New Zealand player Tim Payne. Instagram/timpayne__ New Zealand defender Tim Payne is taking his sudden social media fame in his stride as he prepares for the FIFA World Cup, bringing unexpected attention to the tournament’s lowest-ranked nation. In less than a week, Payne’s Instagram account has exploded from 4,715 followers to 4.2 million after an … Read more
Brighton’s James Milner. File picture | Photo Credit: AP Former England midfielder James Milner has announced his retirement from football at the age of 40 after 24 seasons in the Premier League. The Brighton player began his career at boyhood club Leeds and went on to win three Premier League titles — two with Manchester … Read more
FIFA had initially sought about $100 million for the India package covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cups before slashing its asking price to $60 million. Representational image of the FIFA World Cup trophy at a museum | Photo Credit: Reuters Zee Entertainment said on Monday (June 1, 2026) it had secured the rights to … Read more
Celebrations were blighted by clashes between youths and police in Paris and other cities, cars set on fire and shops looted. | Photo Credit: Reuters France said on Monday (June 1, 2026) that nearly 900 people had been arrested in riots that broke out after Paris Saint-Germain club won the coveted Champions League for a … Read more
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, right, lifts the trophy during a parade for winning the English Premier League title, in London, on May 31, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP Hundreds of thousands of Arsenal fans from far and wide lined the streets of north London on Sunday (May 31, 2026) chanting and lighting red flares as they … Read more
FIFA’s logo is seen in front of its headquartersin Zurich, Switzerland. File | Photo Credit: Reuters FIFA’s on-field officials for the World Cup will insist on keeping matches moving by taking rule changes designed to limit time-wasting seriously, the sport’s governing body said on Sunday (May 31, 2026) with the start of the 48-team tournament … Read more
Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa during training in Mexico City | Photo Credit: Reuters Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is set to become the first Mexican player to feature at six World Cups after the 40-year-old was named in Javier Aguirre’s squad for the tournament on Sunday (May 31, 2026). Ochoa, who made his World Cup debut in Germany … Read more
Czech Republic’s Hugo Sochurek. FIle | Photo Credit: AP Sparta Prague midfielder Hugo Sochurek was included in the Czech Republic squad for the World Cup after he became the youngest player for the national team in a warmup game against Kosovo. The Czechs won 2-1 and 17-year-old Sochurek came on as a substitute on Sunday … Read more
Gokulam regained the crown after a gap of five years. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The monsoon is around the corner. But its precursor is here, and it announced its presence in a rather emphatic manner here on Sunday night. Strong rain lashed the final of the Kerala Premier League football tournament at the Corporation … Read more
Having scaled the summits of Spanish and European football with FC Barcelona and imposed his will upon Germany with Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2016 carrying an almost mythological reputation. His credentials were beyond dispute. Yet in England, one question followed him everywhere: Could Guardiola do it on … Read more
Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot. File | Photo Credit: AP Liverpool have parted ways with Arne Slot, the Merseyside club said on Saturday (May 30, 2026) after the manager who won the Premier League title in his first season failed to live up to expectations as they finished fifth. Former Feyenoord boss Slot replaced Juergen Klopp … Read more
When Arsenal faces Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s Champions League final, the rivalry will extend to the singing in the stands. Thousands of opposing fans will try drowning out their rivals’ anthem with their own at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna stadium. Those from defending champion PSG will passionately bellow “Tous ensemble on chantera” (All together we will … Read more
Arsenal’s central defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have been instrumental in the team’s outstanding season, ahead of the UCL final against PSG. File | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters Arsenal’s pursuit of Champions League glory in Saturday’s (May 30, 2026) final is likely to depend heavily on how well the core of their … Read more
Alphonso Davies was named to Canada’s World Cup squad on Friday (May 29, 2026) night although it’s too soon to tell whether he’ll be ready for the team’s opener because of a hamstring injury. The defender, who plays for Bayern Munich, was injured earlier this month in the loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions … Read more
Barcelona’s new signing Anthony Gordon poses with his jersey during his official presentation in Barcelona, Spain, on May 29, 2026 | Photo Credit: AP Anthony Gordon’s long-held dream of playing for Barcelona became a reality on Friday (May 29, 2026), with the England winger even showing off a surprise skill, answering questions in Spanish, as … Read more
A triumph to savour: Kerala staged a superb comeback in the final against Mizoram. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Kerala boasts of a rich legacy in Santosh Trophy Senior National football championship with seven titles and 17 appearances in the final. However, in the junior National championship, Kerala’s trophy cabinet has remained empty for many decades. … Read more
Lionel Messi and his Argentine teammates celebrate in the penalty shootout during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images Amid a worrying rash of injuries, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni sought to dispel doubts by confirming that most of the reigning World … Read more
In late-90s Kerala, a young girl is jolted awake at night by the sound of the television. She finds her father watching football, a cup of tea in hand to stay awake. Soon, the cups become two as the World Cup turns into a way for her to connect with him. She watches a usually … Read more
The Champions League, the most important continental trophy in European club soccer, is the prize at stake in the final at Budapest on Saturday. For Paris Saint-Germain and Luis Enrique, it doesn’t end there. On the line against Arsenal for the defending champion and its serial-winning Spanish coach is the chance to stake its claim … Read more
File photo of Brazil’s Neymar | Photo Credit: AP Brazil forward Neymar is a doubt for the start of the World Cup after injuring his calf, requiring two to three weeks of treatment, the national team’s doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said on Thursday (May 28, 2026). The 34-year-old Santos star will miss Brazil’s two pre-World Cup … Read more
(Enrique is looking to land a second successive Champions League trophy for PSG while Arteta is on the verge of winning a maiden title for the Gunners in Europe’s elite club competition. | Photo Credit: AFP Luis Enrique vs. Mikel Arteta; Paris vs. London; Ligue 1 title-holder vs. Premier League winner; Paris Saint-Germain vs. Arsenal. The battle for continental supremacy … Read more
Indian team ahead of the India vs Jamaica match. Photo: AIFF Media The Indian men’s football team lost 0-2 to Jamaica in the semifinals of the Unity Cup in London, making a disappointing debut appearance in the four-nation tournament. The short competition, which features two semifinals, a third-place play-off and the final, is being conducted … Read more
Seven years after returning to a fractured Arsenal, Mikel Arteta will lead his side into Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris St Germain, one win from completing a remarkable rebuild. Guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004 this season has already repaid the club’s long-term faith in him after three successive runner-up … Read more
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente announces his squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 at an event in Madrid, on May 25, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Spain named injured forward Lamine Yamal in the 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which, for the first time, will feature zero players from Real Madrid. … Read more
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) walks on the field during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Philadelphia Union, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. | Photo Credit: AP Lionel Messi remained at the heart of an injury scare only weeks before the World Cup after medical tests diagnosed him with muscle … Read more
Defending champion Argentina will have its World Cup teams based in Kansas City under a list of training sites announced by FIFA on Monday (May 25, 2026). The record 48 teams competing in the global football showdown that begins next month will have 39 teams based in the United States, seven more based in Mexico … Read more
World Cup fans are wielding artificial intelligence to mass-produce viral songs supporting their teams ahead of next month’s tournament. As the fan-made football anthems are raking in millions of plays across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, experts say that the viral tunes raise questions about song ownership, artist compensation and the valuation of human creativity. But … Read more
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) walks to the corner of the field to take a corner kick during the second half of an MLS soccer match against Philadelphia Union on May 24, 2026, in Miami. | Photo Credit: AP Lionel Messi was at the center of an injury scare just weeks before the start … Read more
On a February evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Mikel Arteta stood on the touchline with clenched fists as Arsenal dismantled north London rival Tottenham Hotspur 4-1. The result was one of the clearest indicators of Arsenal’s evolution this season. The manager’s reaction reflected the composure and confidence of a side that had steadily developed … Read more
The 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held between June 11, 2026 and July 19, 2026. The quadrennial men’s soccer tournament will be jointly hosted by sixteen cities — eleven in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada. This is first time that a FIFA World Cup is to be hosted by … Read more