Tom Heaton is backing Manchester United team-mate Senne Lammens to emerge as a stronger character from his World Cup disappointment. Lammens had been back-up to Thibaut Courtois throughout the tournament until the veteran Belgium goalkeeper was injured 19 minutes from the end of the quarter-final against Spain. The 24-year-old had barely touched the ball before […]

Arsenal may be the Premier League team affected most by the World Cup. The Gunners face an anxious wait over the fitness of William Saliba, who had been managing a back issue before his tournament was ended by the same problem. The centre-back has not yet been assessed by the club’s medical team, but were […]

The 2026 World Cup is nearly over and, with the final fast approaching, it is time to put your knowledge of the tournament’s history to the test. We want to see if you remember all eight of the countries who have won the men’s World Cup. After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes […]

If Messi decides to carry on with Argentina to 2030, then he would become the oldest outfield player to appear at a World Cup, at the age of 43 – unless, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo opts to keep going for Portugal. Not only could Messi add a new record to his long list, but he […]

Conspiracy theories and accusations of bias cause real damage and lead to abuse for referees. It can be difficult to deal with. Pierluigi Collina, who oversees all the referees at the World Cup, had to issue a defence of his referees after Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16. He underlined their integrity […]

When asked if Spain would win the World Cup, Lamine Yamal simply smiled and said “yes”. His words to American broadcaster CBS in the build-up would have come as a surprise to no-one who has seen the confident teenager become one of the best players on the planet. For many though, for his prediction to […]

Ezri Konsa: The Aston Villa defender featured in every game and continued to show he has the quality for international football. A starting centre-back and also played at right-back in the win over Norway in the quarter-finals. He ended the tournament with a goal in the third-place play-off. 7 John Stones: It was considered a […]

Forward Claudio Braga, 26, is happy at Hearts after an impressive debut season last term and speculation over his future. (Edinburgh Evening News – subscription required, external) Braga is “very excited” by the prospect of playing in the Champions League. (Record, external) And Portuguese Braga would go through the ups and downs of last season’s […]

Available for over a year England’s World Cup is over, but what comes next? Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith are joined by Guy Mowbray and Adam Crafton to reflect on England’s third-place finish, ask whether more could have been done against Argentina in the semi-finals and discuss what the future looks like without players like […]

Welcome to our Who am I? game. The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible. After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points. Three […]