º£½ÇÖ±²¥

Green Falcons start training ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Japan

Green Falcons start training ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Japan
º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s national football team started training on Saturday at Saitama Stadium’s training pitch in preparation for their clash against their host Japan on Tuesday. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 22 March 2025

Green Falcons start training ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Japan

Green Falcons start training ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Japan
  • Head coach Herve Renard divided the players into two groups
  • National team will hold a closed training session on Sunday

SAITAMA, Japan: º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s national football team started training on Saturday at Saitama Stadium’s training pitch in preparation for their clash against their host Japan on Tuesday.
The Green Falcons will face off with Japan at Saitama Stadium 2002 as part of the eighth round of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On the field, head coach Herve Renard divided the players into two groups. The first group included those who played their recent match against China, and were assigned recovery exercises at the health club.
The second group, which consisted of the remaining players, had warm-up exercises followed by small-sided games. Later, the players carried out a variety of tactical exercises, and the session concluded with stretching.
The national team will hold a closed training session on Sunday, at 7:00 p.m. at the same training pitch.
The Green Falcons arrived in Japan on Friday evening, a day after beating 10-man China 1-0 in Riyadh to get their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign back on track.


Carlos Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with another win at the ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with another win at the ATP Finals
Updated 14 November 2025

Carlos Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with another win at the ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with another win at the ATP Finals
  • Alcaraz needed to win one more match to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot
  • That was his third win in the Jimmy Connors group

TURIN: Carlos Alcaraz secured the year-ending No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis on Thursday by beating Lorenzo Musetti to sweep his group at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz needed to win one more match to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot and the Spaniard duly did so as he eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
It is the second time in his career that Alcaraz has ended the year at the top of the rankings.
The Spaniard became the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old in 2022.
Alcaraz didn’t give him that chance as he swept aside Musetti in less than 90 minutes, sealing the result on his third match point.
That was his third win in the Jimmy Connors group.