#world-cup

#world-cup

Al Jazeera reflects on the passing of World Cup-winning forward Diego Maradona, who died five years ago on Tuesday. The fifth anniversary of the death of one of football's most famous stars, Diego Maradona, was marked by his fans in Argentina on Tuesday. Considered by many the greatest football player in history, the World Cup winner enjoyed stellar careers at the club level in Spain with Barcelona and in Italy with Napoli.

The 27-year-old, who is eligible to play for the Scots through his grandparents, netted twice for Eddie Howe's men at St James' Park as they edged out Pep Guardiola's side in a thrilling Saturday night victory. Will that performance have swayed any Scotland fans sitting on the fence? Or perhaps it has flipped opinions entirely? Here, BBC Scotland looks at the state of play, the mood among the Tartan Army and what Barnes could bring to Steve Clarke's team.

He's got a massive journey ahead of him," said head coach David Gray of Kieron Bowie after the Hibernian striker's display in Saturday's 2-0 win over Dundee.

"It's a case of being among the favourites. Success is having chances to fight to win,"

Want some incredible football facts? We've got you covered. Whether you're revising for a pub quiz, bored at work or looking for something to read on the loo, we've got facts on all facets of the beautiful game. So strap in for a long, old ride and remember to add yours in the comments below! You may like Nemanja Vidic: holder of an unusual record (Image credit: Alamy)

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen faces a critical moment as he works to recover from his injury. According to journalist Sergi de Juan from AS, once he is fully cleared medically, Ter Stegen will meet with Barcelona to decide his next step. While staying at the club is possible, it would mean accepting a backup role, but this is a scenario that seems unlikely given his ambitions and competitive nature.

As most of you know, we offer a daily podcast titled "The Daily BPW Show" on our Patreon channel. If you want a discussion on what's going with Bayern Munich every day...we have you covered. This is what we have on tap for this episode: Should Manuel Neuer return to the national team? Predictions of Germany's match against Luxembourg Can Germany still compete at the World Cup, even if they qualify?

Zirkzee is starting to get worried about his World Cup chances; game time is limited, Benjamin Sesko has arrived, Matheus Cunha can also play as a nine, and so Zirkzee, like Kobbie Mainoo, could now ask for a loan move to get minutes with the World Cup in mind. For January, keep an eye on PSV, because I'm told that they're open to a loan deal.

A goalkeeper like Marc-André ter Stegen actually deserves to play in a World Cup - although Oliver Baumann is doing very, very well replacing him at the moment. We obviously hope that Marc-André will come back. But whether at Barcelona or any other club - this is also important to say, and he knows that in his communication with Julian: To make it back, he obviously has to play. If he does, then he has a great chance and will probably be our goalkeeper at the World Cup,

Ssshhhhhhhhh! The talking is over, for now at least, and England's World Cup is about to begin. The bad news is they start with a tough game against South Africa. The good news is they start with a tough game against South Africa. Victory today would give England instant momentum and legitimise the cautious confidence of their pre-tournament chatter. An excellent win over Australia in their last warm-up has increased that confidence.

Calls for Israel to be banned from the World Cup and Eurovision are growing due to the genocide in Gaza. Calls for Israel to be banned from global sport and cultural competitions are growing. Many argue the country should not be taking part in international events while it is committing genocide in Gaza. With next year's World Cup and Eurovision Song Contest on the line, what is the case for and against barring Israel?

It would be a hard deal to do. It's no surprise that there were some clubs sniffing around Gallagher in the summer. He's been in and out of the Atletico Madrid side, not played as many minutes as he would like in La Liga, but he did start in the Champions League against Liverpool. That makes it a difficult deal to do in January due to the fee involved and obviously Atletico would need to bring in a replacement for him as well.

The impetus of doing the Levi's game back in 2023 was the World Cup,

Leeds have made a good start to their Premier League return, with four points in their opening three matches. The 5-0 defeat to Arsenal was a blow, but a victory over Everton and draw against Newcastle has elevated the confidence levels at Elland Road after a positive summer transfer window. Among those to join Leeds in the summer was defensive midfielder Anton Stach, who arrived from Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim.

The end of the World Cup as we know it. Probably the beginning of the end for Heimir Hallgrimsson too. Same results, better press conferences is hardly a tagline to advertise a new era.

Dynamic pricing will be in play as soon as tickets go on sale for next summer's World Cup, FIFA has confirmed. The practice has been unpopular with regular event-goers for some time but rocketed to mainstream attention when tickets for Oasis's UK comeback tour and the 2025 Club World Cup went on sale. Dynamic pricing automatically changes the cost of tickets for an event in line with demand, surprisingly always upwards and rarely in the other direction.

Ireland hope to back up last week's opening World Cup win over Japan with another victory at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton this afternoon. Scott Bemand has made seven changes for today's game against Spain, as the side keep one eye on their final Pool C clash with New Zealand next Sunday. Rian Noctor takes you through all the action below on our liveblog.

It's been a tough year for Marlie Packer, who had her captaincy taken away and faced self-doubt about her World Cup selection despite being a former world player of the year.