2014 World Cup qualifiers: Africa zone groups

Groups and Teams

Group A

Country	MP	PTS
1Ethiopia	0	0
2South Africa	0	0
3C.A.R.	0	0
4Botswana	0	0

Group B

Country	MP	PTS
1Equatorial Guinea	0	0
2Tunisia	0	0
3Sierra Leone	0	0
4Cape Verde	0	0

Group C

Country	MP	PTS
1Gambia	0	0
2Cote d'Ivoire	0	0
3Morocco	0	0
4Tanzania	0	0

Group D

Country	MP	PTS
1Lesotho	0	0
2Sudan	0	0
3Zambia	0	0
4Ghana	0	0

Group E

Country	MP	PTS
1Congo	0	0
2Niger	0	0
3Gabon	0	0
4Burkina Faso	0	0

Group F

Country	MP	PTS
1Namibia	0	0
2Kenya	0	0
3Malawi	0	0
4Nigeria	0	0

Group G

Country	MP	PTS
1Mozambique	0	0
2Zimbabwe	0	0
3Guinea	0	0
4Egypt	0	0

Group H

Country	MP	PTS
1Benin	0	0
2Rwanda	0	0
3Mali	0	0
4Algeria	0	0

Group I

Country	MP	PTS
1Togo	0	0
2DR Congo	0	0
3Libya	0	0
4Cameroon	0	0

Group J

Country	MP	PTS
1Liberia	0	0
2Angola	0	0
3Uganda	0	0
4Senegal	0	0

2014 WC qualifiers: Côte d’Ivoire vs Tanzania match preview

Under the orders of their brand new coach, Côte d’Ivoire launch their journey to the Brazilian World Cup on Saturday in Abidjan against Tanzania.

Named on Monday head of the Elephants by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football in place of François Zahoui, who for the last time led his team to victory the day before in a friendly against the Mali Eagles, former French international of Tunisian origin, Sabri Lamouchi lands right in the thick of things with this important weekend clash.

The top African country on the FIFA classification hereby start off their qualifying campaign for a third consecutive World Cup final, following those of 2006 and 2010 which saw them eliminated from the competition in the group phase.

The green and orange armada will be led by recently crowned European champion, Didier Drogba, flanked by the majority of finalists of the last Africa Cup of Nations.

Those missing from the squad are English champion Yaya Touré, Emmanuel Eboué, Arthur Boka, Cheik Tioté, Souleymane Bamba, as well as Didier “Maestro” Zokora, who has decided to take a step back from the national team.

But the Elephants also see the return of Marco Né, Lacina Traoré and Viera Diarrassouba.

On paper, Côte d’Ivoire is the big favourite for the clash, as they confront a Tanzanian selection that has never participated in a World Cup final.

But the recent turmoil at the head of the Elephants could work to the advantage of the Taifa Stars.

The other Group C match of the Africa zone qualifiers will see Gambia and Morocco come to blows on the same day.

2014 WC qualifiers: Central African Republic vs Botswana match preview

Central African Republic and Botswana will kick-off Group A in the CAF region of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they meet in Bangui on Saturday.

CAR, known by the nickname ‘The Wild Beasts’, have never qualified for the World Cup (nor even the Africa Cup of Nations) and start the campaign as outsiders in Group A.

However, if their showing in the preliminaries of the 2012 AFCON is anything to go by, then their opponents will do well not to underestimate them.

CAR finished second behind Morocco in the 2012 qualifiers and though they did not make the cut for the finals, they did cause something of a sensation by finishing ahead of 2010 World Cup finalists Algeria.

A similarly strong showing for a second successive qualifying campaign is perhaps too much to expect from an inexperienced side who are ranked 123rd on FIFA’s latest release, but if they can get off to a good start in this home match, then they may just be able to build up a head of steam.

As for Botswana, the Southern Africans excelled by qualifying for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations but their showings at the tournament proper (they lost all three of their matches, conceded nine goals and finished bottom of Group D) demonstrated that they are still on a steep learning curve.

Nonetheless, the Zebras can call upon some highly talented and experienced players (many of whom ply their trade in the top leagues of Group A rival South Africa) and will be backing themselves to challenge their regional rivals Bafana Bafana for ascendancy in the group.

If they are to do that, then they can ill afford to start with an away loss against CAR, a team they really should be beating if they are serious about qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in their history.

2014 WC qualifiers: Cameroon vs DR Congo match preview

Cameroun debut their World Cup 2014 campaign on Saturday in Yaoundé in their Africa zone Group I qualifier against DR Congo.

The Indomitable Lions have as their aim a fourth World Cup final, after those of 1982, 1990 and 2010.

Following a highly disappointing World Cup in South Africa, and a non-participation in the Africa Cup of Nations 2012, Samuel Eto’o’s teammates have much to be pardoned for.

Under the guidance of former Coton Sport de Garoua manager Denis Lavagne (since the dismissal of Javier Clemente), the Lions have strung together four victories in as many matches, with their only black mark being the boycott of a friendly in Algeria last November, which cost captain Eto’o a long suspension period.

Cameroon outclassed Guinea last Saturday 2-1 in a warm-up match thanks to a brace by Eric Choupo-Moting, but have no room for error at home at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.

Added to the scheduled absences of Eto’o, Angbwa, Makoun and Assou-Ekotto is the withdrawal of Gaétan Bong and the unexplained absence of Jean-Armel Kana-Biyick, who has been replaced by Sochaux defender, Yaya Banana.

This first Brazilian World Cup qualifier will also see the absence of Nicolas N’Koulou, who is still in his recovery period after being injured with Marseille, and it will be Ajax Amsterdam’s Eyong Enoh who will wear the captain’s armband.

Opposing the Indomitable Lions will be the DR Congo and a familiar old face in the form of Claude Leroy on the bench for the Leopards.

Leroy was in fact head of Cameroon when they won the Afcon 1988, after having failed in the final in the 1986 edition.

The DR Congo have only participated in a single World Cup final, that of West Germany in 1974, under their former name of Zaïre.

In the other Group I match, Togo host Libya on Sunday afternoon.

2012 WC qualifiers: Nigeria ready for Namibia and Malawi

Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama will lead the Super Eagles in the qualifiers in the absence of injured Joseph Yobo, officials said.

Enyeama is vice-captain but in October he was dropped from the squad after a face-off with then coach Samson Siasia.

The former Enyimba shot stopper will therefore lead out the team beginning on Sunday against Namibia in Calabar in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Nigeria will also travel to Malawi the following week in continuation of the World Cup qualifying tournament, before they host Rwanda in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier also in Calabar on June 17.

Montpellier of France Ligue 1 Championship hero John Utaka and Israel-based goalkeeper Austin Ejide Monday afternoon joined the Eagles training camp.

Keshi has told his team he wants plenty of goals in the qualifying matches.

“In our time, matches against teams like Namibia are not discussed in terms of whether we will win but how many goals we will score and that is what I want us to return to in the new Super Eagles”, he told the players on Monday morning.

His training was also targeted at getting goals, as he said the Namibians, who have been training in Germany for the qualifier must not be underrated.

“They say we are the super power and Namibians are minnows, those are only words, and until we show it on the pitch we will just be living in a fool’s paradise,” he said.

The Super Eagles train twice daily at 7:30 am and 3:30 pm inside the UNICAl Sports Ground.

That will continue until they move to the UJ Esuene Stadium on Thursday to perfect strategies against Namibia.

Sweden UEFA EURO 2012 final squad

Sweden coach Erik Hamrén has announced his 23-man squad for UEFA EURO 2012 in the wake of some mixed injury news.

While Johan Elmander is expected to recover from a fracture to his right foot, John Guidetti's hopes of reproducing his glittering Feyenoord form on the international stage this summer are over due to an inflamed nerve in a thigh muscle. Markus Rosenberg will deputise, the 29-year-old returning to end a three-year absence from the national team.

West Bromwich Albion FC defender Jonas Olsson is in line to make his maiden appearance at a major international tournament, meanwhile. The 29-year-old has blossomed under the stewardship of new England manager Roy Hodgson this season and was delighted to have been given the chance to add to his six international caps. "I'm very happy of course," he said. "It is a childhood dream to get to play a major tournament."

Overall, Hamrén has plumped for a blend of youth and experience, with some familiar faces completing the lineup. Olympiacos FC's Olof Melberg is set for his fourth UEFA European Championship, while Anders Svensson, Kim Källström, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Andreas Isaksson and Christian Wilhelmsson will complete a hat-trick of appearances.

Sweden open their Group D campaign against Ukraine in Kyiv on 11 June before facing England four days later and France on 19 June. "It will be an exciting challenge," said Hamrén. "It is a tough and uncertain group. We could play three really good matches and still not progress. Our first ambition is to qualify for a quarter-final. But if we do, we will not start celebrating. We dream of medals."

Final squad
Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland (FC København), Pär Hansson (Helsingborgs IF).
Defenders: Mikael Antonsson (Bologna FC), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa CFC), Olof Mellberg (Olympiacos FC), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich Albion FC), Martin Olsson (Blackburn Rovers FC), Behrang Safari (RSC Anderlecht), Mikael Lustig (Celtic FC).
Midfielders: Emir Bajrami (FC Twente), Rasmus Elm (AZ Alkmaar), Samuel Holmén (İstanbul BB SK), Kim Källström (Olympique Lyonnais), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland AFC), Anders Svensson (IF Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (PFC CSKA Moskva), Christian Wilhelmsson (Al-Hilal FC).
Forwards: Johan Elmander (Galatasaray AŞ), Tobias Hysén (IFK Göteborg), Zlatan Ibrahimović (AC Milan), Markus Rosenberg (SV Werder Bremen), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven).

EURO 2012: Russia provisional squad

Russia coach Dick Advocaat has selected two uncapped players in his 26-man provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2012.

FC Dinamo Moskva's 24-year-old defender Vladimir Granat and FC Lokomotiv Moskva midfielder Magomed Ozdoev, 19, are the stand-out inclusions in a list which also features FC Spartak Moskva striker Artem Dzyuba, who won his only cap to date in a 1-1 draw against Greece last November.

With PFC CSKA Moskva defender Vasili Berezutski doubtful due to a thigh injury, Advocaat – who will take charge of PSV Eindhoven following next month's finals – has called up FC Rubin Kazan captain Roman Sharonov. The 35-year-old has not appeared for his country since September 2004, three months after playing in two group games at the UEFA European Championship in Portugal.

Another notable returnee is Marat Izmailov, who earned the last of his 31 caps in 2006. Hampered by injury in recent times, the midfielder has returned to form in the second half of the season for a Sporting Clube de Portugal team which reached the last four of the UEFA Europa League.

The squad will convene in Moscow on 20 May. Russia start their EURO campaign on 8 June against Czech Republic in Wroclaw before facing Poland and Greece in Warsaw. Prior to the tournament they will play three friendly matches: against Uruguay (25 May, Moscow), Lithuania (29 May, Nyon) and Italy (1 June, Zurich)

Russia provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vyacheslav Malafeev (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Anton Shunin (FC Dinamo Moskva).
Defenders: Aleksandr Anyukov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksei Berezutski (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vasili Berezutski (PFC CSKA Moskva), Sergei Ignashevich (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vladimir Granat (FC Dinamo Moskva), Yuri Zhirkov (FC Anzhi Makhachkala), Dmitri Kombarov (FC Spartak Moskva), Roman Sharonov (FC Rubin Kazan), Roman Shishkin (FC Lokomotiv Moskva).

Midfielders: Igor Denisov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Glushakov (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Magomed Ozdoev (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Igor Semshov (FC Dinamo Moskva), Marat Izmailov (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Alan Dzagoev (PFC CSKA Moskva).
Strikers: Andrey Arshavin (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kerzhakov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Artem Dzyuba (FC Spartak Moskva), Aleksandr Kokorin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Roman Pavlyuchenko (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Fulham FC).

EURO 2012: Greece provisional squad

Fernando Santos has taken a gamble on veteran striker Nikos Liberopoulos in his provisional 25-man Greece squad for UEFA EURO 2012.

The 36-year-old Liberopoulos only featured twice in qualifying but his fine form for AEK Athens FC earned him a place ahead of Stefanos Athanasiadis, a player 13 years his junior and fresh from an impressive campaign with PAOK FC.

The other main talking point was Santos's choice of goalkeepers – the coach opted for Michalis Sifakis, Kostas Chalkias and Alexandros Tzorvas but admitted it was not easy. "There were five or six players in with a good chance of making the cut. In the end, I chose the goalkeepers who have had more time with the national squad, who played more matches in qualifying," the Portuguese coach said.

Sifakis has missed a big part of Aris Thessaloniki FC's season because of injury, Tzorvas has been on the bench at US Città di Palermo and Chalkias played only half of PAOK's matches this term, yet they were all selected ahead of Panathinaikos FC's Orestis Karnezis. "He played with us once, in the last friendly, but I believe he is not yet ready, he lacks the experience for such a competition," Santos explained.

Santos, who will take his players to Austria on 22 May for a pre-tournament training camp, said the presence of only one natural right-back, Vassilis Torossidis, was not a problem owing to the versatility of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Giannis Maniatis. Greece will play two friendlies in Austria – against Slovenia on 26 May and Armenia five days later – before departing for Poland, where they will face the hosts, Czech Republic and Russia in Group A.

Greece squad
Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Thessaloniki FC), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK FC), Alexandros Tzorvas (US Città di Palermo).
Defenders: Vassilis Torossidis (Olympiacos FC), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (FC Schalke 04), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (SV Werder Bremen), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiacos FC), José Holebas (Olympiacos FC), Giorgos Tzavellas (AS Monaco FC), Stelios Malezas (PAOK FC).
Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos FC), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos FC), Giannis Maniatis (Olympiacos FC), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK FC), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens FC), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiacos FC), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos FC), Alexandros Tziolis (AS Monaco FC), Kostas Fortounis (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Panagiotis Kone (Bologna FC).
Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK FC), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic FC), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK Athens FC), Kostas Mitroglou (Atromitos FC).

•  Poland's side

EURO 2012: Germany provisional squad

Germany coach Joachim Löw has announced a 27-man provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2012.
Löw has called up four goalkeepers and 23 outfield players in his initial selection. He hinted that he is likely to wait until 29 May before confirming his final party to travel to Poland and Ukraine, with Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München contesting the German Cup final on Saturday, and Bayern also facing Chelsea FC in the UEFA Champions League showpiece a week later.
"We have to make the best of this situation and try to form a team capable of winning the tournament in a relatively short time span," Löw said. "I don't see us as clear favourites. Spain have been the most consistent team over the last few years. There are also quite a few other teams capable of winning the competition. A European Championship is always a devilishly hard tournament to win."

Expectation is high in Germany after a perfect record in qualifying, but Löw added: "We have many young players, who have never played a big tournament. It's a similar situation to [the FIFA World Cup in] 2010. An advantage is that our foundation is better than in 2008 or even 2010, with our philosophy now solidified over the past two years. We have a very balanced squad with a good age structure."

While the likes of Dennis Aogo, Simon Rolfes and Christian Träsch have not made the cut, VfB Stuttgart striker Cacau keeps his place, holding off the claims of Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kiessling. "We had long talks about our attacking options, especially regarding Helmes. We decided in favour of Cacau because we think he is better in tights spaces while Helmes is more of a counterattacking striker."

The only real surprise was the inclusion of FC Schalke 04 winger Julian Draxler, who received his first call-up. "He has enormous potential, is very, very young and will develop," Löw added. "His strengths are his pace and his skill in one-on-one situations. We believe that he can help us on the wings with his pace and dribbling skills."

Germany take on Portugal, the Netherlands and Denmark in Group B at UEFA EURO 2012 this summer, with friendlies against Switzerland and Israel beforehand.

Provisional Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München), Tim Wiese (SV Werder Bremen), Marc-André ter Stegen (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96).
Defenders: Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern München), Jérôme Boateng (FC Bayern München), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal FC).
Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Toni Kroos (FC Bayern München), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid CF), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid CF), Marco Reus (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), André Schürrle (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Julian Draxler (FC Schalke 04), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), İlkay Gündoğan (Borussia Dortmund), Lukas Podolski (1. FC Köln).
Forwards: Cacau (VfB Stuttgart), Miroslav Klose (S.S. Lazio), Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München).

Euro 2012: Netherlands provisional squad

Bert van Marwijk has retained three uncapped players in his reduced, yet still provisional, 27-man Netherlands squad for UEFA EURO 2012.
PSV Eindhoven left-back Jetro Willems – at 18 a possible candidate to replace injured club-mate Erik Pieters in the starting XI – AZ Alkmaar midfielder Adam Maher and sc Heerenveen forward Luciano Narsingh will travel to a training camp in Lausanne on Thursday having been on the 36-strong list released by Van Marwijk on 7 May.
Two surprise omissions from that enlarged selection are Urby Emanuelson and Hedwiges Maduro, capped 14 and 18 times respectively. The other seven players cut from the party announced last week are: Alexander Büttner, Jasper Cillessen, Ola John, Erwin Mulder, Nick Viergever, Stefan de Vrij and Georginio Wijnaldum. From the team which started the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, only retired left-back Giovanni van Bronckhorst is missing.

In attack, Van Marwijk must decide whether to pair Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar together, both of whom have enjoyed prolific seasons in England and Germany respectively, or continue with his policy of deploying one central striker.

"They can play together," said Van Marwijk. "I'm glad that Klaas-Jan became top scorer in Germany and Robin in England, but I'm also glad that Wesley Sneijder is fit again and Arjen Robben has been doing good things."

Club commitments this weekend preclude Robben, Ibrahim Afellay and Stijn Schaars from joining up with the rest of squad, but the trio could be considered for selection when the Dutch play UEFA Champions League finalists FC Bayern München in a friendly on 22 May. The Oranje then tackle Bulgaria (26 May), Slovakia (30 May) and Northern Ireland (2 June) before travelling to their tournament base in Krakow on 4 June.

Provisional Netherlands squad
Goalkeepers: Tim Krul (Newcastle United FC), Maarten Stekelenburg (AS Roma), Michel Vorm (Swansea City AFC).
Defenders: Vurnon Anita (AFC Ajax), Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart), Wilfred Bouma (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Everton FC), Joris Mathijsen (Málaga CF), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (AFC Ajax), Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven).
Midfielders: Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City FC), Siem de Jong (AFC Ajax), Adam Maher (AZ Alkmaar), Stijn Schaars (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Wesley Sneijder (FC Internazionale Milano), Kevin Strootman (PSV Eindhoven), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur FC)
Forwards: Ibrahim Afellay (FC Barcelona), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (FC Schalke 04), Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool FC), Jeremain Lens (PSV Eindhoven), Luciano Narsingh (sc Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal FC), Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München).

Euro 2012: France provisional squad

France coach Laurent Blanc has included uncapped Montpellier Hérault SC defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa in his 26-man provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2012 after Younès Kaboul was forced to withdraw with a knee injury.

The news of his selection will come as the perfect birthday present for Yanga-Mbiwa, who turns 23 today, while Kaboul has paid the price for suffering a recurrence of a knee complaint during Tottenham Hotspur FC's final Premier League match of the season on Sunday.

"We have been monitoring him [Yanga-Mbiwa] for a long time and he might have been called up earlier," said Blanc. "We needed someone to make up for the loss of Younès."

Blanc, who announced a 12-man list of non-Ligue 1-based players last week, added that Olympique de Marseille forward Loïc Rémy "has a very slim chance" of making the final squad for Poland and Ukraine after sustaining a thigh injury against AJ Auxerre at the weekend.

Despite a low-key campaign by his standards, Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Yoann Gourcuff has also been picked by Blanc. "He has been satisfactory for the French team," said Blanc. "We'll see if we can get him back on track during our training camp."

France warm up for UEFA EURO 2012 with friendlies against Iceland (27 May), Serbia (31 May) and Estonia (5 June). Les Bleus then open their Group D campaign against England on 11 June before facing Ukraine four days later and Sweden on 19 June.

Provisional France squad (Ligue 1-based players)
Goalkeepers: Cédric Carrasso (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyonnais), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille).
Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (LOSC Lille Métropole), Anthony Réveillère (Olympique Lyonnais), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Montpellier Hérault SC).

Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Olympique de Marseille), Yoann Gourcuff (Olympique Lyonnais), Yann M’Vila (Stade Rennais FC), Marvin Martin (FC Sochaux-Montbéliard), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain FC).
Forwards: Olivier Giroud (Montpellier Hérault SC), Jérémy Menez (Paris Saint-Germain FC), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique de Marseille), Loïc Rémy (Olympique de Marseille).

Provisional France squad (non-Ligue 1-based players)
Defenders: Gaël Clichy (Manchester City FC), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal FC), Adil Rami (Valencia CF), Philippe Mexès (AC Milan), Younès Kaboul (Tottenham Hotpsur FC)*.
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United FC), Florent Malouda (Chelsea FC), Samir Nasri (Manchester City FC).
Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United FC), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid CF), Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München).
* withdrawn due to injury

EURO 2012: Spain gears up for international friendlies

UEFA Champions League winners Fernando Torres and Juan Mata have been added to the Spain squad ahead of their upcoming friendlies against Serbia and Korea Republic, the Spanish football federation have announced.

The duo, who on Saturday helped Chelsea win the Champions League for the first time in their history, were initially absent from Vicente del Bosque's 21-man squad along with players from Copa del Rey finalists Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao due to their club commitments.

However, the two forwards have now been called up by Del Bosque. A statement on the RFEF website read: "The national team coach, Vicente Del Bosque, has called up the Chelsea players Fernando Torres and Juan Mata. Both internationals will be join the squad on 25 May in St Gallen."

The Copa del Rey final takes places on Friday night, while Spain face Serbia on Saturday in St Gallen, Switzerland, before meeting Korea Republic in Bern the following Wednesday.

Final squad revealed on Sunday

Del Bosque is set to name his final 23-man squad for UEFA EURO 2012 on Sunday. Torres and Mata were part of the Spain squad that won the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010 while Torres scored the winning goal in the final of EURO 2008.

However, whereas Mata has impressed for Chelsea this season, Torres has found life difficult at Stamford Bridge since his British record £50million move from Liverpool in January 2011 and that cast doubts on whether he would win a place in Spain's EURO 2012 squad.

The 28-year-old, who was not in Chelsea's starting line-up for their Champions League final, yesterday spoke of his disappointment at how his season went and is looking to discuss his future with the Blues ahead of the next campaign.

Another dilemma facing Del Bosque as he finalises his squad for Poland and Ukraine is the fitness of Barcelona striker David Villa, who has not played since before Christmas after suffering a broken leg. Barça captain Carles Puyol appears almost certain to miss out on the tournament after recently undergoing knee surgery.

London 2012: U23 Men's Soccer fixtures

date	Time (US/Eastern)	Match
Jul 26, 2012	7:00am	Spain U23 vs Japan U23
Jul 26, 2012	9:30am	Mexico U23 vs Korea Republic U23
Jul 26, 2012	9:45am	HondurAS U23 vs Morocco U23
Jul 26, 2012	12:00pm	Uae U23 vs Uruguay U23
Jul 26, 2012	12:15pm	Gabon U23 vs Switzerland U23
Jul 26, 2012	2:45pm	BelarUS U23 vs New Zealand U23
Jul 26, 2012	2:45pm	Brazil U23 vs Egypt U23
Jul 26, 2012	2:45pm	Great Britain U23 vs Senegal U23
Jul 29, 2012	7:00am	Brazil U23 vs BelarUS U23
Jul 29, 2012	9:30am	Mexico U23 vs Gabon U23
Jul 29, 2012	9:45am	Egypt U23 vs New Zealand U23
Jul 29, 2012	12:00pm	Senegal U23 vs Uruguay U23
Jul 29, 2012	12:00pm	Spain U23 vs HondurAS U23
Jul 29, 2012	12:15pm	Korea Republic U23 vs Switzerland U23
Jul 29, 2012	2:45pm	Great Britain U23 vs Uae U23
Jul 29, 2012	2:45pm	Japan U23 vs Morocco U23
Aug 1, 2012	9:30am	Brazil U23 vs New Zealand U23
Aug 1, 2012	9:30am	Egypt U23 vs BelarUS U23
Aug 1, 2012	12:00pm	Japan U23 vs HondurAS U23
Aug 1, 2012	12:00pm	Korea Republic U23 vs Gabon U23
Aug 1, 2012	12:00pm	Mexico U23 vs Switzerland U23
Aug 1, 2012	12:00pm	Spain U23 vs Morocco U23
Aug 1, 2012	2:45pm	Great Britain U23 vs Uruguay U23
Aug 1, 2012	2:45pm	Senegal U23 vs Uae U23

2014 WC qualifiers: Ghana vs Lesotho

The Black Stars will hold their first training session on Monday afternoon ahead of next month's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

This will begin the first phase of non-residential camping and training will be at the Accra Sports Stadium. 

Head coach Kwesi Appiah has invited 30 players for the double assignments against Lesotho on June 1 in Kumasi and Zambia in Lusaka eight days later.

All ten locally-based players are expected to turn up but some foreign-based stars will be absent.

Marseille striker Jordan Ayew was in action for on Sunday night in their 1-0 reverse at Sochaux of the final day of the French Ligue 1.

Midfielder Rabiu Mohammed was an 86th minute substitute for Evian TG in their 1-0 home defeat to Brest.

Centre-back John Boye will be absent after playing the entire duration for Rennes who thumped Dijon 5-0 at the Stade dele Route--de-Lorient. 

Anthony Annan was also in action last night in a Dutch Eredivise Europa League play-off for his side Vitesse Arnhem who beat RKC Waalwijk 2-1 at home.

Harrison Afful will arrive by midweek after playing for Esperance in their 0-0 draw with ES Beni-Khalled on Sunday.

Youngster Christian Atsu and Switzerland-based Ishmael Yartey will arrive on Monday night.

But Ukraine-based quartet Daniel Addo, Samuel Inkoom, Derek Boateng and Dominic Adiyiah will be present.

Also, Italy-based trio Masawudu Alhassan, Kwadwo Asamoah and Emmanuel Agyemang will be available.

Sulley Muntari will miss the training session due to a thigh injury he picked up two weeks ago. 

Ghana Squad

Goalkeepers: Adam Kwarasey (Stromsgodset, Norway), Robert Dabuo (Wa All Stars), Daniel Adjei (Liberty Professionals), Ernest Sowah (Berekum Chelsea)

Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Dnipro, Ukraine), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege, Belgium), Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), Richard Kissi Boateng (Berekum Chelsea), Masawudu Alhassan (Genoa, Italy), John Boye (Rennes, France), Lee Addy (Dalian Aerbin, China), Daniel Addo (Zorya Luhansk, Ukraine) Rashid Sumaila (Dwarfs), Jerry Akaminko (Manisaspor, Turkey), Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim, Germany)

Midfielders: Anthony Annan (Vitesse Arnhem, Netherlands), Derek Boateng (Dnipro, Ukraine), Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese ,Italy), Rabiu Mohammed (Evian, France) Richard Mpong (Medema) Solomon Asante (Berekum Chelsea), Christian Atsu (Rio Ave, Portugal), Ishmael Yartey, (Servette, Switzerland), Sulley Muntari (AC Milan, Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese, Italy).

Forwards: Jordan Ayew (Marseille, France), Dominic Adiyiah (Arsenal Kyiv, Ukraine), Ben Acheampong (Kotoko), Emmanuel Baffour (New Edubiase), Emmanuel Clottey (Berekum Chelsea).

2014 World Cup qualifiers fixtures: 1 June 2012

Come June 1, 2012, teams around the world will embark on the tumultuous journey towards Brazil 2014. In Africa, countries such as Zambia (reigning Afcon champions) will be hoping to continue their phenomenal form through to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and beyond. Chipolopolo face Sudan in their opening match away from home, and can have only themselves to blame if they fail to collect maximum points.

On the other hand, teams like Zimbabwe and South Africa will hoping for a change of fortune coming at the back of disappointing outings in 2011. Zimbabwe kick start their 2014 campaign with a tough assignment at home against a rampant Guinea side. The country also witnessed suspensions of some of its senior national team regulars due to match fixing allegations. While neighbors South Africa have an easier task when they host minnows Ethiopia.

The rest of the World Cup qualifiers are as follows:

Niger	-	Gabon
Sudan	-	Zambia

C.A.R.	-	Botswana
Cote d'Ivoir...	-	Tanzania
Ghana	-	Lesotho
South Africa	-	Ethiopia
Burkina Faso	-	Congo
Angola	-	Uganda
Benin	-	Mali
Zimbabwe	-	Guinea

London 2012: Olympics tickets

One million tickets for the biggest sporting showcase in London will go on sale starting Friday. Fans can secure their seats in good time and prevent last minute hassles associated with late purchases.

To avoid falling prey to fraudsters only buy Olympics tickets through official channels, for more information go to the IOC website.