When Barcelona won their seventh successive Liga F title last month, Alexia Putellas was reminded of the many doubts that were raised about her team prior to the season. Financial restraints produced serious obstacles in the transfer market and prevented the club from building the sort of squad one would hope for when competing on four fronts, leading many to wonder how they would fare this season, especially in the Champions League. That the Catalans are back in the final on Saturday and just one win away from a quadruple, then, is quite the rebuttal.
As the 2025-26 Premier League season draws to a close, it's time to look back on what has been a campaign full of twists and turns. Arsenal eventually saw off the challenge of Manchester City to secure the title, but European places and the final berth in the relegation zone are still to be decided into the final day.
Brian Gutierrez’s growing role, Raul Rangel’s No. 1 case, and Edson Alvarez’s fitness are among the key storylines as Mexico face Ghana in Puebla on Friday. GOAL looks at five keys to watch in El Tri’s first pre-World Cup friendly.
Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers all scored great goals as Aston Villa claimed their first major honour in three decades by defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday night. Unai Emery's men had gone into the game in Istanbul as heavy favourites - not least because their Spanish coach had already lifted the trophy four times - and, towards the tail end of a tense first half, they underlined their vastly superior quality with two sensational strikes.
When Mohamed Salah clashed with Jurgen Klopp after being taken off in a frustrating and costly draw with West Ham on April 27, 2024, the Egyptian decided against continuing the argument afterwards. As Salah told reporters as he passed through the mixed zone at the London Stadium, "If I speak, there will be fire", so the winger wisely kept his mouth shut, and his powder dry.
Pep Guardiola will reportedly leave at the end of the season, and according to those same reports, he will be replaced by Enzo Marseca. GOAL writers debate where Guardiola's legacy lies in English football.
And just like that, the Premier League title race is over. A truly absorbing battle between Arsenal and Manchester City swung this way and that throughout the second half of the campaign, but it is the Gunners who have come out on top, securing their first domestic title for 22 years with a game to spare.
Chelsea ensured Tottenham's fight for Premier League survival will go down to the final day as Enzo Fernandez inspired a 2-1 victory over their fierce London rivals on Tuesday - the Blues' first win in seven games. The Argentine swept home a fine opener from long range in the first half before turning provider for Andrey Santos in the second period, keeping his side's hopes of European qualification alive.
Tottenham will head into the final day of the Premier League season still with work to do if they are to avoid relegation after they fell to a 2-1 loss at Chelsea on Tuesday. Richarlison's second-half strike wasn't enough for Roberto De Zerbi's side as their four-game unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of their rivals from across London.
Despite the best efforts of Erling Haaland, Manchester City gifted the Premier League title to Arsenal by drawing 1-1 at Bournemouth on Tuesday. The visitors had arrived at the Vitality Stadium hoping to close the gap to the Gunners to just two points ahead of Sunday's final round of fixtures and, thus, give Pep Guardiola a shot at lifting the trophy for a seventh time before stepping down as manager.
This time last year, Gary Neville argued that Mikel Arteta's most notable achievement at Arsenal was not his 2020 FA Cup win - but still being in a job despite going five subsequent seasons without winning a major honour. "We thought those days were gone where you could have this type of patience being afforded to you," the former Manchester United defender said on Sky Sports.
This is Legacy, GOAL’s feature and podcast series counting down to the 2026 World Cup. Each week, we explore the stories and the spirit behind the nations that define the world’s game. This week, we explore what England must learn from their failure to claim glory in 2002, and why Thomas Tuchel’s task ahead is not about tactics, but about belief, identity, and courage on the biggest stage.
Could this be the moment that Chelsea's fortunes finally change under the beleaguered BlueCo ownership? The club has pulled off what looks like a seismic coup by luring Xabi Alonso to Stamford Bridge despite their continued struggles, somehow convincing the revered 44-year-old former Real Madrid boss to take the reins ahead of what now promises to be an era-defining summer.
It was far from pretty, but Arsenal are one game away from the Premier League title after holding their nerve to edge past already-relegated Burnley on Monday night, courtesy of Kai Havertz's towering header from yet another set piece. The German forward rose to meet Bukayo Saka's corner shortly before half-time, although he was fortunate not be sent off later in the game. The 1-0 win means the Gunners will be champions if Manchester City drop points at high-flying Bournemouth on Tuesday.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester City dominate GOAL's 2025-26 Women's Super League Team of the Season, after Andree Jeglertz's side comfortably clinched their first title triumph in 10 years without even needing a result on the final day. How the rest of the XI looks, though, sums up what an interesting campaign it has been.
And so another Women's Super League season is in the books. After six years of dominance by Chelsea, this was one that shook things up, too, as Manchester City claimed a first title in 10 years and Arsenal, the last team to win the trophy before this past season, proved to be the side that ran them closest.
Lionel Messi scored and assisted in the first half, and Inter Miami kept a valuable clean sheet in a convincing 2-0 win over Portland to secure their first home win at Nu Stadium. They leaned on their star Argentine for attacking quality in the big moments and were defensively resolute in a comfortable victory against a spirited Portland side.
Emily Fox starred in Arsenal’s win over Liverpool, while Alyssa Thompson, Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes and other USWNT regulars made their mark across a busy weekend in Europe.
Bruno Fernandes equalled the Premier League assists record as Manchester United secured a third-placed finish with a hugely controversial 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Michael Carrick's men took a fifth-minute lead at Old Trafford thanks to Luke Shaw, but Morato deservedly drew the visitors level shortly after half-time when he headed in a fine cross from the impressive Elliot Anderson.
As the Women's Super League season came to a close on Saturday, a team other than Chelsea lifted the trophy for the first time in seven years, with the Manchester City's scenes of celebration bringing the curtain down on a year of action that has had its fair share of shocks and surprises.
Antoine Semenyo ensured Manchester City wrapped up a domestic cup double at Wembley on Saturday, as his sublime flick 18 minutes from time decided the FA Cup final at Chelsea's expense. Conversely, the 1-0 defeat was the confirmation of another miserable season for the Blues, whose hopes of qualifying for any form of European football are now in serious jeopardy.
Chelsea's quest for FA Cup glory fell just short as they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in Saturday's final despite a battling display at Wembley. Antoine Semenyo's sublime flick proved to be the winner in the 72nd minute, as the Blues' stubborn resistance was finally ended by a moment of sheer individual quality.
Manchester City secured their second trophy of the season as Antoine Semenyo's second-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola's side edged what was a pretty lifeless affair at Wembley, and Semenyo's sublime flick, scored with 18 minutes left on the clock, proved to be the difference as City won the competition for the eighth time in their history.