What does Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL mean for the league, Gotham FC and the player herself?

The Australian superstar returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue, and the playing conditions were comparatively abysmal. The Australian striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team infamously bereft of locker rooms or running water at its training facility. This July, she returned to a vastly evolved franchise that has won two NWSL Championships in three seasons while implementing a comprehensive overhaul of

A striker duel for the ages & Qatar revenge - what to expect in quarter-finals

Setting the scene for each of the four intriguing World Cup quarter-finals that begin on Thursday.

Goals galore - how dominant is Premier League wealth at World Cup?

BBC Sport explores just how dominant the Premier League's wealth is at the World Cup.

Marcus Rashford expected to start new season back at Manchester United

Carrick set to welcome player back after World Cup Club preference is to ease wage bill by offloading player Marcus Rashford is set to be re-integrated at Manchester United following the World Cup, with the forward currently expected to start next season as part of Michael Carrick’s squad. Due to a breakdown in the relationship between the player and club, the 28-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, last played for United in a 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Pilzen in December 2024. There is no issue between Rashford and Carrick. Continue reading...

USMNT World Cup player ratings: high marks for McKennie and Tillman, but Pulisic and Dest fall short

The Americans crashed out in disappointing fashion, but there were positives from the tournament on the whole. We look at how the roster performed Stats from fotmob.com , Opta and Fifa ; players listed in order of minutes played. Weston McKennie, center/attacking midfield (Juventus) Continue reading...

State of Origin LIVE! Queensland Maroons take on New South Wales Blues in decider

O'Neill confident Duran deal will only be start of Celtic summer signings

Martin O’Neill is anticipating Celtic's transfer business to accelerate with Camilo Duran on the verge of becoming the club's first new summer signing.

World Cup 2026 team power rankings: England on the rise as last eight are set

We assess the teams who played in the tournament’s last 16 before the next round of games begins A very different side of France came to the fore , proving they are not mere showboaters, there is plenty of steel, grit and determination among the ranks. It was a brutal encounter as they became targets for Paraguay, who added menace to the low block. No one in blue retreated to the shadows, instead taking the overaggression head on, using it as fuel. “To anyone who wants to go to war with us, this is what you should expect,” Rayan Cherki said. It was the biggest test they have faced this far bu

The World Cup stars who could have played for England

While there is no shortage of talent in the England squad, a number of World Cup stars from other nations could have featured for the Three Lions if things had worked out differently.

Refereeing at this World Cup has been fine, we don’t need input of Tuchel and Trump | Chris Foy

Give or take the odd error, officials have got it right on most occasions, while VAR has helped them when they haven’t Thomas Tuchel was critical of the refereeing at the World Cup after England’s win against Mexico , describing it as unreliable, erratic and not good enough. His comments struck me as reverse psychology – the referees have generally been OK, with some positive decisions made, but there have also been occasions when they have not got things right. Like everyone, referees cannot be perfect. Egypt claimed they were victims of an injustice against Argentina on Tuesday but the

'Your boys took a hell of a beating' - England and Norway's football rivalry

England's meeting with Norway in the World Cup quarter-final revives memories a commentary more famous than their rivalry.

Is there such a thing as ‘the perfect penalty’ in football? – video

The pain of the penalty shootout is the cruellest fate in football. A single spot kick can easily decide the outcome of a game at a World Cup, making any advantage in taking a penalty crucial. So what can we learn about the best strategy for penalty kicks from statistics and research? Guardian Sport's Nikhita Chulani looks what the data tells us about the art of the perfect penalty. World Cup glory could all come down to penalties. What’s the best strategy? Continue reading...