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Robert Lewandowski’s dreams of a final World Cup appearance were cruelly extinguished as Poland suffered a dramatic play-off defeat to Sweden in Stockholm. Despite a resilient performance from Jan Urban’s side, a late strike from Viktor Gyokeres secured Sweden's place in this summer's global showpiece, leaving 37-year-old Barcelona striker Lewandowski visibly devastated at the final whistle.

There is widespread confusion following Nico Schlotterbeck’s comments regarding the lack of a contract extension at BVB. Two top clubs are reportedly already champing at the bit.

He got off to an absolutely dream start at FC Bayern. Since then, however, Joshua Zirkzee’s career has been very up and down. He is now increasingly turning into a flop, whilst his sale was arguably one of the biggest coups of the Salihamidzic era at the record champions.

Lionel Scaloni has thrown his support behind Lionel Messi to potentially reach the historic 1,000 career goals milestone, while insisting the Argentina captain does have the "desire" to play at the 2026 World Cup. Speaking after a dominant friendly victory against Zambia, the Albiceleste boss emphasized that the Inter Miami star still possesses the hunger to compete at the very highest level despite already achieving his ultimate dream in Qatar.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a superb backheel goal in training for Al-Nassr ahead of his return to competitive action. The Portuguese superstar looks sharp and ready for the Saudi Pro League restart after a spell on the sidelines due to a muscular injury.

Hallescher FC is causing a stir with a move against RB Leipzig that is probably unprecedented in German football.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has expressed "serious and far-reaching concerns" following the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi, citing his previous vocal support for Mason Greenwood at Marseille. This controversy arrives at a delicate moment for the north London club as they struggle to maintain unity while battling against a potential Premier League relegation.

The road to the 2026 World Cup is almost over for England. The next time the Three Lions convene, they will do so for two pre-tournament friendlies in the United States, against Costa Rica and New Zealand, before kicking-off their tournament against Croatia on June 17. They will do so as one of the favourites to go all the way, with the pressure on Thomas Tuchel and his players to finally end 60 years of hurt.

In light of his strong performances for the German U21s during the international break, 1. FC Köln has apparently raised its asking price for Said El Mala.

The Italian national team has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row. Reactions from the press to the disaster.

Leonardo Spinazzola has laid bare the heartbreak within the Italy squad after Bosnia and Herzegovina extinguished their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup. The veteran fullback admitted his own international dream is likely over while expressing his deepest sympathies for a generation of Italian children who have never seen their nation on the biggest stage.

Gabriel Martinelli scored a lovely goal after being teed up by Endrick to complete Brazil's 3-1 victory over Croatia in a confidence-boosting World Cup warm-up clash. The Arsenal man's arrowed finish rounded off the scoring in stoppage time as the Selecao bounced back from last week's friendly defeat to France.

Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted he is in deep pain after the Azzurri failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup following a dramatic playoff defeat in the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the historic failure, the Italian football federation has already moved to clarify the manager's immediate future amid the fallout.

It's never easy with the England men's national team. On paper, they should have enough quality, experience and firepower to blow most sides on this planet to smithereens. Then you sit down, watch them and wonder whether they are actually a team of total strangers assembled purely out of spite to mildly annoy the fans who had hoped so much of them. On the basis of their March friendlies, it would be a fair assumption to make.

Lionel Messi delivered a vintage performance at La Bombonera, recording a goal and an assist as Argentina dismantled Zambia 5-0 in their final home fixture before the 2026 World Cup. The Inter Miami icon captained the world champions to a dominant victory in what is expected to be the last home game he plays for his country.

Thomas Tuchel has refused to entertain suggestions that the weight of the England shirt is getting to his players following a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Japan. The Three Lions were booed off at Wembley after Kaoru Mitoma's first-half strike condemned them to a second underwhelming result in the space of four days.

Felix Nmecha sustained a knee injury during the Bundesliga match against Hamburger SV. New details are now coming to light.

GOAL breaks down all the confirmed qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, plus the teams who could soon be on their way.

It seems BVB won’t be able to go on a major spending spree this summer. Unless, that is, one of their key players is sold.

The German national team’s attack shines even without (and with) Deniz Undav; Lennart Karl is proving himself worthy of more than just a trial run; the defence is holding its own despite the odd wobble; and Julian Nagelsmann’s measures are paying off. The winners and losers at the DFB following the March training camp.

Mauricio Pochettino believes his team is close and another loss will serve as a reminder of how fine margins can be against the world's elite

Bruno Fernandes grabbed two assists and Joao Felix got on the scoresheet as Portugal saw off the United States, 2-0, on Tuesday. The Selecao grabbed goals either side of half-time, and were disciplined in between to ease to a win in Atlanta. Manager Roberto Martinez would have liked to have had Cristiano Ronaldo at his disposal, but he will take heart from the fact that his side got the job done without their main man.

The U.S. played with more intensity and created a fair number of chances to get something from the game, but they never quite got the final details right on either side of the field

The Nerazzurri were held up in Florence too: Milan have closed the gap from 10 points to 6, while Napoli have narrowed the gap from 14 points to 7.

Liverpool have been handed a significant injury scare just days before their FA Cup encounter with Manchester City after Jeremie Frimpong was forced off during the international break. The wing-back, who has been a vital part of Arne Slot's system this season, lasted less than a quarter of an hour after being introduced for the Netherlands.

The Czech Republic went to a penalty shoot-out twice – and both times the team kept their nerve. After two real nail-biters, the team has now qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 20 years.

Tottenham Hotspur are desperately looking to finalise their new coaching setup to avoid a catastrophic relegation. Roberto De Zerbi is poised to take the managerial hot seat and has reportedly reached out to Italy and AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta. The World Cup-winning defender has been offered a vital role as an assistant manager to help fix a leaky defence and save the club.

Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran was involved in a car accident on Tuesday while travelling to the Chobani Stadium. The incident occurred in the district of Kadikoy as the club chief was heading to the ground for scheduled executive meetings.

Northern Ireland and Blackburn Rovers manager Michael O'Neill has provoked a fierce backlash from Championship relegation rivals. Balancing his dual roles, the 56-year-old is accused of a major conflict of interest after heavily utilising key players from clubs battling Blackburn for survival in a 1-1 friendly draw, while resting his own prospect until the 80th minute.