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[ad_1] JOHANNESBURG: World Cup history-makers Morocco will host minnows Eritrea – 181 places lower in the FIFA rankings – when they start their quest for a place at the 2026 tournament. The first two of 10 matchdays in Africa are scheduled for November 13-21 and, after Eritrea, the first semi-finalists from Africa face a potentially tricky visit to improving Tanzania. Last December in Qatar, Morocco became only the third country outside of Europe and South America to reach the World Cup semi-finals, emulating the United States and South Korea. They shocked Belgium and held Croatia in the group stage, then eliminated Spain and Portugal in knockout matches before falling to France. In 16 pre-Qatar World Cup matches spanning five tournaments, the north Africans had won only two and suffered nine defeats. Morocco were given little chance of surviving the first round in Qatar, especially after a late change of coaches with local Walid Regragui succeeding Bosnian Vahid Halilhod

[ad_1] CNN  —  American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin has equaled Lindsey Vonn’s record of 82 World Cup wins with victory in the giant slalom at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is now the joint record holder for the most World Cup wins by a female skier, and by an American. After taking a 0.24-second lead in the first run, Shiffrin finished 0.20-second ahead of Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami, who finished third overall, and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in her second run. Italy’s Federica Brignone placed second overall. “I was so nervous this run,” Shiffrin said after the victory. “I don’t know why maybe a little bit was because of 82. I really wanted to ski it well and I did, can’t believe it.” Shiffrin is now four wins away from tying the overall record for World Cup wins, cur