Feyenoord finished second in the Eredivisie, which was enough to qualify for the Champions League next season, but ended up 19 points behind runaway champions PSV. 

The 42-year-old, who was only appointed as Brian Priske's successor in February 2025, won 30 of his 50 matches in charge across all competitions (D9 L19). 

Van Persie's dismissal follows the appointment ​of a new general manager, Robert ​Eenhoorn, and technical director Devy Rigaux at the club. 

"Robin van Persie has given everything for the club in the past 1.5 years," Rigaux said in a statement on Feyenoord's website.

"He certainly deserves credit for ending a difficult season with second place in the end. With that, Champions League football was secured, which is, of course, very important.

"We have conducted a thorough analysis. We have included the development of the game delivered and the downward trend in terms of points, both in Europe and the Eredivisie.

"The conclusion was that it would be better to start next season with a new head coach."

Feyenoord parts ways with Robin van Persie

Feyenoord will start the 2026-2027 season with a new head coach. The club would like to thank Robin van Persie for everything he gave during his time as head coach. pic.twitter.com/P9UkuUGUnv

— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) June 7, 2026

During Van Persie's time in charge, it was reported that he had several run-ins with some of his players, most notably Quinten Timber, who has since joined Marseille. 

He also made the decision to bring in Raheem Sterling after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent in January, but he managed just one assist in eight games for the club. 

Feyenoord have not won the Eredivisie since 2022-23 under recently-departed Liverpool boss Arne Slot, and said a replacement would be announced in the coming weeks. 

The post Van Persie sacked by Feyenoord after 15 months in charge appeared first on SoccerNews.

France conclude their preparations for the World Cup on Monday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with Les Bleus hoping to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast. 

That loss ended a nine-game unbeaten run for France, and only on three occasions have they lost successive matches under Deschamps, which last came in September 2024. 

Both Dembele and Doue were unused substitutes in that match for France after they were involved in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League triumph over Arsenal. 

However, Deschamps confirmed the pair would start if they are available, with the France boss aiming to get a better feel for who will be in his starting team at the World Cup. 

"Yes, but there are others here. He [Doue] is a very young player who has just celebrated his 21st birthday. He is decisive with his club, with us too," Deschamps told reporters. 

"He has the versatility, although I think he's more comfortable on one side.

"This ability to eliminate, dribble and make a difference, with a high volume of play, which is not always the case for an attacking player. It gives us an extra quality player.

"If they [Doue and Dembele] are available, they are ready to start, yes."

En Équipe pic.twitter.com/c3jd1ALGJ2

— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) June 7, 2026

Deschamps said after the defeat to Ivory Coast that the result could prove useful if it prevented his players from becoming complacent before the tournament begins. 

The likes of Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki were both given the chance to shine from the off, with the latter putting France ahead with a fine finish in the 45th minute. 

France made 10 changes in that match, with Maghnes Akliouche, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Manu Kone all getting minutes, though Deschamps revealed he would not be making as many substitutions for the visit of Michael O'Neill's side. 

"I have the possibility to make changes, as it's a preparation match," Deschamps added.

"But I'm not going to make five at half-time like in the last game, because the objectives are a little different. But I will make changes, obviously, to manage certain players."

France have played more games against Northern Ireland without ever losing than any other team, winning five of their eight previous matches (D3).

Northern Ireland have also only won one of their last 11 matches away from home in all competitions (D3 L7), while conceding 23 goals during that period (2.1 per game). 

But Deschamps was wary of the threat they possess, saying: "In this Ireland team, there are a lot of good players who play in England, with young players too.

"They have a lot of verticality in their game. It's obviously important for us to finish our preparation with a win.

"I thank Northern Ireland for accepting because between the teams who wanted to play in the United States or at home and those who didn't want to play against us."

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The defender has been a key fixture in Carlo Ancelotti's side since the Italian took over, but he suffered a muscle injury in their 2-1 friendly win over Egypt on Saturday.

Wesley was forced off in the 17th minute and left the stadium on crutches, having been seen crying on the bench after he was helped off the pitch by the medical team.

Ancelotti conceded after the game that Brazil were worried about the serious-looking injury, with further tests on Sunday confirming the Roma full-back will not be available for the World Cup.

"The CBF regrets the injury. Wesley is a beloved player within the group and will always be considered part of this team that is seeking its sixth world championship," the CBF said in a statement.

In a social media post, Wesley said: "Not every battle is won on the field.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by W43 (@wesleyfranca03_)

"I have to interrupt a dream because of an injury. It hurts not being able to wear the Brazilian national team shirt right now, but those who know my story know that giving up was never an option.

"I have come a long way. I've been through hardships, faced challenges, and had to overcome many obstacles just to get here. Nothing has been given to me. Every achievement is built with hard work, faith, sacrifice and a lot of resilience.

"So, I face this moment in the same way I faced everyone else: with my head held high, with trust in God, and the certainty that I will come back even stronger.

"The fall is part of the journey. Getting up has always been my greatest strength."

As such, Ancelotti has called up a midfielder as his replacement, with Ederson, who has reportedly agreed a deal to move to Manchester United, set to join the squad on Monday.

Ederson has previously made three appearances for Brazil, but none in 2026 so far, with his last cap coming in March 2025.

The Selecao begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13, with Haiti and Scotland also to follow in Group C.

The post Ederson replaces injured Wesley in Brazil’s World Cup squad appeared first on SoccerNews.

Deschamps announced in January that he would step down from his role after a glittering 14-year tenure, during which he has helped France dominate world football. 

The 57-year-old led Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018 while also finishing as runners-up at FIFA's flagship competition four years ago after losing to Argentina on penalties. 

France also won the Nations League in 2020-21, with Deschamps having won 114 of his 178 matches in charge across all competitions (D35 L29). 

The next stop on Deschamps' farewell tour is Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with France facing Northern Ireland on Monday before jetting off to North America for the World Cup. 

And while all the talk heading into the World Cup surrounds Deschamps, Dembele is confident that will not hinder his team's chances at trying to reclaim their world crown. 

"We know it's the last competition for the coach [Deschamps]," Dembele told ESPN on Saturday.

"He's at a very high level, who has a lot of results with the French team. We're very happy to have him, of course. We already played the World Cup with him.

"That's what we're essentially focused on. His leaving isn't really impacting our mentality in this tournament; we want to finish well with him by reaching the World Cup final.

"He's a coach who has counted on each of these players in the French team. He sends us congratulations or motivates us after a match.

"He's very important to me personally in my career. We'll try to do well with him as a coach because he deserves it."

En Équipe pic.twitter.com/c3jd1ALGJ2

— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) June 7, 2026

Deschamps' side are assigned a 13% chance of winning the World Cup by the Opta supercomputer, with only Spain (16.1%) bettered fancies in its pre-tournament simulations. 

France kicked off their World Cup preparations with a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast, as Rayan Cherki saw his opener cancelled out by Guela Doue and Amad Diallo in the second half. 

Dembele did not feature in that match, given his involvement in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League victory over Arsenal, and the Ballon d'Or holder said France were focused given the level of opposition at the World Cup. 

"There are many favourites. We know that Argentina are the reigning World Cup champions, so obviously they are one of the favourites for this competition," added Dembele.

"So is Spain, who won the Euro in 2024. England, Portugal, Germany. There are also very complicated teams, like Brazil, Ecuador, Portugal. It's a difficult team.

"There are favourites, but when the matches start, it's 11 against 11, there are no more favourites. I'll have to stay focused."

France's Group I campaign begins on June 16 against Senegal, with clashes against Iraq and Norway to follow. 

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Silva left Manchester City after a glittering nine-year spell at the Etihad, which saw him win 19 major honours, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League.

The 31-year-old made 460 appearances for City in all competitions, netting 76 goals, and played in every Premier League game in 2025-26 as they finished as runners-up behind Arsenal.

Despite his decision to depart at the end of his contract being announced in April, Silva is yet to commit himself to a new club, with the World Cup next up on his agenda with Portugal.

Barcelona are one of the favourites to land Silva's signature for next season, though Atletico Madrid are also reportedly interested.

But Portugal head coach Martinez was effusive in his praise for Silva, whom he believes could do big things with the LaLiga champions.

"I think Bernardo Silva is such a spectacular player that he fits into every dressing room in world football," he said.

"I don't think a player like that appears out of nowhere, but he's a player who can adapt to any system and any style and improve what's around him.

“It's not the position, it's the football intelligence he has, and then the technical level that allows him to dominate all the actions in which he participates. I have no doubt that he would fit in at Barca."

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Baldini is in temporary charge of Italy and won his first game 1-0 against Luxembourg, where he handed 15 players their international debut at Stade de Luxembourg. 

The Azzurri are on the hunt for a permanent head coach following the resignation of Gennaro Gattuso after Italy failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup. 

Conte has been linked with the vacancy after leaving Napoli at the end of the 2025-26 season, just one year on from guiding them to the Serie A title in his first campaign in charge. 

The 56-year-old previously took charge of Italy between 2014 and 2016, where he won 14 of his 25 games in charge (D7 L4), averaging a win percentage of 56%. 

However, Baldini pointed to Conte's success at club level as something Italy should look to consider, given he has 11 major titles during his managerial career. 

"Talking about coaches, one who almost always wins, always finishes in first or second is Conte," Baldini said.   

"But why does Conte always win? He has his own style, he can be nice, he can be unpleasant, he creates a strong group, but I'm just talking about results. 

"He went to England and won. He won with three squads in Italy. Juventus, Inter, Napoli. Whenever he didn't win, he came second. 

"But why is Conte successful? Because he has a methodology.

"If youth teams don't understand that having a methodology isn't just about teaching technique or how to cross the ball, then we're going nowhere; it's more like a lifestyle."

@ITAAirways #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/MG4iDc7KBv

— Italy (@Azzurri_En) June 6, 2026

Napoli did, however, end the 2025-26 league season with 76 points, the first time a team coached by Conte has ever failed to bring up 80 points in a single Serie A campaign.

Considering Europe's top five leagues, only with Chelsea in 2017-18 (70) and Tottenham in 2021-22 (71) has Conte ever accrued fewer points in a season. 

However, Conte's 62% win rate in Serie A with Napoli is the third-highest of all Partenopei coaches, behind only Maurizio Sarri (69%) and Luciano Spalletti (68%).

The post Baldini backs serial winner Conte to succeed if he returns to Italy appeared first on SoccerNews.

Lautaro Martinez and Giuliano Simeone were both on target for the reigning world champions, who left Lionel Messi on the bench as he continues to recover from muscle fatigue.

It was Argentina's sixth straight win as they continue to step up their preparation for the World Cup, but they have already been dealt a blow, with Leonardo Balerdi ruled out of the tournament prior to the Honduras match.

While Messi is expected to be fit for their opener against Algeria on June 16, there are still question marks over the likes of Nico Gonzalez and Gonzalo Montiel.

"I don't want to alarm anyone either, but we're not at 100% with many players," Scaloni said.

"Maybe that decision doesn't just depend on a centre-back. We're going to wait and draw conclusions based on what the team needs.

"The misfortune of 'Flaco' [Balerdi] means we have to rethink situations with other team-mates.

"If we rush it, it could be a wrong decision. We're not going to make a decision until the Tuesday match [against Iceland] and see how the other guys are. We'll wait."

#SelecciónMayor

#Argentina 2 (Lautaro Martínez -p- y Giuliano Simeone)  #Honduras  0

¡Final del partido!

Nos vemos el martes pic.twitter.com/7xfoBwNPOQ

— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) June 7, 2026

Marcos Senesi is reportedly the favourite to replace Balerdi in the squad, but in better news for Argentina, Nico Paz, Julian Alvarez and Emiliano Martinez are all expected to return sooner rather than later.

Lautaro Martinez not only scored a composed penalty kick, but his backheel pullback also set up Simeone for the second goal.

Argentina are attempting to become the third team to win back-to-back World Cup titles, after Italy (1934-1938) and Brazil (1958-1962), and the striker is confident they have the ability to do so.

"We have to go defend what we achieved in Qatar," Martinez said.

"It's going to be tough, but we're going to give it everything to leave Argentina as high as possible."

The post Scaloni concedes some Argentina players’ fitness not at 100% appeared first on SoccerNews.

Scotland, who also beat Curacao 4-1 in their previous warm-up friendly, ran riot in the first half against their South American opposition to go into the tournament on a high.

Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay got the scoring underway before Che Adams netted a brace to secure the win.

This was the first time Scotland have netted four first-half goals in an international match since March 2015 against Gibraltar.

The Tartan Army also ended their six-match winless run against South American opposition (D1 L5), since beating Ecuador 2-1 in May 1995, which will serve them well with Brazil one of their opponents in the group stage.

Clarke rung in the changes during the second half, with the result already decided, and with Scotland embarking on their first World Cup campaign since 1998 next week, he is glad to have a selection headache.

"Fantastic, fantastic problems," Clarke said.

"Really good first half, then I turn round to my bench, and the changes are good.

"When we made the changes, you lose a little bit of the rhythm of the game when you make so many changes, both sides, but the boys go in. Their priority, really, was not to concede because we wanted a clean sheet.

"It's been a little while since we had a clean sheet, so it was nice to get that. I spoke before that there are no injuries, good performance, and we got the result.

"It's not often they give me everything I asked for, so pleased with that."

FULL TIME: Bolivia 0-4 Scotland.

A big win and a clean sheet in our final @FIFAWorldCup warm-up match.#BOLSCO | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/BcLtfl3iFQ

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 6, 2026

Scotland had 20 shots against Bolivia, racking up 3.1 expected goals (xG) in the process, and have scored four goals in back-to-back games.

Given their World Cup group also contains Morocco and Haiti, whom they face in their opener, Clarke acknowledged how important it is to feel confident in front of goal heading into the tournament, where they will be aiming to reach the knockout stages for the first time.

"Obviously, we get told that we don't score enough goals, but that's back-to-back fours, so if we can continue in that vein…" he added.

"It's about the creation of the chances, and the creation of chances was good. If you create good chances, then we've got players on the pitch who can score goals."

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The World Cup co-hosts were playing their final warm-up game ahead of the tournament and fought back to equalise through Antonee Robinson after Kai Havertz's early opener.

However, Leroy Sane netted a 57th-minute winner, with the USA unable to find another leveller at Soldier Field.

Pochettino's side have struggled for consistency in their preparation for the World Cup, with their last 10 friendlies yielding five wins, four defeats and a draw.

However, the USA showed their fight against the four-time world champions, and Pochettino believes they could not have had a better send-off ahead of their opener against Paraguay on June 12.

"Overall, I think it ​was a good performance. I am happy with the performance of everyone. We play one of the most important teams in the ​world," Pochettino told reporters.

Final from Soldier Field. The FIFA World Cup is up next.#USMNT x @CocaCola pic.twitter.com/gpzAEosfsE

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 6, 2026

"I think we need to be ​happy with that. We compete, [we were] unlucky, I think it was an even game… It was an amazing challenge for us to see how we react, how we show character, how we show togetherness, how we start to play under pressure.

"We were demanding ​a lot to the players in the ​last two ⁠weeks. I've seen [us] overload the players and the team.

"Now [we have] to assess the load and be ⁠intelligent ​in the way that we are ​going to arrive to the Paraguay [game], in the best condition, fresh with ​energy."

The USA will also face Australia and Turkiye in Group D as they look to advance to the knockout stages for the fourth consecutive World Cup.

However, they have the second-lowest win rate among teams to play at least 30 World Cup matches, winning just nine of their 37 games – a rate of 24%, just behind South Korea (18%). 

The post USA’s fighting spirit against Germany thrills Pochettino appeared first on SoccerNews.

Endrick netted the winner for Brazil, coming off the bench to score in the 52nd minute after Bruno Guimaraes and Mostafa Zico had traded early goals.

However, the worrying moment for the Selecao came in the 17th minute, when Roma defender Wesley, who has been a key fixture in Ancelotti's defence, pulled up sharply, holding his groin.

He was helped off the pitch and was later seen crying on the bench with his World Cup participation now in doubt as he left the stadium on crutches, wearing a heavy bandage.

"He needs to undergo some tests. He has a muscle problem, and we have to wait for the diagnosis [on Sunday]," Ancelotti told reporters.

"I think he'll have time to recover and be with us at the World Cup. Otherwise, we'll have to choose another player, and we'll have time to do so. It's urgent; it worries us.

"He's an important player; he plays at his best, with power. He's learned a lot about the things he wasn't so good at, such as attacking and marking, now in Italy.

"I hope it's nothing serious, that he gets the necessary treatment, and that he can continue with us on this journey. But I don't deny that there's urgency and concern; if it were to be something serious, it would be a shame."

FIM DE JOGO EM CLEVELAND!

2-1

Bruno Guimarães
Endrick

Fim da preparação da Seleção Brasileira para a Copa do Mundo.

Agora é foco total na estreia da competição.#BateNoPeito
ISSO É BRASIL! pic.twitter.com/vc4wAk7w4L

— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) June 7, 2026

Brazil posed a serious threat in front of goal against Egypt, having 12 shots worth 1.8 expected goals (xG) and getting seven of those on target.

And it was a team performance, with Raphinha, Vinicius Junior, Igor Thiago and Endrick all having two shots each as they shared the load.

Ancelotti made eight changes at the break to get one last good look at his squad, but he is confident he already knows who will be on the team sheet when they face Morocco in their World Cup opener on June 13.

"I have the starting XI for Morocco, yes," he added. "I have a clear idea.

"We were very good for 60 minutes; we pressed high and were strong defensively and offensively.

"We played well, but we lacked concentration for a five-minute spell in the first half, and we were punished.

"At a World Cup, you don't get a second chance to fix those mistakes. But I am not worried; it is better to have these reminders now than next Saturday."

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