Defending champions India will take on Pakistan in the opening match of the SAFF Championship, which will kick off in Dhaka on November 5.

FIFA said on Friday that a decision on the venue for the 2030 World Cup final would be made "in due course", after Moroccan football federation president Fouzi Lekjaa said the showpiece match would be staged in Morocco.

Morocco will co-host the 2030 tournament with Spain and Portugal. It marks just the second time an African nation will host World Cup games, after South Africa staged the 2010 event.

Infantino, who is seeking another term as FIFA president, has faced mounting criticism since his failed proposal to sell a 20% stake in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors was abandoned in July following widespread opposition from football's regional confederations.

"The FIFA ASEAN Cup was launched to provide national teams with meaningful competitive opportunities within the men’s international match calendar," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

Under the FIFA Forward fund worth USD 3.6 million (approximately BDT 44 crore and 24 lakh), the BFF Technical Center is expected to include three football pitches, two four-storey dormitories, medical facilities, a gymnasium, a swimming pool and other amenities, subject to final approval from world football’s governing body, FIFA.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino remains committed to standing for re-election amid renewed opposition to his candidacy after a botched plan to sell a stake in FIFA competitions to private investors, a spokesperson for the global soccer body said on Sunday.

On Thursday, FIFA accused UEFA of launching a smear campaign and argued that its opposition to the selloff was motivated by a desire to preserve European football's dominance.

UEFA has made no secret of its desire to remove Infantino, who had hoped to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term next March after a highly successful World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has paid tribute to Lionel Messi following the Argentina great’s decision to retire from international football, calling his career “extraordinary” and praising the lasting impact he has had on the sport.

Since the World Cup, UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments until Infantino scrapped the FIFA Forward Enterprises plan to bring in private investment.

Bashundhara Kings have finally cleared the last of their FIFA registration bans, allowing the reigning Bangladesh Football League champions to enter the transfer market with just days remaining before the window closes.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has extended the club licensing deadline for defending champions Bashundhara Kings until September 1, after the club failed to complete the process by Friday’s deadline because of outstanding FIFA registration bans.

Co-owners of Argentine sport marketing company Full Play used bribes to secure media rights for matches including World Cup qualifiers and the Copa America

The 56-year-old Swiss chief of world football's governing body gained some respite when UEFA also announced later on Thursday that they were withdrawing, "on a provisional basis", their threat to boycott FIFA tournaments.

Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2034 men's World Cup, threw their its support behind FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Thursday as he continues to face criticism over the collapse of the governing body's controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.

UEFA, whose clubs and national teams dominate football's global economy, reacted furiously when it emerged in late July that Gianni Infantino's FIFA was aiming to create a commercial subsidiary to run its biggest events, such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

A FIFA spokesperson said all qualified teams would participate in next month's Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, the first major tournament that could have been affected by the standoff.

A group of former international players, including World Cup winners and FIFA legends, called on Monday for immediate change at world soccer's governing body, saying its leadership under embattled President Gianni Infantino had been blinded by power.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino laid out his manifesto for reelection as the champion of poorer soccer nations on Sunday as UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin ruled out running against him but said he thought there would be an opposition candidate.