Messi rules out Paris Olympics, says Inter Miami will be his last club gig
June 13 – Lionel Messi has ruled out playing in this summer’s Olympics for Argentina, saying it would be “too much” after representing his country at the Copa America.
UEFA referees chief promises improved VAR and zero tolerance of dissent and dangerous tackles
June 13 – Improved clarity for fans over controversial VAR calls and zero tolerance for dangerous challenges by players, are just two of the areas that will be implemented by officials at Euro 2024 which gets under way in Germany on Friday.
FIFA unveils first 24 base camp options for 2026 and more detail on match schedule
June 13 – FIFA has published the first 24 Team Base Camps for the 2026 World Cup across the Canada, Mexico and the USA, and released a more detailed version of the tournament match schedule.
Cayman Islands forfeit 2026 qualifier against Cuba over fear of US VISA reprisals
June 13 – The long-standing issues of VISA entry to the US for Cubans took a different twist this week with the Cayman Islands men’s team pulling out of a World Cup qualifying fixture in Cuba.
UEFA puts its referees up for sale
June 13 – UEFA is opening up a new sponsorship programme centred on commercialising its referees across all its competitions.
AFC secures major Indian streaming deal with FanCode
June 13 – India may have crashed out of AFC World Cup qualifying for 2026, but the second largest country in the world has a growing appetite for football and the confederation is keen to harness its vast population in the regional game.
Spurs super charges its sponsorship with bp pulse and Castrol deal
June 13 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have announced BP brands bp pulse as Official EV Charging Partner of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Castrol as Official Partner of both the men’s and women’s teams.
Macedonian FA drafts Komercijalna Banka for further 3 years
June 13 – The Macedonian Football Federation has signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with Komercijalna Banka.
Albania
Albania’s draw away to the Czech Republic was perhaps the key moment in their qualifying campaign. In Group E, they were drawn alongside Moldova and the Faroe Islands as well as a Polish side that underwhelmed.
Austria
Austria enjoyed a good qualifying, finishing as runners-up behind Belgium in Group F. They pushed the group winners all the way at home and secured a valuable point away in Brussels. Marcel Sabitzer was Austria’s top scorer with four goals.
Belgium
Belgium once again confirmed how easy the qualifiers can be. They finished top of Group F with 20 points from eight matches and remained unbeaten against Austria, Azerbaijan, Estonia and Sweden. Manager Domenico Tedesco were rarely troubled, further proof that in the last decade, Belgium have become very apt at defeating smaller teams, who often play in a low block. The Red Devils last lost a European qualifier in 2015, against Wales, 1-0.
Croatia
With star man Luka Modric set for one last dance with his country, Croatia will push to go one step further as the side always on the cusp of history looks to switch the script.
England
Looking for revenge after the heartbreak of Euro 2020, England shape up as one of the tournament favourites.
France
France topped Group B of the qualifiers with 22 points and a goal difference of +26, going unbeaten.
