Football | The Guardian

World Cup 2026: France v Morocco quarter-final buildup, Quansah hit with two-game ban – live

Luke McLaughlin (now), Will Unwin and Martin Belam (earlier) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:37:37 GMT

⚽ All the latest as we look ahead to the quarter-finals
⚽ Player guide | Bracketology| Golden Boot | Email us

Our very own Jonny Weeks has been doing clever things with photos from across the World Cup.

Check them out!

Jarell Quansah handed two-match ban by Fifa for sending off against Mexico

Guardian sport — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:02:40 GMT

England defender’s challenge deemed serious foul play
Misses quarter-final as well as potential semi-final

Jarell Quansah has been banned for two World Cup matches following his red card in England’s last-16 victory over Mexico on Sunday.

Quansah was dismissed after a VAR review of a sliding challenge on Jesus Gallardo that Fifa have subsequently deemed to be serious foul play, and in accordance of Article 14 of their code of conduct that has led to a two-game ban for the defender.

Newcastle face sliding doors moment over Bruno Guimarães in summer of upheaval

Louise Taylor — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:09:29 GMT

With Saudi spending restricted and a glut of departures and arrivals the stakes are high for Eddie Howe, and his captain, amid uncertain times on Tyneside

Is it the end of the road for Bruno Guimarães and Newcastle or are they destined to share at least one more adventure?

With Arsenal anxious to add Eddie Howe’s Brazil midfielder to their armoury and Guimarães receptive to such advances, it remains hard to predict whether Newcastle’s intransigent resistance will be broken.

Inquest into Maddy Cusack’s death adjourned again after new documents lodged

Tom Garry — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:00:05 GMT

Inquest to restart on 7 December, coroner says
Sheffield United midfielder died in 2023, aged 27

An inquest into the death of the Sheffield United midfielder Maddy Cusack has been adjourned again, nearly three years after she died on 20 September 2023, aged 27.

The coroner told the court the inquest would restart on 7 December and apologised to the family.

Manchester United insist new stadium ‘not vanity project’ despite prospect of more debt

Jamie Jackson — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:00:06 GMT

Plan unveiled for ground 350 metres from Old Trafford
Working cost of stadium previously stated as £2bn

Manchester United have said their proposed new 100,000-capacity stadium may lead to further debt being loaded on the club but insisted it would be “a sanity, not vanity project”.

Plans for United’s new home were unveiled on Thursday and showed it would be built 350 metres north-west of the current Old Trafford. The club are about £1.3bn in debt and in March 2025 Omar Berrada, United’s chief executive, said £2bn was the working cost of the stadium.

‘Is he a nice guy? No. He’s a good guy’: how Harry Kane became an England great

Sam Cunningham — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:00:03 GMT

Figures who worked with striker in his formative years recall a self-belief – even when his talent did not stand out

There is another version of reality in which Harry Kane is not England’s greatest goalscorer but a goalkeeper. On his first day at Ridgeway Rovers, his first club, the coach Dave Bricknell asked whether anyone fancied going in goal. A six-year-old Kane threw up his hand – and he was pretty good.

“I thought I’d found a goalkeeper,” Bricknell says. “At that age, you don’t get many kids that don’t mind standing in front of a ball.” It was quickly pointed out to him by parents that Kane was even better on the pitch. But that wasn’t the only time Kane almost strayed down the goalkeeping path.

Newcastle agree £51.5m Johan Manzambi deal and insist Bruno Guimarães not for sale

Louise Taylor — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:30:12 GMT

Switzerland international poised to sign from Freiburg
Guimarães wants to leave and is target for Arsenal

Newcastle have agreed a £51.5m deal with Freiburg that should mean the versatile Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi swaps the Bundesliga for the Premier League.

The 20-year-old, who has shone during this summer’s World Cup, is expected to sign a long-term contract at St James’ Park but the transfer will not be finalised while Switzerland remain in the tournament. Manzambi, who has been widely coveted this summer, is struggling with a minor knee injury and Murat Yakin, Switzerland’s head coach, is unsure as to whether he will recover in time for the quarter-final against Argentina on Sunday.

Team for now, not a squad for later – Spurs are spending big but what is it for? | Jonathan Liew

Jonathan Liew — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:00:55 GMT

Tottenham’s strategies have changed over the years and this summer’s transfer splurge marks a sharp turn away from the Levy years

A couple of weeks ago, Sotheby’s in London concluded one of its biggest art auctions. In all, the sale of 25 modern and contemporary works raised almost £300m. Seated Nude With Necklace, by Modigliani, went for £41.5m; La Belle Promenade, by Magritte, went for £13.5m. And amid all the feverish commentary on the resilience of the London art market and the enduring appeal of post‑war pieces among the younger generation of collectors, one question above all presented itself: was this all for the benefit of Roberto De Zerbi?

Naturally, it would be premature to link the sale of a significant portion of Joe Lewis’s art collection to the lavish summer transfer spending of the football club he owns. But of course money is money, and in a summer where Tottenham Hotspur are spending an unprecedented £230m in the transfer market, funded in large part through cash injections from the Lewis family, the connections make themselves. Are Tottenham’s owners selling off the family heirlooms to pay for Jan Paul van Hecke? And on a wider level, what exactly are the Premier League’s 17th-best club playing at here?

World Cup quarter-final (and beyond) predictions: will anyone derail France’s title bid?

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:15:54 GMT

With the World Cup down to eight teams, our writers assess who’s left, identify the biggest remaining threats to France and make calls on who will lift the trophy

Lionel Messi. As he proved in thrilling style against Egypt, Argentina’s No 10 still has magic in his boots even at the age of 39. While his penalty record of four from eight attempts is much worse than you’d expect, he is clinical when it matters most. EA

‘Best player England has developed’: Olise’s rise from Hayes to the World Cup

Rob Draper — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:00:54 GMT

One of the Bayern and France playmaker’s early coaches tells the story of how a move to Reading kickstarted a career

If Michael Olise wins the World Cup, there will be a corner of a Hayes housing estate that is for ever France. It is Olise’s corner, a scrap of parkland grass among the west London suburban homes where a seven-year-old practised his football with his brother, Richard. “Football in these conditions, it’s just freedom,” Olise told L’Équipe last month. “It’s not really learning in the strict sense. It was simply the pleasure of playing football. I just loved it.”

Sean Conlon, one of Olise’s early coaches with Old Isleworthians in west London, recalls: “I would go over to his house and he would be practising outside with Richard. That little estate probably really aided him; there weren’t a lot of cars but it had quite a lot of concrete open space and then a small green. He’d just be practising out here all the time, obsessed with football.”

World Cup 2026: guide to all 1,248 players

Marcus Christenson, David Hills, Steven Bloor and Garry Blight — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 08:59:35 GMT

Everything you need to know (and more) about every squad member. Click on the player pictures for more information

Bracketology: predict a path to World Cup victory

Guardian Staff — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:43:13 GMT

Click your way through the group stage and the knockouts to crown champion

France’s match with Morocco sums up this diverse, multicultural World Cup

Luke Entwistle — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:35:29 GMT

Ninety-nine players at the tournament were born in France. Six of them could line up for Morocco in the quarter-final

By Get French Football News

When Ayyoub Bouaddi steps on to the pitch in Boston for the World Cup quarter-final on Thursday, he will do so in a Morocco shirt. Just 101 days prior, he was wearing a France kit as he captained the under-21 side to a 2-1 win over Iceland in a European Championship qualifier.

Bouaddi had been coveted by Morocco and, speaking before that game, he said he needed some time to consider his international future. “I don’t want to rush things,” added the Lille midfielder. Six weeks later, he was named in the Morocco squad for the World Cup. “A big loss,” is how Hubert Fournier, the technical director of the French national team, described it. “A lost treasure,” said L’Équipe.

Men’s transfer window summer 2026: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues

Niall McVeigh, Will Magee, Billy Munday and Garry Blight — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:00:03 GMT

All the latest Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A deals and a club-by-club guide

Women’s transfer window interactive guide

Women’s transfer window summer 2026: all deals from world’s top six leagues

Sarah Rendell and Garry Blight — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:00:05 GMT

Every deal in the NWSL, WSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue and Serie A Femminile as well as a club-by-club guide

Men’s transfer window interactive guide

Switzerland knock out Colombia on penalties to reach World Cup quarter-finals

Alexander Abnos at BC Place Vancouver — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:06:57 GMT

Davinson Sánchez looked to the heavens. Cucho Hernández trudged back to his teammates. By the end, the pair’s penalty misses sent the Colombian team to the grass in anguish as Switzerland danced in front of their supporters, nearly alone in a sea of yellow.

Switzerland had prevailed on penalties, 4-3, Ruben Vargas’s decider bringing an emotional end to more than two hours of tense, tentative, and ludicrously goal-free football.

Jhon Arias goal sends Colombia into last 16 as Ghana bow out of World Cup

Ed Aarons at Kansas City Stadium — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 03:44:49 GMT

Ghana can only have feared the worst when Luis Suárez’s number came up in the seventh minute. A day on from the 16th anniversary of one of the most infamous episodes in World Cup history, the Colombia forward who shares a name with the man whose handball broke the hearts of Black Stars supporters in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup returned to haunt them.

Not long after coming off the bench, it was the Sporting striker who provided the assist for what turned out to be the winning goal from Jhon Arias to set up a last-16 clash against Switzerland in Vancouver on Tuesday. Even if they couldn’t find another goal that their superiority clearly warranted, Colombia were deserved winners and look more than capable of at least matching their previous best result at the 2014 World Cup when they lost to Brazil in the last eight.

Cape Verde threaten shock for the ages before Argentina break hearts in World Cup classic

Barney Ronay at the Miami Stadium — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 01:06:10 GMT

What a game, what a series of moments, what a display of spirit and skill from Cape Verde, a tiny island nation with a far-flung diaspora team, who took Argentina right to the brink of one of the great sporting shocks in Miami.

How to tell the story of this game? Imagine being pounded around the head for 120 minutes, first slowly, then much more quickly, with moments of brilliance, narrative shifts, epic subplots and violent tonal contrasts, from the Messi-Vozinha double header, to the elite cinematic brilliance of Cape Verde’s second equalising goal deep into extra time. Well, it was a bit like that.

Egypt reach World Cup last 16 in shootout as Australia’s goalkeeper gamble backfires

Jonathan Wilson at Dallas Stadium — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 21:03:29 GMT

Hossam Abdelmaguid puffed out his cheeks, began his run up with exaggerated slowness, checked and then, as Mat Ryan fell to his left, put the ball to his right. Harry Souttar and the 18-year-old Lucas Herrington had already missed for Australia and Egypt, having scored all of their penalties, were through. Abdelmaguid ran off to the corner, ripping off his shirt, and was soon joined by an ecstatic posse of Egyptian players. Mohamed Salah, who had converted a Panenka, was in tears, and the manager, Hossam Hassan, was in tears. Don’t worry about the scrappy, largely formless game from which the emotion stemmed: Egypt had won a World Cup knockout tie for the first time.

“My heart and soul are with the Palestinian people,” said Hassan. “I thank them and dedicate this victory to them. We succeeded in making Arab people proud. I wanted to win for the sake of the good people. God is honouring us because of the good people who are here.”

EFL examines Sheffield United over claim owners trying to avoid paying full purchase price

Matt Hughes — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:42:57 GMT

Prince Abdullah asserts he is still owed £35m
Shares allegedly transferred to new company

The English Football League is investigating allegations that Sheffield United’s owner, the American investment group COH Sports, has formed a new parent company for the club to avoid paying £35m owed to the previous owner, Prince Abdullah.

COH Sports, led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, agreed a deal to buy United from the Saudi Arabian for about £100m in December 2024 and paid the first instalment of about £30m shortly after, but is alleged to have been late in paying the second instalment and missed two subsequent payments due this year. Abdullah’s investment vehicle, United World, issued a winding-up petition in the high court against COH Sports this week and has taken its concerns to the EFL and the Independent Football Regulator.

France national team uses ICE deportation planes for World Cup travel

Sophie Sullivan and Pablo Iglesias Maurer — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:00:01 GMT

The plane that French team used after match with Paraguay flew 44 deportation-related flights this year alone

The French men’s national soccer team, whose star Kylian Mbappé is one of the world’s most outspoken athletes against far-right politicians, has been using a charter airplane company that is at the heart of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.

Images of the team posted on social media and flight tracking data show the French team have used Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) for at least three domestic flights between their World Cup games and base camp in Boston. That same airline charter company has operated more than half of ICE’s removal flights in 2024 and 2025.

Marcus Rashford expected to start new season back at Manchester United

Jamie Jackson — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:11:54 GMT

Carrick set to welcome player after World Cup
United agree initial £48m deal to buy Chelsea’s Santos

Marcus Rashford is poised to be reintegrated at Manchester United after the World Cup, with the forward expected to start next season as part of Michael Carrick’s squad.

Because of a breakdown in the relationship between the player and club the 28-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, last played for United in a 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Pilzen in December 2024. There are no problems between Rashford and Carrick.

London City Lionesses confirm signing of Spanish superstar Alexia Putellas

Tom Garry — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:39:12 GMT

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner joins on a free transfer
Mary Earps and Nicole Anyomi also new recruits

London City Lionesses have announced the signing of Alexia Putellas at an event in New York, confirming the arrival in the Women’s Super League of one of the women’s game’s all-time greats.

The two-time Ballon d’Or winner was available on a free transfer after leaving Barcelona at the end of the season, ending a 14-year stay during which she helped them to win four Champions League titles.

Deloitte review: Premier League clubs’ pre-tax losses surge by 600% to £948m

PA Media — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:01:13 GMT

Losses increase between 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons
Transfer spend and lack of one-off sales account for rise

The combined pre-tax losses of Premier League clubs climbed from £135m in the 2023-24 season to £948m in 2024-25, according to Deloitte’s annual review of football finance.

This rise was attributed by Deloitte to transfer spending and the absence of significant profits from one-off sales. Net debt of Premier League clubs was up to £3.6bn in 2024-25, compared to £3.5bn the season before, Deloitte found.

Argentina avert disaster with controversial late comeback | World Cup Daily – video

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:35:11 GMT

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Archie Rhind-Tutt, Barney Ronay and Alexander Abnos as Argentina pull off an all-time great World Cup comeback against Egypt

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Join us as we delve deeper into the wonderful world of women’s football in our weekly newsletter. It is informative, entertaining, global, critical – when needed – and, above all, passionate. Written mainly by Júlia Belas Trindade and Sophie Downey, expect guest appearances from stars such as Anita Asante, Ada Hegerberg and many more.

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Guardian Staff — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 11:00:23 GMT

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Is there such a thing as ‘the perfect penalty’ in football? – video

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 09:05:48 GMT

The pain of the penalty shootout is the cruellest fate in football. A single spot kick can easily decide the outcome of a game at a World Cup, making any advantage in taking a penalty crucial.

So what can we learn about the best strategy for penalty kicks from statistics and research? Guardian Sport's Nikhita Chulani looks at what the data tells us about the art of the perfect penalty.

World Cup glory could all come down to penalties. What’s the best strategy?

How hard is it to cycle to New Jersey's MetLife stadium? – video

Alexander Abnos, Sofia Igoe and Max Benwell — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:33:10 GMT

After we recently answered the question “can you just walk to MetLife Stadium?”, many of our viewers on social media asked the same question: “what if you cycled there?”

So we accepted the challenge, and got our senior soccer editor, Alexander Abnos to jump on his bike to find out. Alex biked from his home in Brooklyn all the way to MetLife Stadium, renamed the New York New Jersey Stadium for the World Cup, and documented every mile of his journey.

So was the free ride worth it? Watch his video dispatch to find out.

⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot

My World Cup memory: heartbreak in the exam hall for England v Brazil in 2002 – video

Toby Moses, Kyri Evangelou, Elena Cresci and Nikhita Chulani — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:20:07 GMT

Where were you when Ronaldinho lobbed David Seaman in England’s quarter-final game against Brazil at the 2002 World Cup? Our head of newsletters, Toby Moses, was sitting in an exam hall for his English A Level exam. It was heartbreak for England more than two decades ago, but perhaps they can go a couple of steps further in this tournament.

Bracketology | Golden Boot standings

Going first in a penalty shootout gives teams an advantage … or does it?

David Segar — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:18:48 GMT

Thirteen of the past 15 shootouts at World Cups have been won by the team that went second

By Opta Analyst

After watching 120 minutes of football, you might not find observing a coin toss the most exciting dessert. Fans in the stadium care, though. Win a coin toss for a penalty shootout and you choose the end where they are taken – to much rejoicing from those behind the chosen goal. Another coin toss also allows the winner to choose whether to go first or second. But does that decision actually matter?

For years, the consensus was that going first in a shootout gives teams an advantage. Being able to take the lead and put scoreboard pressure on opponents surely has a mental benefit, and means they are more likely to face the dreaded “must-score” penalty. However, when Rubén Vargas tucked away the winning spot kick for Switzerland against Colombia in their last-16 tie, it continued a rather curious trend.

Statesman, comedian and dealer of hard truths: how Kylian Mbappé became the king of this World Cup

Aaron Timms — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:14:52 GMT

The Frenchman is a footballer, flautist and a thespian. There’s no question he is the most thrilling and compelling figure at this year’s tournament

This has been the World Cup of characters, bold fashion statements, and bantz: we’ve had Thomas Tuchel rubber-banding around the England dressing room like a teen at his first all-ages rave, and Iván Barton booting Miguel Almirón from the field as if sentencing him to death. Mauricio Pochettino and his $500 overshirt have brought fresh energy and inspiration to the wardrobes of convex middle-aged men the world over. Jokester Javier Aguirre’s avuncular “fuck you” at Anthony Gordon has pushed bilateral relations between Mexico and England to their warmest point since the British-brokered peace that ended the Pastry War of 1839.

Erling Haaland has shown it’s possible to be Jaws in front of goal and Scooby Doo once the ball is in the back of the net, that there’s nothing about football so important that it can’t make way for some silly bit of online comedy. Even Harry Kane, a man who often seems like he was media trained in the womb, has squeaked thrillingly, if briefly, to life.

A World Cup free agent XI: summer bargains and top targets among clubless players

John Brewin — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:21:06 GMT

A goalkeeper with 27.5m Instagram followers and a forward whose future is opaque make our team of players looking for new clubs

As late bloomers and cult heroes go, few have made an impact on a World Cup quite like the goalkeeper who first defied Spain’s attackers and, after Cape Verde’s qualification for the knockouts, reduced Lionel Messi to a single goal. Vozinha departed Chaves in Liga Portugal 2 at the end of last season, having previously played in Cyprus, Slovakia and Moldova. With 27.5m Instagram followers, he would be a social media marketer’s dream, as well as a handy goalkeeper with a taste for the big occasion.

What does Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL mean for the league, Gotham FC and the player herself?

Megan Swanick — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:10:29 GMT

Australia’s superstar striker returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape

When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue and the playing conditions were abysmal. The Australia striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team bereft of locker rooms or running water at its training facility.

This month, she came back to a vastly evolved franchise that has won two NWSL Championships in three seasons while implementing a comprehensive overhaul of its players, personnel and prioritization of player conditions.

Refereeing at this World Cup has been fine, we don’t need input of Tuchel and Trump | Chris Foy

Chris Foy — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 09:22:43 GMT

Give or take the odd error, officials have got it right on most occasions, while VAR has helped them when they haven’t

Thomas Tuchel was critical of the refereeing at the World Cup after England’s win against Mexico, describing it as unreliable, erratic and not good enough. His comments struck me as reverse psychology – the referees have generally been OK, with some positive decisions made, but there have also been occasions when they have not got things right. Like everyone, referees cannot be perfect.

Egypt claimed they were victims of an injustice against Argentina on Tuesday but the decisions to disallow an Egypt goal and let Argentina’s winner stand were correct. On the first one there was a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez in the attacking possession phase – a shirt pull and studs on Martínez’s right foot – and there is no time limit or ceiling on the number of passes to be taken into account.

Warping the World Cup: the rise of homespun ‘photographs’

Jonny Weeks — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:00:56 GMT

Using a digital flat-bed scanner, our picture editor Jonny Weeks adapts some of his favourite images from the tournament and explores the trend of alternative photography

Although I’ve edited thousands of football photographs over the years, I’ve never attended a World Cup match. I envy those who get to be pitchside with their cameras for such big events. Yet, as I’ve discovered during this tournament, you don’t have to be there to create experimental images of the tournament.

Slit-scanning is an alternative photographic process that I first tried many years ago. Using a narrow slit inside an analogue camera, the photographer winds a roll of film past the aperture to record the flow of time. It’s a tricky and laborious technique which produces curiously distorted results – almost like celebrating the problem of “rolling shutter”, which has vexed photographers for generations.

Ange Postecoglou to manage Cristiano Ronaldo after landing Al-Nassr job

Reuters — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 17:22:56 GMT

Former Tottenham manager signs two-year contract
Al-Nassr won the Saudi Pro League last season

Ange Postecoglou has been appointed as the new head coach of the Saudi Pro League champions, ⁠Al-Nassr, on a two-year deal as the Australian attempts ⁠to revive his ⁠career after two bruising stints in the Premier League.

“A new chapter. Mr Ange Postecoglou appointed as ⁠head coach of the Al-Nassr first team. The contract spans two seasons,” the club said in a statement. “We ⁠wish him and his staff every success in their journey.”

Robert Lewandowski makes MLS move to Chicago Fire on deal till 2028

Reuters — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:52:07 GMT

Former Barcelona striker joins for two and a half seasons
37-year-old’s 697 goals is third best total for current players

The Chicago Fire on Monday officially announced their acquisition of Robert Lewandowski ⁠through to the 2027-28 season. Poland’s record goalscorer will occupy a designated player slot pending the approval of his visa ⁠as well ⁠as the completion of an international transfer certificate.

The club described Lewandowski, 37, as “a global soccer icon” in social media posts. He was a free agent after spending the ⁠last four seasons with Barcelona, scoring 83 goals with 19 assists in 134 league matches (114 starts) while ⁠contributing to three La Liga titles.

NWSL all-time record goalscorer Sam Kerr confirms league return by joining Gotham

Associated Press — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:12:33 GMT

Australia captain back in league she left in 2019
Striker won 11 major trophies in spell at Chelsea

Sam Kerr is joining Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after spending the past six and a half years with Chelsea.

Gotham announced on Monday they had signed the striker to a deal through 2030. The move marks a return to the NWSL for Kerr, who played for Sky Blue – which later became Gotham – from 2015-17.

Plan to expand Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams is rejected

Exclusive by Osasu Obayiuwana — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:07:48 GMT

Executive committee member says it was ‘very bad idea’
Caf says its aim is to make tournament world class

A plan to expand the Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams has been rejected, the Guardian has learned.

The proposal had been made by the Confederation of African Football’s president, Patrice Motsepe, in February at a press conference in Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Had it been agreed it would have been put in place for the 2028 tournament.

The US had the biggest opportunity in the history of American soccer. They wasted it | Alexander Abnos

Alexander Abnos — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:00:02 GMT

The USA men’s run at a home World Cup had attracted people who usually ignore soccer. Instead of triumph, they saw a humbling by Belgium

In the closing moments of the USA’s 3-2 win against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup, the ESPN commentator Jack Edwards took a moment to remind viewers who had stayed up all night of the profound result they were witnessing. From his perch in Suwon, South Korea – where he was watching the first match of a campaign that would end in a quarter-final that remains the high‑water mark for the modern US men’s national team – Edwards delivered a soliloquy that cut straight to the heart of the profound role World Cups play not just for the USA men’s team but for soccer as a force in American life.

“The players on that 1950 team that beat England … this [result] is about the foundation that they laid,” Edwards said in his booming bravado as the hour crept toward 7am ET. “This is about the thousands of American families who have helped this sport grow, and the people in those pockets all over the country who have stuck with soccer. And it’s also for those seven- or eight- or nine‑year-old kids, who are going to hear about this result when they wake up in the morning and rush outside, and knock a ball against a wall, and dream of something even greater than this.”

Mikel Merino comes full circle with Spain in touching tale of fathers and sons | Sid Lowe

Sid Lowe at Dallas Stadium — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 22:42:14 GMT

Having battled back from injury to make the World Cup, the matchwinner’s goal was a deserved payoff for unsung sacrifices

And then, suddenly, there was Mikel Merino circling the corner flag again, another marvellous moment to emulate his father Ángel Miguel and embrace his son Marco. To hold those who got him here and the whole of Spain, who would have hugged him back if they had the chance. There was pandemonium up in Pamplona especially: on the day the San Fermín fiestas begin with the city wearing white shirts and red neckerchiefs in celebration of their patron saint, they celebrated the son they have out in the US too.

Merino was born in the Navarrese capital the day Spain lost to England at Euro 96. Now, wearing white and red like everyone back home, he had scored the late, late goal that sent the selección into the World Cup quarter-finals: a hero once more, the fiesta was taken to every corner of the country.

England rise to Azteca occasion and see off ghosts, time and Mexico | Barney Ronay

Barney Ronay at Mexico City Stadium — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:10:47 GMT

This was the most extraordinary night of football as an experience of the mind, body, bones, guts and blood

“Enn-JOYYY this unforrrgGEDDABLE Fifa Worrrld Cup … expPERRIENCE!!” the strangely guileless American‑accented public address had commanded, with 40 minutes still to run before the delayed kick‑off in Mexico City.

Er. OK then. Looking out over the mist-shrouded cliff face of the Estadio Azteca, drenched to the inner seams in generational rain, throbbing through the chest from the endless waves of noise, the word enjoy just didn’t seem to capture the basic sensory experience.

Lionel Messi and football’s ageless wonders can excel into their 40s | Emma Hayes

Emma Hayes — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:00:20 GMT

Argentina’s captain leads the way for veteran strikers at World Cup. They have different styles, but all have shown their worth

I would be shocked if the record for the most goals scored by a player in a World Cup – Just Fontaine’s 13 in 1958 – is not broken this summer. That is how elite the world’s top forwards are. They are all pushing each other to keep scoring more. We are so lucky to be watching them at the same time.

I also believe, because of the skill set required to be a world-class, modern-day finisher, we are going to see more and more playing into their 40s, so much so that it may be possible that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go to another World Cup.

David Squires on … England’s World Cup classic in Mexico and a Trump novelty

David Squires — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:50:04 GMT

Our cartoonist looks at the big stories from the World Cup as England reach the last eight but the US slump out

Premier League 2025-26 review: our writers’ best and worst of the season

Guardian sport — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:47 GMT

The Premier League season is over, but what did Guardian football writers enjoy, dislike or marvel at over the last nine months?

Goalkeepers never usually get a mention for this award but David Raya played an integral role in Arsenal finally getting over the line, winning the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for a third year in a row thanks to 19 clean sheets. Declan Rice and Bruno Fernandes were the outstanding outfield players. Ed Aarons

The story of the Premier League 2025-26 season in 100 photos

Jonny Weeks — Mon, 25 May 2026 19:00:33 GMT

A century of our favourite images from the season including wild celebrations, protesting fans and goalmouth scrambles

Reigning champions Liverpool left it late to beat Bournemouth 4-2 on the opening day of the season in their first league game back at Anfield following the death of Diogo Jota. The Reds also squeaked past Newcastle thanks to Rio Ngumoha and then Arsenal, after Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick, which won goal of the month. Meanwhile, Manchester City lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham and 2-1 away at Brighton, Everton christened their new home, Hill Dickinson Stadium, with a win, and Sunderland made a strong start on their return to the top flight with two wins from three.

Premier League 2025-26 season review: our predictions v reality

Guardian sport — Tue, 26 May 2026 15:56:24 GMT

We picked Liverpool as champions, Chelsea as challengers and tipped Brentford and Sunderland to go down. Oh dear

What we predicted: Mikel Arteta vowed this would be a “big summer” after finishing as runners-up in the Premier League for a third season in succession and the new sporting director, Andrea Berta, has delivered on a number of signings in his first transfer window. The question now for Arsenal supporters is whether Martín Zubimendi, Christian Nørgaard, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga can help them take that elusive final step to becoming champions for the first time since the Invincibles in 2004.

Premier League 2025-26 review: gripes of the season

Simon Burnton — Mon, 25 May 2026 10:30:23 GMT

The most infuriating things, including mayhem at set pieces, daft jerseys and a largely ignored video game

You will almost certainly be aware that there have been a load of set-piece goals this season, and an extraordinary proliferation of long throws. At times the self-styled greatest league in the world has drowned in a torrent of guileless ball-flinging.

Why Jude Bellingham’s world is bigger than most of us can understand

Jacob Steinberg in Kansas City — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:39:23 GMT

The prodigy who has it all has ambitions to play James Bond but for the time being he is more reminiscent of Novak Djokovic

There has never been an English footballer quite like Jude Bellingham. He has the cockiness and explosiveness of a teenage Wayne Rooney and the vision of Paul Scholes, but that doesn’t come close to covering it. There are endless layers to Bellingham, the boy who has it all. He can be the No 8, the No 9 or the No 10. He has the flair of Glenn Hoddle and the chest-out bravado of Paul Gascoigne, but he also has the bravery of Bryan Robson, the rampaging qualities of Steven Gerrard and, as Mexico discovered at the Estadio Azteca, the ability to morph into the world’s best defender and drag his team out of the mire with a goal-saving challenge.

More? Bellingham has film-star looks, can charm like David Beckham and, given how much he has achieved, does not sound ridiculous when he says his post-retirement ambition is to play James Bond.

‘This is a hellhole’: Aramco makes its presence hurt in the shadow of the World Cup

Nick Ames in Port Arthur, Texas — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:00:13 GMT

The oil giant’s sponsorship deal with Fifa has featured prominently at matches in Houston. But 100 miles away in another Texas city, residents say the firm’s refinery is exposing them to poisonous gases and long-term health problems

The street is wide, its grass verges thick and scruffy after a week of rainstorms. Jamal Johnson will walk home straight down the middle carrying his plastic shopping bag, a jot of motion through the stillness. He lives in one of the modest wood‑panelled houses spaced out on each side, lovingly kept and passed through at least two generations. There is nobody else in sight, but a freight train breaks the silence, grinding left to right along the line flanking the north-facing gardens. The west side of Port Arthur, Texas, could be any lower-income neighbourhood in the southern states if it were not for the looming menace on the other side of the track.

This is a sad, unsettling place. “I’ve got a load of friends and family who’ve had weird diseases,” says Johnson, his face contorting at the thought. He lists a grandfather and aunt who died of cancer, the latter at a young age after relocating here to care for other relatives. An uncle died with complications from ALS (motor neurone disease). “You know what I’m saying? Man, they’ve let off all these poisonous gases; it’s like that all the time. It’s fucked up.”

A footballing deepfake: how Bruno Fernandes fell victim to an unlicensed betting operator

Philippe Auclair — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:00:20 GMT

Illegal online casinos are producing fake BBC stories and AI-generated videos in an attempt to deceive customers

Respect of copyright law has never ranked highly in the list of priorities for unlicensed sports betting operators. Crests of famous clubs and photographs of star players are routinely used to promote brands that could not care less about image rights and trademarks, because these operators know any kind of enforcement is impossible.

Illegal gambling platforms operate almost exclusively from offshore jurisdictions where the anonymity of their ultimate beneficial owners is protected by local regulations and, to further darken the picture, the use of multiple shell companies that exist only as entries on a registry hidden from public view.

‘These guys are losers’: Brazil berated back home after defeat by Norway

Tom Sanderson — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:22:15 GMT

Carlo Ancelotti and his players have been lambasted for their ‘shameful’ and ‘embarrassing’ World Cup exit

The wait for the hexa – the record-extending sixth World Cup – continues. Brazil’s 2-1 loss to Norway in the last 16 of the World Cup on Sunday means they have gone six tournaments in a row without being crowned champions. Some in Brazil are calling it the reverse hexa.

As you would expect, the reaction back home has been scathing. Neto, the former international who is now a pundit on Radio Bandeirantes, laid into the current crop of players. “It’s a generation that won fuck all,” he said. “There are six players who won one Copa América and that’s it. It was embarrassing from the beginning and everything that happened before that game. It was a shameful campaign and these guys are losers. It’s a generation of lies.”

Football Daily | Bring on the World Cup fireworks as quarter-finals kick off

Dominic Booth — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:16:04 GMT

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So here we stand. The quarter-finals of this unique and expanded Geopolitics World Cup have arrived! A whopping 96 games have been played and 40 teams have now received their marching orders. The Germans, the Dutch and the Brazilians are gone. And despite the absence of such heavyweights, it’s still a lip-smacking last eight lineup to tuck into. France v Morocco, Spain against Belgium, Norway tackling England and ~~Lionel Messi~~ Argentina against the Swiss. Yes, it has taken much longer to reach the quarter-final stage than in any of its predecessors – the 1934 World Cup was a straight 16-team knockout with just 17 games taking place over two weeks – but the business end of the tournament is unchanged and untarnished. It captures the imagination because the jeopardy ratchets up a few notches and stomachs begin to churn. If you’re based in Europe you may have suffered some sleep deprivation to get here, meaning you have truly earned the opportunity to drink in the final stages. Allow Football Daily to run through the quarter-finals, picking out the narratives and individuals that will inevitably dominate the coverage.

‘Would you say it to someone’s face?’ Ellen White on going from player to pundit

Tom Garry — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:42:36 GMT

In this week’s newsletter we speak to the Lionesses’ record scorer, who has been inducted to the hall of fame at the National Football Museum

For a generation of England fans she was the talismanic striker the nation could always rely on to find the net at a major tournament, scoring a record 52 goals for the Lionesses across her 113 caps. But now that it is her turn to live through the stress and tension of watching games, Ellen White personifies what she has always been deep down: an England fan.

“I’m a nail-biter, I’m horrible [to watch a match with], I’m grabbing people, shoving people, I’m really kind of fully invested because I want the best for the team, I’m always rooting for them,” White says, as she reflects on her successful transition to working as a TV pundit and, particularly, covering the Euro 2025 triumph of Sarina Wiegman’s team, trying to use her own understanding of what the players are enduring to bring a fairness to her analysis.

This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts will be sent out once a week, on Wednesdays, in the close season but will be back on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September.

The Hotspot | Aramco’s petrodollar backing of World Cup leaves stain of sportswashing

Oscar Berglund — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:39:10 GMT

How Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant is embedding fossil fuels as a crucial part of the world’s biggest sport

If you have watched the World Cup, you may have seen the big signs announcing Aramco as the tournament’s “energy partner”. This Saudi Arabian fossil fuel company also happens to be the world’s single largest corporate polluter while Saudi Arabia has, for decades, been the greatest stumbling block in international climate change negotiations. Aramco’s sponsorship is one aspect of Fifa’s increasing sportswashing that has angered fans around the world.

This cosy relationship between modern football and the polluting industries has a long history that can be divided into three periods. First was when the game grew in British society as a tool to order and discipline workers and then became a cultural export of the British empire and capitalism. In the Factory Act of 1850, workers won the right to have Saturday afternoons free from work from 2pm, which is why the traditional kick-off is 3pm.

Who has scored the most goals at a World Cup without winning the Golden Boot?

Guardian sport — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:00:29 GMT

Plus: World Cup teams stuck on nul points and teams who broke their duck with a drubbing

Mail us with your all of your questions and answers

“Who has scored the most goals at a World Cup finals without winning the Golden Boot?” asks Sam Edwards.

With Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé already on six goals and leading an elite bunch in the 2026 race, we may well see the men’s record broken this summer. As it stands, Messi shares the record – as if he needs another one – with the Brazil great Jairzinho.

David Squires on … the big names putting on a show at World Cup

David Squires — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 10:02:37 GMT

Our cartoonist on the heroes, villains and superstar performances in week two of the tournament

Which footballers have refused to celebrate a goal against another country? | The Knowledge

Guardian sport — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:00:38 GMT

Plus: is Dick Advocaat unique among coaches, long waits between World Cups, and Dave Beasant revisionism

Mail us with your all of your questions and answers

“Sweden’s Yasin Ayari has a Tunisian father and chose not to celebrate his first goal against Tunisia (he couldn’t resist celebrating when he scored later, though). Declan Rice did something similar after scoring against the Republic of Ireland in 2024, but what is the earliest example of a player not celebrating a goal at international level because of a connection to the opposition?” asks Michael Pilcher.

“I remember Breel Embolo, the Swiss international born in Cameroon, not celebrating after scoring against Cameroon at the 2022 World Cup,” replies Filippo Varanini.

The Joy of Six: forgotten World Cup goals

Jonathan O'Brien — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 04:00:35 GMT

From Ogris’s Florentine charge to Quagliarella’s Ellis Park chip, half a dozen World Cup classics that deserve to be better remembered

The first six or seven World Cups certainly are not without their charms, but they are noticeably light on the kind of viscerally spectacular goals that we take for granted in the modern game. Hardly surprising when you contemplate what teams of the era had to endure: quagmire-like pitches, boots comprising 50% leather and 50% landfill, and balls so heavy that they basically constituted gym equipment.

The 100 best male footballers in the world 2025

Marcus Christenson, Pamela Duncan, Steven Bloor and Garry Blight — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 10:04:51 GMT

Ousmane Dembélé becomes our seventh winner as he beats Lamine Yamal into second and Vitinha into third on our list of the best players on the planet

Premier League dominates list | How every judge voted | Our methodology | The top 100 female players for 2025
2024 edition | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

Ousmane Dembélé quietly becomes the main man after long journey to the top

Ben Lyttleton — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:00:25 GMT

The Frenchman, who has been named the best male footballer in the world by the Guardian, has benefitted from PSG’s focus on the team rather than individuals

What makes a good player great, and a great player the best? This question has been occupying me since 2014, when the Guardian first asked me to contribute to its inaugural Next Generation feature. My job was to look for a France-based talent born in 1997 who could go on to have a stellar career.

After a great deal of research, I narrowed it down from my shortlist of five by asking questions not about the players’ football ability, but about other attributes: resilience, adaptability, decision-making, creativity, work ethic, response to feedback and willingness to learn. Qualities we cannot see, and are harder to measure.

The 100 best female footballers in the world 2025

Rich Laverty — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:00:22 GMT

Aitana Bonmatí has been voted the best female player on the planet by our panel of 127 experts ahead of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo

2024 list | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
Meet the judges | See how every judge voted
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Aitana Bonmatí makes Guardian top 100 history with third title in a row

Rich Laverty — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:00:42 GMT

The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishes

They say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.

Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game.

Next Generation 2025: 60 of the best young talents in world football

Marcus Christenson, Steven Bloor and Garry Blight — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:59:56 GMT

From PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye to Brazil’s next hope, we select some of the most talented players born in 2008. Check the progress of our classes of 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and go even further back. Here’s our Premier League class of 2025

Next Generation 2025: 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs

Marcus Christenson, Steven Bloor and Garry Blight — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 09:10:16 GMT

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 … and go even further back. Here’s our 2025 world picks