Vietnam national team improves its FIFA ranking; Messi confirms return to Barcelona.

The Vietnamese national team has risen to 110th in the world rankings.

FIFA has announced the November 2025 rankings, in which the Vietnamese national team moved up one place to 110th in the world. Points from the 2-0 victory against Laos were not included due to the early announcement to facilitate the draw for the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

Some friendly matches and qualifying rounds that took place close to the data cutoff date have not yet been updated. The victory against Laos in the fifth match of Group F of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup will be added to the next ranking, promising to help Vietnam improve its position.

In Asia, Japan leads, followed by Iran and South Korea. Vietnam ranks 20th in Asia and 2nd in Southeast Asia after Thailand.

The team has concluded its 2025 international schedule and will return during the FIFA Days in March 2026, with a match against Malaysia in the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup.

The women's national team departs for training in Japan.

In preparation for the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's national team will train in Japan from November 21st to 30th. Compared to the roster announced on October 17th, the team has withdrawn five players due to injuries or professional reasons and added six players from Ho Chi Minh City FC after they completed the group stage of the Asian Women's Club Championship.

Two members of the coaching staff from Ho Chi Minh City FC have also been added to the national team.

The team departed at 1:35 AM on November 21st and is expected to land in Nagoya at 8:00 AM. During the 10-day training camp, the women's team will play three friendly matches against university teams in Nagoya to assess their form and refine their playing style.

The team returned to Ho Chi Minh City on November 30th, rested for two days to acclimatize to the weather before heading to Chonburi (Thailand) on December 2nd to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.

English club makes record bid for McTominay.

Scott McTominay has gradually become one of the most sought-after names in Europe after his spectacular transformation at Napoli.

From a player initially considered unsuitable at Manchester United, the Scottish midfielder has transformed himself into one of the most outstanding attacking players in Serie A. It's easy to understand why Everton are willing to break their transfer record to bring him back to the Premier League.

According to Fichajes, Everton are aggressively pursuing McTominay and are considering a £62 million bid, surpassing the £50 million record they paid for Richarlison in 2018. Manager David Moyes believes McTominay can replicate the role previously played by Marouane Fellaini.

"He highly values ​​McTominay's ability to surge forward from the second line, which can make a big difference in transitions," the source said.

However, Napoli and coach Antonio Conte consider McTominay an irreplaceable key player, especially as the team is competing in the Champions League. His departure from Serie A at the peak of his career remains a big question mark.

Joining Napoli for £25.4 million in 2024, McTominay adapted quickly, scoring 13 goals in his first season and helping the team win the Serie A title. His brilliant form earned him the Serie A Player of the Year award and placed him 18th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting.

This season, the 28-year-old midfielder has scored 4 goals for Napoli and recently scored a spectacular overhead kick against Denmark, leading Scotland back to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Neymar is injured again.

On the morning of November 20th, Neymar scored in the 1-1 draw between Santos and Mirassol in the 34th round of the Brazilian National Championship. However, immediately after the match, the 33-year-old striker felt unwell and showed signs of a recurrence of his thigh muscle injury.

Earlier, despite scoring the opening goal, Neymar failed to be the hero, making a mistake that led to Santos conceding a goal in the second half.

Neymar committed a foul on an opponent inside the Santos penalty area, allowing Mirassol to equalize 1-1 after Reinaldo successfully converted the penalty. With this draw, Santos dropped to 16th place and are now only one point above the relegation zone with four rounds remaining in the season.

Neymar's injury is bad news for Santos in their fight to avoid relegation in the Brazilian Serie A. On November 16th, Neymar was considered a key factor in Santos's stunning 1-0 victory over Palmeiras in a rescheduled match from round 13 of the Brazilian league.

When Neymar returned to Santos in January, Brazilian fans expected a bright new chapter. However, the 33-year-old star has been plagued by injuries. He has returned for a few games only to suffer a relapse each time.

For almost a year, Neymar only played 25 matches, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists, a performance far below expectations. If Santos were relegated along with Neymar, it would be a disaster.

Messi confirms he will return to Barcelona after leaving Inter Miami.

At the "Best Barcelona Star of the 21st Century" awards ceremony organized by SPORT magazine, Lionel Messi unexpectedly shared his future plans. He confirmed that his family will return to Barcelona to settle down after he finishes his playing career.

Messi said he still has a few years left with Inter Miami, but he will definitely return to Barca as a fan: "Barcelona is my home. We miss it a lot and we will definitely come back."

Meanwhile, the 2026 World Cup is particularly anticipated as it could be the last World Cup for both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi has already scored 13 goals in 26 World Cup matches, just four goals short of Miroslav Klose's record of 16. With his seven goals at the 2022 World Cup, he is expected to break this record.

Fans are also looking forward to the possibility of Messi and Ronaldo facing off in the 2026 World Cup final.