Former U.S. national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema are among more than 100 women’s soccer players who have signed an open letter protesting FIFA’s sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco.

In two months' time FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup.

Next year’s championship of the expanded Club World Cup will be played on July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, site of the 2026 World Cup final.

FIFA has been urged by international lawyers to uphold its own policy and scrutinize Saudi Arabia’s human rights record before picking the kingdom to host the men’s 2034 World Cup.

FIFA will seek independent legal advice before holding an extraordinary council meeting by July 20 to make a decision on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas.

FIFA will urge all 211 national federations to make racist abuse a disciplinary offense.

FIFA has moved toward ending decades of soccer tradition by reviewing the policy that currently block domestic league games being played in other countries.

A 32-team World Cup for clubs is FIFA’s big play to change the face of soccer.

FIFA says the first edition of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States will be staged from June 15 to July 13, 2025.

When the Olympic movement and international soccer lived through very public corruption crises, both agreed to limit the terms of their presidents in an effort to protect them in the future.

A report prepared by FIFA and the global players' association says players at the Women’s World Cup were 29% more likely to receive online abuse than those at the men’s tournament in 2022.

The near certainty that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men’s World Cup unites two of the most influential men in world sports.

Saudi Arabia is all but certain to host the men’s 2034 World Cup after the Australian soccer federation declined to enter the bidding contest.

Indonesian soccer federation leader Erick Thohir says it now supports Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup.

Soccer officials in Australia and Indonesia have floated the idea of teaming up in a bid to rival Saudi Arabia for the hosting rights to the men’s World Cup in 2034.

Saudi Arabia has formally informed FIFA of its wish to host the men’s World Cup in 2034 in a bidding contest that increasingly looks designed for the oil-rich kingdom to win.

If Saudi Arabia could have designed a process for choosing future World Cup hosts, it might look similar to what FIFA has unveiled for the 2030 and 2034 men’s soccer tournaments.

FIFA has approved the possible reintegration of Russian youth teams into its competitions and eased a total ban on the country in international soccer amid the war in Ukraine.

A reputation built over decades that European soccer body UEFA is the good guy compared to FIFA as a cartoon caricature villain is being tested in this tough season for off-field politics.

The president of Spain’s soccer federation has defiantly refused to resign for kissing a female player on the lips after the Women’s World Cup final.

The leader of Spain’s soccer federation marred the country’s Women’s World Cup victory after kissing a player on the lips during the medal ceremony, drawing criticism for inappropriate conduct in a sport that has struggled to overcome sexism.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Friday that the Women’s World Cup has “broken even” after generating more than $570 million in revenue but again dismissed suggestions for equal prize money with the men’s World Cup.

Players who reached the knockout round of the Women’s World Cup got larger individual bonuses that can be life-changing to many of them.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he is engaging with member federations to make sure that the $30,000 payments designated for every player at the Women’s World Cup reach the athletes.

At the behest of players from across the globe, FIFA has agreed that a chunk of the prize money pool at the Women's World Cup go straight to the players — all 732 of them.

A leading anti-discrimination group in soccer says there is an “urgent crisis” in the game because of racial and offensive abuse.

The global soccer players’ union says is working with FIFA to make sure that payments promised to all players at the Women’s World Cup actually reach them.

Budweiser will still be the official World Cup beer through the 2026 tournament in the United States.

Spanish soccer is again embroiled in a racism debate and the support for Vinícius Júnior is growing rapidly after yet another case of abuse against the Brazil forward this weekend.

Officials and witnesses say that fans angry at being blocked from entering a Salvadoran soccer league match knocked down an entrance gate to the stadium, leading to a crush that killed 12 people and injured dozens.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino seems slightly more optimistic about completing what he would see as an acceptable deal for the broadcast rights to the upcoming Women’s World Cup in five key European countries.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's tactic of publicly criticizing broadcasters for offering to pay too little to screen the Women’s World Cup has not worked out yet.

Indonesia has been stripped of hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup amid political turmoil regarding Israel’s participation.

Indonesia could lose its chance to host a global youth soccer tournament, and its chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after refusing to welcome a team from Israel.

The Women’s World Cup is getting an increase in prize money of more than 300% for this year’s tournament.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been re-elected by acclaim to another four-year term after suggesting the financial results under his leadership would keep an industry CEO in the job for life.

The expanded World Cup in North America has gotten even more supersized.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be re-elected this week to lead a richer-than-ever soccer body with an ambition to add new and bigger competitions despite growing wariness of him in Europe.

FIFA’s choice of Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima as its first global fan ambassador is not popular with a leading advocate for women's soccer.

World Cup winner Lionel Messi has won FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award for 2022.

The tournament in Qatar has been described by FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the “best World Cup ever.”.

Morocco has been rewarded by FIFA with hosting rights for the next Club World Cup in February.

The idea that Morocco could co-host the 2030 World Cup with near-neighbors Spain and Portugal seemed a bit crazy when it was floated four years ago.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he's ”immensely proud” that France reached the World Cup final after he traveled to Qatar to watch the team’s win over Morocco in the semifinals.

European soccer has again showed public frustration with FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the World Cup.

FIFA’s threat of on-field punishment for players has pushed World Cup teams to back down.

FIFA has tried to end a standoff with European teams about wearing unauthorized captain armbands for an anti-discrimination campaign that draws attention to World Cup host Qatar.

The World Cup began in Qatar 12 years after the tiny gulf nation secured the rights.

Qatar has opened the Middle East’s first World Cup with its ruler sitting next to the leaders of two countries that only a year and a half earlier were part of a boycott trying to bring the energy-rich nation to its knees.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has downplayed Qatar’s last minute ban on the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums as nothing more than a brief inconvenience to spectators.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has delivered a one-hour tirade on the eve of the World Cup’s opening match and then spent about 45 minutes answering questions from media about the Qatari government’s actions and a wide range of other topics.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has urged world leaders to call for a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the World Cup that starts later this week.

Russia hosted the World Cup party in 2018 but now it's off the guest list.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says picking Qatar to host the World Cup was a mistake 12 years ago.

Soccer's top officials have urged the 32 teams preparing for the most political World Cup in the modern to focus on the game in Qatar and avoid handing out lessons in morality.

The first World Cup in the Middle East is only one month away.

The president of soccer’s world governing body has met with Indonesia’s president and pledged to help improve stadium safety to prevent a repeat of a tragedy in which police fired tear gas at a match, causing a crush that killed 132 people.

Ukrainian soccer federation president Andriy Pavelko says hosting World Cup matches in 2030 would be “the dream of people who survived the horrors of war” after his country launched a joint bid with Spain and Portugal.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo says locked gates had contributed to the crush at the soccer stadium that left 131 dead and over 400 injured when police fired tear gas and set off a panicked run for the exits.

A minute of silence has been observed before soccer matches around the world in honor of victims of the disaster at a stadium in Indonesia that claimed at least 125 lives.

FIFA has formally moved the World Cup start up by one day to Nov. 20.

The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled.

The Olympic soccer competition at the 2024 Paris Games will conclude with the women’s final for the first time.

Alex Morgan converted on a penalty in the 78th minute and the U.S. national team won the CONCACAF W Championship 1-0 over Canada on Monday night to secure one of the region’s spots in the 2024 Olympics.

Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and Seattle and Kansas City, Missouri, were the newcomers among the 11 U.S. sites picked to host games at the 2026 World Cup, while Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Tennessee, and Orlando, Florida, were left out.

U.S. Soccer's agreement with its men's and women's national teams for equal pay has its roots in the past while it looks toward the future.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally.

The name “FIFA” can bring to mind images of the World Cup and soccer’s greatest players.

Electronic Arts will stop making its hugely successful FIFA video game in its current name.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says migrant workers gain pride from hard work while he was being questioned about workers suffering in Qatar while building World Cup infrastructure.

The most controversial World Cup ever will feature in Qatar the most politically charged matchups.

A senior Qatari leader overseeing security for the World Cup has told The Associated Press that rainbow flags could be taken from supporters.

The appearance by video of the head of Ukrainian soccer, wearing an armored vest from the streets of Kyiv, brought the impact of Russia’s war into the FIFA Congress.

A Norwegian soccer official has delivered a scathing criticism of World Cup host Qatar and FIFA to an audience of executives on the eve of the tournament’s draw.

Qatar is the next stop on the global tour of major sports events to nations led by autocratic governments who are often decried by human rights activists.

Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been denied.

The ban on Russian soccer teams from European competition has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Russian soccer federation has appealed to have its FIFA and UEFA bans frozen and other punishments overturned.

FIFA has intervened to allow foreign players and coaches based in Russia to leave their clubs, although only for the rest of the season.

Cindy Parlow Cone was re-elected to a four-year team as U.S. Soccer Federation president, beating predecessor Carlos Cordeiro in an endorsement of the governing body’s settlement of a lawsuit by women players.

A behind-the-scenes scuffle is taking place for American soccer’s leadership.

Patrice Motsepe is approaching the end of his first year as Confederation of African Football president.

FIFA’s fading plan for biennial World Cups has been labeled a threat from soccer to all other sports by the International Olympic Committee.

Israeli soccer coach Avram Grant will be investigated by FIFA after being accused in a new investigative report of sexually harassing multiple women.

The head of the U.S. Soccer Federation says the unions for the women’s and men’s national teams have not committed to agreeing to a single pay structure.

Host Cameroon came from behind to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the opening game of the African Cup of Nations.

The U.S. Soccer Federation and the union for its women’s national team agreed to a three-month extension of their labor contract through March, a move announced on the same day players filed a brief asking a federal appeals court to reinstate their equal pay claim.

Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon have been set a target of about 18 months to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says Formula One is “duty bound” to raise awareness of human rights issues as the series closes its season in the Middle East.

The U.S. Soccer Federation says it has offered identical contract proposals to the players’ associations for the men’s and women’s national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money is not equalized.

The pitch intruders claimed to have very good reason to be confronting players only seven minutes into Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina.

Players on the U.S. women’s national soccer team urged a federal appeals court to reinstate their equal pay lawsuit, saying their greater success than the American men was not taken into account by a trial court judge who dismissed their case.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says the shock of Slovenia's 10-day war 30 years ago prepared him for the battle that nearly split European soccer last week.

Athletes who make political or social justice protests at the Tokyo Olympics have been promised legal support by a global union and an activist group in Germany.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has directly appealed to the owners of English clubs in the Super League project to change their minds out of respect for soccer fans.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says players at the 12 clubs setting up their own Super League could be banned from the European Championship and next year’s World Cup.

Human rights activists are denouncing FIFA President Gianni Infantino's starring turn in a promotional video for the Saudi Arabian government in which he claims the kingdom has made important changes. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)FIFA is unveiling a program to educate its member associations worldwide about how to properly handle player harassment and abuse. This is the objective of the FIFA Guardians Programme," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. The FIFA program also addresses physical abuse and other forms of harassment. Cook said the FIFA Forward program obligates member federations to participate, although the organization may introduce more strident mandates.

Infantino overlooked FIFA's own significant issues with Saudi Arabia in the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That has not happened with beIN, which owns the rights to World Cup matches across the Middle East, outlawed in Saudi Arabia. FIFA did not say if Infantino challenged Prince Mohammed on human rights issues in Saudi, given the governing body's own code. Scrutiny over Infantino's links to Saudi Arabia in 2018 led to FIFA offering assurances that no nation would be allowed to fund its plans for new competitions. The takeover collapsed amid concerns about piracy and human rights complaints.

(Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool via AP)U.S. women's national team players and the U.S. Soccer Federation settled their long-running lawsuit over inequitable working conditions compared with the men's team while leaving their dispute over unequal pay for additional litigation. “We want the women’s team as well as their lawyers to see that we want to move in a different direction,” Parlow Cone said. "We remain as committed as ever to our work to achieve the equal pay that we legally deserve. Or else when I’m president, you can go elsewhere for World Cup funding,” referring to the 2026 men’s World Cup, set to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. FIFA scheduled the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial turf but the men's World Cup has been played exclusively on grass.

ZURICH – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has tested positive for COVID-19. Infantino has traveled little during the coronavirus pandemic, but he attended a signing ceremony at the White House last month to mark normalized relations for Israel with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Infantino’s infection comes as Switzerland reports a spike in COVID-19 cases. Switzerland has reported 127,000 cases this year, with more than 23,000 since last Friday. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports