“Dailon Livramento was slumped on the floor. Pico Lopes was looking for his dad in the crowd. Stopira was hugging everyone. Steven Moreira didn’t know what to do with himself. … But it’s difficult to know how you’re supposed to feel when you’ve just helped your country qualify for the World Cup for the first time. And particularly when you are the second-smallest nation to ever make it to the biggest sporting event on the planet, after Iceland. Cape Verde, a collection of 10 islands off the west coast of Africa with a population of around 525,000 and which was a Portuguese colony until 1975, have done something improbable. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Guardian -‘A defining moment of our nation’: Cape Verde goes wild to celebrate historic World Cup spot
YouTube: CAPE VERDE vs ESWATINI | CAF 2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Destination World Cup 2026: The miracle of Cape Verde
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“To many other football countries, sacking a national team coach is a regular event; almost part of the fun. But in the history of the Sweden men’s football side, no national team coach had officially been fired. They’d resigned, or they’d reached the end of their contract. Until now. Jon Dahl Tomasson has become the first exception to the rule. Sweden’s 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in Gothenburg on Monday was arguably the lowest point in the history of Swedish football — not because the result was a shock, but because it wasn’t. …”
“… Welcome to The Athletic’s 2025 agent survey, which analyses a 
“Happy birthday, Sir Bobby Charlton. Arguably Manchester United’s most important modern player and perhaps England’s greatest — the emblem of their World Cup-winning team of 1966, the year he won the Ballon d’Or — Charlton would have been 88 today. He died two years ago this month, the news breaking on a Saturday afternoon. It seemed appropriate, as does Charlton’s birth date falling on an international weekend. As does coming across a rare old book of his: Bobby Charlton’s Book of Soccer. It was published in October 1960, coinciding with Charlton’s 23rd birthday. …”
“In 2000, World Soccer magazine commemorated the new century by interviewing FIFA president Sepp Blatter. One of the questions forced him to reach for his crystal ball: ‘What will the next 100 years bring? I cannot look that far ahead,’ Blatter replied. ‘I will go as far as 25 years, however.’ So what did Blatter predict? ‘I will forecast no radical changes in that time,’ he said. Oh well. …”
“It is the small hours of the morning and outside the Red Bar in central Belgrade, there are a dozen or so travelling England supporters making themselves heard ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Serbia. There are the usual chants that provide a soundtrack to England’s overseas trips, but there’s also a new addition to the national team’s songbook: ‘Stop the boats, stop the boats,’ they chant. ‘Nigel Farage, we’re all voting for Reform UK.’ …”
“It was the most eye-catching result of last weekend, arguably of the entire 2025-26 season so far. But while Barcelona’s 4-1 battering at the hands of Sevilla on Sunday — their heaviest loss in La Liga for over 10 years — will go down as a major shock, the manner of their defeat will be of little surprise to those who have endured the full thrill of Hansi Flick’s reign. …”
“The reports are beautifully presented, meticulously preserved in ring-bound notepads. Each match is recorded over two pages: home team on the left, away on the right. Next to each player’s name is his shirt number, his height, his age and the date his contract expires. There is a space next to each player’s name for observations on his performance. Some merit one or two lines; others, occasionally, are left blank. The ones that really make an impression get four or five lines. And where the old scout has used his highlighter pen, you know he was ready to make a firm recommendation. …”
“Liverpool enter the October international break having lost three successive matches across all competitions for the first time since Arne Slot was named head coach last summer. The disappointing run has raised questions over what has gone wrong for the Premier League champions. Following an off-season of tragedy and change, with seven incomings and as many outgoings (two on loan), their 2025-26 squad is still gelling. Injuries and suspensions have not helped, but some issues go beyond personnel alone. Andrew Jones, Gregg Evans and Anantaajith Raghuraman outline the issues. …”
“”The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of 
“For Arne Slot, this is uncharted territory. Three successive defeats for the first time in his managerial career and a truckload of issues for the Liverpool head coach to address. After 
“… Forty eight years after they were defeated in 
“The map shows the locations of the 12 clubs which are currently in the SPFL Premiership [2025-26]. The map itself is a relief map (topographical). {Source: 
“Welcome to the seventh edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each Thursday, Anantaajith Raghuraman analyses the entire division through a specific lens. After looking at each club’s usage of long balls last week, this time our qualifier is expected goals and how teams have performed against the metric so far. As usual, the article that follows is long but detailed, so please settle down and enjoy it all — or search for the side you want to read about. …”
“Matchday 2 of the 2025-26 Champions League provided us with the season’s first taste of jeopardy. The 
“The Champions League is back in Barcelona, but not where the club wanted it to be. Barca had planned for tonight’s match with Paris Saint-Germain to be played at the Camp Nou. Instead, the team is back at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, their temporary home over the past two seasons, with the re-opening of their iconic home ground now almost a year behind schedule. The continual delays have led to many embarrassing moments, the most recent coming last Tuesday, when, after Barca officials told the media the Camp Nou was ready, the Barcelona city council arranged a press conference of their own in reply. …”
“It was almost four in the morning in Milan. But the lights were still on in city hall. The councillors were not preparing to watch Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the China Open. Nor were they bringing the gavel down on another fantasy football auction, which is usually what keeps Italians up at that hour, albeit earlier in September. Something sport-related but far more consequential was going down at Palazzo Marino. A vote was being held, the outcome of which promised not only to change the face of Milan but the prospects of the city’s football clubs and the Italian game as a whole. …”
“Jose Mourinho seems to love these returns to old haunts right up to the moment the football actually starts. This was the Portuguese’s eighth return to Stamford Bridge either side of his two stints in the home dugout, and he has still only won once — with that powerful Inter with whom he went on to win the Champions League back in 2010. He spent much of the second half here scowling at perceived injustice as Benfica, impressive for periods, fell marginally short. He was booked late on, too, for good measure. …”
“Before Sunday’s 2-1 victory against Newcastle United, Arsenal’s recent form at St James’ Park was three defeats and zero goals in three games, so it’s unsurprising that one of Mikel Arteta’s messages to his team was to ‘learn from the past’. And taking lessons was obvious in Arsenal’s performance, even after Nick Woltemade had put Newcastle ahead. Yes, they took learnings from previous trips to the north east, but they also adapted during Sunday’s game. …”
“Today marks 200 years since the world’s first passenger railway journey. On September 27, 1825, around 450 people made the 26-mile journey from Shildon to Stockton in the north-east of England on a steam train named Active, at an average speed of around 8mph. In the 19th century, Britain was the world leader in railways and in football. The relationship between the two shouldn’t be underestimated. Broadly speaking, there were three major reasons for the explosion of sport as a spectator activity in this period. The most important was the novel practice of workers getting their Saturday afternoons off, a victory for a lobbying group named the Early Closing Association, which had been formed in the 1840s. This opened up that time slot for leisure pursuits — and, in particular, sport. …”
“There is a certain aesthetic which sits alongside the most entertaining games of football — often it is that they are played at a ‘good tempo’. A player who can dictate the tempo of a match is worth their weight in gold, while identifying a team’s shift in tempo is synonymous with an increase in energy and creativity. It is a term that is frequently used within football parlance, but what exactly do we mean by it? …”
“President Trump suggested to reporters Thursday that he would move matches for next summer’s 2026 men’s World Cup away from U.S. host cities that are ‘even a little bit dangerous.’ Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump first guaranteed that the World Cup would be ‘very secure,’ but then suggested that he would intervene and strip host cities of matches. A reporter mentioned Seattle and San Francisco, which will host six games each, as cities that have pushed back against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. …”
“It’s already a familiar story for Liverpool in the Premier League. Just like last season, they sit with a comfortable buffer between their closest rivals: the only difference is that last term it was in November when they pulled away from Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, not September. Granted, there’s still a long way to go and now is not the time to be writing about a club edging closer to another title win. Yet the signs are all pointing in one direction — and it’s not towards the Etihad or London. …”
“The sluggish start, followed by a second-half spark. Long throw-ins, pedestrian approach play, even the red and white stripes. Chelsea fans had seen this film before. An unconvincing 2-1 win over League One Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday presented some alarming similarities to 
“Brace yourselves, the World Cup countdown officially starts… now. In precisely 367 days, the 2026 edition will kick off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with the tournament being hosted across three nations for the first time. To mark the upcoming milestone, The Athletic has a week of content lined up, looking ahead to the expanded 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. …”
“Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool goal, Hugo Ekitike was sent off and teenage defender Giovanni Leoni suffered a worrying injury as Arne Slot’s side won a dramatic and damaging tie against Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round. Southampton almost took the lead in the 42nd minute when Adam Armstrong hit the bar and Leo Scienza headed the rebound wide — but 38 seconds later, the ball was in the back of their net when goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s pass fell to Federico Chiesa, who rolled it to Isak to finish from about eight yards out. …”
“Almost as soon as Anfield’s last visitors leave, new ones swoop in. On Tancred Road, four streets away from the district’s famous football stadium and home of Liverpool FC, changeover day in three rental properties last week was Thursday. Out went the Liverpool fans who had travelled from other parts of the world to watch their team’s 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid. Shortly after, they were replaced by ones in town for Saturday’s Premier League Merseyside derby against Everton. Nearby, separate groups shared a four-bedroom house from Tuesday to Sunday, taking in both fixtures. …”
“Stodgy matches between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City come as absolutely no surprise now. We’ve already witnessed a contest in which all eight defenders on the pitch were recognised centre-backs, another game when Arsenal got a player sent off and hardly got out of their own half after half-time, and a game when it barely looked like either side were even attempting to score until Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time effort took a big deflection and looped in. No one is tuning into this fixture and expecting a classic. …”
“… This was the round when 
“Many frontiers have been crossed within football analytics. It was not too long ago that clubs would be lucky to obtain the most basic event metrics, such as shots, passes, and corners. Fast forward to the modern day, and the granularity of football data now is eye-watering. Players with GPS (Global Positioning System) vests are commonplace in the modern game as clubs monitor the speed, distance covered, accelerations and decelerations of each squad member in every training session and matchday. …”
“Liverpool roll on. Last season’s Premier League winners maintained their perfect start with a 2-1 victory against Everton in the Merseyside derby, but it was far from comfortable. First-half goals from the exceptional Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike set Liverpool on course for victory but Everton were sprightly after half-time, and turned the game into a contest in the 58th minute courtesy of Idrissa Gueye’s fine finish. …”
“There will be no 11th outfielder in the Manchester City goal against Arsenal on Sunday. After eight years, Pep Guardiola replaced the silky Ederson with Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose footwork is more paso doble than quickstep. It looks unlikely that there will be a right-back who can move into midfield and connect play. The no-nonsense flying machine of a centre-back, Abdukodir Khusanov, will be shuffled across instead. There will be no hint of a false nine either, only the truest number nine in the form of Erling Haaland. …”
“Excluding goalscoring, Manchester United’s open-play problems under Ruben Amorim mainly come when they don’t have the ball. What you do out of possession also affects your in-possession game, and vice versa. While it is too early to properly judge their 2025-26 efforts, it is possible to explore issues that were present last season and are creeping in again after five games of the current one. 
“It wasn’t pretty but Tottenham Hotspur’s return to the Champions League was a winning one. A calamitous own goal by Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior in the fourth minute proved enough for Thomas Frank’s side in a low-key encounter in north London, although few Spurs fans were complaining at the relative lack of fireworks. Here, we analyse the major talking points. …”
“Harry Kane scored twice as Chelsea’s return to Europe’s top table ended in defeat despite a promising performance in Munich. The England forward scored a penalty for Bayern before adding a second in a 3-1 victory at Allianz Arena in the first match of the Champions League league phase. A Trevoh Chalobah own goal from a Michael Olise cross after a drop ball had put the home side ahead before Kane doubled the lead from the spot after being fouled. …”
“Eddie Howe said it will be ‘magical’, ‘
“GUADALAJARA, Mexico – At Canteritos El Guero in the town of Tequila, Jalisco – a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists – a group of friends mingles with strangers, dancing to the sound of live banda music. Many of the men are wearing jeans and charros, a sombrero similar to a cowboy hat that is an emblem of Mexican identity. Tequila, the liquor that is most synonymous with Mexico, originated in this small folkloric community. The land that surrounds the region is replete with the blue agave plant that is the main component of the distilled spirit. Guadalajara, the largest city in the state of Jalisco, is also the birthplace of mariachi music and many other Mexican customs. …”
“Less than four months after Paris Saint-Germain lifted their inaugural Champions League title by thrashing Inter, the 2025-26 edition is upon us. The 36-team league phase of Europe’s premier club competition kicks off on Tuesday, with Arsenal facing Bilbao’s Athletic Club in one of the two early kick-offs. There are plenty of other highlights this week too, with Bayern Munich facing Chelsea in a 
“The league phase of the UEFA Champions League begins soon in what is the 70th year since the competition first took place. The first game took place on September 4, 1955 between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Partizan Belgrade, a 3-3 draw in Lisbon and the first British club to participate, Hibernian, made their bow on September 14 with a trip to Rot-Weiss Essen. … Meanwhile, Hibernian, who had finished fifth in the Scottish League in 1954-55, were confirmed as Scotland’s representative. Some sceptics wondered if Hibs were equipped to play in the competition, but Partizan had finished at the back end of their domestic top six. …”
“… In a tournament compromised by wet weather and therefore boggy pitches, hosts West Germany were not overwhelmingly popular winners. 
“This summer, the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs signed more players from the rest of the Premier League than in any of the previous 15 seasons. 
“The map shows the average attendance of the 24 clubs of the 2025-26 EFL Championship (England/2nd division). The clubs’ badges are arranged around the coast of Britain, in grouped boxes. They are grouped by Counties or Regions. The circles-with-club-badges represent each club’s home league average attendance for 2024-25 – the larger the circle, the higher the club’s attendance last season. Each circle-with-badge points to the club’s home-venue location. That home-venue location is listed on the map, along with the club’s home-county or home-region. …”
“Aston Villa’s goal of the month for August was simple. They decided not to bother with it at all because, for only the second time in their history, Villa failed to score in their first three league fixtures. They are the only team out of 162 that make up England’s top seven leagues (Premier League down to the National League North and South) yet to hit the back of the net. A big caveat here is that they have played only three league matches, whereas some teams in lower leagues have played more than double that number. …”
“Barcelona’s Camp Nou return has been delayed again, with the club now having to play their first home match of the season at the 6,000-capacity stadium next to their training ground. On Tuesday evening, just five days before their La Liga fixture against Valencia on Sunday, the Catalan club confirmed the game will be hosted at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which is where their reserve and women’s teams play. But we still do not know where Barca intend to play their other home games over this season. Can they really get back to the Camp Nou? Is returning to Montjuic an option? Might they even stay at the Johan Cruyff? Here is the latest on what we’re hearing, informed by sources at La Liga, Barcelona and the Barcelona city council — who all requested to speak anonymously to protect relationships. …”
“An early memory of visiting Milan involves walking through arrivals at Malpensa and being confronted by Andriy Shevchenko. Our meeting, then at least, was in portrait rather than in person. Shevchenko was the face, the masculine muse, of a monochrome Armani campaign. The poster showed him standing against a wall, pinstripe suit loosely buttoned at the lapel, his silhouette cast on marble tile. …”
“Tottenham Hotspur has been the club where everything changes but its owners. For all that managers and players come and go, ENIC has held power for almost a quarter of a century. No Premier League owner has lasted longer. The front-facing leader had always been Daniel Levy but 
“England made it four wins from four in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, but it was far from convincing stuff. There was a fresher look to Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all out injured, but despite maintaining complete control of the match and never looking in any danger of dropping points, there was little to get the Villa Park crowd off their seats. A first-half own goal and a second half Declan Rice header were enough to preserve their five-point lead at the top of Group K, as they prepare to travel to Serbia — the biggest threat to their qualification hopes — on Tuesday. …”
“One of the charming aspects of following foreign football is realising that certain concepts are expressed in different ways to how it’s done in your own country. And one of these, for those of us accustomed to British conventions but who follow the game in continental Europe, is the simple passage of time. So whereas you’re generally more likely to find the 24-hour clock on the continent — a kick-off time might be listed at “19h” — it is somehow also more common for their television scoreboards to display a clock counting up from 00:00 at the start of the second half, rather than the 45:00 we’d be accustomed to in Britain. Similarly, if you read — for example — La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy, you won’t read goals recorded as being scored in the 65th minute in its pages, but instead in the 20th minute of the second half. …”
Scissors Kick 
