June 23, 2022
The brief from today:
FIFA increases squad limits
FIFA announced that the 2022 World Cup would see an increase to squad sizes. Typically official tournaments allow national teams to select 23 players to represent each country, however, this year squads limits will increase to 26. In addition to that, 15 players, rather than the usual 12, will be allowed on the bench as one of five potential substitutes. A combination of factors have swayed FIFA into taking this position including: the heat in the host nation Qatar, and because the competition has been rescheduled from the summer to the winter, due to that heat, it will now take place in the middle of the club season for many players who are participating. Ultimately both of these factors—weather and workload—were deemed to potentially increase the risk of injury, and having more players available for rotation is seen as a way to mitigate that threat. With this news, some players, who might typically be on the fringes of a 23-man squad, now also have an increased chance to experience the biggest tournament in football.
FIFA, and its president, Infantino (above), opt for 26-man squads for the World Cup
CAF unveils tournament mascot
With the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations set to begin on July 2, Africa’s football governing body, CAF, has revealed the competition’s mascot. The host nation, Morocco, women’s and men’s teams are knows as the Atlas Lionesses and Lions, respectively. With that in mind, tournament mascot, TITRIT, is a lioness, and the Berber meaning of the name chosen is “star” or “celebrity”. The mascot also dons Moroccan jewelry and a traditional Selham cape. The clothes, however, are the Moroccan kit, serving as a reminder of the business at hand. The Women’s AFCON is scheduled for July 2-23, and matches will take place in Rabat and Casablanca.
Nkunku extends with Leipzig
Christopher Nkunku, the Bundesliga’s player of the year for the 2021/22 season, has extended his contract with RB Leipzig from 2024 to 2026. The French forward, joined Leipzig in 2019 from PSG, but it was his form last season that really put him on the map. His 20 goals and 13 assists in 34 league games drew a lot of admirers, and the suspicion was that he may be tempted to leave. With the World Cup only five months away, however, the prudent thing for him was to stay. He’s established in the Leipzig side as one of their key players, and the consistency of matches he will play at one of Germany’s bigger teams increases the likelihood he retains his place in Deschamps’s squad bound for Qatar. That said, there are rumors of an easily reachable release clause being inserted into his contract extension that becomes active next summer.
Nkunku celebrating one of many goals for Leipzig last season