Sarah Asimrin still hears it from her uncles sometimes: "You're a girl, it's not right." But on a recent evening, the 13-year-old Jordanian was on her club's soccer field practicing alongside other girls and boys.

"I fell in love with the game because it's got action. I love it a lot, more than any other sport," said Asimrin.

Not every soccer star will be competing at the World Cup.

Some big names will be missing from the tournament in Qatar because of injuries or because their countries didn't qualify.

Maria Sakkari couldn't help but smile a wide smile after taking a pair of tiebreakers to edge Jessica Pegula across more than two hours of big-hitting baseline action in front of a sparse crowd Monday as round-robin singles play began at the WTA Finals.

Sure, the No.5-ranked Sakkari was excited about the 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) victory on a temporary indoor hard court at Dickies Arena against No. 3 Pegula in the season-ending tournament, just eight days after losing to the American in the final of another event.

Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips should recover from their injuries in time to be available to England for the World Cup, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday.

England coach Gareth Southgate will announce his squad next week and is unlikely to see Walker or Phillips return to action before naming his 26-man group for the tournament that starts on Nov. 20.

Up to 1,600 fans of the teams that qualified for this year's World Cup are being recruited for an all expenses-paid trip to Qatar to sing in the opening ceremony and stay for at least two weeks promoting positive social media content about the soccer tournament and the host nation.

Fans from each of the 32 teams are needed for a five-minute, fan-themed section of the ceremony before Qatar plays Ecuador in the opening match on Nov. 20. They will perform a chant or song specific to each country, chosen by the organizers, according to documents seen by The Associated Press.

Spain's Pedri González will highlight the list of teenagers who could make an impact at the World Cup. Others include England's Jude Bellingham, Germany's Jamal Musiala and American teammates Gio Reyna and Yunus Musah.

All five players are 19, although Reyna turns 20 on Nov. 13 and Pedri and Musah will both turn 20 during the tournament in Qatar.

In a few weeks, the tiny emirate jutting out into the Persian Gulf will welcome the world when it hosts the biggest sporting event to ever be staged in the Arab region. Soccer's World Cup is coming, and with it so much scrutiny but also plenty of intrigue.

Qatar is using the World Cup to showcase its culture, history and identity for the estimated 1.2 million visitors traveling in for the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament, and for the many more watching on TV, too.

The Champions League has reached the final round of group-stage matches, with four spots in the lineup for the last 16 still up for grabs.

Here's what to look out for this week:

Real Madrid is suddenly showing some signs of weakness after a great start to the season.

Madrid was held by Girona to a 1-1 draw at home on Sunday in the Spanish league to follow up its first loss of the season in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola says he can sense the coming tide.

The Manchester City manager will be even more convinced of the new threats to his team's dominance after the latest round of Premier League games.