Atlético Madrid's biggest addition to its squad this season may end up being a player who already belonged to the club.

Álvaro Morata returned from on loan to Juventus and impressed in the offseason, giving hope to Atlético that he could be the player needed by coach Diego Simeone to complete his attack.

The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled with FIFA looking at a plan to let the host nation play Ecuador on Nov. 20, a person familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person said a decision could be made within days by a committee comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the heads of the six continental soccer bodies.

Iconic Brazilian football player and coach Mario Zagallo was discharged from hospital Sunday after a 12-day stay for a respiratory infection, a hospital source said.

Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs went on trial Monday on charges of attacking and coercively controlling his ex-girlfriend, in a case that has upended his managerial career.

Barcelona surprised many in the offseason by making several high-profile signings despite enduring a difficult situation financially.

The club's tactics to boost its squad — mostly by giving up future income to add new players now — prompted plenty of doubts and criticism.

New manager, same old problems for Manchester United.

United slumped to a 2-1 loss against Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday in Erik ten Hag's first Premier League game in charge, dispelling any notion that the Dutch coach could provide an instant fix to the many issues that plagued the team last season.

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the upcoming hard-court tournament in Montreal because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and is therefore not allowed to enter Canada.

By the same reason, as things stand now, he also will not be able to compete in the U.S. Open later this month.

The world's richest soccer league starts a new season in England on Friday as the rest of Europe looks for ways to catch up.

Off the field, the English Premier League is a commercial juggernaut with broadcasting deals worldwide fueling player transfers and wages most others cannot match. It helps explain why some clubs created the Super League project.

Coco Gauff held off four-time major champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic.

Gauff, the No. 6 seed, held all of her serves in the opening set and finished the 45-minute session with three aces. Osaka had the first double-fault of the match early in the second set and Gauff took advantage for a 2-1 lead. Gauff quickly built a double-break lead at 5-1 and led 40-0 before Osaka saved four match points and used her first ace to make it 5-2.

The United States women's soccer team extended its five-year reign atop the FIFA rankings on Friday and new European champion England moved up to No. 4.

The U.S. won its regional championship for the third straight time in July and leads No. 2 Germany, which rose three places despite losing the Euro 2022 final on Sunday.