Author: James Brooks

A seat is being left empty in the press box at every France game at the 2026 World Cup to highlight the imprisonment of French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes. Gleizes has been held in Algeria since 2024 and was sentenced in 2025 to seven years in prison after being convicted of supporting terrorism. French journalists’ unions have called on Algeria to release Gleizes, who specialises in African football for the Paris-based So Foot magazine. He was originally detained in May 2024 after travelling to Algeria to write an article about club JSK, based in Tizi Ouzou. Gleizes was subsequently found…

Few teams arrive at a major tournament carrying the weight of political pressure that Iran have brought to the 2026 World Cup in the United States. The United States and Iran had been at war until this week, making the hosting situation uniquely fraught for the squad from the very beginning. Iran faced significant visa problems and were forced to relocate their base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana ahead of the tournament. An agreement to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was announced on Sunday, offering some relief but doing little to…

Australian VAR official Shaun Evans is at the centre of a growing controversy after making a hand gesture during pre-match coverage of Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao on Sunday. Fifa has been incorporating brief shots of match officials into its global world feed coverage ahead of each World Cup fixture, allowing audiences to see the referee team and VAR hub staff. As part of this routine, the referee and his team have walked to the touchline while a graphic displays their names and roles for viewers worldwide. The coverage has then cut to the VAR hub in Dallas, where officials…

Mandatory three-minute drinks breaks at all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup have quickly become one of the tournament’s most contentious talking points. Introduced to help players cope with stifling heat and humidity across Mexico, Canada and the United States, the breaks occur 22 minutes into each half of every game. Critics have wasted no time in pushing back, with some describing the interruptions as little more than commercial breaks designed to accommodate US broadcasters. The controversy deepened when it emerged that hydration breaks are taking place even at stadiums equipped with retractable roofs and interior climate control systems.…

Sweden delivered a statement performance at the 2026 World Cup, thrashing Tunisia 5-1 in their Group F opener at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico. The result arrives as a significant moment for head coach Graham Potter, who suffered back-to-back sackings in his previous two jobs spanning a combined 15 months. Potter was dismissed by West Ham in September after winning just six of his 23 Premier League games in charge of the east London club. That followed an unsuccessful spell at Chelsea, where the job appeared too big for the Solihull-born coach after he had impressed at Brighton. His appointment as…

Jordan Henderson has thrown his full support behind Jude Bellingham ahead of England’s opening World Cup match against Croatia on Wednesday. The Brentford midfielder insists he finds it “hard to read” much of the criticism directed at the Real Madrid star in the press. England’s tournament opener against Croatia kicks off at 21:00 BST, with Bellingham’s place in the starting eleven among the most debated topics surrounding the squad. The 22-year-old has faced scrutiny over recent England performances and previously claimed he had been made a “scapegoat” within the camp. Henderson, speaking at England’s training base in Kansas City, was…

Arsenal have begun talks over signing Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, with the 18-year-old emerging as one of the most sought-after young talents at the 2026 World Cup. Bouaddi helped Morocco earn a 1-1 draw with Brazil in their opening World Cup group game, further raising his profile on the international stage. Liverpool are also in negotiations for the teenager, making this a straight battle between two of England’s biggest clubs for his signature. Chelsea and Paris St-Germain have also been monitoring Bouaddi, with the French midfielder expected to cost potential buyers at least £60m. The high-profile interest from across Europe…

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has revealed he turned down television punditry work at this summer’s World Cup to avoid harming the team’s prospects. Southgate explained that he did not want his words to be misinterpreted or used against the current squad during press conferences in the United States. “I didn’t think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team and I don’t want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them at press conferences, so best for me to keep out of the way,” Southgate said in an Instagram post. The 55-year-old resigned as…

Real Madrid have agreed a deal worth up to £51.8m to sign Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella following the conclusion of the World Cup. The 27-year-old is currently representing Spain at the tournament being held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the transfer set to be completed once the competition ends. The agreement is structured at £47.5m as a base fee, with a further £4.3m available through performance-related add-ons, covering a permanent switch to the Spanish capital. Cucurella originally joined Chelsea from Brighton in 2022 for £63m, meaning the deal represents a notable loss on the initial outlay for…

Scotland’s World Cup comeback after 28 years produced an unlikely star, with 20-year-old Ben Gannon-Doak stealing the show against Haiti in Boston. The Bournemouth winger was not even born when Scotland last appeared on football’s biggest stage, yet he performed as though he had been there his whole career. With 54 minutes on the clock, Gannon-Doak let out a roar, clenched his fist and punched the air after shielding the ball out for a Scotland goal-kick. He celebrated the moment like he had just scored the winning goal at the World Cup, and the Tartan Army inside Boston Stadium responded…