Sports from Thursday, March 19th, 2026

FIFA said it would take no action against Israeli football clubs accused by the Palestine Football Association (PFA) of competing while allegedly based in Palestinian territory, and on Thursday separately sanctioned the Israel Football Association (IFA) over breaches of its anti‑discrimination and fair‑play rules.

Every team in a FIFA women's competition will be required to have at least one female head or assistant coach, part of sweeping new regulations from football's governing body aimed at boosting the number of women coaching at the highest levels.

Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal on Wednesday to become the second player to reach the mark in elite men's football after Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former England captain Jos Buttler said he still wants to play for the national side after taking a break from cricket in the wake of their semi-final exit from the Twenty20 World Cup.

The Iranian national team are continuing to prepare for the World Cup finals and have no intention of pulling out of the tournament even if they will not travel to the United States, Iran FA President Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday.