Published On 28 Nov 2025
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Iran to boycott FIFA 2026 World Cup draw in US over visa dispute
Published On 28 Nov 2025
Iran will not play in the World Cup finals in Washington on Friday because the US refused to grant visas to several delegation members, according to the Iranian football federation.
The Iranian delegation’s representatives informed FIFA that the decisions made were unrelated to sports, and that they would not play in the World Cup draw, according to the federation’s spokesperson.
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Iranian sports website Varzesh 3 claimed on Tuesday that the US had declined to issue visas to a number of delegation members, including Mehdi Taj, the federation’s president.
Taj had earlier claimed that the decision was political on Thursday.
“We have informed FIFA’s head, Mr. Gianni Infantino, that this is purely political position and that FIFA must inform them [US] to stop this behavior,” Taj continued.
According to Varzesh 3, four members of the delegation, including coach Amir Ghalenoei, received visas for the draw on December 5.
Iran qualified for the quadrennial showpiece of the sport in March, ensuring their seventh-straight appearance in a row.
Although they have yet to reach the knockout stages, Iran’s 2-1 victory over the USA in their group match in the 1998 finals in France was unquestionable joy.
By beating Iran 1-0 in the 2022 edition, the US made amends for that.
Iran and the US have been at odds with each other for more than 40 years, holding a co-hostship of the World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
Tehran and Washington had been engaged in high-level nuclear discussions that had started in April, when Tehran and Washington were at odds over Iran’s right to enrich uranium, which Tehran defends as “inalienable.”
Israel looks at Syria as “part of a warzone”
“Israel is still adamant about unrest and instability, not a full-fledged war,” I say.
Published On 28 Nov 2025
Copa Libertadores final: Palmeiras vs Flamengo – teams, start, lineups
Who: Flamengo and Palmeiras
What: Copa Libertadores final
Where: Monumental Stadium, Lima in Peru
When: Saturday, November 29 at 4pm (21:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 18:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
A team from Brazil will win the Copa Libertadores for the eighth time in the last nine years on Saturday, continuing the recent Brazilian dominance.
With only two games left in Brazil’s Serie A season, Flamengo leads Palmeiras by five points after finishing second and third behind Botafogo.
In the interim, the continent’s biggest prize is up for grabs in Lima, Peru’s capital, and perhaps along with it, the title of best-ever winner, regardless of who wins the domestic competition.
The final between two of the biggest clubs in the world outside of European football takes place on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera Sport.
Who are the current holders of the Copa Libertadores?
Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores trophy and did the double in the previous season with Brazil’s Serie A title.
In the match that was held in Buenos Aires, Botafogo defeated Atletico Mineiro 3-1, sealing their first title defense.
How did Palmeiras win the Copa Libertadores championship match?
In the Copa Libertadores semifinals, Raphael Veiga scored twice, and Palmeiras overcame a 3-0 first-leg deficit with a 4-0 victory over Liga Deportiva of Ecuador.
Following Ramon Sosa and Bruno Fuchs’ first-half goals, Veiga added two more goals in the 68th and 82nd minutes.
Abel Ferreira’s team defeated Argentina’s River Plate in the quarterfinals while winning all six of their group stage matches.
How did Flamengo triumph in the Copa Libertadores championship match?
After drawing 0-0 with Racing Club from Argentina in the second leg of their semifinal match, Flamengo advanced to the Copa Libertadores final.
Despite playing the majority of the second half with 10 men after Gonzalo Plata was sent off in the 56th minute, the Brazilian side managed to hold on to the 1-0 lead in the first leg .
With three victories and one defeat from six games, Flamengo needed penalties to defeat Argentina’s Estudiantes in the quarterfinals.
What is Palmeiras’ Copa Libertadores record?
The Palmerias have won three straight titles, with 1999 as their first. Their third title came the following year when they defeated Flamengo in the final, and it was there in 2020.
What is Flamengo’s Copa Libertadores record?
After winning the previous four tournaments in 1981, 2019, and 2022, Flamengo will also aim to win the prestigious South American competition for the fourth time.
How prevalent is Brazil in the Copa Libertadores?
Brazilian sides will compete for the eighth title in the previous nine competitions.
Brazilian teams have won two Copa Libertadores titles since 2019 combined, with the final two winners coming on Saturday.
What transpired prior to Palmeiras’ participation in Flamengo?
In October, Flamengo defeated their closest rivals to the Brazilian Serie A title with a 3-2 victory. In what appears to be the first of a crucial league double as the domestic season comes to an end, they also won 2-0 at Palmeiras earlier in the campaign.
Is the Copa Libertadores final likely to be a source of controversy?
As Flamengo’s squad prepared to face Palmeiras in Peru on Wednesday, Rio de Janeiro police officers and football fans clashed near the city’s international airport.
As thousands of people cheered outside, about a dozen fans reportedly climbed out of the Flamengo bus from the ceiling. In the altercations, footage showed officials yelling and rubber bullets at the opponents, with some fans retaliating.
Saul Niguez, the midfielder for Flamengo, shared a joke about the incident on his social media accounts, which showed a top-level fan entering the bus.
The former Atletico Madrid player wrote, “We have some new signings.”
The incident was not covered by the Brazilian club. Additionally, authorities refused to comment on arrests or injuries.
Head-to-head
With Palmeiras taking home the spoils on 15 occasions, Flamengo claims 16 victories in their 48th meeting, making it their eighth.
News from the Palmeiras team
Figueiredo has a cruciate ligament injury that he sustained in March.
Former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho is ruled out due to a shin injury, while Lucas Evangelista is experiencing a thigh issue.
The goalkeeper’s return hasn’t completely been ruled out since his recent return to light training, but his fractured hand leaves him in a much-needed predicament.
news from the Flamengo team
Following his red card in the semifinal against Racing Club, Gonzalo Plata is suspended. Due to a thigh injury, Pedro misses out.
Henrique is preparing to start after making a late equalizer against Atletico Mineiro in the most recent league game.
Palmeiras had a starting lineup in mind.
Lomba, Khellven, Gomez, Cerqueira, Piquerez, Allan, Moreno, Pereira, Lopez, Anderson, Roque, and Khellven
Flamengo had a starting lineup in mind.
RSF converts hospital in Sudan’s West Kordofan into military base
Published On 28 Nov 2025
Since their invasion of the city more than five months ago, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have transformed a significant portion of Al-Nuhud Hospital in the wartorn south of Sudan into a military command center and barracks.
The RSF, the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) bitter rival in the brutal three-year civil war, has been preventing the hospital from fulfilling its crucial role in providing healthcare to the population, according to the nongovernmental organization on Friday.
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According to the Facebook statement, “This military use of the health facility constitutes a flagrant violation of the sanctity of medical institutions and undermines civilians’ right to access treatment,” adding that some of the city’s doctors have been accused of working with the military before fleeing.
The hospital now has a “severe shortage of healthcare workers,” it continued, “making the remaining medical services extremely limited and unable to meet patients’ needs.”
The SAF and the RSF have been locked in a conflict that has not been resolved by regional and international mediation since April 2023.
The conflict, which the UN describes as the largest humanitarian disaster in the world, has resulted in the displacement of millions of people and the deaths of thousands of people.
escaping the el-Fasher’s horrors
Since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city of El-Fasher last month, hundreds of Sudanese children have been arriving without their parents in the town of Tawila in western Sudan, according to a humanitarian organization.
At least 400 unaccompanied children had arrived in Tawila, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), but that number is likely much higher than that.
After an 18-month siege that had prevented residents of El-Fasher, Sudan’s capital, from receiving food, medicine, and other essential supplies, the RSF seized control of the city on October 26.
In its takeover of the city, the paramilitary group is accused of carrying out numerous sexual assaults, kidnappings, and mass murders. Sudan’s army is also accused of carrying out atrocities during the conflict.
Washington’s call for a truce
No one side has formally agreed to a ceasefire proposal the United States has recently made to Sudan’s conflicting parties.
In accordance with US wishes, the RSF unilaterally ended hostilities on Monday.
The SAF, however, announced on Tuesday that it had resisted an attack on Babnusa, West Kordofan state’s newest front line, on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan demanded that US President Donald Trump intervene.
Sudan’s de facto leader wrote in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal that “the Sudanese people now look to Washington to take the next step: to build on the US president’s sincerity and work with us and those in the region who genuinely seek peace.”
Over the course of the conflict, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million, and caused the largest hunger and displacement crises in the world, Burhan and his one-time deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, have repeatedly failed.