The Guardian

With no national funding, England’s successful men’s amputee side is struggling to raise the £50,000 needed for November’s tournament in Mexico Every time Scott Rogers walks into St George’s Park there is a sign on the wall that catches his eye. It boasts that the 330-acre site is the proud home of all England’s football teams. “I look at it every time and go, ‘Well, not all of them’,” Rogers say…

The first 48-team World Cup had its positives and negatives – do we need to brace for a 64-team future? It was less than 12 months after Gianni Infantino succeeded Sepp Blatter as president that Fifa announced the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams. The reaction was mixed. Diego Maradona said he was “delighted by Gianni’s initiative” because it allowed each country to dream of r…

Nationality in football has never been so complex and the influence of players from the diaspora has never been higher at a World Cup “Nationality says where you come from. And I actually come from four countries: France, Algeria, Nigeria and Great Britain. I consider myself very lucky to possess these four parts, which all enrich me.” This view was given by Michael Olise. He set up seven goals a…

26-year-old looking forward to working with Maresca ‘To stay this long at the club is a dream really,’ he says Phil Foden has signed a new four-year contract with Manchester City, saying he is looking forward to “trying to win more” at his boyhood club. The fresh deal, which has an additional 12-month option, ties the 26-year-old to the club until 2030 and he is is relishing working again with En…

The European champions’ squad is falling apart … because of the men’s team’s struggles with financial fair play The joy of lifting all four trophies in 2025-26 has been shortlived for Barcelona’s women’s team as they face a second consecutive summer exodus. If winning the Champions League is not enough to retain players then you have to wonder what is. Seven players have left the European champio…

33-year-old German could be hit with one-year ban South-coast club denied chance to win promotion Tonda Eckert has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for orchestrating the spying scandal that saw Southampton being kicked out of the Championship playoff final . The FA announced action against the 33-year-old German, who has accepted “full responsibility” for sending club staf…

Belgian wins time trial, says chase of leader ‘not over yet’ Florian Lipowitz, third last year, quits race after crashing Remco Evenepoel took back-to-back stage wins in the Tour de France, and eroded some of Tadej Pogacar’s overall lead, with victory in the stage 16 time trial from Evian to Thonon-les-Bains. The Olympic road and time trial champion, now second overall in the Tour, won on the Bel…

Fans claim they are being ‘treated as suspects’ Club planning to reinstate tickets before season begins Manchester United’s official Fans’ Forum, Manchester United Suppor­ters Trust (Must), The 1958 and five other such groups have complained to the club over supporters being “treated as suspects” after some had season tickets suspended as part of a move to stop the illegal reselling of seats. Uni…

Fifa says football brings the world together but the unhoused in Atlanta feel targeted and completely excluded from the tournament “A lot of our community has been pushed out by the World Cup. We’re not just dollar signs, we’re more than that. We’re people and we’re frustrated that they’ve chosen to treat us less than human.” “ They dropped me off there in the middle of the night. They call them …

Route runs 174.7km from Chambéry to Voiron Stage-by-stage guide | Team guide | Email Niall 1) Tadej Pogacar UAE Team Emirates 56h 14m 18s 2) Remco Evenepoel Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe +4m 32s 3) Isaac del Toro UAE Team Emirates +6m 51s 4) Paul Seixas Decathlon CMA CGM +7m 11s 5) Juan Ayuso Lidl-Trek +9m 22s 6) Mattias Skjelmose Lidl-Trek +10m 14s 7) Lenny Martinez Bahrain Victorious +12m 50s 8) Tom …

No other game would stop at a critical moment for a sit-down meal, but for cricket, lunch and tea are sacred moments that define the game Twice a day Joseph Joffre, France’s military supremo during the first world war, would stop whatever he was doing and sit down to eat. No matter how perilous the situation at the front, or how many maps and generals required his attention, lunch and dinner rema…

Billionaire keen to be part of Amit ­Bhatia’s £1.35bn bid Bezos has previously explored buying NFL franchises Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has held talks about joining the consortium that is seeking to buy around 30% of Liverpool. The group led by former Queens Park Rangers co‑owner Amit ­Bhatia has made a provisional offer of £1.35bn to buy a stake from Fenway Sports Group (FSG) , and is talking to…

Italian football federation confirm interest in Guardiola Mancini and Pirlo also linked with national team vacancy Financial “exceptions” are in place to allow Pep Guardiola to become Italy’s next head coach, the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malago, has said. Guardiola left Manchester City at the end of last season after winning six Premier League titles, three FA…

The best games, goals and personal highlights – from a magical Azteca to Erling Haaland breaking America Paraguay 1-1 Germany. There were plenty more games with more goals but none could match the drama of the penalty shootout in this last-32 tie. Germany aren’t supposed to lose in them but they did this time in spectacular fashion. Ed Aarons Continue reading...

The next men’s World Cup is still four years away, but we take a look at the teams with the firmest foundations who should be primed to contend The 2026 World Cup provided many an esteemed veteran with what could be their international swansongs, with golden greats Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Neymar, James Rodríguez and Guillermo Ochoa all making teary exits as their tournament …