FIFA RANKINGS | AFTER WORLD CUP 2026

 

COLOMBIA STAR TAKE SWIPE AT FIFA AFTER A PAINFUL WORLD CUP EXIT

Colombia fell short against Switzerland but was it a level playing field? (Picture: Getty Images)

Colombia’s Jhon Arias says teams were not ‘competing on equal terms’ after a painful penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland in the last 16 of the World Cup.

In one of the least memorable games of the tournament, Switzerland edged into the quarter-finals after a goalless draw.

Davinson Sanchez and Cucho Hernandez both missed from the spot for Colombia, allowing Ruben Vargas to score the winning penalty for the Swiss.

They will go on to face Argentina in the quarter-finals, while Colombia head home frustrated with the scheduling of their matches.

Tuesday’s match was in Vancouver after they had beaten Ghana in the last 32 in Kansas City.

Colombia’s group games were held in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Miami, meaning all five matches were in different cities.

In contrast, Switzerland played their first two matches of the World Cup in Santa Clara and Inglewood (both in California), before three games on the spin in Vancouver.

Jhon Arias says ‘that’s how this industry works’ (Picture: Getty Images)

While not wishing to make excuses, Arias pointed out that it was hardly a level playing field.

‘It’s difficult to answer because I could be punished, but that’s how this industry works,’ the former Wolves midfielder said, via ESPN.

‘We don’t all compete on equal terms, but that’s not a new problem. It doesn’t end here, it continues and the trend is for it to get worse. That’s how football works, it’s nothing new. We have to compete wherever we are.

‘Obviously, traveling to three countries affected my physical condition, but that’s not an excuse.’

Colombia conceded just one goal at the World Cup (Picture: Getty Images)

The 28-year-old, who now plays for Palmeiras, also looked at what his country could do differently, in what was a solid World Cup performance, but not what they had hoped for.

‘It’s inexplicable. Unfortunately, we were once again knocked out, and with this bitter taste,’ he said. ‘We had enormous hope and believed we could make it to the final day, but something was missing, because we’re leaving the World Cup prematurely, in the round of 16.

‘With a cool head, we had a good World Cup, but that’s not enough. That’s football. We leave with a bad taste in our mouths, but also with the certainty that there are things we need to adjust and correct. We are on a path that can bring us great achievements in the future, because we already deserve it.

‘We all want the same thing: to win and conquer important titles with the national team, because our people deserve it. They always support us, show confidence, create hope, and in the end we always leave empty-handed.

‘Hopefully this will serve to provoke a change in the national team, because it’s enough that we’ve been at the door and haven’t made it to the last day . I firmly believe that God has great things in store for us, but we still need to do everything humanly possible to get there.’

Switzerland progress to face Argentina on Saturday in Kansas City.

- Phil Haigh

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PRESIDENT OF THE COLOMBIAN CHESS FEDERATION, WEYMAR MUÑOZ, HAS PASSED AWAY

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Weymar Fernando Muñoz Muñoz, President of the Colombian Chess Federation, who served in this role since 2023.

A true professional and a passionate advocate for chess, Weymar’s dedication played a vital role in the development and growth of our game in Colombia. Under his leadership, the country proudly hosted top FIDE events, bringing international chess to new audiences, including wonderful celebrations marking FIDE’s 100th anniversary. One of the most recent milestones was the U16 World Chess Olympiad in August 2025 in Barranquilla.

The International Chess Federation extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire Colombian chess community.

- FIDE

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DEATH OF ANDRÉS ESCOBAR | A TRAGEDY

One of the most tragic stories in football:

During a 1994 World Cup match between the USA and Colombia, defender Andrés Escobar accidentally deflected a cross into his own net while trying to block it.

The USA went on to win 2-1, knocking Colombia out of the tournament.

Just days later, on July 1, 1994, Escobar was out with friends in Medellín. After the group split up, he was left alone—and tragically shot six times in what many believe was retaliation for the own goal. 😔

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JORGE BOLAÑO HAD PASSED AWAY

Tragedy in Colombia 

Ex-Colombia NT ace Jorge Bolaño passed away aged 47 from a sudden heart attack

RUGBY 🏉 WOMEN'S STANDINGS

 

PORTUGAL AND KENYA WIN SECOND ROUND OF WORLD RUGBY HSBC SEVENS CHALLENGER IN CAPE TOWN

After two rounds of exciting World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger action in Cape Town, eight men’s and eight women’s teams qualified for the third round in Krakow.

Portugal and Kenya were crowned men’s and women’s champions at the second round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 in Cape Town.

Portugal overcame Germany 12-7 in the men’s final, while Kenya beat South Africa 17-0 in a hard-fought women’s final.

Germany’s men’s team and South Africa’s teams earned silver.

Top eight women’s teams, Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, Colombia, Thailand, Czechia, Poland and Uganda, celebrated International Women’s Day by qualifying for the next round in Krakow.

Top eight men’s teams, Germany, Canada, Portugal, Chile, Samoa, Japan, Madagascar and Tonga progressed to the third round in Krakow on 11-12 April.

The Challenger provides a promotion pathway to HSBC SVNS, with the top four placed men’s and women’s teams securing their place in the high stakes HSBC SVNS Play-Off in Los Angeles on 3-4 May and an opportunity to gain promotion.

After two days of intense, high-action rivalry, Portugal’s men’s team and Kenya women’s took top honours at the second round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 in Cape Town.

The top eight men’s teams to go to the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger third round in Krakow are Germany, Canada, Portugal, Chile, Samoa, Japan, Madagascar, and Tonga.

On International Women’s Day, there was joy for Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, Colombia, Thailand, Czechia, Poland and Uganda, who marked the occasion by securing their places in the third Challenger round on 11-12 April in Poland.

Germany won the first men’s semi-final 24-12 over Canada, and Portugal reached the final thanks to a 36-14 win over Japan. Portugal dominated the men’s competition, claiming a spot in the final with a 12-7 victory over Germany.

South African women beat Czechia 21-15 in the first semi-final, while Kenya was victorious over Colombia with 12-5. For a second consecutive tournament, Kenya lifted gold beating South Africa 17-0 in an all-African women’s finals. South Africa ended in second place—Canada men’s and Colombia women’s beat Japan and Czechia to third place.

The Challenger series starts with back-to-back events in Cape Town, with the top-ranked eight men’s and women’s teams progressing to the third and final tournament at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow on 11-12 April.

Captain of the Portuguese team, Diogo Sarmento reflected on their experience: “This win is overwhelming. The conditions were not perfect for us as we had a lot of players making their debut and the average age of the group is 20. We stood together, and what we accomplished is fantastic. We worked hard and now we are looking forward to going to the next round.”

"Reflecting on their second World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger win in Cape Town, the captain, Grace Okulu said: This is the first time we achieved back-to-back wins in the Sevens Challenger and we are now Challenger champions. We are now ready for anything.”

The four men’s and women’s teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three Challenger rounds will then qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles on 3 – 4 May, where they will face the bottom four ranked teams from HSBC SVNS 2025 in a high-stakes promotion and relegation tournament with four coveted places in future SVNS at stake.

The Challenger was introduced in February 2020 to boost the development of rugby sevens across the globe and provide a clear promotion pathway to reach the top level of global rugby sevens for the short format of the game, which has experienced massive growth over the past two decades since the introduction of the global sevens series and becoming an Olympic sport at the Rio 2016 Games.

Fans around the globe can watch the action on rugbypass.tv or via domestic broadcast partners.

 - Asia Rugby 

LIVERPOOL BOSS SLOT GUSHES OVER HAT-TRICK HERO LUIS DIAZ

Arne Slot said he "loves" Luis Díaz just like fans in Liverpool and Colombia after the forward scored a Champions League hat trick in a 4-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield.

Liverpool moved clear at the top of the Champions League table with a fourth straight win in this season's competition following Díaz's hat trick and a Cody Gakpo header. But with Díaz being handed an unfamiliar central role by Slot, the Colombia international took advantage by scoring three times in 29 minutes against the German champions.

And Liverpool coach Slot said he has as much affection for Díaz as the fans after watching him net his hat trick.

"Not only do people in Colombia love 'Lucho,' the fans in Liverpool love him too," Slot said. "I heard many times the fans singing his song and the manager likes him a lot as well. I don't love him, but I like him a lot."

"It's not possible for every player to play every game. I only have four attackers available with the injuries we have and, with the fixture list it's impossible to play them. But for me, 'Lucho' is a starter."

Diaz has scored 9 goals in 15 games in all competitions for Liverpool this season and become a key figure for Slot. And he paid tribute to the former Feyenoord coach for quickly filling the void left by former manager Jurgen Klopp.

"Things have gone so well with the new manager, it wasn't easy for him to come in and fill Jurgen Klopp's shoes," Diaz said. "Hopefully, we'll have something to show for it at the end of the season.

Luis Diaz celebrates after scoring one of his three goals for Liverpool in their Champions League win over Leverkusen. Getty Images

"The most important thing is the three points in this edition of the Champions League so we can keep progressing in the competition.

"We have top-quality players all over the pitch and I really enjoyed playing in that position today. I'm just happy to be on the pitch.

"I need to go and find that ball now because I need to keep it somewhere special at home."

- Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC

ARGENTINA STAY ON TOP, ENGLAND AND SPAIN CLIMB IN FIFA RANKINGS

Newly crowned European champions Spain have risen five places to third in the latest FIFA rankings published on Thursday after a 2-1 victory over England in Sunday's final earned them a record fourth Euro title and their first major trophy in 10 years.

World Cup winners Argentina held on to the top spot following their Copa América triumph, beating Colombia 1-0.

England moved up one place to fourth, leapfrogging Brazil after their underwhelming Copa América campaign.

Venezuela, who reached the Copa América quarterfinals, were the most improved side in the rankings, rising 17 places to 37th, with Euro quarterfinalists Turkey jumping 16 places to 26th.

The United States -- who were eliminated during the group stage at the Copa América -- dropped five places from 11th to 16th place.

The Top 10-ranked nations

1 - Argentina

2 - France

3 - Spain

4 - England

5 - Brazil

6 - Belgium

7 - Netherlands

8 - Portugal

9 - Colombia

10 - Italy

- Reuters 

FRENCH FEDERATION TAKES ACTION OVER 'RACIST' ARGENTINA CHANT

Argentina beat Colombia in Sunday's Copa América final in Miami. JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images

 The French Football Federation (FFF) is filing a legal complaint over "racist and discriminatory remarks" by Argentina players in postmatch chants about France's team after the Copa América final.

Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 on Sunday. A video posted on Instagram by Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández and widely viewed on X showed Argentina players singing about French players with African heritage.

Fernández later apologized for singing the song featured in the video.

The same chants -- by some Argentina fans -- emerged before France and Argentina met in the World Cup final two years ago, which Argentina won.

"Given the seriousness of these shocking remarks, which are contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the FFF president has decided to contact its Argentinian counterpart and FIFA directly to file a legal complaint for racist and discriminatory remarks," the French federation said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks made against the players of the France team as part of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team."

Diallo is a member of the executive committee of European soccer body UEFA with a growing reputation in the game's politics.

The derogatory chants single out France players of African heritage from several countries holding a French passport.

Fernández's Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana, a France international, shared the video on social media Tuesday with the comment, "Football in 2024: Uninhibited racism."

In an apology on Instagram, Fernández said he was "caught up in the euphoria" of the celebrations.

"I want to apologise sincerely for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations," he posted. "The song includes highly offensive language and there is no excuse for these words.

"I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations. That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry."

FIFA could not immediately confirm Tuesday if the French complaint had been filed.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said soccer and its 211 national federations must have a zero tolerance approach to racism and in May committed to relaunching a task force to monitor incidents.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

COPA AMÉRICA FINAL START DELAYED AFTER FANS RUSH GATES

Police put a man in handcuffs after fans rushed the gates at Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the Copa final. Getty Images

 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The start time for the final of the 2024 Copa América between Argentina and Colombia was delayed for over 75 minutes on Sunday following a security breach in which fans broke through one of the main entry gates.

The game, which was originally scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET, kicked off at 9:22 p.m., and after 120 minutes of regular and extra time Argentina pulled out a 1-0 victory to win the Copa América -- their third consecutive major tournament title and a record 16th trophy in the South American tournament.

The delays before kickoff began when, earlier in the day, video on social media showed fans breaking through the southwest gate at Hard Rock Stadium, with some being tackled or otherwise apprehended by police and security personnel. A security guard manning an interior entrance to the stadium confirmed to ESPN that the southwest gate at the venue had been locked down because of a breach.

Both teams were taken off the field during their respective warmups as the chaos brewed outside.

The stadium briefly went on lockdown, before Hard Rock Stadium issued the following statement: "In anticipation of tonight's Copa America Final, thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk. Security has shut the gates in order to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe.

"As a result, tonight's match start time has been delayed until further notice to accommodate for ticketed fans to be able to safely enter the stadium."

Organizers ultimately reopened gates to allow fans to enter the stadium as people at the front of lines were beginning to get crushed by those in behind them. A Hard Rock Stadium spokesperson told reporters: "In collaboration with CONMEBOL and law enforcement officers, the decision was made to open the stadium gates for a short period of time to all fans in order to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter. There was serious concern of fans being crushed in an attempt to enter."

Earlier in the day an officer for the Miami-Dade Police Department told ESPN that all gates were locked down after the initial rush of fans, while another officer said it kept changing, describing the situation as "very fluid."

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister's mother Silvina said she needed her son's assistance to enter the stadium and described the situation outside as "inhumane." She said the two were in constant communication as Mac Allister waited in a Hard Rock Stadium tunnel to assist his family inside.

"Alexis had to leave the locker room to help us get in because he was worried. I thought [the game] couldn't continue," she said in a post on social media. "I thought the game wouldn't be played because if the players thought they would resolve this, impossible that it would be played. It was inhumane. We are okay.

"We were in communication with Alexis the whole time, but he said he would stay outside until we would come in. he waited for us until we came in. We hugged him once inside, left him to be calm and told him to win."

Reports said that an estimated 7,000 people without tickets gained entry to the stadium, and prior to kickoff, fans were crowding the aisles and walkways. Security personnel were seen clearing those areas once the game had begun and checking to see if fans without seats had tickets.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and chief public safety officer James Reyes released a statement during the game expressing outrage at what they had seen and saying the county assigned more than 550 police officers to the stadium detail, plus other personnel from neighboring departments.

"Let's be clear: This situation should have never taken place and cannot happen again," read the statement. "We will work with stadium leadership to ensure that a full review of tonight's events takes place immediately to evaluate the full chain of events, in order to put in place needed protocols and policies for all future games."

The Miami-Dade Police issued the following statement after the initial lockdown of the stadium occurred: "We have had several incidents prior to the gates opening at Hard Rock Stadium for the COPA America final game. These incidents have been a result of the unruly behavior of fans trying to access the stadium.

"We are asking everyone to be patient, and abide by the rules set by our officers and Hard Rock Stadium personnel."

Video and images taken by ESPN showed fans crowding around the southwest gate waiting to be let in. Fans have been congregating at Hard Rock Stadium since well before the planned kickoff at 8 p.m. ET, with one parking lot attendant saying he had been called to work early given that fans started to arrive as early as 6 a.m.

A handful of people could be seen receiving medical treatment and asking for water in the sweltering South Florida heat. Officers were able to push the crowd behind black gates and lock down the entrance so that no one could get inside, although plenty of fans had already made it to their seats before then.

A sellout crowd of more than 65,000 was expected for the championship match of the South American tournament, with Argentina looking to defend its title.

It was unclear which of the fans who gained entrance during the rush had tickets to the match. CONMEBOL, South America's governing body, released a statement a day before warning that fans must have tickets to enter the venue.

The Copa América has been plagued by organizational and planning issues almost from the moment the tournament started, with teams complaining about field conditions, field sizes, the state of training fields, as well as crowd control issues.

At the conclusion of Wednesday's semifinal when Colombia beat Uruguay, Uruguayan players Darwin Núñez and Ronald Araújo went into the stands at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, when they thought family members were in danger from opposition fans.

ESPN writer Lizzy Becherano contributed to this story, while information from The Associated Press was also used.

- Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent

COLOMBIA, ARGENTINA CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY AT COPA AMÉRICA FINAL AFTER SEMIFINAL BRAWL

AP

 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Argentina and Colombia expressed safety worries ahead of Sunday night’s Copa America final, days after Uruguay’s Darwin Núñez and a handful of his teammates went into the stands amid a brawl following a semifinal loss to Colombia.

“I’m concerned about what could happen tomorrow,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter, speaking in a news conference Saturday before his team goes for a record 16th Copa America title against Colombia.

The incident happened Wednesday just after referee César Ramos blew the final whistle following Colombia’s 1-0 defeat of Uruguay. Núñez and teammates climbed a staircase into a raucous crowd, and video showed Núñez hitting a fan in Colombian team colors.

Uruguay captain José Giménez said players went in the crowd to protect their families. Coach Marcelo Bielsa later criticized tournament organizers for not doing enough to safeguard families of players seated in the stands behind the Uruguay bench. It took more than 10 minutes for police to arrive and to restore order.

“What happened is very sad because the families are not to blame,” Colombia midfielder Juan Quintero said. “We don’t want these things to happen during the match. We know that there are high emotions at stake. No one wants violence. Football cannot be tainted by incidents of this kind.

“I am concerned about what’s happened, and we hope that it will not happen tomorrow.”

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez expressed similar concern, calling for the tournament to “reinforce security” for the final.

- Alanis Thames