Showmax to Beam Live FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Nations League Finals, Others

While the thrilling finale of the Premier League may have drawn to a close, Showmax Premier League is excited to announce that the beautiful game is far from over. Football fans across Africa can look forward to an exhilarating off-season filled with world-class action, ensuring not a single moment goes by without live football entertainment. The football feast includes the highly anticipated FIFA Club World Cup, on Sunday, 15 June 2025, where the planet’s elite clubs will battle it out for the prestigious global trophy. The tournament also features a galaxy of European giants, including powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, and Red Bull Salzburg. Adding to the star power, global icon Lionel Messi will lead his team, Inter Miami, into the competition, alongside strong South American contenders like Botafogo, Palmeiras, and Flamengo. This monumental tournament will be held in the United States, culminating in a spectacular final at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. But the FIFA Club World Cup is just the beginning of Showmax Premier League’s comprehensive off-season offering. Fans can also look forward to the intense drama of the UEFA Nations League Finals, a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the member associations of UEFA. This tournament, kicking off with the semi-finals on 4 June 2025, provides a competitive platform for Europe’s top nations, where footballing titans like Germany, Portugal, Spain, and France will vie for continental supremacy, battling through the semi-finals to reach the highly anticipated finals. The excitement continues with top-tier women’s football, as we bring you both the UEFA Women’s EURO tournament and the Women’s AFCON tournament. The UEFA Women’s EURO showcases the pinnacle of European women’s football, featuring the continent’s best national teams competing for glory and further elevating the sport’s profile. Similarly, the Women’s AFCON tournament highlights the incredible talent and growing prominence of women’s football across Africa, with nations battling for continental supremacy and qualification for global tournaments. Morocco will play host to the tournament from July 5-26, 2025 as the best women’s footballers in Africa gather to compete for the coveted trophy. Before you know it, the familiar roar of the Premier League will return as clubs embark on their Summer Series tours. These exciting pre-season clashes see top Premier League teams travel globally, competing in high-profile friendly matches to fine-tune their squads and prepare for the rigours of the new season. It’s a fantastic opportunity for fans to see their favourite teams in action before the competitive fixtures begin. And for the ultimate appetite cleanser ahead of the official kick-off, don’t miss the traditional Community Shield trophy match on, 9 August 2025,, a prestigious annual fixture that pits the reigning Premier League champions Liverpool against FA Cup champions Crystal Palace in a battle for early silverware and bragging rights.

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Antonio Rudiger Undergoes Successful Surgery

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has successfully underwent surgery on his knee, the club announced on Tuesday morning. He is set to miss up to two months for Real Madrid, meaning he will not be there for the remainder of LaLiga games. He could return for the Club World Cup, according to COPE. The club’s medical report read: “Our player Antonio Rüdiger underwent successful surgery today for a partial tear of the external meniscus in his left leg. The operation was performed by Dr. Manuel Leyes under the supervision of the Real Madrid Medical Services. Rüdiger will begin recovery soon.” Real Madrid now only have three available centre-backs to end the season with. Raul Asencio, David Alaba and Jesus Vallejo, if you want to count him, will be the only three defenders who will play. Castilla defender Jacobo Ramon may get a few opportunities to shine as well. Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni could also have to go back to being a centre-back, even though he has been great at the pivot.

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117 Referees Shortlisted for 2025 Club World Cup

Following a thorough preparation process that included seminars with FIFA referees from all six confederations, the FIFA Referees Committee has announced the match officials who will oversee games at the groundbreaking FIFA Club World Cup 2025, which will take place from 14 June to 13 July across 12 stadiums in 11 Host Cities in the United States. A total of 117 match officials – 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials – from 41 member associations will take charge of the matches. Commenting on the appointment of Team One, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said that it would be a “privilege” for those chosen to officiate at the very first edition of the FIFA Club World Cup: “As every new competition starts, the selected referees are among those who have the privilege to be part of this for the first time, so I’m sure that all the match officials will be thrilled. “We are coming from high standard performances delivered during the last FIFA tournaments. So the bar is higher and when you get the bar higher, it’s more difficult to keep the standard. But we are working very hard and Team One will make a solid contribution to the success of this exciting competition. “I like to compare the preparation of a football team and a referee team because both need to work hard and deliver to the highest standards,” noted FIFA Director of Refereeing Massimo Busacca. “We try to find as much uniformity and consistency as possible in what we are doing because football is the same everywhere, but we know that we have to understand the different mentality in football, and this is crucial.” In line with the changes to the Laws of the Game approved by The International Football Association Board (The IFAB), FIFA will implement new rules designed to cut down on time-wasting by goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team (rather than the current indirect free kick for more than six seconds). In addition, following The IFAB’s support for FIFA’s undertaking to test body cameras worn by match officials to identify possible future use and develop quality and safety standards, referees will be equipped with body cameras on a trial basis at the FIFA Club World Cup. The live footage from these cameras will be made available to fans across the world via DAZN, the exclusive global broadcaster of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 . “We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision, which was never offered before,” said Mr Collina, emphasising that it was a trial. “It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing, to evaluate how the call was made by the referee. So, it’s a combination of a new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes.“

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Referees to Wear Body Cams at FIFA Club World Cup

Referees will wear body cams during the Club World Cup. The video technology can be used to monitor the officials, players and also offer the chance to be shown as part of TV coverage. It is part of a major trial which could then see the technology introduced across all levels of the game, including the Premier League in the future. Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has already championed the use of body cam technology to protect referees from abuse from fans and players from grassroots up. It would have big support across the English game and has been given the green light for a trial in this summer’s tournament in the United States by law makers IFAB. Pierluigi Collina, chair of the FIFA Referees’ Committee, said: “We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision which was never offered before. “It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching. Because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing, to evaluate how the call was made by the referee, which was his view, and so on. So it’s a combination of new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes.” IFAB has also approved new rules on time-wasting which means a corner kick will be given if a keeper holds the ball for eight seconds or longer. The Club World Cup will pioneer that change by using a video count down on big screens during the tournament, similar to what is used in rugby on conversions. Collina added: “It will be a very, very interesting competition. [It’s the] first time ever to have the best clubs around the world, from each corner of the world competing. “So it’s, I would say, an extra responsibility for us, for refereeing, because we want to have our referees ready in the best conditions when the competition starts. And we are aware that a high standard of refereeing is key to having a successful competition.” Manchester City and Chelsea are England’s sole representatives in the revamped Club World Cup, which now has a vastly different format to previous editions. In a move heavily criticised by players, coaches, and executives alike, the competition has undergone a significant restructure for 2025 and will now feature an expanded field, with 32 teams participating in a summer tournament that closely resembles the World Cup. It begins on June 15 and runs until July 13. Miami hosts the opening fixture, with the final being held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Meanwhile, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia and Nashville are a few of the other host cities.

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Adidas unveils FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Official Match Ball

FIFA has announced adidas as the Official Supplier of the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in truly eye-catching fashion, with the long-standing FIFA partner unveiling the tournament’s Official Match Ball, which features an iconic design and cutting-edge technology. The ball’s design paid homage to the host nation, the United States, incorporating bold graphics and emblems that celebrate and reflect the country’s heritage. Set against a pearlescent background, the match ball showcases striking jagged-edged block patterns and deconstructed stars and stripes in red, white and blue in a nod to the nation’s flag. The Official Match Ball is engineered to provide greater in-game accuracy thanks to PRECISIONSHELL – a 20-piece panel shape with strategically placed debossed grooves on the ball’s outer shell. Another performance benefit is to be found under the surface in the form of CTR-CORE technology, which is designed to enhance accuracy and consistency in flight and helps to retain maximum shape and air retention with a view to supporting fast, precise play. In addition, the integrated connected ball technology sends inertial measurement unit data to the video-assistant-referee system at a rate of 500 times per second in real time. When combined with player position data and the application of artificial intelligence, the technology helps video match officials to make faster offside decisions and can also aid them in identifying each individual touch of the ball, resulting in reduced delays in resolving specific incidents, e.g. possible handball offences. As well as supplying the Official Match Ball, adidas is set to provide uniforms for match officials, volunteers and FIFA staff across the tournament, with the garments reflecting the sports manufacturer’s commitment to quality and sustainability, offering high-performance apparel for those at the heart of the event.

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