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Harvey Elliott helps England make winning start in Euro Under-21 against Czechs
Group B: Czech Republic 1-3 EnglandGoalscorers: Fila 51; Elliott 39, Rowe 48, Cresswell 76In a week that England’s senior side have hardly covered themselves in glory, perhaps the under-21s could make it another memorable summer? While Lee Carsley has played down his youthful squad’s chances of emulating Dave Sexton’s back-to-back triumphs in becoming European champions in 1982 and 1984, a convincing and mature victory over a boisterously backed Czech Republic team hinted that it may not be beyond the realms of possibility.Goals from Harvey Elliott and Charlie Cresswell sandwiched by another from Jonathan Rowe were enough to allow England to take a commanding position in Group B after brief hopes of a comeback from the Czech Republic. Victory over Slovenia, who were beaten 3-0 by Germany in their opening match, on Sunday would assure a place in the quarter-finals. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/czech-republic-england-under-21-championship-match-report
Tottenham confirm appointment of Thomas Frank as new manager
Dane joins from Brentford after almost seven years thereHe replaces Ange Postecoglou, who was sackedTottenham have confirmed the appointment of Thomas Frank as their new manager. The 51-year-old Dane joins from Brentford on a contract that runs until 2028 and succeeds Ange Postecoglou, who delivered Europa League glory to end Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought but was sacked because of dismal results in the Premier League.Spurs moved to line up Frank before dismissing Postecoglou last Friday, holding talks via intermediaries and plainly keen to avoid a protracted search for the person to lead them forward after a season in which they finished 17th with 38 points. Only once in club history have they had a worse league record: in 1914-15. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/tottenham-confirm-appointment-thomas-frank-new-manager
Czech Republic v England: European Under-21 Championship – live
Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off in Group BRead today’s edition of Football Daily | Email NiallMore from Nick Ames on the England Under-21 conundrum:Czech Republic U21 (3-4-1-2): Hornicek; Spacil, Prebsl, Chaloupek; Hadas, Vydra, Stransky, Suchomel; Danek; Sejk, Fila.
Subs: Borek, Koutny, Kozeluh, Kricfalusi, Labik, Paluska, Halinsky, Karabec,
Visinsky, Sojka, Langhamer, Vecheta. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2025/jun/12/czech-republic-v-england-european-under-21-championship-live
‘Trent’ brings fluency and ‘impeccable’ Spanish to grand Real Madrid unveiling
Trent Alexander-Arnold impressed with his Spanish at unveiling and maintains Real are the only club he would have left Liverpool forWell, that was unexpected. Trent Alexander-Arnold took out the earpiece, made his way to the stage at Real Madrid’s training ground and said: “Buenas tardes, a todos.” Good afternoon, everyone. So far, so standard. But then he delivered the next line in Spanish too, then the one after that, and the one after that.He kept going until he got to the end of his speech, when he delivered the one line everyone invariably does on the day they are presented here: “Hala Madrid!” It wasn’t long – one minute and one second, in all – but it was long enough to win them over already. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/call-me-trent-alexander-arnold-arrives-at-madrid-with-dreams-of-alonso-and-glory
Transfer roundup: De Bruyne joins Napoli as Manchester City agree deal for Nypan
Nypan in line to sign from Rosenborg for £12.4mOlympiakos striker Kostoulas has Brighton medicalKevin De Bruyne has completed his move to Napoli on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City. The midfielder, who turns 34 this month, joins the Serie A champions three days after scoring a late winner for Belgium against Wales.De Bruyne was greeted by excited fans chanting “Kevin” when he arrived for his medical and Napoli’s social media posts announcing the deal included one showing him on a throne wearing a crowd, with a Napoli shield by his right hand and a sword to his left. “King Kev is here,” the club wrote. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/kevin-de-bruyne-napoli-manchester-city-sverre-nypan-transfer-roundup
Chris Wilder’s future as Sheffield United manager in doubt before board meeting
Recruitment thought to be big factor in developmentUnited want more data-driven recruitmentChris Wilder’s future as Sheffield United manager is in doubt, with the club’s American owners set to discuss his position at a board meeting.It is thought the recruitment strategy has been a significant factor in pushing Wilder’s future towards a crossroads. The US-based consortium COH Sports, led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, completed a takeover last December. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/chris-wilder-sheffield-united-manager-doubt-board-meeting
Is football ready for the Club World Cup? Football Weekly Extra - podcast
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nick Ames and Paul Watson to look ahead to the Club World Cup which kicks off this weekend in the USARate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today: the panel set the scene for the Club World Cup. There are serious issues, ICE providing security at games, troops on the streets in LA and a travel ban. There are also concerns about player welfare, ticket sales and – alarmingly – the potential to expand the tournament to 48 teams next time around. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2025/jun/12/is-football-ready-for-the-club-world-cup-football-weekly-extra-podcast
Football transfer rumours: Liverpool to spend £100m on PSG’s Bradley Barcola?
Today’s rumours are ingratiating mothersIt’s a wingers special for today’s tittle-tattle. Starting with Liverpool’s willingness to splash £100m on Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola. Arne Slot has already signed Jeremie Frimpong and is set to add creativity in the form of Florian Wirtz. Naturally, there is not a bottomless pit of cash at Anfield, so they are open to selling Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez to fund the spending.After it was confirmed that Jadon Sancho will not be joining Chelsea permanently, his next move is a hot topic. Manchester United will be eager to earn some cash for the winger, and are no doubt enticed by the prospect of Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham considering a move for the 25-year-old. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/football-transfer-rumours-liverpool-psg-bradley-barcola-jadon-sancho
English football faces strain between money and fans’ needs, says report
Premier League had revenue of £6.3bn in 2023-24‘Challenge of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility’England’s football system is “under strain” in a climate of tension between commercial imperatives and the needs of supporters, according to a new report from Deloitte. The analysis also warns that uncertainty over the role and scope of an independent regulator is “unhelpful” to those wishing to join the rush of investors entering the sport.The Annual Review of Football Finance painted an overall picture of a booming industry, pointing out that the European football market was worth a record £32.2bn in 2023-24. More than £16.9bn of that was generated by the “big five” leagues, with the Premier League alone recording revenues of £6.3bn. Deloitte cautioned, though, that those numbers do not tell the full tale of a game caught between its community roots and the requirement for continued growth. “There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain,” said Tim Bridge, lead partner at Deloitte sports business group, in the report’s foreword. “Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club’s role and position in society: as a community asset.” Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/english-football-faces-strain-between-money-and-fans-needs-says-report
Tuchel admits Bellingham can intimidate teammates and leave his mum a bit repulsed
England coach wants midfielder to channel ‘fire’ correctlyTuchel praises Bellingham’s talent and intelligenceThomas Tuchel has told Jude Bellingham to concentrate on intimidating the opposition rather than his England teammates as he opened up on what it was like to manage one of the game’s “special” talents.The England head coach talked about Bellingham’s “edge”, which can make him erupt during matches – even at colleagues – and come across in a way that “can be a bit repulsive”. Tuchel admitted his mother sometimes had “mixed emotions” when watching Bellingham play. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/thomas-tuchel-jude-bellingham-intimidate-teammates-mum-repulsed
Manchester City fans take legal action against club over season-ticket policy
Club have increased mandatory attendance requirementTrade Union Blues warn fans ‘face exclusion’ as a resultManchester City supporters have taken legal action against the club over what they describe as a discriminatory new season-ticket policy. The protest relates to a system that requires fans to attend at least 10 league matches if they are to retain their ticket for the following season.A group of fans known as the Trade Union Blues, whose members are union members, have engaged the law firm Leigh Day to ask the club to review the policy, arguing that the requirement “potentially gives rise to claims under the Equality Act of 2010”. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/manchester-city-fans-take-legal-action-against-club-over-season-ticket-policy
Fifa ready to discuss staging 48-team Club World Cup after lobbying from Europe
Big clubs concerned they are missing out financiallyFifa could give winners of first 32-team event £93.2mFifa will hold a consultation about expanding the Club World Cup to 48 teams in 2029 if this summer’s edition is successful, after lobbying from clubs who failed to qualify for the new $1bn ( £740m) tournament.The 32-team competition kicks off in the US on Saturday and the winners will receive up to $125.8m in participation and prize money for playing seven matches. That is about £25m less than Paris Saint-Germain banked from Uefa for their 17-game Champions League-winning campaign, leading to concerns from clubs who have missed out. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/fifa-48-team-club-world-cup-europe
Football transfer rumours: Leroy Sané to return to the Premier League?
Today’s fluff has seen this film beforeLeroy Sané has been heavily linked with a move back to England this summer but looks as if he is going to swap Bayern Munich for Galatasaray, with the Turkish champions reportedly in advanced talks to sign the German international. Sané’s contract in Bavaria will run out at the end of the month and, despite an improved offer from Bayern, the winger is favouring Gala after they tabled an offer with wages close to £200,000 a week. Sané’s Mr 15%, Pini Zahavi, is still open to counter-offers but Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will need to move fast if they want to win the race for the 29-year-old.Bayern want to replace Sané with Nico Williams after club scouts expertly identified, along with the rest of Europe, that the Spaniard is very, very good at football. Athletic Bilbao have not given up on keeping their academy product, offering the Pamplona-born winger a new contract, but the release clause of €58m (£48m) means that Bayern (and others) maintain their interest. If Bayern do not get their man, PSG’s Bradley Barcola is another name linked – the young Frenchman was named on the bench for the Champions League final, with Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia the preferred front three. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/football-transfer-rumours-leroy-sane-nico-williams-florian-wirtz-jamie-vardy
Manchester City sign Tijjani Reijnders to take spending this week past £100m
Midfielder arrives from Milan as fourth summer buyHe follows Aït-Nouri, Cherki and Bettinelli to club Manchester City have taken their early summer spending to more than £100m after making Tijjani Reijnders their fourth signing in three days. The Netherlands midfielder has arrived from Milan for €55m (£46.6m) and joins Rayan Aït-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli and Rayan Cherki at the club.All four will be available for the Club World Cup, with City’s first match against Wydad AC taking place next Wednesday, after Reijnders signed before Tuesday’s deadline. Reijnders has a five-year deal as Pep Guardiola looks to revitalise his squad after an underwhelming season by the club’s standards, finishing a distant third in the Premier League and collecting no silverware thus far. City were also active in the January window, spending more than £180m on four players. Their outlay in 2025 stands at £288m. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/manchester-city-sign-tijjani-reijnders-milan
England navigate elite demands in bid to retain European Under-21 crown
Lee Carsley’s new generation can seize the narrative in Slovakia in the face of the Club World Cup hubbubIt summed up the lot of an England Under-21s manager when Liam Delap confirmed he would compete for his new club, Chelsea, this summer rather than join his international teammates in Slovakia. The Club World Cup has provided a fresh headache for Lee Carsley, a further example of the barrelling dominance with which elite club football overcomes its alternatives. Something special may be required over the next two and a half weeks if his team are going to make any impression on the public consciousness.Fortunately, England and Carsley have a record of producing exactly that. They kick off their Uefa Under-21 Championship campaign as the title holders and, if anyone needs enthusing, a look back at their win against Spain in the final two years ago should have the right effect. James Trafford’s last‑minute penalty save in Batumi was a genuinely thrilling moment that broke 39 years of underachievement on this stage and did no harm to the careers of a squad packed with recognisable names. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/england-under-21s-euros-lee-carsley-james-mcatee-harvey-elliott
Czech Republic v England: European Under-21 Championship – live
Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off in Group BRead today’s edition of Football Daily | Email Niall5 mins: Livramento moves down the left and his cross-shot forces the Czech keeper to palm the ball away. England starting strongly …4 mins: Joe Hart, who’s on Channel 4 co-comms, says former Birmingham teammate Lee Carsley is a “fascinating person” and “top, top player” in his pomp. “I’d love to have been coached by him.” Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2025/jun/12/czech-republic-v-england-european-under-21-championship-live
Czech Republic v England: European Under-21 Championship – live
Updates from the 8pm BST kick-off in Group BRead today’s edition of Football Daily | Email Niall5 mins: Livramento moves down the left and his cross-shot forces the Czech keeper to palm the ball away. England starting strongly …4 mins: Joe Hart, who’s on Channel 4 co-comms, says former Birmingham teammate Lee Carsley is a “fascinating person” and “top, top player” in his pomp. “I’d love to have been coached by him.” Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2025/jun/12/czech-republic-v-england-european-under-21-championship-live
Uncontested: Dazn’s $1bn story reveals why the Club World Cup is really here
Saudi-backed streaming superpower’s TV deal for Fifa’s global project is next expansionist step towards a world super league“And what exactly are you doing here, sir?” To be fair, the border guard at Miami international airport made an excellent point. As ice-breakers go, frowning over the passports and visa tickers of the long-haul crowd on matchday minus four of the Fifa Club World Cup, the border guard was at least in tune with the zeitgeist. What is football doing here?What are Lionel Messi, Trent Alexander-Arnold and the massed engines of the football-industrial complex doing hovering like an alien landing party over this fun, sinking sandbank of a city, a strip of land where the ocean seems to be punching a mulchy green hole in the asphalt every few miles, a place that from the air seems to be made entirely from deep-fried crumb, tropical weed and traffic? Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/uncontested-dazns-1bn-story-reveals-why-the-club-world-cup-is-really-here
Christian Pulisic says questioning his commitment to US is ‘way out of line’
In a CBS interview, Pulisic defended his summer breakUSMNT star says he was turned down from friendliesChristian Pulisic said that he asked the US national team coaching staff to be part of the two friendlies preceding the Gold Cup but not the tournament itself – a proposal that was rejected – and defended his decision to step away from the squad this summer.In an appearance on a live stream of CBS Sports’ Call it What You Want podcast on Thursday, Pulisic discussed his season with Milan, the second straight campaign that saw him play in 50 games. Towards the end of the season he said “my body started talking to me,” and he began to consider the need for rest. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/christian-pulisic-usmnt-interview-pochettino
David Squires on … the Socceroos reaching a sixth successive World Cup
Our cartoonist looks at the final round of Asian qualifying that saw Australia beat Japan and Saudi Arabia to book their place in North America Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/picture/2025/jun/13/david-squires-on-the-socceroos-reaching-a-sixth-successive-world-cup
Plymouth close to appointing Tom Cleverley as head coach after Muslic’s exit
Former Watford manager poised for job after final talksBuckingham and Barry-Murphy in frame for Cardiff postTom Cleverley is poised to be named Plymouth Argyle’s head coach. The club, relegated to League One, want to appoint the 35-year-old former Watford manager after being impressed in further talks this week. Cleverley is expected to succeed Miron Muslic, who left for Schalke at the end of last month, with an appointment anticipated in the next 48 hours.Cleverley, sacked by Watford last month after finishing 14th in the Championship, has been identified as Plymouth’s number-one target after final interviews with four candidates on Wednesday. Discussions are believed to have been held with Jack Wilshere and Des Buckingham but neither made the final stages. The St Mirren manager, Stephen Robinson, is thought to have made the last round of talks. The recruitment has been led by David Fox, their former player who was recently appointed head of football operations, and the former Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber, a consultant. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/plymouth-tom-cleverley-head-coach
MLS teams enter Club World Cup with a chance to make an impression, good or bad
The league will relish the long-awaited chance to go toe-to-toe with the world, but they may not love the resultTell us what you’re looking forward to (or not) at the Club World CupThe beach clubs of Dubai and Ibiza may be a little quieter this summer, at least when it comes to their headcount of European soccer stars. The off-season has been intruded upon by the Club World Cup with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Inter in the United States for this summer’s expanded tournament, which kicks off this weekend. Wayne Lineker and Salt Bae may get lonely.European enthusiasm for Gianni Infantino’s latest harebrained scheme is low. The $131m bounty for winning the tournament has incentivised clubs at boardroom level (see Real Madrid spending many millions extra to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in time to play), but players may not be as driven on the pitch. European fans may not even watch – the tournament is being broadcast in the UK on Channel 5, a network known more for daytime reality TV repeats than live soccer. It’s being streamed worldwide on DAZN, a platform with wildly varying adoption levels across the globe. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/mls-club-world-cup-expectations
Sky Sports News’ golden age at an end as rival platforms turn up the volume
Changes to the channel come as phone alerts and YouTube have replaced highlight packages and yellow tiesA constant in pubs, gyms and hotel breakfast rooms, almost always with the sound down. Perhaps not since cinema’s silent age have faces been so familiar without the general public knowing their voices. The vibe is more casual than in previous times, shirt sleeves rather than business suits, but the formula remains the same: a carousel of news, clips, quotes, quips, centred around highlights, all framed within a constant flow of results, fixtures and league tables.Sky Sports News hits 27 years of broadcasting in August, having been launched for the 1998-99 football season by BSkyB. As the domestic football season concluded, news came of changes within the Osterley-based newsroom. Seven members of the broadcast talent team would be leaving, including the long-serving Rob Wotton and the senior football reporter Melissa Reddy, within a process of voluntary redundancies. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/sky-sports-news-golden-age-at-an-end-as-rival-platforms-turn-up-the-volume
Manchester City sign Tijjani Reijnders to take spending this week past £100m
Midfielder arrives from Milan as fourth summer buyHe follows Aït-Nouri, Cherki and Bettinelli to club Manchester City have taken their early summer spending to more than £100m after making Tijjani Reijnders their fourth signing in three days. The Netherlands midfielder has arrived from Milan for €55m (£46.6m) and joins Rayan Aït-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli and Rayan Cherki at the club.All four will be available for the Club World Cup, with City’s first match against Wydad AC taking place next Wednesday, after Reijnders signed before Tuesday’s deadline. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/manchester-city-sign-tijjani-reijnders-milan
Asia benefits from World Cup expansion as AFC qualification delivers thrills | John Duerden
There are concerns that quality at the 2026 tournament will be diluted but giving Asia more places has brought a new dimension to qualificationJeddah is more relaxed and laid-back than Riyadh. Tony Popovic should know. On Tuesday, for the second time in his coaching career, he left Saudi Arabia with a big prize, though back in 2014, it had been a far more fierce fight. Then, Western Sydney Wanderers went to the capital to defend their 1-0 first leg lead in the Asian Champions League final and, despite the best that Al Hilal could throw at them, held firm amid the storm for the most unlikely of trophy wins. This week, however, there was a five-goal cushion by the Red Sea, meaning there was only ever going to be one outcome: a seventh World Cup appearance. After successive playoff qualifications, to advance directly to North America is a welcome change and to do so with wins against Japan and Saudi Arabia is especially pleasing.It may have ended calmly, but this campaign has been a real rollercoaster. When Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006, the basic selling point was that it provided bigger, better and more tests at all age levels. At the senior level, the past few months have certainly provided that. Group C showed that – Japan apart – it can be debated whether the traditional powerhouses on the continent are developing as they should, but those a little lower down the rankings are grabbing hold of the ladder and looking up with determination. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2025/jun/12/asia-benefits-from-world-cup-expansion-as-afc-qualification-delivers-thrills
Mauricio Pochettino said the US can win the World Cup. Now they can’t even win a game
The Americans have now lost four matches in a row, and the World Cup is one year away. Serious questions are starting to emerge about their high-profile coachIf you’re wondering why there seems to be so much hand-wringing over the US men’s national team’s current form, consider where head coach Mauricio Pochettino set the bar when he took over.“We need to really believe and think of big things,” he said in his introductory press conference in September. “We need to believe that we can win, that we can win all [the] games. We can win the World Cup.” Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/mauricio-pochettino-usmnt-world-cup
Jordan’s long road to World Cup qualification took a strange diversion | John Duerden
Improvement of side has been slow and steady since Harry Redknapp and Ray Wilkins had short spells in chargeWould Harry Redknapp have taken Jordan to the World Cup had the 2018 tournament featured 48 teams instead of 32 and Asia had eight spots instead of four? It is an interesting question but the former West Ham manager’s short time in charge in 2016, not long after Ray Wilkins had the job, is not a subject anyone in the capital, Amman, is much focused on at the moment.“Redknapp and Wilkins? Now is not the time to talk about that,” said a smiling Jordan Football Association official on Monday. The reaction given the country has just qualified for a first World Cup and is in serious party mode is understandable. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/jordan-world-cup-qualification-harry-redknapp-ray-wilkins
Does US soccer really need four first divisions? The answer isn’t necessarily ‘no’
Men’s and women’s leagues have announced plans for rapid growth. But secession and expansion have long been central elements of US sportsBetween this summer’s Club World Cup, next year’s World Cup, the enduring stature of the US women’s national team, and MLS’s steadily growing stable of teams and star attractions, soccer finally appears to be realizing its vast promise on US soil. Is there a limit to how much soccer America can handle? Several organizations are betting that the answer to that question is “no”. In late April, the National Women’s Soccer League – the oldest and biggest first division professional women’s league operating in the US today – announced plans to launch a second division, despite concerns over the first division’s financial sustainability and the NWSL’s slipping status in a women’s club game increasingly dominated by Europe.That announcement came on the heels of news that the Women’s Premier Soccer League, the longest-running active women’s soccer league in the country, plans to launch WPSL Pro as a second-tier league late next year. Meanwhile the USL Super League, a first division rival to the more established NWSL, launched with eight teams in 2024; Sporting Club Jacksonville will become the league’s ninth team when the second season starts this fall. There is nothing in the US Soccer Federation’s rules to prevent multiple leagues from occupying the same division. From a single Division I competition two years ago, professional US women’s soccer is now facing a future where it could very soon have two rival leagues at both first and second division level. Should all the proposed leagues launch as planned, there could be 50 women’s professional soccer teams in the US by 2030. In 2023 there were just 12. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/does-us-soccer-need-five-first-divisions-the-answer-isnt-necessarily-no
Vinícius books Brazil’s place at World Cup as Ancelotti plays with four forwards
Ecuador also qualify for finals with 0-0 draw in PeruUruguay need one point after beating VenezuelaBrazil and Ecuador have secured spots at the 2026 World Cup, taking the second and third of South America’s six automatic qualifying berths after the champions, Argentina, booked their ticket in March.Brazil beat Paraguay 1-0 while Ecuador drew 0-0 in Peru as both teams climbed to 25 points with two matches to play, beyond the reach of Venezuela in seventh place. Uruguay (24 points), Paraguay (24) and Colombia (22) occupy the remaining three automatic qualification positions before the final two fixtures in September. Venezuela (18) would earn a playoff spot against a team from another confederation by finishing seventh. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/11/vinicius-brazil-place-at-world-cup-ancelotti-four-forwards-ecuador-qualify
Socceroos taken from brink of disaster to automatic World Cup 2026 qualification | Joey Lynch
Tony Popovic was brought in to stabilise a campaign teetering on the edge, and with five wins and three draws since taking over, the coach has deliveredWhat had once looked fanciful has now become a reality: the Socceroos have qualified automatically for the 2026 World Cup. For the first time in over a decade there will be no playoff heroics required, no ice cold hat-trick from Mile Jedinak or shootout dancing from Andrew Redmayne. After a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth and a 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Tony Popovic’s team have done it the easy way, joining Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, and Japan from Asian qualifying in North America next year.Had this scenario been presented when the draw for this phase of qualification was made, few would have believed it. Not just because Australian football has bred its own unique brand of cynicism over the years, but also because the last two times Australia’s men had been sorted into a group with Japan and the Saudis, they had been forced to settle for third place and further playoffs. There would have been even fewer believers to be found in the months that followed, when a loss to Bahrain and a draw with Indonesia marked a winless opening window, the departure of Graham Arnold and the hiring of Tony Popovic with just weeks to prepare for fixtures against China and Japan. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2025/jun/11/socceroos-go-from-brink-of-disaster-to-automatic-world-cup-2026-qualification