Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain was hailed as a boon for French football but it surely rules out any slim chance of a title race as the new Ligue 1 season kicks off this weekend. France coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappe was "shining a positive light on the championship […]

London (AFP) – England's Euro 2022 winning footballers on Wednesday urged the two candidates vying to become the UK's next prime minister to ensure that all girls have access to the sport at school. All 23 members of the squad, which beat Germany 2-1 in Sunday's final at a sold-out Wembley Stadium, signed an open […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire have received the most Twitter abuse of any Premier League players, a report published Tuesday has found. Analysis by British media regulator Ofcom of 2.3 million tweets in the first half of last season found nearly 60,000 abusive posts, affecting seven in 10 top-flight players. […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Four South American countries will on Tuesday launch an unprecedented joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup with the hope of bringing the global showpiece back to its first home. Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile's intention to bid has long been in the making. More than three years ago they committed […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona have sold 25 percent of Barca Studios, which manages the club's digital business and audiovisual productions, to Socios.com for 100 million euros (102.5m dollars), club president Joan Laporta said on Monday. Club members had voted to allow the sale of 49 percent of the shares. "For the moment, we have sold […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Liverpool struck first blood against Manchester City ahead of the new Premier League season as Darwin Nunez made an instant impact for Jurgen Klopp's men to win the Community Shield 3-1. In a tale of two big summer signings, Nunez came off the bench to win a penalty and score […]

Madrid (AFP) – France centre-back Jules Kounde has agreed a move to Barcelona from Sevilla, both clubs announced on Thursday, without giving details on the length or cost of the deal. "FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jules Olivier Kounde, awaiting the player passing a medical and the […]

Milton Keynes (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Germany will face England in Sunday's Euro 2022 final after Alexandra Popp struck twice to beat France 2-1 in Milton Keynes on Wednesday. The German captain's opener was quickly cancelled out by Merle Frohms' own goal, but Popp's towering header 14 minutes from time sent the eight-time winners into […]

Fans of Premier League clubs looking forward to the opening weekend of the 2022/23 season may be in for a surprise. Out of the ten matches scheduled August 5-7, only two of them are on television. And neither of those games are on over-the-air television. If you haven't gotten a Peacock Premium subscription yet, now […]

Madrid (AFP) – Neymar is due to face trial in Spain in October just a month before the World Cup over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago, judicial sources said on Wednesday. The Brazilian international, his parents and former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu will be tried […]

"Minor League Soccer" – a catch-all phrase that's been used to describe anything that isn't the top division in the United States. It's a phrase that was reinforced when our domestic first division league cleverly branded itself Major League Soccer when launching in the 1990s. "Minor league" carries a certain stigma here. In every other […]

ESPN's English Championship deal is close to being renewed, sources revealed to World Soccer Talk. With the 2022/23 season scheduled to begin Friday, July 29, anticipation is building for the return of the English Championship, League One and League Two. While a deal has not yet been signed, World Soccer Talk understands that ESPN is […]

Leigh (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Linda Sembrant's stoppage time winner broke Belgian hearts as Sweden won 1-0 in Leigh on Friday to set up a Euro 2022 semi-final with hosts England. The Olympic silver medallists were strong favourites to progress against a Belgian side playing in their first ever knockout game at a major women's […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal signed Ukraine defender Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City on Friday in a deal worth a reported £30 million ($36 million). Zinchenko agreed a "long-term contract" with the Gunners as he reunites with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who worked with the left-back during his time as assistant to City boss Pep Guardiola. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Promoted Nottingham Forest beat off competition from other Premier League sides to sign Jesse Lingard on a free transfer on Thursday. Lingard left Manchester United last month as a free agent after an 11-year senior career at Old Trafford. The 29-year-old scored 35 goals in 231 appearances for the Red […]