Barshim enters ‘final lap’ era as global stars light up Doha Diamond …

Doha, Qatar: The global track and field audience shifts focus to the Qatari capital today when Doha becomes the seventh stop in the 2026 Diamond League, featuring an elite line up of athletics superstars at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium at Qatar Sports Club.

Among those who will seek glory are two athletics icons Qatar’s Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and a three-time world champion in high jump Mutaz Barshim and India’s Olympic and world javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra who are looking to find familiar rhythms following injury lay-offs on their way to cement lasting legacies.

Barshim was rarely seen in action since winning the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Games - his fourth at the Olympics – but has returned to the podium few times since then. forestarrow.help

الأخبارمن المدرجات إلى الجوائز.. «حيووه» يكافئ جماهير الدورييواصل برنامج «حيووه» تقديم تجربة جماهيرية مبتكرة تهدف إلى تعزيز حضور المشجعين في مباريات دوري نجوم بنك الدوحة، من خلال ربط شغف كرة القدم بمنظومة من المكافآت والامتيازات التي تمن...فتح →

Although his medal-winning performances at the West Asian Clubs Championships (2.13m) last year and GCC Games (2.16m) and Asian Jumps Championships (2.23m) earlier this year don’t come anywhere close to his full potential, Barshim – who owns the second all-time best mark of 2.43m.

“For quite some time, unfortunately, I was injured and couldn’t do what I wanted over the last few seasons. But I’m managing. Now I feel good, I feel healthy, and I just need to go out and do what I know best: jumping,” Barshim said during a pre-event press conference in Doha yesterday.

“So it’s going to be interesting because, when you compete, you usually know where you are. You have an idea. I’ve kind of missed that feeling. So it’s just about going out there,” Barshim said.

“In terms of where I am, you’ll just have to wait 24 hours and see,” the three-time Diamond League finals winner said.

For Barshim, who celebrates his 35th birthday in five more days, the Doha Meeting is more than just another stop on the tour.

Barshim made it clear that his primary motivation is no longer just winning, but achieving a status of absolute historical dominance.

“I’m looking for legacy. I feel like I’m definitely on the final lap of my career,” Barshim said.

“I want to make sure the cherry on top is tasty and shiny. Whenever I leave the sport, I want to separate myself from the pack. You cannot mention high jump without mentioning my name,” a proud Barshim said.

Meanwhile, returning Chopra faces a tough field, led by in-form Sri Lankan Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage.

The men’s javelin throw features a stacked field of global and regional powerhouses, making it the marquee event of the evening.

Pathirage, who made the eighth-best throw ever – a massive 92.62m – at the Rome Diamond League earlier this month, will face the defending world champion Keshorn Walcott, two-time world champion Anderson Peters, and world bronze medalist Curtis Thompson, while Chopra makes the 2026 season debut.

“We are not working on anything specific or very deep. I’m working on my natural technique,” Chopra, who returns to the venue where he first broke the 90-meter barrier, said.

“I had some injury last year... but now I feel really good. I feel quick, and let’s see what happens tomorrow,” Chopra said.

Also speaking at the press conference, Olympic triple jump champion Thea Lafond of Dominica relished her return to peak form following knee surgery. Lafond thanked the Qatar Athletics Federation and the Qatar Olympic Committee, expressing gratitude for Qatar’s collaboration with World Athletics to construct running tracks for countries lacking proper training facilities.

“My country doesn’t currently have a track, which makes training difficult when I’m there. However, one of the biggest positives to come from recent success is that a new track is being built,” Lafond said.

“Qatar’s athletics and Olympic authorities have worked with World Athletics on a programme to build tracks in countries that need them, and Dominica was one of those countries.

“The track will carry my name, which is incredibly special,” Lafond added.

Ahead of today’s events, reigning 110m hurdles world champion Cordell Tinch emphasized the critical role of mental health. Acknowledging the fierce competition following Ja’Kobe Tharp’s recent world record, Tinch noted that prioritizing self-care off the track is the true secret to his competitive edge.

In the 400m, Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino is targeting a third victory in Doha. The Dominican star cited consistent, rigorous training as her foundation and aims to break her own 47.98 national record this season.

Saudi Arabia’s top clubs face potential contractual disputes due to budget cuts, raising concerns about meeting player wage commitments.

Saudi football clubs are preparing for a wave of legal claims from players after the Public Investment Fund reduced their budgets for the 2026-27 season, according to reports.

The reductions affect Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli, the four clubs brought under PIF control in 2023. The clubs face combined cuts estimated at between $200 million and $400 million.

Club boards have begun assembling legal teams ahead of possible disputes over unpaid or reduced salaries. Law firms in London and New York are also preparing to represent players.

The clubs are expected to prioritise payments to their highest-profile players, including Cristiano Ronaldo. Lower profile players, injured squad members, and those deemed surplus to requirements may face greater risks of delayed or incomplete payments.

The anticipated cases follow a wider reduction in Saudi football spending after the league attracted leading players with transfer fees and salaries that European clubs struggled to match.

Saudi Pro League clubs spent more than $1.5 billion following the start of the recruitment programme in 2023.

The league began introducing tighter financial controls in 2025. Oversight of club finances was transferred from the Sports Ministry to a Financial Oversight Committee within the Saudi Pro League.

The league has also changed the way recruitment funds are distributed for the 2026-27 season. Commercial performance and television audiences each account for 28% of allocations, sporting results account for 22%, and the remaining 22% is divided equally among clubs.

PIF has also begun reducing its direct ownership of football assets. In April of this year, it agreed to sell a 70% controlling stake in Al Hilal to Kingdom Holding Company, valuing the club at 1.4 billion Saudi riyals, or about $373 million.

Saudi clubs already face several financial disputes. FIFA’s registration-ban list included eight clubs from the country in May because of unpaid obligations to former players, coaches, or other creditors.

The post Saudi Clubs Brace for Player Lawsuits After PIF Budget Cuts appeared first on KingFut.

Doha, Qatar: Spain arrived in North America carrying the weight of expectation. As the reigning UEFA European champions and blessed with one of the most gifted generations in world football, La Roja were widely tipped to go all the way. Yet the road to Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final has featured its share of challenges.

An opening goalless draw against World Cup debutants Cape Verde briefly cast doubt over their credentials. Spain fired 27 attempts but could not beat goalkeeper Vozinha, raising early questions over whether the favourites would live up to expectations.

Those questions have long disappeared. Since that frustrating afternoon, Luis de la Fuente’s men have responded like champions, combining patience, control and defensive discipline to put together one of the tournament’s most complete campaigns.

They have conceded just one goal in six matches while finding different ways to win against every challenge placed before them.

Their semi-final victory over France showed why Spain now stand one win away from lifting a second World Cup trophy after their triumph in 2010.

France entered the last four as many experts’ favourites after scoring 16 goals and sweeping aside strong oppositions with one of the tournament’s most feared attacks. Instead, they ran into a Spanish side that controlled possession, dictated the tempo and denied Kylian Mbappe and company any meaningful rhythm.

Mikel Oyarzabal converted a first-half penalty before Pedro Porro added the second after the break, while Lamine Yamal even had a goal ruled out in a performance that rarely allowed France a route back into the contest.

“We started almost four years ago with an idea and we’ve been faithful to that idea and it’s brought us here,” De la Fuente said after the victory.

“The message was that we were up against one of the best teams in the world, but that they were up against the best team in the world.”

The coach’s confidence has been matched by the performances of his players. Spain recovered from the Cape Verde setback by thrashing Saudi Arabia 4-0 before edging Uruguay to top their group. The knockout rounds brought increasingly difficult tests, but they answered every one of them.

Austria were swept aside 3-0 before Spain survived a tense battle against Portugal thanks to substitute Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time winner. Merino again came off the bench to score the decisive goal against Belgium in the quarter-finals.

Equally impressive has been the back line. Goalkeeper Unai Simon and his defence built a remarkable sequence of clean sheets before Belgium finally ended their long run without conceding. Even then, Spain quickly regained control and continued to look the tournament’s most balanced side.

For De la Fuente, the achievements go beyond tactics.

“These players deserve everything,” he said.

“Day after day they’ve shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy.”

The coach believes the unity inside the squad has been the foundation of Spain’s success.

“We’ve recaptured the spirit of 2010,” he said.

“This team never ceases to amaze me. The scope for improvement is endless.”

Doha, Qatar: With the FIFA World Cup group stage officially in the rear view mirror, the tournament marches into its brand-new and expanded Round of 32 knockout phase.

This round, competing nations will have to come face-to-face with the ruthless, win-or-go-home reality of the knockout rounds, signaling for many fans across the globe the true arrival of the World Cup spectacle.

Netherlands vs Morocco

All eyes will be fixated on the Morocco-Netherlands matchup, giving fans an early taste of a heavyweight clash involving two sides who don’t shy away from taking the game to the other side.

Fresh off a 3-1 victory over Tunisia in their Group F concluder, the Dutch side, led by an unforgiving pair of forwards consisting of Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey, thrashed Sweden 5-1 in their second World Cup showing after being held by the ever-resilient Japanese side 2-2 in the opener.

The Ronald Koeman-led Dutch side, along with France and Germany, is the side with the most goals scored in the tournament so far.

Morocco, the surprise of the 2022 World Cup, proved that their previous edition heroics were entirely by design and owed nothing to fortune.

Having tied Brazil 1-1 in the opener, the Atlas Lions went on to beat a resilient Scottish side 1-0 before showing their teeth against a valiant Haiti that looked to bow out with a commendable performance, something that Morocco fought back against two times in the first half before putting the game to bed in the second.

Mexico vs Ecuador

Mexico vs Ecuador will feature two nations who have stunned this tournament’s audiences, in what could prove to be a sleeper-hit.

Mexico, one of the three host nations, finished on top of a group that included all of the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Czechia without having conceded a single goal, all while scoring a perfect 9/9 on the total point count.

Ecuador on the other hand managed to claw a third-placed, Round of 32 berth with a 2-1 victory over the four-time tournament heavyweights Germany in a World Cup win so grand that the South American nation declared the following day a public holiday in celebration.

The two sides have shown grit, courage, and a knack for coming out on top against tournament heavyweights and their encounter should be nothing short of a feast for the eyes.

Brazil vs Japan

The Brazil-Japan matchup should be another one for fans to look out for.

Though situated on two opposing hemispheres, the technical-gap between the two nations is nearly non-existent; with Japan consistently proving they belong among the top football nations currently, playing at a tactical level reminiscent of the ‘joga bonito’ (literally translate to play beautifully) football philosophy often linked with the Brazilians. This is expected to be a match-to-watch for all fans of the beautiful game.Captains Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric will face each other when Portugal take on Croatia.

Belgium vs Senegal

Belgium and Senegal face off in a clash that involves two teams that were off to a rough start, with both sides nearly missing out on qualification save for a final day heroic feat that saw both teams make “statement wins”.

With the former’s 5-1 victory over New Zealand and the latter’s 5-0 beating of Iraq having reignited their fan’s hopes, both teams will be looking to make even bigger statements as the tournament progresses.

Portugal vs Croatia

Two former teammates who won it all with their club Real Madrid, and who are often name-dropped among the game’s greatest ever players, find themselves facing each other on two opposite line-ups when Portugal take on Croatia.

Captains Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, both still performing in the twilight of their careers, are hoping to define their legacy with the one trophy missing from their cabinets, in hopes of providing the ultimate bookend to two of the greatest careers the sport has ever witnessed.

قلبت الأرجنتين، حاملة اللقب، الطاولة على إنكلترا وتغلبت عليها 2-1 بهدفين متأخرين، لتبلغ نهائي مونديال 2026 في كرة القدم الأربعاء في أتلانتا.

وكانت إنكلترا في طريقها إلى بلوغ النهائي الثاني في تاريخها بعد عام 1966 عندما توجت بلقبها الوحيد، بعدما تقدمت بهدف أنتوني غوردون (55)، لكن الأرجنتين فعلتها كما درجت العادة في مبارياتها الثلاث الأخيرة بقلب الطاولة بهدفين لإنسو فرنانديس (85) والبديل لاوتارو مارتينيس (90+1) اثر تمريرتين حاسمتين من القائد والهداف التاريخي للمونديال ليونيل ميسي.

وتلتقي الأرجنتين التي بلغت النهائي الثاني تواليا والسابع في تاريخها في سعيها إلى اللقب الرابع بعد 1978 و1986 و2022، في المباراة النهائية الأحد المقبل على ملعب ميتلايف في إيست راذرفورد بضواحي نيويورك، مع إسبانيا التي تغلبت على فرنسا الوصيفة 2-0 الثلاثاء في دالاس.

The post مونديال 2026: الأرجنتين تقلب الطاولة على إنكلترا 2-1 وتلاقي إسبانيا في النهائي appeared first on كويت نيوز.