Football/Soccer 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 22, 2026, 5:30 AM ET
Women's Football & International Fixtures
Leicester forward Alisha Lehmann bbc.com, who commands the largest social media following among female footballers globally, addressed perceptions that she neglects training, stating emphatically that critics wrongly assume she spends her time making TikTok videos rather than focusing on her game “it’s not true” bbc.com. Elsewhere, international qualifying schedules present logistical challenges, as Northern Ireland faces Italy bbc.com in a crucial World Cup play-off on Thursday, surprisingly being hosted in Bergamo rather than a major center like Milan or Rome why is the game in Bergamo? bbc.com.
Domestic Cup Final & Player Availability
Anticipation builds for Sunday’s EFL Cup final at Wembley, where Manchester City faces Arsenal bbc.com, but the Citizens will contend with a significant defensive absence as key defender Marc Guéhi is unavailable bbc.com for selection. In unrelated but high-profile combat sports news, heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury admitted he was happily retired skysports.com but confessed that the appeal of fighting in a major stadium environment proved too strong to resist, pulling him back into competition once again you can't beat a stadium fight skysports.com.