From Christian Pulisic’s individual success to the USMNT exiting the World Cup earlier than hoped, GOAL outlines its predictions for American soccer in 2026.

Enzo Maresca, who has been relieved of his duties at Stamford Bridge, revealed to Chelsea on a couple of occasions prior to his New Year’s Day dismissal that he has held talks with officials at Manchester City regarding a potential opportunity to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. The Italian tactician is now out of work and waiting on enticing offers.

Chelsea have taken the decision to part company with head coach Enzo Maresca. The Italian tactician leaves Stamford Bridge with immediate effect, with speculation regarding his future having raged for some time. He severs ties with the Blues after less than two years at the helm, with Premier League giants in west London opening 2026 with another managerial search.

Chelsea reportedly have a shock candidate in mind to replace Enzo Maresca, with the Blues searching for a new head coach after parting ways with the Italian. The west Londoners announced on New Year's Day that Maresca had left his post with immediate effect, and it is being suggested that highly-rated Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior could now be lured back to English football.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk paid an emotional tribute to former team-mate Diogo Jota when delivering a New Year’s Eve wrap of his 2025. The Dutch defender experienced wild swings in emotion across the last 12 months, with Premier League title glory being followed by the tragic passing of a close friend and club colleague. Van Dijk admits that the loss of Jota has “changed” Liverpool “forever.”

Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes has explained why he took to trolling Amadou Onana after helping the Gunners to a vital victory over Premier League title rivals Aston Villa. The Brazilian defender returned with a bang in that contest, as he opened the scoring in a 4-1 win, and took the opportunity afterwards to have some “fun” when delivering a copycat “pocket” celebration.

How to watch the Premier League match between Liverpool and Leeds, as well as kick-off time and team news

How to watch the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Fulham, as well as kick-off time and team news

Real Madrid and Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has undergone emergency surgery after being diagnosed with a heart problem. The iconic former left-back underwent the procedure back in his homeland having returned to Brazil following a hectic month, which included jetting stateside for the 2026 World Cup draw. Carlos initially went to hospital due to a small blood clot in his leg and has delivered an update on the severity of his condition following the spread of unfounded rumours.

Luka Modric has named Jose Mourinho as the toughest manager of his illustrious career, claiming the legendary boss is so intense that he once made Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the Real Madrid dressing room. The Croatia and AC Milan midfielder has worked under several world-class coaches during his sparkling spell in football, but he has labelled the Portuguese as the strictest of them all.

Luis de la Fuente says he has a "clear conscience" on Lamine Yamal after a long-running club vs country row. The Spain boss has previously been at loggerheads with Barcelona over his use of the 18-year-old, who was diagnosed with pubalgia after the first international break of the season in September. The teenager was forced to miss a number of games due to the chronic injury and has only played for Spain twice since the summer.

Kylian Mbappe is set for a spell on the sidelines after being diagnosed with a knee injury, which is a major blow to Real Madrid ahead of their return from the winter break. His absence will be keenly felt at Valdebebas. Since the start of the campaign, Real Madrid’s number 10 has featured in almost every fixture, scoring 27 goals across La Liga and Champions League competition.

Ex-Manchester City star Joao Cancelo is edging towards another mid-season transfer, with reports indicating the full-back is preparing to leave Al-Hilal when the January window opens. A return to Barcelona has emerged as a realistic possibility, with interest also coming from Italy as Europe’s elite look to bolster their squads.

Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ciria is "sure that Lionel Messi wants to return" to the La Liga giants. Ciria will challenge current club president Joan Laporta in the 2026 elections and has admitted that he'd do everything in his power to bring the Argentine star back to Spotify Camp Nou. Messi tearfully left Barcelona at the end of his contract in 2021 before joining Paris Saint-Germain, and now plies his trade in MLS with Inter Miami.

Marc Guehi has become a 'top target' for Real Madrid as the La Liga giants make contact with the Crystal Palace captain. The Palace centre-back will run down his contract until the summer of 2026. The England international has already informed the Premier League side that he will not sign an extension, effectively guaranteeing a summer exit and triggering a battle among Europe's elite.

Athletic Club captain Inaki Williams has slammed the decision to play the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. The tournament will once again take place in the Middle East in January with Athletic facing defending La Liga champions Barcelona in the semi-finals. The winners of the match will go on to face either Real Madrid or Atletico in the final for the chance to claim the first Spanish trophy of the current season.

An almost perfect 2025 for Ousmane Dembele was completed on Sunday, as the Paris Saint-Germain forward was crowned 'Best Male Player' at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. This was the latest in a series of personal accolades for the Ballon d'Or winner, who inspired PSG to winning the Champions League for the first time ever last season. Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal also picked up a pair of awards on the night.

The Christmas period is upon us, which means we are somehow already more or less at the midway point of the 2025-26 football season. As many of Europe's leading leagues pause for the winter break, it's time to take stock and reflect on four scintillating months of action. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed transfers across the continent in the summer, now that they have a decent sample size of games under their belts.

With the halfway stage of the season upon us, the time has come to shine a spotlight on the players who have made the biggest impact across Europe's major leagues. But first, let's run through the lay of the land.

With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly now disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players beginning the campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued with inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he was among a crowded field of contenders as the 2026 race got going.

Kylian Mbappe has been told that Paris Saint-Germain would not have won the Champions League had he stuck around in France, with it “fantasy” to believe that European success could ever have been savoured with the France international, Lionel Messi and Neymar lining up in the same starting XI. World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf has explained to GOAL why that is the case.

GOAL U.S. writers take a look at some of the biggest storylines in European soccer, including Mo Salah's future, Vinicius Jr's exit rumors, and the Premier League title race

GOAL's Front Three are going back for a new lesson, this time for Football School. Their strict teacher, Juwon (aka Mr Janos), puts his pupils' ball knowledge to the test. But who will come top of the class and who will fail? 🤔

Former Paris Saint-Germain No.1 Gianluigi Donnarumma, who now plays for Manchester City, has been named the 2025 Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, with Lionesses star Hannah Hampton bagging the Women's prize. Donnarumma and Hampton were both part of treble-winning sides last season, while the latter also played a key role in England's successful European Championship defence.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad in the first few games of 2026

According to Antonio Cassano, Thiago Silva’s proposed return to AC Milan was blocked, despite the full backing of club adviser Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with head coach Massimiliano Allegri reportedly stepping in to veto the move. The revelation sheds new light on a transfer that almost reunited one of Milan’s most decorated modern defenders with the San Siro faithful.

Rasmus Hojlund will not be returning to parent side Manchester United at the end of the season, according to a Napoli director. The young Danish striker completed a deadline day loan move to the Serie A giants in the summer after Ruben Amorim brought in Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to bolster his frontline. A fresh start in Italy has brought the best out of Hojlund, who is now scoring regularly under Antonio Conte.

Former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas said he expects Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie to be part of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. Speaking on his podcast, Lalas downplayed concerns about McKennie’s place in the team, acknowledging some challenges but saying his positives generally outweigh any negatives as preparations continue for the home tournament.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's new 'offside revolution' plans are set to take a step closer to reality as FIFA and president Gianni Infantino are preparing a presentation of the proposed rule change to the IFAB. Wenger has pushed for a radical change to the offside law for some time, advocating for a change that would see an offside offence only occur if the attacker is completely in front of the last defender.

Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund has revealed why Cristiano Ronaldo is his biggest idol. The Dane has followed in Ronaldo's famous footsteps by playing for the Red Devils but is currently shining with Napoli after moving to the Serie A side on a season-long loan. Hojlund says that he has always been a big admirer of Ronaldo's mentality, rock solid confidence and hunger for goals.

Rasmus Hojlund has opened up on his time at Manchester United and says he felt he did well, particularly during his first campaign at Old Trafford. The Denmark international has since moved on a season-long loan to Serie A side Napoli and is currently thriving with Antonio Conte's side, meaning he could well end up making his stay with I Partenopei permanent.

Napoli star Rasmus Hojlund has been hailed as the "strongest striker in Serie A" alongside Inter's World Cup-winning talisman Lautaro Martinez, as the Denmark international continues his impressive goalscoring exploits following his summer loan move from Manchester United. The forward has scored six goals and registered two assists in 12 appearances, proving his worth in Italy following a dismal spell in the Premier League.