Eric Garcia believes Spain's "spectacular" blend of exuberant youngsters and experienced veterans could see them beat any team at the World Cup in Qatar.

Between 2008 and 2012, Spain lifted two European Championship titles and also won their first World Cup as they dominated international football, boasting stars such as Andres Iniesta, Iker Casillas and David Villa.

However, since that Euro 2012 triumph, Spain have not made it back to a major tournament final and the majority of their key players from those glory years have retired.

Just Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba remain from that Euro 2012 squad, but the emergence of exciting young talent such as Ansu Fati and Pedri has reignited hopes of success returning under the stewardship of Luis Enrique.

Defender Garcia feels Spain's mix of senior figures, such as Busquets and Alba, and their electrifying tyros could lead to a successful tournament in Qatar.

"For me, we have a perfect combination between young and old," Garcia told SPORT. "In the end, youngsters continue to learn every day, and other more experienced players try to teach us.

"I think that this combination has many benefits in many aspects, because this group is spectacular.

"We have to be ourselves. We know what we are capable of when we are ourselves, we can compete and beat any team. That is the first step, first Costa Rica and then the rest, with the intention of going far, which is what we want.

"Maybe we don't have a [Lionel] Messi or a Neymar, but we have players who individually contribute a great plus, like Pedri, Gavi, Busquets, [Marco] Asensio at the level he is. Having these players will help us."

Qatar will be Garcia's first taste of World Cup action with Spain, and he is thrilled to be part of the team, explaining how he watched past tournaments since childhood.

"As you get older, you're thinking, 'I wish I could be there one day'," he said. "It is a privilege to be able to be here, living an experience that everyone would like to live, so it must be appreciated and valued."

Garcia hopes to be selected in Luis Enrique's line-up for Spain's opening game against Costa Rice on Wednesday, adding: "The competition in each position is very high, but in my head is to work as much as possible in training and if the coach counts on me, be at the highest possible level every minute I play."

After the meeting with Costa Rica, Spain will take on Germany and Japan in Group E.

Jordan Henderson believes England's men should take inspiration from the Lionesses' Euro 2022 success as they chase Qatar World Cup glory.

Sarina Wiegman's side secured England's first major trophy since the men's World Cup in 1966 after a 2-1 extra-time victory over Germany in July.

Gareth Southgate's Three Lions reached the semi-finals at Russia 2018 before suffering penalty shoot-out heartbreak in the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy.

Henderson was named as part of England's 26-man squad who will look to go one step further in Qatar, and the midfielder referenced the success of Wiegman's women as an inspiration.

"The Lionesses have done a fantastic job and the whole country was behind them," Henderson told the BBC.

"Hopefully we can take inspiration from that and perform like they did. If we do that then I'm sure we'll have a good tournament."

The Liverpool captain is expected to play a back-up role in Southgate's midfield, with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice being probable contenders for the starting XI.

Henderson will provide much-needed experience, though, as a Premier League and Champions League winner with Liverpool.

England will need such know-how if they are to go deep in the Middle East, where they are the only European team to have reached at least the semi-finals in each of the last two major tournaments.

Southgate's side start their Group B campaign against Iran on Monday before clashes with the United States and Wales.

Roberto Mancini has tipped Argentina to win their third World Cup as Lionel Messi and team-mates chase glory in Qatar.

Mancini's Italy side will not be involved after a shock 1-0 play-off defeat to North Macedonia in March.

Italy's absence from Qatar comes despite them being the reigning European champions, having beaten England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final.

That triumph subsequently saw them face off against Argentina in the UEFA/CONMEBOL Finalissima at Wembley in June, after Lionel Scaloni's men won the Copa America.

Argentina comfortably beat Italy 3-0, and Mancini says that performance plays a part in him ranking them as favourites for the World Cup.

"There are many strong teams," Mancini told reporters. "If I had to choose one, I'd go for Argentina.

"They really impressed when we played each other."

Italy have won their last three matches as they look to get over World Cup disappointment, most recently seeing off Albania in a 3-1 friendly victory on Wednesday. They face another game against Austria on Sunday.

Mancini is still upset about the failure to reach Qatar, but he has been pleased with his team's reaction, saying: "We immediately showed a desire to fight back, winning a Nations League group that was by no means easy ahead of Germany, Hungary and England.

"Unfortunately, we’ll have to keep this suffering until mid-December when the tournament is over. Next time, we need to be more precise."

Daniel Ricciardo has explained his decision not to pursue a race seat in Formula One for 2023, as he closes in on a non-racing role with Red Bull.

The Australian is poised to rejoin the team he left in 2018 in a position that may include reserve, promotional and simulator duties, with Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being his last with McLaren.

Although not confirmed, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has stated that Ricciardo will be joining the team, with Christian Horner welcoming the potential return of the driver on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

A non-racing role with Red Bull does not necessarily mean Ricciardo's time on the F1 grid is over, though he feels it was the right move in order to take a break from competition.

"I knew that I wanted some time off next year from a race seat and just from competition," he told Motorsport.com.

"It's obviously been pretty tiring the last couple of years with the struggles, so it was pretty clear to me shortly after the summer break that that was what I wanted, and what was going to be best for me.

"So then it was: 'Okay. What's the next best thing?' And the more I thought about it, to obviously be involved to some degree with a top team, that was obviously the preference.

"But it's not done. So that's why I haven't come out and confirmed it, because that's still the truth: it's not done. But I can obviously look you in the eye now and say it's the most likely option at this stage."

Ricciardo also feels this is the right move to assess where he wants to go long-term, giving him the ability to decide without affecting his week-to-week performances on the grid.

"Honestly, I think that's also in a way the beauty with this," he said. "It'll either fuel the fire and make me hungry and more motivated than ever, or it will actually be like 'oh, this is the right thing for you', and in that case then I must be really happy.

"Because as much as you go through highs and lows of racing, I'm still very happy with life, and am privileged to live a good one. So if next year I'm not interested in coming back, then I must be doing some really cool s***."

England scored three tries in the final eight minutes to fight back from 18 points down and earn a barely believable 25-25 draw against New Zealand on Saturday.

The All Blacks led by 14 points inside 10 minutes and extended that lead further in the second half, yet somehow they missed out on a seventh successive victory.

Beauden Barrett was yellow carded in the 71st minute and that proved a huge moment as replacement Will Stuart crossed over twice either side of Freddie Steward in a remarkable finale.

After England fans attempted to drown out the Haka, Dalton Papali'i got New Zealand off to a flyer as he intercepted Jack van Poortvliet's pass and ran in unchallenged.

Codie Taylor added a quickfire second try when bundling over from a lineout towards the corner, with Jordie Barrett successfully converting for a second time.

Owen Farrell, making his 100th appearance for England, and Marcus Smith registered a penalty apiece for England either side of three more points from the boot of Barrett.

But Caleb Clarke popped the ball to Ioane after a cross-kick caught England cold, and he ran three-quarters the length of the pitch to round off an impressive New Zealand move.

A drop goal from Beauden Barrett put New Zealand 19 ahead, only to then get sin-binned for failing to release Marcus Smith.

Stuart drove over the line in the immediate aftermath and Steward did likewise two minutes later after being fed by Ben Youngs.

England looked like falling just short of a memorable comeback, but Stewart had other ideas as he powered over in the final seconds, allowing Smith to convert and level up.

James Tedesco pinpointed the "special bond" within the Australia squad as the driving factor for Saturday's Rugby League World Cup triumph.

Australia captain Tedesco crossed over for two tries, as did Latrell Mitchell, in a 30-10 victory over Samoa as the Kangaroos cruised to a 12th world crown at Old Trafford.

The Australians have won their last 19 matches on English soil in the competition, in which they have reached every final since 1957, and Tedesco lauded the unity between his side after victory.

"It is pretty unbelievable. This group of blokes came over here six or seven weeks ago and we've got such a special bond," he told BBC Sport.

"COVID-19 has killed us for three years, not being able to play for our country, but we came here early and got along straight away.

"We created that connection from the start and wanted to work hard for each other."

Samoa missed the chance for a second-half fightback after Angus Crichton was fortunate to only be sin-binned for a high tackle on Chanel Harris-Tavita.

Cameron Murray extended the lead despite the one-man disadvantage as late tries for Brian To'o and Stephen Crichton proved a mere consolation for Samoa, who were playing in their first World Cup final.

Australia head coach Mal Meninga says he never had any doubts his side would hold off Samoa's advances to secure more silverware.

"It's fantastic. It's one of those games and you sit up there," Meninga said. The first half was expectational, we did what we needed to do.

"In the second half we scrambled well, a man down but we still scored points. It's what you do, you work for each other. I wasn't nervous, I'm confident in this footy team.

"Defensively, we only had 12 against a Samoa side who threw everything, I was still comfortable."

Meninga hailed the "exceptional" Tedesco as a "worthy man of the match" before praising the togetherness of his World Cup-winning side.

"They're committed to each other. There is respect and humility for our jersey, for the opposition," he added.

"We brought our best game tonight. We've had a long year but have been rewarded for effort tonight. What a way to finish our 2022 season."

Karim Benzema has suffered an apparent injury setback on the eve of the Qatar World Cup, French media reported on Saturday.

The Ballon d'Or winner and Real Madrid superstar only resumed full training with Les Bleus this weekend but could not complete the session with Didier Deschamps' team.

L'Equipe and RMC Sport reported Benzema was forced out by injury, with no initial indication of how serious the problem might be.

Benzema was troubled by a knee injury earlier this season before missing further fixtures for Madrid after suffering from muscular fatigue in his left quadriceps.

World Cup holders France begin their defence on Tuesday against Australia, before also tackling Denmark and Tunisia in Group D on November 26 and 30 respectively.

Benzema's absence from the tournament, should it come to that, would be a major blow to France, even though coach Deschamps also has the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud as forward options.

RB Leipzig's prolific Christopher Nkunku was forced to pull out of the squad this week after suffering knee ligament damage in a training collision with Eduardo Camavinga.

Youssouf Fofana says he "will do everything" possible to earn a place in France's starting line-up at the World Cup in Qatar.

Fofana only made his France debut against Austria in September, but his impressive form in Ligue 1 for Monaco was enough to earn him a spot in Didier Deschamps' 26-man squad for the tournament.

Injuries to fellow midfielders Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante mean he may even start for the reigning world champions, potentially alongside former team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni.

The 22-year-old says he will do all he can to receive a place among France's starters for their opening match against Australia on Tuesday.

"As a newcomer [to the squad], we come to discover this great competition," Fofana told reporters. "Whether you are 23 or 30, the first World Cup is always important.

"As a competitor, I will do everything to earn my place in the 11, like the 26, but always with respect for my teammates."

Fofana's late charge into the squad may induce questions of whether he is up to the required standard to play at a World Cup for France, but the 22-year-old feels his performances speak for themselves.

"As I said, it's on the field that speaks," Fofana added. "The coach validated me. After the first game [debut against Austria], everyone validated me too!

"I no longer have time to tell myself whether I am happy or proud. The competition starts in two days.

"Two major players are absent [Pogba and Kante], but they also started in the France team one day. There is a beginning for everything."

France received a boost on Saturday as Raphael Varane returned to full training on Saturday.

After their match with Australia, Deschamps' men will take on Denmark and Tunisia in Group D as they look to retain their World Cup crown.

United States head coach Gregg Berhalter is confident his side can defeat anyone on their day, as they prepare to commence their World Cup campaign against Wales.

Having failed to qualify for the tournament in Russia four years ago, the US side head to Qatar with the intent to make an impact ahead of co-hosting the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico in 2026.

Eight years ago in Brazil, Berhalter's predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann made it clear the USMNT could not win the tournament which, although a realistic assessment, was seen to be a defeatist mentality in the eyes of many.

Berhalter is not looking to rock the boat fully by declaring his side can go all the way, though he does fancy their chances against any opposition.

"What I do believe is that on our best day we can beat anyone in the world. Anyone," he told ESPN.

"Look, it is a great honour to play in the World Cup, but we don't want to just be participants. We want to perform.

"We think the first step is getting out of the group. And the second step is, in the knockout games, playing our best possible game and seeing how far we can go."

Midfielder Weston McKennie is keen to take it one match at a time, starting with Monday's opener against Wales.

"As a team, as a group, we always want to just focus game by game. So of course with Wales being the first one, there's no way that we're going to look past them or anything because we know they're a strong team.

"We know that it's going to be a hard game. But we definitely want to win the first game, to come out with three points.

"[It's been] just three, four years of just working up to this moment. I think all the guys are ready to go, and the staff are ready to go and put a game plan together. So hopeful we execute that."

The United States also face England and Iran in Group B, as they look to continue their consistent record at the World Cup – only failing to advance from the group stages in four of their nine involvements.

Australia captain James Tedesco scored two tries as the Kangaroos cruised to their 12th Rugby League World Cup crown with a 30-10 victory over Samoa on Saturday.

The Australians had little difficulty in sweeping aside their opponents, who were playing in their first final after beating hosts England to reach the trophy match.

Latrell Mitchell crashed over after 14 minutes before Tedesco and Liam Martin – the latter after a video review – added tries in a prosperous first half for Australia at Old Trafford.

Nathan Cleary only added the extras to one of those first-half tries, though, before Angus Crichton was fortunate to only be sin-binned for a high tackle on Chanel Harris-Tavita after the interval.

Cleary found Cameron Murray to extend 12-man Australia's lead before a delicate Josh Addo-Carr kick teed up Crichton, though the video referee ruled out the try after the latter failed to ground the ball.

Brian To'o finally responded for Samoa with 20 minutes remaining, but any hopes of a fightback were stifled when Tedesco broke through for his second score.

Stephen Crichton managed a late consolation before Mitchell bundled over for his second try, as Australia eased to a 19th straight World Cup match win on English soil to secure more silverware.

Head coach John Herdman says Canada are "doing everything we can" to allow Alphonso Davies to feature in their World Cup opener against Belgium.

Davies has been recovering from a hamstring injury suffered with Bayern Munich earlier this month and jetted out to Qatar later than the rest of the squad, arriving on Friday evening.

The 22-year-old participated in training on Saturday, but it is not clear whether he will be cleared for involvement on Wednesday, when Canada play their first World Cup match since 1986.

Herdman acknowledged players of Davies' calibre are necessary against a top-tier team such as Belgium, though he will not rush the left-sided player.

"My mission is to make sure he plays at this World Cup, it's a childhood dream for him," Herdman said in Saturday's press conference.

"But I have to say Belgium's another level, we haven't faced a team of that level since we played against Brazil [a 3-2 friendly loss in 2008].

"You need players like Alphonso, whether that's starting, or off the bench. So, we're doing everything we can.

"He's still building towards hitting his top speed. He hasn't hit that top speed yet and when you have hamstring injuries that's always the key moment. That's when the hamstring is pushed to its limits."

Davies is not Canada's only injury concern heading into the tournament, with influential midfielder Stephen Eustaquio recovering from muscle soreness.

"It's another calculation. It's an algorithm we're trying to process now of is he hitting his markers?" Herdman said.

"It really is mathematics, of what he can tolerate now through these next three training days to show that he's ready to start.

"If there's not a starting position, I'm sure he'll be coming off the bench. But there's no guarantees Stephen Eustaquio will start against Belgium at this point."

Canada will also come up against Morocco and defeated 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia in Group F, giving Herdman's side a tough task to qualify for the knockout stages.

Christian Eriksen says Denmark captain Simon Kjaer will defy FIFA and wear a OneLove armband at the World Cup regardless of the consequences.

Captains of 10 European sides are expected to wear a distinctive heart-adorned armband in Qatar, promoting diversity and inclusion in a country where same-sex relationships are prohibited.

On Saturday, FIFA announced its own armbands will feature a different social campaign, including 'Save the Planet' and 'Bring the Moves', throughout each round of the tournament in the Middle East.

Eriksen confirmed Denmark will stick with the OneLove initiative as Kasper Hjulmand's side prepare for Tuesday's Group D opener against Tunisia.

"I think we as a country are wearing it, our captain will be wearing the OneLove armband and then what the consequences will be, I don't know but we'll see," said midfielder Eriksen.

"And apart from that, we are here as footballers and we are going to play football. Of course, we want to help what we can, but in the end I'm on this stage because I play football.

"That's really my focus, and it's our focus at this tournament."

Manchester United player Eriksen will appear on FIFA's global stage less than 18 months after suffering a cardiac arrest in Denmark's European Championship clash with Finland.

"I'm just happy to be back. Especially to be at the World Cup. I've been lucky to play in one or two before, but it's special," Eriksen said.

"It's a big tournament, it's very difficult to qualify. We are dreaming of something big, but in the end, we have to get there.

"In football terms, we'll take one game at a time, and we will see where we end up."

Hjulmand's side will aim to escape Group D, which also includes world champions France and Australia, though Eriksen acknowledged it will be a difficult challenge.

"We know it's a tough group. Some teams we played a lot and some teams like Tunisia, we haven't played before," he said.

"It's a World Cup, so it's fun to test ourselves against teams we haven't played before."

Denmark have beaten France twice already this year in the Nations League, and Eriksen said he did not know whether that would influence the upcoming encounter.

"Normally, France in a tournament is a different team compared to the rest of the year," he said. "We know what to do, and we look forward to it."

Cristiano Ronaldo's scathing interview on Manchester United, in which he criticised the club, senior figures and manager Erik ten Hag, remains a significant talking point in the build-up to the World Cup.

Portugal captain Ronaldo said he felt "betrayed" by United, claiming the Red Devils have made "zero progress" since Alex Ferguson departed as manager in 2013, though Eriksen showed little interest in his club-mate's comments.

He said: "No, it hasn't been any distraction for our focus on the World Cup or a personal focus. And no, I haven't spoken to him since at the club."

The Washington Commanders are placing running back JD McKissic on injured reserve due to a neck injury that rules him out for the remainder of the season.

In his third year in Washington, McKissic has seen his season draw to a premature close due to a neck problem for the second campaign in a row, NFL Network reported.

While not starting a match this season, McKissic has appeared eight times and secured 268 scrimmage yards – 95 on the ground and 173 from receiving.

The former Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions man has missed the last three weeks due to the injury, including the surprise win against the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10.

Another win is expected for the currently 5-5 Commanders this week against the 1-7-1 Houston Texans.

The Commanders currently sit outside of the playoff places but remain in the hunt as they look to feature in the postseason for only the second time since 2016.