Brazilian winger threaded a ball to his Argentine teammate Mastantuono, who hit the roof of the net from a narrow angle with an outstanding strike to double Madrid’s advantage. Mastantuono's more advanced position as Rodrygo dropped to the bench to make way for an extra midfielder in Arda Guler away from home, was the key tactical change wrought by Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, and it seemed to work as the 18-year-old Argentine continued looking dangerous as he has all season, also hitting the woodwork in the 20th minute, when he got to a rebound off the Levante keeper first, from a 25-yard-punt by Vinicius. Real Madrid defender to miss ‘first’ El Clasico due to injury As the second half got underway, Levante signaled a comeback with forward Etta Eyong pulling one back with a stunning header in the 54th minute. But Mbappe restored the 36-time La Liga champions' two-goal lead just nine minutes later, after being brought down in the box and stepping up himself to put away a cool-headed 'Panenka' from the spot. Two minutes later in the 66th minute, Mbappe wrapped up the scoring for the night, outrunning the Levante defence without getting out of second gear, before rounding the keeper with ease and putting the ball in the net, after being played through by the precocious Guler. The result keeps Xabi Alonso’s side at the top of the table with six wins out of six for the full 18 points, stretching their lead to five points over reigning champions Barcelona, who travel to Real Oviedo on Thursday. Levante is languishing in 16th place with four points. Alonso was pleased with the performance but said it’s just the beginning for his team. The focus now shifts to the Madrid derby this Saturday. Two Real Madrid defenders sanctioned “We’re in a growth phase, still under construction. We’re 51 days in and there’s still a long way to go,” Alonso said in the post-match press briefing. “We’re building a solid foundation to be competitive in La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey. Many people in the team feel connected and important.” Despite Real’s staggering form under him, the Spanish legend insisted there is room for improvement: “There are still some things to improve, but the path is looking good; not just because of the results but also because of the way we’re doing things.” He urged his players to maintain their momentum as well, stating, “We have to keep going, we can’t stop. This is just the beginning, and we want to keep competing well.”