Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
How they qualified: 2021 AFC Champions League winners.
Manager: Simone Inzaghi. Appointed Al Hilal coach - succeeding Jorge Jesus - one day after leaving Inter Milan, where his team had finished runners-up in Serie A and were humiliated 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Champions League final. Had led Inter to the 2023.24 title and won the Italian Cup twice.
Star player: Salem Al Dawsari. Hilal legend and club captain is now 33 but still producing the goods, registering 26 goals and 18 assists across competitions last season. Saudi winger also topped the AFC Champions League Elite scoring charts with 10 goals. Has made 445 appearances for the club, scoring 130 goals and providing another 17 assists.
One to watch: Aleksandar Mitrovic. Prolific Serbian striker missed a chunk of the campaign with a hamstring injury but still registered 28 goals in 36 games, taking his Hilal total to 68 goals in 79 games since moving from Fulham. The 30-year-old is also Serbia's all-time top scorer with 59 goals in 99 games.
Domestic season record: Second in Saudi Pro League, eight points behind champions Al Ittihad.
Fixtures:
- June 18 (11pm kick-off UAE): Real Madrid at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens.
- June 23 (2am KO) Red Bull Salzburg at Audi Field, Washington, DC.
- June 27 (5am KO) Pachua at Geodis Park, Nashville.
Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
How they qualified: Ninth-best team in the Uefa four-year coefficient rankings.
Manager: Thomas Letsch. German coach was appointed in December having previously been a youth-team coach, assistant manager and interim manager (for two games) at the club. Previous jobs include managing Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem and Bundesliga outfit VfL Bochum.
Star player: Dorgeles Nene. Silky-skilled 22-year-old Mali winger is enjoying the best season of his career, sitting second in the Austrian scoring charts with 13 goals while also providing eight assists. Heads to US in great form, having scored eight in his past nine matches.
One to watch: Oscar Gloukh. Former Maccabi Tel Aviv attacking midfielder is also hitting new heights for Salzburg, reaching double figures in goals for the first time in his career. Already has 19 caps and three goals for Israel despite only turning 21 in April.
Domestic season record: Currently second in the Austrian Bundesliga, two points behind leaders Sturm Graz.
Fixtures:
- June 18 (8pm kick-off UAE): Pachua at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati.
- June 23 (2am KO): Al Hilal at Audi Field, Washington, DC.
- June 27 (5am): Real Madrid at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.
Pachuca (Mexico)
How they qualified: 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup winners.
Manager: Jaime Lozano. Former Mexico national team manager was appointed weeks before the start of the tournament after Guillermo Almada's sudden resignation. The fiery Uruguayan had led Pachuca to the Champions Cup title last year.
Star player: Solomon Rondon. Experienced Venezuelan striker's career has seen him score goals in Spain, Russia, England, China, Argentina, and now Mexico. The 35-year-old has been impressive for Pachuca, scoring 36 times in 67 games, including 16 this season. Won best player and top-scorer awards in Pachuca's title-winning Champions Cup campaign.
One to watch: Oussama Idrissi. Dutch-born Moroccan international is a key player for Pachuca with the winger registering 25 assists in 74 appearances, including 10 this season. A star performer in the Champions Cup title-run and a huge fan favourite.
Domestic season record: Currently eighth in Liga MX, nine points behind leaders Toluca.
Fixtures:
- June 18 (8pm kick-off UAE): Red Bull Salzburg at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati.
- June 22 (11pm KO): Real Madrid at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
- June 27 (5am KO) Al Hilal at Geodis Park, Nashville.
Real Madrid (Spain)
How they qualified: 2021/22 & 2023/24 Uefa Champions League winners.
Manager: Xabi Alonso. Former Madrid midfielder's first gig as Los Blancos coach will be the tournament in the US. Alonso takes over from club legend Carlo Ancelotti after enjoying a hugely successful spell as Bayer Leverkusen coach.
Star player: Kylian Mbappe. After a stalled start following his dream move from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe found his groove to finish as La Liga top-scorer with 31 goals in 34 games (and 42 in 54 across all competitions). Will be hungry for a trophy after watching old club PSG finally securing a Champions League crown.
One to watch: Trent Alexander-Arnold. Would have joined Real for free from Liverpool on June 30, but the Spanish club wanted him on board for the Club World Cup, so they forked out €10 million to get the defender released from his contract early. An attacking right-back who provided 92 assists in 354 Liverpool games, while also scoring 23 goals.
Domestic season record: Finished second in La Liga, four points behind champions Barcelona.
Fixtures:
- June 18 (11pm kick-off UAE): Real Madrid at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens.
- June 22 (11pm KO): Real Madrid at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
- June 27 (5am): Red Bull Salzburg at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.
Read more:
Group A guide: Al Ahly, Porto, Palmerias, Inter Miami
Group B guide: Atletico Madrid, Seattle Sounders, Botafogo, PSG
Group C guide: Benfica, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Bayern Munich
Group D guide: Flamengo, Esperance, Chelsea, Los Angeles FC
Group E guide: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F guide: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G guide: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
Group H guide: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, RB Salzburg
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
World%20Cup%202023%20ticket%20sales
%3Cp%3EAugust%2025%20%E2%80%93%20Non-India%20warm-up%20matches%20and%20all%20non-India%20event%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2030%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Guwahati%20and%20Trivandrum%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2031%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Chennai%2C%20Delhi%20and%20Pune%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%201%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Dharamsala%2C%20Lucknow%20and%20Mumbai%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%202%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Bengaluru%20and%20Kolkata%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%203%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Ahmedabad%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%2015%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%20and%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
