The Guardian

Search for Steve Clarke replacement must look outside the country’s borders to avoid future World Cup disappointment There was one element of the Scottish Football Association’s otherwise baffling decision to give Steve Clarke a four-year deal weeks before a World Cup ball had been kicked that made sense. When assessing alternatives to Clarke as the Scotland manager, it is apparent that paucity o…

Moroccans began moving to the Netherlands in the 1960s, lending match in Mexico a feeling akin to ‘a derby’ Thirty-two years to the day since their first official encounter, Morocco and the Netherlands face each in what has the makings of a blockbuster last-32 match. Many things have changed since the 1994 World Cup group game in Orlando, which Netherlands won 2-1, but Morocco’s history is never …

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! After much hesitant wallchart-filling, Geopolitics World Cup fans are finally able to feast their eyes on a complete knockout stage and plot their team’s route to a painful penalty shootout exit. Unlike in previous tournaments, there is no rest day for the wicked this time, with the first last-32 tie – a blockbuster tie between Canada and South …

Kimi Antonelli claims third behind Red Bull’s Verstappen Russell overtakes Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in standings George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix after a tense and gripping battle with what was a resurgent Red Bull in the hands of Max Verstappen. Russell held his nerve to ground out the victory even as the Dutchman charged at him in the final laps at the Red Bull Ring to take a win the …

CoreCtrl is made by Alistair Brownlee’s company Product reduces temperature body starts to sweat at England’s players are using a sports drink developed by the double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee to help control their body temperatures at the World Cup. The Football Association placed a large order of CoreCtrl, a new product from Brownlee’s sports nutrition company truefuels, befo…

There was good food, nervous energy and pandemonium at a Surry Hills cafe as Algeria went through to the knockout round On a rainy day in Sydney’s Surry Hills, a small crowd rushes into a small cafe draped in the green and white flag of Algeria, gathering around a TV with dreams of seeing their country make the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 12 years. Greetings are exchanged in Fr…

Updates from the teams’ final Group A game at Lord’s Start time in London is 2.30pm BST/11.30pm AEST Changes for both sides. Just the one for India as Kranti Gaud come back for Nandani Sharma. Continue reading...

Team Melli’s agonizing exit after other results failed to break their way is a moment of anguish that rises to the top of a football history full of them Mehdi Taremi lay on the ground at Seattle Stadium staring at the heavens, devastated. The Iran team he captains had just finished a 1-1 draw with Egypt in their final World Cup group game – one where a win would have put them through to the knoc…

Players limit time given to media in first week Sabalenka: ‘We do it for the tour, we don’t for ourselves’ The world’s leading players were true to their word, or lack of them, at Wimbledon on Saturday as they duly limited their media appearances to 15 minutes. It was part of a continued effort in their quest for the grand slam events to give them more prize money as a share of tournament revenue…

As the knockout stages begin, penalties are inevitable. What do the stats say about the best ways to take them? The 2022 World Cup final was a nail-biting affair, decided by a penalty shootout after Argentina and France were evenly matched with three goals apiece . Argentina subsequently won 4-2 on penalties, taking the title. Even outside penalty shootouts, a single spot kick can easily decide t…

As the World Cup enters the knockout rounds, we take a look at the creativity and emotion that fans of all 48 teams showed in the group stage The 2026 World Cup has set a new all-time attendance record for the men’s tournament, surpassing the previous record of 3,587,538 set during the 1994 World Cup – and the group stages have only just ended. As ever, fans have brought colour and fun to the tou…

A joyless England display, football’s equivalent of assembling a wardrobe, was rescued by the No 10 In the half-time break at a rain-fogged New York New Jersey Stadium, with England still living out the same painful never-ending 0-0 draw, a lone saxophonist could be heard playing a series of noodling riffs on the deserted concourse outside. So it’s come to this. Even the New York dinner jazz scen…

Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford shone for Thomas Tuchel but José Luis Rodríguez was always a handful too Jordan Pickford Solid save to deny José Luis Rodríguez. Still doesn’t inspire confidence when he charges out of goal. 6 Continue reading...

I savour the memory of playing for Brazil at the 2022 tournament – but it was a privilege that took effort For a player the World Cup day begins with everyone gathering in the restaurant for breakfast at the scheduled time. Buffet options are determined by the nutritionist, who specifies which food and in what quantities each player can consume. The morning also includes on-field training, usuall…

The major winner has rebuilt both his swing and confidence and learned to function without the approval of the masses On the evening before he won the US Open for a second time in four years, Wyndham Clark marched up the 18th fairway at Shinnecock Hills to put the finishing touches on a third round that would leave him six shots clear of the field. He had spent the past three days patiently defan…