FIFA

ZURICH - The Serbia men's national football team has slid by one position to the 33rd place in the latest FIFA world rankings following a recent defeat to Russia and a victory over Cyprus.

Argentina, France, Belgium, England, Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia make up the top ten.

BELGRADE - The head coach of the Serbia men's national football team Dragan Pixie Stojkovic is set to sign a new contract with the Football Association of Serbia that will extend his tenure until the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifications, Belgrade-based paper Informer reported on Thursday.

There has been no official confirmation of the report.

ZURICH - The Serbia men's national football team has moved up two positions to the 32nd place in the FIFA world rankings.

Serbia currently have 1,517.43 points.

World champions Argentina remain at the top of the rankings with 1,855.2 points and are followed by France (1,845.44) and England (1,800.05).

BELGRADE - The Football Association of Serbia (FSS) is considering a Serbia vs Russia friendly in St Petersburg in March next year but the idea will materialise only if UEFA and FIFA give their permissions, sources close to the FSS have told Tanjug.

The Turkish Football Federation has suspended matches in all divisions of local football after a club president punched a referee at a local Super League match. Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca entered the pitch after the final whistle and headbutted Halil Umut Meler after his side conceded a 97th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Rizespor.

Saudi Arabia's hosting of the 2034 World Cup faces strong opposition from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch. In a statement, the organization expressed concerns about the potential negative implications of the kingdom hosting the championship, emphasizing the need for transparency in the bid process.

In a groundbreaking announcement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared on Tuesday evening that Saudi Arabia is set to host the prestigious 2034 FIFA World Cup. The kingdom emerged as the sole contender for the tournament after Australia withdrew from the race.

ZURICH - The Serbia men's national football team remains in 25th place in the latest FIFA international rankings, published on the FIFA website on Thursday.

Serbia held the same position after the June EURO 2024 qualifiers and have not played any games since, so their ranking remained unchanged.

A gunman killed two people and wounded six others at a building site in central Auckland Thursday, hours before New Zealand's biggest city was to host the opening match of the 2023 FIFA football World Cup.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the gunman died at the scene and there was no national security threat, so the marquee tournament would go ahead as planned.

La Liga giant Real Madrid on July 7 revealed its latest signing, Turkish international midfielder Arda Güler, making the 18-year-old player the most expensive of his country with an initial transfer fee of 20 million euros to be paid to Fenerbahçe.