Euro 2020’s top goal scorers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrik Schick, will face off in their Euro 2024 group opener in Germany.
The joint top scorers at the last European Championship will face each other as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal play Patrik Schick’s Czech Republic in their Euro 2024 Group F opener at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena.
Ronaldo and Schick both scored five at the COVID-delayed Euro 2020 and are likely to shoulder the goal-scoring burden for their sides this time around.
The tournament could be Ronaldo’s international swansong, although the 39-year-old appears as hungry for goals and adulation as ever as he prepares to kick off his sixth Euros on Tuesday.
While he may have moved away from Europe’s elite to play in Saudi Arabia, the goal-getting instincts of the leading scorer in men’s international football seem as razor-sharp as ever.
Having finished second-top scorer in qualifying with 10 goals and smashed 35 in 31 league games for Al Nassr last season, the seemingly ageless Ronaldo warmed up for the tournament with a brace in their final friendly against Ireland.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo will play in his sixth European Football Championships at Euro 2024 in Germany [Darko Bandic/AP]
While Ronaldo lifted the trophy in 2016, he may still be harbouring a sense of unfinished business on the international stage.
Having sat out most of that final eight years ago through injury, he has failed to propel Portugal to further glory at two subsequent World Cups and at Euro 2020, when they were knocked out in the last 16.
This has been one of Portugal’s most gilded generations but with Ronaldo and 41-year-old defender Pepe in the twilight of their careers, Euro 2024 has the feel of a last hurrah.
With a squad bulging with talent, Portugal will be, on paper, one of the best teams in Germany. They won all of their 10 games in the qualifiers, scoring 36 and conceding twice.
Yet their manager Roberto Martinez knows all about the pitfalls of leading a supremely talented bunch of players at international tournaments, having failed to turn Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” into tournament winners.
Martinez, however, also knows he has arguably the game’s best in Ronaldo.
“We have 23 players. We create competitiveness and the game makes decisions,” he said earlier this month. “But Cristiano is prepared to help the team and give everything he can give. And there is no other player in the world of football who can bring what Cristiano can to the dressing room.”
Schick, who won goal of the tournament at Euro 2020 for his stunner against Scotland from the halfway line, will spearhead a Czech side with very different expectations.
The Czechs finished second in qualifying behind Albania, winning four of their eight matches in a group that also included Poland, Moldova and the Faroe Islands.
With Schick absent from the final rounds of qualifying, they found goals hard to come by but, fresh from winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, he seems to have shaken off the injuries that hampered him and that could spell trouble for Portugal.
Portugal vs Czechia kicks off at 2100 local time (19:00 GMT) on Tuesday, June 18.
The incident comes hours before the German city staging a Euro 2024 match between Netherlands and Poland.
The German police have fired shots at a person who allegedly threatened officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device on the sidelines of a Euro 2024 football fan parade in central Hamburg, according to a police post on social media platform X.
A major police operation was under way and the suspect was receiving medical care for injuries, the post on Sunday added.
The incident occurred in the St Pauli district of the city as Poland and the Netherlands prepared to play against each other in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion at 3pm (13:00 GMT) on Sunday.
Fan marches were scheduled before the games, and a parade for Dutch supporters was held at 12:30pm (10:30 GMT), around the time of the incident.
Germany is hosting the monthlong tournament that began on June 14.
Euros appearances: 10 Euro Titles: 0 Best finish: Final (2020) Euros Record: W15 D13 L10 Goals scored: 51 Biggest win: 4-0 vs Ukraine (Euro 2020) Player to watch: Phil Foden World ranking: 4th Team nickname: The Three Lions
Group Fixtures:
16 June: Serbia vs England (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 9pm local/19:00 GMT)
20 June: Denmark vs England (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, 6pm local/16:00 GMT)
25 June: England vs Slovenia (Cologne Stadium, Cologne, 9pm local/19:00 GMT)
There’s an inescapable irony to the predicament Gareth Southgate finds himself in going into Euro 2024, which starts with England’s opening match of the tournament against Serbia on June 16 in Gelsenkirchen.
Since taking over as England boss in 2016, the 53-year-old has worked assiduously towards transforming the team’s sporting culture. Club loyalties are no longer fault lines, the bottle-neck pressure that came with donning the jersey has been transformed into a privilege, and incongruity has been replaced by identity.
Far from the individualism that marked England’s “Golden Generation” era, Southgate’s setup has been built around the collective.
But things have now gone full circle. He has successfully managed to break up England’s star culture only to find himself trapped in the spotlight.
Southgate’s legacy is the dominant narrative for England heading into the Euros. The tournament is a referendum on his nearly eight-year reign, with a majority of the English public ready to deem it a failure if they don’t bring back the winner’s trophy from Germany.
England manager Gareth Southgate is trying to steer the national side to its first major tournament victory since the 1966 World Cup [Carl Recine/Reuters]
It is now or never for England
In many ways, Southgate’s been a victim of his own success: He led England to an unlikely World Cup semifinal in 2018; lost the final of the previous Euros in 2021 on penalties; and was a Harry Kane penalty away from possibly knocking out the reigning champions France in the 2022 World Cup.
The Three Lions were 13th in the FIFA world rankings when he was handed the managerial reins in 2016 – today they sit fourth. Since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, they haven’t dropped out of the top five.
England’s consistency over the past six years has become so commonplace, it’s almost taken for granted. It’s easy to forget that before Southgate taking over, England’s last appearance in the semifinal of a major tournament came way back at Euro 1996.
Ultimately, international football is a zero-sum game where success is weighed in silver and the Euros feel like now or never proposition for Southgate’s England.
It’s a proposition that’s been reflected in a bold squad selection denoted by uncharacteristic risk. Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who has been a revelation for Manchester United this season, has been picked despite only making his England debut in March.
Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips – all of whom have been key pillars of Southgate teams – have not been picked.
Beyond the sting of raised expectations, Southgate has found himself bruised by the intangible metric of “potential”. With the attacking talent at his disposal, there is a feeling among fans that Southgate’s unwillingness to throw off the shackles has curbed the team’s progress.
What to do with Foden?
Southgate’s judgement will again be tested in his choice of a starting 11, particularly about where he plays emerging star Phil Foden.
The Manchester City attacker has thrived in the central midfield role he’s been deployed in this season by his manager Pep Guardiola. Foden’s 19 goals from that position led City’s charge to a fourth successive league title and saw him named the English Premier League’s Player of the Season.
However, Southgate has been reluctant to play Foden through the middle and has tended to pair Declan Rice with another defensive midfielder. Given the recent injury troubles of Kieran Trippier and Luke Shaw – both of whom have been picked despite making just a combined four league appearances since the start of March – it seems unlikely that will change.
If used correctly, rising star Phil Foden could be a difference maker for England at Euro 2024 [Carl Recine/Reuters]
On paper, England has one of the best squads in the tournament.
Alongside Foden, England’s attack features Real Madrid midfield sensation Jude Bellingham and the Bundesliga top-scorer, Harry Kane. Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and Rice were all on the Premier League Player of the Season shortlist, and Palmer’s 22 EPL goals were second behind Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
The Three Lions went unbeaten during their Euro 2024 qualification campaign and have lost only one game – a friendly to Brazil – in the 12 games they have played since the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
At the Euros, they are drawn in a group that features no side in the world’s Top 20, unlocking a high statistical probability that they will progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.
It is easy to see why England head into Euro 2024 as one of the favourites. The question remains if their performances will match their star billing.
⚽ England’s final squad for Euro 2024 ⚽
Captain: Harry Kane
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Euro appearances: 10 Euro Titles: 2 Best finish: Winners (1968, 2020) Euros Record: W21 D18 L6 Goals scored: 52 Biggest win: 3-0 (vs Turkey and vs Switzerland in Euro 2020) Player to watch: Federico Dimarco World ranking: 9th Group Fixtures:
Italy arrives at the Euros as defending champions, but the title comes without the aura; it has been gradually eroding since that incredible summer night at Wembley, London, in 2021.
Less than a year after their crowning glory at the Euros, the Azzurri encountered the ignominy of missing out on the 2022 Qatar World Cup after a stunning stoppage time goal saw them lose their playoff semifinal to football minnows North Macedonia.
Their qualification campaign for Euro 2024 was similarly fraught.
After their first two qualifiers – a loss to England and a win over Malta – Italy were rocked by the resignation of manager Roberto Mancini after more than five years in the job.
He was replaced by Luciano Spalletti, whose first game in charge was a 1-1 draw, which also happened to be against their 2022 nemesis, North Macedonia. With only one victory in their first three games, Euro 2024 qualification suddenly looked precarious.
A run of three wins in four matches saw Italy go into the final group game against Ukraine, knowing a loss would see them enter the playoffs. A tense goalless draw secured direct passage to the Euros owing to their superior head-to-head record.
Bet gone wrong
To go along with their qualification woes, the Italian side’s preparations were rocked by a betting scandal that saw the police visit the national team’s Coverciano training centre ahead of their qualifiers in October to question Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo. The duo subsequently left the camp and Tonali was later handed a 10-month ban by the Italian Football Federation.
Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was also handed a seven-month ban after being found guilty in the investigation, but he was named in Italy’s final 26-man squad for Euro 2024.
His inclusion is indicative of the dearth of attacking options in front of Spalletti.
Zaniolo and forward Domenico Berardi were ruled out of the tournament through injury, while Marco Verratti and Lorenzo Insigne no longer play their club football in Europe and have faded from national favour.
Injuries have hindered Federico Chiesa’s progress, with the 26-year-old Juventus forward yet to recapture the form that saw him light up Euro 2020.
Gianluca Scamacca, who scored 19 goals for Europa League winners Atalanta this season, is expected to lead the front line but he has scored just once for Italy in his 15 appearances.
Giacomo Raspadori is the other striking option at Spalletti’s disposal, but he has managed only 12 goals across the last two seasons.
Sandro Tonali’s 10-month ban for his part in a betting scandal added to Italy’s Euro 2024 qualification woes [Lee Smith/Reuters]
Defence is the best form of attack
All this points to a side that will be built around its defence. Unsurprisingly, Azzurri are not lacking for talent in this department – their 30-man preliminary squad features 11 eleven defenders.
Of these 11, four were from Inter Milan – prior to Francesco Acerbi’s late injury withdrawal – and given the Nerazzurri’s parsimonious defence this year, the remaining three Inter defenders are all likely to start in Germany.
The 22 goals Inter conceded in the Serie A this season are the lowest among all clubs in Europe’s top five leagues. The feat was achieved playing a back-three. So, replicating a system with a group of defenders already comfortable playing in it feels an almost no-brainer for Spalletti’s national team at Euro 2024.
The manager fielded a three-man defence for the first time in his tenure in the March 2024 friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador, with Italy going on to win both. The sample size is small but the ceiling could be high.
A backline comprising of Alessandro Bastoni and Alessandro Boungiorni – the likely Acerbi replacement – with Federico Dimarco and Matteo Darmian at wing-back is, on paper, one of the best defences at Euro 2024.
But will that be enough to take them deep in the tournament?
Spalletti admitted in an interview with Sky Italia that there are other countries that are at a higher level than Italy but backed his team to compete with them.
“Our target is to return from Germany and hear Italians say, ‘We are proud of you,’” he said.
Italy’s Matteo Darmian (L) and Federico Dimarco will need to fortify the Italian defence if the reigning champs are to hold on to their title at Euro 2024 [Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters]
Drawn in a difficult group that includes Spain, Croatia and Albania, even a quarterfinal finish would go a long way towards helping Spalletti meet this objective.
If the Italians can pull off an unlikely tournament coup, they will join Germany and Spain as the record three-time European champions.
⚽ Italy’s final squad for Euro 2024 ⚽
Captain: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris St Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)
Euro appearances: 11 Euro titles: 3 Best finish: Winners (1964, 2008, 2012) Euros record: W21 D15 L10 Goals scored: 68 Biggest win: 5-0 (vs Slovakia at Euro 2020) Player to watch: Lamine Yamal World ranking: 8th Group fixtures:
15 June: Spain vs Croatia (Olympiastadion, Berlin, 6pm local/16:00 GMT)
The meekness of Spain’s dramatic exit from the 2022 Qatar World Cup has overshadowed what’s been a relatively successful period for the star-studded team.
Spain reached the semifinals of Euro 2020, where they were knocked out on penalties by eventual champions Italy.
In June 2023, they won the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League – their first title since the team’s memorable Euro 2012 triumph.
The Nations League victory was significant for three main reasons.
First, beating Croatia in the final on penalties exorcised the demons of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Spain shockingly failed to score a single penalty in their round of 16 exit to Morocco.
Second, there were huge volts of confidence from a late win over Italy in the Nations League semifinal and beating Italy and Croatia, both of whom are in the same Euro 2024 group as Spain.
Third, new Spain manager Luis de la Fuente getting a taste of silverware early into his reign ensured buy-in from his players as they head into Euro 2024.
New Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is leaning on young players like Lamine Yamal to perform at Euro 2024 [Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters]
Smells like teen spirit
De la Fuente is no stranger to success with the national team.
He won the Euros with the Spanish Under-19 and Under-23 teams and was in charge of the national side that won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
So, it comes as no surprise that the squad he’s picked for Euro 2024 is young and hungry for success.
Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal, 16, has made the cut while fellow La Masia graduate Fermin Lopez, 21, has earned his first call-up to the national side.
Twenty-one-year-olds Pedri and Nico Williams also feature in De la Fuente’s 26-man squad.
Yamal is almost certain to start for Spain at Euro 2024 and in doing so, he’ll become the youngest-ever player to make an appearance at the European championship.
The sublimely talented winger has already set a list of extraordinary records in his young career: youngest scorer for his club team Barcelona, youngest scorer in LaLiga history and youngest scorer for the Spanish national team.
While Yamal is the main attraction in this Spain side, its most important player is Manchester City star, Rodri.
The 27-year-old defensive midfielder has emerged as the de facto leader of the national side.
His partnership in the midfield with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi – a duo De la Fuente dubbed the “best midfielders in the world in their position” – will be key to Spain’s chances at the Euros.
Villarreal’s Alex Baena, who has the most assists in the LaLiga this season, and Aleix Garcia, a key member in Girona’s Champions League qualifying campaign, are other sound options for De la Fuente to call upon in midfield.
Defensive midfielder Rodri is Spain’s on-pitch leader [Juan Medina/Reuters]
One step forward, one step back
Center forward is an area of concern for Spain.
Alvaro Morata will lead the line in Germany, but the Atletico Madrid forward’s form has tailed off after a strong start to the season. He has scored just twice since the start of March.
Joselu has managed a respectable 17 goals for Real Madrid this season, including a stunning brace against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal, but he’s far from being a bankable option in international match play.
Given the makeup of the Spain squad, which along with being youth heavy also includes seven players above the age of 30, it’s tough to predict which way their campaign will swing.
Entering Euro 2024 in Germany as a near-unknown entity under a new manager making his major tournament debut could end up working in Spain’s favour.
⚽ Spain’s final squad for Euro 2024 ⚽
Captain: Alvaro Morata
Goalkeepers: Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), David Raya (Arsenal), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao)
Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)
Midfielders: Rodrigo (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Fabian Ruiz (Paris St Germain), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Pedri (Barcelona), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)
Euro appearances: 13 Euro Titles: 3 Best finish: Winners (1972, 1980, 1996) Euros Record: W27 D13 L13 Goals scored: 78 Biggest win: 3-0 (most recent vs Slovakia in Euro 2016) Player to watch: Florian Wirtz World ranking: 16 Euro 2024 Group Matches: Scotland (June 14), Hungary (June 19), Switzerland (June 23)
A general disillusionment with the national team, a squad trapped in transition and the appointment of a charismatic new coach in advance of a home tournament: take a whiff and you’ll find it smells like 2006 in Germany.
Manager Jurgen Klinsmann was at the helm for Die Mannschaft – which directly translates as “The Team” – at the World Cup 18 years ago. Julian Nagelsmann is in the hot seat for the Euro 2024.
In 2006, a youthful German side captured the nation’s imagination, staging an unlikely run to the semifinals. In 2024, a similar campaign is hoped for – but not necessarily expected.
It’s been a harrowing few years for the three-time winner of the European football championship, who, since Euro 2016, have not won a knockout game at a major tournament.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was their second successive group stage exit, and following their 4-1 loss to Japan last September, Hansi Flick became the first Germany boss to be fired from the role.
Friendly fire
Germany has won just five of their 13 games since Qatar. But it is the last two – which came in the March international window – that have seen optimism spread throughout the country before Euro 2024.
The first rule of international football is: Do not put any weight on friendlies. Given how bereft of joy German fans have been in recent years, it is understandable why they were swept up by the wins over France (2-0) and Netherlands (2-1).
But it was not completely without reason.
After some tinkering in his first four games, Nagelsmann settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation for the two friendlies and just like that, it all clicked.
The trio of Jamal Musiala, Ilkay Gundogan and Florian Wirtz with Kai Havertz in midfield infused the attack with dynamism. Jonathan Tah and Antonio Rudiger brought solidity to the backline.
Wing-back was where Nagelsmann had experimented the most – Havertz, Niklas Sule, Robin Gosens, Benjamin Henrichs and Tah were all fielded in the position before March.
But in Joshua Kimmich and Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstaedt, Nagelsmann appears to have found his preferred duo to flank the centrebacks. Mittelstaedt made his debut in the win against France and three days later, scored his first international goal against Netherlands.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, right, will need to get the most out of his players if his team is going to compete with the favourites at Euro 2024 [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]
Kroos to the rescue
Central to the whole system, of course, is superstar Toni Kroos.
The Real Madrid midfielder has been coaxed out of retirement and seven seconds into his return, set up Wirtz’s opener against France with one of his archetypal clipped passes.
In addition to the balance Kroos brings to the side, his presence frees up Gundogan to operate off the top of the attack. It is a role similar to the one he thrived in at Manchester City, where he was shielded by Rodri.
Nagelsmann had signed a short-term contract with Germany until the end of the Euros, but in April agreed to stay on until after the 2026 World Cup. He cited the friendlies in March – and the reaction they evoked across the country – as reasons for his extension.
“This is a decision of the heart. It is a great honour to be able to train the national team and work with the best players in the country,” Nagelsmann said.
“With successful, passionate performances we have the chance to inspire an entire country.
The two wins against France and the Netherlands in March really touched me. We want to play a successful home European Championship together and I’m really looking forward to it together with my coaching team Challenge of a World Cup.”
The 36-year-old manager has been bold in his selections for the Euros.
Mats Hummels, who starred in Borussia Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final, has been overlooked as has Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka.
Beyond talent, the Germany squad comprises players in a rich vein of form.
Havertz and Wirtz are coming off standout campaigns for Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
Kroos, meanwhile, has rolled back the years for Madrid with his performances this year, and Rudiger has established himself this season as one of the best defenders in the world.
It will take a combined effort from Germany’s Thomas Muller, Maximilian Mittelstadt, Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich and Robin Koch if they are to win a record fourth European football championship [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]
The fact that Germany is the Euro 2024 host is key, not least because qualification might have proved an issue had that not been the case.
Home support – and the manner in which they harness it – will be crucial to Germany’s chances.
Drawn in a tricky group with Switzerland, Scotland and Hungary, a strong start to Euro 2024 will be essential to build momentum.
Much like the 2006 World Cup staged in Germany, the Euros could be the dawn of a new era for the national team on home soil – or, if they crash and burn in front of their legions of fans, there is likely to be a major squad rebuild in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup campaign.
Germany Euro 2024 squad:
Captain: Ilkay Gundogan
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (VfB Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (VfB Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhrich (VfB Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (TSG Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart)
Who: USA vs Ireland What: ICC T20 World Cup Group A match When: Friday, June 14, 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT) Where: Broward Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, US How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 11:30 GMT
The majority of the attention in Group A has been on the pitches with New York, in particular, coming in for heavy criticism. As the group reaches its finale in Florida on Friday and Sunday, the spotlight is now on the skies. The weather forecast for both USA’s match against Ireland on Friday, and Pakistan’s match against the Irish on Sunday, looks grim with regards to there being much chance of play.
India have already qualified as group winners while USA are in the box seat in second spot with two wins, including against Pakistan, to their name already. Pakistan remain hopeful of progressing in the second qualification spot but matters could be taken out of their hands before Sunday’s meeting with the Irish.
It is all to play for and, weather permitting, we could be in for a nerve-jangling final two rounds in Group A.
Weather forecast
The streets in Broward County have been flooded, and weather warnings have been issued to locals.
Local weather forecast shows an 80 percent chance of heavy rainfall that could cause further flooding. It does not bode well for players and fans of both sides – as well as those of Pakistan.
What happens if it rains in Florida?
If play begins, both teams will need to play at least five overs each to constitute a game. There’s an added time of 90 minutes to finish the game should play be possible.
If the weather remains true to its forecast, the game could be washed out without a ball being bowled.
An abandoned game will leave both teams with a point each, giving USA five points from their four games and ensuring their Super Eight qualification ahead of Pakistan, Canada and Ireland.
Even if the 2009 champions beat Ireland in the last game, they will not be able to bag more than four points in total.
Pitch condition
The pitch will come into play for the first time in the tournament after the Nepal vs Sri Lanka game was washed out without a ball being bowled.
While the venue has produced par scores in the past, a run of showers and thunderstorms could make it a more even contest between bat and ball.
Head-to-head
Each side has won a game apiece in their two T20 meetings thus far.
Form guide
Despite their loss to India, USA will be encouraged by their performance against some of the biggest stars of the game. They also have a string of good results to boost their confidence.
Ireland have had a forgettable tournament so far, losing to India and Canada, and will look at this match as a turning point.
USA: L W W L W Ireland: L L W W W
USA team news
The hosts could go with the same team that has won them two matches, which means captain and top-order batter Monank Patel could replace Shayan Jahangir if the former is fit to play.
Squad: Monank Patel (captain), Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jessy Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige.
Ireland team news
Ireland could make a change or two to the side that has lost two games in two, but it is unclear where that shuffle will come.
Squad: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Paris, France – Diaba Konate was a rising star in French basketball.
Called up by the French Federation of Basketball (FFBB) at 17, she went on to play in the national youth teams in three major tournaments, reaching the finals of the U18 European Championship and the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, and winning a gold medal at the 2019 World Beach Games.
At the time, the sky was the limit.
She moved to the United States on a full scholarship to play with UC Irvine, surpassing 1,000 points in her collegiate career after scoring a season-high 20 against UC Santa Barbara in February 2023.
Now 24, Konate dreams of playing for France again, but it has become a trickier proposition.
What’s stopping Konate from another national call-up isn’t her potential – it’s that two years ago, she started wearing a hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women to cover the hair and neck.
“I never thought it would be a big hindrance”, Konate told Al Jazeera, recalling how little changed when she started wearing it in the US at 22.
But when she wanted to play in a tournament in France that summer, match organisers told her she could only do it if she took off her hijab.
She felt “humiliated”, and later discovered that this was part of new FFBB regulations that forbid players from wearing “any equipment with a religious or political connotation”.
Konate felt “abandoned” by the FFBB and by many of her former national coaches, who never contacted her after Article 9.3 banning headscarves was implemented in December 2022.
Now, Konate has turned to activism to campaign with a collective called Basket Pour Toutes (Basketball For All) that includes mostly young hijab-wearing Muslim women in France who love basketball.
Together, they are defying a hijab ban in basketball and across French sports.
Their campaign is gaining momentum before the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera announced last September that French athletes wearing a hijab will be banned from competing.
Currently, any athlete wearing a hijab will be allowed to compete at Paris 2024 – except if they’re French.
Diaba Konate, who was a valuable contributor to her US college team during her stint with UC Irvine, faced no sportswear hijab restrictions while playing in the United States [Robert Johnson/Getty Images via AFP]Under current French basketball regulations, Konate would be unable to play professional basketball in France, or participate at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while wearing a sportswear hijab [Steph Chambers/Getty Images via AFP]
French laïcité and its impact on Muslim women
Timothee Gauthierot is a basketball club coach in the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Sec – he is the co-founder of Basket Pour Toutes.
He said that even before this nationwide ban, there were very few hijab-wearing girls who dreamed of becoming professional athletes in France because “there is so much discrimination” against them. “We don’t allow them to reach that level”, he said.
Human rights experts have said the hijab ban in French basketball is part of a trend of policymakers “weaponising” France’s tradition of laïcité (secularism) to exclude Muslim women and girls from French society, drawing parallels with laws to ban the headscarf and later the abaya (loose-fitting, long-sleeved robe) in public schools, in 2004 and in 2023, respectively.
Campaigners have repeatedly pressured the FFBB to overturn Article 9.3, which was implemented without consultation from basketball clubs.
Several sources told Al Jazeera that the FFBB introduced new regulations after French senators voted to ban the hijab in sporting competitions in January 2022. This set a precedent as attempts by a collective of Muslim women footballers to allow the hijab in French football were struck down.
But Rim-Sarah Alouane, a legal expert on religious freedom, said these regulations “disproportionately impact Muslim women, thus amounting to indirect discrimination”. She added that “the principle of laïcité is meant to ensure state neutrality in religious matters, not to suppress religious expression”.
Timothee Gauthierot is the co-founder of Basket Pour Toutes, a collective focused on advocating for, and encouraging, female Muslim basketball participation [Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes]
Paris 2024 Olympics – a case of ‘sportswashing’
Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic Games where human rights provisions are included in its Host City Contract.
The contract states that Paris 2024 intends to “guarantee respect for the human rights of all populations placed under its responsibility during the organisation”.
Ahead of the Olympics, Basket Pour Toutes is pushing for both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to intervene against France’s hijab ban.
FIBA itself had a hijab ban until 2017, when it was overturned after an advocacy campaign. Meanwhile, the IOC allows athletes to wear headscarves in its competitions, but has not responded to letters by Amnesty International, FairSquare and the Sport and Rights Alliance calling for it to ensure France allows its hijab-wearing athletes to play sports.
For these reasons, Shireen Ahmed, an award-winning journalist focused on Muslim women in sports, said that these Olympics are the “biggest case of sportswashing”, as France claims to protect human rights while “being anti-Muslim in its own backyard”.
This issue is “all about choice” Ahmed said, describing how this ban relates to issues around women’s bodily autonomy and shows an attempt by policymakers to dictate what women can or cannot wear.
“Our objection is not with laïcité [secularism], it’s that it’s unevenly applied,” she said, noting how male athletes who wear a religious cross do not face the same scrutiny.
French basketball player Iliana Rupert holds the Olympic torch next to the Paris 2024 Olympics President Tony Estanguet on May 21, 2024. Critics point to the human rights provisions in the Paris 2024 Host City Contract as justification for lifting the nationwide French athlete hijab ban on basketball and football players before the Olympics begin on July 26, 2024 [Valery Hache/AFP]
The trickle-down effects of French basketball’s hijab ban
Meanwhile, the French Federation of Basketball’s ban is having harsh effects on female Muslim athletes in France.
December 4, 2022 was the date that Helene Ba was first told she was banned from playing basketball.
Ba, a 22-year-old law student who grew up in the Paris suburb of Yvelines, recalls that “the most violent thing” on that match day was that the referee told her coach, instead of her, that she couldn’t play.
She said the referee didn’t even mention Article 9.3 – but instead remarked that wearing a hijab was “a problem of danger”.
But, knowing the law, she fought back.
“I said that I wouldn’t take off my hijab,” Ba told Al Jazeera. “FIBA [the world basketball body] authorises it, and this was a local match. It’s violent to ask a woman to take off a piece of cloth. This is a legal claim and we have the right to religion and the freedom to practice sports.”
But Ba said this didn’t stop people in the stands from asking “Are you sure you don’t want to take it off?” She refused to because “faith always comes first”, she said. Ba then left the stadium and her team played without her.
It was then that Ba realised she had to do something about this, not just for her but for all Muslim athletes in France. “When you attack the freedoms of minorities, you attack everyone,” Ba said. “This [Article 9.3] damages the image of basketball.”
Through mutual acquaintances, Ba would meet two pivotal people with whom she would co-found Basket Pour Toutes: coach Timothee Gauthierot and sociologist Haifa Tlili.
After conducting more than 150 interviews with Muslim girls in sports in France, Tlili said that “we do not realise the effects of these traumas” triggered by the hijab ban.
“Many girls have told me: ‘If you take basketball away from me, what do I have left?’,” she said.
As two of the three co-founders of Basket Pour Toutes, Timothee Gauthierot and Helene Ba are committed to inspiring France’s female Muslim players to pursue their basketball dreams [Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes]
Solidarity and criminalisation on the basketball court
Badiaga Coumba, a 21-year-old who plays in Gauthierot’s club in Noisy-le-Sec, said that since the FFBB’s ruling took effect, she has felt lost, unsure what to do with herself, and has pretty much given up basketball, although she considers her teammates her “second family”.
But unlike Ba, who was one of the only Muslim athletes at her club and who was left out when the hijab ban was implemented, Coumba is in a very diverse club: almost fully gender equal (rare for most basketball clubs), and with many Black and Muslim players.
On a team of 10 girls, there are usually three who wear the hijab, creating a strong sense of solidarity.
When referees started telling coaches that hijab-wearing athletes could not even sit on the bench, most French clubs followed the rules – but not Coumba’s club.
The eligible players went on the pitch, placed the ball on the ground, and refused to play. Referees would quickly grasp what was happening, and call off the match.
Gauthierot, who has stood by his female athletes when they’ve done this, has faced severe legal reprisals by the FFBB, and even the president of the Paris region, Valerie Pecresse. On October 7, 2023, she posted on X, formerly Twitter, “I call on the State to stop leaving competition referees alone in the face of Islamist attempts to destabilise sport grounds”.
After receiving a collective letter from 70 Paris clubs protesting this basketball hijab ban, Pecresse ordered the suspension of “any subsidy to a club violating our charter of laïcité”.
Since most clubs are dependent on public funds, as many as 20 clubs have been heavily impacted and have had to retract their support.
The FFBB has also hit back directly against Gauthierot, fining him 300 euros ($325) and suspending him from all official capacities in basketball for six months from September 2024, in an ongoing case that Gauthierot is legally contesting.
“They say that it [the hijab] can lead to radicalisation, but we really live in harmony,” Gauthierot said. “They [the FFBB] make decisions without knowing us.”
Gauthierot, who is of Guadeloupean origin, cited sports legends who stood up against discrimination as role models, like modern American football’s Colin Kaepernick; or former US runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who gave the Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
“I’ve got nothing to lose,” said Gauthierot, who works in IT and volunteers at the local basketball club. “I’d rather do it without discriminating against girls.”
Badiaga Coumba is one of many French Muslim basketball players trapped between the FFBB hijab ban and their love of basketball [Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes]Basketball games featuring hijab-wearing and non-hijab-wearing athletes promote an equitable atmosphere at the grassroots level in France [Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes]
Representation matters, especially at the Olympics
Critics of the hijab ban point out that this is happening while France prepares to host the first Olympic Games to reach full gender parity, making the situation even more alarming.
“By proudly claiming that the Games will be ‘gender equal’, the French authorities are exposing their own hypocrisy of celebrating such alleged advancements while at the same time discriminating against Muslim women and girls through hijab bans in sports,” Amnesty International researcher Anna Blus said.
Researcher Anna Blus represents Amnesty International at a Basket Pour Toutes event [Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes]
Andrea Florence, director of the Sports & Rights Alliance, highlighted, “It’s the Olympic principle 6 [of the Olympic Charter] that people should enjoy sports without discrimination of any kind. It’s not about the number of people banned, it’s about those who can’t even be included.”
Al Jazeera contacted the FFBB, the French Ministry of Sports, FIBA, and the IOC for comment. Only FIBA replied, stating that “the headgear is allowed in Official Basketball Competitions, including the Olympic Games, in accordance with the Official Basketball Rules”. It did not specify if it would intervene against the FFBB’s hijab ban.
Despite challenging times for the girls from Basket Pour Toutes, they are not losing hope in their fight for justice.
Last April, they organised a massive tournament in Noisy-le-Sec open to all women. Twenty-five teams and 90 girls took part, in what Helene Ba described as an opportunity “to show the FFBB that everything is fine and that we can play without any problems”.
Basket Pour Toutes (Basketball For All) is challenging the French Basketball Federation’s headscarf ban by staging tournaments – like this one in Noisy-le-Sec, in the eastern suburbs of Paris – that promote inclusivity for hijab-wearing players [Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes][Courtesy: Basket Pour Toutes]
Meanwhile, Diaba Konate – who recognises that she is one of the few Muslim girls in France who had the privilege to move to the US to pursue the sport she loves – is now coming back to her country to pave the way for cultural change in French basketball, and to be closer to family.
She said that no woman should have to move away from home to play sports, and vowed to use her experiences to support others.
“There’s a battle to be fought in France. I want to help the FFBB to deconstruct stereotypes about veiled women as there’s a lot of prejudice,” Konate said. “We don’t want to make that choice [between faith and sport]. We shouldn’t be forced to do these things.”
“Representation matters. It’s important to have role models. You need people [who look] like you to be inspired. I have accomplished everything I wanted – now it’s for the future generations.”
Diaba Konate looks forward to a time when she can play competitive basketball again in France without having to choose between her religious attire and the sport she loves [Zak Krill/Getty Images via AFP]
Who: Bangladesh vs Netherlands What: ICC T20 World Cup Group D match When: Thursday, June 13, 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT) Where: Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, Saint Vincent How to follow: Al Jazeera will have live coverage from 11:30 GMT.
When Bangladesh and Netherlands meet for their third group match of the T20 World Cup, the winners will walk away with a greater likelihood of qualifying for the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
Group D action now moves to the Caribbean, with the match on Thursday being held at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown, Saint Vincent.
Both teams have two points each from their two games and are sandwiched between leaders South Africa – who have qualified for the Super Eights – and bottom two sides Nepal and Sri Lanka, both of whom are unlikely to go through.
It leaves these two sides to battle it out for the second qualifying spot, and Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes the side that tackles the conditions better will come out on top.
“It is very difficult to say how many runs will be scored on this wicket, so it is very important to read the wicket quickly,” Shanto told reporters on Wednesday.
He expects Bangladeshi fans to continue supporting them in the West Indies, as they have done in the US leg of their matches.
“Wherever we play, [our] supporters will come, especially in the West Indies. It feels good.”
Bangladesh fans will hope their team’s qualification for Super Eights does not come down to prayers. One fan asked the men in green to do their bit while the fans do theirs, with a placard reading: “You play, we pray” during their match against South Africa.
‘We play do-or-die matches all year’
The Netherlands are also aware of the importance of the clash and their bowler Logan van Beek said the team have had “very nice” preparations ahead of it.
“This is the biggest match that we are probably going to play for this tournament,” van Beek said.
He said he expects the wicket to be flat, with no dents but the ground still has plenty of “unknowns” for both sides.
The men in orange are confident of bagging an important win over their group rivals.
“The confidence that we’ve got over the last few years of beating big teams at big competitions and in do-or-die matches, we’ve stood up at right times and that’s how the Dutch play. We kind of find ourselves in these do-or-die matches all year round and so we’re used to that pressure and excited to do it again.”
Pitch and weather conditions
The Arnos Vale Stadium has plenty of unknowns surrounding it as it has not hosted an international cricket match in 10 years. In the past, the pitch has produced an even contest between bat and ball, with spinners finding plenty of success.
While there is no rain forecast, weather conditions will be typically hot and humid.
Head-to-head
The two sides have met four times in the T20 format. Bangladesh have won three of those matches, including the most recent one at the T20 World Cup 2022.
The only T20 win for the Netherlands against Bangladesh came in 2012.
Form guide
Both sides have won one each and lost one game – against South Africa – in the tournament so far.
Bangladesh have relied on their power-hitting batters and calm lower-order veteran Mahmudullah to see them through with the bat. Rishad Hossain has also played an invaluable role with the ball.
The Netherlands have been tidy with the ball and excellent on the field. All they need is for their batting to step up a gear.
Bangladesh: L W W L L Netherlands: L W L L L
Bangladesh team news
Shak Mahedi Hasan could be in line for his first T20 World Cup game, as his tidy off-break bowling and batting abilities could come in handy in the Caribbean.
Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
Netherlands team news
They are unlikely to change their playing XI.
Squad: Scott Edwards (captain), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi.
West was one of the greatest players in NBA history, redefining the modern day shooting guard position in basketball.
Jerry West, an iconic 1960s star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers who inspired the NBA logo, died Wednesday at age 86, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.
West played for the Lakers from 1960 through 1974, winning his only NBA title in 1972, and was co-captain on the 1960 Rome Olympic US basketball gold medal squad.
In later years, West served as an executive on several NBA clubs, most recently the Clippers.
With impressive speed and quickness and a deft shooting touch, West was nicknamed “Mr Clutch” for his skilled shot-making under pressure.
In the 1969 NBA Finals against the archrival Boston Celtics, he received the Most Valuable Player award even though the Celtics beat the Lakers for the title.
West was a 14-time NBA All-Star and the league scoring champion in 1970. His jersey number, 44, was retired by the Lakers and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
In 1969, the NBA created its current logo, which was the silhouette of West dribbling a basketball, an image inspired by a photograph of West taken during a game.
For his career, West averaged 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists a game.
Lakers’ Jerry West (14) is fouled as he tries to get around Houston Rockets’ John Vallely on December 27, 1971 [AP Photo]
West, who coached the Lakers from 1976 through 1979, would capture eight titles as an NBA executive, five with the Lakers in the 1980s “Showtime” era with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He also was an executive for NBA champions with the Lakers in 2000 and Golden State in 2015 and 2017, before leaving to join the Clippers.
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, left, talks with then-executive board member Jerry West during their NBA basketball media day in Oakland, USA in 2012 [Jeff Chiu/AP]
In 2022, West was recognised as a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during the 71st NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio.
From a basketball standpoint, West will be remembered as the player who redefined the talent standard for the original two-guard – or shooting guard – for the modern game.
The originality of his game and the beauty of his outside jump shot served as the prototype for shooting guards for decades to come, with NBA legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant citing West’s stylistic influence in their own games.
NBA Legend Jerry West talks to LA Lakers player LeBron James during the 71st NBA All-Star Game as part of 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 20, 2022, in Cleveland, Ohio [Bart Young/NBAE/Getty Images via AFP]
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