Category News

Fifa has announced that the Women’s World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams from the 2031 tournament.

The Fifa Council voted unanimously for the changes that will be in place for 2035 edition, due to be hosted in the United Kingdom.

As a result of the increase in teams, the competition will adopt a 12-group format with an additional 40 matches, up from 64 to 104, that will extend the tournament by a week.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the changes would give more nations to “the chance to benefit from the tournament to develop their women’s football structures”.

He added: “This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally.”

England reached the final of the most recent Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 before losing to Spain.

The Lionesses, along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are set to have a chance to compete on home soil in 2035 with the UK seen as the only “valid” bidder for the tournament.

Players’ union Fifpro welcomed the expansion “in principle” but called for a number of issues in the women’s game to be addressed.

“[The World Cup expansion] reflects the global growth of the women’s game,” Fifpro said.

“However, the support of players depends on inclusive decision-making and cooperative planning that respects all stakeholders.

“It is critical that the global development of women’s competitions goes hand in hand with improved labour conditions and the advancement of players, as well as development further down the pyramid.

Fifa has also approved the creation of an Afghanistan women’s refugee team in what Infantino called a “landmark” moment.

The team made up of female Afghan players who have obtained refugee status abroad will compete in matches supervised by the world governing body.

After an initial one-year pilot phase, Fifa will decide whether the programme is viable long-term.

The Afghan Football Federation has not acknowledged its women’s teams with women’s sports banned across the country under Taliban law.

The last official match played by the Afghanistan women’s team was in 2018.

United Rugby Championship

Sharks (14) 29

Tries: Jenkins, Esterhuizen, Hooker, Buthelezi Cons: Masuku 2, Fassi Pen: Masuku

Ospreys (3) 10

Ospreys’ play-off hopes in the United Rugby Championship (URC) are all but over following defeat by Sharks.

The South African side scored two tries apiece in each half to claim a scrappy victory in Durban.

Sam Parry stepped off the bench to grab his fifth try of the season in a gutsy but limited display by the visitors at Kings Park.

Ospreys’ season could be ended by other results this weekend before next week’s climax at Lions.

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones made just one change to the team that thrashed Dragons for this must-win game but a star-studded Sharks were a distinctly different prospect.

The hosts led 14-3 at half-time through their aerial dominance and sheer brute force – but Ospreys had their chances.

Lock Jason Jenkins was hard to stop from close range, while centre Andre Esterhuizen proved similarly unstoppable from a few metres more.

Ironically it was a dropped ball that dislodged a solid Ospreys defence as well as a wonderfully delayed pass by Jaden Hendrikse.

The scrum-half would prove Sharks’ match-winner.

Adam Beard played his 100th league game while Jac Morgan made 50th regional appearance – a day after being named in the British and Irish Lions squad.

The Wales captain was utterly impressive once again despite another loss – perhaps even more so because of it – keeping Sharks at bay almost single-handedly, leading the match for both turnovers and tackles.

But Keelan Giles failed to gather Henrikse’s speculative kick to hand wing Ethan Hooker an easy finish.

Ospreys struggled to negotiate the Sharks’ blitz defence until replacement hooker Parry finished a line-out drive.

Sharks: Aphelele Fassi; Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi; Siya Masuku, Jaden Hendrikse; Dian Bleuler, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth (capt), Jason Jenkins, James Venter, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi.

Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Emmanuel Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe.

Ospreys: Jack Walsh; Daniel Kasende, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Dan Edwards, Kieran Hardy; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Tom Botha, Will Spencer, Adam Beard, James Ratti, Jac Morgan (capt), Morgan Morse.

Replacements: Sam Parry, Steffan Thomas, Ben Warren, Will Griffiths, Harri Deaves, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Owen Williams, Iestyn Hopkins.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (WRU)

Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira & Hanru van Rooyen (SARU)

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen outsprinted Wout van Aert to win the first stage of the Giro d’Italia in Albania.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock finished fifth for his new Q36.5 team, in a race in which the 25-year-old hopes to contend for the coveted overall pink jersey and also win stages.

But another contender for pink, Mikel Landa of Spain, abandoned the race after fracturing his back in a heavy crash.

The Soudal-Quick step rider appear to collide with a lampost with 5km to go on the approach to the centre of Albania’s capital city Tirana.

His team said scans in hospital revealed Landa suffered a “stable fracture of the Th 11 vertebra,” which will require him to “remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time”.

Landa will remain in hospital overnight before further assessment.

Lidl-Trek’s Pedersen will wear pink in Saturday’s second-stage time trial after benefiting from the pace set by his team-mates on the front of the peloton over the final Surrel climb, which saw the pure sprinters in the race dropped from the leading bunch.

“It’s absolutely amazing, especially after the team work like this, it’s really incredible that the team works that hard and I can pay them back with a win,” he said.

Pedersen is a highly decorated rider, having won the 2019 Road World Championship, one-day classics and now his seventh Grand Tour stage.

The 29-year-old beat Visma-Lease A Bike’s Van Aert to the line by a wheel – the Belgian is expected to be Pedersen’s main rival for the ciclamino-coloured points jersey.

It was a typically dramatic first stage for the Giro, on unknown roads in Albania, which is hosting the start of a Grand Tour for the first time.

During the final two climbs many riders lost touch with the peloton, including sprinters Kaden Groves and Olav Kooij, because the pace was so high, even though the climbs themselves were not considered to be overly difficult.

But the real surprises came in the battle for the general classification. Canada’s Derek Gee was dropped from the peloton for Israel-Premier Tech, losing almost a minute, and Ineos Grenadiers’ Thymen Arensman lost over a minute and a half.

Then, the often luckless Spaniard Landa was left writhing in pain on the pavement, his bike lying at the bottom of a lamppost.

The crash saw other riders come to grief as they took evasive action in the ensuing melee, including France’s Geoffrey Bouchard of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.

Giro d’Italia stage one results:

1. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) 3hrs 36 mins 24secs

2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease A Bike) Same time

3. Orluis Aular (Spa/Movistar)

4. Francesco Busatto (Ita/Intermarche Wanty)

5. Tom Pidcock (GBR/Q36.5)

6. Diego Ulussi (Ita/XDS-Astana)

7. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost)

8. Max Poole (GBR/Picnic-PostNL)

9. Nicola Conci (Ita/XDS-Astana)

Giro d’Italia overall standings:

1. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) 3hrs 36 mins 14secs

2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease A Bike) 4secs

3. Orluis Aular (Spa/Movistar) 6secs

4. Francesco Busatto (Ita/Intermarche Wanty) 10secs

5. Tom Pidcock (GBR/Q36.5) Same time

6. Diego Ulussi (Ita/XDS-Astana)

7. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost)

8. Max Poole (GBR/Picnic-PostNL)

9. Nicola Conci (Ita/XDS-Astana)