3 h. ago Scotland 'deserve' to end World Cup finals hoodoo next summer as Lyndon Dykes fuelled by Euro 2024 agony

The frontman cruelly missed out on going to Germany last year after suffering an injury just weeks before the tournament got underway

Politics

3 h. ago Jon Bon Jovi: Thomas Tuchel can stay at my house during the World Cup

The 63-year-old teased that he has his doubts about whether England will be able to make the World Cup final

Politics

4 h. ago Cristiano Ronaldo's final club may already be clear after retirement decision

Cristiano Ronaldo has conceded his retirement is on the horizon and the 2026 World Cup will be his final outing in the competition, but will his Al-Nassr contract be his last?

Politics

5 h. ago Cristiano Ronaldo's final club may already be decided as star details retirement plan

Cristiano Ronaldo has outlined how long he may continue playing club football for after admitting the United States World Cup would be his final opportunity to win the competition

Politics

6 h. ago How World Cup expansion is driving Asia’s naturalisation arms race

As Asia’s allocation has now doubled, many nations look to foreign-born talent to push them towards qualificationWhen the United Arab Emirates line up against Iraq on Thursday for the fifth and final round of Asian qualification for next year’s World Cup, it is likely that over half of the home starting XI in Abu Dhabi will be foreign-born. The UAE are, however, merely another participant in a naturalisation arms race in the continent that has been boosted by the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48.Asia’s allocation has doubled from four automatic spots in Qatar to eight in North America, opening up the tournament to a new array of contenders desperate to play on the greatest stage of all. Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia have historically dominated World Cup qualifying, with North Korea the most recent outlier in 2010. Those six are the only teams from the Asian Football Confederation to make more than one appearance at the tournament. Continue readin...

Politics

25 h. ago Cristiano Ronaldo confirms 2026 World Cup will be final major tournament before retiring

Ronaldo told Piers Morgan that he intends to retire ‘soon’ in a wide-ranging interview last week

Sport

28 h. ago Cristiano Ronaldo: The 2026 World Cup finals will ‘definitely’ be my last

The 40-year-old was asked about his future at the TOURISE Riyadh event on Tuesday.

Politics

29 h. ago Premier League moves Arsenal and Crystal Palace matches amid fixture congestion row

Arsenal and Crystal Palace have seen their respective top-flight fixtures moved due to their Carabao Cup quarter-final on 23 December

Politics

30 h. ago Arsenal and Crystal Palace games moved by Premier League before Carabao Cup tie

Clubs face each other in cup quarter-final on 23 DecemberTheir weekend league games go from Sunday to SaturdayArsenal and Crystal Palace have succeeded with requests to the Premier League to move their fixtures the weekend before they meet in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.The teams play in the cup at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday 23 December and had been due to play at 2pm GMT on Sunday 21 December. Instead Arsenal’s game at Everton and Palace’s at Leeds will take place at 8pm the previous day. Continue reading...

Sport

33 h. ago Marc Guehi set to be replaced in England squad for Albania and Serbia clashes by Chelsea star Trevoh Chalobah

CHELSEA defender Trevoh Chalobah has been called up to play for England and replace the injured Marc Guehi. Chalobah, 26, will join up with the Three Lions and former boss Thomas Tuchel for their final World Cup qualifying fixtures against Serbia and Albania. Tuchel gave Chalobah his debut at Chelsea when in charge of the...

Politics

45 h. ago St Mirren open floodgates for Celtic clash as fans allowed to buy 20 tickets each for Premier Sports Cup final

The Buddies are pushing the boat out to shift as many briefs as they can for the Hampden finale

Sport

58 h. ago Erasmus’s coaching scholarship takes South Africa to a higher plain | Robert Kitson

Victory in Paris with 14 men showed what the world champions can still do, leaving New Zealand and others playing catchupSome wins count double in terms of the message they send. And amid the blizzard of weekend Test matches it was Saturday night’s result in Paris that will resonate the longest in both hemispheres. Not only the outcome, either, but the manner of it. To say South Africa exploded a few cosy theories would be the understatement of the rugby year.So much for the idea, for example, that France would avenge the injustice of their World Cup quarter-final defeat to the Springboks. That entering the final quarter with a narrow lead and an extra man would translate into inevitable glory. That even without their talisman Antoine Dupont they still had more than enough tranquiliser darts to keep the big beasts safely at bay. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Two England stars withdraw from squad to give Thomas Tuchel headache

England boss Thomas Tuchel named his squad for the Three Lions final World Cup qualifiers earlier this week but the German already has a couple of headaches with two stars pulling out

Politics

3 d. ago England injury issue could force Thomas Tuchel's hand as struggling star 'can't walk'

England play their final two World Cup qualifiers next week but Marc Guehi is a major doubt after Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner revealed the defender is currently on crutches

Events

3 d. ago France v South Africa live: Springboks down to 14 men after De Jager red card in heavyweight grudge match

Two years on from a captivating World Cup quarter-final, the Springboks and Les Bleus return to Paris for a potentially epic meeting

Politics

4 d. ago France v South Africa live: Rugby heavyweights renew hostilities in mouth

Two years on from a captivating World Cup quarter-final, the pair return to Paris for a mouthwatering meeting

Politics

4 d. ago Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United: Premier League – live

⚽ Premier League updates from the 12.30pm GMT kick-off⚽ Live scores | Edwards stood down by Boro | And mail TimMorning everyone and welcome to the first Premier League game of the weekend. It’s the Sergio Reguilon derby! It’s a replay of the last Europa League final! It can’t be as boring as that was!Say what you like about Spurs, they are Ruben Amorim’s bogey team (and he has a few of those). They may have won only three home games in the league in the past year, two of them against promoted teams, but the other one was against Amorim’s United (1-0). They have also left Amorim empty-handed in the League Cup (4-3) and that Europa final (another 1-0). Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Stephen Robinson puts St Mirren cup final excitement on hold to focus on Premiership form

The Buddies boss wants his side to have full focus on improving their league position as they look to make it four top-six finishes in a row.

Politics

5 d. ago I was gutted when Liverpool dropped me from squad on day of final

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has opened up on his time at Liverpool and the heartbreak of being left out of Jurgen Klopp's squad for the 2022 FA Cup final against Chelsea

Politics

5 d. ago UEFA reject Crystal Palace request as Arsenal fixture fiasco takes fresh twist

Arsenal and Crystal Palace's Carabao Cup quarter-final clash is currently scheduled to take place on December 23 - just two days after the two sides face Everton and Leeds respectively in the Premier League

Sport