FIFA President Gianni Infantino affirmed the commitment of the world’s top football authority to hold the World Cup on schedule and with the participation of all teams, amid speculation surrounding Iran’s involvement in the tournament.Infantino said, “The International Federation of Association Football looks forward to having all teams take part in the World Cup and to competing in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect.”He added, “We have a timeline, and soon we will know the 48 participating teams. We want the tournament to be held on its scheduled date.”
Europa League: Porto, Aston Villa, and Freiburg Advance as Roma Exit
As part of the second-leg action of the UEFA Europa League round of 16, Portuguese club Porto secured qualification for the quarterfinals after repeating its victory over Germany’s Stuttgart with a 2-0 win at Estádio do Dragão. The Portuguese side had also won the first leg 2-1, sealing an aggregate score of 4-1.
In other matches, English side Nottingham Forest booked its spot in the next round after winning 3-0 on penalties against Norway’s Midtjylland. Aston Villa also repeated its win over France’s Lille with a 2-0 result, claiming a 3-0 aggregate victory to advance. Spanish club Real Betis managed to overturn its 1-0 first-leg deficit against Greece’s Panathinaikos with a dominant 4-0 victory, while Bologna edged past Roma 5-4 on aggregate to reach the quarterfinals, thanks to a late goal from Nicolo Cambiaso in extra time of the second leg, which Bologna won 4-3.
Germany’s Freiburg secured its place in the quarterfinals with a commanding 5-1 victory over Belgium’s Genk, winning the tie 5-2 on aggregate.
In the remaining fixtures, Portuguese club Braga completed its comeback after losing the first leg against Hungary’s Ferencváros 2-0, winning the return leg 4-0 to claim a 4-2 aggregate success. Meanwhile, Spain’s Celta Vigo booked its spot in the next round after defeating France’s Olympique Lyon 2-0.
UEFA Europa Conference League: Rayo Vallecano, Crystal Palace, and Fiorentina advance
As part of the second-leg action in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Spain’s Rayo Vallecano secured qualification to the quarterfinals despite losing to Turkey’s Samsunspor 1–0. The Spanish side had won the first leg 3–1, sealing aggregate victory 3–2.
In other matches, Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk booked their place in the quarterfinals despite a 2–1 defeat to Poland’s Lech Poznań, benefiting from their 3–1 first-leg win to advance 4–3 on aggregate. Meanwhile, Dutch side AZ Alkmaar repeated their triumph over Czech club Sparta Prague with a 4–0 victory, comfortably qualifying with a 6–1 aggregate score.
Also in the Round of 16 second-leg fixtures, English side Crystal Palace reached the quarterfinals after defeating Cyprus’s AEK Larnaca 2–1 following extra time, with the first leg having ended in a goalless draw.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Fiorentina progressed to the next round after once again beating Poland’s Raków 2–1, having already secured a 2–1 win in the first leg.
NBA: Thrilling Wins for the San Antonio Spurs and the Lakers
Star player Victor Wembanyama led his team, the San Antonio Spurs, to a thrilling last-second victory over the Phoenix Suns with a score of 101–100, in an NBA game held early Friday morning.
Wembanyama recorded 34 points and 12 rebounds before sinking the game-winning basket in the final moments, securing his team a spot in the playoffs and ending their six-season absence from the postseason.
Meanwhile, star Luka Dončić guided his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, to a 134–126 win over the Miami Heat after scoring an astonishing 60 points in an exceptional performance.
Miami Open: Stunning Exit for Świątek
The Miami Open witnessed a major upset as world No. 2 Iga Świątek crashed out in her opening match of the second round.
Świątek lost to her fellow Pole, Magda Linette (ranked 50th in the world), by a score of 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, ending her remarkable streak of 74 consecutive tournaments without losing an opening match.
Miscellaneous:
-Star player Cade Cunningham, who led the Detroit Pistons to the top of the Eastern Conference in the NBA this season, will be sidelined for at least two weeks due to a collapsed left lung, according to an announcement from his team.
ifa-Enzo Fernández’s name has been linked with a possible departure from Chelsea in the upcoming summer transfer window, amid clear interest from Real Madrid, according to journalist Ben Jacobs — a development that could pave the way for a major deal in Europe.
-The German defender Antonio Rüdiger is close to continuing with Real Madrid, despite no final agreement having been reached yet regarding the renewal of his contract, according to Spanish media reports.
-The future of Argentine forward Paulo Dybala appears uncertain with Italian club AS Roma, amid growing indications that he could be on his way out when his contract expires next June, as Boca Juniors show strong interest in bringing him back to Argentina.
Reports confirmed that the injury sustained by Malian player Mohamed Dumbia of Al-Ittihad during the match against Al-Kholood in the King’s Cup semifinals was initially diagnosed as a cruciate ligament tear, which means his season with the team has come to an end.
rld- Manchester United has once again rejected Barcelona’s offer to extend the loan of 28-year-old forward Marcus Rashford. This comes amid heightened tension between the two clubs after Barcelona refused to pay the previously agreed-upon purchase clause of £26 million, opting instead to extend the loan deal until 2027.
-Barcelona is closely monitoring the situation of Argentine forward Julián Álvarez, currently playing for Atlético Madrid, in preparation for a potential move to sign him during the upcoming summer transfer window. The club is seeking to strengthen its attacking line amid the declining form of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres’ struggles with scoring efficiency.
Andoni Iraola, the head coach, confirmed that Tyler Adams, the Bournemouth midfielder, will miss his team’s Premier League clash against Manchester United due to a thigh muscle injury.
[FIFA imposed a financial fine on the Israel Football Association amounting to 150,000 Swiss francs, due to multiple violations of anti-discrimination regulations.]
Press reports have revealed that English club Manchester City is leading the race to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson during the upcoming summer transfer window, amid strong interest from Manchester United as well.
– Brazilian defender Thiago Silva achieved a remarkable milestone by reaching his 1,000th professional match during his team’s Europa League encounter. This figure stands as a testament to his consistency at the highest level despite being 41 years old.
Here are the main sports events for Friday, 20-03-2026:
Football:
English Premier League:
Bournemouth 22:00 Manchester United
Ligue 1:
Lens 21:45 Angers
Bundesliga:
RB Leipzig 21:30 Hoffenheim
Italian League:
Cagliari 19:30 Napoli
Genoa 21:45 Udinese
La Liga:
Villarreal 22:00 Real Sociedad