Football

Zurich: The FIFA has maintained its classification among the highest-ranked international sports organizations, once again securing a place in the top governance tier (A1) in the governance standards assessment conducted by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). FIFA achieved its highest-ever score, receiving 218 points out of 240, an increase of six points compared with the 2024 report. It was one of only 14 international sports federations to be placed in the highest category. The report praised FIFA's commitment to gender equality and its efforts to strengthen governance standards among its 211 member associations. It also highlighted FIFA's consistent performance in the areas of transparency, integrity, democracy, development and sustainability, and oversight mechanisms. According to the report, FIFA improved its performance across all evaluation indicators, reflecting its commitment to applying the highest standards of governance throughout its activities.

Qatar Sport

Le Mans, France: History will be made later today when Team Qatar takes the start of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race for the first time. Representing Qatar on the international stage, the team’s three drivers — Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Giuliano Alesi — will race twice around the clock in one of the most iconic and demanding events in world motorsport. The Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG entry will line up 12th on the grid in the fiercely competitive LMGT3 category when the race gets underway at 16:00 local time. Competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans marks a historic moment for Team Qatar, which will go wheel-to-wheel with some of the biggest manufacturers in motorsport and a field packed with world-class drivers. More significantly, the entry represents a wider milestone for Qatari motorsport. Developed through the vision and support of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), Team Qatar’s presence at Le Mans reflects a long-term commitment to creating opportunities for Qatari drivers to compete on the world’s biggest stage, while inspiring future generations to pursue careers in motorsport. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the ultimate test of innovation, speed, teamwork, and endurance. Teams have to constantly balance strategy, reliability and outright pace, while pit stops for tyres, fuel and driver changes continue throughout the day and night. In the challenge of multi-class racing, success comes down to negotiating traffic efficiently, minimising mistakes and maintaining relentless focus for 24 hours. So far this week, Team Qatar by Iron Lynx has enjoyed a promising debut at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The team finished fourth in the opening Free Practice on Wednesday, and thanks to an impressive qualifying performance from Qatari driver Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, progressed to Hyperpole 1 on Thursday, but ultimately missed out on Hyperpole 2 by just 0.072 seconds. Read Also Team Qatar building momentum across practice and hyperpole qualifying Team Qatar enjoy successful opening day at 24 Hours of Le Mans “It was a very, very tight qualifying session,” said Al-Khelaifi. “I'm honestly very, very happy for the team as I really wanted them to have their chance to do Hyperpole. Just to compete in Le Mans is a historic achievement for Team Qatar, but to go to Hyperpole was even greater and I was really happy about it.” Yesterday, Team Qatar’s three drivers joined the other 183 competitors in the traditional Drivers’ Parade through the town centre of Le Mans. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the popular event held extra significance for Giuliano, as the parade paid tribute to his father, Jean Alesi, the legendary Formula 1 driver who started 201 Grands Prix and competed at Le Mans in 1989 and 2010. The drivers waved to fans and signed autographs as they toured the city in vintage cars. More than 300,000 are expected to attend the Circuit de la Sarthe over the course of the weekend and experience the unique atmosphere of Le Mans. Tour de France legend Mark Cavendish has been given the honour of officially starting the race for the 62-car field when he waves the tricolour at 4pm.

Football

Los Angeles, United States: Five-time winners Brazil roll into the World Cup on Saturday when they play surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in one of the standout group-stage matchups. On the first day featuring four matches at a tournament expanded this year to 48 teams, Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and take on debutants Haiti in Boston. In other games, 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar play Switzerland in Santa Clara before Australia take on Turkiye in Vancouver to close out the day. Co-hosts the United States launched their home World Cup in emphatic fashion Friday, thrashing Paraguay 4-1 to delight a star-studded 70,000-strong crowd in Los Angeles that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and David Beckham. On Saturday, all eyes will be fixed on Brazil in New Jersey. The Selecao might not be the force they once were, but they remain one of the most glamorous draws in world football. Carlo Ancelotti has been drafted in to try to end the Brazilians' 24-year wait for another global crown. Ancelotti, making his World Cup debut as a coach, says he is convinced he has a team capable of competing with the very best. "It's a new experience, it's a new responsibility to represent the country of football," the Italian said on Friday. "We have a team that can compete with every team in the world, we're convinced of that. It's a team with quality and experience, and with absolute confidence that it can compete with anyone," he added. Brazil labored through their South American qualification campaign, losing six of 18 matches to finish fifth, which in previous years would have forced them into the play-offs. Read Also World Cup underway in United States and the winner is Freddy Qatar complete preparations for opening match against Switzerland United States defeat Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup opener Forwards Rodrygo and Estevao are out of the squad due to injury, while fading superstar Neymar will miss the opening game but, Ancelotti said, is "working very hard to recover as quickly as possible". Neymar has not played for his country since 2023. That all puts pressure on Vinicius Junior, who scored 21 goals last season for Real Madrid and must provide the firepower if Brazil are to shine, although Barcelona forward Raphinha can also find the net. Morocco stunned the football world four years ago as they became the first African side to reach the last four in Qatar. They were awarded this year's Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil after a chaotic final, initially won 1-0 by Senegal after extra time. Senegal were stripped of the victory after storming off the pitch in protest at a late penalty decision. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui as Morocco boss in March, said: "It's a match that will tell us where we stand, but I think we're in a good place to start this competition. "Lots of people say it's not the Brazil of old, but it's still Brazil," he added. Scotland are back Scotland, and their Tartan Army of fans, will look to star man Scott McTominay to be the engine of the team. Napoli midfielder McTominay has become an icon in Scotland since his stunning overhead kick goal in the 4-2 win over Denmark last November which sealed his team's qualification for a first World Cup since 1998. Haiti will just hope to do their turmoil-hit country proud. Australia coach Tony Popovic said he was confident his side could "punch above our weight" at the World Cup but the Turks represent a tough early test. The World Cup, expanded to 48 teams, will culminate in the final in New Jersey on July 19.