In a wide-ranging interview, Zulfiqar Mahmud Mintu reflected on his earliest FIFA World Cup memories, his coaching philosophy, the evolution of modern football and several other aspects surrounding the greatest football spectacle on earth.

Lionel Messi's Argentina and Kylian Mbappe's France, the two teams who contested a thrilling World Cup final four years ago, roar into the 2026 tournament on Tuesday.

On the night Argentina defeated France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, parts of Dhaka barely slept. Blue-and-white flags hung like tapestries from rooftops and balconies. Fireworks shattered the midnight, and dense crowds erupted in celebrations that perfectly mirrored the euphoric scenes at the Plaza de la Republica in Buenos Aires.

Lionel Messi stepped onto the stage. The Golden Ball was placed in his hands -- the award for the tournament’s best player. He had received it before, in 2014. But this was different.

The World Cup 2022 story of Argentina and Bangladesh exemplified the spirit of football. Covering it as a writer and presenting it in front of people was a privilege.

There is a particular silence that settles over the defeated.

Lionel Messi's showstopping talent brought a premature end to the career of his childhood football coach, who decided to bow out after training "the best player in the world."

The flight carried the number 1978 -- a tribute to Argentina's first World Cup triumph.

Lionel Messi will turn 39 during the upcoming World Cup and could have been forgiven for quitting international football after leading Argentina to glory in Qatar in 2022, but he remains his country's talisman as they aim to retain the trophy in North America.

Sometimes a single goal changes an entire life. It becomes more than a strike into the net – it turns into a man’s identity, the essence of who he is. For Mario Gotze, there was one such moment. Just one. But one was enough.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the initial news regarding superstar Lionel Messi's fitness "is not that bad" and hopes further examinations will confirm that diagnosis with the World Cup just a fortnight away.

A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi erected in India to mark his visit last year is "swaying in the wind" and will be removed, a lawmaker told AFP on Wednesday.

Only his back was visible. Just the back, with the Number 10 emblazoned on it. And a football resting at his feet.

Dangling above field level at the biggest stadium of the 2026 World Cup, eighteen giant metal arms flood a newly laid grass pitch in an eerie pink glow.

Lionel Messi says Argentina fans are right to dream of a second straight World Cup crown, but warns other contenders, including France and Spain, "are in better shape".

The year 2002 was widely tipped as Argentina’s moment to end their 16-year wait for a FIFA World Cup title. Few teams entered the tournament in Korea and Japan with greater expectation.

Shock images of Argentine football icon Diego Maradona lying dead in bed, his stomach grotesquely swollen, rocked the negligence trial of his medical team on Thursday.

"Thank goodness [it was cancelled], if we played like that we would have lost. "

Argentina striker Joaquin Panichelli suffered an ACL injury to his right knee in training on Thursday, less than three months before he had hoped to play at the World Cup, the national team said.

Argentina will face Mauritania this month in a World Cup warm-up match, the country's Football Association (AFA) said on Friday.