World Cup 2026

Fifa's president has offered his critics an external review of how the organisation is run, after weeks of refusing to bend on the plan that triggered a rebellion against him. This piece explains what Gianni…

Lionel Messi has stepped away from Argentina duty for good. This article looks at what the numbers behind his 207 caps actually mean, and why the decision landed now rather than after Qatar four years ago.…

What follows when a World Cup final ends in confrontation rather than celebration? This article explains how FIFA’s response affects Argentina’s players, staff, supporters and football association, and why the…

Donald Trump has publicly backed Gianni Infantino at the very moment three FIFA confederations are accusing the president of breaking their trust. This article sets the two arguments side by side so you can…

Gianni Infantino apologised for his role in a collapsed plan to sell stakes in Fifa's competitions to private investors, then kept his job within hours. This article explains why the vote count behind the…

Can Gianni Infantino survive the collapse of his World Cup investment plan, or has FIFA’s internal argument moved beyond one president? This article explains why Wednesday’s meeting in Rabat matters, who has…

Fifa has dropped the investment proposal, yet the dispute has moved beyond one deal. This article explains why Uefa’s response makes trust, control and the use of football’s money the issue that remains.

Can FIFA turn the commercial rights around its biggest competitions into an investment vehicle without losing the cooperation that gives those competitions their meaning? This explains why UEFA’s unanimous…

FIFA’s proceedings against Argentina reach from a banner after the England semi-final to the disorder around the Spain final. This article explains why that breadth matters, what has been alleged and why…

Can a $20m payment be separated from the process used to offer it? This article explains why Fifa’s deadline has made a proposed commercial restructure into a wider fight over consultation, leverage and the…

FIFA says a new commercial company could send far more money into football development. UEFA says the proposal crosses a principle that governing bodies should not cross; this article explains why the argument…

Jurgen Klopp has taken the job he calls the pinnacle of his coaching career, but his opening words as Germany head coach were a warning, not a welcome speech. This article looks at why he set that condition on…

Rodri lifted the World Cup and the Golden Ball only days ago, but he now needs back surgery that could delay his Manchester City return. This article explains what the operation means for City's opening…

Spain beat Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup, but the scoreboard and the scenes after full time told two very different stories. This article breaks down what the statistics actually show about Spain's…

Spain didn't just beat Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, they beat them by every measurable margin, and this piece breaks down exactly how wide that gap was. It also digs into why the aftermath, not just…

Editor's note: this piece is built entirely from BBC Sport's report on the World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings following France's third-place play-off against England. Any framing beyond the reported facts is…

One guest at the World Cup final changed the queue for everyone else. This article explains why Donald Trump's single appearance at the tournament put the Secret Service in charge of the gates at the New…

Bronze is an odd medal to feel two ways about, and this piece explains why. Bukayo Saka's hat-trick against France answered the only question that mattered on the pitch. A different question, about why he was…

Twenty-four hours before a World Cup final, most of a team's work is already done. What remains is rhythm: one last session, one last run-through of set pieces. On Saturday the weather took that away from…

The World Cup gave football a glimpse of VAR being used to punish divers, and supporters rather enjoyed the sight. Uefa has now looked at the same law and decided it means something narrower. This covers what…

Around 7,000 tickets remain unsold for Saturday's World Cup bronze medal match between England and France in Miami, with resale listings below face value.

New York issued a statewide air quality health alert days before the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, with Canadian wildfire smoke pushing AQI past 200.

England were five minutes from their first World Cup final since 1966, and then Argentina happened. This covers Anthony Gordon's opener, the two goals that came in the space of seven late minutes, why Thomas…

This semi-final had been sold as the standout fixture of the World Cup, and it never arrived as one. This covers Mikel Oyarzabal's early penalty, Pedro Porro's clinical second, the chances missed at both ends,…

The 2026 World Cup is still deciding its semi-finalists and Gianni Infantino is already talking about the one after next. FIFA's president has confirmed that a 64-team World Cup, first floated by CONMEBOL for…

England are in a World Cup semi-final for the fourth time in their history, and they got there the way they seem determined to do everything at this tournament: badly, anxiously, and then suddenly through Jude…

The reigning world champions are through to the semi-finals, and England now know exactly who is waiting for them in Atlanta. This covers the corner Switzerland failed to defend twice in 10 minutes, the…

Belgium spent 88 minutes in Los Angeles proving they belonged in this quarter-final, and then the tournament's most reliable late arrival took two touches to prove it did not matter. This covers the strange…

Jayden Adams played in all three of South Africa's group games at this summer's World Cup, part of the side that took Bafana Bafana into the knockout rounds for the first time in the country's history. Weeks…

England reach a World Cup quarter-final and immediately have a defender to worry about, which is a very England way to arrive at the last eight. Marc Guehi's hamstring has turned Saturday's tie with Norway…

England won the game and lost the defender, and now they have to work out which of those two things matters more. FIFA have suspended Jarell Quansah for two World Cup matches, taking him out of the…

For half an hour in Boston this looked like the night Morocco had been building towards, and Kylian Mbappe had handed it to them. He missed a penalty, France laboured, and a well-drilled Morocco side sat…

Not every knockout tie wants to entertain you, and this one never pretended otherwise. Switzerland and Colombia spent two hours in Vancouver refusing to make the first mistake, and the game they produced will…

Some knockout games ask a champion whether it still wants to be one, and for seventy-eight minutes in Atlanta Argentina had no answer. Egypt led 2-0, Lionel Messi had missed a penalty, and the holders were a…

A home World Cup is supposed to build, week by week, towards a night the whole country remembers. For the United States it ended instead on a Monday in Seattle, 4-1 to Belgium, the gap between ambition and…

Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career is over after Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the last 16. Roberto Martinez resigned immediately after the final whistle.

England went to the Estadio Azteca, a ground where Mexico had never lost a World Cup match, raced two goals clear inside a first half that Jude Bellingham bent to his will, and then spent an hour finding out…

A straight red card carries an automatic one-match ban, and the player's team cannot appeal it. That has been one of the plainest lines in football's rulebook for decades. This week FIFA rubbed it out for…

For eighty minutes at MetLife this was heading exactly where the seedings said it should, and then Erling Haaland decided it would not. Two goals in the final eleven minutes carried Norway past Brazil and into…

France came to Philadelphia as the tournament's outstanding team and left it having won the sort of match that outstanding teams do not always enjoy. Paraguay, who had knocked out Germany a round earlier,…

England's last-16 tie against Mexico had not kicked off yet, and it had already produced its first crisis. This covers the five-and-a-half hours on Friday when FIFA came close to moving the fixture forward six…

The last ticket to the World Cup's round of 16 went to the team that deserved it by a distance and won it by a whisker. This covers Colombia's 1-0 win over Ghana in Kansas City: Jhon Arias' early goal, the…

A goalless first half can flatter the side hanging on, and for forty-five minutes Canada looked as though they might make their home World Cup last a little longer. Then Morocco remembered they were the better…

Some teams carry a curse into a penalty shoot-out. Egypt walked into this one having lost their previous four, and walked out of it into the last 16. This covers Egypt's win over Australia in Dallas: Emam…

The mismatch on paper became one of the games of the World Cup on grass. This covers Argentina's 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde in the round of 32 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami: Lionel Messi's opener,…

England's World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico is being fought before a ball is kicked, on two fronts neither side of the touchline: sleep and oxygen. This covers the BBC's reporting on England's decision to…

Lionel Messi against a 40-year-old goalkeeper whose contract at a Portuguese second-division club expired on Tuesday: the World Cup does not often serve up a contrast this stark. Drawing on the BBC's…

Eighty-eight years is a long time to carry anything, let alone a knockout record. This covers Switzerland's 2-0 win over Algeria in the World Cup round of 32 at BC Place in Vancouver: Breel Embolo's early…

A round-of-32 tie that had everything, and then found more. This covers Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in Toronto: Ivan Perisic's opener, the penalty that gave Cristiano Ronaldo his first World Cup knockout…

England's nervy 2-1 win over DR Congo was not just a football story. It was the most watched moment on the BBC this year. This covers the viewing figures behind Wednesday's round-of-32 tie (a 16.3 million…

The World Cup hosts had waited 24 years for a knockout win, and when it finally arrived it came with a plot twist worthy of the wait. This covers the USA's 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of…

With five minutes of normal time left, Senegal led 2-0 and Belgium's World Cup was packing its bags. What followed was what the Associated Press called the biggest comeback of this World Cup so far. This…

Kick-off was delayed an hour by lightning over Mexico City, and then Mexico supplied a storm of their own. This covers a 2-0 win over Ecuador that carried the co-hosts into the World Cup last 16, the goals…

France did to Sweden roughly what the pre-match odds said they would, and they did it with a fair amount of style. This piece looks at the 3-0 last-32 win at MetLife Stadium, a Kylian Mbappe brace that moved…

For 75 minutes this was going wrong. Then Harry Kane happened, twice. This covers England's 2-1 come-from-behind win over DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32, Brian Cipenga's shock seventh-minute opener, the…

Son Heung-min has spent a decade carrying South Korean football, and this week he had to stand in front of it and say sorry. This piece looks at his apology, the group-stage exit that prompted it, and the…

Germany used to win penalty shootouts in their sleep. Now they have lost one at a World Cup for the first time, and with it gone is any pretence that this is a passing slump. This piece looks at the night…

Millions of fans have spent this World Cup hunting for a free stream, and a great many have ended up somewhere they should not have. This piece looks at Operation Offsides, the largest sports-piracy crackdown…

Every World Cup makes a household name out of someone nobody had heard of a month earlier. This time it is a 26-year-old goalkeeper from a Buenos Aires club side, who spent one unforgettable night turning…

When a football nation runs out of patience, it tends to start dreaming of a saviour, and Germany has settled on an obvious one. This piece looks at the despair following another early World Cup exit, the…

The Netherlands were a minute from the last 16 and ninety from the airport, and football chose the airport. This piece looks at the round-of-32 night Morocco refused to lose, snatching a stoppage-time…

Japan were ninety seconds from the greatest night in their World Cup history. Then Gabriel Martinelli reminded everyone why Brazil are Brazil. This is the story of a 2-1 round-of-32 tie in Houston that Japan…

Every World Cup hands its stage to a few players who were children at the last one. This tournament, with a record number of debutants, has more of them than most. This piece runs through the young players who…

England keep having most of the ball and not enough of the danger, and the problem keeps living in the same place: the wide areas. Alan Shearer has put his finger on it, and this piece works through his…

South Africa defended for their lives and were two minutes from extra time. Then Stephen Eustaquio caught a half-volley sweetly, and Canada were through. This is the story of a tight round-of-32 tie in Los…

DR Congo went a goal down inside ten minutes, had a goal chalked off by VAR, and looked for a while like a side whose World Cup was about to fizzle out. Then they remembered they could play. This is the story…

A goalless draw does not sound like much until you watch one with 37 shots in it. Colombia and Portugal could not separate themselves in Miami, but the night still decided who topped Group K, who finished…

Argentina had already qualified, made nine changes and still won comfortably, which tells you something about their depth. They beat World Cup debutants Jordan 3-1 in Dallas, with Lionel Messi coming off the…

Some dead rubbers refuse to read the script. Algeria and Austria, both already on course for the knockout rounds, served up a six-goal thriller in Kansas City that swung four times and was settled by a header…

England arrived at MetLife Stadium already through to the knockout rounds, which on paper should have made this the easiest night of their World Cup. It was nothing of the sort. This covers a sluggish 2-0 win…

Croatia and Ghana arrived in Philadelphia both knowing a draw would do, and for an hour they played like it. This covers a 2-1 win that swung Croatia from group winners to third and back to second inside an…

Uruguay arrived at this World Cup as dark horses and left it with two points and a manager already out of the door. This piece looks at the 1-0 defeat to Spain in Guadalajara that sent them home, a night…

A team already out beat a team already through, and the scoreline barely mattered to either. This covers Turkey's 3-2 win over the USA in Los Angeles, settled by a 98th-minute goal that meant little beyond…

Senegal arrived in Toronto needing not just a win but an emphatic one, and they delivered the most emphatic an African side has ever managed at a World Cup. This covers the 5-0 demolition of Iraq, the…

Netherlands needed only to match Japan to take Group F, and they did considerably more than that. This covers a 3-1 win over Tunisia in Kansas City that was effectively settled inside seven minutes, the…

Not every qualification arrives on a wave of noise. Some are signed off quietly, with a clean sheet and a clock running down. This covers the 0-0 in San Francisco that carried Australia into the World Cup last…

A draw suited everyone, and for forty-five minutes it showed. Then the game remembered it was a World Cup. This covers the 1-1 in Dallas that carried both Japan and Sweden into the last 32, Anthony Elanga's…

Germany were already through and treating the night as a formality. Ecuador had not read the same script. This covers a 2-1 comeback that sent the South Americans into the knockout rounds, the late winner that…

Curacao came to their first World Cup as the smallest of small nations and left it having made the tournament wonder about them. This covers Nicolas Pepe's two goals that sent Ivory Coast into the knockout…

Canada needed only a point to top Group B and stay in Vancouver. They got neither. This covers Switzerland's 2-1 win at BC Place, the two-goal second-half spell that did the damage, Promise David's instant…

Scotland needed only a point against Brazil to reach the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time. They lost 3-0, and most of the damage was self-inflicted. This covers Vinicius Junior's…

In their opening game South Africa were reduced to nine men and beaten by Mexico. Here they reached a World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history. This covers Thapelo Maseko's winner against…

Haiti were already out and had nothing to protect, which is exactly what made them dangerous. This covers a six-goal Group C finale in Atlanta, the two leads Haiti held and the Wilson Isidor strike that lit it…

A goalless draw with Ghana has reopened every England debate that the win over Croatia had briefly closed. Gary Neville, talking to Sky Sports News, offered a measured read on all of them. This covers his case…

Mexico were already through and playing for nothing but the party. They threw a good one. This covers a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic that completed a perfect group, the farewell cameo of 40-year-old…

Bosnia came to the World Cup as nobody's idea of a knockout team and left their final group game still in the conversation. This covers their 3-1 win over Qatar in the Group B finale, the teenager whose strike…

Scotland go into a game against Brazil with the strangest sort of problem: defeat might still do them a favour. This explains the maths behind Steve Clarke's qualification dilemma in Group C, why a narrow loss…

Croatia needed a win and found one, just about, against a Panama side already running out of road. This covers Ante Budimir's decisive goal in a 1-0 victory in Toronto, what it does for Croatia's Group L hopes…

England's second group game at every World Cup since 2021 has produced the same outcome: a draw, a frustrated crowd, and fresh doubts about the side's ability to break down a packed defence. In Boston it was…

England controlled almost everything against Ghana in Boston except the only thing that decides matches. This covers a goalless night where Thomas Tuchel's side had four-fifths of the ball, hit the crossbar…

Colombia spent an hour trying to find a way past one man, and in the end it took a deflection to do it. This covers Daniel Munoz's winner in a 1-0 victory over DR Congo, the goalkeeping display from Lionel…

Cristiano Ronaldo went into this game under more scrutiny than at any World Cup of his career, and came out of it holding another record nobody else can claim. This piece covers his double in a 5-0 win over…

On a day when Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe had already scored twice apiece, Erling Haaland was never likely to let the headlines pass him by. This piece covers his double in a 3-2 win over Senegal that sent…

Jordan arrived at their first World Cup as outsiders and very nearly left California with a famous result. This piece looks at the night the debutants led Algeria, ran out of legs in the second half, and went…

France needed a win to reach the last 32 and got one with the minimum of fuss, but the night in Philadelphia will be remembered for the weather as much as the football. This piece covers Kylian Mbappe's…

Lionel Messi went into Dallas level with Miroslav Klose and came out of it alone at the top of the World Cup's all-time scoring list. This piece looks at the night a 38-year-old missed a penalty, scored twice…

Cape Verde are the smallest nation at this World Cup and they keep refusing to behave like it. This piece looks at the 2-2 draw in Miami that took them to within touching distance of the round of 32, and at…

Egypt had played at three World Cups and never won a game. This piece looks at the night in Vancouver that changed it, at the 34-year-old captain who refused to let a fourth attempt go the way of the others,…

Belgium took 23 shots and did not score one of them. This piece looks at how Iran turned a goalless afternoon in Los Angeles into one of their better days at a World Cup, at the goalkeeper who refused to be…

The 2026 World Cup is producing goals at a rate not seen for nearly seven decades, and the reasons reach well beyond a simple expansion of the squad list. This piece picks apart the competing explanations - a…

Five days ago Spain were the story of the World Cup for all the wrong reasons. This piece looks at the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia that put that right, at the teenager who turned a tense afternoon in Atlanta…

Football's biggest tournament reached its 1,000th match on Sunday morning, and it found a worthy leading man in Ayase Ueda. This piece looks beyond the scoreline to examine what Japan's performance reveals…

This piece examines one of the most extraordinary individual goalkeeping performances in World Cup history, as Eloy Room single-handedly kept Curacao alive in Group E. We also look at what Ecuador's continued…

This piece charts the improbable journey of Deniz Undav, the Germany striker who was working eight-hour factory shifts at 17 and is now one of the 2026 World Cup's most decisive players. We look at what his…

Germany looked like a side heading for a humbling defeat until a triple substitution on the hour completely altered the match's direction. This piece examines howDeniz Undavturned Germany's World Cup campaign…

Without their most recognisable player and in front of a raucous home crowd, the United States produced a performance that raised genuine questions about how far this team could go. Adrian Dane examines how…

Scotland's first World Cup in a generation has hit a critical juncture. After 70 seconds in Boston, their plans were already unravelling. This piece looks at the penalty controversy, the failure to build…

This piece examines how Paraguay pulled off one of the more extraordinary results of the group stage, absorbing a relentless Turkish offensive while a player down for the entire second half. We look at the…

Two goals apiece from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo dismantled Sweden and announced the Netherlands as a genuine tournament force at World Cup 2026. This piece looks beyond the scoreline to examine what this…

Mexico are through to the World Cup round of 32, but they have a goalkeeper to thank rather than any attacking brilliance of their own. Adrian Dane examines how a single moment of goalkeeping misfortune…

Carlo Ancelotti's decision to reshuffle his attack paid immediate dividends in Philadelphia, but this Brazil performance carries both promise and alarm in equal measure. We look beyond the scoreline to examine…

A contest that looked like it might end in stalemate was ripped apart inside the final quarter by a 20-year-old nobody saw coming. This piece examines how Johan Manzambi turned a stodgy World Cup group game on…

Czech Republic squandered chance after chance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and South Africa punished them for it. This piece examines how profligacy up front handed Bafana Bafana a lifeline they barely created…

Canada's World Cup campaign took a conflicting turn on Thursday night in Vancouver: a stunning six-goal performance brought the host nation to the edge of the knockout rounds, yet the enduring image from BC…

This piece covers the confirmation thatAchraf Hakimiwill stand trial for rape in France, as announced by prosecutors in Nanterre. We examine the legal background, Hakimi's public response, and the potential…

Luis Díaz came to Mexico City with little noise surrounding him and promptly produced the most complete individual performance of Colombia's Group K opener. This piece looks at what his display against…

Panama controlled this FIFA World Cup Group L opener for almost its entirety, yet a single moment of composure in the fifth minute of stoppage time turned the scoreboard in Ghana's favour. This piece examines…

England's World Cup 2026 campaign began with a nervy but ultimately convincing 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas. This piece looks beyond the scoreline to examine what Tuchel's half-time intervention revealed…

France opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal, but the game's defining moment had nothing to do with the goals. A VAR ruling in the 58th minute that denied Kylian Mbappe a penalty…

Portugal's World Cup campaign began with a result they will want to move past quickly. This piece examines what went wrong for Roberto Martinez's side in Houston, why Cristiano Ronaldo's finishing failures…

Twenty years after making his World Cup debut, Lionel Messi produced the most significant individual performance of the 2026 tournament's opening days - a hat-trick that moved him level with the all-time…

Forget the nervy first half. What unfolded in New Jersey after the break was a statement from one of football's great performers at the highest stage. This piece examines howKylian Mbappesilenced his doubters,…

Erling Haaland has made a habit of walking into new competitions and immediately bending them to his will. In Boston on Tuesday night, the World Cup became the latest to find out. We examine what his debut…

Austria came to San Francisco with 36 years of World Cup hurt to exorcise and a debutant opponent in Jordan who refused to play the role of easy victims. This piece unpacks how Ralf Rangnick's side wobbled,…

Sweden's opening World Cup fixture produced far more than a routine three points. This piece examines how Graham Potter's two elite forwards functioned as a genuine partnership rather than rivals for the same…

This piece looks beyond the scoreline to examine what a single goalkeeper's performance meant for Saudi Arabia's World Cup ambitions, and what Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay must fix before they face Cape Verde. The…

This match had politics swirling around it long before kick-off, and yet once the whistle blew at SoFi Stadium, football commanded the full attention. We look at how New Zealand's Elijah Just announced himself…

Egypt came agonisingly close to ending a 92-year wait for a first World Cup victory in Seattle, only for Romelu Lukaku to intervene with one of the fastest impacts the tournament has ever seen from a…

Sweden's opening World Cup fixture told us something important: this strike partnership might be the most dangerous at the tournament. We dig into how Isak and Gyokeres functioned as a unit, what Yasin Ayari's…

This piece examines one of the most striking results of the 2026 World Cup group stage: how a nation of fewer than 500,000 people brought European champions Spain to a complete standstill. We look beyond the…

All four goals arrived in a breathless second half in Dallas as Netherlands twice took the lead and Japan twice refused to let it stand. This piece examines the tactical decisions that shaped each swing in…

Germany's World Cup 2026 campaign began with a resounding seven-goal statement in Houston, but this match will be remembered for two contrasting stories. We look at what Curacao's fleeting equaliser means for…

Ivory Coast's World Cup opener in Philadelphia produced one of the more improbable openings to a tournament match, with Ecuador twice hitting the crossbar inside the first half-hour before ultimately being…

Scotland arrived in Boston carrying the weight of a nation that has spent three decades watching other countries lift World Cup trophies. This piece looks beyond the scoreline to examine what John McGinn's…

This piece looks beyond the bare scoreline to examine why Switzerland's afternoon in San Francisco unravelled so completely, and what Qatar's stoppage-time leveller genuinely represents in the context of their…

Brazil arrived at the expanded 48-team World Cup as one of the tournament's most-fancied sides, yet their Group C opener in New York offered a sobering reminder that this Morocco side are no soft touch. We…

Scotland's return to the World Cup after 28 years had plenty of worthy storylines, but one player made them all feel secondary. This piece looks at how Ben Gannon-Doak turned a nervy opener into something…

Nobody gave Australia much hope heading into their World Cup opener against Turkey in Vancouver. What followed was one of the tournament's early surprises, built on a 22-year-old goalkeeper's extraordinary…

The United States opened their home World Cup with a performance that answered plenty of questions and raised several more. This piece looks beyond the scoreline to examine what Pochettino's tactical approach,…

Scotland's first World Cup appearance in 28 years is not just a fixture on a schedule. It is the culmination of more than 10,000 days of hurt, near-misses and moments that tested the patience of an entire…

South Korea's opening Group A fixture offered a textbook study in contrasting football philosophies, with one side's directness ultimately punished by the other's patience and technical variety. This piece…

The 2026 World Cup began not with a polished exhibition of football but with a frantic, breathless spectacle at the Azteca that had everything: a moment of individual brilliance, a cathartic goal loaded with…

Canada's opening World Cup fixture had everything the co-hosts dreaded: a first-half deficit, a string of wasted chances, and two goals cleared off the line. This piece examines how Jesse Marsch's side dug out…

England's final official friendly before the 2026 World Cup produced exactly the kind of encouraging signs Thomas Tuchel was looking for, even if the performance had rough edges. This piece looks beyond the…

Thomas Tuchel has spent 15 months trying to rebuild England's relationship with high-stakes football - stripping out fear, instilling freedom. As the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico…

Steve Clarke has been here before - at major tournaments, in the spotlight, and watching Scotland fall short at the group stage. What makes 2026 feel genuinely different is the man at the centre of it. This…

Scotland's final warm-up before the World Cup group stage delivered four goals, two emerging partnerships and genuine cause for belief. This piece looks past the scoreline to ask whether Steve Clarke's side…

England used 22 players to beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa's humidity, and the occasion raised more questions than it answered about Thomas Tuchel's tournament intentions. This piece cuts through the…

The weather hazards facing this summer's World Cup have moved from theoretical to very real. Adrian Dane examines what happened in Austin, how FIFA's lightning protocol works in practice, and why the…

Ten days before Iran kick off their World Cup campaign in Los Angeles, a diplomatic confrontation is threatening to overshadow everything that happens on the pitch. This piece examines the visa dispute between…

This piece examines one of sport's most enduring rivalries not through the usual GOAT lens, but through the shared origins, parallel ambitions and mutual pressure that made both players greater than they might…

For supporters who waited years for Scotland's return to a World Cup, the administrative rug-pull of a reversed ESTA approval is a bitter blow that goes far beyond paperwork. This piece looks at what has…

Manchester City's summer rebuild is taking shape, and Elliot Anderson is at the centre of it. This piece examines what the rebuffed opening bid tells us about City's ambitions, why Anderson fits the profile…

Ibrahima Konate has broken his silence on one of football's most painful personal stories of the past year, speaking with a candour rarely heard from elite athletes. This piece examines what his words reveal…

Ghana's World Cup selection has raised eyebrows across football, with Carlos Queiroz standing firmly behind Thomas Partey despite a criminal trial looming over the former Arsenal man. This piece examines what…

Three officiating changes are set to reshape how football is policed at this summer's World Cup, and each one addresses a grievance supporters have been voicing for seasons. We break down what Pierluigi…

Scotland's World Cup preparations have been upended by the loss of Billy Gilmour to a knee injury, just days before the squad flies to the United States. But as one door slams shut, another creaks open:…

Steve Clarke has committed to Scotland through two more World Cups and a European Championship, extending a tenure that has already made him the most successful men's head coach in the nation's history. This…

This piece examines the formal legal pressure now bearing down on Fifa over its World Cup 2026 ticketing operation, focusing on what the subpoena actually means for fans and for world football's governing…

When a goal transcends sport and enters a nation's cultural fabric, currency is a fitting medium. We examine what Bank of Scotland's limited edition £20 note - inspired by one of Scotland's most celebrated…

Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad announcement is not simply a list of 26 names - it is a philosophical statement about what kind of team England intend to be this summer. In this piece we examine the rationale…

Thomas Tuchel names his England World Cup squad on Friday, and the names missing from the list are as significant as those on it. This piece examines why a manager who has consistently insisted on form over…

This piece looks beyond the headline number to examine what Ronaldo's sixth World Cup selection actually means for Portugal as a squad, for coach Roberto Martinez's tactical project, and for the sport's…

Just as Arsenal stand on the brink of their greatest season in a generation, they have lost one of their most reliable performers to injury. This piece examines what Ben White's absence means for the Gunners'…

Phil Foden's new contract is about more than security for one player. It raises pointed questions about what City are buying into, whether a struggling 25-year-old can recapture the form that made him the…

Football is heading into its biggest summer tournament with two significant new laws that could fundamentally alter how players behave during confrontations on the pitch. Adrian Dane breaks down exactly what…

With World Cup 2026 bringing the global game to American soil this summer, a coalition of more than 120 rights organisations has issued a formal travel advisory urging caution for fans, players, and…

The push to replace Iran with Italy at the 2026 World Cup has been firmly rebuffed by Fifa, with president Gianni Infantino having already declared that Iran are coming to the tournament. We examine the…

A row between the New Jersey state government and FIFA has broken out over the eye-watering cost of getting to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium this summer. With train fares potentially topping $100 for a…

Canada have never won a point at a World Cup, but with home support across all three group fixtures in 2026, this is the most realistic opportunity the nation has ever had to reach the knockout rounds. Group B…