Japan officially wins first ticket to the 2026 World Cup Finals; MU's surprising transfer move

Japan officially wins first ticket to the 2026 World Cup Finals

The Japanese team has officially become the first team (outside the three co-host countries of the US, Canada and Mexico) to win a ticket to the Final Round.World Cup 2026after a 2-0 victory over Bahrain in the 7th match of Group C, the 3rd qualifying round of the Asian region.

This victory helped coach Hajime Moriyasu's team continue to be unbeaten in the third qualifying round with 6 wins and 1 draw. After 7 matches, Japan has won 19 points, 13 points ahead of the team currently holding the 3rd place, Saudi Arabia, so they are sure to have a ticket to North America next year.

Saudi Arabia currently has 6 points and even if they beat China (6 points) in the late match, this team will only gain 9 points while there are only 3 more matches left in the qualifying round.

Thus, the 2026 World Cup Finals have determined the 4 participating teams: Japan and 3 host teams, including the US, Mexico, and Canada.

MU's surprise transfer move

MU are urgently looking for new players to upgrade their squad after an unconvincing season under Ruben Amorim.

In the context of Chelsea quickly recruiting Geovany Quenda, one of the targets that Manchester United is pursuing, the "Red Devils" quickly switched to pursuing Felix Nmecha of Dortmund. According to Bild, MU seriously considered recruiting defensive midfielder Felix Nmecha.

The player is valued at £40m. Dortmund were initially reluctant to sell, but their financial situation and the threat of missing out on next season's Champions League could force them to listen to offers.

Dortmund have struggled this season, but Nmecha has been a bright spot in the squad, making 27 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing two assists. The 24-year-old midfielder’s strengths lie in his ability to control the game, his quick thinking and his composure in midfield.

If he does end up at Old Trafford, Nmecha may have to work hard to win over the fans, as he came through the Man City academy alongside his brother Lukas Nmecha before leaving to join Wolfsburg in 2021.

5 countries participating in the 2025 International Youth and Student Football Tournament

The 2025 International Youth Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup has the participation of 6 teams from 5 countries, including: Life University (Cambodia), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Lao University, Malaysian University and 2 host teams from Vietnam: Ton Duc Thang University, Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The tournament will take place from March 22 to 30 at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City). The tournament has professional support from the Vietnam Football Federation. 6 teams are divided into 2 groups, playing a round-robin to calculate points and rank. The first and second teams in each group will compete in the semi-finals, the 2 semi-final winners will compete in the final, the 2 semi-final losers will compete for third place.

The results of the draw for the groups, group A includes 3 teams: Ton Duc Thang University, Life University (Cambodia) and Lao University; group B includes 3 teams: Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and Malaysia University. The first match of the tournament will take place on the afternoon of March 22 between the two teams Ton Duc Thang University and Life University (Cambodia).

The winning team will receive a trophy, medals, a plaque and a prize of 6,000 USD. The organizing committee will also award second and third place teams, style awards, and individual awards: Top scorer, best player, best goalkeeper, best player of the match and best refereeing team.

Just in his first match, Indonesian fans are demanding coach Kluivert be fired.

On the evening of March 20, after the Indonesian National Team lost 1-5 to Australia in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match held at Allianz Stadium, Sydney, a wave of criticism aimed at coach Patrick Kluivert exploded on social media.

Fans unhappy with the result created the hashtag #PatrickKluivertOut, expressing their disappointment and calling for the Dutchman to be sacked.

According to Bola, when Australia led 3-0 against Indonesia, the trend #PatrickKluivertOut emerged. Because Indonesian fans had high expectations for the team, especially when they had held their opponents to a draw in the first leg.

This has led to outrage from fans, with many comments criticizing coach Kluivert, with the above hashtag: "That's why you shouldn't throw away something valuable just because you feel like you're on the rise"; "From the beginning when I knew he was the replacement coach, I had a bad feeling".

In the face of this wave of protests, many fans also expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to fire coach Shin Tae-yong by the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI).

This could put PSSI under great pressure to choose whether to keep the Dutch strategist, or fire him before the upcoming matches. Indonesian fans also believe that the constant change of coach does not bring the necessary stability to the national team. In addition, Indonesia's failure also tarnished Patrick Kluivert's debut as a team manager./.