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.

Lucas Vazquez has reflected on his time at Real Madrid, naming Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos as the most “spectacular” teammates he’s ever played with. The 34-year-old, now at Bayer Leverkusen, also picked Zinedine Zidane ahead of Carlo Ancelotti as the coach who left the greatest mark on his career after 18 trophy-laden years with Los Blancos.

A fire erupted at the home of Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior on Thursday morning. The Los Blancos forward is currently away on international duty with Brazil, who take on South Korea and Japan during the break, meaning the property was thankfully vacant as the blaze ripped through his home. An electrical malfunction is believed to have been the cause of the fire.

Italian goalkeeper Lamberto Boranga became the country's oldest-ever football player at the age of 82 as he made his debut for seventh-tier USD Trevana. Boranga, who started his professional career more than six decades ago in 1961, briefly played with former Real Madrid and current Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti, when the 66-year-old was plying his trade for Parma.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hailed Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Fabio Capello as the coaches who “changed football,” while admitting he always wanted to play under Jurgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson. The AC Milan advisor also backed Ancelotti to lead Brazil to 2026 World Cup glory, saying "everything he touches turns to gold".