Kick Off: Italy out of WC for 3rd straight time; De Zerbi named Tottenham coach

Welcome to All Football's Kick Off, we bring you all important news in the past 24 hours. Make sure you do not miss out.

Top Headlines

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-1 Italy (4-1 pens): 10-men Azzuri eliminated&Dzeko advances

Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive edition of the World Cup as they lost 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out to Bosnia-Herzegovina, having had Alessandro Bastoni sent off in a tense 1-1 draw in Zenica.

OFFICIAL: Roberto De Zerbi becomes Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach

On 31 March, Tottenham Hotspur officially announced that Roberto De Zerbi joins as men’s head coach.

Match Reports

Czech 2-2 Denmark ( 3-1 pens): Guest's disastrous penalty shootout send Czech in

Rasmus Hojlund, Anders Dreyer and Mathias Jensen all missed from the spot as Denmark agonisingly missed out on World Cup qualification in a 3-1 penalty shoot-out loss to Czechia, having drawn 2-2 after extra time.

Mexico 1-1 Belgium: a hard fought draw between two closely matched rivals

Belgium earn draw against Mexico in friendly thanks to Dodi Lukebakio magic.

Brazil 3-1 Croatia: Vinicius Jr. provides an assist, Martinelli scores

Vinicius Jr. provides an assist, Martinelli scores

Argentina 5-0 Zambia: Messi scores, Otamendi converts penalty

Messi scores, Otamendi converts penalty

United States 0-2 Portugal: B. Fernandes provided two assists, and Felix scored

B. Fernandes provided two assists, and Felix scored

Spain 0-0 Egypt: 10-men Egypt keeps the tie as Grimaldo & Marmoush hit the post

Spain ended their March international break with a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Egypt, who finished the friendly with 10 men.

Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador: A tie for 10-men host as Dumfries sent off

Netherlands held on for a 1-1 draw with 10 men against Ecuador at Philips Stadion after Denzel Dumfries' red card put Ronald Koeman's side on the back foot.

Kosovo 0-1 Turkey: Aktürkoğlu clears the guest's path to the World Cup

Kerem Akturkoglu was the hero for Turkiye as they booked their place at the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Kosovo in Tuesday's qualification play-off finals.

Sweden 3-2 Poland: Gyokere's late-minute goal destroys Lewa's World Cup dream

Viktor Gyokeres scored an 88th-minute winner to send Sweden to the World Cup, as they beat Poland 3-2 in a back-and-forth qualification play-off in Stockholm.

England 0-1 Japan: Mitoma scores for the guest as the three lions suffer lost

England sorely missed injured talisman Harry Kane as Japan claimed a historic 1-0 away win in Tuesday's friendly, thanks to Kaoru Mitoma's first-half finish.

Jordan 2-2 Nigeria: A tie for the Super Eagles in the friendly

A tie for the Super Eagles in the friendly

Norway 0-0 Switzerland: Haaland quiet on return in goalless friendly

Erling Haaland's return was not enough to inspire Norway as they played out a 0-0 friendly draw with Switzerland in Oslo on Tuesday.

These Things Happen

AF FWC: Full teams list for the World Cup 2026: who will crown the champion?

After Iraq eliminates Bolivia to clinch the final spot for the World Cup 2026, the 48 teams are now fully packed. New teams, new format, and new challenges. Will the old king prevail, or the new challengers rise?

Donnarumma, currently the most valuable goalkeeper, has yet to play in a WC

On March 31, in the final of the European qualifying play-offs for the World Cup, Italy faced Bosnia and Herzegovina. Italy drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina in regular time, but lost 1-4 on penalties, failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.

European countries to the World Cup: Italy out 3 times in a row, Norway, BIH in

After an exhilarating night of eliminations and opportunities, the UEFA European Qualifiers for the World Cup 2026 are now officially over. 16 teams are in, and some new records were set. 

Argentina's top scorers under Scaloni: Messi leads with 51 goals, Alvarez third

On April 1, the Argentine national team defeated Zambia 5-0 in a friendly match, with goals from Julian Alvarez, Messi, Otamendi, and Valentín Barco, while the opponent also gifted them an own goal.

DR Congo end 52-year wait with dramatic World Cup qualification victory

A moment decades in the making finally arrived as DR Congo sealed qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dramatic extra-time victory over Jamaica.

Bayern dismiss reports of approaching Salah

Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has denied the club have made an approach for Mohamed Salah.

Napoli consider disciplinary action after Lukaku goes AWOL

Napoli are considering disciplinary action after former Manchester United and Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku failed to turn up for training, the club has confirmed in a statement.

Man Utd hoping to make over £100m as part of rebuild with 5 players set to leave

Manchester United are likely to make over £100 million as they plan for a summer rebuild, with five senior players expected to leave Old Trafford.

Ronaldo celebrates Portuguese Football Federation's 112th anniversary

On March 31, Cristiano Ronaldo shared photos of himself with the Portuguese national team holding three trophies on his personal social media, celebrating the 112th anniversary of the founding of the Portuguese Football Federation.

Real Madrid ready to offload 10 players this summer

Real Madrid is preparing for a major squad overhaul this summer, with Florentino Pérez determined to reshape the team after a challenging season. 

Dailymail: CR7 'is trying to convince Casemiro not to join Messi at Inter Miami'

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly trying to persuade Casemiro to team up with him in Saudi Arabia rather than his old rival Lionel Messi at Inter Miami when he leaves Manchester United this summer.

What They Say

Thomas Tuchel admits he will be scared to watch EPL games before the World Cup

Thomas Tuchel insisted he had taken valuable learnings from England’s stodgy final camp before the World Cup – but claimed the attackers given chances in Harry Kane’s absence again needed to do more.

Gattuso refuses speak on Italy future after missing out on WC qualification

Gennaro Gattuso refused to speak on his future as Italy head coach, after they failed to reach the World Cup finals.

'I did what I needed to do' – Felix insists Chelsea exit was the right choice

Joao Felix believes he "did what I needed to do" for his career in leaving Chelsea for Al-Nassr last summer.

Newcastle not looking to replace Howe 'at the moment', says CEO

Newcastle United are not looking to replace Eddie Howe "at the moment", with chief executive David Hopkinson saying the Magpies will discuss their head coach's future at the end of the season.

An offer from Barcelona would be 'hard to turn down', concedes Cucurella

Marc Cucurella says it would be "hard to turn down" an offer to return to Barcelona if it were to come.

Solanke: Anime is an important part of my life; I can learn life lessons from it

Before the friendly match between England and Japan, the well-known "anime-loving" player Solanke was interviewed by the England official channel.

I wouldn't have made this decision' - Cucurella on sacking Maresca

Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has criticised the club in a wide-ranging interview while on international duty.