Match

Benfica have issued a further statement in the wake of their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, and the storm that followed their first leg, after Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian made the allegation during the game in Portugal and the club have now insisted that he did not admit to his team-mates that he had said what he is accused of.

Major League Soccer’s 2026 campaign is off to a historic start, translating packed stadiums into a significant spike in national and international viewership. After posting the highest Opening Weekend attendance in league history, MLS reported record viewership across linear television and streaming platforms — a 59 percent increase compared to the same point last season.

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry insists Tottenham has never been a "tricky game" since they moved into their new stadium, and insists interim manager Igor Tudor faces a "massive job" to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Spurs are just four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham following a 4-1 defeat to the Gunners last time out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Former England star Stuart Pearce has named his "first name on the teamsheet" for this summer's World Cup, and has snubbed both Declan Rice and Harry Kane. The Arsenal and Bayern Munich stars are almost certain to be heavily involved in the Three Lions' bid to end 60 years of hurt, but Pearce has instead picked a Manchester City star as the most important in the squad.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has warned Chelsea that Cole Palmer is facing "burnout". The Blues star is set to feature heavily in the Blues' run-in as the club attempt to qualify for the Champions League, and is also likely to travel to World Cup 2026 in North America, Mexico and Canada with England in the summer.

After a disappointing campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, South Africa's focus is on the 2026 global football showpiece. Already, preparations have started in earnest as the football association has revealed the team's training base. The Belgian tactician has given reasons why the chosen training base will be the best for his players.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke insists the club "drink proper pints" instead of cocktails after Pep Guardiola urged his Manchester City players to sip on caipirinhas and daiquiris after closing the gap on league leaders Arsenal. The two sides are set to go head-to-head this weekend in a vital clash at both ends of the Premier League table at Elland Road.

Just like the Buccaneers, the Glamour Boys hope to have their top stars available for the highly anticipated clash. Ahead of the showdown, Amakhosi coach has delivered an update on who could feature and who is ruled out entirely. The update includes a player who has not played for Amakhosi so far this year.

The duel between South Africa's football giants is set to grab the limelight as the Premier Soccer League rivals from Soweto clash on Saturday. Both Amakhosi and the Buccaneers will need the points from the game to boost their chances of winning the league title. Apart from the three points up for grabs, the Sea Robbers and the Glamour Boys will be fighting for the fixture's bragging rights.

The absence of the midfielder from the Buccaneers starting line-up has been very conspicuous in the last few matches. What makes his absence even more noticeable is the fact that he had an impressive run in the first round of the season, and many expected the former Mamelodi Sundowns star to be as important in the second round. Should he continue to experience limited playtime, then his chances of making it into the Bafana Bafana World Cup squad will be jeopardised.

The two biggest rivals in South African football are set to meet for the first time this season in the top-tier assignment. Neither the Glamour Boys nor the Sea Robbers have been doing well in their recent games. However, with the bragging rights at stake, expect some thrilling football from the pair.

The Glamour Boys have suffered two defeats in a row and three in the last five games across all competitions. Despite having an arguably quality squad as compared to the previous seasons, Amakhosi are at risk of ending the ongoing campaign without a trophy after elimination from the Nedbank Cup and the CAF Confederation Cup has left just the league title available to them.

The ex-Glamour Boys player was arrested on October 9, 2025, in possession of an illegal substance by the Zimbabwe Police. The 35-year-old former Warriors international has been in custody since then as the authorities were putting together enough evidence to prove him guilty of the aforementioned offense.

Weston McKennie was at the center of Juventus' three-goal comeback on Wednesday, scoring the third goal of that comeback against Galatasaray. McKennie's late finish leveled the aggregate scoreline of Wednesday's second leg of the Champions League's play-off round, but it wasn't enough as Galatasaray wrestled control back in extra time.

Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo secured another important win in the Saudi Pro League title race as they comfortably dispatched Al-Najma 5-0, with CR7, Sadio Mane and Kingsley Coman among the goalscorers. The Riyadh-based side recently went to the top of the league table by beating Al-Hazem and retained that position thanks to their victory on Wednesday night.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reaffirmed the organization’s full support for Mexico as a host nation for the 2026 World Cup, expressing strong confidence in the country’s leadership despite ongoing security challenges. As FIFA continues to monitor the situation, the governing body made clear that no changes are being considered to the tournament schedule.

Earlier in the 2025/26 season, the Premier Soccer League had four teams competing on the continent. Orlando Pirates were the only team that failed to make the group stage as they were undone by St Eloi Lupopo. Amakhosi were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup's pool phase alongside Stellenbosch. Currently, it is only Mamelodi Sundowns who are in the CAF Champions League quarter-final as the only Mzansi representative.

The Cape Winelands outfit bolstered their squad mid-season with a number of experienced players, including two recruits from the Buccaneers. Veteran coach Gavin Hunt is now tasked with guiding his side from the dreaded chop as the season enters its decisive phase. It has since been disclosed whether the Maroons will retain one of their mid-season signings beyond the current campaign.

The Brazilians are chasing the Premier Soccer League crown as well as the CAF Champions League after the recent loss to TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup's Round of 16. Fringe players were given a chance to prove their worth but ended up struggling against the Rockets to crash out of the annual domestic competition.

The biggest fixture on the South African football calendar is under the microscope as Stadium Management SA (SMSA) gears up for a high-stakes derby. Ahead of the clash between Amakhosi and the Buccaneers at FNB Stadium, CEO Bertie Grobbelaar has announced that an independent firm, Fan Services, has been recruited to handle ticket scanning following a series of technical embarrassments during recent high-profile matches.

Jack Grealish has defended Raheem Sterling after the winger came in for criticism online in the wake of his debut for Feyenoord. Sterling completed a free transfer to the Eredivisie club on February 12 in a bid to get his career back on track after being frozen out at Chelsea. His first competitive appearance in over nine months came in a 2-1 win over Telstar.

It was the same old story for Amakhosi as they fell to their third straight defeat at the hands of the Winelands club. They dominated possession and chances created, especially in the first half, but failed to take their opportunities before letting their opponents score twice from their three shots on target. Afterwards, the Glamour Boys co-coach faced the media repeating the same old message of missed chances to blame for another damaging defeat.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) confirmed it's reassessing plans for its upcoming trip to Mexico after recent security alerts issued across multiple regions of the country. Portugal are scheduled to face the Mexico on March 28 as part of the reopening festivities for Estadio Banorte, formerly Estadio Azteca.

Bodo/Glimt are into the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in their history after causing another European upset, eliminating last season's finalists Inter at the knockout round play-off stage 5-2 on aggregate. The Norwegian side led 3-1 from the first leg last week but still had to plenty of work to do at San Siro. However, a gift from Inter defender Manuel Akanji, on loan from Manchester City, helped Bodo into the next phase of the competition with a 2-1 win in Italy.

Wrexham held off a second-half comeback from Portsmouth to secure a 2-1 win on Tuesday night and retain their place in the Championship play-offs. Headers from Sam Smith and Max Cleworth had given the Red Dragons a firm advantage at the Racecourse Ground, but Zak Swanson's deflected strike caused some nervousness in the home ground. However, Phil Parkinson's side kept their cool to see out the win.

FIFA is monitoring the security situation in Mexico after incidents reported across multiple states in recent hours, according to ESPN. The governing body of world football asked for internal reports detailing the developments, particularly in Guadalajara, Jalisco — one of the host cities for the World Cup and a venue set to stage matches in the intercontinental playoff tournament.

After heartbreaking results in the CAF Confederation Cup and in the Nedbank Cup campaigns, Amakhosi's focus was turned to the Premier Soccer League. Following a 10-day rest, the Glamour Boys could not manage to collect even a single point. For Gavin Hunt, the pressure is expected to ease after masterminding Stellies' back-to-back wins against his former side.

U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Johnny Cardoso made sure his first Atletico Madrid goal was an important one as he helped lead his side to a Champions League win on Tuesday. Cardoso's go-ahead goal gave his side the lead, helping them to a win in the second leg of Atleti's clash with Club Brugge.

Kylian Mbappe is expected to miss the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League play-off with Benfica after succumbing to a knee injury in training. Los Blancos host the Portuguese giants at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, with Alvaro Arbeloa's men leading 1-0 from the first leg in Lisbon.