The United States were routed 5-2 by Belgium on Saturday in a humbling defeat for Mauricio Pochettino's team as they prepare to co-host this summer's World Cup.

The thrashing comes as a brutal reality check for the Americans, who have high hopes of a deep run in the upcoming tournament but were found severely lacking once again when facing top European opposition.

Just 75 days before the World Cup kicks off, the Americans took an early lead against the world's ninth-ranked team, with Weston McKennie slotting in to the delight of a packed 67,000 Atlanta crowd.

But any hopes of a statement victory were dashed as the Belgians swiftly came to life, with a deluge of goals from Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, and Charles De Ketelaere, and a brace from substitute Dodi Lukebakio.

Patrick Agyemang grabbed a late consolation for the US, who play Portugal in another high-profile friendly Tuesday before Pochettino announces his final squad in May.

Long seen as minnows at the international level of soccer, the US hired former Tottenham and Paris Saint Germain coach Pochettino to oversee an increasingly star-studded roster including AC Milan's Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder McKennie.

The US will play all of its games at the World Cup on home soil, further raising expectations.

But fans shelling out to support the home team will expect to see far more than they witnessed on Saturday.

In a fairly even opening half hour, Belgium's veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne pulled the strings in midfield, and Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku threatened down the left flank, but the US enjoyed the better of the chances.

McKennie received the ball unmarked on the edge of the six yard box from a corner but his shot was brilliantly saved by Manchester United's Senne Lammens, who is aiming to supplant the injured Thibaut Courtois in Belgium's goal.

But McKennie made no mistake as another corner, delivered by Antonee Robinson, found him near the back post, where he tucked the ball into the net.

The goal seemed to spark Belgium into life. The Red Devils could have had several goals in the first half's final few minutes, but settled for a wonderful strike from outside the box by Zeno Debast.

It was the Sporting Lisbon defender's first international goal. 

- Hope fades -

After halftime, the floodgates opened. An increasingly dangerous Doku ran down the wing and passed into the box, with the ball scrambled to Onana, who calmly side-footed it home.

Six minutes later, US keeper Matt Turner -- hoping to win his place back from Matt Freese -- thought he had made a tremendous double save, but the referee spotted that Thomas Meunier's header had brushed captain Tim Ream's arm.

A lengthy VAR check failed to convince the official to overturn his decision, and De Ketelaere slotted in the penalty.

The afternoon went from bad to worse, as Belgium made a raft of substitutes on the hour mark, and one of those -- Lukebakio -- curled in a sumptuous shot under little pressure.

Lukebakio added Belgium's fifth before Ricardo Pepi took advantage of some sloppy late defending to set up Agyemang.

By that time thousands of US fans had left the domed arena, and full time was greeted with a smattering of subdued boos and whistles.

amz/rcw

Senegal on Saturday paraded the Africa Cup of Nations trophy they have been ordered to return before beating Peru 2-0 in a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on March 17 reversed Senegal's 1-0 final victory over Morocco in Rabat on January 18 and awarded a 3-0 victory to the hosts.

On Saturday, in front of a crowd dominated by their supporters, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly and his teammates came onto the pitch with the AFCON trophy for a lap of honour after a pre-match concert by Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour.

Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy went up to the stadium's presidential box to place the trophy there in front of Abdoulaye Fall, the president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), among others.

Senegal played in shirts with two stars: one for their first African title in 2021 and the second one for their disputed January victory.

While the squad was almost identical to the one that played in Morocco, Senegal rested Koulibaly, Mendy, Sadio Mane and Iliman Ndiaye, who were not even on the bench.

They still outplayed a modest Peru team. Nicolas Jackson scored in the first half and Ismaila Sarr in the second.

In January, the AFCON final descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

The players were coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Mane. After Morocco's Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, Pape Gueye scored in extra time to gave Senegal a 1-0 victory.

CAF ruled that Senegal's players had broken the rules by leaving the field without the referee's permission.

The FSF lodged an appeal against the CAF decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday and has not given up on keeping the title.

Before the game, nearly 200 Senegal supporters gathered in front of the nearby Basilica of Saint-Denis before making their way to the Stade de France to the sound of traditional drums and percussion.

Bally Bagayoko, the new-elected mayor of Saint-Denis, briefly joined the procession.

"Welcome to Saint-Denis," said the mayor. "I wanted to thank everyone who organised this wonderful initiative.

"You are the pride of the residents of working-class neighbourhoods. We have often been discriminated against, often looked down upon.

"You are showing that you are capable, at such an important moment, of coming together. Today, Africa is united. Everyone behind Senegal."

The friendly against Peru was the Lions of Teranga's first match since the Rabat final.

They are preparing for the World Cup where they are in a strong group with France, Norway and either Iraq or Peru's neighbours Bolivia.

Peru finished ninth in the ten-team South American group and did not qualify for the summer's finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

lh/pb/jc

The Iran men's national team wore black armbands and posed with school rucksacks as the national anthem played before a match with Nigeria to remember the victims of a strike on a primary school in Iran on the first day of the Middle East war.

The airstrike on the school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28 killed at least 170 people including students and teachers.

The attack happened on the day the United States and Israel launched the war with attacks across Iran.

Before kick-off in their friendly fixture against Nigeria in the Turkish town of Belek on Friday, the Iran players, including former FC Porto and Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi, held pink and purple school bags with ribbons on them.

Iran lost the match 2-1.

Iran's foreign minister on Friday accused the US of a "calculated, phased assault" on the school.

The New York Times has reported that the preliminary findings of a US military investigation indicate that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school due to a targeting mistake.

The newspaper said the US military had been bombing an adjacent Iranian base, of which the school building was formerly a part. The target coordinates were set using outdated data, the paper reported.

US President Donald Trump intially suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible -- despite Iran not having Tomahawk missiles.

Iran has qualified for the World Cup finals this summer but has asked for its matches to be moved from the US to Mexico after Trump warned that the players' "life and safety" would be at risk if they took part.

bur/ea/gj

A spectator stand at Inter Miami's new stadium is to be named in honor of Argentina superstar and club captain Lionel Messi, the Major League Soccer franchise announced on Friday.

Inter Miami said in a statement the club's new 26,700-seat arena, to be known as Nu Stadium, would include the "Leo Messi Stand" when it hosts its first game on April 4.

"Inter Miami CF is excited to announce Leo Messi stand, with our number 10 and captain set to become part of a rare and unique case in global sports: an athlete regularly playing at his home stadium with a stand named in his honor," Inter Miami said.

The Nu Stadium is a permanent, purpose-built replacement for Inter's temporary home at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where the club have played since joining MLS in 2020.

Messi joined Inter three years ago, transforming the club's fortunes in the process by leading them to four trophies including the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2025 MLS Cup.

Inter said naming the stand after Messi was a reflection of the 38-year-old Argentine's ongoing impact with the club.

"Traditionally, tributes look to the past. They are built from nostalgia. From memory," Inter said in a statement. 

"This one is different. This one is born from the present. From what is happening right now. From what you feel every time Leo steps onto the pitch.

"Recognizing someone is not always about closing a chapter. Sometimes it is about realizing you are witnessing something unique."

rcw/mw

Jordan Bos snatched a late winner as a lacklustre Australia edged Cameroon 1-0 for a confidence-boosting victory as they fine-tune preparations ahead of the World Cup.

There were few opportunities in the dour friendly at Sydney's Stadium Australia until the Feyenoord midfielder pounced with five minutes left. 

Ajdin Hrustic missed a penalty in the much-needed win for a side that suffered two losses in the previous international window, falling 1-0 to Venezuela and 3-0 to Colombia.

The clash was part of the FIFA Series 2026, a mini-tournament that also features fellow World Cup qualifier Curacao, who were beaten 2-0 by China in an earlier match at the same venue. 

"First half we couldn't really break through, and then second half we kept on coming," Bos said.

"We had some chances and it was coming down to the last 10 minutes, and I got the goal in and we got the win. So that's important."

The Socceroos will be at a sixth straight World Cup and coach Tony Popovic used the match to run his eye over some inexperienced players.

With a host of places in his World Cup squad still up for grabs, he handed debuts to 18-year-old Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington and Poland-based striker Deni Juric.

Neither player showed nerves in a lively opening as the hosts pressed for an early breakthrough.

But they struggled to keep control against a young Cameroon side rebuilding after failing to qualify for the World Cup.

Chances in the first half were few and far between on a slippery pitch, with both sides missing a creative spark.

Popovic replaced Juric and Martin Boyle with Awer Mabil and Nestory Irankunda up front for the second half and the intensity lifted.

It culminated with Cameroon debutant Oliver Kamdem conceding a penalty with 20 minutes left, but goalkeeper Devis Epassy went the right way to deny Hrustic.

Irankunda twice went close as the clock ticked down before Bos's late heroics, beating a defender after being fed the ball by Paul Okon.

Australia are in World Cup Group D with co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and a yet-to-be-determined European nation.

mp/pbt

New Zealand and Cape Verde suffered setbacks to their World Cup preparations on Friday in Auckland, losing to Finland and Chile respectively in friendlies.

Hosts New Zealand were beaten 2-0 while World Cup debutants Cape Verde went down 4-2 and had a player sent off.

New Zealand will face Belgium, Iran and Egypt in the group phase this summer in North America.

The All Whites were missing Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who is still returning from injury, and with it went much of their goal threat against Finland.

The Finns did not qualify for the World Cup.

Their captain Joel Pohjanpalo opened the scoring in the 25th minute, leaping highest at a corner to head home.

Jaakko Oksanen added a second in the 85th minute, firing under goalkeeper Max Crocombe after a swift counter-attack.

In the earlier match, Cape Verde were reduced to 10 men in a wild encounter with Chile, who did not qualify for this summer's extravaganza.

Cape Verde play Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in their World Cup bow.

Ben Brereton Diaz gave Chile a controversial lead in 17th minute, lashing home after the referee restarted play from a drop ball when the Cape Verde defence wasn't in place.

Dailon Livramento struck back four minutes later for Cape Verde, Benfica's Sidny Cabral overlapping down the left wing before crossing across the face of goal, leaving an easy finish.

Defender Diney Borges was red-carded on the stroke of halftime after the VAR flagged an inadvertent handball which was deemed to be preventing a goal scoring opportunity.

Despite that it was Cape Verde who then took the lead, Cabral firing home off the inside post as the half came to a close.

Chile equalised in bizarre circumstances in the 58th minute, goalkeeper Vozinha needlessly rushing out for Cape Verde, allowing Maximiliano Gutierrez to round him and fire home from 40 yards.

Felipe Loyola and Gonzalo Tapia added further goals for Chile.

bes/pst

Bolivia and Jamaica moved to within one win of returning to the World Cup after decades-long absences on Thursday after securing opening victories in FIFA's intercontinental playoff tournament in Mexico.

Bolivia, chasing their first World Cup appearance since the 1994 finals in the United States, came from behind to defeat Suriname 2-1 in Monterrey.

The South Americans' victory sends them into a winner-takes-all playoff against Iraq next Tuesday, with the victor advancing to a World Cup group of death alongside France, Norway and Senegal.

Jamaica, who are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time in history following a lone appearance at the 1998 finals in France, defeated New Caledonia 1-0 in Thursday's other game in Guadalajara.

The Reggae Boyz will now play the Democratic Republic of Congo next Tuesday for the right to a berth in World Cup K alongside Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

Jamaica, whose squad is drawn largely from the lower divisions of English football, will head into their clash with Congo knowing that they will need an improved performance to punch their ticket to the World Cup after a laboured win over New Caledonia, the tiny French territory in the South Pacific.

Despite dominating possession and territory for long periods at the Estadio Akron near Guadalajara, Jamaica struggled to create clear-cut chances.

The only goal of a drab encounter came when Wrexham forward Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri bundled in a close-range rebound after New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine could only parry a well-struck free-kick from Ronaldo Webster in the 18th minute.

- Bolivia fight back -

Bolivia produced a second-half fightback to shatter Suriname's unlikely dream of World Cup qualification.

A 79th-minute penalty from Santos striker Miguel Terceros following an equalizer from teenage substitute Moises Paniagua gave Bolivia victory.

Suriname, who had been bidding to become the lowest ranked team in history to qualify for the World Cup, took the lead in the 48th minute when Liam van Gelderen bundled home at Monterrey's BBVA Stadium.

That goal looked like being enough to secure victory for the former Dutch colony, who are ranked 123rd in the world and made up mostly of players from the Netherlands of Surinamese descent.

But Bolivia began to dominate as the second half drew on and were thrown a lifeline when the 18-year-old Paniagua's low shot made it 1-1 after 72 minutes.

Six minutes later an adventurous burst down the right flank from Bolivia fullback Diego Medina sowed panic in the Suriname defense.

Medina's low cross found substitute Juan Sinforiano Godoy, who was tripped by Suriname defender Myenty Abena.

Australian referee Alireza Faghani pointed to the spot and after a brief delay, Terceros stepped up to drill in the spot kick and make it 2-1.

It marked another heroic moment in Bolivia's World Cup qualifying campaign for the 21-year-old striker.

Terceros also scored the goal in a 1-0 win over Brazil that saw them squeeze into this week's playoffs.

rcw/pst

Italy will face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place at the 2026 World Cup after beating Northern Ireland 2-0 on Thursday, as Wales and the Republic of Ireland suffered agonising penalty shootout defeats in their qualifying play-off semi-finals.

Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean struck second-half goals in Bergamo to keep four-time World Cup winners Italy on track to end a 12-year absence from the tournament.

Italy missed the last two editions in Russia and Qatar but Tonali's powerful drive and an excellent finish from Kean nudged Gennaro Gattuso's team a step closer to a return to international football's biggest stage.

"We had to work hard because it was not easy tonight," said Gattuso.

"We knew this game would be tough, all we can do now is try to recharge the batteries."

Italy will take on Bosnia in Zenica next Tuesday. A late header from 40-year-old Edin Dzeko cancelled out Dan James' superb opener for Wales and forced extra time in Cardiff, where Bosnia scraped through 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"We're lost for words. We prepared as well as we could have and I thought we played well," Wales captain Ethan Ampadu told the BBC.

"We can hold our heads up high because we fought for everything, sometimes in life things don't go your way."

Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick in Sweden's 3-1 win over Ukraine.

Arsenal striker Gyokeres netted his first goals of the qualifying campaign to lead Sweden to the brink of the finals, despite a dismal group stage in which they picked up just two points in six matches.

Sweden got another chance as a result of their UEFA Nations League performances and Gyokeres turned in from close range early on against Ukraine, unable to play at home because of the war with Russia and instead having to move the tie to neutral ground in Valencia, Spain.

Gyokeres tucked away his second six minutes after the break and converted a penalty to complete his treble and seal victory for Graham Potter's team, with Matvii Ponomarenko grabbing a late consolation for Ukraine.

- Lewandowski inspires Poland comeback -

Sweden will play Poland in Stockholm for one of four remaining European tickets to the World Cup.

Robert Lewandowski helped Poland come from behind to scrape past Albania 2-1 after Arber Hoxha gave the visitors the lead in Warsaw.

Lewandowski headed in from a corner to bring Poland level with his 89th goal for his country before Piotr Zielinski grabbed the winner.

Czech Republic goalkeeper Matej Kovar saved two penalties in a shootout to steer his team past Ireland in Prague.

Ireland looked well placed for a first trip to the World Cup since 2002 as Troy Parrott's penalty and own goal by Kovar put them 2-0 ahead.

Patrik Schick pulled a goal back from the spot and Ladislav Krejci powered in a header on 86 minutes to level at 2-2 and send the semi-final to extra time.

Finn Azaz and Alan Browne both missed in the shootout as the Czechs lined up a showdown at home to a rampant Denmark.

"Just pain. We all feel pain. When you go this far it's a flip of a coin. Just pain we feel being that close," Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson told RTE.

The Danes eased to a 4-0 victory over North Macedonia in Copenhagen with all the goals coming in the second half. Mikkel Damsgaard broke the deadlock and Gustav Isaksen scored twice in as many minutes before Christian Norgaard added a fourth.

Kosovo are on the brink of a first appearance at any major tournament following a wild 4-3 win away to Slovakia.

Slovakia twice led in Bratislava through goals from Martin Valjent and Lukas Haraslin, but Kosovo fought back with efforts from Veldin Hodza and Fisnik Asllani.

Kosovo, who were only admitted to UEFA and FIFA competitions a decade ago, then went in front courtesy of Florent Muslija and got another goal from Kreshnik Hajrizi.

David Strelec's stoppage-time strike wasn't enough to deny Kosovo, who will host Turkey for the right to go to the World Cup.

Ferdi Kadioglu scored a second-half winner for Turkey in a 1-0 victory over Romania in their play-off semi-final in Istanbul.

Turkey, quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, are bidding to reach the showpiece tournament for the first time since finishing third in South Korea and Japan 24 years ago.

mw/as

Goalkeeper Matej Kovar saved two penalties in a shootout to take the Czech Republic past Ireland in their World Cup 2026 qualification play-off in Prague on Thursday.

Eyeing their first World Cup berth since 2006, the Czechs now face Denmark in the play-off final in Prague on March 31 for a ticket to the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Ireland raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half but the Czechs eventually pulled one back with a penalty then equalised just five minutes from time.

After a tense extra-time the Czechs then converted four penalties to Ireland's three in the shootout.

Troy Parrott opened the scores for Ireland from the spot, beating Kovar at his right post 19 minutes into the game for his sixth goal in this qualifying campaign.

The penalty was awarded following a delayed VAR review of a foul on Ireland skipper Nathan Collins in the Czech box three minutes earlier.

Ireland went two goals up four minutes later when Dara O'Shea headed a corner towards the Czech goal and a disoriented Kovar shoved the ball into the net after a series of deflections.

Patrik Schick brought the hosts within a goal from the spot against the run of play in the 27th minute after Ryan Manning had pulled Czech skipper Ladislav Krejci down in the box.

The Czechs looked toothless for most of the second half, but Krejci headed home from a corner five minutes from time, taking the game into a goalless extra time.

Parrott, Adam Idah and Robbie Brady converted their penalties while Finn Azaz and Alan Browne were denied by Kovar.

Krejci, Tomas Soucek, Patrik Schick and Jan Kliment scored for the hosts in the shootout, with Mojmir Chytil's poor shot stopped by Caoimhin Kelleher.

Ireland will bemoan wasted chances as Collins and Jayson Molumby hit the woodwork and Parrott was narrowly denied by a diving Kovar with an 80th-minute header.

The Czechs have made amends for a lacklustre qualification during which they swapped coaches just before the play-offs amid mounting criticism from fans and pundits.

On Wednesday, Czech police said they had charged 32 people in a massive crackdown on a match-fixing network, the second such case in less than a decade.

Long-time skipper Soucek lost the captain's band before the game after a fumbled attempt to console fans dismayed with the qualifying performance last autumn.

frj/dmc

Wales' World Cup dream was ended by defeat on penalties as Bosnia and Herzegovina set up a play-off final against Italy after coming from behind in Cardiff.

Dan James' spectacular strike put Craig Bellamy's side in front before 40-year-old Edin Dzeko rescued the visitors four minutes from time as the 90 minutes ended 1-1.

Neither side could find a winner as both teams tired in extra time, potentially handing Italy an advantage after they saw off Northern Ireland 2-0.

Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams then failed to convert their spot-kicks before impressive teenager Kerim Alajbegovic coolly slotted home the decisive penalty.

Two years to the day since Wales' bid to qualify for Euro 2024 was ended on penalties by Poland, they suffered more heartbreak on home soil.

Tellingly they have now failed to qualify for the two major tournaments since Gareth Bale's retirement from international football after a golden era that included a run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

In the post-Bale era, Harry Wilson has grown into Wales' talisman and the in-form Fulham midfielder came closest to breaking the deadlock of a bruising first half when his curling effort came back off the inside of the post.

James was on the receiving end of much of Bosnia's rough treatment as the visitors had three players booked in the opening 39 minutes.

But he bounced back up to open the scoring in style.

James used his pace to latch onto a misplaced pass by Benjamin Tahirovic and caught Nikola Vasilj still retreating towards his own goal by taking his shot early on the half-volley.

Only the crossbar denied James a second after being sent clear by Wilson.

At the other end Karl Darlow produced a stunning save to claw Ermedin Demirovic's header to safety after Dzeko nodded across to his strike partner.

Demirovic then failed to get a telling touch at the back post after Joe Rodon let Esmir Bajraktarevic's dangerous cross go.

But Bosnia's pressure finally got its reward thanks to the evergreen Dzeko.

The former Manchester City striker rose highest to beat Darlow to a corner and flick in his 73rd international goal.

Wilson came closest to a winner in extra time as his goalbound effort was brilliantly blocked by Tarik Muharemovic.

Darlow saved from Demirovic with the first penalty of the shootout to give Wales the advantage.

But Johnson's effort that flew high and wide swung the momentum back in Bosnia's favour before Vasilj denied Williams.

Alajbegovic's introduction as a second-half substitute helped turn the game in his side's favour and the 18-year-old showed little sign of nerves as he sent Darlow the wrong way to take his country to the brink of just a second World Cup as an independent nation.

kca/mw

Turkey kept their hopes of a first World Cup appearance since 2002 alive as Ferdi Kadioglu scored a second-half winner in a 1-0 victory over Romania in their play-off semi-final on Thursday.

Vincenzo Montella's Turkey will face either Slovakia or Kosovo, who meet later Thursday, away from home on Tuesday for a ticket to the expanded 48-team finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Brighton left-back Kadioglu netted the crucial goal in the 53rd minute and Romania, who last played at the World Cup in 1998, could not find an equaliser in Istanbul despite a late rally.

Turkey, quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, are bidding to reach the showpiece tournament for the first time since finishing third in South Korea and Japan 24 years ago.

"We knew it would be a tough match," said Turkey skipper Hakan Calhanoglu.

"In the first half, we could have made better runs in behind. In the second half, Ferdi scored with a ball in behind... From then, it was ours."

The home side dominated the ball early but struggled to break down their hard-working opponents, with a Calhanoglu free-kick which flew over the crossbar the closest they came to scoring in the opening 45 minutes.

Romania captain Ianis Hagi had a shot deflected over as his team looked to hit Turkey on the break.

Turkey took the lead, though, eight minutes into the second half as Arda Guler unlocked the Romania defence with a long, raking pass.

Kadioglu took an excellent first touch before calmly slotting a side-footed volley past onrushing goalkeeper Ionut Radu.

Turkey sensed a second goal with the crowd firmly behind them and Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz crashed an excellent strike from outside the box off the top of the bar.

Romania managed to stay in the game, with Radu making a fine diving save to tip away a curling Guler effort.

The visitors almost made Turkey pay for those missed chances, as substitute Nicolae Stanciu curled a shot which bounced off the inside of the post and rolled agonisingly across the face of goal with 11 minutes left.

But that was the closest Romania came to forcing extra time as Turkey moved within one match of qualifying for only a second World Cup in 72 years.

jc/mw

Hundreds of Somali spectators cheered as they watched two teams of young women play football in a Mogadishu stadium -- an unimaginable scene in the conservative, conflict-hit country just a few years ago. 

Such events were heavily threatened until recently in Somalia's capital by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab, which frowns on entertainment like football, especially when played by women. 

But while Al-Shabaab still has a powerful grip behind the scenes in Mogadishu, the security situation has markedly improved. 

At Tuesday's match, the main stand was mostly segregated but nonetheless included some men and women sitting together. 

The Ilays women's team ultimately crushed their opponents Nasiib 5-0, but that did not dampen the mood. 

"If you were in Mogadishu a couple of years ago, an occasion like this, with two girls' football clubs playing, would not have been possible... but with time, things are improving," said Ali Muhidin, one of the spectators. 

The women's football championship was created in 2024, and initially involved only 80 players. But barely two years later, 600 are participating across 10 teams -- mostly from Mogadishu, but also other parts of the country. 

"No one could have imagined that one day Somali women would play football in their country, where even men were forbidden to play by fighters who had declared football 'un-Islamic'," said Ali Abdi Mohamed, president of the Somali Football Federation. 

"But something we couldn't even dream of has become a reality," he told AFP. 

Not everyone in the largely conservative Muslim country allows their daughters to play, he conceded, but they have faced no serious complaints. 

Somalis have long been passionate fans of European football, but local teams have been neglected. Somalia is currently ranked 200th in the FIFA men's rankings, ahead of only a handful of microstates. 

Its women's team, which played its first friendly match in October in Djibouti, is not listed by the international federation. 

But this should change soon, as the "Ocean Queens" are preparing for their first-ever international tournament -- an under-17s event in May in Tanzania. 

"For women to play football is not shameful or taboo," said Ramas Abdi Salah, midfielder for the Ocean Queens, who, like her teammates, wears thick tights and a long-sleeved shirt under her sports kit, as well as a black headscarf to cover her hair. 

"As you can see, I'm fully covered except for my face and my hands. I haven't received any bad comments," said the 17-year-old, who added she has her family's approval. 

Goalkeeper Najma Ali Ahmed had a rough game on Tuesday, letting in five goals. 

But it will take a lot more than that to lose the love of the game. 

"I'm sending a message to female footballers to work toward the dream of joining the national team," she said.

vid-str-jcp-jf/er/giv

Ante Suto had never set foot on Australian soil until this week -- but come Friday he could be a capped Socceroo and heading to the World Cup.

The Hibernian striker was a surprise call-up for Australia's final two home games before the global showpiece in North America this summer.

They face Cameroon in Sydney on Friday and fellow World Cup qualifiers Curacao in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Suto was born and raised in Croatia but holds an Australian passport through his father. 

"It's actually the first time I've been here," said Suto. "All I can say is it's much better weather than in Scotland and I'm happy to be here.

"It's a great opportunity for me."

Suto has three goals in seven games for Hibs since his move last month from Croatian top-flight side Slaven Belupo.

He is teammates in Scotland with fellow Australian international Martin Boyle.

Suto said he got goosebumps thinking about his rapid rise.

"When I moved to Scotland I started well. I expected to start well, but not like that. So it happened quickly, and I can't be more happy than I am now," he said.

"My job is to score goals and I'm good at it also, and hopefully I'm going to score some goals for the Socceroos."

With Norwich attacker Mohamed Toure -- the EFL Young Player of the Month in February -- absent with a groin injury, Suto could well get to show his prowess.

Australia coach Tony Popovic said the games were "a final chance" to impress before the team heads to its World Cup base in Oakland, California.

At the other end of the scale, skipper Mat Ryan is set to earn his 102nd cap against Cameroon as he prepares for a fourth World Cup.

"I live to win in this industry and so I'm trying to put everything I can together to help the team that I'm representing win," said the Levante goalkeeper.

"Whether that's communicating or sharing opinions with someone about certain moments...  first and foremost I need to make sure that I'm delivering from a performance perspective from my own side.

"Because actions always speak louder than words." 

Australia are in Group D and will face co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and a yet-to-be-confirmed UEFA play-off winner.

mp/pst

Pernille Harder struck twice to put Bayern Munich on course for the semi-finals of the women's Champions League after a 3-2 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Harder, who grew up as a United supporter, opened the scoring inside two minutes after being played in behind the home defence.

In their first ever Champions League quarter-final in the women's game, United refused to be swept away by that early blow.

Captain Maya Le Tissier levelled from the penalty spot after the ball struck Bayern defender Glodis Viggosdottir on the arm.

In front of a sparse crowd at the Theatre of Dreams, the second half took longer to catch fire until three goals in a 13-minute spell in the final quarter.

Harder, who cost a then world record transfer fee when she joined Chelsea in 2020, produced another clinical finish after using her pace to burst in behind.

The lead again lasted only a few minutes before Hanna Lundkvist headed in Le Tissier's corner.

But Bayern did finally hold on to their advantage once Momoko Tanikawa found space to fire into the far corner six minutes from time.

The German giants will be confident of reaching the last four when the sides meet again for the second leg next Wednesday.

However, they face a daunting path if they are to conquer Europe for the first time.

Barcelona will almost certainly lie in wait in the semi-finals after they destroyed Spanish rivals Real Madrid 6-2 away from home in the first leg of their quarter-final.

kca/jc

Widespread political and security concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup are nothing new and will be forgotten once the first ball is kicked, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani said Wednesday.

This summer's soccer tournament is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the buildup has been complicated by the war in the Middle East, President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and gang violence in Mexico, among other factors.

Iran has said it will not play its scheduled fixtures in the US after Trump warned Iranian players would be at risk, while travelling fans from various countries have voiced difficulties over obtaining visas and fears of being targeted by immigration agents.

But Montagliani, who heads soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, said the concerns were no different to those that preceded previous editions.

"The reality of the World Cups -- every World Cup FIFA has put on -- there's always been geopolitical issues. Always," he told the Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta.

"Go back to '78, Argentina, the junta and all that stuff," he added, referring to the edition that took place during the South American country's brutal military dictatorship.

Rights groups say around 30,000 people died or disappeared under the dictatorship, one of Latin America's bloodiest.

"Right now it's just magnified because everything else in the world is magnified, whether it's social media, or whether it's how the media reports things," said Montagliani.

"But it doesn't change our job... It's a reality of doing business. We deal with it. We will deal with it.

"And at the end of the day, like every other World Cup, on June 11, when the ball starts rolling, somehow everybody forgets about everything else and starts worrying about the game," he added.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under scrutiny for his close relationship with Trump, which has included attending a Gaza peace summit brokered by the US president.

Infantino awarded Trump a newly created FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw ceremony in December.

"At the end of the day, our main goal is to ensure that the security is top notch, which is why we have to have our relationship solid with every federal government -- Canada, the US, and Mexico," said Montagliani.

"That the fans are safe. That they're going to enjoy themselves.

"And then once the ball starts rolling, it's all about football."

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