BERLIN, Dec 19 — Lionel Messi expressed his disbelief after Argentina ended their long wait to clinch a third World Cup crown with a thrilling victory over France.

LUSAIL, Qatar, Dec 10 — Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout to keep Lionel Messi's World Cup dream alive on Friday after the Dutch had snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat in an extraordinary quarter-final.

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Dec 10 — Croatia stunned favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row after battling back from a goal down in extra time, in one of the biggest knockout-phase upsets in the tournament's history.

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 24 — Michy Batshuayi scored and Thibaut Courtois saved a penalty as a lacklustre Belgium opened their World Cup campaign on Wednesday with a scrappy 1-0 win over an energetic Canada side returning to the finals for first time in 36 years.

DOHA, Nov 24 — Former champions Spain got their World Cup off to a pulsating start with a record 7-0 rout of Costa Rica on Wednesday as a Ferran Torres brace and a sumptuous strike from Gavi sent them past the 100-goal mark in soccer's showpiece event.

DOHA, Nov 24 — Late goals by substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano gave Japan an incredible 2-1 comeback victory over Germany in the World Cup on Wednesday in another emotional fillip for Asian soccer after Saudi Arabia's shock win over Argentina.

DOHA, Qatar, Nov 23 — Poland and Mexico played out an entertaining 0-0 draw in their opening Word Cup Group C game on Tuesday, with Polish skipper Robert Lewandowski failing to break his tournament duck when his second-half penalty was saved at Stadium 974.

AL WAKRAH, Qatar, Nov 23 — France started their World Cup title defence in style with a 4-1 comeback win against Australia as Olivier Giroud became Les Bleus' joint all-time top scorer with two goals on Tuesday.

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 23 — Substitute Andreas Cornelius hit the post and Denmark had a late penalty appeal turned down, while Tunisia wasted two clear chances in a 0-0 draw in their World Cup Group D opener at Education City Stadium on Tuesday.

LUSAIL, Qatar, Nov 23 — Unheralded Saudi Arabia notched one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi's Argentina thanks to a scintillating second half comeback.

DOHA, Nov 22 — Three-time World Cup finalists Netherlands returned to the biggest international stage after an eight-year absence, beating Senegal 2-0 on Monday in their Group A match with late goals from Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaassen.

DOHA, Nov 22 — England hammered Iran 6-2 on Monday in an emphatic World Cup opener thanks to two goals from Bukayo Saka and strikes by Jude Bellingham and Raheem Sterling, before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish rounded off the rout.

DOHA, Nov 14 — The original FIFA World Cup Trophy arrived in Doha Sunday (November 13) morning at the end of its global tour that included more than 50 countries and regions, a few days before the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, reported Qatar News Agency (QNA).

DOHA, Nov 10 — Fans have booked accommodation in more than 90,000 rooms, tents, apartments, villas and portacabins on each of the peak days of the World Cup in Qatar, organisers said Wednesday, adding that at least 25,000 rooms are still available.

DOHA, Oct 19 — Qatar Airways has withdrawn flights from 18 destinations to make space at Hamad International Airport for airlines carrying fans to next month's soccer World Cup, the company's CEO said on Tuesday.

DOHA, Sept 27 — The last-minute sales phases for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tickets will kick off on September 27 at 12pm Doha local time (5pm Malaysia Time).

SEOUL, Aug 22 — The championship trophy for the FIFA World Cup will be on display in Seoul this week as part of its global tour leading up to this year's competition, the event's organisers said Monday.