Football

• Spain advanced to the World Cup 2026 final after defeating France 2-0 in a semi-final match. • Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, via a penalty, and Pedro Porro secured the victory, while France's star attackers Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise failed to score. • The result marks a significant upset as France, despite having the tournament's top scorer and assist-maker, delivered a poor performance.

• India's men's and women's national football teams have been excluded from the Asian Games 2026 final draw despite their initial qualification. • The exclusion is due to a government policy that only clears teams ranked among the top eight in Asia for participation. • This decision highlights the current struggle of Indian football to break into the elite tier of Asian rankings.

England World Cup winner died in 2020 but his death was never reported by authorities to the coroner’s officeEngland World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with a brain condition caused by repeatedly heading a football, a coroner has ruled.Stiles, a tenacious, tough-tackling midfielder described by Geoff Hurst as the “heart and soul” of the 1966 World Cup-winning team, died in 2020 but his death was not reported by authorities to the coroner’s office. Continue reading...

More than 158,000 items of fake kit seized featuring World Cup semi-finalists England, France and SpainMore than 158,000 fake football strips have been seized in an operation targeting World Cup counterfeit kit and blocking criminals from trying to “cash in on fan demand”.Edinburgh’s trading standards team confiscated 9 tonnes of Scotland, England and other nations’ fake kits, worth an estimated £5.5m. Continue reading...

• Several high-profile transfer stories are emerging, including Mohamed Salah's high financial demands deterring Saudi clubs and Bayern Munich rejecting Real Madrid's interest in Michael Olise. • Barcelona has reportedly agreed to sign Karim Adeyemi, while Arsenal and Liverpool are competing for RB Leipzig defender Lutsharel Geertruida. • Manchester City and Tottenham are considering hijacking Francisco Trincao's €50m (£42.6m) move from Sporting to Saudi side Al-Ahli.

Political leaders in both countries rebuke Mariano Rajoy after he writes team ‘does not have any French players’The former Spanish conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy is facing growing accusations of racism after writing in a World Cup newspaper column that the French national team “does not have any French players”.Rajoy, who was in office from 2011 to 2018, pondered Spain’s looming semi-final showdown with France in an article for the online newspaper El Debate on Friday. Continue reading...

Government to launch consultation after Everton’s deal with Stake.com went ahead amid warnings from Gambling CommissionMinisters are poised to launch a crackdown on unlicensed casinos sponsoring British sports teams, amid criticism that a delay to the proposals has opened the door for offshore gambling firms to strike lucrative deals with Premier League clubs.Progress with plans to kick unlicensed gambling operators out of football has stalled since February, when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said a review would begin in spring. Continue reading...