The Guardian

LA and San Diego among favoured host cities for 2028 19-team event would go ahead without bidding process The United States is poised to host the first Women’s Club World Cup in January 2028, becoming the latest in a series of major Fifa tournaments staged in North America. The Guardian has learned that discussions to bring the competition to the US are at an advanced stage, with Los Angeles and …

Striker accused of headbutting and punching man Elected for crown court trial in front of judge and jury Ivan Toney has pleaded not guilty to assault after being accused of headbutting and punching a member of the public at a Soho nightclub. The England striker appeared at Westminster magistrates court, standing in the dock to confirm his name and date of birth before entering a plea of not guilt…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Philippe Auclair and Ali Maxwell as the Manchester City story rumbles with Pep Guardiola speaking for the first time Continue reading...

Race to be named the world’s best female player is the most open in years. But who should claim the prize? 1 Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes/Haiti) Yes, Dumornay was part of a team that lost 4-0 to Barcelona in last season’s Champions League final , but her influence in the OL Lyonnes midfield as they cruised to a domestic treble stepped up a gear. The technically brilliant 23-year-old midfielder wa…

Says social media claims are ‘nonsense’ and ‘idiocy’ Coach sees ‘no reason to pay attention to these people’ Jürgen Klopp has reacted with disgust to a social media debate questioning whether the Germany team he is in the process of forming are “white enough”. Klopp said he believed there was no point in giving room to “such people and their utterances”, dismissing them as “complete nonsense”. As…

Usurps Rehan Ahmed in ODI squad for Pakistan tour Archer rested for tri-series that begins on 18 October Nearly eight years on from his solitary Test cap in Sydney comes a recall for Mason Crane after the leg-spinner was named in England’s squad for the one-day international tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka later this month. Harry Brook’s squad will fly to Islamabad on 15 October for a r…

From Antonio Nusa to Mathys Tel, we pick 60 of the most talented players born in 2005. Check the progress of our classes of 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 Twenty of the best Premier League prospects from 2022 Continue reading...

Alongside his assistant, Julian Gray, rookie manager talks about the state of play for black coaches and trying to lift his club off the bottom of League Two Colin Kazim-Richards accepts the enormity of the task of improving the situation at Crawley Town, who sit bottom of League Two after seven games. But on the evidence of what he’s seen, the head coach is sure better times lie ahead. On a late…

The 65-year-old steps down with the Lions’ dynasty firmly in place, having put the club on an unprecedented upward trajectory Coaching can take grown men to dark places. Justin Longmuir was in that place late on Saturday afternoon after the AFL grand final . During the presentation, he began to topple over, like someone suffering abdominal pain or warming up for a pilates class. In reality, it wa…

World Cup setbacks have renewed concern over America’s costly, fragmented youth system. The real test is whether the urgency survives the next news cycle A few years ago, the idea that the US soccer community at large was neglecting youth soccer was met with silence or ridicule. At a May 2022 conference call announcing a new collective bargaining agreement that effectively ended the “equal pay” s…

It’s still early in the 2026 season but a number of teams and players have found unexpected levels of success in the last few weeks Last season ended with a Super Bowl in which neither team – the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots – had been expected to participate. Before that, we had a 44-year-old grandfather returning from a four-season layoff to give the Indianapolis Colts unexpect…

There’s no ignoring the holders but what of the hosts, the All Blacks, France and even England? Here’s a rundown of all 24 teams taking part in Australia in 2027 Beaten by Australia last weekend but the manner in which they came back after Rassie Erasmus emptied his bench was emphatic. The series victory over New Zealand was the one they really wanted this year and achieving that, romping from 1-…

Renée Slegers did not attend the post‑match press conference, the manager understood to have been too furious after Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead in their draw with Paris FC on Wednesday night. The assistant coach Aaron D’Antino stepped in to speak to the media instead of Slegers, after a disastrous mix-up between the goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez and the centre-back Leah Williamson gifted Paris…

Lock Jeremy Williams backs hosts to end Webb Ellis Cup drought Australia sixth in world rankings after unbeaten start to Kiss’s reign The Wallabies have emerged as contenders for next year’s Rugby World Cup as they look to extend a five-match unbeaten run when they face the All Blacks, with lock Jeremy Williams declaring Australia can end a 27-year wait and win the Webb Ellis Cup at home. The fin…

Chelsea claimed a valuable point in the Champions League on their head coach Sonia Bompastor’s return to face her former team, on a night where the English side’s controlled performance merited significant plaudits, even if the match itself was surprisingly low on goalmouth action. The French side had scored eight times in their first fixture in the league phase, away against the Swiss side Serve…