Football/Soccer 24 Hours

Last updated: August 9, 2026, 6:00 PM ET

Scottish Premiership

Heart of Midlothian finally secured their first win under new head coach Wouter Vrancken, and statistics suggested it was only a matter of time. Three summer signings were on target as Hearts belatedly got their reign up and running with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Dundee United. Across Edinburgh, Kasper Hogh earned rave reviews after his first goals—and a first-half hat-trick—for Celtic in Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock. The record signing silenced his early critics on the new grass pitch at Rugby Park, with Hogh's hat-trick sweeping the hosts aside.

Derek McInnes remains winless as Rangers manager after Hibernian netted an injury-time winner to triumph 2-1 at Ibrox. McInnes believes Rangers aren't as bad as people think despite his winless start. The match also saw Youssef Chermiti stretchered off after an injury, and Rangers later rejected an offer for the striker, with McInnes confirming it did not meet the club's valuation. Motherwell signed off for their Conference League qualifier with a goalless draw against Falkirk. In other SPFL news, Heart of Midlothian agreed a deal to sell Greece winger Alexandros Kyziridis to a Turkish club for a fee of around £1.7m.

English Premier League Preseason

Arsenal suffered a second successive preseason defeat, losing 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium in the Emirates Cup. The Gunners produced more comical defending, leading to concerns about their backline after a 3-2 loss. Liverpool threw away another two-goal lead as Monaco came from behind to win 3-2 in Andoni Iraola's first game at Anfield. Iraola said his side cannot sustain the level they want after throwing away a lead for the second match in a row.

Chelsea's preseason campaign was all about new manager Xabi Alonso, and what we learned about his side included bonding and building. Marcus Rashford is set to rejoin Manchester United's squad at their preseason camp in Ireland, sources have told ESPN. Substitute Yoane Wissa scored twice to give Matthias Jaissle a winning start as Newcastle boss with a 2-1 comeback win over 10-man Valencia. In a friendly in Seville, Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Real Betis' Antony were sent off after a confrontation, with the match ending 2-2. Udinese beat Spanish champions Barcelona and Premier League side Nottingham Forest to win the inaugural Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup.

Transfers & Transfer Rumors

France international Lucas Digne completed his move from Aston Villa to European champions Paris St-Germain for £8.5m. Fulham agreed a deal worth up to £30m for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles, subject to a medical. Everton and Crystal Palace are in talks about a swap deal that would see Dwight McNeil join the Eagles and Brennan Johnson move to Everton. Manchester United are working on a deal to sign Leicester teenager Louis Page. Ferran Torres has told Barcelona he wants to join Paris Saint-Germain after agreeing personal terms, a source told ESPN.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero is reportedly open to joining Arsenal, but Spurs are resisting any move. Manchester City value Rodri at more than €70m amid interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid, and sources say they won't sanction a cut-price departure. Inter Milan striker Pio Esposito is wanted by Arsenal and Manchester United. Sevilla are nearing a £7.9m move to sign Scotland Under-21 striker Robbie Ure from IK Sirius. Celtic reportedly face opposition from Burnley and Malaga if they want to sign Greg Taylor from PAOK, while Sevilla appear poised to sign Robbie Ure.

International & Other Football News

Inter Miami paid tribute to their absent captain Lionel Messi in Saturday's Leagues Cup loss to Monterrey, following the death of his father Jorge Messi earlier in the day. Jorge Messi died at 68 in a hospital in Rosario, Argentina. The club honored Messi after his father's death. With false rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo was to marry partner Georgina Rodríguez in his hometown, hundreds of fans flocked to a cathedral and saw the wedding of a different couple. Ronaldo found it hilarious.

FIFA hit out at what it called a concerted effort to undermine world soccer's governing body and its president Gianni Infantino, responding to a campaign. LaLiga president Javier Tebas claims Infantino is destroying the very essence of football and believes his time as FIFA president has come to an end, declaring the Infantino era is over. New Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has criticised summer signing Bernardo Silva's fitness, saying he needs to improve after returning for preseason out of shape. Vinícius Júnior ended weeks of speculation by signing a new six-year Real Madrid contract, and here's how it played out. Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a defining second season at Real Madrid as he looks to prove his worth under Mourinho.

Algeria became the first team to reach the WAFCON semifinals, securing a spot in the Women's World Cup for the first time after goals from Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham cancelled out Ines Konan's opener. Alexia Putellas' arrival at London City Lionesses was the biggest transfer in WSL history, and BBC Sport profiles the person behind the global stardom. Brazilian top-flight club Coritiba wore the name of an English fan from Norwich on their shirts to raise awareness of motor neurone disease, honoring fan Jonny Butcher. The family of nine-year-old Minnie Merriman, who died after being found seriously injured, said they were "overwhelmed" after Arbroath FC held a silence. BBC Sport has rounded up some of the best new kits released by clubs around the world—vote for your top 10. The World Cup was a great spectacle, but it was also hard work for players; which clubs are battling burnout the most?