Chelsea starts the second half of the Premier League season in fifth place. File. Calum McFarlane said he’s had a “whirlwind” 24 hours at Chelsea since being elevated from Under-21s coach to interim manager and then tasked with facing Pep Guardiola and Manchester City on Sunday (January 4, 2026). The Englishman was put in charge … Read more
When Xabi Alonso was unveiled as the manager of Real Madrid in May last year, there was palpable excitement not just in the Spanish capital but also across the football world at large. This, after all, was a former Bernabeu midfield general, loved by Madridistas for his trophy-laden playing years. As emotional arcs go, there … Read more
Gokulam Kerala players celebrate their goal against Garhwal United. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI Defending champion East Bengal FC drubbed Nita Football Academy 5-0 in a fifth-round match of the Indian Women’s League (IWL) at the Kalyani Stadium to reach the top of the standings, here on Friday. The top-of-the-table clash turned out to be … Read more
The transfer window for Premier League clubs is open with sides ready to splash out to win the title, secure a place in next season’s Champions League or just survive in the lucrative English top flight. AFP Sport looks at five of the clubs likely to be busiest before the window closes on February 2: … Read more
Thirteen of the 14 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs on Thursday told All India Football Federation (AIFF) that they “may be ready and willing” to take part in the delayed 2025-26 season if there is no participation fee and the national body takes financial responsibility for the organisational and operational costs of running the truncated … Read more
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca reacts after the match. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Chelsea have parted ways with manager Enzo Maresca, the Premier League club said on Thursday (January 1, 2026), after the London side won just one of their last seven league games. The Italian, who joined Chelsea in 2024 after steering Leicester City … Read more
The year 2026 will see major events like the FIFA World Cup, ICC men’s T20 World Cup, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Asian Games, Winter Olympics, Winter Paralympics, Commonwealth Games, the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League among others. India will also be hosting the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi. ICC Twenty20 World … Read more
A file image of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe | Photo Credit: Reuters Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has injured his left knee, the Spanish club said on Wednesday (December 31, 2025). Madrid said in a brief statement the France superstar had been diagnosed with a sprain but did not provide a timeline for his recovery. … Read more
Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma | Photo Credit: Getty Images On May 8, 2025, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Tests through an Instagram story. At 38, and after a poor tour of Australia (31 from five innings) during which he dropped himself from the final Test in Sydney, the writing seemed on the wall. Sharma … Read more
Arsenal ensured it will end the year top of the Premier League after beating Aston Villa 4-1 at home in a powerful statement win with all goals scored in the second half. The fourth goal, scored by substitute Gabriel Jesus one minute after coming on, highlighted the depth of Arsenal’s bench this season and coach … Read more
Two Indians — Muralitharan Pandurangan (Puducherry) and Peter Christopher (Maharashtra) — have been inducted as FIFA Assistant Referees. | Photo Credit: P Three more Indians, including a woman, have been added to the list of FIFA Referees by the world football governing body, the national federation said on Wednesday (December 31, 2025). Rachana Kamani from … Read more
The highlight of the year for India was the country’s maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title. After being the finalist twice, Indian women, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, finally lifted the coveted silverware after a win over South Africa in the final. Indian women also made history by winning the inaugural T20 World Cup for … Read more
Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring their first goal with Pio Esposito | Photo Credit: Reuters Lautaro Martinez scored to give Inter Milan an important 1-0 win at Atalanta on Sunday, sending his side into the New Year at the top of Serie A. Inter lead a tightly contested league table on 36 points, one … Read more
FIFA president Gianni Infantino. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the ticket prices for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, citing heavy demand for them and the revenue generated for the sport around the world. This month fan groups criticised the cost of tickets, which were … Read more
Arsenal resisted a late fightback from Brighton to keep hold of first place in the Premier League, but Manchester City and Aston Villa are in hot pursuit. It is a three-way fight at the top with just three points separating first and third in the standings. City briefly held top spot after a 2-1 win … Read more
People take photos outside Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. File | Photo Credit: AP Moroccan soccer fans, in particular, are being frustrated at the Africa Cup of Nations because many can’t get tickets for their own team’s games. Morocco and neighbouring Algeria were the only teams to have their group-stage tickets sell out, but again on … Read more
Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki celebrates scoring their second goal with Phil Foden | Photo Credit: Reuters Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 to move provisionally to the top of the Premier League table after Rayan Cherki grabbed a goal and assist away at The City Ground on Saturday. The French midfielder first threaded the pass … Read more
The AIFF met all ISL clubs and presented its plans for the league. Accordingly, ISL 2025-26 is likely to start on Feb. 5. The format, however, is yet to be finalised. “The meeting went on positively, and representatives of all 14 clubs were present … we hope to start the league by Feb. 5,” Caetano … Read more
The Indian Super League (ISL) clubs on Thursday (December 25, 2025) shot off a letter to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), seeking clarity from the apex body on its immediate as well as long-term plans for the country’s top domestic competition. The 2025-26 ISL season was put on hold in July due to disagreements … Read more
The AIFF presented a long-term plan to stage the ISL in a meeting with all the clubs on Friday. According to the new plan, the league will be ‘owned and operated’ by the Federation for the next 20 seasons. Guiding principles “The AIFF has put this proposal to the ISL clubs, and the two guiding … Read more
The answer: Gyokeres has ended Arsenal’s long search for a true No. 9. | Photo Credit: Reuters The 2025/26 Premier League season has developed into one of the most competitive title races in recent years, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa setting the pace. After 17 rounds, first-placed Arsenal and third Villa are separated … Read more
Another double for Erling Haaland, who is motoring along at better than a goal a game. Another three points for Manchester City, whose winning streak is up to five matches. That’s still not enough to stop Arsenal being top of the Premier League on Christmas Day. A 1-0 victory at Everton, secured by Viktor Gyokeres’ … Read more
Kamaludheen won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper in the Super League Kerala. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT For many teams in the Super League Kerala (SLK), finding a way past Thrissur Magic FC goalkeeper A.K. Kamaludheen proved to be a tough task. He was beaten only six times and no team managed more than … Read more
Opposition leader of West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP MLAs, took part in a protest rally against the recent mismanagement outside Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) ground during football star Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour in the city, in Kolkata on December 17, 2025. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Satadru Dutta, the arrested … Read more
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side’’ second goal from the penalty spot during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP Kylian Mbappe equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid with … Read more
The AIFF rejected the proposal for a club-owned league model and decided to go with its State associations to find a way to organise the Indian Super League this season. The decision came during the Federation’s annual general meeting, which took up for discussion a proposal by the majority of the clubs from the ISL … Read more
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scores their third goal. | Photo Credit: Reuters Manchester City climbed back to the top of the table with a ruthless 3-0 dismantling of West Ham United on Saturday, as Erling Haaland bagged a double to top Cristiano Ronaldo’s Premier League goals tally in less than half the time. Pep Guardiola’s … Read more
Former champion Sethu FC began its campaign on a confident note as it registered a 2-1 win over Kickstart FC in the opening match of the Indian Women’s League at the AIFF National Centre of Excellence here on Saturday. In another match held at the Kalyani Stadium, Gokulam Kerala FC and Nita FA played out … Read more
Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot, right, embraces his player Mohamed Salah during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Mohamed Salah apologised to his Liverpool teammates after complaining of being “thrown under the bus ” by the Premier … Read more
Daily Quiz: On Lionel Messi Lionel Messi with his idol while growing up, who is currently the assistant coach of the Argentina national team. START THE QUIZ 1 / 7 | Messi’s jersey number is also Sachin Tendulkar’s jersey number. It was also worn in football by legends such as X and Y, who were … Read more