Despite threats of an Iranian boycott of its flagship club competition, the Asian Football Confederation has confirmed that Champions League matches involving Shahr Khodro and Esteghlal have been moved to neutral venues because of security concerns. The AFC released a statement Wednesday...

World number one Rafael Nadal blitzed past Hugo Dellien Tuesday to launch his campaign to equal Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam titles, dropping just five games in the one-sided annihilation. The sparkling Spaniard was in imperious form to sweep past a Bolivian making his Australian...

Barcelona defeated Granada 1-0 in their first game with new manager Quique Setien, securing the lead in La Liga. The only goal of the game was scored by Lionel Messi in the 76th minute, as Granada's central defender German Sanchez was sent off in the 69th minute. With this victory,...

Nantes announced on Sunday that they will pay tribute to their former striker Emiliano Sala at the league match against his first French club, Bordeaux, on January 26. The 28-year-old player was killed on January 21, 2019, when the small plane taking him to join Cardiff City crashed off the...

Rafael Nadal said passion and positivity had helped him reach an unprecedented third decade ranked world number one, after defying the ravages of injury and the critics who said his all-action game was too tough on his body. Despite a steady stream of foot, knee, back, arm, hand and wrist...

Iran's football federation said Friday it has been told it will not be hosting any international matches on Iranian soil. The federation said it received a letter from the Asian Football Confederation saying that all matches involving Iranian teams will be held in a third country....

In spite of considerable challenges in recent years, football development in Syria has continued ever since the military conflict broke out in 2011. It was considerably difficult for the country's football community to maintain the game, but the Syrian Football Association (SFA) has been...

The Australian Open tennis Grand Slam starts next week in the midst of a bushfire crisis that has left at least 27 people dead and destroyed more than 2,000 homes. Toxic air pollution clouded Melbourne on Tuesday, halting practice sessions and slightly delaying qualifying. AFP Sport...

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will face each other in the final of the inaugural ATP Cup after winning epic three-set matches Saturday to steer Spain and Serbia into the decider. World number one Nadal ground down pumped-up Australian Alex de Minaur to guide the Davis Cup champions...

French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe brushed aside questions about his future at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday when he said "it's not the time to make waves" over contract talks. The 21-year-old striker, long linked with a move to Real Madrid, insisted his mind was only on helping PSG...

An ominous Rafael Nadal was in cruise control for Spain at the ATP Cup Monday but Serbia's Novak Djokovic was forced to sweat through brutal conditions for his second win in a row. The Spanish world number one swept past Uruguay's experienced Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-1 in just 73 minutes in...

AC Milan have signed Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer until the end of the season, the Serie A club announced on Friday. Ibrahimovic, who last played for MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy this year, returns to Milan where he helped the club win their last league title in...

Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has extended his contract with Ferrari by two years until 2024, the Italian team and driver announced on Monday. "Extremely happy to announce that I will be staying with Scuderia Ferrari for five more years," the 22-year-old said on Twitter. Leclerc...

Barcelona go into the brief Spanish winter break on top of La Liga after a glittering show from Lionel Messi helped the defending champions beat Alaves 4-1 on Saturday. Real Madrid, who drew 0-0 in Barcelona in the midweek Clasico, can draw level top on 39 points but behind on goal...

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Virgil van Dijk will be fit to play in Saturday's Club World Cup final against Flamengo after the Dutchman missed their semi-final. "Virgil was part of training today so we will see how it looks at the end," Klopp said at a press conference at the...

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are expected to cost some 1.35 trillion yen ($12.6 billion), organisers said Friday, unveiling a final budget showing increased revenue balancing out extra costs including countermeasures against heat. However, officials admitted the budget does not yet include...

Formula One world champions Mercedes have formed a partnership with cycling powerhouse Team Ineos in a bid to boost performance levels. Mercedes, who won the 2019 constructors' championship and the drivers' championship with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel, will work with the seven-time Tour de...

With Tokyo 2020 looming, Iranian sprinter Maryam Toosi has been desperately trying to come to the U.S. to pursue her Olympic Games dream, but is still trying to overcome one seemingly insurmountable hurdle — President Donald Trump’s travel ban. The 31-year-old, who shot to fame by winning...

Mohamed Salah pushed Liverpool 10 points clear in the Premier League with both goals in a victory over bottom side Watford. The Egyptian has struck in back-to-back league games for the first time this season, and also helped the Reds progress in Europe in midweek. Former Arsenal forward...

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus bounced back from their first defeat of the season to beat Udinese 3-1 and move top of Serie A on Sunday. Ronaldo struck twice in the first half to make it five goals in four games as champions Juve move one point ahead of leaders Inter Milan ahead...