Friday, May 6 at the camp Ukraine national team It was a clear day for the media in Slovenia.
The desire to see with their own eyes how Ukrainians are forced to prepare abroad for the World Cup play-off matches was expressed by representatives of about 20 editorial offices from Slovenia, Great Britain and Germany. A press conference was held with the participation of the head coach of the yellow-dark blue team. Alexandra Petrakova and experienced team player Taras Stepanenko. Since Taras was fluent in English, a somewhat unusual situation arose: There were little more questions for the football player than for a mentor.
20 out of 23 performers from the home country team took part in the open training. True, the other two were on the field, but they did the exercises separately. Victor Tsygankov He continues the rehabilitation process after the adductor muscle injury taken at the club 10 days ago and Mihail Mudrik currently at the final stage of individual training, which in the coming days will allow the first player of the national team to participate in the general training process. Meanwhile Alexey GutsulyakHaving felt pain in her knee the day before, she went with a doctor to do an MRI scan to help diagnose the problem.
The 20 players of the national team continued to improve their passing and ball control techniques, which had to be reinstated due to the long hiatus from official matches. At the final stage, the training of artists was divided into two groups – collections game serieswhich traditionally significantly increases the competitive effect. While the minimum advantage of one of the teams remained until the final whistle, the other team attacked the opponent’s goal on top of the attack. In the end, the score leader managed to catch the attackers on the counterattack and won a two-goal victory (4:2). For some it is moral satisfaction, for others it is an incentive for tomorrow’s training, because any result and game series has the most important task – preparation for the match on June 1.
First Vice President of the UAF Anatoly DemyanenkoHe summed up the first phase of preparations for the blue-yellows in Slovenia, who spent six days with the national team before returning to Ukraine:
“It is very important that the Ukrainian national team has the opportunity to train in excellent football and living conditions. The current military realities in our country are simply unique and even incredible. Of course, it is difficult for players to concentrate only on football when they are constantly at home mentally, constantly checking the news from their relatives in Ukraine. But you can see how hard the head coach and his assistants worked and that energy was transmitted to all the guys. After spending almost a week with the players, I can see how their mentors want to achieve what they are aiming for each day – getting a ticket to Qatar. The dedication, faith and desire of the whole team is felt in the air to give Ukraine this desired result and raise the spirit of the nation. Therefore, in my opinion, everything should fit into one puzzle.
A PHOTO. The mood is positive. Open Day of the national team of Ukraine in Slovenia
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Head coach of the Portuguese national team Roberto Martinez He explained why Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play an important role in the national team.
– There is always a lot of talk around Cristiano Ronaldo. Why does he remain the undisputed starter for the Portuguese national team, even though he will soon be 41?
“It’s all about his attitude towards the profession.” We constantly evaluate three key factors: talent level, accumulated experience and the contribution a player can make to the national team.
Making the highest demands on himself for the benefit of the team allows the captain to maintain his place in the squad. His desire to be the best is passed on to his partners. “The 25 goals he scored in 30 matches as a striker confirms that his play brings tangible benefits to the national team,” he said.
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The International Football Federation has confirmed the implementation of the seeding change in the draw procedure for the 2026 World Cup, which has stagnated the seeding system, similar to the one contested on the tennis court. Wimbledon tournaments.
This new system, which has already been tested at the World Club Championship, guarantees that the highest rated teams will be placed at the bottom of the tournament bracket. The aim is to give the bigs the best chance of reaching the final or being accepted before the semi-final.
Under the new principle, the top two ranked teams (Spain and Argentina) will be placed first on the bottom line, and the same principle will apply to the third and fourth teams (France and England).
“To ensure that the two best-ranked teams, once they have won their group, do not compete against each other until the final,” FIFA says.
The new method has the potential to create more balance between teams and ensure that the strongest teams come together in the later stages of growth, as is often the case. Tenis, where the seeding system ensures finals between the nearest gravel types.
Although weaker teams can strengthen their system, this system supports sporting integrity and gives an advantage to the most successful teams. FIFA is committed to competitive balance and will give matches the highest priority to fans.
The draw for the Emergency 2026 group stage will take place on the 5th day and the latest updates on the match schedule and stadiums will be announced the following day.
Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.
The International Football Federation has officially decided that teams that qualify for the World Cup through play-off matches (this category currently belongs to Ukraine) will be automatically eliminated up to 4th place.
This means that once someone has successfully qualified for Ukraine, he or she will have an even more complex group, with the 4th group consisting of the weakest rated participants, who are guaranteed to be eliminated to the groups with the strongest teams from the 1st cat.
FIFA has confirmed a major change to the draw procedure, introducing a seeding system similar to that of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
Change the clicks to ensure that the strongest teams play among themselves in the later stages of development, increasing interest until the final stages of the tournament.
Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.
