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After missing Argentina’s first friendly of the October window, Lionel Messi has rejoined the national team and could feature against Puerto Rico on Tuesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The captain skipped the Venezuela match to play for Inter Miami but is now back in full training with Lionel Scaloni’s squad.

EXCLUSIVE: With a unique career trajectory, Balogun just might be the player to define the USMNT run to the World Cup

Cape Verde have officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup, becoming the second-smallest nation ever to punch their ticket into the iconic quadrennial tournament. The African nation, which has a population of just 524,000, beat Eswatini 3-0 on Monday to seal their progression to the finals next summer, which will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Liverpool face an anxious wait over Ryan Gravenberch's fitness after the midfielder was substituted at half-time during the Netherlands' World Cup qualifier against Finland on Sunday. The Dutchman has emerged as one of the Reds' most important players under Arne Slot, and the injury comes at an inopportune time; the Premier League champions have lost all of their last three fixtures.

Como have issued a statement addressing fans on the sensitive subject of facing AC Milan in a Serie A clash in Australia next year, as they claimed that the clash is for the survival of the league. The match, set for February 2026, will be the first Serie A match held outside Italy. While UEFA reiterated that this approval "should not set a precedent", the move has drawn sharp criticism from players and fans alike.

Tottenham Hotspur prospect Dane Scarlett was spotted training alongside the senior England national team as the search for Harry Kane's long-term successor begins. Scarlett, who has represented England at various junior age groups, was called up by Thomas Tuchel to train with the Three Lions after star striker Ollie Watkins had to pull out of the squad due to an injury.

Carlo Ancelotti insists Neymar remains in his plans for the World Cup next year, but has warned the Santos star that he must be fully fit to earn a recall to the final Brazil squad. The forward has not played for the Selecao since October 2023, in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, but Ancelotti says he could yet play a part in next summer's tournament.

Tactically, Mauricio Pochettino seems to have figured out the player pool - now it's about deciding who fits best in the system

Lionesses star Millie Bright has announced her retirement from international football. The Chelsea captain withdrew from selection for the European Championship earlier this year, citing mental and physical fatigue, and has now followed that up by calling time on her England career, having had the summer to "reflect" while Sarina Wiegman's side clinched another continental crown.

Marcus Rashford appeared to take aim at Manchester United for his recent struggles, as he claims he was playing in an "inconsistent environment" before joining Barcelona on loan in the summer. The England international has scored three goals and registered five assists in 10 games for the Camp Nou club since making the move to Spain, and appears hopeful of remaining in LaLiga permanently.

Frank Lampard would be an ideal successor to Thomas Tuchel when the England manager’s job next becomes available, former Coventry striker Matt Jansen has exclusively told GOAL. The Three Lions legend is in the process of rebuilding his reputation as a coach with Championship promotion hopefuls and could be a contender to step into a prominent international post at some stage.

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly clinging to the hope that Lamine Yamal could one day be lured away from Barcelona. The teenage wonderkid signed a lucrative contract extension in Catalonia over the summer, after turning 18, but continues to see questions asked of his future. It could be that he once again finds himself heading down the same path as Lionel Messi.

Martin Odegaard is reportedly set to spend several weeks on the sidelines at Arsenal with a knee injury, with it unlikely that he will be ready to return until after the next international break in November. The Gunners captain suffered his latest fitness setback during a Premier League outing against West Ham, with it later being revealed that he had picked up medial collateral ligament damage.

Brazil endured their worst qualification campaign ever for the 2026 World Cup, finishing fifth in the CONMEBOL standings on just 28 points from 18 matches. The Selecao lost home and away to arch-rivals Argentina, with a 4-1 drubbing at the Estadio Monumental ultimately costing Dorival Junior his job as manager, and they were also handily beaten by Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay and Bolivia. But hope for the 2026 finals remains high, with Carlo Ancelotti now holding the reins for the most successful national team in history.

GOAL's guide to watch Formula One, including F1 live coverage, race highlights and more

Rasmus Hojlund is relishing his impressive form for Napoli and the Denmark national team following the striker's departure from Manchester United. With six goals in his last five games for club and country, the Dane says his excellent run proves that "goals are like ketchup" as he celebrated his effort in a vital World Cup qualifying win against Greece.

Harry Kane has been told that he should “definitely” be open to the idea of joining Barcelona if the opportunity to link up with La Liga heavyweights presents itself in 2026. Clauses have been revealed in Kane’s contract at Bayern Munich, meaning that he could be on the move when another transfer window swings open next summer. Barca are being credited with interest as questions are asked of how much longer Robert Lewandowski will be spending in Catalonia.

"We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else." If anyone was in any doubt as to whether England manager Thomas Tuchel planned to stick to his fairly unpopular selection policy with the World Cup fast approaching, those pointed words ahead of the friendly victory over Wales more or less confirmed it.

The United States made a deep run into the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, but that came to a halt in the quarterfinals - their fifth tournament in a row reaching that round - as Morocco won 3-1 on Sunday. Despite Cole Campbell's first-half equalizer, Morocco advanced to the semifinals with a second-half own goal from Joshua Wynder and a late counterattack strike.

Endrick could make a shock move to the Serie A as Juventus are reportedly keen on signing the out-of-favour Real Madrid youngster. After a difficult debut campaign at Santiago Bernabeu, which saw the teenager struggle for game time under Carlo Ancelotti, things have worsened under Xabi Alonso as the Selecao star has yet to feature in a La Liga or Champions League in the new season.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has no regrets after being sent off for his wild celebration following his side’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool, saying the emotion of the affair meant that his dismissal was “worth it”. The Blues boss was given his marching orders after running down the touchline to join in the euphoria at Stamford Bridge after Estevao Willian’s dramatic late winner.

Manchester United were mocked over social media as Rasmus Hojlund continued his fine goalscoring form since leaving the club in the summer. The striker found the back of the net once again in Denmark’s World Cup-qualifying clash with Greece on Sunday evening, having also made a brilliant start to life with Serie A champions Napoli following his departure from Old Trafford in September.

In-form striker Erling Haaland is on his way back to Manchester City after the Norwegian Football Association announced he has been released from international duty. Fresh from scoring a hat-trick to help his country take a major step towards qualifying for next summer's World Cup, the 25-year-old will not feature when Stale Solbakken’s men take on New Zealand in an international friendly.

The USMNT boss largely stacked his lineup against Ecuador, and got a glimpse into what a successful World Cup run could look like

Manchester United have been sent a message over their interest in Adam Wharton's transfer as Crystal Palace chief admitted that the midfielder would want to play in the Champions League in the future. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the English midfielder as they look to replace an ageing Casemiro, while Kobbie Mainoo could also exit Old Trafford due to lack of game time.

Alisha Lehmann issued a heartfelt message to Juventus after she helped Como to a shock victory over her former club in the Serie A Femminile. Having spent the 2024-25 season with the Bianconeri, the 26-year-old made a winning return with her new club thanks to team-mate Nadine Nischler’s late strike at the Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo Lamarmora on Saturday.

Haji Wright has been in impressive form for Coventry City, suggesting that there is a Premier League future for him somewhere, but the USMNT star has been advised to shun any interest shown during the January transfer window. The American frontman will be registering on recruitment radars after starring under Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard in the Championship.

Manchester City made it six successive wins in all competitions as they came from behind to defeat Liverpool 2-1 in the Women’s Super League on Sunday evening. Second-half goals from Iman Beney and Aoba Fujino cancelled out Cornelia Kapocs’ opener and saw Andree Jeglertz’s side close the gap on title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United at Anfield.

Accusations of Harry Kane stat-padding for England by filling his boots against lesser opposition have been rubbished by former Three Lions striker Chris Sutton. Bayern Munich frontman Kane, who continues to captain his country, has taken his historic tally of international goals to 74. He will be looking to join Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in an exclusive club by reaching 100.