National Teams

In-form Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad while Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood were dropped for disciplinary reasons.

England host a friendly with Wales on Oct. 8 before Nations League matches at home to Belgium and Denmark.

Calvert-Lewin has scored eight goals this season in all competitions, including a hat-trick against West Ham United in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

It’s flown under the radar since it’s not within the FIFA International Match Calendar — meaning European clubs aren’t obligated to release players — but the Mexico national team returns to action on Wednesday night with a friendly against Guatemala at the Azteca. 

It’s been almost a year since we last saw El Tri (a 2-1 victory over Bermuda back on Nov. 19, 2019), but the likes of Miguel Layún, Uriel Antuna and José Juan Macías are finally back in action for the world’s 11th-ranked nation.

To understand how Euro qualifying works these days you need a mastery of calculus, knowledge of four different languages and a degree in astrophysics, and that's before you even consider the UEFA Nations League implications. 

To add to the confusion, the playoffs were supposed to be played back in March but were postponed until October because of COVID-19.

Luckily, we've simplified it all for you.

The first ever Gold Cup Group Stage Draw has pitted the USMNT against the foes from up north, Canada. Joining the U.S. and Canada in Group B is Martinique and the winner of a play-in round that will be one of the following teams: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda, Barbados or Haiti.

In case you are unfamiliar with the structure of the 2021 Gold Cup, I refer you here. 

FIFA has suspended Trinidad and Tobago from international soccer after its football association (TTFA) pursued a dispute through the country's High Court in contravention of the world governing body's statutes.

The TTFA and FIFA have been at loggerheads since March after the world governing body dissolved the executive of the cash-strapped association.

Carli Lloyd, one of the world’s best footballers of the 2010s, turned 38 this summer. With the Covid-19 pandemic postponing the Olympics, she missed out on a potential curtain-call tournament, one last chance to strive for gold before riding off into the sunset. In March, after the Olympics were postponed, Lloyd announced she would put off retirement to work toward making the 2021 Olympic team.

Now Lloyd has all but confirmed that she will retire after next summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.

U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka, American soccer player Megan Rapinoe and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes were among the athletes named on the 2020 "Time 100" list of the most influential people in the world.

The annual list, which is not ranked, honours individuals who have had the most significant impact on the global landscape that year and includes heads of state, business leaders, activists and entertainers, among others. There is no winner named.

AMSTERDAM — Frank de Boer has emerged as the most likely candidate to be named coach of the Netherlands after weeks of speculation over who would succeed Ronald Koeman.

A contract up to the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar is expected to be signed in time for De Boer to take charge of the team's three internationals next month, Dutch media reported on Wednesday.

He would replace Koeman who left last month to become Barcelona coach.