8 h. ago Lesotho ‘shocked and embarrassed’ by mockery in Trump’s Congress speech, says foreign minister

Lejone Mpotjoane says behaviour is unexpected from head of state, after Trump claimed ‘nobody has ever heard of’ the countryLesotho was taken aback by US President Donald Trump’s mockery of the southern African nation, its foreign minister has said, vowing that the country was “not taking this matter lightly”.Trump called Lesotho a country “nobody has ever heard of” as he defended his sweeping cuts in aid during an address to Congress on Tuesday. He singled out a past US aid project of “eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho”. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Home nations readying Women's World Cup bid after FIFA makes preference clear

England hosted the Women's European Championships in 2022 and could join forces with the other nations of the UK in staging the Women's World Cup further down the line

Events

12 h. ago Home nations to make joint bid to host 2035 Women's World Cup

The competition has never been held on British soil

Politics

12 h. ago UK plans joint bid to host 2035 Women’s World Cup in ‘monumental moment’

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland involvedKeir Starmer promises ‘government’s full support’The home nations are to join together in a bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2035, a move which, if successful, would mark a “monumental moment in our nation’s sporting history”, according to Keir Starmer, the prime minister.A formal expression of interest in staging the tournament, which could be comprised of as many as 48 teams, is to be submitted to Fifa this month on behalf of the football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the governing bodies have confirmed. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Home Nations to submit joint expression of interest in hosting 2035 Women’s World Cup

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will submit a bid to host the tournament later this year

Politics

13 h. ago Fifa launches new Women’s Champions Cup but delays Women’s Club World Cup

Champions Cup to involve six clubs from across the worldClub World Cup was due in 2026 but will start in 2028A new six-team Women’s Champions Cup is to be established next year, featuring clubs from across the world. The competition was approved at a Fifa Council meeting on Wednesday that also confirmed a two-year delay to the first Women’s Club World Cup.The 16-team Women’s Club World Cup was due to launch in 2026 but, as first reported by the Guardian, has been put on hold. It is understood Fifa believes the delay will ensure it has time to create space in the calendar for the additional fixtures. The competition will be played every four years from 2028. In the meantime the Women’s Champions Cup will get under way, to be played annually other than in Women’s Club World Cup years. The champions of each confederation’s club tournament will take part. Continue reading...

Politics

16 h. ago Fifa Club World Cup ‘solidarity money’ figure revealed in bid to appease Chelsea and Man City rivals

$150m out of total $2bn prize pot earmarked for clubs not taking part, with concerns raised over the money’s potential to worsen inequality in the sport

Politics

40 h. ago US supreme court weakens rules on discharge of raw sewage into water supplies

Ruling by the court, which has a Republican super majority, undermines the 1972 Clean Water ActThe US supreme court has weakened rules on the discharge of raw sewage into water supplies in a 5-4 ruling that undermines the 1972 Clean Water Act.The CWA is the principle law governing pollution control and water quality of the nation’s waterways. Continue reading...

Events

66 h. ago Schumer says cyber operations pause against Russia gives Putin ‘free pass’

Top Democrat calls Trump’s move to retreat from fight against Russian cyber threats ‘a critical strategic mistake’A senior US Democrat has hit out at Donald Trump’s attempt to reset relations with Russia following revelations that the president’s administration is retreating from the fight against Russian cyber threats, calling the reported move “a critical strategic mistake”.In a statement on Sunday making reference to the Russian leader, New York’s Chuck Schumer – the US Senate’s Democratic minority leader – said Trump was “so desperate to earn the affection of a thug like Vladimir Putin he appears to be giving him a free pass as Russia continues to launch cyber operations and ransomware attacks against critical American infrastructure, threatening our economic and national security”. Continue reading...

Politics

69 h. ago Fifa’s new Women’s Club World Cup could be delayed beyond 2026

Tournament has backing but more preparation neededFour-team mini-tournament could take place in 2026Fifa’s new 16-team Women’s Club World Cup could be delayed beyond its previously-proposed 2026 launch, the Guardian has learned.The tournament is understood to maintain widespread backing within the governing body, as well as across the confederations, but discussions are ongoing regarding the possibility of the inaugural staging of the event being pushed back by a couple of years to allow more time for all concerned to properly prepare for it, according to sources. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago ITV risk angering FIFA with cheeky bid to broadcast £800m tournament without paying

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has staked his reputation on the revamped Club World Cup, but it has been met with a lukewarm reaction from fans, players, managers, sponsors and broadcasters

Economics

4 d. ago 10 reasons to visit Spain in 2025: new holidays, hikes and cultural highlights

From villas in Galicia and walks in La Gomera, to a new parador near Madrid and a horse fair in Jerez It is easy to avoid big resorts in the Canaries – the smaller islands have a handful of little towns with rural hotels dotted around. Hikers love lush La Gomera, with walks through the laurel forests in the Garajonay national park and along dramatic terraced hillsides overlooking the Atlantic. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Two teenagers could define Emma Hayes’ USA midfield for years to come

The USA manager probably wasn’t thrilled with the Americans losing the SheBelieves Cup, but there were significantly more positives than negativesThe United States women’s national team did not win the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, but this was the first time that failure to lift the trophy didn’t make for a disappointing tournament. While Emma Hayes probably wasn’t thrilled with her team’s performance in a 2-1 defeat to Japan, there were significantly more positives to take away from the competition than negatives.Central midfield was the area of the pitch where Hayes likely learned the most about her players, and came away with the most optimism for the future. That’s where 17-year-old Lily Yohannes and 19-year-old Claire Hutton both turned in excellent performances. And just as important as their individual level, they looked as if they could form a perfect partnership in the future.[Yui] Hasegawa in the middle of the park is probably the best pivot in the world at both the domestic and ...

Politics

4 d. ago Will Liverpool really give women’s team serious chance to win trophies?

FSG needs to come up with an answer after sacking Matt Beard despite giving him one of the smallest WSL budgetsThe imposing image of Liverpool sitting 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League and powering towards a record-equalling 20th top-flight title brings into sharp focus the comparatively dishevelled sight of the club’s women’s team.Sitting 25 points off the pace in the league, having waited more than a decade to lift a major trophy and almost 30 years without reaching a Women’s FA Cup final, a club that once took a proud role in the women’s game remain light years away from emulating their men’s counterparts, and are now entering a critical phase as they search for a new manager for the first time in four years. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Why England continue standing with Spain as Luis Rubiales casts shadow over Wembley

While Sarina Wiegman praised Jenni Hermoso for her ‘remarkable courage’, there is a reason the Lionesses won’t stop talking about the incident that overshadowed the Women’s World Cup final

Politics

8 d. ago Spain head coach Montse Tome refuses to answer questions on Luis Rubiales case

Tome, who was assistant head coach to Jorge Vilda at the Women’s World Cup, said she was only focused on the football ahead of Spain’s meeting with England at Wembley

Politics

9 d. ago MARK PALMER: Luis Rubiales' kiss was a crass error of judgement, but finding him guilty of sexual assault gives in to the #MeToo mob mentality that all jubilant males are predators

Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault for landing a 'spontaneous' kiss on the lips of Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso after her team won the 2023 Women's World Cup in Sydney.

Events

1 week ago USA v Australia: SheBelieves Cup women’s football international – live

Updates from the game at State Farm StadiumAny thoughts? Get in touch with Joey on emailToday’s game will mark Sermanni’s eighth game as interim boss of the Matildas, with it looking increasingly likely the veteran mentor’s stint will stretch to include April’s friendlies against South Korea.Football Australia’s search for a full-time successor to Tony Gustavsson has now stretched into its seventh month following the Swede’s exit following the Paris Olympics and while the federation has been adamant that they have plenty of time to find a successor – given that the Matildas’ next competitive fixture won’t come until the opening game of a home Asian Cup next March – the sense of urgency surrounding the need to appoint someone is growing by the day. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago German election live: voters head to polls amid fears over Ukraine security, Trump and rise of far right

Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz could unseat chancellor Olaf Scholz but threat of gains by far-right AfD looms largeBerlin correspondentIn the run-up to today’s vote, the Guardian’s Kate Connolly travelled more than 850 miles on trains across Germany to hear what its citizens have to say about the state of their nation. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Jenni Hermoso breaks her silence on Luis Rubiales trial verdict after disgraced Spanish FA chief was found GUILTY of kissing her without consent after World Cup final

Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish football federation, was found guilty of sexual assault after kissing Hermoso without her consent at the 2023 women's World Cup final.

Sport