International Football
Three spots up for grabs in Women’s World Cup playoffs
Portugal and Chile start with a slight advantage as 10 teams battle it out for the remaining three berths at this year’s Women’s World Cup in the final qualifying playoffs over the next week in New Zealand.
Cameroon, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Senegal, Thailand, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea are also involved in the tournament, which will complete the field for the first 32-team Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia later this year.
At 22nd in the world, Portugal are the highest-ranked team in the tournament and they await the winners of Saturday’s clash between Cameroon and Thailand in Hamilton.
Like six of the other teams, Portugal have never played at the World Cup but winger Jessica Silva is convinced they will be able to stamp their ticket to the 2023 edition next Wednesday at the same Waikato Stadium.
“We know that Cameroon and Thailand have both been to the last two Women’s World Cups and that it won’t be easy,” she told FIFA.com.
“But we really believe that we will make it. Portugal simply have to be at the World Cup.”
Chile made their debut at the last World Cup and they too will play only one competitive match in New Zealand next Wednesday, when they take on the winners of Saturday’s game between Haiti and Senegal with a World Cup berth on the line.
The other four teams play a straightforward knockout tournament starting on Sunday when Taiwan take on Paraguay in Hamilton and Papua New Guinea face Panama in Auckland.
The winners will meet in Hamilton next Thursday in a game that will decide the final qualifier for the ninth Women’s World Cup.
Panama are among the lowest-ranked teams at the tournament and are not alone in hoping that getting to the global showpiece might prove a catalyst for women’s football back home.
“Qualifying would be a watershed moment for this group,” said Ignacio Quintana, coach of the 57th ranked Canaleras.
“We also know that when we have that World Cup ticket, parents are going to trust more and take their daughters to train in football and break that paradigm that sadly still exists a lot in Latin America that only men can play football.”
New Zealand are using the tournament as a test event for their co-hosting of the first World Cup in the southern hemisphere, which starts on July 20.
Their Football Ferns will play Portugal and Argentina in two of six friendlies surrounding the tournament, allowing all the teams to make the most of the long journey to New Zealand.
-Reuters
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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