Sports

Hamburg announced on Tuesday that Kathleen Krüger would become the football club's new board member in charge of sport as of July 1. "By appointing Kathleen Krüger, HSV (Hamburg) is securing the services of a highly respected figure who has worked at the highest international level for many years at FC Bayern München," the club said in a statement on its website. "Over the course of 17 years, she has gained extensive experience in the sometimes emotionally charged environment of an elite club, helped shape key processes and demonstrated exceptional organizational and leadership skills." The former midfielder has held several positions at Bayern and was most recently serving as head of organization and infrastructure at the club. "I’m absolutely delighted by the trust that has been plac...

The wait for a first Champions League title since 2020 goes on for Bayern Munich after holders Paris Saint-Germain knocked them out at the semifinal stage. A 1-1 draw in Munich on Wednesday completed a 6-5 aggregate win. After a breathless 5-4 first leg defeat in Paris that has already been labeled one of competition’s greatest games, Bayern soon found themselves two down in the tie. Ousmane Dembele delivered the early blow, the former Borussia Dortmund forward lashing home in the third minute after some smart work from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Holders PSG showed in the French capital that they are not a side to always sit tight on a position of strength and both sides continued at a rapid pace. PSG’s leftback Nuno Mendes was lucky to escape a second yellow card for handball. Instead, the ...

Mexico will end the school year more than a month early, the country's education minister has announced, as it prepares to host the World Cup amid a scorching heat wave. Education Secretary Mario Delgado made the announcement in a social media post on Thursday, prompting a wave of criticism amid fears about the impact on education and concerns from parents who will need to find alternative childcare. On Friday, President Claudia Sheinbaum appeared to backtrack, saying the schedule was merely a proposal. But Delgado doubled down during an event in the northern state of Sonora. "We're going to end the school year on June 5 because many states are already experiencing high temperatures, and there's also the issue of the World Cup," the French AFP news agency quoted him as saying.Mexico pla...

Demand would be, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in January, equivalent to "1,000 years of World Cups at once." But with just a month to go until the start of the 2026 World Cup, tickets remain unsold for most matches, and it's unclear if any games have actually sold out. "The way it looks to me, I would not be too concerned about the hype of the World Cup being sold out," Gilad Zilberman, CEO of leading secondary market comparison site, SeatPick, told DW. "I think prices will drop," he added. "That's my gut feeling. I think FIFA is struggling." While FIFA failed to reply to a series of questions from DW on demand and sales figures, a recent report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) backed up Zilberman's analysis. It stated that nearly 80% of hotel bookings acro...

Colombian pop superstar Shakira has shared a minute-long clip of a new song, writing on social media: "From Maracana Stadium, here is 'Dai Dai,' the FIFA World Cup Official Song 2026." In the video clip, she appears on the field of Brazil's iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where Shakira drew a vast crowd for a free concert last weekend. Holding the "Trionda," the official World Cup match ball, she sings one verse in English with Nigerian artist and Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, harmonizing with her. "Knew from the day you were bornHere in this place, you belongYou've been this brave all alongWhat broke you once made you strong." Shakira is joined by dancers dressed in the colors of national teams taking part in the soccer tournament. The chorus repeats "Dai, dai, we go, dal...

Saudi Arabia's enormous investment in everything from football to snowboarding has been one of sport's major themes in the last decade. The oil-rich Gulf state offered astronomical wages to footballers in the twilight of their careers, won the right to host football's World Cup after developing strong ties with FIFA, bought a Premier League club, split the golf world and sought to host all manner of events, from snooker, through women's tennis to wrestling. The splurge was tied to the country's recently adjusted Vision 2030, a strategy to diversify its interests away from oil, and is widely considered to be a form of sportswashing, by which a country uses sports to distract from allegations of human rights abuses.  Which sports has Saudi Arabia withdrawn from? The most high-profile wit...

Strolling out to Notorious B.I.G.'s Hypnotize for his matches, Hossein Vafaei looks right at home on snooker's biggest stage.  It's been a long time coming.  For years, diplomatic red tape stalled his career, but he's now making up for lost time at the age of 31.  At the 2026 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, England, he became the first Iranian to reach the quarterfinals of the sport's top tournament, stunning world No.1 Judd Trump along the way before bowing out on Wednesday.  "I wasn't nervous, I enjoyed every moment. I was born for these kinds of situations," he said.  "I'm looking forward to playing anyone, I'm not scared of anyone and all of them know that. There’s no pressure, so why should I be worried?"  While that confidence is a new addition, his ability was never i...

Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi, a decorated Italian race driver and later para-cyclist, has died suddenly at the age of 59, his family said in a statement on Saturday.  "Alex fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by the affection of his loved ones," the statement said. The family didn't go into details on the cause of death, but the double amputee suffered severe cranial injuries in a road accident when riding his handbike in Siena in northern Italy in 2020.  Zanardi won six Paralympic medals and continued to race cars even after losing his legs Image: Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto/picture alliance Who was Alex Zanardi?  Zanardi was considered one of the brightest prospects of his generation in motorsport, but the stars never aligned for him in Formula 1. The Jordan, Minardi and Lotus teams he drove...

A North Korean women's soccer club will visit South Korea for a face-off between the rival neighbors, making it the first sports team since 2018 to play on the South's soil, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said on Monday. North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC is set to play against the South Korean Suwon FC ​Women ‌on May 20 in the semi-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions ⁠League. What do we know about the rare game? Pyongyang has sent ​a list of a delegation of 27 players ⁠and ​12 staff ​who would visit ​South Korea ‌for the semi-final ​of ⁠Asia's top-tier women's football club competition, ​the ministry said. It did not give further details on the exact date of the team's arrival, but the French AFP news agency reported they would arrive on May 17. The...

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), confirmed on Thursday that it will be cutting funding for its breakaway LIV Golf tour at the end of the current golf season, citing a change in investment strategy and "current macro dynamics" amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The PIF launched LIV Golf in 2022 as a rival to the established US PGA Tour, which has organized professional golf across North America since 1968. It followed similar billion-dollar Saudi sports investments across Formula 1, boxing, snooker, tennis, e-sports and football, with PIF purchasing a majority stake in Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021. Last year, Saudi Arabia was awarded the rights to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup as it looks to diversify its economy, despite a...