The Guardian

The US men’s national team have already made history this summer. They scored the most goals they ever have in a single World Cup game, won two straight games in the tournament for the first time in the modern era, and wrapped up top spot in an evenly-matched Group D with a game to spare. On Thursday evening they faced a far more familiar foe: World Cup adversity. And in the key moments – the kin…

It was not a match of high distinction, but all the Socceroos needed was a pass against Paraguay, and their 0-0 in San Francisco Bay Area stadium booked a place in the World Cup knock-out rounds for the third time in their history. A much-changed Australia side controlled large parts of the match, but with both teams knowing that a draw would be enough to qualify for the last 32, there were long …

All-time greats have questions to answer in SW19 while Raducanu and Draper have to show they can stay fit Serena Williams left it until the last minute to take the final available singles wildcard at Wimbledon and dramatically escalate her comeback from retirement. It is hard to imagine this was all part of her master plan. If she knew she was ready to compete against the best in the world from t…

Fans, players and coaches have voiced their indignation at the way the game is massively altered by the four-quarter structure With 22 minutes gone on Tuesday night at Boston Stadium, and an injury delay in train, a clutch of England and Ghana players wandered to the side of the pitch and began taking drinks. This was the signal for a sudden spurt of refereeing indignation, the officials sprintin…

Photographs from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas show communities gathering to watch the greatest show on earth Viewing figures for the 2026 World Cup have been massive so far, with footy-mad audiences lapping up the coverage. England’s victory over Croatia had a peak audience of 15.4 million on ITV, but that was nothing compared to Brazil where more than 30 million people watched as…

The Oranje bus had better get a move on. A comfortable victory over Tunisia after being sent on their way by a record-equalling 12th own goal of the tournament and further strikes from Brian Brobbey and Jan Paul van Hecke sealed top spot in Group F for the Netherlands ahead of Japan . Their prize is avoiding a meeting with Brazil in the last 32, with Ronald Koeman’s side now set for a mouthwateri…

Côte d’Ivoire surviving the World Cup group stage for the first time, in the year of our football gods 2026, is one of those titbits that sounds like it shouldn’t be true, and yet here we are. An underwhelming 2-0 victory over Curaçao , courtesy of Nicolas Pépé’s double, put the Ivorians through to the last 32 as Group E runners-up. “Celebrate this historic qualification, like we should,” the Ivo…

Sí, se puede – yes, we can – was the chant that rang out from the sea of 55,000 yellow shirts as Ecuador’s final group match kicked off. Despite a flat start to their World Cup campaign, there was a genuine belief that an upset against a full-strength Germany was possible. They had no other choice: having been shut out by Eloy Room’s heroics for Curaçao , Sebastián Beccacece’s side had to win to …

England midfielder eager to move to Etihad Stadium Forest eye Lucas Bergvall as potential replacement Manchester City have agreed a deal with Nottingham Forest to sign Elliot Anderson, with the package expected to be a British record fee worth £130m. Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, had insisted any deal for Anderson would have to eclipse the £125m Liverpool paid to sign Alexander Isak from N…

Mercury star made contact with closed fist during jostle Fever coach slammed refs for ‘disrespectful’ no-calls Sign up for the WNBA 30 weekly newsletter The WNBA has suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas after she hit Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the throat with her fist during a game. The play occurred in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s 111-109 road win by Phoenix. Clar…

Former boxing world champion to appear in court in July Cordina’s WBO bout against Abdullah Mason called off The former boxing world champion Joe Cordina has been charged with “assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon” following an incident at a petrol station in a Cardiff suburb in February. The 34-year-old, a two-time IBF super-featherweight champion who was due to face Abdulla…

Club owe HMRC £1.9m in tax and handed £1.25m penalty Relates to investigation of transfers under Mike Ashley Newcastle United have been hit with a demand for £3.2m from HM Revenue and Customs over a “deliberate” failure to pay tax, according to official disclosures that relate to a near decade-long investigation into player transfers under the club’s former owner, Mike Ashley. The Tyneside club, …

Shoaib Bashir toiled away – a missed review off his bowling cost England badly – while fans sought escape from the heat A series that started just three weeks ago amid sweaters, stormclouds and a flood of wickets at Lord’s, is reaching boiling point at Trent Bridge. Or at least the people watching it are, the action on the opening day of the concluding Test having been much less fiery than the we…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Sorry, I’m a Lady, The Devil Sent You to Lorado and Sleepy-Time-Toy are reminders that no one remembers the bad times, the mind is selective and focuses on the positives. Baccara’s back catalogue is roughly one song long, the others are rightly forgotten, a figment of only a few people’s imaginations. Scotland needed a certain song and took it a…