FEATURES

  1. England should stick with Rice at right-back experiment

    Thomas Tuchel has some big decisions to make in his England side as they head into their round of 16 game with Mexico in Mexico City. England may be the higher-ranked side, here, but they're not clear favourites. The Azetca - as it is usually known - is a truly horrible place for visiting teams. Mexico have lost just two competitive games there ever. The altitude, the heat, the humidity, the tens of thousands of passionate home fans: everything seems to be going against England here.

  2. Bruno can take Arsenal to another level alongside Odegaard

    There will be some added intrigue for Arsenal fans during Brazil's clash with Norway in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup. While much of the focus will undoubtedly be on superstar attackers Vinicius Jr and Erling Haaland before kick-off on Sunday, one significant subplot is the battle between present and potentially future Gunners midfielders.

  3. New boss, same England: Tuchel team no different to Southgate's

    "Football's coming home again, with Tommy Tuchel" were the words that rang around the exterior of Atlanta Stadium as tens of thousands of fans walked out into the Georgia heat following England's 2-1 win over DR Congo. The mood was jubilant. Everyone was happy. England won, DR Congo lost. England are now four victories away from ending 60 years of hurt and winning a long-coveted World Cup.

  4. Where will France rank in the World Cup's greatest attacks?

    It's fair to say that France's forward line has taken the 2026 World Cup by storm. After winning all three of their group games, Les Bleus defeated Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32 to become the tournament's top scorers at the time of writing, with 13 goals. Unsurprisingly, Kylian Mbappe has accounted for the majority of those goals, with the Real Madrid superstar striking six times in four outings so far.

  5. Ronaldo gets first KO goal but Ramos plays hero for Portugal

    Gonacalo Ramos scored a stoppage-time winner after a chaotic contest between Portugal and Croatia, with Roberto Martinez's side squeaked out a 2-1 victory to advance to the World Cup Round of 16. Croatia scored first, but Portugal came from behind. Ronaldo scored once from the penalty spot and was replaced by Ramos, who delivered the match's biggest moment.

  6. Oyarzabal at the double & Yamal dazzles as Spain begin to cook

    Spain outclassed Austria in Los Angeles to reach the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup courtesy of a 3-0 win on Thursday. The European champions avoided any sort of scare by dominating proceedings from the outset, securing a comfortable victory through Mikel Oyarzabal's brace and a header from Pedro Porro as they belatedly clicked into gear at the tournament.

  7. How Lionesses teen Parkinson's elite mentality led to NWSL switch

    Erica Parkinson was just 12 years old when she laid out her goals to a mindset coach who has spent the last six years helping her plot a route to the top of the game. "I want to play for England at the World Cup," she proclaimed. Fast-forward to today and, having become the Lionesses’ youngest call-up under Sarina Wiegman and just signed for the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL, it’s not out of the question that the dream could be realised in 12 months’ time.

  8. Belgium back from the brink as Tielemans caps epic comeback

    Belgium produced one of the most remarkable comebacks in World Cup history as they came from behind to beat Senegal 3-2 in the last 32 on Wednesday. The Red Devils were awful for 85 minutes and were heading for elimination after going 2-0 down, only for Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans to pull them level before Tielemans converted from the penalty spot in stoppage time of extra-time to book a place in the round of 16.

  9. Captain Fantastic! Kane to the rescue for abject England

    England came from behind to secure their place in the last 16 of the World Cup as a second-half brace from Harry Kane ensured a 2-1 win over DR Congo on Wednesday. The Three Lions were largely poor for long periods in Atlanta, but Kane's goals, which were both assisted by substitute Anthony Gordon, set up a meeting with co-hosts Mexico on Sunday.

  10. Eight games, no goals: CR7's woeful World Cup knockouts

    When Portugal play Croatia on Thursday, Cristiano Ronaldo will attempt to do something he's never managed before: score a goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup. The Portuguese is one of the finest forwards the game has ever seen and, against Uzbekistan last week, became the first man to score in six different editions of the game's most prestigious tournament, which is testament to his remarkable longevity and work ethic.