Manchester United Under-21 boss Adam Lawrence has confirmed Shea Lacey is now considered a first-team player. The 18-year-old, once dubbed by fans as ‘the Scouse Lionel Messi’, onl…

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest of its kind as it will be hosted over three countries for the first time in history, featuring 48 teams from the six football federations, an increase of 16 countries from the regular format of 32 nations that has been in place since 1998. The… The post Newcomers and Second Appearances: What to Expect in the 2026 World Cup first appeared on Breaking The Lines.

El torneo juvenil se desarrollará del 03 al 19 de abril en las localidades de Ypané y Villeta - Paraguay. Esta competición dará siete cupos directos para el Mundial de la categoría, que se disputará este año en Catar. La CONMEBOL Sub-17 2026 comenzará este viernes 03 de abril en Paraguay, con partidos en el Estadio CARFEM (Ypané) y el Estadio Ameliano (Villeta), sedes de la Fase de Grupos y la Fase Final. En esta edición participarán las diez Asociaciones Miembro de la CONMEBOL: Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay (anfitrión), Perú, Uruguay y Venezuela. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida por CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) A lo largo del torneo, los equipos buscarán no solo el título continental, sino también asegurar su clasificación mundialista. Esta competición otorgará siete cupos directos para la Copa del Mundo de la categoría, que se disputará este año en Catar, convirtiéndose en una instancia clave para las selecciones sudamericanas. Actualmente, Brasil – vigente campeón – es la selección que lidera el historial, al haber ganado catorce ediciones. En la tabla de campeones, Argentina se ubica en el segundo lugar con cuatro consagraciones, mientras que Colombia y Bolivia han conquistado un título en la competición. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) – Partidos de la Fecha 1 – Viernes, 3 de abril - Grupo A: Uruguay vs. Chile - 17:00h (hora local) - Estadio Carfem. Paraguay vs. Ecuador - 20:00h (hora local) - Estadio Carfem. Sábado, 4 de abril - Grupo B: Perú vs. Argentina - 17:00h (hora local) - Estadio Ameliano. Brasil vs. Bolivia - 20:00h (hora local) - Estadio Ameliano. – Formato de competencia – La CONMEBOL Sub17 2026 se disputará en dos fases: Fase Preliminar (Fase de Grupos) y Fase Final (disputas de los 7° y 5° puestos, semifinal, disputa del 3° puesto y final). Todas las fases se jugarán a una sola rueda de partidos. La fase preliminar la disputan los 10 equipos, distribuidos en 2 grupos de 5 equipos cada uno. Clasificarán para la semifinal, los equipos que ocupen las dos primeras posiciones en cada grupo. Los demás equipos de cada grupo disputarán las posiciones del 5° al 7° puesto (se enfrentarán en un cruce entre los 3° y 4° de cada grupo, para determinar los equipos que jugarán por el 5° y 7° puesto). – Clasificación al Mundial – Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) Clasificarán de manera directa a la Copa Mundial Sub17 de la FIFA 2026™, las siete Asociaciones Miembro participantes cuyas selecciones ocupen las siete primeras posiciones de la Fase Final de la CONMEBOL Sub17 2026. En caso de que alguna de las AMPs ubicadas entre las siete primeras posiciones de la Fase Final de la CONMEBOL Sub17 2026 sea el país anfitrión de la Copa Mundial Sub17 de la FIFA 2026™ y por esa razón tenga un cupo garantizado en la competición, la AMP ubicada subsecuente (octavo lugar) en la tabla de posiciones de la Fase Final, será quien ocupe su lugar en la clasificación a la Copa Mundial Sub 17de la FIFA 2026™. – Calendario de Partidos – Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de CONMEBOLtorneos (@conmeboltorneos) - Venta de entradas - https://twitter.com/CONMEBOLtorneos/status/2039100435684794872 CONMEBOL.com

Frimpong setback casts shadow over Koeman’s preparations Ronald Koeman’s latest international window has been clouded by an all-too-familiar concern: player fitness. The Netherlands manager confirmed that Jeremie Frimpong suffered another injury setback during the 1-1 draw with Ecuador, a development that threatens both club and country ambitions at a crucial stage of the season. Frimpong, […] The post Ronald Koeman confirms Jeremie Frimpong injury blow appeared first on anfieldindex.com.

Australia will face a stern test in their first match of the tournament after beating Curacao 5-1 in Melbourne on Tuesday night.

Australia beat Curacao 5-1 on Tuesday night as they prepare for the World Cup in the summer

Hello Rank Squad! We thought that with less than 100 days to go now until the World Cup begins this summer, it was time to start to take a look at the tournament in earnest - and the storylines on the pitch that are set to dictate just how this tournament is remembered from a footballing perspective. We split that into three parts. Firstly, we take a look at three of the favourites to win the tournament - holders Argentina, as well as France and Spain - and the narrative threads behind each of their campaigns to come. We look at Argentina's attempt to be the first nation to go back-to-back since Brazil in the 1960's, France hoping to give Didier Deschamps the send-off his illustrious managerial tenure deserves, and Spain looking to begin a new dynasty by backing up their 2024 Euros with a World Cup two years later, just as their Golden Generation did in 2012 and 2014. Then in Part Two, we look at the managers who have traded their club loyalties for a shot at winning the most illustrious tournament of them all at international level - looking at England under Thomas Tuchel, Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, the USMNT under Mauricio Pochettino, and Germany under Julian Nagelsmann. And finally, in Part Three, we dive into the four teams who have qualified for the first time ever - Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan and Jordan - examining their stories, the background, and the manner in which we're expecting them to show up to the party. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? (http://patreon.com/ranksfc) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tracing Leeds United’s place in the tradition of Northern Realism This piece was written by Anthony Clavane for issue 9 At the beginning of 2013, several announcements were made which caused me to reflect on the connection between football and art. First, Radio 4 announced they would broadcast the complete text of Tony Harrison’s poem […] The post That Grandish Pile of Swank appeared first on The Blizzard.

Three world-class goals and a heroic victory to reach the World Cup. It’s classic Scotland, right? Maybe not, but today Marcus, Jim and Pete are here to revel in one of the greatest games they’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. That’s what football do to ya, eh?! Elsewhere, Wales’ seven goals against North Macedonia somehow aren't headline news and Curaçao make history. Plus, DR Congo earn a famous victory without breaking any rules at all! Join the Football Ramble WhatsApp HERE Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble. Click here to become a Friend of the Ramble on YouTube! Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected]. The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jetting off on this international break with Jimbo are Duncan Alexander, Daniel Storey and Colin Millar. World Cup qualifying is reaching its conclusion with France officially there, Norway all but officially there and Portugal blowing another chance to be there. Ronaldo is sent off in defeat to the Republic of Ireland who keep their hopes alive. England make it 7 wins out of 7 as they beat Serbia 2-0. How much is Thomas Tuchel learning from this qualification campaign? We discuss the possibility of Curaçao reaching next summer’s tournament and how San Marino can improve their chances by getting hammered against Romania. Jay Harris joins us from Morocco where he’s watching the African play-offs before the inter-confederation play-offs in March, as Nigeria and DR Congo set up a decider on Sunday. Plus all you need to know about the betting scandal that has rocked Turkish club football and led to over a thousand players being suspended. Produced by Charlie Jones RUNNING ORDER: • PART 1a: Ronaldo sees red against the Republic (03.30) • PART 1b: European qualifying - Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales’s hopes (07.00) • PART 2: England 2-0 Serbia (24.00) • PART 3a: Nigeria 4-1 Gabon with Jay Harris (31.00) • PART 3b: Could Curaçao qualify? (38.00) • PART 3c: Why don’t more populous nations qualify? (42.00) • PART 4: The Turkish betting scandal explained (45.00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.