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World Cup Qualification UEFA

World Cup Qualification UEFA news

Chloe Kelly Alexia Putellas Sarina Wiegman England Spain composite

Lionesses to face Spain again in nightmare World Cup qualifying draw

England were handed a nightmare draw in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup, with the Lionesses to battle Spain for the only automatic berth in the group. Sarina Wiegman's side were able to defeat La Roja in the Euro 2025 final back in July but finished as runners-up to the world champions in the Nations League earlier this year, having failed to deliver the same level of consistency across the group stage as the side boasting two Ballon d'Or winners, in Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati.

GFX Dani Carvajal Lamine Yamal

De la Fuente address Yamal-Carvajal Clasico feud

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has played down concerns about a potential rift between Lamine Yamal and Dani Carvajal after their heated exchange following El Clasico. The Roja boss insists there is “no strange behaviour” in the squad and confirmed he has spoken to the Barcelona and Real Madrid players, stressing unity ahead of Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

FC Barcelona v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports

Yamal risks wrath of Real Madrid fans with defiant message

Lamine Yamal has risked the wrath of Real Madrid supporters once again after the Barcelona forward sent out a defiant message ahead of the first Clasico of the season. Having already received scorn from the Blaugrana’s bitter rivals, the 18-year-old decided to prod them for a second time before Sunday’s mouth-watering fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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'Hungry for more' - Ronaldo sends ominous message after 950th goal

Cristiano Ronaldo fired an ominous warning to his rivals by insisting he is “hungry for more” after scoring his 950th career goal in Al-Nassr’s 2-0 victory over Al-Hazm. The Portugal superstar achieved the dizzying landmark as he added to compatriot Joao Felix’s earlier strike to help Jorge Jesus’ men remain perfect in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.

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Potter makes shock return with international side & eyes WC place

Graham Potter has been unveiled as Sweden’s new head coach on a short-term five-month deal - less than a month after being sacked by West Ham. The 50-year-old will oversee the team’s final World Cup qualifiers in November, with his contract extending if Sweden reach the playoffs or the tournament itself. The former Chelsea and Brighton boss has revealed that he was ‘humbled’ by Sweden opting to sign him.

Cole Palmer England GFX

Palmer's setback is a hammer blow to Chelsea & his World Cup hopes

It's difficult to overstate Cole Palmer's importance to Chelsea, but it's probably reflected in how determined head coach Enzo Maresca has been to have him at his disposal this season despite a persistent, niggling groin injury. The Blues have now paid a significant price for that over-reliance on the 23-year-old, with the attacker - who has already been sidelined for close to a month - now ruled out until December, in a crushing blow to his club and his World Cup hopes.

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Gattuso vows to flee the country if Italy fail to reach World Cup

Italy national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has jokingly vowed to “flee the country” and live far away if his side fail to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time. Despite a 3-0 victory over Israel, Italy may still have to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup through the play-offs, as they currently sit second in their qualifying group.

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Gravenberch, De Jong & Reijnders pose 'difficult choice' for Koeman

Ronald Koeman says he has 'difficult' decisions to make as the Netherlands coach attempts to find the right balance in his midfield with the likes of Tijjani Reijnders, Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenbech all fighting for a spot. It was the Manchester City signing who missed out on a starting XI spot as the Dutch demolished Finland on Sunday, with Justin Kluivert getting the chance to shine in attacking midfield.

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Explained: Why Haaland has been released early by Norway

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.

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Mbappe leaves France squad! Real Madrid star returns to Spain

Kylian Mbappe limped off the pitch late on during France’s clash with Azerbaijan and will now miss Les Bleus’ World Cup qualifier with Iceland after he was sent back to Real Madrid to recover. Mbappe scored a stunner at the Parc des Princes, but scenes towards the end left fans of Real Madrid and France waiting anxiously for test result updates on the injured ankle.

Sweden v Switzerland - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier

Isak & Gyokeres fail to produce shot on target as Sweden lose

Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres were signed for a combined £185 million ($247m), becoming two of the most controversial transfer stories of the summer, but the pair flopped spectacularly when it mattered most for their country after they failed to hit the target during a damaging 2-0 defeat by Switzerland. The defeat leaves Sweden’s World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

Portugal v Spain - UEFA Nations League 2025 Final

Fernandes targets World Cup glory alongside Ronaldo in 2026

Portugal remain focused on landing the greatest prize in world football after Bruno Fernandes vowed the team are playing to win the World Cup for the entire nation. Portugal have a 100 per cent record heading into the Group F qualifier clash with Ireland, and Fernandes has spoken of the emotion he and his team-mates feel ahead of the tournament.

England Men Press Conference

'Tuchel should be arrested!' - England fans fume over squad

Tuchel's England squad announcement has been met with shock, derision and and hefty dose of incredulity by many after the Three Lions boss made some contentious squad selections for the forthcoming matches against Wales and Latvia. Bellingham has returned to fitness for Real Madrid following shoulder surgery, but misses out, Adam Wharton has been overlooked, but Jordan Henderson has been included and there's no place for Grealish or Foden.

FC Barcelona v Como1907 - Joan Gamper Trophy

'It's certainly alarming' - Barcelona sent Yamal warning

Barcelona and Spain have been warned over the handling of Lamine Yamal following the forward’s return from a groin injury. The 18-year-old came off the bench to help Hansi Flick's side defeat Real Sociedad 2-1 in La Liga on Sunday evening, having missed their previous four games with a groin problem which was aggravated while on international duty.

Frequently asked questions

The PSL was founded in 1996 after the National Soccer League and the National Professional Soccer League agreed to merge into one body.

In July 2024 it was announced that Betway would take over from DSTV as the naming rights sponsor for the league in a deal reported to be worth R900 million over 3 years.

16 teams are licensed to participate in the PSL league.

The Board of governors elects the chairman and the executive committee who are appointed in an election process that takes place every four years.

Mamelodi Sundowns have won the league 14 times, including the last 7 titles in a row.

Kaizer Chiefs scored 73 goals in the 2010-2011 season.

Mamelodi Sundowns earned 73 points while winning the league title in the 2023-24 season.

Collins Mbesuma for Kaizer Chiefs in the 2004-05 season.

Edries Burton made 316 appearances for Santos Cape Town, Cape Town Spurs and AmaZulu.