Argentina will host Benin in October in Buenos Aires AFA president invites Messi to enjoy ‘deserved farewell’ Lionel Messi has been called up by Argentina to make a farewell appearance in a home friendly in October following his international retirement, the Argentinian football association (AFA) has confirmed. “We invited the best player in the world to play, the icon of our selection, our captain Lionel Andrés Messi, to have a deserved farewell on 6 October, here in Argentina,” the AFA president, Claudio Tapia, said on social media. Continue reading...
Staying with Wales over Burnley a ‘simple choice’ Never claiming expenses cited as a show of commitment Craig Bellamy said Wales supporters should never question his commitment to the cause after he rejected the chance to manage Burnley, pointing to how he got solicitors’ letters to play for his country and refused to claim expenses on international duty. Bellamy held talks with Burnley in the summer after the Championship club triggered a release clause in his contract but turned down the move because Wales was “the right place for me”. Continue reading...
The bad news for everyone else is that Arsenal’s next generation is already here. Two mesmerising goals and an assist in a man-of-the-match display from Max Dowman underlined why the 16-year-old has been compared to a certain Lionel Messi by his manager, Mikel Arteta, as Ipswich were swatted aside with ease. Almost as impressive was the performance of the 17-year-old Marli Salmon, who oozed class in central defence on only the second senior start of his career. Ipswich won here the last time these two sides met in this competition , in 2011, but were beaten 3-0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates before Arsenal infamously lost to Birmingham in the final. Fifteen years on, Gary O’Neil’s heavily rotated side stood no chance against last year’s runners up after Dowman’s brilliant opening goal. Noni Madueke and the stand-in skipper Mikel Merino were also on target as Arsenal made it seven wins out of seven to start the new campaign. Having finally ended their long wait for silverware in style, this team are hungry for more and know they can now rely on one of the most exciting talents ever to have emerged from their Hale End academy. Continue reading...
Tottenham scored and Roberto De Zerbi eulogised the quality at his disposal, yet try telling Spurs’ suffering away support there was consolation to be found at Anfield. Liverpool toyed with De Zerbi by advancing into round four with a quality of finishing that he can only dream of. While the Spurs head coach talked a good game and his players played a pretty one in harmless areas, Liverpool produced the only effective one. Alexis Mac Allister promoted his claims for a new contract for the second midweek in succession with an excellent strike and Cody Gakpo continued his fine early season form with a smart second plus an assist. But both were overshadowed by Dominik Szoboszlai’s stupendous 25-yard finish in stoppage time. Continue reading...
15 Sep 2026, 20:54 GMTJacob Steinberg at London Stadium
Álvaro Arbeloa played in some great defences but whether he knows how to coach one remains to be seen. Fulham have been fragile since appointing the Spaniard and they were fortunate not to be dragged into a penalty shootout by West Ham as this entertainingCarabao Cup tie drew to a close. West Ham equalised twice during the first half and they almost did it again after Oscar Bobb made it 3-2 in the 78th minute. Nuno Espírito Santo raged at a poor miss from Taty Castellanos, though, and Fulham clambered into the last 16 after resisting late pressure from the Championship pacesetters. Continue reading...
⚽️ Carabao Cup news, 8pm BST kick-off at Portman Road ⚽️ Liverpool v Tottenham – follow it live ⚽️ Live scoreboard | Send your thoughts to Taha via email Allan Castle writes in: As a British-born Canadian, who has shuttled back and forth over the Atlantic for six decades, when I get back to England I seek out cherished beverages past and present that are unavailable or only sporadically found in Canada: orange squash, ginger beer, Theakston’s Old Peculier, real bitter, etc. What is Carabao? What does it taste like? And, perhaps most important, what are the cultural assumptions British people make about Carabao drinkers? I’m old enough to know that no seemingly benign refreshment decision in the UK is made without social consequences. With Enciso on the bench, Arsenal will win. It’s too bad for Ipswich’s lack of courage. Continue reading...
⚽️ Carabao Cup news from the 8pm BST kick-off at Anfield ⚽️ Ipswich v Arsenal – follow it live ⚽️ Live scoreboard | Send your thoughts to Scott via email 1 min: There have been a few concerns about Mamardashvili’s distribution with his feet … and he whistles his first pass, a simple one towards Kerkez on the left, out of play. He looks suitably sheepish. No real harm done, though. After a quick blast of You’ll Never Walk Alone, Tottenham Hotspur get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Kop in this first half. Meanwhile Ian Copestake replies to krishnamoorthy v: “I could have crossed the road faster but I have to get my kicks somehow.” Continue reading...
Midfielder suffered cardiac arrest mid-game last year Louisville will drop UofL Health as medical partner Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo has filed a lawsuit against UofL Health and two named physicians for negligence after they allegedly failed to properly diagnose a heart condition before she suffered cardiac arrest in the first half of an NWSL game on 14 September 2025. According to an screenshot of the complaint, the filing claims that UofL Health “failed to act as a reasonably prudent and competent medical practice … and such negligence was a substantial factor in causing [DeMelo] to suffer severe physical injuries, including, but not limited to, her cardiac arrest.” Continue reading...
Webb wants to stop ‘ridiculous situations’ Says VAR officials in United v City had ‘tunnel vision’ Howard Webb has described the law around accidental handball as “a bit of a nonsense” and called for its reform to stop referees being drawn into “ridiculous situations”. The chief refereeing officer for English football made his remarks on Tuesday, when he also fronted up over the error that allowed Manchester City to win Sunday’s Manchester derby. Webb said he was “really disappointed” with the video assistant referee call that failed to spot Enzo Fernández interfering with play from an offside position before Erling Haaland scored the only goal . Continue reading...
Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! It’s been quite the stomach-churning white-knuckle ride for Leeds United over the past decade. Their fans have been forced to endure more highs, lows, loops, corkscrews and rolls than a thrill-seeking visitor on Nemesis Reborn at Alton Towers. There have been b@nter eras, multiple owners, near-misses, promotions, relegations and managerial churn. The Marcelo Bielsa years will always be remembered as fondly as the Thomas Christiansen months have been erased from collective memory. Under Jesse Marsch, Leeds secured dramatic final-day Premier League survival at Brentford, before dropping through the trapdoor the following season despite the best efforts of the High Performance American and Lower Performance Javi Gracia and Big Sam Allardyce. After yet another VAR offside fiasco at the weekend ( yesterday’s Football Daily ), centering on whether a player diving towards the goal is active or not, can I suggest we take subjectivity out of the equation? We have this nice, already marked, box on the field which is used to decide how harshly punished a foul is. So can we not just say everyone in the penalty area is active, no matter what they’re doing, and judge offsides accordingly?” – Hugh Fordham. Re: Arsenal demanding a meeting with Pro Ref after a penalty decision (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). It should write to Mikel Arteta and ask why he feels the need to repeatedly leave his technical area. After all, ‘it is unacceptable at this level’” – Deryck Hall. Chris Brown’s observation that ‘Spurs’ front three right now pose about as much threat as a Muttley-SpongeBob-Sylvester the Cat trio’ ( yesterday’s Football Daily letters ) brought to mind the obvious conclusion that it’s not Messrs Lange and Venkatesham who are in charge of player investments, but Wile E Coyote. Spurs’ strategy seems to be just as sound as all Mr Coyote’s purchases from Acme Co in his private pursuits” – Peter Rehwaldt. Continue reading...
15-year-old wants his registration to be cancelled He was to be in squad to face Brighton on Wednesday Manchester United have been left confused and shocked by the news that the talented 15-year-old player JJ Gabriel has asked to leave the club, a day before he was to be included in the first-team squad to face Brighton. Gabriel could have become United’s youngest player in the Carabao Cup third-round tie at Old Trafford on Wednesday. But the Guardian understands he has asked for his registration to be cancelled. Continue reading...
Ex-England footballer pleads guilty and admits to failing to provide a specimen as he appears in court Raheem Sterling pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and could be sent to prison after driving his Lamborghini for more than an hour on motorways during rush hour while inhaling nitrous oxide. The former Chelsea and Manchester City forward stood in the dock to accept three charges before Basingstoke magistrates court heard how he embarked on a prolonged period of reckless driving on the M25 and M3, inhaling nitrous oxide balloons, before crashing his £270,000 car. Sterling was disqualified from driving and bailed until 25 November, when his sentence will either be determined or referred to the crown court. Continue reading...
15 Sep 2026, 12:45 GMTPresented by Faye Carruthers with Suzanne Wrack, Marva Kreel and Chris Paouros. Produced by Sophie Downey and Holly Fisher, and the executive producer is Tayo Popoola
Faye Carruthers and Suzanne Wrack are joined by Marva Kreel and Chris Paouros to discuss the weekend’s WSL action On the podcast today: Faye Carruthers and Suzanne Wrack are joined by Marva Kreel and Chris Paouros to discuss the weekend’s WSL action. Chelsea hit five goals past Manchester United with five different goalscorers. Crystal Palace show they are not here to just make up the numbers as they earn a point against Arsenal at the Emirates – but will draws prove costly for Reneé Slegers’ side once again in their quest for the title? Continue reading...
With an incredible array of talent on show we select half a dozen players who could make the step up to the senior World Cup next year The 2026 Under-20 Women’s World Cup is entering the knockout stage in Poland and, after an intriguing group stage, we pick some of the young stars who have stood out. Celia Segura (Spain and Barcelona) Segura is no stranger to knockout football, having helped Spain to silver at the Under-17 World Cup two years ago and finishing with the Bronze Ball and Bronze Boot. She has picked up the mantle again as La Roja eased through their group. Her four goals against New Caledonia were an illustration of her pure scoring instinct and she has also played a key role with her high technical skills and instinctive ability to both make space for and find her teammates. Her back-heel assist to set up Pau Comendador against China was a memorable one. A product of the Barcelona academy, the 19-year-old forward made her debut for the senior side in February and will return to Atlético Madrid for a season-long loan at the conclusion of this tournament. 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 is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday . Continue reading...
15 Sep 2026, 11:30 GMTPablo Iglesias Maurer and Jeff Rueter
The United States’ next World Cup cycle gets underway with this week’s squad selection – here’s who we think will make the cut Pablo: Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Brian Schwake (Nashville SC), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Diego Kochen (Lyngby) Continue reading...
Our cartoonist on the English top-flight leading the way for debatable decisions and performative sadness Buy a cartoon | Some of David’s favourite works And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...
Former teammates and coaches rave about Brighton’s summer signing, who impressed with Canada at the World Cup Promise David had a five‑year plan. He would score bags of goals, earn a transfer to a top European league and play for Canada at the 2026 World Cup. There was just one problem: apart from his parents, teammates and coaches, no one in soccer seemed to know his name. It was 2023, and the striker was scrapping for minutes in Estonia’s Meistriliiga – a league small enough that streaming services didn’t bother with its matches. He was 22 and already a football nomad. He had been cut from his hometown club’s academy. Passed over by NCAA college programs. Relegated to the reserve squad of almost every club for which he played. Continue reading...
Max Rushden is joined by Philippe Auclair , Sid Lowe , Nicky Bandini and Mark Langdon to discuss the weekend’s action around Europe Continue reading...
Michael Carrick’s side are 13th in the table after four games but, City mitigation aside, several areas need attention Manchester United are 13th in the Premier League, having taken four points from their first four games: a 2-0 defeat at Hull, 5-2 win against Ipswich, 2-2 draw at Everton and the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday. Mitigation regarding the City reverse can be found in the derby coming three days after the Champions League win against Sabah on Thursday, with Enzo Maresca’s side having 48 hours more rest after winning at Porto. So are United, who host Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before visiting Fulham in the league on Sunday, as poor as the table suggests? Continue reading...
15 Sep 2026, 05:00 GMTPresented by Max Rushden with Nicky Bandini, Philippe Auclair, Sid Lowe and Mark Langdon. Produced by Rory Symonand the executive producer is Tayo Popoola
Max Rushden is joined by Philippe Auclair , Sid Lowe , Nicky Bandini and Mark Langdon to discuss the weekend’s action around Europe Max Rushden is joined by Philippe Auclair , Sid Lowe , Nicky Bandini and Mark Langdon to discuss the weekend’s action around Europe. On the podcast today: Harry Kane scored his 150th goal for Bayern Munich against Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg, while Ballon d’Or rivals Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé both scored doubles in La Liga. Continue reading...
