The 2030 cycle will be the first time Concacaf participates in a complete qualifying tournament with no nations earning automatic entries. Concacaf's announcement pre-empted FIFA's confirmation of both the number of teams in the tournament and the allocations for each of its six confederations worldwide. The Concacaf qualifiers will start in September 2027 with teams ranked 14th through 35th playing a two-legged, home-and-away series to complete the first round. Each country will play home and away for a total of six matches in that phase between October 2027 and March 2028. The top two teams from each will advance to a 12-team final round played in June 2028 and October 2029. That stage will feature three groups of four teams each, with each team playing home and away for a total of six matches, completed with World Cup qualification for the top two teams in each group. In total, a team could play a maximum of 18 games in qualifying, with the fewest being 12. None of the host nations had to participate in qualifying. From a USMNT perspective, it allows competitive games with only relative pressure and a lower chance of missing out dramatically, as they did in the 2018 tournament in Russia. Meanwhile, Canada shouldn't be too concerned about missing World Cups, with 2022 marking their first qualification since 1986 and just their second ever. In addition to announcing the qualifying pathway, Concacaf also revealed that the 2027 Concacaf Nations League finals would take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which most recently hosted the tournament's showcase games in 2025. Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

Super sub Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to score twice as Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win against Sunderland to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League. Gyokeres made a huge impact having replaced Gabriel Jesus midway through the second half, netting a quickfire brace to add to Martin Zubimendi's opener, and fire the Gunners to a commanding advantage in the title race. With nearest challengers Manchester City travelling to Liverpool on Sunday, Mikel Arteta's league leaders would have been well aware of the importance of a win to put the pressure on Pep Guardiola's side ahead of their trip to Anfield, but they came up against some stubborn early resistance from the visitors at the Emirates. But that resistance was finally broken when Leandro Trossard set up Martin Zubimendi who fizzed in an excellent strike to open the scoring for the second successive weekend with a fine strike that went in off the post from just outside the box. Both Kai Havertz and Declan Rice went close to extending Arsenal's lead but it was Viktor Gyokeres, who had only just come off the bench, who added the second when he fired home expertly having been set up by Havertz midway through the second half. And the Sweden international made sure of the points in stoppage time when he added his sixth goal in eight appearances, tapping home from close range after Gabriel Martinelli had raced clear and set him up. GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Emirates Stadium... Good save down to his left early in the second half. Aside from the early error his handling and distribution was excellent. Gave Sunderland very little down his side. Didn't seem to settle after that. Great to see him back in the side. Not as influential as we've come to expect in an attacking sense but solid at the back. Strong display in the heart of midfield. Got the assist for Zubimendi's goal and it was his incisive pass that led to Gyokeres' strike. Given a start in front of Viktor Gyokeres, but couldn't really get into the game. Looked to have won a penalty in the first half but was flagged offside. Few flashes of quality, but Sunderland dealt with him quite comfortably. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting Off the bench to score two crucial second half goals. Great play to set up Gyokeres' second. Shuffled his pack a bit and will have been more than happy with the performance.

Lamine Yamal scored a brilliant goal, and Robert Lewandowski and Marc Bernal also found the net, as Barcelona beat Mallorca 3-0 at the Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday evening. Hansi Flick's side had to shake off a difficult opening to the game, before clicking through the gears and recording a big win. Mallorca pressed Barcelona heavily throughout the first 20 minutes and had multiple chances to break the deadlock, but could not find a way past Joan Garcia in the Catalan goal. And Barca had a second before the hour mark, as Lamine Yamal took aim from range and, with the goalkeeper unsighted, found the top corner. Marc Bernal then wrapped the game up with eight minutes to go, netting a superb finish after some jinking dribbling. This was a routine win for Hansi Flick's side against spirited La Liga opposition. GOAL rates Barca's players from Camp Nou... A couple of superb saves in the first half as Mallorca flew forward. Barca gained control over the game and he had very little to do in the second half. Struggled at times against Virgili's direct running and was dismal in the first half in possession. Grew into it and did have chances but he has to improve defensively. Gets on the ball and steps out of defence so well; he so rarely loses the ball. Struggled to impact the game as much as he wanted to in the final third. Fine defensively with most of Mallorca's threat coming down Kounde's side. Feather-light touch to Lewandowski for his goal. Created more chances than any other player on the pitch. Exceptional defensively throughout, mopping up behind Olmo and Casado. Somehow missed from close-range on the stroke of half-time after Kounde fired a shot across the goalmouth. Made up for it with a brilliant goal from range. Opened the scoring with a superb finish from close-range after Olmo's very clever flick. Took a knock to his knee towards the end of the half but shook it off. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting Scored the third with some exceptional dribbling and a fine finish. Came on to keep Barcelona solid. Will have been delighted to see Barca keep a clean sheet, and he was able to rotate well.

U.S. women's national team star Catarina Macario was left off Chelsea's Champions League squad for the knockout stage, throwing her future with the club into further doubt. According to The Guardian, Macario recently turned down a contract extension from Chelsea and is attracting interest from clubs across the globe. Macario has yet to play for the Blues in 2026, and her contract is set to expire at the end of the season. Macario has made 12 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions this season, including three in the Champions League. The 26-year-old has scored two goals, both of which came in a 6-0 win against St. Pölten in the Champions League. With her contract in its final six months, Macario can now sign a pre-contract agreement with any desired club. There has been reported interest from NWSL sides, with the player's agent telling the San Francisco Chronicle in December that she was in "preliminary talks" with Bay FC. Since arriving at Chelsea in 2023 from OL Lyonnes, Macario has scored 15 goals in 59 appearances for the Blues. Meanwhile, Macario has been on a scoring tear for the USWNT, finding the back of the net five times in her last three matches.

By securing its bid as AFC third round Group B winners, South Korea is back in the World Cup after last qualifying in 2022. South Korea will begin its World Cup against UEFA Playoff D winner – (Czechia, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, North Macedonia) in Guadalajara. 22 in the latest FIFA World Rankings and has something to prove this summer. South Korea was drawn into Group A along with the following teams: Limited South Korea World Cup tickets are still available. As of publication, the cheapest available South Korea 2026 World Cup ticket costs $174. If you're looking for a better view of the action, field level seats start at $466. Check out South Korea's World Cup schedule for the group stage. More: Here's how to buy 2026 World Cup Final tickets in New York In fact, 3% of South Korea's seats are still available, so act quickly. Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.

On Saturday, a statement from the club said: “FC Barcelona informs that today it has formally communicated to European Super League Company and the Clubs that have been part of its withdrawal from the ESL project.” The European Super League was unveiled in April 2021 as a breakaway competition designed to rival Uefa's Champions League, built around a closed 20 team model. All six English clubs - Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur - withdrew, along with Atletico Madrid and Serie A's AC Milan and Inter. Juventus later confirmed in 2023 that they too had stepped away leaving only Barcelona and Real Madrid still publicly attached to the scheme. In January 2023, Barcelona president Joan Laporta said he still believed a new European competition could be launched, initially positioning itself as a rival to the Premier League. By December 2023, the ESL's backers, Madrid-based company A22. had proposed a revamped 64 club format across three divisions with promotion and relegation between tiers and free TV coverage, though qualification rules remained unclear. A year later, plans evolved again into a four-tier, 96 team competition rebranded as the Unify League. Teams would qualify through their domestic leagues with the structure split into Star, Gold, Blue and Union divisions - 16 clubs in the top two tiers and 32 in the lower two. In November 2025, A22 formally requested Uefa's pre-approval of the Unify League within eight weeks.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has no imminent plans to leave Real Madrid and make a shock return to the Premier League amid rumours of Manchester City interest. Alexander-Arnold was meant to join the 15-time UEFA Champions League winners at the end of June last year, but Los Blancos paid an £8.4 million fee for him to become their player ahead of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The 27-year-old was a key player for Liverpool under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, and won the Premier League twice alongside a UEFA Champions League honour, but departed the Anfield club for a new challenge. The versatile full-back has only started five games in La Liga so far this season, with just 16 appearances since he joined the club due to a muscle tear which has kept him sidelined since December. His injury is expected to keep him out of action for approximately two months, but that did not stop rumours surrounding the full-back in recent weeks, which suggested he was nearing a return to the Premier League. Since those propositions were imposed, journalist Pete O'Rourke has since revealed on the Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast that he is not planning to return to English football, instead opting to fight for success at Real Madrid. “Manchester City we know probably are in the market for a right-back, but I'm not sure it would go down to well with Liverpool if he was to make that move back to the Premier League with Manchester City,” O'Rourke said. “I think, right now, Trent Alexander-Arnold is just focused on winning his place back in the Real Madrid team and proving his worth there. I don't think his plan right now is to be thinking of a move back to the Premier League so soon after leaving.” If a move for Trent Alexander-Arnold materialised, it would have undoubtedly raised tensions on Merseyside in addition to the pre-existing disaccord in those parts, which saw a mural defaced following his famous move to Spain.

Super Eagles and Fulham of England midfielder, Alex Iwobi is still very optimistic that Nigeria could still secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite their current uncertainty in the qualification race. The Hale End graduate admitted the national team is effectively in a state of “waiting” as Nigeria holds out for a potential lifeline to the global showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Speaking in an interview with SuperSport Football about the emotional weight of possibly missing the World Cup, Iwobi was confronted with a hypothetical question: would he rather lift the AFCON 2025 trophy or qualify for the World Cup? “I mean we're still waiting, hopefully we can go to the World Cup, but I feel it's a tough one. Iwobi's cautious optimism reflects the wider mood within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which is awaiting a decision from FIFA following its formal petition over Nigeria's World Cup qualification play-off defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hopefully we can go to the World Cup.” Despite a painful penalty shootout loss to DR Congo at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in November, the Super Eagles' qualification hopes may not yet be extinguished. The federation's case centres on what it describes as a “dual nationality trap”, arguing that while FIFA regulations permit nationality switches, DR Congo's constitution prohibits dual citizenship. NFF General Secretary Dr Sanusi Mohammed insists the federation has a strong case. Founded on January 22, 1995, THISDAY is published by THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LTD., 35 Creek Road Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria with offices in 36 states of Nigeria , the Federal Capital Territory and around the world. It is Nigeria's most authoritative news media available on all platforms for the political, business, professional and diplomatic elite and broader middle classes while serving as the meeting point of new ideas, culture and technology for the aspirationals and millennials. The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of truth and reason covering a range of issues from breaking news to politics, business, the markets, the arts, sports and community to the crossroads of people and society.

Former U.S. striker Jozy Altidore believes this summer's World Cup will silence doubters who claim soccer cannot compete with American football for the nation's attention, drawing parallels to the transformative impact of ​the 1994 tournament. "I think people pay attention too much to the critics," Altidore told Reuters on Friday. "I think the '94 World Cup was a good example of how having the FIFA World Cup, what it can do to ⁠a community. Because from that, a league in the United States was birthed." The ‌1994 World Cup led directly to the creation of Major League Soccer ​two years later, and Altidore predicted similar growth this time around. "When I look at this summer, I see a similar event happening, where there's going to be a boom in interest and registration and involvement for young kids and people across the country," he said. On the U.S. team's prospects under coach Mauricio Pochettino, Altidore was optimistic. "I think Pochettino has done a great job, you know, coming into a new culture, a new environment, and really, putting his stamp on the team, getting them to play how he wants them to play," he said. As for his Super Bowl pick, Altidore, who is now a minority owner in the Buffalo Bills, have his loyalties clear. "I would much rather see Buffalo in ⁠the Super Bowl," he said, before reluctantly choosing the ​Seahawks from Sunday's finalists.

Marc Guiu is officially a Chelsea football player since 1 June 2024. But Chelsea committed an act of selfishness against him this summer. The player's departure did not sit well with many Culés. That the young academy player had chosen to secure better economic conditions without practically having stepped onto football's highest stage caused some division: some understood it as an intelligent move and others as a poor decision, as they claimed he would find it very difficult to get regular minutes in London. In his first season, the 2024/25 campaign, this second scenario came to pass: Guiu played only 14 matches, in which he managed to score 6 goals, all of them in the Conference League, the competition where he had the most appearances (7). At that time, Enzo Maresca, Chelsea's manager until this January, did not give him opportunities in other scenarios. He played only 3 Premier League matches, one FA Cup match, another Carabao Cup match, and the two Conference League preliminary round matches. The challenge as a 'Black Cat' was interesting: securing survival in a category very hostile for newly promoted teams. In the end, Guiu arrived at the club without having had practically any opportunities to prove his talent, but he could at least confirm he had a nose for goal. The serious injury to striker Liam Delap, signed that same summer for £35.5 million, blew up all of Chelsea's sporting planning, as they had also sold Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich. Without forwards, they were clear: bring Guiu back, even if that meant the player would rarely leave the bench. Since returning to Stamford Bridge, Marc Guiu has played 11 matches (7 in the league, one in the FA Cup, and one in the Champions League) and has scored 2 goals. A first stretch of the season in which, once again, it became clear that Enzo Maresca had no faith in him. And now it seems Liam Rosenior, the Italian's replacement, does not either. In the league, he has now gone 9 matches without playing (he has not done so since 6 December against Bournemouth) and, counting all competitions, he has gone 6 consecutive matches without minutes. A complicated situation for the player, selfish on Chelsea's part, and one that surprises few football followers. You can post your own thoughts, comment on articles, and start conversations with our Roundtable Writers.