Author: PTV Sports HD

Born in France, Ayyoub Bouaddi has been cleared to play for Morocco less than one month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) on Friday confirmed it had received approval from FIFA’s Status Chamber to change Bouaddi’s sporting nationality, making him immediately eligible to represent Morocco in all international competitions. The FRMF statement added that “this decision makes Ayyoub Bouaddi officially and immediately eligible to represent the Moroccan national team in various international competitions.”. Bouaddi, 18, plays for French Ligue 1 club Lille and was born to Moroccan parents in Senlis, north…

Cristiano Ronaldo endured another week of heartbreak, as his Saudi side Al Nassr was stunned 1-0 at home by Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final on Saturday. The Japanese club held off a second-half onslaught from the Saudi side to extend Ronaldo’s wait for his first piece of major silverware since signing a lucrative deal to join Al Nassr in 2023. It was the second-tier Asian continental crown, equivalent to the UEFA Europa League. Al Nassr were hot favourites to become the first Saudi Arabian side to win AFC Champions League Two in front of 26,000…

Lionel Messi scored and provided a brilliant assist to finally give Inter Miami their first win in their new home on Sunday, defeating the Portland Timbers 2-0.The 38-year-old Argentine icon haunted the Timbers’ backline all night long in a timely reminder of the threat he still poses at the World Cup, which kicks off in less than a month’s time.Messi put the defending Major League Soccer champions ahead in the half-hour, scoring the first and last goal in a slick team move.Messi sent the ball over to Luis Suárez, who then put a pass through to Telasco Segovia. Segovia’s instinctive…

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić on Monday announced a 26-man preliminary squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, led by veteran Luka Modrić, the key architect of the country’s historic success in recent years.The AC Milan midfielder, 40, led the nation of 3.8 million people to second place at the 2018 World Cup.The former Real Madrid star was also key in helping Croatia finish third at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Balkan country lost to Spain in the 2023 Nations League final.But Modrić fractured a cheekbone in a collision with Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli at the San Siro…

Iran’s football team arrived in Turkey on Monday for a training camp and to process visa applications for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, AFP correspondents said.The 22 players and coaching staff of the “Team Melli” delegation arrived in the Turkish resort of Antalya, where they could be seen leaving the airport dressed in navy blue tracksuits.Players were expected to stay a few weeks before heading to the global tournament that is co-hosted by the United States, which started bombing Iran on February 28 with Israel, igniting war.The team will be based in the United States, in Arizona, and play all…

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Thursday that physical tickets for the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Australia will go on sale from Friday, May 22The online tickets can be obtained from pcb.tcs.com.pk from 1 p.m. onwards, while the physical tickets will be available at 16 TCS Express Centers in three cities: Lahore (8 outlets), Rawalpindi (5), and Islamabad (3). The PCB said.The board has maintained the ticket prices at a reasonable rate of PKR 200.The PCB said in a press release statement that the tickets are priced at an affordable rate of PKR 200 to encourage…

SYLHET: After another disappointing performance against Bangladesh in the second Test at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Pakistan middle-order batter Babar Azam has urged his teammates to step up.Pakistan was in deep trouble at 79 for four on the second day. Then Salman Ali Agha and Babar Azam steadied the innings with a partnership of 63 runs.But a gentle dismissal of Babar, bowled by Nahid Rana, caused a collapse they could never recover from. The visitors then crumbled to 65 for five wickets. They lost 142-5 to 207-9 and 232 all out.Talking to media after the day’s play, Babar…

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) will be back in 2026, and the next edition is scheduled to start from July 17 and will end on August 8, marking the return of Sri Lanka’s premier T20 competition.The season opener will be a repeat of the 2024 final as reigning champions Jaffna take on runners-up Galle at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground under lights.The match will kick off at 7:30 pm local time, and an official opening ceremony will be held.The 2026 event was originally scheduled to start sooner, but the finished schedule confirms a July 17 start, with matches at four…

LAHORE: Despite reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman had been invited to the Indian Premier League 2026 final in Ahmedabad, Mohsin Naqvi is probably not making it to India.As per an international cricket news report, the invitation extended to Naqvi is mainly related to the upcoming meetings of the International Cricket Council and not the IPL final itself.The clarification comes after speculation emerged about a possible visit by the PCB chairman to Ahmedabad, where the IPL 2026 final is slated to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31.Sources also said that Naqvi, who is also…

SYLHET: Pakistan fast bowling coach Umar Gul has clarified the viral video of pacer Shaheen Afridi in the second Test against Bangladesh at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Shaheen Afridi was seen having a heated discussion with Umar Gul on the sidelines of the Test match a day earlier. The video soon went viral on social media with a lot of fans accusing Shaheen of disrespecting Umar Gul. But Gul explained the discussion at the end of the third day’s press conference. “I think yesterday when I woke up somebody had tagged me on ‘X’. It showed Shaheen was not…