New coach Montse Tome was about to announce her squad on Friday for the Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland on September 22 and 26. Spanish Women's Football team continue to reject national team call-ups as they want more changes at the Spanish football federation following the scandal over Luis Rubiales' kiss."

Read Also: Asian Games 2023 Indian football team squad: Sports Ministry announces a new squad with Gurpreet, Sandesh and Sunil

Spanish football is in the mud since Rubiales forcibly kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips in front of the world's media after Spain defeated England in the Women's World Cup final on August 20 in Australia. 81 Spanish players, including the 23 world champions wrote a letter last month stating they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

Since then Rubiales has resigned and the football federation sacked their controversial coach Jorge Vilda. Spanish media said the players would release a statement outlining the changes that they still expect to see before they return to the pitch.

FIFA has revealed the seedings for the Group Stage Draw for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The 32 qualified clubs will know their fate on 5 December 2024, as the groups and the opponents will be decided for each participating team. However, According to DailyMail, FIFA has revealed the pots according to the seedings ahead of the draw on Thursday.

The expanded FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, and will be held in various stadiums in the United States. 

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group Stage Draw details

Date: 5 December 2024

Time: 11:30 PM IST

Streaming: FIFA.com, FIFA+ App and Supporting Channels

Pots and Group Stage Draw

32 clubs have been divided into 4 pots comprising 8 clubs in each pot. Each group at the Club World Cup will consist of one team from Pot 1, a team from Pot 2, one from Pot 3, and one from Pot 4. This is how the Group Stage Draw will decide the potential opponent for the clubs on Thursday.

The Group Stage will have eight groups, consisting of 4 teams in each group playing a single game in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will earn qualification for the Round of 16 and after the quarter-finals and semi-finals are over, two teams will meet each other in the final set to be played on 13th July 2025. 

Read Also | Qualified teams for Club World Cup 2025

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Pots 

Pot 1

Manchester City (England)

Real Madrid (Spain)

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Flamengo (Brazil)

Palmeiras (Brazil)

River Plate (Argentina)

Fluminense (Brazil)

Pot 2

Chelsea (England)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Inter Milan (Italy)

FC Porto (Portugal)

Atletico Madrid (Spain)

SL Benfica (Portugal)

Juventus (Italy)

FC Salzburg (Austria)

Pot 3

Al-Hilal SFC (Saudi Arabia)

Ulsan HD FC (South Korea)

Al Ahly FC (Egypt)

Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

CF Monterrey (Mexico)

Club Leon (Mexico)

Boca Juniors (Argentina)

Botafogo (Brazil)

Pot 4

Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)

Al-Ain FC (UAE)

Esperance (Tunisia)

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Pachuca (Mexico)

Seattle Sounders (USA)

Auckland City (NZL)

Inter Miami (USA)

A remarkable crop of young talent continues to grace the football world in 2024, with under-21 players attracting enormous attention and high prices. In addition to being the sport's future, these up-and-coming talents are already having a big influence on their teams and the global scene. 

These U21 players are not only influencing the success of their clubs but also changing the economics of contemporary football as transfer markets soar to previously unheard-of heights. Let's take a look at the players leading the list.

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Lamine Yamal- €181M

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin responded to recent criticism of footballers playing an excessive number of matches and warned that reducing the number of matches can result in less revenue and lower wages for the players.

According to The Sun, the UEFA President stated:

Ceferin sparked controversy after the General Assembly of the European Clubs Association, held in October 2024, where he stated that only the high-paid players expressed dissatisfaction, while those who earn less did not make any public statement regarding the issue. 

The European calendar of football and its unbalance were discussed in the assembly though Ceferin admitted that the schedule in congested and reached the maximum limit. 

The long-growing displeasure

UEFA and FIFA had already been slammed by footballers and coaches about the increasing number of games per season.

UEFA faced severe criticism after introducing the UEFA Nations League, back in 2018 with a new format including promotion and relegation. Controversies started hovering as various theories suggested this tournament to be a series of friendlies branded into a tournament to generate more revenue for UEFA. 

The Nations League matches are played during the international breaks when European teams used to feature in friendlies or take part in the qualifiers matches. 

However, many prominent footballers and managers did not welcome the idea of this new tournament. Following the 2021 UEFA Nations League third-place play-off match between Italy and Belgium on 10 October 2021, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois publicly criticized FIFA and UEFA in the post-match interview with Sky Sports:

"This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it,"

"We just play it because for UEFA it's extra money.

"They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don't care about the players, they just care about their pockets.

"It's a bad thing that players are not spoken about. And now you hear about a European Championship and a World Cup every year, when will we get a rest? Never."

"So in the end top players will get injured and injured and injured. It's something that should be much better and much more taken care of,

"We are not robots! It's just more and more games and less rest for us and nobody cares about us."

Former Germany coach Hansi Flick addressed his concern about the increasing number of matches in a press conference on 10 June 2022. Flick responded to a question:

"This should be looked at and we need to ask ourselves how we can offer players a break because that is important,"

"UEFA or FIFA should look into these things and take some measures."

In a very recent interview ahead of Belgium's clash against Israel in the Nations League in September 2024, Courtois' national team-mate Kevin De Bruyne addressed the same issue along with the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which is set to be played in 2025.

🚨⚠️ De Bruyne: “The PFA and other player associations have tried to find solutions…”.

“The issue is UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches”.

“We can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found”.

“It seems money speaks louder than players' voices!”, says via @Reuters. pic.twitter.com/8PzTIogMlQ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 7, 2024

"The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup...We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches,"

"The issue is that UEFA and Fifa keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players' voices"

via Reuters

Criticism and legal actions regarding the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025

The FIFA Club World 2025 will introduce an expanded format that will feature 32 participating teams competing for the glory. This new tournament has further increased the number of matches in a season and resulted in grievances from prominent players and managers.

2024 Ballon d'Or winner and Manchester City's midfielder Rodri expressed his concern about the excessive number of games and said that every player should have an optimum number of matches to play every season.

"From my experience I can tell you that 60-70 [is no good]. Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform in the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level."

"This year we can go to 70, maybe 80, I don’t know. It depends how far you go in the competitions. It is too much. We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of ourselves because we are the main characters of this sport or business or whatever you want to call it."

via The Guardian

However, this long-growing cold war between the players or officials and the governing bodies has now turned into a legal battle. 

The tension emerged when FIFPro, the worldwide players' union, and the European Leagues, which represents 37 domestic leagues submitted a legal claim against FIFA on 13 June 2024, "challenging the legality of FIFA's decisions to unilaterally set the International Match Calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025."

Here is the official legal claim.

"We don't have enough dates anymore in the calendar."

The Premier League's director of international relations, Mathieu Moreuil, states that legal action is the 'only option' as they allege that FIFA have failed to consult properly regarding football fixtures 😬 pic.twitter.com/GHqgwY8rgF

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 14, 2024

At the European Commission in Brussels On 14 October 2024, the protesting bodies jointly filed a legal complaint against FIFA over FIFA's imposition on match calendars. 

Check the official legal complaint here.

The third international break of the year has already started and the players are on their national duties. But the question remains, will there be any change regarding this distressing issue?

Various international women's football players have cemented themselves in history books by achieving remarkable records. At the forefront is Canada's Christine Sinclair, an iconic figure in women's football

This collection of players and their impressive accomplishments underscore the development of women's football and the extraordinary talent that has emerged within the sport over the years. Let’s take a closer look at these stellar performers

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Babra Bander: Zambia- 7 

From the streets of Lusaka to the global stage, Barbra Banda’s journey is a testament to determination and raw talent. Born in Zambia’s capital, Banda started playing football at the tender age of seven. But her early sporting prowess wasn’t confined to just football.

Inspired by renowned Zambian boxer Catherine Phiri, Banda also dabbled in boxing at 14, quickly making a name for herself. She dominated the amateur scene, and after winning every bout and seeing other fighters hesitant to face her, Banda turned professional, where she won all five of her matches. However, football eventually took center stage in her life.

In October 2018, Banda signed with Spain's first division club, EDF Logroño, becoming the first Zambian woman to play football in Europe. Her career continued to soar when, in March 2024, she joined the Orlando Pride in the United States, signing a four-year contract that would keep her with the club until 2027.

Her impact on the international stage began early. Banda played for Zambia’s U-17 women’s team at the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, turning 14 during the tournament. Two years later, on March 6, 2016, she made her senior team debut in a Women’s Nations Cup qualifier against Namibia.

The peak of her career came at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Banda captained the Zambian national team as they made their debut appearance at the prestigious tournament. She became the first woman to score consecutive hat-tricks in Olympic history, netting three goals in a 3-10 loss to the Netherlands, she scored another three in a 4-4 draw against China. These performances also made her the first woman to score two hat-tricks in a single Olympic tournament.

Read Also: I didn't set a date or a deadline": Lionel Messi hints at retirement after hat-trick against BoliviaFIFA World Cup 2026: Teams qualified so far

Michelle Akers: United States of America- 7

🇺🇸 @MichelleAkers10
👕 No10 in 1999, 1995 and 1991

All-time #FIFAWWC record
Games: 13
Goals: 12 pic.twitter.com/XlnsSkLXAe

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 1, 2024

The name Michelle Akers is synonymous with U.S. women’s soccer dominance. With seven career hat-tricks, Akers helped the U.S. win the inaugural 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, leading the tournament with 10 goals, including five in a single game.

Her leading the team was crucial to the U.S. women's team securing its first-ever world title, and she later played a vital role in the 1999 World Cup and 1996 Olympics victories. 

Akers was also the lead scorer in the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup in China in 1991. The U.S. women's team defeated Norway 2–1 in the final with Akers scoring both goals.

Ali Al-Biski: Libya - 7

Ali Al-Biski, a former Libyan footballer, played as a striker and holds the record as Libya's all-time top scorer despite the nation’s limited participation in FIFA events during his time. He led the Libyan Premier League in scoring twice—first in 1965 with Al-Madina SC, and again in 1968 with Al Ahli Tripoli. He recorded seven hat-tricks for the national team.

Pelé: Brazil - 7

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, famously known as Pelé, was a Brazilian forward and a football icon, widely hailed as one of the greatest players in history. With a Guinness World Record for 1,279 goals in 1,363 games (including friendlies), Pelé was named Athlete of the Century by the IOC in 1999 and featured in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the 20th century. He debuted for Santos at 15 and for Brazil at 16, winning three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) and scoring seven hat-tricks for Brazil.

Sándor Kocsis: Hungary - 7

Sándor Kocsis, a Hungarian striker, played for Ferencvárosi TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, and FC Barcelona. After relocating to Spain post-1956 Hungarian Revolution, Kocsis joined Barcelona’s squad. He led the 1954 World Cup with a record 11 goals, scoring 23 times for Hungary that year—a single-year record. Kocsis was also the first player to achieve two hat-tricks in a World Cup.

Cristiane: Brazil- 8

Brazilian forward Cristiane stands alongside the greats, boasting eight hat-tricks throughout her career. A prolific goal scorer, she played a key role in Brazil's silver medal triumphs at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Cristiane has participated in five FIFA Women’s World Cups and four Olympics, with her most recent hat-trick coming in Brazil’s 3-0 victory over Jamaica at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Ali Daei: Iran - 8

Iranian striker and former national team captain, Ali Daei, was renowned as the world’s top scorer in official internationals per the IFFHS, netting 20 goals in 1996. During the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, he scored nine goals over 17 matches, amassing 38 goals in 52 appearances by that time. In 2004, he became the first male to score 100 international goals, reaching 102 with a four-goal game against Laos.

Gerd Müller: Germany - 8

Gerd Müller, a prolific German striker known for his precision in the penalty area, is considered one of football’s top scorers. With West Germany, he scored 68 goals in 62 games. For Bayern Munich, he scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches and 65 goals in 74 European games, holding a league scoring record. Müller’s eight hat-tricks include two in the 1970 World Cup.

Poul Nielsen: Denmark - 8

Danish striker Poul Nielsen scored 52 goals in 38 games, sharing Denmark’s top-scoring record. He earned a silver medal at the 1912 Olympics and led Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) to six Danish championships. Scoring eight hat-tricks in international play, Nielsen was an iconic figure for Denmark until his death in 1962.

Abby Wambach: United States of America- 8

Mary Abigail Wambach, born on June 2, 1980, is a retired American soccer player, coach, and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee. A six-time recipient of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a key player for the U.S. women’s national team from 2003 to 2015.

She earned her first international cap in 2001 and, as a forward, became the highest all-time goal scorer for the U.S. national team. Globally, she ranks second in international goals for both men and women with 184 goals, trailing only Canada's Christine Sinclair.

Wambach competed in four FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments: the 2003 edition in the U.S., the 2007 event in China, the 2011 tournament in Germany, and the 2015 competition in Canada. She also represented the U.S. in the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Olympics.

Throughout these five major international tournaments, Wambach played 30 matches and netted 22 goals. She helped her team secure two Olympic gold medals, third-place finishes twice at the Women's World Cup, a second-place finish in 2011, and ultimately, a World Cup victory in 2015.

Read Also: FIFA World Cup 2026: Teams qualified so far

Carli Lloyd: United States of America- 9

Carli Lloyd is another legend of international football, having represented the U.S. from 2012 to 2021. Over her remarkable career, she earned two Olympic gold medals (in 2008 and 2012) and won two FIFA Women's World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. In addition, she was named FIFA Player of the Year twice, in 2015 and 2016, and competed in four Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021).

Lloyd’s capacity for rising to the occasion was evident when she scored the decisive goals in the gold medal matches of both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She was also instrumental in the U.S. clinching World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, she also secured a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She played in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the US finished as runners-up.

Ali Mabkhout: UAE - 9

Ali Mabkhout, a forward for Al Nasr and the UAE national team, debuted with Al Jazira in 2009. A pivotal figure in UAE’s 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinal win over Australia, he became UAE’s top scorer on October 10, 2019, with a hat-trick against Indonesia in a 5-0 victory.

Sven Rydell: Sweden- 9

Swedish striker Sven Rydell scored 49 goals in 43 matches, a record that stood for over 80 years until broken by Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2014. Rydell’s international career included a bronze medal at the 1924 Olympics, and he holds the Swedish record of nine international hat-tricks.

Vivian Woodward: England - 10

Vivian Woodward, an English forward, starred from the early 1900s to World War I, playing for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. As Great Britain’s captain, he won gold at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics, recording six hat-tricks for England amateurs and four for England’s national team.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal- 10

At the age of 18, Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal as a substitute against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003. At UEFA Euro 2004, he scored his first international goal in a 2–1 group stage loss to Greece in his eighth international appearance.

In 2016, Ronaldo led Portugal to their first-ever trophy at the UEFA Euro 2016, although he was subbed off in the 25th minute in the final against hosts France.He received the Silver Boot as the second-highest goalscorer.

In the 2018 World Cup, Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match, in a 3–3 draw against Spain Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to score 10 hat-tricks for a national team on 12 October 2021 in Portugal's 5–0 win against Luxembourg, breaking Sven Rydell's record.

Lionel Messi:Argentina -10

Lionel Messi debuted for Argentina’s U20 team in 2004 and won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. His senior debut came in 2005 at 18. In 2021, he ended Argentina’s 28-year trophy drought with a Copa América win. On October 15, 2024, Messi scored his 10th international hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Bolivia.

Christine Sinclair: Canada- 11

Christine Margaret Sinclair is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). From 2000 until her international retirement in 2023, she was a key member of the Canadian national team. 

Sinclair is an Olympic gold medalist, two-time Olympic bronze medalist, CONCACAF champion, and has won the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award 14 times. She holds the world record for the most international goals scored by any player, male or female, with 190 goals and is among the most-capped players in international soccer, with 331 appearances.

In a career spanning more than two decades with the senior national team, Sinclair has competed in six FIFA Women's World Cups and four Olympic Football Tournaments, leading her team to bronze medals in 2012 and 2016, and to gold in 2020.

She is one of only three players to score in five different World Cup tournaments, alongside Marta and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2022, Sinclair was honored with the Best FIFA Special Award for her achievement as the world’s top goal scorer.

Notably, Sinclair scored her eleventh international hat-trick during a 2012 Olympic match against the United States, netting all three of Canada’s goals in a 3–4 loss.

Read Also: Most valuable Spanish players in history: Yamal goes past Rodri

Alex Morgan: United States of America- 12 

Alexandra Patricia Morgan, born on July 2, 1989, is a retired American professional soccer player who last played as a striker for San Diego Wave FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), where she served as captain, as well as for the United States national team. She co-captained the U.S. national team with Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe from 2018 to 2020, and later with Lindsay Horan in 2023.

Morgan was the first overall pick in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Western New York Flash, where she made her professional debut and contributed to the team's league championship win. At 22, she was the youngest player on the U.S. national team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the team finished as runner-up.

During the 2012 London Olympics, Morgan scored the decisive goal in the 123rd minute of the semi-final against Canada. She ended 2012 with 28 goals and 21 assists, becoming the second American woman, after Mia Hamm, to record 20 goals and 20 assists in a single year. This achievement made her the sixth and youngest U.S. player to reach 20 goals in one season. Morgan was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year and became a FIFA World Player of the Year finalist.

She played a crucial role in the U.S. team's victories at the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups, earning a spot on the Dream Team in both tournaments and winning the Silver Boot in 2019. Morgan recorded her eleventh international hat-trick with five goals on 11 June 2019 in the United States 13–0 victory over Thailand in the 2019 World

Her record-breaking twelfth international hat-trick came in 2021 against Paraguay in a game where the United States dominated and won 8-0

FIFA published the latest international rankings on 24 October 2024 after the international break in October 2024. The 2022 World Champions Argentina remains on top of the list. The Indian National Football team climbed up to 125th from their 126th position in the previous rankings published on 19 September 2024. 

FIFA Rankings: Top 10 (24 October 2024)

The World Champions Argentina continues to be in the 1st position even though they were handed over a -5.52 points deduction. Argentina ended the game against Venezuela in a 1-1 draw and had a majestic 6-0 win over Bolivia during this international break. 

Among the top 10, Brazil received the most points in this latest rankings as they received +12.35 points in total but they remain in the 5th position. Brazil had an away win against Chile by 2-1 and thrashed Peru by 4-0 on home soil. 

Colombia received the most points deduction in the top 10 teams and they have dropped to 10th after a -14.35 points deduction. However, Colombia lost 0-1 against Bolivia in an away match but had a 4-0 victory at home against Chile. 

Top 10

Indian National Football Team 

India faced a drop in the rankings published on 19 September 2024 as they slipped to 126th position from their previous 124th. However, India has now climbed up to the 125th position with +0.26 points received.

India was set to participate in a series of tri-nation friendlies against Vietnam and Lebanon during the international break in October 2024 but Lebanon withdrew due to political unrest in their country. India faced Vietnam on 12 October 2024 and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. 

Things we lob to see 😍

Farukh deftly lobs it over the keeper to equalise for India against Vietnam! ✨

Catch all the action from #VIEIND LIVE on #FanCode!#BlueTigers @IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/xlDz1LPFKU

— FanCode (@FanCode) October 12, 2024

The Indian team is yet to win a game under new manager Manolo Marquez and their next outing is set to be against Malaysia in a friendly on 19 November 2024.