Asia

Saudi Arabia will host the men's soccer World Cup in 2034 while the 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off matches in three South American countries, world soccer's governing body FIFA confirmed on Wednesday.

The decision was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino following a virtual extraordinary Congress. The 2030 and 2034 World Cups each had only a single bid and both were confirmed by acclamation.

Neymar was not too downcast after being forced to leave Monday's Asian Champions League match due to injury with the Al-Hilal forward saying he felt the issue was nothing more than a strong cramp.

The Brazilian, who limped off 30 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in Al-Hilal's 3-0 win over Esteghlal, said doctors had warned him about the potential for muscle issues following his return from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Neymar muscle injury

If you happen to be friends with someone who is a die-hard Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo fan, then please check in on them. A Ronaldo penalty miss for Al Nassr in their King Cup game is the latest blow to the fanbase.

On Tuesday Ronaldo had the opportunity to tie Al Nassr’s Round of 16 King Cup game against Al-Taawoun with a penalty kick in stoppage time. In shocking fashion, he missed the entire goal.

Al Nassr would lose 1-0 and be eliminated from the tournament after making the final last season.

Ronaldo penalty miss in King Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at Saudi side Al Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.

The 39-year-old, who has won the Ballon d'Or award five times, scored in Al Nassr's 2-1 win over Al Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

Cristiano Ronaldo with a SUPERB finish to open his AFC Champions League account ☄️ pic.twitter.com/K35KvY10vk

Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career while Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved up to second following his sensational switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old's estimated total earnings were in the region of $260 million, an all-time high for a soccer player.

A cup final in Saudi Arabia just had one of the most bizarre and disturbing fan-player interactions you will ever see.

Following Saudi Arabia’s Super Cup final between Saudi League giants Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad on Thursday — a match that saw Al-Hilal completely dominate Al-Ittihad with a 4-1 scoreline — a fan evidently upset with his club’s performance on the pitch and eager to protest the loss to Al-Ittihad, assaulted a player with a whip from the stands. Yes, this actually happened.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick on Tuesday during Al Nassr’s 8-0 demolition of Abha in the Saudi Pro League to extend his lead in the Golden Boot race.

Abha have been abysmal this season conceding a league-high 68 goals in 26 games. Ronaldo exposed their weak defense scoring a hat trick and providing two assists in the first half.

Ronaldo scored two free kicks in the span of 10 minutes to open the floodgates.

He then completed his first half hat trick with a cool chipped finish. This marked back-to-back hat tricks for CR7 and the 65th hat trick of his career.

An unthinkable Cristiano Ronaldo miss vs. Al Ain in the AFC Champions League quarterfinal on Monday proved crucial as Al Nassr were eliminated on penalties.

United Arab Emirates side Al Ain won the first leg at home 1-0 but faced a tall task in the return leg in Saudi Arabia. They shocked the hosts taking a 2-0 lead in the first half, but then the Saudi side mounted a comeback.

Ronaldo had a massive opportunity to tie the aggregate score in the 61st minute when Al Ain’s goalkeeper spilled the ball right in front of the Portuguese star. What happened next was shocking.