OSLO, Norway — When Karina Saevik steered home the opening goal for Norwegian minnows Vålerenga in their 2-2 draw at home to St. Pölten in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) on Wednesday night, Agnes Viljugrein wasn’t even watching. Instead, Viljugrein (who, by day, is a member of Norwegian parliament) was busy fulfilling her duties as Vålerenga’s ‘capo’; the leader of the “Østblokka” — the dedicated section of fans who…
In March 2025, we delivered the fourth installment of our Premier League MVP rankings, aimed at tackling a mighty question: Which players rank as the most important at the division’s top clubs? We used a simple combination of ability and tactical factors to assess how crucial the players were to their teams and ranked the top 15 accordingly. Naturally, the best, most consistent and most present players filtered toward the…
BOREHAMWOOD, England — If Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League taught us anything, it is that England striker Alessia Russo needs to be playing as the No. 9 if a side experiencing its worst start to a season since 2014 hopes to turn its campaign around. It was a must-win game for manager Renee Slegers and Arsenal, who, before the victory at Meadow Park, were…
And then there were 64 — or 42, or 22, depending on how you want to look at it. In addition to the three hosts, 39 other teams have officially qualified for next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. That leaves 22 teams to fight for the remaining six places: 16 UEFA sides for the four final spots from Europe, then two teams from CONCACAF, and…
With the final deadline for FIFA World Cup qualification edging ever closer, the November international break delivered more than its fair share of thrills and spills as more national teams either officially secured their place at the 2026 finals, kept their dreams alive by reaching the playoffs or saw them go down in flames. With so much at stake on the road to next year’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and…
Scotland captain Andrew Robertson said he spent the pre-match build-up to his team’s victorious World Cup qualifier against Denmark “in bits” thinking about former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota due to the pair’s shared dream of playing in the tournament. A 4-2 win against the Danes in Glasgow confirmed Scotland’s place in the 2026 World Cup — the country’s first appearance since 1998 — with goals from Scott McTominay, Lawrence Shankland,…
A leading official has told a tribunal that a football referee coach “forcefully pushed her” and that his behaviour was influenced by her gender. Lisa Benn, 34, said she was harassed and unfairly lost her position as an international referee after raising a complaint. The Women’s Super League (WSL) official had complained that she was manhandled on a pitch in 2023 by Steve Child, a Professional Game Match Officials Limited…
Karim Benzema has said Kylian Mbappé needs to step up more for Real Madrid in the big games. Benzema, who won numerous trophies in his 14 years at Madrid before joining Al Ittihad in July 2023 on a free transfer, said of his former France teammate Mbappé to Diario AS: “He’s much better; scoring goals isn’t new to him. He did it at Paris Saint-Germain, and at Real Madrid he’s…
AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic is waiting to see how the club fare this season before signing a new contract, while Barcelona are looking for reinforcements at left back, right back and on the wing. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe. Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades – Source: Rodman’s Spirit future in doubt amid talks with NWSL – Paquetá:…
Thomas Tuchel has said Jude Bellingham must accept his decisions after the midfielder expressed frustration at being substituted in the closing stages of England’s World Cup qualification win in Albania. Harry Kane’s late brace secured a 2-0 victory in Tirana that saw the Euro 2024 runners-up complete a flawless Group K campaign with an eighth win and eighth clean sheet. Bellingham was among seven changes to Thursday’s win against Serbia…