A couple of African players, particularly in the Nigeria Super Eagles squad will not be part of the AFCON 2021 due to unresolved issues with their clubs and COVID-19 infections. But GuardianTV takes a look at the best players who have been cleared to take part in this year's AFCON in no particular order.

Delaying players and officials of your country’s national women’s football team for over three hours at the airport after a two-hour flight from Abidjan, following a hard-fought 1-0 win against their Cote d’Ivoire counterparts, on the pretext of conducting Covid-19 tests, is not how to welcome heroes back home.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have arrived in Ghana for the first leg of the Qatar 2023 World Cup Qualifiers against the Black Stars of Ghana. The Nigeria contingent departed from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja aboard a chartered Air Peace aircraft on Thursday morning.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣

A fight between two Mali basketball players at the Women's World Cup broke out after the team lost their game against Serbia and was eliminated from the tournament.

Real Madrid's France forward Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award for the best men's player in the world on Monday, while Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's award for a second time.

While Nigeria will not be featured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, several players of Nigerian origin will be adorning the national colors of other countries at the World cup.

With fewer than 24 hours left until the beginning of the end of the action in Qatar, there are fears for France as Raphaël Varane and Ibrahima Konaté become the latest players to fall ill. Meanwhile, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino hails the tournament as "the best World Cup ever", and we discuss whether the mental health of players is being properly considered by football authorities.

Lionel Messi was named FIFA player of the year 2022 on Monday as Argentina scooped all major men's awards after winning a vintage World Cup final last December.

Canada, France and Spain; three top teams are battling their own federations months before a World Cup. The fight was once familiar to Aine O'Gorman, but her Republic of Ireland team offer an example of how to move on.

Nigerian businessmen are showing a keen interest when it comes to investing in European football clubs. Could their control on the pipeline of local talent also help change the landscape of the Nigerian football world?

We look at reactions to a civil court ruling that Donald Trump is liable for sexual abuse and defaming columnist E. Jean Carroll. But will the verdict actually hamper his presidential hopes?