From around the league
Friday, 5 June 2026
-
Steve Clarke's Scotland selection puzzle before Bolivia
Steve Clarke’s Scotland build-up is being shaped by Billy Gilmour’s injury, Tyler Fletcher’s surprise call-up and selection calls before Bolivia.
-
France World Cup 2026: Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise headline an attack worth more than €800m
France head to the 2026 World Cup with a squad worth more than €800m, a refreshed attacking structure and Didier Deschamps chasing a historic farewell.
-
Romelu Lukaku will not start for Belgium against Egypt, says Garcia
Romelu Lukaku scored his 90th Belgium goal, but Rudi Garcia says he will not start against Egypt as Belgium manage his return carefully.
-
Erling Haaland is carrying Norway's World Cup hopes into 2026
Erling Haaland scored 16 goals in 8 qualifiers and has 55 in 49 for Norway as they head to a first World Cup finals since 1998.
-
Marcus Rashford vs Anthony Gordon for England left wing
Rashford and Gordon are pushing Thomas Tuchel into an England left-wing call, with No11 and 18, Rashford's Barcelona output and Dallas looming.
-
France world Cup 2026 attack is changing, but the real test is unity
France head to the 2026 World Cup with a more attacking shape around Kylian Mbappe, but squad harmony and Saliba's management still matter.
-
Scotland fans face ESTA delays before World Cup travel
Scotland fans heading to the World Cup are being warned to check their ESTA status after some approved applications were switched back to pending.
-
Alan Irvine wants Scotland to give young players a clearer pathway
Alan Irvine says Scotland must give young players more chances, with Tyler Fletcher's 19 minutes and 1-minute cameo backing his warning.
Thursday, 4 June 2026
-
Embolo stranded: how a 2018 altercation blocked his World Cup departure
Breel Embolo blocked from World Cup after ESTA review flags 2018 conviction. Emergency visa processing needed 9 days before opening match.
-
Watkins, Mainoo, Anderson: Tuchel picks England on form
Watkins scored 11 goals in 12 games after his March England snub. Tuchel's 2026 World Cup squad rewards form: Mainoo's revival, Anderson's stats, Maguire out.
-
Last-minute rule chaos forces England and Scotland into emergency World Cup prep
Last-minute IFAB rule changes force England and Scotland to scrap World Cup playbooks weeks before tournament. From throw-in timing chaos to substitution
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
-
England squad numbers put Morgan Rogers in the No.10 debate
Leaked England squad numbers and Alan Shearer’s comments have turned the No.10 battle between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers into an early World Cup
-
France World Cup 2026: Mbappe one goal from Giroud’s record
France head into the 2026 World Cup with Didier Deschamps’s structure intact and Kylian Mbappe one goal from Olivier Giroud’s France record.
-
Lewis Koumas' first Wales goal adds weight to Bellamy's No 9 plan
Lewis Koumas scored his first Wales goal in a 1-1 draw with Ghana as Craig Bellamy made his clearest case yet for using him as a No 9.
Tuesday, 2 June 2026
-
Harry Kane one World Cup win from Ballon d'Or conversation
Harry Kane says a World Cup win with England would put him in the Ballon d'Or conversation after 61 Bayern goals and 13 in Europe.
-
Jude Bellingham World Cup No 10 hint points to England's central role
Jude Bellingham has England’s World Cup No 10 shirt, with Morgan Rogers on 17. Marcus Rashford and Nico O’Reilly also got useful clues.
-
Christoph Baumgartner ruled out of World Cup as Austria lose a key man
Christoph Baumgartner is ruled out of the World Cup after a thigh injury, while David Alaba has been passed fit to travel for Austria.
-
England begin World Cup build-up in Florida with little time to spare
England have arrived in Florida for Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup camp, with 28C to 31C heat, late arrivals and warm-up games on 6 and 10 June.
-
England's squad numbers point to a Bellingham-Rashford-Saka core
England's World Cup squad numbers hint at a starting XI built around Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, with Gordon and Rogers left out of
-
Billy Gilmour’s World Cup blow is as emotional as it is practical
Billy Gilmour says the injury that ruled him out of Scotland's World Cup squad has been hard to process, with support from Nathan Patterson.