The first edition of the annual FIFA Intercontinental Cup for club teams from around the world will have five matches, with European Champions League winners Real Madrid to play in the final on Dec. 18 in Doha, the world soccer body said on Friday.

The tournament, which was announced in December last year, replaces the annual Club World Cup which will now be played every four years with 32 teams from 2025.

2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup

Coming : The FIFA Intercontinental Cup

New Zealand Football (NZF) said it will contact FIFA about protecting players from racism after the men's national team abandoned a friendly against Qatar at halftime in protest at an alleged racist slur against one of their players.

New Zealand said a Qatari opponent directed a "significant racist slur" at All Whites defender Michael Boxall, who has Samoan heritage, shortly before the interval.

Saudi Arabia defender Yasser Al-Shahrani returned to training with his club Al-Hilal on Thursday, 133 days after suffering a serious injury during their stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

Al-Shahrani, 30, suffered head, chest and abdomen injuries after colliding with his own goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais in the final minutes of the game, which was arguably the biggest shock in World Cup history, with Argentina going on to lift the trophy.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has submitted a new bid to buy Manchester United which is believed to be worth around $6.12 billion, Sky Sports News reported on Saturday.

Sheikh Jassim, a son of Qatar’s former prime minister, launched the bid in February. A spokesperson representing Sheikh Jassim said at the time that the bid was completely debt free, via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation.

Manchester United did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

MANCHESTER, England - Global soccer players union FIFPRO said that the World Cup should never again be squeezed into a November-December window, and that Raphaël Varane's international retirement should ring alarm bells about the sport's smothering schedule.

FIFPRO released their World Cup 2022 Post-Tournament Review and Player Survey on Thursday, and said the results confirmed their fears around players' mental and physical fatigue and injury risk.

LONDON - Qatari investors are preparing to make a bid to buy Premier League club Manchester United in the coming days, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the deal.

The report added that the consortium will submit an initial bid for the club by the end of the week, and that officials from Qatar Investment Authority are helping with preparations for the bid.

It's been over six weeks since Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup trophy and Argentina celebrated their long-awaited third star. Messi has since returned to playing for the traveling circus that is PSG, but the 35-year-old's thoughts won't stray far from that month-long odyssey in Qatar and the fulfillment of a life's dream for some time to come.

On Monday, a 45-minute interview in Paris between Messi and Argentine journalist Any Kusnetzoff for Urbana Play provided all the details from the triumph, fresh in the Golden Ball winner's mind.