The 33-year-old has been rewarded with a call-up for his performances at a resurgent Manchester United in recent weeks, alongside teammate Kobbie Mainoo.

They are scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou at 4:45 am on Saturday, before boarding a connecting flight for Hanoi, Vietnam.

No country has been more successful on the world stage than Brazil. From 1958 to 2002, the Selecao authored an epic of five world titles, with each chapter standing as a unique testament to footballing greatness.

The bidding process for the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cup tournaments has been halted due to pending changes in the global football calendar, the Asian Football Confederation announced on Friday.

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera omitted six players from the 28-member preliminary list ahead of departure for Vietnam on Friday.

A tournament that has smashed attendance records from all previous editions will conclude with a bumper crowd at Stadium Australia in a dream final for local fans and organisers.

Iran's participation in the World Cup as a whole is under a cloud because of the ongoing conflict with the United States, who are co-hosting the June 11-July 19 tournament with Mexico and Canada.

A report by the disciplinary committee of world football's governing body found the IFA "failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem" for "persistent and well-documented racist behaviour".

Nottingham Forest reached the Europa League quarter-finals after Midtjylland missed all three of their penalties in the last-16 second-leg shoot-out, while John McGinn inspired Aston Villa's 2-0 win against Lille on Thursday.

FIFA decreed Thursday that all women's teams competing in world tournaments must have a woman head or assistant coach on the bench.

Iranian authorities on Thursday gave the national women's football team a hero's welcome after their return to the Islamic republic from Australia where some had made and then withdrawn asylum claims, amid accusations Iran had pressured their families.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday underlined the body's commitment to making sure the World Cup goes ahead "as scheduled" with "all teams" taking part amid doubts about Iran's presence at the tournament.

The Senegalese Football Federation announced Thursday it has instructed its lawyers to lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the national team were stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations title.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said out-of-form Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade's lack of goalscoring impact was because he is being played in the wrong position at club level.

Kylian Mbappe, who has only just returned to action after a knee injury, will lead the France squad into friendly matches this month against Brazil and Colombia in the United States.

Enzo Fernandez has told Liam Rosenior he is happy at Chelsea and "how passionate he is for this football club" after the midfielder made comments earlier this week suggesting he may not be Stamford Bridge next season.

The men in red and green have regrouped after a four-month break since their historic win over India last November.

The four teams conceded 28 goals, denoting how exposed the clubs were over two legs.

The injury compounds Real Madrid's mounting fitness concerns, with key players Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Eder Militao already struggling with injuries.

Michael Carrick has told his Manchester United side to ready themselves for an awkward encounter away to Bournemouth on Friday as they look to maintain their challenge for a Champions League place.