Ian Wright fumes over ‘World Cup of chaos’
Ian Wright has taken to Instagram to vent his frustrations about the constant “chaos” surrounding this World Cup – we’re with you, Ian…
Will Castle9 June 2026 11:36
Lamine Yamal ‘on track’ for Spain’s World Cup opener
Lamine Yamal is on track to feature in Spain’s opening World Cup fixture against Cape Verde on 15 June as he ramps up his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Yamal, alongside fellow injured players Nico Williams and Victor Munoz, was omitted from Spain’s squad for their final pre-World Cup friendly against Peru in Puebla, Mexico. However, De la Fuente reassured reporters about their progress.
“All three are on track to be fit to play on the 15th. We do not know how many minutes they will be able to play,” he stated.
“But Lamine’s injury was different from Nico and Victor. Each player will have their own recovery process and timeline.
However, the most important thing is that, within the timeframe we had planned, the 15th is achievable and will be met, so that they are with us and are available to be selected at some point during the opening game.”
Lamine Yamal should be fit in time for Spain’s opening World Cup match (Reuters)
Will Castle9 June 2026 11:28
How a Lucozade pouch is helping England’s stars to cope with the heat at the World Cup
England’s national football team will use a new high-carbohydrate liquid pouch this summer, designed to help cope with the World Cup rigours this summer.
The Football Association has meticulously prepared for the tournament’s unique stresses, including travel, time zones, heat, and humidity in North America.
This groundwork involved England’s performance nutritionists collaborating with sports drinks partner Lucozade’s research and development team to develop a product for hydration, fuelling, and recovery in North America.
Lucozade Elite, a high-carbohydrate electrolyte solution, is being used by Thomas Tuchel’s side at the World Cup. It is not commercially available, having been exclusively developed for use by the national teams.
Will Castle9 June 2026 11:20
John McGinn hopes the recent rise in murals featuring star Scotland players will inspire the next generation.
John McGinn hopes the recent rise in murals featuring star Scotland players will inspire the next generation.
McGinn said: “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that with Scottish players.
“It puts a smile on my face to see the excitement of children again.
“It’s amazing that they’ve got people to look up to from their own country, who are on the world’s biggest stage again, and that’s to be celebrated, definitely.
“A generation’s missed out, but thankfully this generation of children will see us on the side of buildings and hopefully this time come August there is 26 around the country.”
Will Castle9 June 2026 11:12
Germany are no longer inevitable as painful World Cup failures loom large
Adozen years ago, Andre Schurrle crossed, Mario Gotze volleyed and Germany became World Cup winners for the fourth time. There was a normality to do it: this was what Germany did, and if not they reached at least the quarter-finals, because they had done that in every tournament from 1954 onwards.
There have been some unexpected developments since then and not merely because Schurrle retired before his 30th birthday and now spends some of his time in winter climbing icy mountains wearing only shorts, shoes and a supersized rucksack, and also runs marathons.
Perhaps Germany have a mountain or two of their own to climb this summer, including ones they normally ascended as a matter of routine. It was a seismic shock when the defending champions exited the 2018 World Cup in the group stage, the sense they lost their way summed up by the sight of Manuel Neuer losing the ball 80 yards from his own goal seconds before South Korea’s Son Heung Min slotted his shot into the unguarded net. It was an ignominious as well as an early end to their campaign.
Richard Jolly9 June 2026 11:04
World Cup 2026 kits: Every home and away shirt ranked and rated
It’s that time again…
The World Cup is about to kick-off, and that means we are about to bear witness to the greatest array of international football shirts ever seen.
So of course, our Chief Sports Writer Lawrence Ostlere is doing what he does best and ranking all NINETY-SIX kits from worst to best.
Lawrence Ostlere9 June 2026 10:56
Diogo Jota widow pens moving letter to Andy Robertson ahead of World Cup
Andy Robertson has pledged to carry Diogo Jota in his heart at the World Cup after receiving a moving letter from his former teammate’s widow.
Robertson said he “couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head” after helping seal a first World Cup appearance for Scotland back in November, revealing how much both had talked about going to a World Cup before his tragic death last July.
In a letter to Robertson published by Fifa, Rute Cardoso, the mother of Jota’s three children, said: “Diogo often spoke of you. Of the friendship you built, the battles you fought together, the challenges, the laughter, the conversations about football… and about dreams.
“The World Cup was one of those dreams, a dream that the two of you nurtured, side by side, with the same passion with which you took to the pitch.
“When I heard your words and learnt what you felt on that day when Scotland qualified for the World Cup, after so many years of waiting, I realised that Diogo never truly left the pitch.
“By achieving that moment and securing your place at the World Cup, you won’t be going alone.
“You’ll be taking his dream with you too. And when you step on to the pitch, I know it won’t just be you walking out. Diogo will be with you in your thoughts, in your steps, in your heart.
“So today, I want to thank you. Thank you for not forgetting him. Thank you for taking him with you. Thank you for turning the pain of loss into strength and into something so beautiful.
“That’s how we do it here at home too. Every day. He would be, and is, incredibly proud of you. Cherish that dream, Andy. Live it for yourself and for him.”
(Getty)
Will Castle9 June 2026 10:48
England players enjoy ‘mint’ round of golf with five-time major winner at Florida World Cup camp
England captain Harry Kane and several teammates swapped the football pitch for the golf course last week, enjoying a round with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka during their World Cup training camp in Florida.
Their schedule has included a sweltering friendly victory over New Zealand in Tampa, with an Orlando warm-up against Costa Rica slated for Wednesday.
Will Castle9 June 2026 10:40
Shooting near England team’s World Cup base in Kansas City leaves nine with injuries
At least nine adults were taken to nearby hospitals after police responded to reports of shots fired on 79th Street and Troost Avenue around 4 a.m. Saturday, police said. The intersection is roughly 4.6 miles from England’s base camp in Swope Soccer Village.
All of those injured were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive, Captain Jake Becchina of the Kansas City Police Department said in a statement. No suspects are in custody at this time, but the Kansas City Police Department is investigating the shooting.
England’s players and staff were not on-site during the incident, as they are currently training in Florida.
Will Castle9 June 2026 10:32
Michel Platini files criminal complaint against Fifa president Gianni Infantino days before World Cup
Fifa president Gianni Infantino is the subject of a criminal complaint from his former boss at Uefa, Michel Platini, just days before the World Cup kicks off.
Former Uefa president Platini, one of the most gifted footballers of the 1970s and 1980s, had been favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA chief in 2016 until the launch of an ethics probe into a payment he received from Blatter in 2011.
Platini was banned for eight years by Fifa’s ethics committee in 2015 – a sanction which was later reduced to four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Platini and Blatter also faced criminal proceedings regarding the payment, but both were acquitted by the Swiss federal criminal court in 2022 and then by the appeals court in 2025.
Now Platini has launched criminal and civil proceedings in the French courts over the matter, with Infantino one of the individuals named.
The criminal complaint, as confirmed by his lawyer Olivier Baratelli, alleges that Infantino and others “worked to exclude (Platini) from the race for the presidency of Fifa”. The complaint alleges that Infantino was the one “first and foremost” seeking to achieve this.
(Getty)
Will Castle9 June 2026 10:22