La selección de Suiza ganó el primer título de su historia, en el 13er Campeonato Mundial Sub 17 de la FIFA (Sub 16 hasta 1991) que se disputó en Nigeria. Los helvéticos tuvieron un paso arrollador, que dejó en el camino a los grandes del fútbol mundial y de la categoría: Brasil, Alemania, Italia y la propia Nigeria, que era la poseedora del trofeo.

We're almost to the 2010 World Cup in Africa, as the continent is now half way through their last phase of Cup qualifying.
Where do we stand? Let's take a look at the standings for the five groups.
Remember, the five group winners go to the 2010 World Cup. The top three in each group advance to the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.

Honduras became the 12th team to qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria from Oct. 24-Nov. 15. They joined the U.S. and Mexico in representing CONCACAF, with one bid from the region still outstanding - that will be either Guatemala or Costa Rica and we'll find out tomorrow (Sunday).
New Zealand won the Oceania bid on Friday afternoon.

Courtesy of FIFA:
Victory on all fronts for Brazil: after winning the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, the Seleção have regained the top spot in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, thus relegating European champions Spain (2nd, down 1) to second place. The South Americans last topped the ranking in August 2007, a position to which they have climbed six times in the history of the ranking.

This man is officially heading out of MLS and to Ligue 1!
The Chicago Fire today announced that defender Bakary Soumare has been transferred to Boulogne of the French first division pending the completion of a physical with the French club. Per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

.World Cup qualifiers Europe (Group 1) Denmark 1 1 Portugal Hungary 1 2 Sweden World Cup qualifiers Europe (Group 2) Moldova 0 0 Luxembourg Israel 0 1 Latvia Switzerland 2 0 Greece World Cup qualifiers Europe (Group 3) Poland 1 1 Northern Ireland Slovakia 2 2 Czech Republic World Cup qualifiers [.

Hola Geri, what's the joke? We don't know what it is that's making Gerard Pique laugh like that during training, but we'd be laughing too if we had just scored a goal like his last night. And he's not the only Barca boy who scored for his NT...
- With all four Barca players who were called up to Spain (Pique, Puyol, Xavi, Busquets) starting their country's match against Belgium, Gerard Pique scored the third goal as Spain went on to win 5-0.

This weekend was the World Cup qualifying climax in Africa, and there was plenty of qualification drama to go around. The winners of each of the five groups qualified for World Cup 2010, and everyone else missed out. But there was a pretty decent consolation prize for the ten second and third placed teams, as World Cup qualifying doubles as Africa Cup of Nations qualifying and the top three in each group qualified for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations (also known as the African Nations Cup, ACN and CAN) in Angola.

I would have thought that Franck Ribery and Franz Beckenbauer now finally agree on something. The French sensation should have been sold. Der Kaiser has watched new manager Louis van Gaal take a measly 2 points from his first 3 matches, and, following this weekend, the kings of German football are sat in a rather peasant-like 14th in the Bundesliga.

Chelsea supporters know all too well the defensive contribution made by one Didier Drogba. What we weren't aware of was the Drogs' Jesus-like view of himself in this light.

"I often sacrifice myself for the good of the team," Drogba said, where and to whom I have no idea.

Este sábado 24 de octubre, iniciará en Nigeria la Copa del Mundo FIFA Sub-17 Nigeria 2009 y con ella, la participación de la Selección Nacional Mexicana Sub-17.

El conjunto que dirige José Luis González China, ya se encuentra lista en tierras africanas y en óptimas condiciones, preparado para esta justa mundialista, donde la mira es alta.

The groups for the Africa Cup of Nations 2010 were drawn today, which should go at least some way to cheering up teams like Egypt and Tunisia who very narrowly missed the World Cup 2010 boat.

The tournament takes place in Angola from January 10th to January 31st, 2010. We've got blogs and bloggers for 12 of the 16 teams involved in the tournament.

World Cup qual. - Africa (Group 1) June 6 FT Gabon 3 - 0 Togo World Cup qual. - Africa (Group 2) June 6 FT Tunisia 2 - 0 Mozambique World Cup qual. - Africa (Group 3) June 6 FT Zambia 1 - 0 Rwanda World Cup qual. - Africa (Group 5) June 6 FT Malawi 0 - 1 Burkina Faso World Cup qual.

Las 24 selecciones que disputarán la Copa Mundial Sub-17 de la FIFA Nigeria 2009 ya conocen su destino, luego del sorteo final realizado este viernes 7 de agosto en Abuja, capital del país africano.

México es parte del Grupo B, que tendrá como sede Lagos y se medirá con Suiza el 24 de octubre; posteriormente tendrá como rival a Brasil el 27 del mismo mes y cerrará la primera fase contra Japón, el 30 de octubre.

Qualifying for the 2010 World Cup continues on September 5th, 6th, and 9th with a full set of matches in every region. The biggest matchup will be in CONMEBOL with Argentina v Brazil. Other teams in action on are the United States, England, Spain, Italy, and France. After the matches in September, qualifying will resume in October and wraps up in November.

The home continent of the 2010 World Cup is close to having its 5 qualifying sides defined for The Great Tournament. The 1st team to officially qualify is Ghana. The Black Stars defeated Sudan 2-0 at home to secure top spot in Group D. Goals by Inter midfielder Sulley Muntari & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien sealed the victory.

There is soccer action galore on TV today, with a handful of top-notch rivalries on display.

Manchester United-Liverpool is the marquee game of the day, but there is so much more to watch. West Ham-Arsenal, Boca-River, Club America-Chivas and Marseille-Paris St. Germain are some of the quality tilts American soccer fans will have to choose from today.

Jogaram pelas oitavas de final do Mundial Sub-17, na cidade de Kano, no Sani Abacha Stadium, com uma temperatura de 37ºC, as seleções da Espanha (2ª no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção de Burkina Faso (55º no ranking da FIFA).
Esse foi o primeiro jogo, entre essas 2 seleções na história de jogos da FIFA.

Having already qualified for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup, Gambia claimed its second African U-17 trophy on Sunday, dispatching host Algeria 3-1 in the final. En route to the crown, the Baby Scorpions scored 12 goals in five matches while only conceding one - a penalty kick in the final.
The other teams that will look to keep the U-17 World Cup trophy on the continent are Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and host/reigning world champion Nigeria.

Let's face it, The Flames are one of the feel good stories of 2009. With a 100+ FIFA ranking, the team is fighting for a chance to compete in the 2010 World Cup as the squad sits in Group 5 with Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire. While a berth in the 2010 WC is unlikely especially with Côte d'Ivoire in the group, the nation still has a great opportunity to qualify for the next African Cup of Nations.

The season lets out and internationals start up, and our players turn their attention to their national teams as they play qualifiers for the World Cup in 2010.
Alexander Hleb participated with Belarus against Andorra yesterday, his team won 5-1. Alex captained the team and played the full match.

African World Cup qualifying is halfway to its conclusion as the Motherland continues to give the footballing world more to talk about as this round of matches ranged from the hardly interesting 0-0 draws like Morocco v Togo to 5 goal thrilers like Burkina Faso v Côte d'Ivoire. Interestingly, the visiting team took at least 1 point in all but 3 matches this weekend.

Several of Barca's players were on international duty yesterday, and they all came out of their matches undefeated...
- With Puyol, Pique, Xavi and Busquets in tow, Spain beat Macedonia 3-2, with Gerard Pique scoring the second goal - that's our boy!
- Dani Alves came on during the second half for Brazil as they defeated Estonia 1-0.

The home continent of the 2010 World Cup is close to having its 5 qualifying sides defined for The Great Tournament. The 1st team to officially qualify is Ghana. The Black Stars defeated Sudan 2-0 at home to secure top spot in Group D. Goals by Inter midfielder Sulley Muntari & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien sealed the victory.

In Africa, there is a little margin for error. With only six qualifying matches in the final stage, you have room for one mistake. If you drop points unexpectedly, you will get a reverse fixture to try and reclaim them. If you drop points a second time (especially if it's to the same team), you are done.

It is International Week in the footballing world, and club matches, at least in Europe will not take place. The World Cup Qualifiers and Friendlies will take place this week. We bring you a list of Arsenal players representing their countries today (5th September):

• Cesc Fabregas (Spain) - Spain Vs Belgium (WCQ)

• Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium) - Spain Vs Belgium (WCQ)

• William Gallas, Abou Diaby, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna (France) - France Vs Romania (WCQ)

• Phillipe Senderos (Switzerland) - Switzerland Vs Greece (WCQ)

• Eduardo (Croatia) - Croatia Vs Belarus (WCQ)

• Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic) - Slovakia Vs Czech Republic (WCQ)

• Robin van Persie (Netherlands) - Netherlands Vs Japan (Friendly)

• Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark) - Denmark Vs Portugal (WCQ)

• Andrei Arshavin (Russia) - Russia Vs Liechtenstein (WCQ)

• Alex Song (Cameroon) - Gabon Vs Cameroon (WCQ)

• Emmanuel Eboue (Ivory Coast) - Ivory Coast Vs Burkina Faso (WCQ)

• Wojciech Szczesny (Poland) - Poland Vs Northern Ireland (WCQ)

GO GUNNERS!

Jogaram em Accra, no estádio Ohene Djan Sports Stadium, para um público ainda indefinido, pelas eliminatórias da África, as seleções de Guiné (71º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção de Burkina Faso (55º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
25-02-1968 - Burkina Faso 2x0 Guiné
31-03-1968 - Guiné 3x1 Burkina Faso
02-04-1968 - Guiné 1x3 Burkina Faso
10-01-1973 - Guiné 3x2 Burkina Faso
29-01-1994 - Burkina Faso 1x1 Guiné (5x4 nos penaltis)
12-01-1997 - Burkina Faso 0x2 Guiné (Eliminatórias Copa)
08-06-1997 - Guiné 3x1 Burkina Faso (Eliminatórias Copa)
09-07-2000 - Burkina Faso 2x3 Guiné (Eliminatórias Copa)
20-01-2004 - Guiné 1x0 Burkina Faso
28-03-2009 - Burkina Faso 4x2 Guiné (Eliminatórias Copa)
O quarteto de arbitragem foi o seguinte:
Árbitro: Jamel Ambaya-LYB
Primeiro Assistente: Foaad EL MAGHRABI - LYB
Segundo Assistente: Naseraldin MEHMED-LYB
Quarto Árbitro: Adel EL RAAY-LYB
Aos 34 minutos do primeiro tempo, o jogador Mamadou DIALLO recebeu cartão amarelo pela seleção de Guiné.

There is soccer action galore on TV today, with a handful of top-notch rivalries on display.

Manchester United-Liverpool is the marquee game of the day, but there is so much more to watch. West Ham-Arsenal, Boca-River, Club America-Chivas and Marseille-Paris St. Germain are some of the quality tilts American soccer fans will have to choose from today.

Algumas estatísticas das eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo:
Continente Africano.
Já fizeram gols no Continente africano, pelas eliminatórias da copa, 268 jogadores, e os 5 maiores artilheiros do continente africano são:
1º - Moumoni DAGANO - Burkina Faso - 11 gols
2º - Frederic KANOUTE - Mali - 8 gols
3º - Samuel ETOO - Camarões - 8 gols
4º - Razak OMOTOYOSSI - Benin - 7 gols
5º - Didier DROGBA - Costa do Marfim - 6 gols
Maior número de cartões:
1º - Mohammed KALLON - Serra Leoa - 4 cartões amarelos
2º - Stephane SESSEGON - Benin - 4 cartões amarelos
3º - Yazid MANSOURI - Argélia - 4 cartões amarelos
4º - Saidou PANANDETIGUIRI - Burkina Faso - 4 cartões amarelos
5º - Alaeldin YOUSIF - Sadão - 4 cartões amarelos
Continente Europeu
Já fizeram 384 jogadores, gols nas Eliminatórias da Europa.

Jogaram pelo Mundial Sub-17, na cidade de Enugu, no Nnmadi Azikwe Stadium, com uma temperatura de 31º C, as seleções da Nova Zelândia (83º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção de Burkina Faso (55º no ranking da FIFA).
Esse foi o primeiro jogo, entre as 2 seleções na história de competições oficiais.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

by FRANCO PANIZO

The U.S. Under-17 men's national team finally put together a strong performance in its final group match, and its reward for beating the United Arab Emirates is a Round of 16 date to face Italy.

Saiu, a tabela da primeira fase da Copa Africana de Nações 2010.
Grupo A
10/01/2010 – Luanda – Angola x Mali
11/01/2010 – Luanda – Malawi x Argélia
14/01/2010 – Luanda – Mali x Argélia
14/01/2010 – Luanda – Angola x Malawi
18/01/2010 – Luanda – Angola x Argélia
18/01/2010 – Cabinda – Mali x Malawi
Grupo B
11/01/2010 – Cabinda – Costa do Marfim x Burkina Faso
11/01/2010 – Cabinda – Gana x Togo
15/01/2010 – Cabinda – Burkina Faso x Togo
15/01/2010 – Cabinda – Costa do Marfim x Gana
19/01/2010 – Luanda – Burkina Faso x Gana
19/01/2010 – Cabinda – Costa do Marfim x Togo
Grupo C
12/01/2010 – Benguela – Egito x Nigéria
12/01/2010 – Benguela – Moçambique x Benin
16/01/2010 – Benguela – Nigéria x Benin
16/01/2010 – Benguela – Egito x Moçambique
20/01/2010 – Benguela – Egito x Benin
20/01/2010 – Lubango – Nigéria x Moçambique
Grupo D
13/01/2010 – Lubango – Camarões x Gabão
13/01/2010 – Lubango – Zâmbia x Tunísia
17/01/2010 – Lubango – Gabão x Tunísia
17/01/2010 – Lubango – Camarões x Tunísia
21/01/2010 – Benguela – Gabão x Zâmbia
21/01/2010 – Lubango – Camarões x Tunísia
2ª Fase
24/01/2010 – Luanda – 1º do Grupo A x 2º do Grupo B
24/01/2010 – Cabinda – 1º do Grupo B x 2º do Grupo A
25/01/2010 – Benguela – 1º do Grupo C x 2º do Grupo D
25/01/2010 – Lubango – 1º do Grupo D x 2º do Grupo C
Semifinal
28/01/2010 – Luanda – Jogo 1 x Jogo 4
28/01/2010 – Benguela – Jogo 2 x Jogo 3
3º Lugar
30/01/2010 – Benguela – Perdedor S1 x Perdedor S2
Final
31/01/2010 – Luanda – Vencedor S1 x Vencedor S2

And so to the final part of our mammoth World Cup round-up where we tie up all the loose ends in Asia, the CONCACAF region and, to begin with, Africa...br /br /span style="font-size:130%;"span style="font-weight: bold;"Africa/span/spanbr /br /The third and final round of qualifying got underway last Saturday with the remaining twenty teams split into five groups of which only the winners will reach South Africa 2010.

African World Cup qualifying is halfway to its conclusion as the Motherland continues to give the footballing world more to talk about as this round of matches ranged from the hardly interesting 0-0 draws like Morocco v Togo to 5 goal thrilers like Burkina Faso v Côte d'Ivoire. Interestingly, the visiting team took at least 1 point in all but 3 matches this weekend.

Its that time once again to give praise to the football team that caught our attention more than any other squad. To let the world know that MAF recognizes their accomplishments. The Mad About Fútbol Team Of The Week played matches and/or made headlines during the calendar week of June 15-21.

Tomorrow marks the start of Lyon's 2009-2010 season. For the first time in a really long time, Lyon will be fighting to earn back the title, as opposed to defending it (maybe this will help the team wake up from their apathy). Tomorrow they'll be facing Le Mans, who are definitely capable of surprises on their good days.

Geri and Cescy aren't wasting any time, now are they? Pique is back on the Spanish NT along with Puyol, Xavi and Busquets for their country's friendly against Macedonia; while several other Barca players have also left to join their national teams...
In other freindlies, Gudjohnsen and Iceland will face Slovakia; Messi and his country Argentina are up against Russia; Dani Alves joins Brazil for their meet with Estonia; Keita will participate in Mali's match with Burkina Faso; while Yaya Toure takes on Tunisia with his team, Ivory Coast.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola is only left with three fit players (Valdes, Pinto, Pedro) and three injured ones (Iniesta, Marquez, Maxwell) to carry on with training, as the rest of the lads are off to join their national teams, for this week's World Cup qualifers:
- The biggest match is set to be the clash of giants when Argentina take on Brazil in Rosario, which happens to be the hometown of Lionel Messi.

Good
Well in World Cup qualifiers week it was good for Spain, England, Brazil and Paraguay who all booked their places for the biggest football festival next year in South Africa, the World Cup. Spain and England have 100% records so far. The Spaniards beat Estonia 3-0, while England crushed the team that denied them a place in the Euro 2008 competition, Croatia, 5-1.

Many Gunners are in action today, not playing for Arsenal, but for their respective countries. If you want to catch them live in action today, you are at the right place. Here are the live streaming links for today's matches:
Russia Vs Liechtenstein (Arshavin) - 18:00 CET
Sopcast:
sop://broker.