Activists have called on football fans attending Iran's matches at the World Cup starting later this month to chant the name of Mahsa Amini, whose death in custody sparked nationwide protests.

Qatar may hope soccer fans ignore politics at the first World Cup in the Middle East. But Israel and Iran, foes locked in conflicts across the region, are bringing sensitive flashpoints to the tournament's doorstep.

Israel is not competing, but it sees the massive spectacle as a way to further integrate into the Middle East after establishing ties with two of Qatar's Gulf Arab neighbors. Thousands of Israeli tourists, long shunned, are expected to fly to the Qatari capital of Doha on unprecedented direct flights.

FIFA have rejected a bid by Denmark's World Cup squad to wear pro-human rights shirts in training, the Danish football federation (DBU) said Thursday.

England manager Gareth Southgate said his squad will not be discouraged from speaking out about human rights abuses at the World Cup in Qatar, despite a plea from FIFA to focus on football.

Qatar has agreed to allow special direct flights from Israel carrying Israeli and Palestinian World Cup fans, FIFA announced Thursday.

The veteran core of Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić and Marcelo Brozović were included in the 26-man team that Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić announced for the World Cup on Wednesday.

Croatia, a finalist in 2018, is in Group F with Belgium, Canada and Morocco for the tournament in Qatar.

When Son Heung-min went down clutching his face in a recent Champions League match, the pain was not confined to the Tottenham striker's fractured eye socket.

The shockwaves were felt all the way back in his homeland of South Korea, where the nation collectively feared the worst ahead of the World Cup.

Former Qatari international and World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman has called homosexuality a "damage in the mind" in an interview to be aired on German TV on Tuesday, sparking condemnation by Berlin.

French construction firm Vinci said on Monday it expected to be charged this week by a magistrate investigating allegedly abusive work practices on its building sites in Qatar.

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group say they are open to considering new shareholders as reports swirl that the Premier League club have been put up for sale.