PARIS (AFP) -- FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday proposed consulting member associations on reforming the world soccer governing body's decision-making process, according to a letter sent to FIFA's 211 member associations and seen by Agence France-Presse. "I will propose that the Council establish a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, Member Associations and relevant stakeholders on how FIFA's decision-making can be further strengthened," Infantino wrote

South Korea came from behind to hold North Korea to a 1-1 draw in their final Group F match at the Asian Games in Japan on Monday, but fell short of claiming the top spot in the group. Chae Un-yong put North Korea ahead in the 36th minute, scoring on the turn after South Korea failed to clear a corner. Yoon Su-jeong equalized less than a minute into the second half, driving between two defenders before finishing with her right foot. South Korea started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Choe Yu-ri as

Defending champion North Korea scored twice in second-half stoppage time to beat Canada 2-0 and reach the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup semifinals, keeping its bid for back-to-back titles alive. The victory at Lodz Municipal Stadium in Poland on Monday, Korean time, moved North Korea a step closer to its fourth title overall after winning the 2024 tournament in Colombia. North Korea dominated Canada, outshooting its opponent 29-4 with a 9-2 advantage in shots on target, but struggled to break thro

South Korean center back Lee Han-beom scored his first goal in Belgian soccer to help Club Brugge secure a third consecutive victory before joining coach Moreno's first national team squad. Brugge beat Genk 3-0 at Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium, on Monday, Korean time, in the seventh round of the Belgian Pro League. The victory lifted Brugge to third with 18 points. Lee started at center back in a 4-2-3-1 formation and played the full match. He headed in his team's second goal in the 58t

South Korea midfielder Hwang In-beom celebrated his 30th birthday with his first goal in Portuguese soccer, helping Porto beat Benfica 3-1 before joining coach Moreno's first national team squad. Porto won the seventh-round Primeira Liga match at Estadio do Dragao in Porto on Monday, Korean time. The victory extended Porto's perfect start to seven wins and kept it atop the standings with 21 points. Second-place Benfica suffered its first defeat of the season and remained on 16 points with five w

Lee Kang-in made an impressive first appearance in the Madrid derby, helping Atletico Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1 with a role in the buildup to both goals. Atletico defeated its city rival, which was reduced to 10 men, at Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Sunday in the seventh round of the La Liga season. A third consecutive win lifted Atletico to second with 16 points, while Real Madrid dropped to fourth with 15 points after its second loss of the season. Lee, who joined Atletico th

South Korean defender Lee Kang-hee scored his first goal of the season just two minutes after coming off the bench to rescue a 2-2 draw for Austria Wien against Grazer AK. Lee struck in the 81st minute with Austria Wien trailing 2-1 in its seventh Austrian Bundesliga game of the season at Merkur Arena in Graz, Austria, Saturday. The draw extended Austria Wien's unbeaten run to two games following a 2-1 comeback victory in which Lee assisted on the winner. The team stood ninth with seven points.

South Korea's run at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup ended with a 3-1 loss to Italy in the quarterfinals Saturday. Coach Park Youn-jeong's team conceded twice to Karen Appiah and once to Paola Fadda at Sosnowiec Arena in Poland. Lee Ha-eun, the No. 9 forward from Ulsan College, scored South Korea's lone goal. South Korea finished second in Group C with a win, a draw and a loss before beating Argentina 1-0 to reach its first quarterfinal since 2014. It was seeking its first semifinal appeara

Mainz, with South Korean midfielder Lee Jae-sung in the starting lineup, earned its first comeback win of the season with a 4-3 victory at Borussia Monchengladbach. The victory at Borussia-Park on Sunday, Korean time, lifted Mainz to fifth in the Bundesliga with seven points after four games. Mainz bounced back from its first loss of the season to claim its second win. Lee, named to South Korea coach Moreno's first squad for international matches in September and October, started in central midf

MADRID (Reuters) -- UEFA remains on course to find a credible challenger to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and has not allowed its campaign for change to dissolve into wishful thinking, Vice President Laura McAllister said Wednesday. McAllister said the candidate for next March's election need not be European but must be capable of defeating Infantino, uniting soccer's confederations and delivering lasting governance reform. Speaking to Reuters at the World Football Summit in Madrid after UEFA'

Colombian soccer icon James Rodriguez has retired from international play at 35, ending a distinguished 15-year career with the national team. "Thank you for every match, every moment of joy and every tear, and every dream we shared," Rodriguez said in a video posted on social media Wednesday. "Wearing the Colombian national team jersey and representing my country was the greatest honor of my life." Rodriguez made his senior international debut in 2011 and went on to captain Colombia, recording

BUENOS AIRES (AP) -- Lionel Messi might have one last dance with Argentina after all. Despite announcing his international retirement, the 39-year-old Inter Miami star was included Tuesday in Lionel Scaloni's 28-man Argentina squad ahead of three home friendlies. Messi has yet to confirm whether he will join the team, but the head of Argentina soccer said the icon accepted the invitation for the Oct. 6 game against Benin in Buenos Aires for what will be a grand finale. "After a conversation with

South Korea defeated Qatar 4-1 to begin their men's football tournament of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in central Japan on Tuesday, a victorious start to their quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal. Swansea City midfielder Eom Ji-sung scored a natural hat trick in the first half of the teams' first Group D match at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya amid heavy downpours. KRC Genk forward Kim Myeong-jun had South Korea's fourth goal in the 66th minute, while Marwan Sherif had the

The South Korean and Qatari men's national football teams for Tuesday's Asian Games match in Japan arrived at the stadium about 30 minutes later than scheduled, after both of their drivers got lost on the way, a South Korean team official said. The two countries were scheduled to open Group D action at 7:30 p.m. at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya, with the warmup to begin 50 minutes before kickoff. However, the teams arrived at the venue in central Japan around 6:20 p.m., leaving t

When athletes from South and North Korea meet at any sports competition, it rarely feels like just another event. The latest chapter in the inter-Korean sporting rivalry will unfold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on soccer fields and judo mats in Japan, with both sides eyeing podium places and competing for national pride. The most anticipated game on the calendar is South Korea’s women’s soccer team’s match against North Korea in its final group-stage match on Sept. 21, with the result li