Sport

Canada aim for historic first World Cup win on home soil in 2026

Published

6 months ago

May 18, 2026

Canada will make their third appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2026 as co-hosts alongside the United States and Mexico, with the national team hoping to secure its first-ever victory at football’s biggest tournament.

Drawn in Group B, Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland during the group stage of the expanded 48-team competition.

Under head coach Jesse Marsch, the Canadians are aiming to build on the experience gained at Qatar 2022 and push beyond the group stage for the first time in the country’s history.

Marsch, a former Major League Soccer player and experienced coach in both North America and Europe, took charge of Canada in May 2025. His coaching career has included spells with Montreal Impact, New York Red Bulls, Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United.

Canada qualified automatically for the 2026 tournament as one of the three host nations. The upcoming edition will be the largest World Cup ever staged, featuring 48 teams.

Canada’s previous World Cup appearances came in Mexico in 1986 and Qatar in 2022. In both tournaments, the team exited at the group stage.

At Mexico 1986, Canada suffered defeats to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union in their first taste of World Cup football.

More than three decades later, Canada returned to the tournament in Qatar after topping the final round of Concacaf qualifying. Despite impressive performances, the team lost to Belgium, Croatia and Morocco and again failed to advance.

One of the defining moments in Canadian football history came during the match against Croatia at Qatar 2022, when Alphonso Davies scored the country’s first-ever World Cup goal with a powerful header just minutes into the game.

Davies remains Canada’s only World Cup goalscorer to date and is expected to play a leading role in the team’s 2026 campaign.

Canada’s overall World Cup record stands at six matches played, six defeats, two goals scored and 12 conceded. The team will now look to take advantage of home support and a talented squad as they seek a historic first win on football’s biggest stage.

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Afghanistan trail Zimbabwe by 180 runs at stumps on day two of second Test

Published

11 hours ago

November 14, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan ended the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at 159 for six after 48 overs, trailing by 180 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Zimbabwe, who resumed day two with a strong position after reaching 250 for five on the opening day, were bowled out for 339 in 114.5 overs in their first innings.

Afghanistan faced a challenging task in reply but managed to score 159 runs while losing six wickets by the close of play.

With a deficit of 180 runs and four wickets remaining, Afghanistan will look to build a stronger batting performance on day three and reduce the gap.

The second Test remains finely poised, with Zimbabwe holding the advantage heading into the third day.

Sport

Debutant Naseer Khan strikes four as Afghanistan fight back against Zimbabwe in second Test

Zimbabwe were well placed at 201 for one after nearly 58 overs, but Naseer triggered a middle-order collapse, taking three wickets in eight overs. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 12 during that period, and slipped from 201 for 1 to 250 for 5 at stumps.

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan fought back against Zimbabwe on the opening day of the second Test in Sharjah, with debutant left-arm spinner Naseer Khan Maroofkhil claiming four wickets to halt Zimbabwe’s strong start.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Zimbabwe made a solid start through Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran, who put together a 98-run opening partnership. Naseer broke the stand with his first delivery after lunch, trapping Curran lbw for 44.

Kaia then combined with Brendan Taylor for another strong partnership, adding 102 runs for the second wicket. Both batters reached half-centuries before Naseer turned the game around.

Kaia, batting on 96, was trapped lbw while attempting a slog sweep. In his next over, Naseer dismissed Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett for a duck before Ziaur Rahman took a tumbling catch to remove Wessly Madhevere, who was caught at long-off after attempting to loft a delivery that stayed low.

Zimbabwe lost further momentum as Taylor and Antum Naqvi adopted a cautious approach following the three quick wickets. The pair added just 21 runs in nine overs before Naqvi struck a six off Naseer.

Taylor moved into the 90s with a boundary off Naseer, but Ziaur Rahman ended Naqvi’s 44-ball stay on eight runs, having him caught at first slip.

Taylor remained unbeaten on 96 at stumps, while Tafadzwa Tsiga was not out as Zimbabwe closed the day at 250 for five, leaving the second Test finely poised.

Sport

Argentina clinch futsal gold after defeating Portugal in Dakar 2026 final

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Ariana News

Argentina claimed their first-ever men’s futsal gold medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Portugal in the final.

The closely contested match at Dakar Arena saw both teams enter the final with perfect records, having won all three of their group-stage matches. However, Argentina emerged victorious, with captain Lorenzo Sampedro scoring the decisive goal six minutes before the end of regular time.

Argentina’s triumph adds another chapter to the country’s Olympic football success, following the gold medals won by its men’s football team at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Argentina head coach Mariano Alberto Gomez praised his players for their performance, saying they had represented their country with pride after a lengthy preparation and participation in several tournaments.

Portugal’s Joao Carvalho expressed disappointment at missing out on gold but praised his team’s journey, saying the final was decided by small mistakes.

Earlier, Morocco secured the bronze medal after defeating Afghanistan 2-1 in the third-place playoff.

Afghanistan came close to forcing a late comeback, scoring with just 13 seconds remaining, but Morocco held on to secure third place.

Morocco coach Zakaria Kairi said winning an Olympic medal was a significant achievement for his young players, despite the team falling short of its original target of reaching the final and winning gold.

The results confirmed Argentina as futsal champions, Portugal as runners-up and Morocco in third place at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.