July 2 – Having looked like a team that were struggling to find any cohesion or common purpose after four straight losses, including a miserable performance in March at the Concacaf Nations League final, suddenly the USA look as though, if not the real deal, they are certainly worth a reappraisal.
July 2 – Elite football in the form of major tournament returns to Switzerland for the first time since 2008, with Euro 2025 and the quest for continental glory set to take over the Alpine nation this July with more than 600,000 tickets sold and increased prize money on offer for the 16 finalists.
June 30 – Germany’s Bayern Munich cruised past Flamengo 4-2 to reach the last eight of the Club World Cup and eliminated the Brazilians.
June 30 – Enzo Maresca didn’t hold back after Chelsea’s dramatic 4-1 extra-time victory over Benfica in the Club World Cup round of 16 – and his target wasn’t the Portuguese side.
June 30 – West Ham United have announced a multi-year extension to their 5-year partnership with Jeton, which will see the brand continue as its Official Unified Finance App partner.
June 30 – Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv has a new owner! The former benefactor of Bulgaria’s oldest club, Anton Zingarevich, has officially stepped down from power after transferring all his shares to minority owner, the Botev Plovdiv Association.
June 30 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) has unveiled it new grassroots development programme, dubbed ‘Renaissance’, aimed at nurturing young talent across Greece. The program emphasises a structured organisation of football academies and is set to usher in a new era for the sport in the country.
USA 2 Costa Rica 2 (USA win 4-3 on pens)
June 29 – You’d hate to use the word ‘sterile’ to describe a Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-final, but following the drama and passion of Guatemala versus Canada, it all felt a little flat as the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Costa Rica kicked off for the right to face Guatemala in St. Louis. After 90 minutes and the drama of penalty kicks,
Canada 1 – Guatemala 1 (5-6 after pens)
June 29 – The Canadian fans were taking their boycott of Donald Trump’s immigration policies to heart at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, as the lack of red flags was in stark contrast to the blue and white festival that Guatemala brought to the Concacaf quarter-final tie in an epic contest that would be settled by Guatemala with the drama of penalty kicks.
June 28 – Mexico made hard work of overcoming Saudi Arabia 2-0 to book their place in the Gold Cup semi-final. Second half goals from Alexis Vega and Santiago Gimenez secured the win against the Gold Cup guests.
June 28 – Honduras stunned a shell-shocked Panama, coming back from a goal down to force a penalty shoot-out and claim the first spot in the semi-finals. Outside the covered State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the temperature had hit 108 degrees. Inside the emotional seesaw of this game reached a similar high pitch.
June 37 – The chickens are finally coming home to roost for football’s governing bodies. The High Court in London heard preliminary hearing Thursday that there is “no safe limit” for heading a football – a statement that will make many football bodies pay attention after years of denial as players have suffered irreversible brain damage.
June 27 – Crystal Palace are sitting in UEFA’s naughty corner today (Friday), waiting to discover if they’ll be allowed to play in next season’s Europa League – because John Textor’s multi-club empire is infringing on UEFA’s rules.
June 27 – The World Leagues Association (WLA) has again called for “structured collaboration, between international governing bodies and national leagues” on the international calendar to avoid disruption of national competitions and to protect player welfare.
June 27 – After 15 years of collecting dust, cobwebs, and broken promises, the most notorious ghost stadium in world football might finally be rising from the dead. Valencia have secured €322 million ($377m) in financing to complete their cursed Nou Mestalla project – what may go down as the longest-running stadium saga in football history.
June 27 – Marred in controversy, the Club World Cup’s knockout stage will get under way this weekend with European and Brazilian clubs dominating the competition.
June 27 – Just when you thought the Kylian Mbappé-PSG soap opera had reached its final credits, the French superstar has gone nuclear on his former employers. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed Thursday that the Real Madrid forward has formally accused PSG of moral harassment.