عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

World Cup Champion Argentina to Play Australia in China

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Auxerre v Paris St Germain - Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Auxerre, France - May 21, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Auxerre v Paris St Germain - Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Auxerre, France - May 21, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
TT
TT

World Cup Champion Argentina to Play Australia in China

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Auxerre v Paris St Germain - Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Auxerre, France - May 21, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Auxerre v Paris St Germain - Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Auxerre, France - May 21, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Argentina captain Lionel Messi will lead his side against Australia at the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing and take on Indonesia during a two-game exhibition tour to Asia next month.

Argentina will play the Socceroos on June 15 in the Chinese capital. It’ll be the first meeting between the teams since Messi and his Argentina lineup beat Australia 2-1 in the Round of 16 en route to winning the World Cup title last December in Qatar.

Argentina's football federation said the national squad would play Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19.

“Football is truly the global game and for Australia to be invited to play this match in China, and against the world No. 1, we hope this will open further opportunities for our two nations to work together both on and off the football field,” Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said in a statement Monday.

Argentina's game in Indonesia is scheduled for a week after the under-20 World Cup final in La Plata.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
TT
TT

Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and his deputy, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris.

Held outside the traditional stadiums for the first time in history, the ceremony featured a parade of the 206 participating countries on 100 boats traveling approximately 6 kilometers along the Seine River.

The Saudi show jumping team player, Ramzy Al-Duhami, and his colleague, the Saudi Taekwondo champion Dunya Aboutaleb, raised the Saudi flag at the opening of the world’s largest sporting event.

Al-Duhami expressed his pride in raising the Kingdom’s flag alongside his teammate, noting that it was a dream for any Saudi citizen. He wished success for the Saudi athletes in representing Saudi sports with distinction.

Aboutaleb, in turn, said he was honored to carry the Kingdom’s flag at the Olympic Games, stating: “I aspire to perform at a level that reflects the support and attention given to sports in the Kingdom.”

The Saudi athletes’ uniform was admired by the international media and the audience, who applauded the players the moment their boat appeared on the Seine River.

The designs for the opening ceremony were chosen through a national competition organized by the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, with the participation of designers from across the Kingdom.

Out of 128 competing designers, the chosen uniform by Saudi designer Alia Al-Salmi featured traditional men’s thobes and bishts and brightly patterned thobe al-nashal for women, symbolizing the athletes’ pride in their homeland and cultural roots.

Mashael Al-Ayed, 17, will be the first Saudi athlete to compete, taking to the pool for the 200 meters freestyle swimming event on July 28. Al-Ayed is the first female swimmer to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics.