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ZURICH: More than 1.5 million ticket applications from fans in 210 countries have been received by FIFA within 24 hours of the pre-sale draw for the 2026 World Cup being launched, the governing body of world football said on Thursday. The extraordinary glo­bal demand for the tournament came primarily from the United States, Mexico and Canada, followed by Argentina, Colo­mbia, Brazil, England, Spain, Portugal and Germany. The response highligh­ted the international app­eal of the expanded 48-team tournament, whi­ch will be hosted by Mexico, Canada and the US and will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities. The draw is open…

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captain and the national U-17 team’s assistant coach Mohammad Essa is optimistic about the side’s chances to make a mark in the SAFF U-17 Championship, which starts in Sri Lanka on Monday. “The team looks balanced and we are hopeful of good results,” he told Dawn on the sidelines of the youth team’s training camp at the Jinnah Stadium here on Friday, adding that Pakistan was full of talented players, picked through tryouts by head coach Nasir Ismail. “Myself and the head coach have made efforts to help the players enhance their skills and preparing them for…

Pace bowling great Wasim Akram has urged Pakistan and India’s cricketers to ignore the noise and enjoy the game when they meet in a highly charged Asia Cup T20 match on Sunday. The Group A match in Dubai is the first clash on the cricket field between the countries since a military conflict four months ago took relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours to their lowest point in decades. India resisted calls to boycott the match between the pair, who have not played in any bilateral series since deadly attacks in Mumbai 2008. “Enjoy, it’s a game of cricket,” legendary left-armer…

A sea of purple posters at the Narita Airport announces the World Athletics Championships — in both English and Japanese. Banners of Haruka Kitaguchi, Japan’s javelin star, are plastered on the walls of the mazy metro stations in the Japanese capital. On the buildings in Ginza, digital billboards have the Japanese athletics team on display. After a spectator-less Olympics four years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tokyo is geared up to host a global athletics extravaganza beginning from Saturday. It was an emotional memory for Japanese athletics chief Yuko Arimori, who teared up when asked at the opening press conference…

Pakistan beat Oman by 93 runs after electing to bat first in their opening Twenty20 International (T20I) encounter of the men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Friday. The Green Shirts will face India next on Sunday — the arch-rivals will clash in a geopolitically-charged contest in Dubai. It will be the first cricket match between the sides since four days of military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. Player of the match Mohammad Haris top-scored with 66 of 43 deliveries after being sent at his preferred position of one down for a change after a string of failures…

The Green Shirts crushed Oman with ease, but still need to up their game as the India clash looms. A disclaimer to start with: it was just Oman. So, Pakistan fans, don’t get too excited. I hope most of you won’t, since, traditionally, this team keeps finding new ways to disappoint us. With the emotions now set aside, let’s “objectively” look into what Pakistan came up with in their Asia Cup opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. The boys in green, as expected from them, swept aside the Omanis with utter disdain, continuing the pattern of big…

Pakistan scored 160-7 on the back of Mohammad Haris’s 66 after electing to bat first against Oman in their opening Twenty20 International (T20I) encounter of the men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Friday. The Green Shirts go into the tournament on a high, having convincingly beaten Afghanistan in the final of a tri-series, also involving hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE), last week. Mohammad Haris top-scored with 66 of 43 deliveries after being sent at his preferred position of one down for a change after a string of failures down the order in the tri-series. Oman restricted the Pakistani batters…

Skipper Litton Das top-scored with 59 as Bangladesh beat a spirited Hong Kong by seven wickets in their first match of the Asia Cup on Thursday. Hong Kong posted 143-7 after Nizakat Khan made 42 in the T20 meeting in Abu Dhabi, where the minnows were invited to bat first. Bangladesh lost two early wickets in their chase to raise Hong Kong’s hopes of an upset, but Litton put on a stand of 95 with Towhid Hridoy, who made an unbeaten 35, to reach 144-3 in 17.4 overs. Litton reached his 50 in 33 balls but fell to medium-pace bowler…

Pakistan will be batting first against Oman in their opening Twenty 20 International (T20I) encounter of the men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Friday. The Green Shirts go into the tournament on a high, having convincingly beaten Afghanistan in the final of a tri-series, also involving hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE), last week. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, speaking at the toss, said: “The team has been playing good cricket for the last two to three months and we will look to continue that form.” The Green Shirts are clear favourites for this encounter against Oman, who are ranked…

Businessman working in the officePixelfit | E+ | Getty ImagesDemand for exchange-traded funds continues to grow as investors seek lower-cost, tax-friendly options to meet their financial goals. But missteps can happen, experts say.   ETFs brought in $540 billion in new money during the first half of 2025, which exceeded total inflows for the same period in 2024, according to Morningstar. Meanwhile, companies have launched 464 new ETFs through June, which could pass the 2024 record of more than 700.”The rise of ETFs has been great for investors, but convenience can also breed complacency,” said certified financial planner Jon Ulin, managing principal…