Jun 16, 2026
Six games, no defeats: Asia’s strong start to the World Cup
From holding Uruguay and Switzerland to beating Turkey and Czechia, Asia’s footballers have come through the World Cup’s opening round without a singl...
Football Features
Latest features articles covering football.
Jun 16, 2026
Vozinha and Al-Owais turned Group H into goalkeeping theatre at the World Cup
Spain could not beat a 40-year-old debutant and Uruguay needed 80 minutes to break Saudi Arabia. The opening week of World Cup 2026 has belonged to th...
Jun 13, 2026
England begin their World Cup against the Croatia side that knocked them out in 2018
Eight years after Croatia ended their run in Moscow, England open their World Cup against the same opponent in Arlington, with Luka Modric chasing a f...
Jun 12, 2026
Cape Verde’s first World Cup: how an island of 525,000 reached the biggest stage
Fewer than 525,000 people live across Cape Verde’s 10 islands. On 15 June, the Blue Sharks walk out against Spain in Atlanta for the first World Cup m...
Jun 11, 2026
Forty-eight teams, three hosts and four debutants: the 2026 World Cup has arrived
The 2026 World Cup is the biggest ever, with 48 teams, three host nations and 104 matches. It has also opened the door to four first-time countries, f...
Jun 10, 2026
The young players who could light up the 2026 World Cup
From Lamine Yamal to a teenage Croatian defender, here are five young players who could turn the 2026 World Cup into their own stage.
Jun 10, 2026
Son Heung-min’s last World Cup begins against Czechia in Guadalajara
At 33 and now with LAFC, Son Heung-min leads South Korea into what is almost certainly his final World Cup, opening against a Czechia side back on the...
Jun 9, 2026
The injuries that have reshaped the World Cup before a ball is kicked
The 2026 World Cup is here, but Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan and Germany all arrive without a player they had built plans around. A look at the abse...
Jun 8, 2026
Five goals from history: Mbappe and the World Cup record within his reach
Kylian Mbappe goes to North America 12 World Cup goals into his career and five short of Miroslav Klose’s all-time record. At 27, the maths is suddenl...
Jun 8, 2026
Mexico and the Azteca open the World Cup for a historic third time
The Estadio Azteca becomes the first ground to host three World Cup opening matches when Mexico face South Africa on June 11, four decades after Marad...
Jun 5, 2026
Guardiola gone and Slot sacked: the Premier League’s dugout reset has no recent parallel
Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City, Arne Slot has been sacked a year after winning the title, and the clubs chasing champions Arsenal are nearly...
Jun 4, 2026
Mbappe, Haaland and the closest thing this World Cup has to a group of death
France, Senegal, Norway and Iraq landed in the same pool, and an expanded World Cup built to avoid carnage handed Group I the heaviest draw of the lot...
Jun 3, 2026
Why the biggest transfers are waiting for the World Cup to finish
The 2026 window opens four days into the World Cup, and that changes how everyone behaves. The headline moves are on hold until clubs see who shines i...
Jun 2, 2026
The World Cup just got much bigger, and that is not the same as better
The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, 104 matches and a brand new round of 32, spread across three countries. It is the most ambitious f...
May 30, 2026
Dušan Vlahović is weeks from leaving Juventus for free, and half of Europe is circling
A 26-year-old striker who cost Juventus the best part of €70 million is about to walk out as a free agent on June 30, and the queue of suitors is alre...
May 27, 2026
Glasner walks out of Crystal Palace with the Conference League and Leverkusen waiting
The Austrian’s contract ran out anyway, but he leaves Selhurst Park with a European trophy and a free transfer to a Bundesliga side that has just show...
May 27, 2026
Bruno Fernandes broke the assist record at the Amex and walked off with a major award
Bruno Fernandes finished 2025-26 with 21 Premier League assists, the EA Sports Player of the Season vote, and a Champions League spot for Manchester U...
May 26, 2026
Hale End to Budapest: Bukayo Saka’s road to Arsenal’s Champions League final
An academy schoolboy who came off the bench against Vorskla Poltava in 2018 is on Mikel Arteta’s team sheet for Saturday’s Champions League final agai...
May 26, 2026
PSG carry six injury cases into Saturday’s Champions League final, with Dembélé’s calf and Hakimi’s thigh leading Luis Enrique’s list
Five days from kickoff at the Puskás Aréna, Paris Saint-Germain’s medical staff is working through six fitness reviews ahead of the Champions League f...
May 25, 2026
Three promotions in three seasons: Diamond Harbour FC end IFL 2025-26 as champions and walk into the ISL
Hugo Diaz’s stoppage-time header in Goa wrapped up the IFL title with a game to spare. The Kalyani defeat that followed could not undo the climb from...
May 24, 2026
Arsenal champions, Manchester United back, three down: the 2025-26 Premier League in full
Arsenal ended their 22-year wait with 85 points and a +44 goal difference. Manchester United are back in the Champions League under Carrick, Liverpool...
May 23, 2026
Bruno has the writers, Haaland has the boot: the Premier League’s individual honours heading into the final day
The FWA has been decided, the Golden Boot is locked in all but name, and the PFA shortlist is the one race actually still open on Sunday.
May 22, 2026
PSG vs Arsenal in Budapest: the holders’ back-to-back bid against a club one trophy from rewriting itself
The 2026 Champions League final pits defending champions PSG, who have scored 44 goals this campaign, against an Arsenal side that has conceded only s...
May 21, 2026
Joao Pedro wants Barcelona, but Chelsea hold the cards and Barcelona’s books are not the help they look
The 24-year-old wants the move. Chelsea do not need to sell. Barcelona, on current numbers, cannot quite register the signing. Why the saga’s loudest...