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After more than two years in exile, Barcelona announced on Monday that they will finally face Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on November 22.

The Catalan giants have been forced to play elsewhere, primarily at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuic hill, since the stadium shut down at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Following a 1.5 billion euro ($1.75 billion) transformation that was hampered by construction chaos, Camp Nou will reopen a year after it was originally scheduled due to a series of delays.

When the top tier is finished, Barcelona will open the stadium with a temporary capacity of 45, 401 spectators and space for 105, 000.

In a test event during the reopening process, they earlier in November held a training session to test the stadium’s capacity for 23, 000 fans.

Barcelona are also hoping to get the UEFA green light to play Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on December 9 for the Champions League.

Due to safety concerns, the Spanish champions were forced to play two games in the 6, 000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium after failing to obtain the Camp Nou permit.

Camp Nou had a capacity of 99,000 when it was constructed in 1957.

Barcelona intends to put a roof on the stadium in 2027, one year after the project was scheduled to be finished.

Jannik Sinner, who defeated rival Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to win the ATP Finals title, cut a delighted figure on Sunday.

Italian Sinner’s supporters in Turin cheered him to a 7-6 (7 / 4) 7-5 victory as they watched their idol end astoried season that included becoming the first of his countrymen to win Wimbledon.

It’s an amazing season, Sinner said to the media, “This year, coming here, winning here, having this big streak in the end of the year, it’s amazing.”

I think this is the most crucial because I think I am a better player than I was last year. It is all a part of the procedure. The results will be there, in my opinion and belief, if you continue to work and strive to be a better player. This was the case this year. ”

INCLUDE   Innner defeats Rival Alcaraz to reclaim the ATP Finals title.

After capturing his first victory at the season-ending tournament, where he hadn’t lost a match since being defeated by Novak Djokovic in the 2023 final, Sinner sat down with a mixture of joy and relief.

The 24-year-old had to come back from a three-month ban that severely reduced the duration of his season despite the World Anti-Doping Agency claiming the Italian had been accidentally contaminated with the banned substance clostebol in March 2024.

I was thinking a lot and not a lot at the same time. Because if I lost that point, the match switches to a tie-break, which created a lot of tension, Sinner said.

I was probably more relieved at the conclusion of the season at that time, though. The feeling I had last year was similar, but it was different.

For a variety of reasons, it was a more powerful feeling this year. It was incredibly emotional. ”

The Spaniard, who won eight tournaments this year and increased his Grand Slam tally to six, was winning for Sinner in a big way for him after losing to Alcaraz at the end of the year.

Alcaraz had to rue missed opportunities in crucial moments of a typically close encounter between the world’s top players, with his backhand failing him when he had chances to strike.

I’m currently thinking about a few points and ideas. I missed the backhand volley, for instance. I was very disappointed that I missed a few backhand volleys, Alcaraz said.

The key, in my opinion, was the backhand volley, which was a really crucial shot that I didn’t do well today because it was a very crucial moment. ”

According to Matchroom Boxing, former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will take on Jake Paul from YouTube in a professional fight on Monday in the United States.

On December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Florida, Joshua, a former two-time unified world champion, and the YouTuber-turned-boxer will square off.

Eight three-minute rounds will be played during the fight, which will be available for streaming live on Netflix.

READ MORE: Japan to adopt stricter measures following the two boxers’ deaths.

In Texas in November 2024, Paul, an American, defeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who is 28-years-old and has a 12-0 record.

Before the fight was postponed following a civil lawsuit against the WBA lightweight champion, he claimed a unanimous victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

This is judgment day, Paul said, not an AI simulation.

A world-class heavyweight champion at his peak fights with other professionals. Every doubt disappears when I defeat Anthony Joshua, and no one can deny me the chance to fight for the title.

This is what you wanted, dear haters. I apologize to the British people. The torch is passed and Britain’s Goliath is torn down on Friday, December 19 in Miami under the lights. ”

Joshua described it as a “big opportunity” for him after being stopped by British compatriot Daniel Dubois in their IBF title fight at Wembley in September of last year.

Whether you like it or not, he said, “I’m here to do massive numbers, fight big, and break every record while remaining composed, calm, and composed,” he said.

You will see a lot more fighters taking these opportunities in the future, according to Mark my words. I’m about to erase Jake Paul’s face from the internet. ”

Despite losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Sunday’s playoff game, President Bola Tinubu praised the Super Eagles for what he thought were their best efforts to advance to the FIFA World Cup.

In a statement released on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged the nation to move past the disappointment and begin preparations for the African Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 2025 to January 2026.

After DR Congo beat the Eagles 4-3 on penalties in Morocco, Nigeria failed to make it to the World Cup for the second time in a row.

Nigerians were hurt by the outcome, but President Tinubu said the team deserved praise for working hard to reach the world competition, especially after winning their first playoff game.

The President said, “We must continue to support the players despite the unfortunate loss.”

DR Congo’s Winning Goal for the 2026 World Cup was UPDATED.

He urged administrators, players, and stakeholders to “plug all the loopholes” and return to the drawing board, arguing that the setback should be a turning point for Nigerian football.

Nigeria’s football coach has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of practising “voodoo” after his squad’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ended in a penalty shootout loss.

DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra time in the African play-offs final in Rabat on Sunday, and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March.

In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time”.

“That is why I was a bit nervous,” said former Mali international Chelle, who boasts four wins and two draws in competitive matches since taking charge of the Super Eagles.

Chelle had admitted before the match that it was going to “be very difficult in Morocco”.

Using hand gestures, he said he saw a DR Congo member waving his hand as if sprinkling or shaking something. “I don’t know if it’s water or something like that.”

In a nervy shootout in which four spot-kicks were saved and another missed, DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba defied a bottle thrown toward him and torrential rain to convert the winning penalty as his country sought a return to the global showpiece after a lengthy absence.

Nigeria, an African football giant, lies 19 places above DR Congo in the world rankings and was pre-match favourites.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: DR Congo Shatter Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup Dream

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the second World Cup in a row. They had not missed back-to-back editions since their debut in 1994.

While Nigeria have been a regular participant at the World Cup, the sole appearance by the Congolese came in 1974 when the mineral-rich central African country was called Zaire.