Last updated: August 6, 2026, 10:08 PM ET
FIFA Leadership Crisis Deepens
fallout FIFA President Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup has plunged world football's governing body into its most severe leadership crisis in years. The world players' union FIFPRO has condemned Infantino's "abuse of presidential power" and called for change at the top of FIFA following his botched World Cup stake sale plans. UEFA's boycott of FIFA tournaments still stands, with under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino remaining in his position, and the FA now joining them in opposing his re-election next year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he no longer has confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, adding to growing pressure on the soccer leader after his abandoned plan to sell stakes. The association of European soccer leagues called for governance reform of FIFA on Wednesday, adding to the mounting pressure on president Gianni Infantino following his failed plan. Portugal great Luís Figo has joined calls for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down over his failed plan to sell of the World Cup to private investors. FIFA has been accused of blackmailing Jordan over World Cup money in return for their support for Gianni Infantino to stay on as president. Two senior FIFA executives -- coaching great Arsène Wenger and CEO-like secretary general Mattias Grafström -- distanced themselves Tuesday from their boss Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes. called senior leaders to a meeting on Wednesday, after facing more fierce criticism of his scrapped plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations. Under-pressure FIFA president Gianni Infantino held a crisis meeting with senior staff in Morocco on Wednesday. FIFA said it had apologized for errors made over Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and that senior staff in attendance at a summit held in Morocco "reaffirmed th..."
Transfer Window Heats Up
The summer transfer window is reaching a fever pitch as Europe's biggest clubs maneuver for elite talent, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri at the center of a two-club battle. Rodri given Barcelona the go-ahead to begin talks with Manchester City as they try to beat Real Madrid to a deal for the midfielder, a source has told ESPN. Barcelona are set to approach Man City for midfielder Rodri and are hopeful they can beat their LaLiga rivals to the signing of the Spain captain, Sky Sports News understands. Midfielder Rodri have a huge decision to make this summer on whether to join Real Madrid or Barcelona, should he decide to leave Manchester City. Arsenal have agreed a £75m fee with Newcastle for their captain Bruno Guimaraes. United manager Matthias Jaissle says a decision about Bruno Guimaraes' future was "already made" by the time he first met the club's departing captain.
Mohamed Salah decided to trade the Premier League for Turkish side Trabzonspor, but with time running out in the transfer window, his departure leaves Liverpool with questions to answer. Mohamed Salah joined Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor on a free transfer. Vinicius Junior signed a new six-year Real Madrid contract to put an end to Arsenal's pursuit of the forward. Vinicius Junior dream is over, so what do Arsenal do now in their bid to improve their forward line this summer? Winger Jeremy is the latest Manchester City player to commit his future to the club after signing a new contract until 2031. Micky van Ven is close to agreeing a new five-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur. Crystal Palace are set to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu on a free transfer following a successful trial and are considering a move for winger Solly March. Premier League Crystal Palace are in advanced talks to sign Real Salt Lake's 19-year-old wing-back Zavier Gozo, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Liverpool reportedly looking to strengthen their attack by signing Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye. Liverpool have explored the conditions of a deal for Paris Saint-Germain's teenage winger Ibrahim Mbaye. Liverpool prepared to make Bradley Barcola their third £100m signing, BBC Sport looks at what the France and Paris St-Germain winger would bring to Anfield. Leeds United signed goalkeeper James Trafford from Manchester City in a club-record deal. Hull City Greece goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis from Olympiacos on a five-year deal for a club-record fee. Bournemouth announce the signing of right-back Juanlu Sanchez from Spanish club Sevilla in a deal worth up to £11.1m. Chelsea set to clinch a deal to sign Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria for a fee of around £16.3m (€19m) plus add-ons. Wrexham have signed midfielder Ben Whiteman from Preston on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Millwall sign Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes on a one-year deal following the end of his contract with Charlton Athletic. Swansea City free agent Ross Stewart on a three-year deal following the Scotland striker's departure from Southampton. Cardiff City Lincoln City midfielder Jack Moylan for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal. Birmingham City sign France youth international Chancelle Effa Effa from Le Havre for £100K. Former Mexico Hirving "Chucky" Lozano is finalizing a deal to join the LA Galaxy on loan from San Diego FC, sources told ESPN. Everton have completed the signing of Denmark international Christian Nørgaard from Arsenal, the clubs announced Wednesday. Liverpool have signed Spanish midfielder Natalia Ramos from CD Tenerife Femenino, subject to visa approval and international clearance. Defender Gabby has completed a move to Brighton from Manchester United before the start of the Women's Super League season.
Preseason Friendlies and Managerial News
Arsenal's preseason on a sour note as defensive errors led to a 3-1 defeat to Real Betis in Dublin, leaving manager Mikel Arteta's squad frustrated. Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal players were "fuming" after defensive errors saw them fall to a 3-1 preseason defeat to Real Betis in Dublin on Wednesday. Mikel Arteta his players were "fuming" after Arsenal produced a sloppy performance as they were beaten 3-1 by LaLiga side Real Betis in a pre-season friendly in Dublin. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is impressed with the maturity and focus shown by Northern Ireland international Ceadach O'Neill. Chelsea failed to ramp up their pre-season preparations as Xabi Alonso's side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong thanks to Edon Zhegrova's stunning second-half strike. Enzo Maresca his first game in charge of Manchester City with a 3-1 win over the K-League All Stars in Seoul.
Newcastle United have appointed Matthias Jaissle, as head coach to succeed Eddie Howe, and the club's CEO is bullish on the German's potential. United CEO David Hopkinson has called new head coach Matthias Jaissle a "rock star" with "no ceiling on where his career could go." Less than a month out from the WSL season, Manchester United have appointed Eva Olid to take over as manager, but why have they changed direction? Manchester United appoint former Hearts boss Eva Olid as their new women's manager on a two-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months. Liverpool legend Rush says new boss Andoni Iraola deserves time to succeed at Anfield but should target winning silverware in his debut campaign. Liverpool's time in the U.S. showed that coach Iraola & Co. still have a lot of work to do ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
European Qualifiers and Scottish Clubs
Scottish clubs endured a mixed night of European action, with Rangers and Hearts suffering defeats while Motherwell drew and Hibernian secured a vital win. McInnes says Rangers were "guilty of beating ourselves" as he bemoaned the loss of cheap goals in the Europa League qualifying first-leg defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland. Derek McInnes is still looking for his first win as Rangers manager after they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in Europa League qualifying. Hearts endured a predictably bruising evening in Lisbon as their hopes of progressing to the Europa League were all but ended by a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Benfica. Rangers have completed the signing of winger Daisuke Yokota from Hannover. Rangers' winger Yokota was handed his debut against Jagiellonia Bialystok. Heart Midlothan and Rangers start their new season in the Champions League qualifying group stage on Wednesday. Celtic manager O'Neill remains in hospital after undergoing a "small procedure", the club announce.
Domestic Leagues and Cups
Carabao Cup returned for the 2026/27 season, with every first-round tie available to watch live on Sky Sports, and it produced an early shock. Walsall shocked Bristol City in the Carabao Cup curtain raiser. The bulk of the EFL cup's first round fixtures will take place on a weekend, despite traditionally being a midweek cup competition. Winger Harvey scored a first senior hat-trick as Hull FC ended a seven-game losing run with a 32-18 comeback win at St Helens. United's first three National League South games of the season are suspended because of the club's financial problems. Former AC Milan and Brazil forward Alexandre Pato is a member of a consortium which is set to buy a majority stake in League Two club Northampton Town, BBC Sport understands. The Argentine Football Association announces 15 July as National Football Teams Day to mark Argentina's 2026 World Cup semi-final victory over England. Lionel Messi scored a stellar pair of goals to guide his team to a come-from-behind 4-2 rout of Atlético de San Luis in its first game of the 2026 Leagues Cup. Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said Luis Suárez cannot be replaced as the team prepares to navigate the Leagues Cup without the forward due to his lengthy suspension.
The Hundred and Other Sports
Sikandar Raza MI London to a win that jumped them up to second in the table and condemned London Spirit to an early departure from The Hundred. Melie Kerr's defiant half-century and decisive death bowling from Hayley Matthews helped MI London to a belated first win of the season against capital rivals London Spirit. Rockets extended their lead at the top of The Hundred table with a near-perfect performance that secured their fifth win in six games, leaving Birmingham Phoenix rooted to the bottom. Sun Risers Leeds posted 241-2, the highest score in the history of The Hundred, before cruising to a comfortable victory over London Spirit. Rockets went top of The Hundred women's table after a fourth win on the bounce against Birmingham Phoenix at Trent Bridge that all but assures them a spot in the latter stages of the tournament.
ended their eight-match away Test losing streak in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, securing an eight-wicket victory over the West Indies. Returning captain Joe Root and England have named their 16-man squad for the opening two Tests against Pakistan. Jacob Bethell miss the entirety of England's upcoming Test series against Pakistan, while Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse have been named in the 16-man squad. Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to an ongoing wrist injury, increasing worries over his US Open title defence, which begins on August 30. British 2 Cameron Norrie claimed a comfortable victory at the National Bank Open in Montreal to set up a third-round meeting with Katie Boulter's new husband Alex De Minaur. Five years on from winning his biggest title in Indian Wells, Britain's Cameron Norrie has found his form to dump out third seed Alex de Minaur and reach the fourth round of the National Bank Open. Jack Draper left in tears after losing to Terence Atmane as the Brit's long-term arm injury appeared to resurface and hamper him on his return to action at the Canadian Open. Max Verstappen has praised the "rock solid" performances that have taken Kimi Antonelli to the top of Formula 1's Drivers' Championship over the first half of the 2026 season. Tyson Fury Anthony Joshua is still expected to be announced in August, even if the all-British heavyweight clash is relocated to America. Jake Paul's rematch with Tommy Fury "makes most sense" as the American star targets a return to boxing, says Most Valuable Promotions partner Nakisa Bidarian. Former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker claimed a failed drugs test that resulted in him being suspended from boxing was caused by exposure to cocaine being used by his nutritionist. British boxer Chapman underwent emergency surgery for a bleed on her brain after collapsing following a sparring session in Denmark. Aaron McKenna for the world title this Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Several athletes "unaccounted for" after the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, according to Police Scotland. Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors will make history in 2027 when they play the first-ever Super League fixture to be played in Ireland. The Paddy Power PDC World Championship dates have been confirmed for Friday December 11 to Sunday January 3 with a record 180,000 tickets on offer.