More than 1.6million requests for tickets for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa were recorded between February 20 and March 31, world football governing body FIFA announced on Wednesday.
Thirty per cent of the 1,635,136 requests were made by people from South Africa, followed by requests from in order the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia. FIFA said applications were made by people from a total of 205 countries.
Tickets for the opening match and the final were the most popular, while 50 per cent of requests were for the matches of particular teams.
The distribution of tickets for the most popular matches will be decided by a draw on April 15, with participants in the draw to be informed by the end of April if they have been success…
Signings have been made and new managers are now in charge at some clubs, but how much will actually change in the Premier League this season?
The two teams who finished at the top seem nigh-on impossible to shift, at least according to the statistical evidence compiled after an incredible 2018-19 title race.
Champions Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool lost five games between them as they battled for the trophy until the final day, leaving others trailing well behind.
Will the gap widen with Eden Hazard torn from Chelsea, or can Manchester United close in after laying stronger defensive foundations?
We assess those questions and more in the Opta data preview for 2019-20.
City and Liverpool set to dominate again
It will…
Aston Villa s Jordan Nobbs is now the outright leader for Women s Super League appearances after playing her 193rd game.
The midfielder started on Saturday, though she could not help Villa avoid a 4-2 defeat to Brighton, who were inspired by full debutant Nikita Parris.
While Nobbs could not mark her special day with a victory, there can be no taking away from the 31-year-old s achievement.
Nobbs tally includes eight appearances in the WSL Spring Series. Before Saturday, she was level with Chelsea s Sophie Ingle, who is out injured.
The new all-time appearance holder!
— Barclays Women s Super League (@BarclaysWSL)
She has started 158 games in total, and taken part in a hugely impressive 124 wins only now-retired Stephanie Ho…
This should be an intriguing game between two teams with plenty to fight for. Liverpool will not have given up on the possibility of sneaking into the top four, despite their odds of being able to do that have gone to 16/1. West Ham are looking a bit better after the last couple of weeks but if they have a bad result and the teams below them get a result then they are right back in the relegation mix.
Rafa Benitez has had a torrid time this season and when you look at the investment in the squad last summer it is easy to see why. It is only now that top players Torres and Gerrard have been performing that results have picked up. It might be too little too late, and things will be that little bit more difficult now that Torres appears to be unavailable again.
Gianfranco …
Italy´s rollercoaster: Sweden woe, Euro 2020 glory, record-breaking run and North Macedonia humiliat
Italy have failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup following a shock 1-0 defeat by North Macedonia on Thursday.
For the first time in their history, the Azzurri will miss out on successive finals after Aleksandar Trajkovski struck a stoppage-time winner at Renzo Barbera.
Roberto Mancini s side triumphed at Euro 2020 just eight months ago, defeating England on penalties in the final to claim their second title.
But four years after their playoff defeat by Sweden denied them a place in Russia, they will be absent in Qatar after suffering their first ever loss on home soil in a World Cup qualifier.
It is fair to say it has been quite the journey from one World Cup qualifying failure to another.
Swede success
Despite finishing behind Spain in…
Jurgen Klopp confirmed he once held talks with Napoli s chatty president Aurelio De Laurentiis about potentially becoming the club s coach prior to joining Liverpool.
De Laurentiis has previously spoken of his admiration for Klopp and reports have suggested they discussed a possible collaboration in 2013, when the German was still at Borussia Dortmund.
Rafael Benitez ended up taking the job and Klopp stayed put, but ahead of Tuesday s crunch Champions League clash against Napoli, the Liverpool manager admitted such a conversation took place.
When asked about De Laurentiis claims and whether he wants to coach in Italy one day, Klopp said: I still have a contract here, three and a half years, so I am not sure if anybody wants me after that.
Next up,
Only one win separates these two teams, with the Seahawks and their two wins just ahead of the Jaguars’ one. That probably doesn’t give a fair indication of the differences between the two teams, given that the Seahawks are in the fiercely competitive NFC West.
Can Trevor Lawrence continue to showcase the skills that got him picked at first overall in this year’s NFL draft? Consult our NFL picks and predictions for the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, October 31 to find out.
…
An old rivalry will renew on Sunday but with a new twist.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have done battle in the AFC North for decades but traditionally, it has been Pittsburgh playing the role of the big brother to Cincinatti’s helpless little brother.
This season, however, will begin with the Bengals wearing the divisional crown while the Steelers look at a daunting trip around the quarterback carousel.
With two intriguing offenses clashing on the Ohio River, we take a look at the Steelers vs. Bengals with our best NFL player prop picks.
…
The final week of the NFL preseason is upon us, and the Steelers and Falcons will kick off the action tonight.
Pittsburgh claimed victory in its first two preseason contests, scoring exactly 27 points in each outing. Head coach Mike Tomlin said his starters will play an undetermined amount of time against Atlanta, who have a win and a tie in its two preseason contests. The Falcons have not said who exactly will start, or how long the first unit will play.
Those decisions will directly impact the way this game shakes out, and we discuss how that affects your betting strategy in our Steelers vs. Falcons preseason NFL picks and predictions for Thursday, August 24.
Steelers vs Falcons odds
Steelers vs Fal…
After getting eviscerated by C.J. Stroud last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be in an even worse spot this week when they host a Tennessee Titans team who have the rest advantage and enter as slight road dogs in the latest NFL odds.
With the Bucs’ secondary possibly entering Week 10 without both of its starting corners, can bettors rely on the Tennessee play-calling to take advantage of a great opportunity within its passing game?
I break down the Week 10 odds and offer my free NFL picks for Titans vs. Buccaneers on November 12.
Titans vs Buccaneers odds
Titans vs Buccaneers predictions
Over the last four games, opposing quarterbacks have shredded a Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary …