The International Football Association (FIFA) revealed the monthly ranking of the national teams, which saw Brazil has retained the top spot in the latest FIFA rankings, beating Belgium and Argentina to the lucrative spot, obtaining 1837 points. Brazil held on to the top spot in the monthly FIFA world soccer rankings released Thursday. Brazil leads the way with 1837 points beating its Belgium counterpart to the lucrative spot who have 1821 to swap positions with Argentina now third on 1770 points. France on the fourth (1764). The English national team was in fifth place in the FIFA rankings with 1737 points, followed by the Spanish team came in sixth place with 1716 points, ahead of Italy in seventh place with 1713 points. The rest of the top ten lists in the FIFA rankings remained the same, with the Netherlands team in eighth place, followed by Portugal in ninth place, and then Denmark in tenth place.

Liverpool FC is keen interested in signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, during the coming period, as Real Madrid is also planning to sign the player as well, according to  UK press reports revealed on Thursday. The British newspaper, "Mirror", reported that Jude Bellingham is one of the key interests of Liverpool and Real Madrid to sign the player next season. The newspaper added that Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp's losses due to injuries to players in the midfield may force him to move sooner to finalize the Bellingham deal. The newspaper pointed out that Jude Bellingham is Real Madrid's target next summer, explaining that the Royal considers the young player an alternative to Croatian star Luka Modric, but Liverpool's current suffering may make Klopp go to him this summer.

The Ukrainian Premier League match lasted 4 hours, 27 minutes instead of the normal 90 minutes after being interrupted by air-raid sirens on Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian Football Federation. Rukh Lviv and Metalist Kharkiv kicked off their match at Ukraine stadium in the western city of Lviv at 15:00 local time and finished it at 19:27, with three pauses after sirens sounded. Metalist eventually won 2-1, with the teams spending 145 minutes in a shelter in total and no strikes being detected in the area. The Ukrainian Federation stated that "security measures are the main priority for us, so the two teams had to go to the shelter every time, according to available safety protocols. The total time of the match was actually 4 and half hours." The new season of the Ukrainian league resumed behind closed doors on Tuesday, in an attempt to give a moral boost to the war-torn country. Four matches were played without any of them stopping due to air raid sirens.

Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema is set to extend his contract with the club until 2024, with an official announcement on the matter expected soon, according to Spanish press reports revealed on Thursday. Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema is set to renew his contract with the club until 2024, with an official announcement on the matter expected soon, reports MARCA. Benzema is all set to be named the UEFA Best Player of the Year award later today at the Champions League draw ceremony for the new season. The French international is also the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or this season. The 34-year-old has enjoyed a sensational past year as he spearheaded Real Madrid to the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League double last season while also helping them win the Spanish Super Cup. The newspaper pointed out that all of Meringue's plans pass via Benzema, explaining that the player feels strong enough to renew, his mentality and his complete and absolute affiliation with the Royal will bring him this new contract. The newspaper continued, stressing that Benzema has become a global reference, today the spotlight will be on him during the draw for the Champions League, and he will be awarded the Best Player in Europe award with Carlo Ancelotti alongside him as the best coach. Karim Benzema's current contract at Madrid expires in 2023. However, 'Los Blancos' is confident in extending the agreement for a further season.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez confirmed that Manchester City is one of the best football clubs in the world. Barcelona and Manchester City played out a highly entertaining 3-3 draw at Spotify Camp Nou in a mid-season charity match to support the research into ALS, a condition that ex-Barça goalkeeper and coach, Juan Carlos Unzue, suffers from. Xavi said in his statements to Barca club's official website, "The two teams and the coaches had the same ideas. They are a team that works hard, and things are difficult for us. The city is one of the best teams in the world."Xavi added, "We showed well against Manchester City that we are more than a club. Guardiola deserves everything; he is an example for everything, a unique and brave person. I would like to congratulate him for what he has achieved." Xavi talked about the possibility of Barcelona signing Bernardo Silva, saying: “Who doesn’t like Bernardo Silva? But also De Bruyne, Haaland… They have a great team. There is no news regarding Silva. He’s an important player for Pep and City. But yes, I love him as a player.” Xavi went on to say about Bernardo Silva: "I love how he plays because there are very players like him, but [a move] depends on City."

The English Football League has announced the complete draw for the 2022/23 Carabao Cup. The biggest fixture from this draw has to be where defending Premier League champions Manchester City will host Chelsea, following the draw was made on Wednesday. Fixtures are scheduled to be played the week commencing Monday 7th November 8 and Wednesday, Nov. 9, - taking place shortly before the Premier League pauses for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. If teams are level after 90 minutes, they will go straight to penalty kicks in the 3rd Round.  The EFL Cup third round will see Premier League champions Manchester City host Chelsea while holders Liverpool will play League One Derby County at Anfield.

Barcelona and Manchester City drew 3-3 in a friendly to raise money and awareness for the fight against ALS on Wednesday at the “Spotify Camp Nou” stadium, in a charity-friendly match to combat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Barcelona's goals came through Pierre-Emerick in the 29th, 66th, and 78th minutes, while Manchester City's goals were scored by Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer, and Riyad Mahrez in the 21st, 70th, and 90th minutes, respectively. The game was held to raise funds for research against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder.

The European Football Association (UEFA) announced the classification of the 32 clubs participating in the draw for the group stage of the Champions League for the new season 2022-2023. The draw will feature 32 teams – the 26 automatic qualifiers and six play-off round winners. The teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 will consist of the holders, the UEFA Europa League winners and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations who did not qualify via one of the 2021/22 titles; Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by the club coefficient rankings. Defending champions Real Madrid and the rest of Europe’s elite clubs will know their route to Champions League glory when the draw for this season’s group stage is made in Istanbul on Thursday. The line-up is subject to final confirmation by UEFA.

Press reports revealed that Newcastle United look set to shatter their transfer record as they close in on a deal for Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak during the current summer transfer market. Spanish Radio station Cadena Ser reported that Real Sociedad had agreed to Newcastle's offer to sell Alexandre Isaac, as they brokered a deal worth around £70 million, in addition to 5 million euros as incentives for the Swedish international with a deal being struck in the last 48 hours.