France hooker Peato Mauvaka said on Friday his Toulouse and Test team-mate Romain Ntamack will want to prove his worth against Matthieu Jalibert this weekend when the two fly-halves come face to face in a titanic French Top 14 tussle in Bordeaux.
England boss Thomas Tuchel said this month's friendlies are the "last opportunity for players to compete for their ticket" to the World Cup but insisted "no one is on the plane" yet.
Pep Guardiola believes Sunday's League Cup final against Arsenal is the acid test of his side's "level" as Manchester City aim to get their season back on track.
- IRA bomb victims drop civil court claim against Gerry Adams
- French jihadist jailed for life for Islamic State crimes against Yazidis
Culture
Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in "Walker, Texas Ranger," has died, his family said Friday. He was 86.
March 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Far from the Middle East war, fallout from oil disruptions is reverberating across the world, unsettling lives from Lagos to Manila as people adjust to fuel price hikes and gas shortages.
March 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
German auto industry exports to China plunged by a third last year as the country's manufacturers face fierce local competition, a study showed Friday, underscoring the sector's deepening crisis.
March 20, 2026
Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde is to step down at the end of the season after a hugely successful third spell in charge, he announced Friday.
March 20, 2026
Mohamed Salah will miss Liverpool's trip to Brighton on Saturday with a muscle injury -- a major blow for manager Arne Slot as he hunts a Champions League place next season.
March 20, 2026
Sports
Ukraine's world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh dominated the women's high jump to win the first gold on offer at the world indoor championships in Torun, Poland, on Friday.
March 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente named in-form Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia in his 27-man squad on Friday as one of four maiden call-ups for friendlies later this month.
Mohamed Salah will miss Liverpool's trip to Brighton on Saturday with a muscle injury -- a major blow for manager Arne Slot as he chases a Champions League place next season.
Seafarers stuck in the Gulf say they are rationing food and water and anxiously hoping supplies will get through Iran's blockade in the war that has stranded them for three weeks.
Firefighters battled another blaze at a Kuwait oil refinery on Friday after a fresh drone attack from Iran where millions were marking the country's New Year with muted celebrations under the shadow of war.
March 20, 2026
Sports
Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo as well as Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin on Friday earned international recalls as Thomas Tuchel named a 35-man squad for pre-World Cup friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
March 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Forced by yet another war in Lebanon to flee his home for the second time in just two years, and mourning lost relatives and friends, Hassan Kiki said he feels much older than 16.
Firefighters battled a blaze at a giant oil refinery in Kuwait on Friday after a fresh drone attack as Iran kept up a wave of strikes on its neighbours and vowed there was "no concern" about its missile production.
Crude prices dipped Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was being "decimated" and that the war would end earlier than many feared.
Beneath the powder snow at internationally popular Japanese ski resort Niseko, anxiety is mounting among residents over soaring prices and a massive influx of overseas workers.
March 20, 2026
- Snooker great O'Sullivan makes history with highest-ever break
- India to tackle global obesity with cheap fat-loss jabs
- Somaliland centre saves cheetahs from trafficking to Gulf palaces
- China swim sensation Yu, 13, beats multiple Olympic medallist
- James ties NBA record for most regular-season games in latest milestone
- Trump's Mideast muddle could play into Xi's hands at planned summit
- New BTS album drops ahead of comeback mega-gig
- Australia must be 'smart' to beat Japan in Asian Cup final: coach