Swindon Town face expulsion for picking player who was serving seven-game ban January 16, 2026 Swindon Town face being thrown out of the EFL Trophy after the League Two club fielded two ineligible players – including one who was serving a seven-match ban. The Robins named captain Ollie Clarke in the starting line-up for Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Luton Town and brought on Aaron Drinan as a substitute at half [...]
Is the Premier League decoupling from the rest of English football? December 18, 2025 Ed Warner pores over a report on the polarisation of English football and comes up with a solution to the Premier League’s stand-off with the EFL for the new regulator. “I just hope they don’t mess it up.” The Premier League club chairman’s answer to my question about his hopes for the Independent Football Regulator [...]
Kylian Mbappe wins £53m payout from Paris Saint-Germain December 16, 2025 Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay Kylian Mbappe €60m (£53m) after he won a legal dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses. Mbappe had been claiming €263m (£231m) from PSG, who counter-sued the France captain for €240m (£211m), following his acrimonious move to Real Madrid in summer 2024. A French labour court [...]
Leyton Orient hire firm behind world’s biggest stadium for new home December 16, 2025 Leyton Orient have appointed Populous, the architects behind Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to design their new home in East London. The third-tier club announced plans earlier this year to relocate from Brisbane Road to a new ground, which will be the centre of a multi-use development also featuring shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. [...]
Salah offered Liverpool escape route as Saudi Pro League chief talks up interest December 10, 2025 The Saudi Pro League would welcome Mohamed Salah if his bust-up with Liverpool results in him leaving Anfield, the competition’s chief executive has said. Salah was dropped from the Reds’ squad for their Champions League fixture with Inter Milan this week after his bombshell claim that the club had “thrown him under the bus”. “Mohamed [...]
ITV to show England’s 2026 World Cup opener, BBC bets on knockout rounds December 10, 2025 ITV will show England’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Croatia after it and the BBC confirmed their allocations for the tournament. All 104 matches will be broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK, with the BBC and ITV sharing the fixtures and both showing the final on 19 July. While ITV has [...]
English football clubs facing financial distress drops by 50 per cent December 10, 2025 The financial health of English football appears to be improving, with the number of clubs in the EFL deemed to be facing distress halving since last year. Only three of the 72 teams in the English Football League, which comprises the three professional divisions below the Premier League, meet that bar, according to an annual [...]
Icons, purpose and gastronomy: How brands can win at the 2026 World Cup December 7, 2025 The Fifa men’s World Cup is more than a tournament, it’s becoming the most glamorous, immersive and culturally defining sporting event of the decade. With 48 teams, three host nations, and a projected $17bn economic impact, the scale of the World Cup is staggering. And in true American style, Fifa has even announced the 2026 [...]
World Cup has found ‘right number’ by expanding to 48 teams, says Wenger December 5, 2025 Arsene Wenger insists that Fifa has found the “right number” by expanding the World Cup to 48 teams for the first time in 2026. The former Arsenal manager, now Fifa’s chief of global football development, has long been among the most vocal supporters for the expansion. Critics argue that the move makes the tournament too [...]
World Cup draw: Why Scotland have bookmakers running scared December 5, 2025 Scottish success is the result that bookmakers fear the most ahead of today’s 2026 World Cup draw, William Hill has said. Scotland booked their return to football’s biggest event, ending a 28-year absence, with a dramatic win over Denmark last month. Steve Clarke’s team are 125-1 outsiders to lift the World Cup but that hasn’t [...]