The Guardian

Jamal Sellami’s first-time qualifiers come up against Lionel Messi and Argentina in a challenging Group J This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Co…

Zverev took his chance but a lack of top 10 challengers in Paris raises more questions about the strength in depth below Alcaraz and Sinner Félix Auger-Aliassime has long been one of the more measured and reflective players on the ATP Tour. He is desperate to achieve his potential, but the Canadian also understands that improvement is often a long process and remaining patient is essential. That …

England defender getting used to protective brace and hopeful of contributing to Tuchel’s tournament effort In the disorientation of the moment, as Djed Spence lay on the turf, the pain radiating from the left side of his jaw, it was tempting to wonder what flashed through his mind. The Tottenham full-back had been cleaned out by the elbow of Chelsea’s Liam Delap in the closing stages of the penu…

Four British players receive wildcards Harriet Dart shocks Samsonova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 Tatjana Maria, the reigning Queen’s Club women’s champion, has revealed her shock at not receiving a wildcard to defend her title this week, suggesting winning last year’s tournament should command greater respect. The German was snubbed for a wildcard in favour of four lower-ranked British players, forcing her to …

European champions beaten 4-0 in Mallorca on Friday Hemp: ‘As a group, we’ve come together and stuck together’ Lauren Hemp says the England squad are sticking together after their heavy defeat against Spain on Friday and have vowed to bounce back from that setback when they face Ukraine in their final Women’s World Cup qualifier at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The European champions were outplayed in …

Enrique Riquelme loses challenge against Pérez José Mourinho will now be confirmed as manager Florentino Pérez will continue as president of Real Madrid after winning their first elections in 20 years, paving the way for his plans to sell 5% of the club. Pérez, who has been president for 23 years across two spells – first between 2000 and 2006 and then since 2009, winning the past five elections …

BBC TV and radio host on sportswashing, the brilliance of watching Argentina up close and why Donald Trump won’t be able to hijack the football glory “Before every tournament there are always concerns,” Kelly Cates says as she approaches her fifth World Cup as a television and radio presenter. “There’s always something everybody’s worried about. This time I worry about the humidity and the altitu…

Eng 157-6; Aus 158-5. Aus win by five wkts England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt fails on return Ellyse Perry’s half-century guided Australia to a comfortable five-wicket win against England in their T20 World Cup warm-up match in Cardiff. Perry was superbly caught by Dani Gibson at deep midwicket off Lauren Bell for a match-winning 64 with two runs needed as Australia cruised to their target of 158 w…

Was going to be first Somalian to officiate at a World Cup ‘He deserves the support of the football community’ A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the United States, according to reports. Omar Artan is alleged to have been refused entry to the US at Miami International airport this past weekend, despite h…

Scotland branded ‘unprofessional, weak’ John McGinn: ‘Our job is to look after Scotland’ Scotland’s return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence has been immediately overshadowed by a war of words with Norway. Steve Clarke and Scotland were branded “unprofessional”, “embarrassing” and “weak” by the Norwegians after the cancellation of a training game planned for Monday in Charlotte. After the …

Governing body looking into ‘a breach of team protocols’ Incident in early hours of morning after Lord’s Test Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson are being investigated by the England and Wales Cricket Board for a “breach of team protocols” following the first Test win over New Zealand. The ECB confirmed in a statement Stokes and Atkinson “were in a nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning when an …

Micheal Barwagen is part of an all-Canadian crew at this World Cup, and says the new offside system makes his job easier in some ways The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament to feature semi-automated offside technology, utilizing a dozen cameras to track player movement at a rate of 50 stills per second. In theory, it sounds like an effective, if dizzying, way to cut down o…

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder wanted €65m He was denied a transfer to Charleroi in Belgium in 2014 Lassana Diarra has reached a settlement with Fifa and the Belgian Football Association over claims for compensation after his landmark transfer case. The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and France midfielder had initially demanded €65m from the two bodies, arguing the sum covered damages inc…