Squads are convening, warm-up games are kicking off and players will soon be boarding flights to Australia and New Zealand with less than a month until the 2023 Women’s World Cup starts in Auckland. Yet with time ticking down to the opening game on July 20, at least two participating nations are still locked in significant disputes with their federations. Much was made of Canada’s threat to strike ahead of…
Rapper Stormzy has teamed up with Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha to buy ninth-tier English soccer side Croydon Athletic, the club said on Tuesday. Zaha was born in the Ivory Coast but grew up in Croydon from the age of four, while Grime sensation Stormzy also hails from the London borough. The duo have joined forces with former Palace head of player care Danny Young to buy the club. –…
Tottenham Hotspur are in advanced talks with Leicester City over the transfer of midfielder James Maddison, sources told ESPN. Spurs have tracked Maddison, 26, for several seasons, and new manager Ange Postecoglou is thought to be keen on the move. Sources told ESPN that negotiations are ongoing, with the two sides are still trying to find mutual ground on the transfer fee. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)…
Scan the field after a Washington Spirit match, when players, staff and family gather to debrief and swap stories, and team owner Michele Kang is almost certain to be holding court. Kang is at most games, home and away. It is hardly the life once imagined by the investor and philanthropist who made her name (and fortune) in the field of health information technology. “If you asked me even three…
EA Sports is on a bit of a roll when it comes to using its FIFA games to correctly predict men’s World Cup winners, with a flawless streak stretching back four tournaments. The gaming giant has successfully used its football franchise to forecast the winners of each of the past four tournaments: Spain in 2010, Germany in 2014, France in 2018 and Argentina in 2022. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga,…
We’re both big NBA fans, and the draft is a special day for those who love the league. Football is an entirely different sport, with youngsters joining top clubs via entirely different pathways, but we couldn’t resist the challenge of our own draft. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Following last year’s version, when we chose players born in the year 2000, the only eligibility requirement for this…
Manchester United fans were given a sneak peek of the club’s new home kit for the 2023-24 season when rapper Aitch wore it on stage during his set at Glastonbury on Saturday. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The club themselves had already teased supporters on social media with a post offering a glimpse of a jersey and the date June 27. The caption also featured an emoji…
The images of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Manchester City defender Kyle Walker greeting each other after the first leg of their Champions League semifinal went viral last month. The moment was one of mutual respect between two elite athletes after an evening of tough competition. For Vinicius, it was also an opportunity to speak some of the English he had recently been practicing with Oklahoma City Thunder star…
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets will join former teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami CF this summer. The MLS side has announced the arrival of the ex-Spain international on its social media accounts. Busquets’ contract with Barca expires at the end of June and, after announcing his decision to end his 18-year stay at Spotify Camp Nou, he has been mulling over offers from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Sources…
MADRID — Diego Maradona’s Argentina shirt from the 1986 World Cup final; Alfredo Di Stefano’s shirt from Real Madrid’s 7-3 European Cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960; the Santos shirts worn by Pele as he lifted two Copa Libertadores in 1962 and 1963; Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ shirt from the 2010 World Cup final, the biggest game in the country’s history. But where are they now? Were they kept…