FEATURES

  1. Diomande is a PROBLEM! But should Liverpool buy him for €120m?

    Mohamed Salah's end-of-season exit left Liverpool with a major problem - and Yan Diomande looks like the best possible solution. Unfortunately for the Reds, they're likely to have as much trouble signing the teenage sensation this summer as Ecuador's defenders had trying to keep up with him in Philadelphia on Sunday. In a way, Diomande's dazzling display on his World Cup debut was a positive for Liverpool, as it illustrated precisely why they believe he could have a transformative effect on an attack that struggled so badly last season.

  2. World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings: Kane joins the party

    The 2026 World Cup is underway and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. There's a long road ahead as 48 nations battle for the top prize, but which star will take home the illustrious award? Here are GOAL's predicted candidates for the prize as we keep track of the tournament's most prolific stars

  3. Casemiro out, Endrick in & Brazil changes Ancelotti must make

    There was something all-too predictable about Brazil's performance in their World Cup opener against Morocco. Having been consistently inconsistent since Carlo Ancelotti was appointed a year ago, a disjointed display in New Jersey yielded only a point as the Selecao were forced to rely on a moment of magic from Vinicius Jr to snatch an equaliser. Looking ahead, the Italian tactician has plenty of food for thought.

  4. Konate to Madrid could quickly go wrong after dire season

    For some football fans, the summer is the part of the calendar that they look forward to the most - and that's not just because it's filled by a World Cup every four years! Rather, it's because the end of the season means only one thing: It's time for transfers! The 2026 window is likely to once again be bust, with some huge names set to make big-money moves before deadline day on September 1.

  5. Why Liverpool are spending €40m on Munoz to fill Salah void

    Newcastle fans can be forgiven for experiencing a strange and unwanted feeling of deja vu this week. After being linked heavily with an exciting young attacker throughout the build-up to this summer’s transfer window, Liverpool have snuck in at the last and pipped them to the post - again. Last year, it was Hugo Ekitike; this year, it is Victor Munoz.

  1. WC26 Power Rankings: Messi powers Argentina to top spot

    The first round of 2026 World Cup group-stage fixtures is in the books, and the tournament has gotten off to a flyer. Despite a lack of eye-catching fixtures on paper in the new, expanded format, there have been thrills and spills aplenty, with all the big names showing up for their respective countries on football's biggest stage. Well, almost all of them.

  2. Lisa Baum: Leipzig teen being chased by Arsenal, Barca & more

    Tons of big names in the women's game will be on the move in this summer transfer window. From Alexia Putellas to Georgia Stanway, Sam Kerr to Mary Earps and Ona Batlle to Mapi Leon, it's going to be a blockbuster few months, with the likes of Beth Mead and Katie McCabe having already completed transfers. But there are also several lesser known talents, young players with huge potential, whose futures are particular points of interest this summer.

  3. Tuchel works his magic - now he must fix dodgy defence

    Thomas Tuchel did not describe, exactly, what he said at half-time of England's 4-2 win over Croatia that opened up their 2026 World Cup campaign. The score was deadlocked at 2-2 at the time, and England weren't playing particularly well. Tuchel insisted that he had some calm words and told his team to play with courage. The reality, though, is probably a little harsher.

  4. Morocco wonderkid Bouaddi would slot into any top UCL team

    Just over a month before the start of the World Cup, Ayyoub Bouaddi had yet to decide where his international future lay. Would the France Under-21 midfielder continue representing the nation of his birth? Or accept an offer to represent his parents' homeland, Morocco? In the end, after much deliberation, he went with the latter, and it's already looking like the correct call.

  5. Bellingham brilliance & Kane brace get England up & running

    England made a winning start to the 2026 World Cup as they beat Croatia 4-2 in their Group L opener on Wednesday. Harry Kane scored twice in the first half, only for the Three Lions to be pegged back on both occasions, and it required a brilliant solo goal from Jude Bellingham early in the second period to put Thomas Tuchel's side back ahead before Marcus Rashford made the points safe late on.

  6. Gianni shouldn't have bothered! CR7 falls flat for Portugal

    Portugal were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by minnows DR Congo in their first World Cup group game, with a Yoane Wissa effort cancelling out Joao Neves' opener. Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure up front, while Bernardo Silva also had an afternoon to forget as Roberto Martinez's side failed to live up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

  7. Trades of the week: The biggest done deals of the summer

    With the transfer window having opened for many of Europe's top leagues, GOAL, in association with eToro, is your go-to resource for all the biggest done deals. Will a Manchester cub break the £100 million barrier to land Elliot Anderson? Could Michael Olise end up at Real Madrid? Track all the biggest trades right here throughout the summer!

  8. Colombia icon James Rodriguez still capable of World Cup heroics

    James Rodriguez says that every time he sets foot on a football field, he plays for "those that love beautiful football" - and they were utterly enamoured with him during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Colombian No.10 blessed with boyband good looks and a lovely left foot didn't just claim the Golden Boot - he also won hearts all across the globe with his sensational displays.

  9. Ronaldo needs a World Cup to match his legendary status

    The tears began to flow down Cristiano Ronaldo's cheeks as soon as the full-time whistle blew at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on the night of December 10, 2022. The forward was so upset by Portugal's shock World Cup quarter-final loss to Morocco he couldn't even bring himself to acknowledge his side's supporters. The pain was too great. So great, in fact, that he wasn't able to properly express his devastation until the following day - and even then only in a social media post.

  10. Magical Messi hat-trick ties all-time World Cup goals record

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Argentina's World Cup title defence began nervously before Lionel Messi reminded everyone he is Lionel Messi. The 38-year-old scored a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria before 69,045 fans at Kansas City Stadium. Messi's three-goal performance also moved him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals, though Klose reached the mark in fewer matches.

  11. Mbappe bounces back in Olise-inspired France turnaround

    They made hard work of it, but much-fancied France got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start as they eventually secured a 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I. After a dire first-half display Les Bleus were transformed, with Kylian Mbappe - who had been particularly poor - delivering a brace either side of Bradley Barcola's fine finish to become his country's record goal-scorer.