Yassine Bounou has turned the penalty spot into a psychological battleground where strikers come to lose their nerve.The Morocco goalkeeper's latest victim? Kylian Mbappe.In the World Cup quarter-final against France, Bounou stood tall, guessed right, and palmed away the French captain's spot-kick â?? a save that sent a shiver through the French bench and further cemented Bounou's status as one of the most feared penalty-stoppers in football history.The numbers

Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has etched his name into the history books, becoming the first African player to make five FIFA World Cup appearances as a teenager.The 18-year-old Lille star reached the milestone during Morocco's World Cup quarter-final clash against France on Thursday, July 9, 2026. At 18 years and 280 days old, Bouaddi has been a revelation for the Atlas Lions in North America, starting four of Morocco's five matches at the tournament.Born on October

Kylian Mbappe has etched his name further into football folklore, becoming the first player ever to be involved in 100 goals for the France national team.The Real Madrid superstar reached the historic milestone during France's World Cup quarter-final clash against Morocco on Thursday, breaking the deadlock with a clinical finish in the first half. That goal, his 64th for Les Bleus, pushed him past the symbolic 100 mark when combined with his 36 assists for the national team.According

Enock Otoo made the biggest late impact as FCI Levadia crushed Caernarfon 5-0 in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier at The Oval on Thursday. The Ghanaian attacker came off the bench and scored Levadiaâ??s fifth goal in the 79th minute, putting the tie firmly beyond the Welsh side.Levadia controlled the contest from the opening stages. Rasmus Peetson opened the scoring in the 15th minute, before João Pedro doubled the advantage just before half-time. Mark

Ghana defender Alidu Seidu has taken to social media to break his silence following the Black Stars' exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the setback is "far from the end" and vowing to work even harder to come back stronger.The Rennes right-back posted a heartfelt message on X on Friday expressing his disappointment while also looking ahead with optimism."A lot of disappointments but this is far from the end," Seidu wrote."The only thing that

France have reached the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Morocco, ending the Atlas Lionsâ?? impressive campaign at the tournament.Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored in the second half to secure a place in the last four, while Morocco were left to reflect on another memorable World Cup journey that saw them compete among the worldâ??s elite and make Africa proud.The African side produced a determined performance at Gillette Stadium but were

Ghana defender Alidu Seidu has vowed to come back stronger following the Black Stars' exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting hard work remains his only response to disappointment.The Rennes defender shared an emotional message on X, thanking fans for their unwavering support while expressing confidence that better days lie ahead.Seidu was part of Ghana's squad at the World Cup, where the Black Stars reached the Round of 32 before suffering a narrow defeat to Colombia."A

FC Porto have completed the signing of 18-year-old Ghanaian winger Gideon Otabil, continuing the club's commitment to recruiting and developing promising young talent.Otabil arrives at the Portuguese giants as one of Ghana's exciting young prospects and will continue his development within the club's structure.Before sealing his move to Porto, the winger underwent a trial with German club Hamburger SV, gaining valuable experience in a European football environment.His

Former Black Stars captain Andre Ayew has made a cash donation to boost the morale of the Black Maidens ahead of their crucial FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup qualifying fixture against Senegal.Ayew paid a surprise visit to the camp of Ghana's U-17 women's national team to motivate the team ahead of the game. The amount was deliberately kept private at Ayew's request, with the gesture intended purely to motivate the players rather than attract public attention.He

As the highlight of the preseason, an Accra Lions U19 selection will embark on a three-week tour of Germany and Sweden, beginning on 9 July.The tour will start with a visit to our partner club, Eintracht Frankfurt.Since the partnership was established in April 2025, the close collaboration between the two clubs has been defined primarily by the exchange of expertise, with Eintracht Frankfurt regularly sending technical and medical specialists to Accra.Their support has provided

England defender Jarell Quansah has been handed a two-match suspension by FIFA following his red card in the Three Lions' 3-2 victory over Mexico in the World Cup Round of 32, ruling him out of Saturday's quarter-final against Norway and a potential semi-final should England advance.The FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed the two-match ban for "serious foul play" after concluding that Quansah's tackle on Mexico's Jesús Gallardo constituted a breach

Mayor of New York City in the United States, Zohran Mamdani, has asserted that Egypt were deprived of a win against Argentina in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 tie.The game, which ended in a dramatic 3-2 scoreline after the Pharaohs had taken the lead, was marred by criticisms of biased officiating that allegedly favoured the defending world champions.Addressing residents in New York on transport issues, Mamdani explained how his strategy for the deployment of buses has helped

The Paraguayan Senate has condemned what it described as â??discriminatory and racist expressionsâ? directed at France captain Kylian Mbappe by senator Celeste Amarilla following the two nationsâ?? World Cup last-16 clash. The 61-year-old lawyer sparked outrage after referring to the Real Madrid forward as a â??colonized Cameroonianâ? after Franceâ??s victory over Paraguay on Saturday. The controversy intensified when Amarilla took to social media to criticize

England have suffered a major World Cup setback after defender Jarell Quansah was handed a two-match suspension by FIFA, ruling him out of the quarter-final against Norway and any potential semi-final.The Bayer Leverkusen centre-back was dismissed in Englandâ??s last-16 victory over Mexico after a VAR review upgraded his challenge on Jesus Gallardo to a straight red card.Quansahâ??s sliding tackle saw his studs make contact with Gallardoâ??s shin, prompting FIFA to classify

National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has called on Ghana to begin a long-term strategy to host the FIFA World Cup.He insisted the country should work towards the goal over the next 10 to 30 years instead of dismissing it as impossible.Speaking on Joy Prime, Ankrah urged Ghana to engage FIFA early and seek guidance on the requirements for staging football's biggest tournament. He believes the country should adopt a patient, structured approach that

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi has insisted his side will not waste time on premature praise ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against France, with any stock-taking to be done at the end of the tournament.Thursday's game is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco's historic run in Qatar. But this time, the North Africans are no longer the surprise outsiders but a confident side aiming for the title.Ouahbi made it clear that his team are

Ghana can successfully host the FIFA World Cup in the future if the nation initiates long-term strategic planning and actively explores regional co-hosting opportunities with West African neighbors, according to National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.Speaking on Joy Prime, Ankrah strongly rejected widespread claims that the global showpiece remains permanently out of reach for the country.Instead, he advocated for immediate, humble consultation with international

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has approved a contract extension for national team coach Hossam Hassan following Egypt's successful campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.EFA President Hany Abo Rida announced that the association's board had approved the renewal of contracts for head coach Hossam Hassan and team director Ibrahim Hassan, his twin brother."EFA President Hany Abo Rida announced that the association's board had approved the renewal of contracts

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi says his side are focused solely on reaching the FIFA World Cup semi-finals and are not driven by thoughts of revenge ahead of Thursday's quarter-final against France.The two nations meet again in the last eight, four years after France ended Morocco's historic run in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.Despite the painful memories of that defeat, Ouahbi insists the past will have no bearing on his team's approach."Whoever

Morocco will be without star forward Ismael Saibari for Thursday's World Cup quarter-final against France after he failed to recover from a hamstring injury.Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed Saibari's absence in a pre-match press conference, dealing a significant blow to the Atlas Lions' hopes of reaching the semi-finals for the second consecutive World Cup.Ouahbi revealed that the injury sustained in Morocco's Round of 32 victory over Canada has not healed