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FIFA has appointed Emirati legal advisor Mohammed Al Kamali, Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals, to be hosted by the US, Canada
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JEDDAH/ALKHOBAR: Football fans across Saudi Arabia are gearing up for the start of the World Cup which kicks off on Thursday. With the Saudi side set to get their campaign underway against Uruguay on June
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CAIRO: As an Egyptian sports journalist who has spent the past 16 years dedicated to covering Arab athletes at the pinnacle of their respective disciplines, this FIFA World Cup was supposed to be one of
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DUBAI: Former Spain and Barcelona midfield star Andres Iniesta has joined forces with local partner Abdulrahman Al-Meqbali in cooperation with the Dubai Sports Council to launch the Iniesta Academy in the UAE. The announcement was
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GENEVA: UN rights chief Volker Turk urged the United States to reconsider its immigration practices for the football World Cup, after fans, a top referee and team officials found themselves barred from the tournament.A record
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DUBAI: Emirati racing driver Amna Al-Qubaisi has been named among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports for 2026, earning a place alongside some of the biggest names in global sport. The inaugural list,
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Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif al-Mannai with Team Qatar drivers Abdulla al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Frenchman Giuliano Alesi and Iron Lynx Team Principal and CEO Andrea Piccini. Team Qatar will make their Le Mans 24 Hours endurance debut this weekend in a significant step for a small country with big motorsport ambitions. The team have linked up with Italy-based Iron Lynx to field an LMGT3 Mercedes-AMG entry at the French Circuit de la Sarthe with Qatari driver Abdulla al-Khelaifi partnering German Julian Hanses and Frenchman Giuliano Alesi, son of former Formula One racer Jean. Qatar’s Le Mans entry is part of a plan to grow its local involvement in the sport. The country already hosts MotoGP, Formula One and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) rounds, is a stakeholder in the Audi F1 team via Qatar Investment Authority and is home to Dakar Rally champion Nasser al-Attiyah. “The vision for us...is to have Qatari drivers competing at the highest level of motorsports, whether it’s Le Mans or even Formula One,” Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif al-Mannai told Reuters. “Qatari drivers picked up by teams and factories - this is what we’d like to see at the end of it. We started very, very small in our national championships and now our regional, continental and now we’re pushing to the worldwide stage.” Qatari driver Abdulla
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US player Serena Williams hits a shot during her doubles match at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen's Club in west London on June 9, 2026. (AFP) Serena Williams stole the show at Queen's Club on Tuesday as the American icon made her eagerly-awaited return to competitive action nearly four years after her last match. The 44-year-old mother of two announced last week she had been handed a wildcard to partner Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the grasscourt WTA event and her re-appearance on a London lawn has been the talk of sport ever since. Widely-regarded as the greatest female player of all time with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams never officially retired, instead saying that she was 'evolving' away from tennis. But when she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the U.S. Open in September 2022 and bade an emotional farewell, few thought she would return to write another chapter into a sporting story that has inspired millions. On Tuesday, a few miles down the road from Wimbledon where she won seven singles crowns, Williams stepped out in late afternoon sunshine in front of a packed stand to face Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. Kitted out in light pink, Williams looked business-like as she began her warm-up for the match, going through her routines as her incredible career record was read out. During evening doubles matches at Queen's, ticket holders usually drift off to enjoy the hospitality at the elite club, but there was not a vacant seat as the American strolled out on the pristine grass of the Andy Murray Arena. Even British number one Emma Raducanu's earlier opening singles was relegated very much to the under-card. "Let's go Serena" rang out from the stands as she belted away a typically aggressive volley in the opening game and there was a clenched fist as she and Mboko took the first game. One fan had made a special effort to witness the re-appearance of a trailblazer who once dominated women's tennis. Mukami Wambora, from Nairobi in Kenya, had never seen her in action but when she heard she was returning in London she booked a flight and managed to buy a ticket. "I missed out watching her play when she was in full swing. So it feels like a godsend that she's coming back because now and I can finally watch my favourite tennis player," she said as she walked in through the gates. "Serena will always be Serena, even when she didn't have good matches she was still on another level, and we've seen through her sister Venus that it's not about age it's about skill. They say form is temporary; class is permanent." Williams, who also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her older sister Venus, will also play doubles in Berlin and is expected to be handed a wildcard for a remarkable Wimbledon return later this month. Related Story
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Mosaddek Hossain hit a career-best 86 not out and Nahid Rana took four wickets as Bangladesh trounced Australia by 86 runs in the rain-hit opening one-day international on Tuesday to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.It was only Bangladesh's second ever ODI victory against Australia, following their famous 2005 upset in Cardiff.Mosaddek capped a fine all-round performance, bagging two wickets to walk away with the man-of-the-match award.Chasing 285, Australia were reeling at 191-9 in 42.2 overs, still needing 93 runs off 46 balls with one wicket in hand, when a fierce thunderstorm forced the players off the field at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.Bangladesh were declared winners via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.Cameron Green top-scored for the visitors with an unbeaten 52 off 66 balls but found little support as Bangladesh's pace attack ran riot.Taskin Ahmed struck on the first ball, bowling opener Matt Short for a duck.Mustafizur Rahman then removed Marnus Labuschagne for just one off the second ball of the second over to leave Australia reeling at 2-2. OPENER STEADIED THE INNINGSCooper Connolly (35) survived a reprieve when Tanzid Hasan put down a chance at second slip off Mustafizur, and the opener steadied the innings briefly before being castled by an arm ball from Mosaddek.Captain Josh Inglis fell for 19, edging a short ball from Rana to the keeper, while Alex Carey was bounced out by Rana for 47 as he attempted to rebuild alongside Green.Australia's lower order, including Matthew Renshaw, debutant Liam Scott and Xavier Bartlett, offered little resistance, leaving Green stranded at the crease.Earlier, Mosaddek laid the platform with his 70-ball knock on his return to international cricket after four years, hitting seven fours and three sixes.Bangladesh also benefited from six dropped catches by a sloppy Australia, four of them off Mosaddek.Opener Tanzid Hasan and number three Najmul Hossain Shanto made vital contributions, with the left-handed pair hitting half-centuries.Tanzid struck 54 off 44 balls before Nathan Ellis removed him in his second spell.Shanto, continuing his rich vein of form, made 67 off 86 before a soft dismissal ended his innings.The pair put on 96 runs for the second wicket off 91 balls after Australia struck early, with Ellis accounting for Saif Hassan (5) who edged to second slip where Labuschagne took a simple catch.Australia threatened to seize control when Renshaw's part-time off-spin proved surprisingly effective, removing Litton Das (7) with a return catch before also accounting for Shanto.But Mosaddek steadied the innings, first adding 75 with Towhid Hridoy, before late partnerships of 20 with Tanvir Islam and 45 with Taskin to ensure a competitive total.Ellis was the pick of the Australia bowlers with 3-38, while Scott and Renshaw claimed two wickets each.BRIEF SCORES Bangladesh 284 for 8 (Mosaddek 86*, Shanto 67, Ellis 3-38) beat Australia 191 for 9 (Green 52*, Carey 47, Rana 4-41) by 86 runs (DLS method)
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Serena Williams will take part in her first professional tennis match in nearly four years on Tuesday after organisers confirmed the order of play at London's Queen's Club.Granted a wildcard into the women's doubles of
