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Qatar will only allow people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend next year's World Cup and is in talks to secure one million doses in case global immunisation efforts lag, the prime minister said. The Gulf Arab state hosts the four-week tournament in November 2022 and the president of global soccer body FIFA has said the matches would be held in full stadiums. read more Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani told newspapers that while most countries were expected to have vaccinated their citizens by then, Qatar was still taking measures to ensure a successful event.

A federal judge threw out the unequal pay claim by players on the U.S. women’s national soccer team in a surprising loss for the defending World Cup champions but allowed their allegation of discriminatory working conditions to go to trial. Players led by Alex Morgan sued in March 2019, claiming they have not been paid equally under their collective bargaining agreement to what the men’s national team receives under its labor deal. They asked for more than $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a 32-page decision...

Players on the U.S. women’s national team are seeking more than $66 million in damages as part of their gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. The damages were included in slew of papers filed Thursday night in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ahead of a trial scheduled to start May 5. Among the documents filed were the separate collective bargaining agreements of the U.S. men’s and women’s teams, which had not previously been made public. Players on the women’s national team sued the federation last March alleging institutionalized gender discrimination that includes inequitable compensation between the men’s...

↑ Click on the image above to see the video ↑ Original Italian Title English Translation   Mondiale donne, Allie Long getta a terra bandiera Usa: il gesto scatena polemiche   World women, Allie Long throws the US flag to the ground: the gesture provokes controversy

Lausanne (AFP) - The World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday banned Russia for four years from major global sporting events including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar over manipulated doping data, prompting an angry response from President Vladimir Putin. WADA's executive committee, meeting in Lausanne, handed Russia the "robust" four-year suspension after accusing Moscow of falsifying data from a doping testing laboratory that was handed over to investigators earlier this year. The toughest ever sanctions imposed on Russian state authorities will see government officials barred from attending any major events, while the country will lose the...

For the first time in my life, I did not root for an American team. Whatever the sport, I have always rooted American. But if those who called into my radio show were representative of my audience, many millions of Americans made the same sad choice. It takes a lot for people like me not to root for an American team. But Megan Rapinoe, the foul-mouthed star of the team, and her fellow players made it possible. The U.S. women's team disgraced itself. Either its members were cowed into submission by Rapinoe or they agreed (or, at least, never disagreed)...

The U.S. women's national soccer team is back on home soil following its victorious World Cup run in France. The last time the team was in this position, in 2015, it couldn't wait to celebrate with President Obama. But, it's a different story this year. Megan Rapinoe, one of the most vocal and recognizable players on the team, has already told the press she's "not f***ing going" to Trump's White House. As one of the openly gay players on the team, she doesn't believe Trump represents LGBT citizens. It's one of the reasons she's also refused to recite the national...

A player on the U.S. women’s national soccer team intentionally dropped the American flag on the ground during post-victory celebrations after the team’s big win against the Netherlands in the World Cup final on Sunday. Midfielder Allie Long initially dragged the flag on the ground, and when she turned toward a camera to pose alongside Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, she dropped the flag at her feet for the photo op and can be seen stepping on it. The moment prompted a social media firestorm as users called out Long for the disrespectful act during a moment of American celebration....

Nike.com has sold more USA women's jerseys this season than it has of any other soccer team's shirt ever. Combined with strong demand for French, English, Brazilian, and Nigerian women's team shirts, the sportswear retailer's sales of tournament jerseys have more than tripled compared with the last Women's World Cup in 2015. Sales of men's jerseys followed suit, nearly doubling as more countries offered women's shirt designs in men's sizes. Women snapped up training and lifestyle apparel tied to the Brazilian, Nigerian, Chilean, and Chinese teams, lifting Nike's sales of women's tournament-related apparel by more than 150% compared with 2015.

WATCH: U.S. Soccer Player Allie Long Drags and Drops American Flag; Kelley O'Hara Jumps in to Save It ... After the United States Women’s National Soccer Team’s (USWNT) won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the fourth time, co-captain Megan Rapinoe and midfielder Allie Long can be seen disrespecting the flag. Long dropped the American flag on the ground to do a choreographed celebration with Rapinoe and co-captain Alex Morgan. While posing for the cameras, Long and Rapinoe dragged the American flag with their feet after it was on the ground. Midfielder Kelley O’Hara quickly picked up the flag...

President Trump congratulated the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team for winning the 2019 World Cup against the Netherlands in a tweet on Sunday, despite a dispute with one of its co-captains, Megan Rapinoe. “Congratulations to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team on winning the World Cup! Great and exciting play. America is proud of you all!” he tweeted: Congratulations to 2019 Women’s World Cup Champions @TeamUSA! ⚽️🇺🇸— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) July 7, 2019 First lady Melania Trump also congratulated the team, saying, “Congratulations to 2019 Women’s World Cup Champions”: Congratulations to 2019 Women’s World Cup Champions @TeamUSA! ⚽️🇺🇸— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) July...

The U.S. defeated the Netherlands on Sunday to win its second consecutive Women's World Cup title. It’s their fourth overall. The Americans defeated the Dutch, 2-0, behind goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle. Rapinoe scored on a penalty kick in the 61st minute and Lavelle scored in the 69th minute. It was a hard-fought battle between the U.S. and the Netherlands. The two squads were tied in the second half as it looked like the Dutch defense had the Americans’ number despite the heavy attack. A foul was committed on Alex Morgan in the box and after a VAR...

The United States women's national team is one win away from becoming World Cup champs for the fourth time. The 2019 Women's World Cup final is set for Lyon, France, on Sunday as the U.S. takes on the Netherlands. The United States enters as the favorite, making its third straight final, while the Dutch are in the final for the first time and looking to build upon their Euro 2017 glory two years ago. Megan Rapinoe is expected to play for the U.S. after missing the semifinals, as the Dutch face an uphill battle and look to pull off arguably...

England and Sweden face off on Saturday in their last action at the 2019 Women's World Cup, battling in the third-place game. The English made back-to-back semifinals but fell 2-1 to favorite the United States, missing out on the final just barely. Sweden looked like the favorite to make the final but lost 1-0 to the Netherlands in extra time.

The second spot in the 2019 Women's World Cup final is up for grabs Wednesday when surprising Netherlands takes on in-form Sweden. The winner will go up against the United States on Sunday after the reigning champs knocked out England on Tuesday. The Dutch have cruised through the tournament with a 5-0-0 record. They started off the round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Japan before beating Italy 2-0 in the quarters, and they are currently in the middle of their greatest World Cup in history. Sweden, meanwhile, has as much confidence as anyone. After being Canada 1-0 in...

Today is U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) player Alex Morgan’s birthday, but the celebration she’ll remember most about this particular birthday has nothing to do with her age. The USWNT was in a tense and hard-fought contest with England on Tuesday afternoon at the Women’s World Cup semi final in France. When all of a sudden, Morgan broke through the English defense and used a brilliant header to put the ball into the back of the net. The goal would have been good enough, but the trolling of England with the tea sip celebration complete with upturned pinky, took things...

The US team have dropped their captain Megan Rapinoe in a shock move ahead of tonight's World Cup semi-final clash against England - as Prince William and Holly Willoughby led celebrities sending good luck messages to the Lionesses on social media. US head coach Jill Ellis has insisted that the move was not made for any disciplinary reasons, although she did not rule out the possibility of an injury. The Stade du Lyon is thronging with thousands of supporters ahead of the 8pm kick-off, as another 10million England fans prepare to watch the action back home on BBC1. Much like...

The United States women's national team continues its journey toward a repeat at the 2019 Women's World Cup on Tuesday when it takes on a talented England team in the semifinals in Lyon, France. The winner will move on to Sunday's championship game to take on either the Netherlands or Sweden. The loser will play in the third-place game on Saturday. No team has ever reached the Women's World Cup final three straight times. After losing the 2011 final in penalty kicks and winning the 2015 final (both games against Japan), the United States can become the first team to...

American women's soccer co-captain Megan Rapinoe is not planning to go to the White House if the national team wins the World Cup. A reporter from Eight by Eight, a soccer magazine that looks at the sport and its place in culture, asked Rapinoe if she was excited about going to the White House if her team wins the Women's World Cup. "Psssh, I'm not going to the f*****g White House," she fired back before the reporter finished the question. "No. I'm not going to the White House. We're not gonna be invited. I doubt it." The magazine posted the...