Sports

With nearly 1,000 matches and 189 teams, the Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan is bloated even by FIFA's usual standards. It marks a change in its attitude to children's international tournaments, which have not existed on anywhere near this scale before. For Germany, it is too much too soon. The German FA (DFB) told DW that it had "consciously decided not to participate." The statement from the organization suggested the DFB — whose development of young players is under scrutiny after a run of poor performances by the men's national team — felt such a tournament was not appropriate for players so young. "At this age level, our identification and development process is still underway, and we therefore do not believe it is appropriate to nominate a fixed squad for an international tourname...

To most Bayern Munich fans under the age of 40, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was the club CEO who regularly spoke his mind. But for those with longer memories, or a better grasp of Bavarian football history, he was one of the club's all-time great players. He was also the last Bayern man to win the Ballon d'Or, in 1981. The last Bundesliga player to win was Borussia Dortmund's Matthias Stammer, in 1996. That long drought looks set to end on Monday, with Harry Kane, born 12 years after Rummenigge's win, the favorite to pick up the trophy at a ceremony held, as a one off, in his native London. "It's obviously special for me that the ceremony is taking place in London. "I come from London and lived there for a long time — maybe that's a good omen," Kane told club magazine Säbener51. "The Ballon d'...

"We are absolutely in love with him. He's been an incredible manager. The results are extraordinary and we're flying."  Those words from Ben Parker will be familiar to fans of any club who have been on the kind of winning run Brighton and Hove Albion are currently on. But all the signs on and off the pitch suggest that the man in question — Brighton's German coach Fabian Hürzeler  — is more than just a flash in the Premier League pan. Hürzeler has never coached in the Bundesliga. After winning promotion to Germany's top flight with St. Pauli  in 2024, he left to become the youngest man ever to take charge in England's Premier League at 31. His team currently sit third, having won six games in a row including a 5-0 thrashing of bitter rivals Crystal Palace last weekend. It was the repea...

In 2021, when Franz Wagner joined the Orlando Magic to start his NBA career, his older brother Moritz was already on the team. Franz, who is four years younger, was selected eighth overall in the draft by the team who had signed Moritz a few months earlier. It's not just their joint appearances in the NBA that have since turned the "Wagners" into something of a brand in basketball. Just last year, the NBA had a regular-season game in Berlin, partly because of the Wagner brothers. Moritz is a successful podcast host and often has his brother on the show. Both have their own Instagram accounts, each with around 300,000 followers. In 2024, the German public broadcaster ZDF aired a four-part TV documentary about the brothers, chronicling their basketball history and close relationship. In r...

In 2021, when Franz Wagner joined the Orlando Magic to start his NBA career, his older brother Moritz was already on the team. Franz, who is four years younger, was selected eighth overall in the draft by the team who had signed Moritz a few months earlier. It’s not just their joint appearances in the NBA that have since turned the "Wagners" into something of a brand in basketball. Just last year, the NBA had a regular-season game in Berlin, partly because of the Wagner brothers. Moritz is a successful podcast host and often has his brother on the show. Both have their own Instagram accounts, each with around 300,000 followers. In 2024, the German public broadcaster ZDF aired a four-part TV documentary about the brothers, chronicling their basketball history and close relationship. In r...

Rwanda's sports portfolio has grown after confirming it will host Formula One races from the early 2030s. The track is to be built in Bugesera near Kigali International Airport, which Qatar Airways, an F1 sponsor, owns 60% of. "To be an African and to see it happening in real time, for me in my lifetime because Kyalami [the track in South Africa where F1 was last hosted in Africa] was before I was born, I'm more than happy to have it on the continent," South African presenter and content creator Nqobile Khwezi told Sky Sports. "To be able to give that taste back to the rest of the world and the audience of Formula One would be an absolute delight." F1 have also highlighted the benefits for the host nation. "Through this race we have the opportunity to inspire and bring the passion of F...

Most people who watch sport had likely barely given Rwanda a second thought until recently. The sponsorship deals the country's tourist board has with Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain were fairly low-key and, for many, quickly became just another logo. Mohamed Keita sees real danger in that. "People have become so used so seeing 'Visit Rwanda' that they don't even see it anymore – it's like McDonald's. Nobody thinks about what 'Visit Rwanda' is, what's behind it." For Keita, the Africa director at the non-profit Human Rights Foundation, the discourse over the clubs' Rwanda deals, sparked by a letter from the foreign minister of neighboring DR Congo, has finally shone a little more light on the dire situation in the east African country. "I think the vast majority of Rwanda...

Rwanda's sports portfolio has grown after confirming it will host Formula 1 races from the early 2030s. The track is to be built in Bugesera, near the Kigali International Airport, which is 60% owned by Qatar Airways, who also sponsor F1. "To be an African and to see it happening in real time, for me in my lifetime because Kyalami [the track in South Africa where F1 was last hosted in Africa] was before I was born, I'm more than happy to have it on the continent," South African presenter and content creator Nqobile Khwezi told Sky Sports. "To be able to give that taste back to the rest of the world and the audience of Formula One would be an absolute delight." F1 too have highlighted the benefits for the host nation. "Through this race we have the opportunity to inspire and bring the pa...

Defiance was the word that stood out as Manchester City returned home for the first time since they were found guilty of 114 financial charges by the Premier League in a case that's made headlines around the world. City showed a measure of it on the pitch, even as they lost 4-2 to holders, Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League group stages on Wednesday. Among the home fanbase at the Etihad Stadium, DW found universal support for City's Abu Dhabi owners — headed by Sheikh Mansour, who is also UAE's vice president and deputy prime minister.Players like Erling Haaland may be forced to leave if City's punishment is severImage: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/REUTERS "I'm all in with the ownership now," said local fan Matt. "If we end up back in non-league, so be it. We've ...