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."

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.

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.

Reggae Girls striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw scored her eighth goal in seven games in the 2022-23 FA Women’s Super League to help Manchester City beat Everton 2-1 at Walton Hall Park in Liverpool on Saturday.

City took the lead in the 32^nd minute through Julie Blakstad before the hosts equalized in the 40^th minute through Rikke Sevecke.

Shaw then extended her lead atop the goal-scoring charts this season to three with a match-winning strike in the 49^th minute.

City remain fourth in the WSL table with 15 points from seven games.

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."

Belgium defender Timothy Castagne is confident Red Devils supporters will soon start to see Eden Hazard rekindle his best form.

The former Chelsea winger has endured a dismal, injury-hit three years since joining LaLiga giants Real Madrid.

Set to turn 32 in January, Hazard has managed only two goals and one assist in 15 games for Madrid in 2022, starting a mere four times and playing just 532 minutes in the first team. 

Now Hazard, who has a little over 18 months left on his contract, has a big chance to show what he can do on a different stage as he prepares to play a part for Belgium at the World Cup in Qatar.

Leicester City full-back Castagne says his team-mate will need time to get back to speed, but once he is there is no reason he cannot produce his best football again.

"Belgians would like to see again the Eden from a few years ago," he said at a news conference on Saturday.

"As players, we see during training he's still here. But we know very well that coming back without playing much is not easy.

"He needs some time and I think the 60 minutes he played [against Egypt on Friday] will be very good for him.

"And then he'll try to improve during the tournament. It won't happen immediately – he won't be incredible during the first game, but step by step, he can grow and improve."

Belgium start their campaign against Canada on Wednesday, before taking on Morocco and Croatia in Group F. 

Harry Kane pinpointed David Beckham as his inspiration as the England captain looks to deliver the "ultimate success" at the World Cup.

Tottenham talisman Kane heads to Qatar just three strikes away from breaking Wayne Rooney's 53-goal record for England, who will look to build on recent success in major tournaments by targeting the trophy.

Gareth Southgate's team reached the semi-finals at Russia 2018 before losing on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Kane played an integral role in both those campaigns, and former England star Beckham was the childhood hero who inspired him to achieve his dreams.

"I think I was about five or six years old when I started playing for Ridgeway Rovers, our local Sunday league team," Kane, 29, said in a letter posted on England's official website.

"We were pretty good at that age and it had a good set-up, with good coaches and plenty of good players.

"David Beckham had also played for Ridgeway Rovers growing up and with Beckham being Beckham, growing up he was my idol, and it was the same for a lot of young kids in that area.

"I knew he had played for the same team as me, went to the same local secondary school in Chingford Foundation School, and grew up in the area, so whilst Beckham was obviously a huge figure across the world, for those of us in Chingford, where he came from, that was all people used to speak about."

Kane said it was "an amazing achievement" for this childhood team and school to produce two England captains.

"Seeing Beckham go on to achieve what he did made it seem a little bit more real," Kane said.

Without that factor, Kane said his own career "might have felt it was out of reach or an impossible task".

Grassroots side Ridgeway Rovers have produced numerous English professional footballers alongside Beckham and Kane, including another international in Andros Townsend.

Kane eventually left Ridgeway Rovers to take up academy football with Tottenham. Now, he will hope to fire England to World Cup glory, and Kane says he can relate to supporters after being in their position earlier in his career.

"Before I became an England player, I was an England fan. During most major tournaments we would go to the pub to watch England," Kane said.

"We loved England, we loved watching England and we were big England fans. I remember many tears being shed after we went out on penalties and things like that."

He recalled the exuberant celebrations, too, and said it gave him huge satisfaction that recent England teams have been able to deliver more success than usual.

Kane added: "We have not quite had that ultimate success yet, but to give the young boys and girls, and the men and women, all around the country that happy feeling and those moments, where the beer goes everywhere and you are jumping on each other, is really special."

England start their World Cup campaign on Monday against Iran before also facing the United States and Wales in Group B.

Christopher Nkunku has torn the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, according to RB Leipzig.

Nkunku was forced to withdraw from France's World Cup squad on Tuesday after getting injured in a training collision with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

The 25-year-old was replaced in Didier Deschamps' selection by another player who plies his trade in the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani.

On Saturday, Leipzig confirmed the nature of Nkunku's injury, though were not able to put a timescale on his return.

A statement on the club's website read: "Christopher Nkunku tore the LCL in his left knee while training with the French national team on November 15 in Paris.

"It is not yet clear how long he will be out for and there are different treatment options for this injury. We will provide Christo with the best support so that he can return as soon as possible."

Nkunku has 16 goals in 22 games this season and Die Roten Bullen will be eager to have him back as soon as possible, with Leipzig currently third in the Bundesliga – six points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Leipzig also announced that Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol will not miss the World Cup despite suffering a broken nose in the recent win over Freiburg, while midfielder Konrad Laimer is back in training after sustaining an ankle injury in September.

History will be made when hosts Qatar get the World Cup under way with a clash against Ecuador and head coach Felix Sanchez says "you never know what can happen".

Al Bayt Stadium will be the venue for the opening match of the tournament on Sunday and Qatar's first World Cup game.

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup champions are not expected to qualify from Group A, which also includes Netherlands and Senegal.

Sanchez is realistic over the host nation's prospects but is relishing the challenge of trying to defy expectations.

The Spaniard said: "Obviously, I'm not talking about Qatar winning the World Cup, but competing at a good level against those three teams is our challenge.

"Then this is football, and you never know what can happen."

Ecuador are 44th in the world rankings, only six places higher than Qatar as they prepare to lock horns in Al Khor.

Defender Byron Castillo was a late omission from Gustavo Alfaro's squad due to a dispute over his nationality this week.

Alfaro knows his Ecuador side are not well fancied to make their presence felt but expects them to make life difficult for their group rivals.

He said: "The World Cup is totally different from what the qualifiers are. If we are going to play the way we played the qualifiers, most likely we won't have a chance, because we are going to play against the Asian champions, against the African champions and against the Netherlands, who are in the final four in Europe. 

"They are teams that are superior to what we are, for a reason we were in pot number four in the draw, if we had been the best we would have been in pot one or two. We have to be make things difficult, we have to be the pebble in their shoe."

If history is anything to go by, there should be entertainment on Sunday, as the past four opening World Cup games have produced 17 goals at an average of 4.25 per match.

Al Bayt Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for Qatar, as they have won their three previous matches at the venue with an aggregate score of 9-0.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Qatar – Almoez Ali 

Striker Ali was the leading scorer when Qatar were crowned the champions of Asia three years ago, scoring nine goals in seven games.

That impressive tally was achieved from only 10 shots on target and was a record for a single edition of the tournament. Qatar will need him to be clinical on the biggest stage of all on home soil.

Ecuador - Pervis Estupinan 

Left-back Estupinan can make an impact at both ends of the field for Ecuador.

The Brighton and Hove Albion full-back created 22 chances during a successful World Cup qualifying campaign, more than any other defender.

PREDICTION

Ecuador are fancied to spoil the party and get off to a winning start. 

According to Stats Perform’s AI model, Alfaro's men have a 41.4 per cent chance of securing all three points, with the draw rated at 29 per cent.

Qatar have a 29.6 per cent chance of coming out on top, according to the model, in what looks like being their best opportunity to register a historic victory.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito insisted Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is "not for sale" amid growing links to Serie A rivals Juventus.

The midfielder will be playing in Qatar for the World Cup with Serbia this month, though reports in Italy suggest Milinkovic-Savic could be on the move soon after once the January transfer window arrives.

Manchester United have previously been linked with the 27-year-old, while Massimiliano Allegri's side now appear to be the frontrunners to sign the Serbia international.

But Lotito attempted to put the speculation to an end on Saturday, telling Italian newspaper Il Messaggero the Lazio star's future was not up for discussion.

"Everyone says he's going here, he's going there but he's not for sale, we know what he's worth for me and for Lazio," Lotito said. 

"We are having ongoing talks about a contract renewal."

Milinkovic-Savic has impressed in Serie A once again this year, with no Italian top-flight player managing more than his 12 assists in 2022 before the World Cup break.

Only six midfielders have registered more goal contributions in Europe's top five leagues this season than Milinkovic Savic (12), though fellow midfielder Luis Alberto has failed to impress for Lazio.

Former Liverpool and Sevilla man Luis Alberto has fallen down the pecking order under Maurizio Sarri, though Lotito says he will not let the 30-year-old leave on loan in the next transfer window.

"If he wants to leave, bring a team with money, because I really don't think about giving him on loan in January," he added. "And I haven't received any requests from Atletico [Madrid]. 

"At the moment, the situation hasn't changed compared to the summer when Sevilla were perhaps interested. 

"I will not play any games. Luis Alberto is a talented player, an added value for Lazio and a compromise can still be found. 

"He has to accept the coach's choices and Sarri can be more understanding because every player has a different character. They can't all have the same mental strength as Pedro."

Keylor Navas will be fit to face Spain in Wednesday's World Cup Group E opener, says Costa Rica assistant manager Ronald Gomez.

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Navas has not featured for Christophe Galtier's side in Ligue 1 this season, acting as deputy to Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma.

A lower-back issue for Navas raised fears the 35-year-old would not recover in time for Qatar, before Costa Rica's sole World Cup warm-up game scheduled for Thursday against Iran was cancelled.

The former Real Madrid keeper will still be capable of featuring against Spain, though, according to Luis Fernando Suarez's assistant Gomez.

"We already know all about Keylor Navas, we won't doubt him now as we know his capacity," Gomez said on Saturday. 

"He has had some pain in his back, but it is already solved, so we now expect him to play in the matches and offer what he has always given to us, which is reliability and good management of games."

The experienced Suarez will go to a third edition of FIFA's top competition with a different nation, but has come under some scrutiny for selecting 37-year-old Bryan Ruiz.

Gomez assured Ruiz was selected on merit, though, after doubts were cast on the choice to pick Costa Rica's second-most capped player.

"Everybody knows him. We all know what Bryan represents to this national team and our football history," Gomez added. 

"He is here deservedly, and the coach is right in selecting him here in order to [give him the chance to] retire from the national team, for whom he has given so much, because of the story he has had in our football and the international football star he has been.

"He deserves to be here, he's earned it, it is not a gift from our coach. He has the quality, although we will have to see how many minutes he is capable of playing. But for me, to bring Bryan here is perfect."

Suarez's side have won just two of their last 13 games at the World Cup (D5 L6) and are without victory in their last six at the tournament (D4 L2) – their longest winless run.

Yet, three of Costa Rica's five wins at the World Cup have come in their opening game, as they prepare to face Luis Enrique's talented Spain.

Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro says the absent Byron Castillo "will be with us" in an emotional sense after a controversial nationality dispute led to the defender not going to the World Cup.

Castillo was the subject of a complaint made by Chile in May, with the Chilean Football Federation alleging he was born in Colombia rather than Ecuador.

The case initially put Ecuador's World Cup qualification in doubt until the FIFA investigation was closed in June, and FIFA's Appeal Committee confirmed no further action was being taken three months later.

Chile appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who acknowledged Castillo's birthplace as being in Colombia, but the claim was dismissed on the basis of Ecuador legally recognising the player as Ecuadorian.

Nevertheless, Ecuador were still hit with a three-point deduction for the next World Cup qualification campaign for using a "document containing false information", and Alfaro was made to leave Castillo out of his squad for the World Cup as the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) wanted to avoid "further unfair sanctions".

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with host nation Qatar, the opening game of the 2022 World Cup, Alfaro said: "I gave my opinion. He should be here, that's my opinion.

"I expressed my opinion about the CAS decision. I'm head coach, not a lawyer, I expressed an opinion, I talked to lawyers.

"I respect the decisions [of the Federation]. Byron should be here, but I respect the decision. We'll wait to see if they clarify why the three points [deduction] in the next qualifying stage, but the World Cup started in October. If he's ineligible for the World Cup, then he was [ineligible] for [October]. Ecuador is always facing hardship.

"We didn't cap him while the investigation was open. But after two sentences that said Byron was Ecuadorian, we did cap him.

"If you had only seen the pain Byron has had to endure…the love from the squad to Byron, he's now our symbol, and he'll be with us on the pitch even if he's not with us [physically]."

While there was undoubted sadness in Alfaro's voice as he discussed Castillo's situation, he otherwise spoke with great pride on Saturday as Ecuador prepare to take part in the World Cup's opening act.

He allowed himself a moment to reflect on his own history and the World Cup exploits of his Argentinian compatriots in the past, specifically Carlos Bilardo and Cesar Luis Menotti, winners in 1986 and 1978 respectively.

"First of all, as an Argentinian national, a coach, it fills us with pride [to work at a World Cup]," he continued. "In Argentina, the coaches all make a great effort to be professionals and reach this level, especially coaches like me who've had to work from the bottom up.

"I coached in the lower divisions and have a broad experience with different teams. Now this is my first national team [job] and World Cup. Looking back, there are so many famous Argentinian coaches who acted as beacons.

"Myself, Lionel [Scaloni, Argentina coach], Tata Martino [Mexico coach], we want to continue that legacy. It's up to us to represent Argentinian coaches now.

"Many have been in this position before. It's a great privilege for me to be part of that exclusive list of coaches at a World Cup, but on the other hand there aren't that many of us who've been able to coach our team in the opening game.

"Today, I feel very proud to come from Rafaela, to have been part of regional football in Argentina, and also the top division.

"I dreamed of being a coach there when everything felt so hard. I overcame many challenges and hurdles.

"I was told I wasn't good enough, wasn't up to the expectations, but when we dream we are able to achieve, I now have the privilege of being here talking to you."