FEATURES

  1. Victory of champions? England proved they CAN win the World Cup

    Well, it was never going to be easy, was it? If England were to win at the Azteca - something that only two teams had managed before in a competitive fixture - there were going to be bumps, bruises and a fair few scares. What probably wasn't accounted for, though, was total chaos. And that's what this was: a back and forth, gutsy, often brilliant, consistently nerve-wracking and ultimatelyglorious 3-2 win over Mexico that provided an immense boost to England's World Cup hopes.

  2. RANKED: Man Utd's midfield options after week of rejections

    Last week was really quite something for Tottenham Hotspur. Despite finishing 17th in each of the past two Premier League seasons, the north Londoners have signed two of the most coveted midfielders presently operating in England, Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. Spurs may have overpaid for both, but the club's long-suffering supporters are nonetheless delighted after seeing their transfer record broken twice in a matter of days, given former executive chairman Daniel Levy repeatedly refused to push the boat out to sign top talent.

  3. Spain's unsung hero Oyarzabal is the ideal anti-Ronaldo

    Mikel Oyarzabal was one of five Real Sociedad players in Spain's Euro 2024 squad. No other club had more. But neither Oyarzabal nor his fellow Basques made a song and dance about their role in Spain's success in Germany. "That would be us," he told The Guardian. "[We] don't like being in the spotlight." It's getting harder and harder for him to avoid it, though.

  4. Bellingham, you beauty! 10-man England survive Azteca onslaught

    England produced one of their greatest World Cup performances to beat Mexico 3-2 on Sunday and book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament. Jude Bellingham scored twice in the first half while Harry Kane kept himself in the Golden Boot race with a penalty as the Three Lions held on for victory despite playing the bulk of the second half with 10 men following a red card for Jarell Quansah.

  5. Spurs spending £100m on Tonali shows market has gone mad

    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 once again proving to be busy, with some huge names making big-money moves before deadline day on September 1.

  6. Can England really storm Mexico's mythical Azteca?

    England may have only pulled off a great escape against DR Congo moments before, but Thomas Tuchel couldn't help but almost immediately turn his attention to his team's Mission: Impossible in Mexico. "I'm just coming from this match, and still trying to enjoy it," the German told reporters after a late double from Harry Kane earned the Three Lions a dramatic 2-1 win in Atlanta.

  1. Mbappe penalty downs Paraguay but Barcola & Olise underwhelm

    Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as France progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a laboured 1-0 win over an aggressive and cynical Paraguay side on Saturday evening. The South Americans, who upset Germany in the previous round, were always expected to make for awkward and uncompromising opponents for the tournament favourites but it was nonetheless surprising just how much Didier Deschamps' stellar forward line struggled to create chances in Philadelphia.

  2. WC26 Power Rankings: Argentina lose top spot!

    The real World Cup is finally under way! After a group phase almost completely devoid of jeopardy because of the tournament's farcical format, the first batch of knockout games treated us to some long overdue drama, with Germany and Netherlands among the big names to fall in the round of 32. A couple more heavyweights could have been kayoed too, though.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.