Lists

  1. Why Chelsea have made a world-record bid for Sweden teen

    Khadija Shaw is one of the best centre-forwards in the women's game, if not the best. Winner of three successive Women's Super League Golden Boots, and scorer of more goals than any other player in Europe's top five leagues since her move to Manchester City in 2021, it's no wonder that Chelsea were trying to bring her to west London as her contract neared its expiry this summer. But as it became apparent that the Blues were going to miss out on Shaw, it says a lot about Felicia Schroder that the Swedish teenager was next on their wish list.

  2. World Cup arrives at perfect time for Madrid pariah Mbappe

    It's strange that there isn't more hype around Kylian Mbappe as the days tick down to the 2026 World Cup getting underway, but you can probably put that down to what was a largely forgettable club season with Real Madrid. He will be mightily relieved to be away from the cauldron that is the Bernabeu having become persona non grata during the run-in, shifting his focus to making history with France in North America.

  3. Yamal, Haaland & 10 stars making their World Cup debuts

    We're now less than a week away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, with teams currently making their final preparations ahead of the big kick-off in the United States, Mexico and Canada on Thursday. This is the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams having qualified, meaning there are a whole host of players making their first appearance on the global stage.

  4. GOAL writers predict the World Cup Golden Ball winner

    It's so close we can almost taste it. The 2026 World Cup is now just days away, with the best players from around the globe descending on the United States, Mexico and Canada for what promises to be a superb summer of football. While some teams will solely harbour dreams of getting out of the groups, others know that anything other than a trophy parade in late-July will go down as failure. We're set, then, for five-and-a-half weeks of drama, filled with joy and heartbreak in equal measure.

  5. Wilson shines but USWNT defense falls apart against Brazil

    Sophia Wilson came out firing for the U.S. women's national team, marking her first international goal since 2024 with a stunning second-minute finish against Brazil in Sao Paulo. Unfortunately for Emma Hayes' side, it all came tumbling down from there as the defense unraveled in a 2-1 defeat, extending the USWNT's winless streak in Brazil to four games.

  6. Wrap Kane in cotton wool! England toil in win over NZ

    England have another warm-up game before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, but Harry Kane should clearly play no part at all in Wednesday's friendly against Costa Rice. The Three Lions captain is simply too important to Thomas Tuchel's team, as he underlined for the umpteenth time by scoring the only goal in Saturday's dreadfully dull 1-0 win over New Zealand.