Promotion and relegation is really happening. The United Soccer League (USL) announced on Wednesday it will be implementing a relegation system featuring three tiers by 2028 after a supermajority of club owners voted yes on the idea.
This system won’t include Major League Soccer which has historically been opposed to the idea.
A mix-up for the ages took place in Bulgaria as top flight club FC Arda held a moment of silence prior to their game on Sunday for former player Petko Ganchev. There was one tiny issue… Ganchev, 78, is still very much alive.
Before kickoff vs. Levski Sofia, players from both teams stood at midfield in silence as a tribute to Ganchev. The former Arda player was running errands at the time of his tribute, but when he got got home to watch the game his wife was in tears thinking he’d died.
Bulgarian club honors former player who is still alive
Lionel Messi was not included in Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni's squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, with the forward missing out due to a muscle strain.
Why is Messi not playing for Argentina?
UEFA said the correct decision was made to disallow Julian Alvarez's penalty in Atletico Madrid's Champions League loss to city rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday but European soccer's governing body would enter discussions to review the rule.
A livid Atletico enquired with UEFA after Alvarez had his shootout penalty ruled out by the referee in their last-16 tie that saw Real reach the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition.
The second leg of the Madrid Derby in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday had high drama with the main focus being a Julián Alvarez penalty being disallowed during the shootout which Real Madrid won 4-2 after drawing 2-2 on aggregate.
Alvarez appeared to convert Atlético Madrid’s second penalty when he powered his penalty kick into the roof of the net despite slipping.
The 2025 USMNT Nations League roster was announced on Tuesday with head coach Mauricio Pochettino selecting the 23 players who will aim to defeat Panama in the semifinal and the winner of Mexico/Canada in the final.
There were plenty of questions heading into the roster announcement with a litany of injuries including the likes of Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun and more. Here are the 23 players Pochettino called upon.
Goalkeepers:
In an unforgettable moment in Liga MX, Atlas defender Matheus Dória produced a jaw-dropping, acrobatic scorpion kick that instantly evoked memories of Zlatan Ibrahimović's legendary goals and skills.
The Brazilian center-back scored one of the most stunning goals of the season in a match against Club Tijuana at Estadio Caliente, propelling his team to an extraordinary away 4-3 comeback victory on Sunday night.
Watch: Liga MX scorpion kick from Matheus Doria against Club Tijuana
PARIS — Soccer's governing body FIFA will review a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the sport's marquee event, it said on Thursday.
The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games.
64 team World Cup 2030
Crystal Palace ace Jean-Philippe Mateta was removed on a stretcher and taken to the hospital during his side’s FA Cup match vs. Millwall on Saturday after being the victim of a horror tackle.
Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish gave an interview at halftime and called the tackle Mateta suffered, “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen.”
Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho was handed a four-match ban and fined by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Thursday following his comments about Turkish referees after a match at Galatasaray.
The TFF fined the 62-year-old Portuguese $44,000 after he criticized the match officials in a press conference following the 0-0 Super Lig draw on Monday.
José Mourinho ban for comments on referees