⚡ Berita Bola

Tuchel should listen to ‘the 0.1%’ and learn from England’s World Cup mistakes | Jacob Steinberg

Head coach is keen to focus on positives but Nations League squad hints at desire for greater tactical options Thomas Tuchel should be listening to the 0.1%. As he unveiled his first England squad since the World Cup, he said 99.9% of supporters he bumped into did not talk about his substitutions during the Argentina game. According to him, the conversation is far more positive. Memories are shared of the knockout wins over Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It seems those who want to take the England head coach to task over the retreat in the semi-final in Atlanta are in the minority. This is, of course, hard to quantify. Is it really 99.9%? We can take Tuchel at face value, but relying on anecdotal evidence goes two ways. A lot of fans are not ready to move on yet. The national mood is far more downbeat than Tuchel imagines and he is kidding himself if he thinks people have forgiven the way England folded after going 1-0 up against Argentina early in the second half. Continue reading...

Palmer and Alexander-Arnold recalled to England squad

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer have been recalled to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming Nations League games.

'Embrace the chaos' - What we learnt from Tuchel's England picks

Tuchel recalls Alexander-Arnold and Palmer with warning

England boss Thomas Tuchel recalls Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer but says players have to "perform".

Eating grass, meditation and more – What Tuchel said in viral documentary

Thomas Tuchel wishes he'd eaten grass from the Azteca pitch after England's World Cup win over Mexico this summer.

Watching Cavan Sullivan, excitement is tempered by memories of hypetrains past

The 16-year-old Union star isn’t the first wunderkind to be feted by the American soccersphere The trouble with trying not to hype up Cavan Sullivan is that he keeps on doing cool stuff. Like this past weekend, when he scampers along on a Philadelphia Union breakaway, loses his man by stopping so suddenly it’s as if he’s pulled a ripcord, back-heels the cutback behind his standing leg, watches it slowly kiss off the far post and in, and celebrated the goal by bowing and doffing an imaginary top hat to the crowd. Like when he doubles the score by setting up an attack and finishing it himself with a left-footed lash through the goalkeeper’s legs form an acute angle. Like when he fashions yet another goal by holding up the play and then suddenly springs a teammate up the right flank. Continue reading...

⭐ Everyone who is nominated for 2026 Ballon d'Or

The 2026 Ballon d'Or short lists are out. Here's who could win the biggest individual prizes in men's and women's soccer.

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 power rankings: will there be an English winner for the first time in 25 years?

We assess the standing of the players on the shortlist for the award before the winner is announced in October 1) Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich) Even adjusting for the goal-drunken Bundesliga, his 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern last season undersells his all-around impact, considering his playmaking and hold-up skills. Kane was gameplanned out of England’s later games at the World Cup, but he was unstoppable through the last 16 to close out the finest year of his career to date. If not now, when? Continue reading...

Favourite Kane makes Ballon d'Or shortlist

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is one of three England players nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.

‘The noise was unbelievable’: the referee’s view of Mexico v England at the World Cup

England’s manager Thomas Tuchel called the officiating ‘just not good enough’ in the fiery last-16 tie. Now Alireza Faghani gives his version of events It was 6pm on 5 July in Mexico City, and Alireza Faghani, a 48-year-old Australian-Iranian, was asleep in the locker room, snoring. His assistants had turned the music down. Had it not been for the muffled roar of nearly 90,000 fans through the concrete walls of the Estadio Azteca, he could have slept until the following morning. Faghani was the referee for Mexico v England in the last 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Mexico hadn’t lost a competitive game at the Azteca since 2013, at least in part because they’re used to the conditions. Situated 2,240 metres above sea level, the air contains less oxygen. Opponents struggle to breathe, let alone win. Continue reading...

Enjoyed the World Cup? Here's your 101 guide to the club game

So, you're keen to extend your soccer love? Well, let Bill Connelly count 10 things you need to know.

🏆 World Cup 2030: Way-Too-Early Power Ranks

The 2026 World Cup is over, and we're already itching to look ahead to 2030. So, we asked our reporters to vote for the top teams they expect to contend in four years' time. Who made the cut?

From Haaland love to Mexico’s Merlin: 26 memories from the 2026 World Cup

Norway’s striker left his mark, as did Scotland’s fans in Boston, but Turkey’s dark horses fell at the first hurdle “I played with him on my PlayStation, and now I’ve scored against him,” Livano Comenencia said after converting Curaçao’s first World Cup goal past Manuel Neuer in their opening match against Germany. The smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup went on to lose 7-1 but that goal – their only one of the tournament – will go down in history. Continue reading...

World Cup musings: Argentina let Messi down; Engla...

Now that the dust has settled, what better time for Gabriele Marcotti to pause and reflect on what we've seen?

World Cup 2026 awards: the Guardian team give their final tournament verdicts

The best games, goals and personal highlights – from a magical Azteca to Erling Haaland breaking America Paraguay 1-1 Germany. There were plenty more games with more goals but none could match the drama of the penalty shootout in this last-32 tie. Germany aren’t supposed to lose in them but they did this time in spectacular fashion. Ed Aarons Continue reading...

World Cup 2030 (very early) power rankings: who will challenge Spain at top?

The next men’s World Cup is still four years away, but we take a look at the teams with the firmest foundations who should be primed to contend The 2026 World Cup provided many an esteemed veteran with what could be their international swansongs, with golden greats Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Neymar, James Rodríguez and Guillermo Ochoa all making teary exits as their tournament ended. As we turn ahead to the 2030 World Cup, any player 32 or older will be sweating their selection status and changing their daily routines to stay sharp against inevitable aging. For these power rankings, we’re overvaluing sure things. Teams with plenty of leading players comfortably in their 20s can build for this impending four-year cycle with greater confidence than a team replacing an ageless talisman. Consider these the 10 teams with the firmest foundations and viable reasons to hope to reach a quarter-final in four years’ time. Continue reading...

Simultaneously amazing and awful, this World Cup w...

The 2026 World Cup and all that went into it -- the gorgeous and garish, the cinematic and corrupt.

On top of the gram: Haaland, Vozinha most followed...

The Norwegian striker and the goalie from Cape Verde were among the most followed players on Instagram during the 2026 World Cup.