… There’s a long way to go.” Tuchel also said Harry Kane was unlikely to miss as good a chance in the rest of the tournament as the one he blazed over the bar in the 86th minute after substitute Nico O’Reilly hit the crossbar with a header and the ball rebounded perfectly for the …
… Marvin Senaya, Jonas Adjei Adjetey, Jerome Opoku and Gideon Mensah provided a solid shield at the back to thwart the efforts of Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane who many thought could score a lot of goals. …
… It is a story that defies belief, a player from the Ghana Premier League shutting out world-class talent, including Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. …
… Harry Kane almost broke the deadlock in stoppage time but saw his effort blocked by a crowd of Ghanaian defenders as the teams went into the interval level. …
… The Three Lions defeated Croatia 4-2 in their first game of the competition, with Harry Kane scoring twice while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford were also on target. …
… Tuchel boasts of a potent attacking arsenal powered by the high-flying Harry Kane, ably supported by top talents including Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham and Ollie Watkins who on any good day can harm any defence. …
… Madueke was one of England’s standout players in the 4-2 win over Croatia and won the penalty which Harry Kane scored to give the Three Lions the lead. …
Gary Lineker thinks Harry Kane is “the greatest English striker we’ve ever had” after the England captain equalled his record of 10 World Cup goals on Wednesday. …
Lamine Yamal believes he and Kylian Mbappe are the two best players in the world and said he deserves the 2026 Ballon d'Or after winning La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain. Mbappe has also made his case for the award, and Harry Kane is among other favourites.
Lamine Yamal believes he and Kylian Mbappe are the two best players in the world and said he deserves the 2026 Ballon d'Or after winning La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain. Mbappe has also made his case for the award, and Harry Kane is among other favourites.
Anthony Gordon has provided four assists in his first five matches for Barcelona since joining in May, slotting seamlessly into the left-wing position previously filled by Marcus Rashford, though the 25-year-old England winger has yet to score a goal.
Harry Kane scored his 55th Champions League goal and Michael Olise struck twice as Bayern Munich opened their campaign with a comfortable victory over Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt. Jamal Musiala also scored, with his goal marking Bayern's 900th in European competition.
Thierry Henry has backed Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d'Or over Harry Kane, citing Mbappé's 25 goals in LaLiga and 15 in the Champions League last season. He also named Bayern Munich's Michael Olise as a strong candidate, ahead of Kane despite Kane's 36 Bundesliga goals.
Senegal forward Sadio Mane and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi are among 30 nominees for the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or. Mane was named Player of the Tournament at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and helped Al Nassr win the league title, while Hakimi has impressed at Paris Saint-Germain and could become the first Moroccan to win the award.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe believes this could be a good year for him to win the Ballon d'Or for the first time, citing his record 22 World Cup goals and his move to the club he describes as "the best in the world."
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich failed to score for the first time in 59 competitive matches, drawing 0–0 with newly promoted Schalke in Gelsenkirchen. Despite dominating possession and introducing star players including Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala, Bayern could not penetrate Schalke's compact defence.
Harry Kane scored twice to help holders Bayern Munich overcome a goal deficit and defeat second division Osnabrueck 4-1 in their German Cup opener, with Tom Bischof and Michael Olise also scoring.
Harry Kane says he is ready to begin discussions with Bayern Munich over extending his contract, with talks expected to start this week or next week. The 33-year-old striker has one year remaining on his four-year deal and scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season.
Harry Kane is set to begin formal negotiations on a new contract with Bayern Munich, with his current deal expiring at the end of the coming season. The 32-year-old striker has scored 146 goals in 134 appearances for Bayern since joining from Tottenham in 2023, and has attracted interest from clubs across Europe and Saudi Arabia.
England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating France 6-4 in a bronze-medal playoff in Miami, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham setting a new England World Cup scoring record.
Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup with 10 goals in eight games, becoming the first player to win the award twice and extending his men's World Cup all-time top scorer record to 22 goals.
Jude Bellingham became the first Englishman to score seven goals at a single World Cup, breaking the previous record of six held by Gary Lineker and Harry Kane. The Real Madrid midfielder scored in a 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off.
England led 1-0 against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final but manager Thomas Tuchel switched to a defensive approach; Argentina scored twice in the final minutes through Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to eliminate England. England had only 12% possession after taking the lead and introduced defenders rather than forwards.
England led 1-0 against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final but conceded two goals in the 85th and 92nd minutes after manager Thomas Tuchel switched to a defensive approach, with the team holding only 12% possession after taking the lead. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez noted the momentum shift as England brought on defensive players rather than pushing forward.
Nine of Africa's 10 representatives in the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament progressed from the group stage, but all were eliminated in the knockout rounds, with several losing in the closing minutes of matches. This marked the continent's strongest group-stage performance yet, but ended in disappointment as African teams failed to advance further.
Nine of ten African teams advanced from group stage at the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament, but one after another suffered elimination in closing moments of knockout matches, with goals conceded in the 86th, 89th, 92nd, 93rd minutes and extra time. Only Tunisia failed to advance from the group stage.
Former Hearts of Oak boss Mas-Ud Didi Dramani provides a tactical breakdown of England and Argentina's strategies ahead of their 2026 World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday, with the winner to face Spain in the final.
Nico O'Reilly is expected to be available for England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina despite picking up a hamstring problem in the quarter-final win over Norway. Declan Rice is thought to be fully recovered from a sickness bug that sidelined him before the quarter-final.
Nine of Africa's ten World Cup teams advanced past the group stage, with Morocco reaching the quarter-finals before elimination by France, and Egypt winning a World Cup match for the first time while advancing to the last 16. Several African sides came close to major upsets but were unable to hold leads late in their matches.
England captain Harry Kane says the team "have another level we can reach" as they prepare for a World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday, with manager Thomas Tuchel seeking the performance level he sees in training after England's sloppy 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway.
Norway manager Stale Solbakken told BBC Sport that England are favourites to reach the World Cup semi-finals ahead of their quarter-final meeting on Saturday in Miami. Norway has advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 1998, knocking out Brazil in the last 16.
Justin Bieber will perform alongside Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, and Sesame Street muppets during the 2026 World Cup final half-time show on 19 July in New York. The 11-minute performance, curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million for children worldwide.
Justin Bieber will perform alongside Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, and Sesame Street muppets at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final half-time show on 19 July in New York. The 11-minute set, curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million for children worldwide.
Javier Aguirre stepped down as Mexico manager after a 3-2 World Cup loss to England ended the co-hosts' tournament run, their deepest in 40 years. Aguirre backed former Mexico captain Rafa Marquez to take over and continue the squad's development.
Ten-man England defeated Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca Stadium to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the third consecutive time, with goals from Jude Bellingham (two) and Harry Kane (penalty). England will face Norway, who beat Brazil 2-1 on the same day.
England defeated Mexico at the Azteca Stadium to reach the World Cup quarter-final against Norway, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice and England playing with ten men after Jarell Quansah's red card in the second half.
Robert Lewandowski has signed a two-year deal with MLS side Chicago Fire after leaving Barcelona. The 37-year-old Polish striker ended his four-year stint in La Liga and was also of interest to AC Milan and the Saudi Pro League.
England beat Panama 2–0 in their second FIFA World Cup 2026 match at New York/New Jersey Stadium, with second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, whose goal was his 11th in World Cup play. The win secures first place in Group L after an earlier stalemate against Ghana.
Ghana drew 0-0 with England in their second Group L match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, leaving the Black Stars second in the group with four points. Coach Carlos Queiroz told fans the team's target remains reaching the knockout stage, with matches against Croatia and Panama still to play.