Manchester City began the post-Pep Guardiola era with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bournemouth, sealed by Josko Gvardiol's stoppage-time VAR-approved winner.
Luka Modric is expected to lead Croatia at what could be his final World Cup as Zlatko Dalic's side aim to continue their remarkable record of success on football's biggest stage despite fitness concerns over their captain.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended the VAR decisions that helped his side beat Croatia 2-1, while FIFA explained how Connected Ball Technology confirmed the stoppage-time offside call that ended Croatia's World Cup campaign.
Liverpool secured a dramatic 2-2 draw against Newcastle United at St James' Park, with Dominik Szoboszlai converting a stoppage-time penalty. The match also served as a tribute to the late Kevin Keegan, a shared hero for both clubs, with fans and former players honouring his legacy. Goals from Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock for Newcastle were cancelled out by Cody Gakpo and Szoboszlai's late equaliser for Liverpool.
Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday, giving Mikel Arteta an early-season triumph while condemning new City boss Enzo Maresca to defeat in his first game in charge in the traditional curtain-raiser to the campaign.
Legendary footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has voiced concerns about Cristiano Ronaldo's role in Portugal's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, citing the 41-year-old's physical decline and suggesting his selection is based more on reputation than current performance. This comes as Portugal secured a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory against Croatia to advance to the Round of 16.
Fans at the World Cup are vocally protesting FIFA's newly introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks, booing the stoppages during matches in Dallas, Toronto, and Boston. Critics argue these breaks disrupt game flow and serve commercial interests, with one match seeing a team concede a goal shortly after a break.
Croatia's World Cup exit sparked controversy after coach Zlatko Dali launched a furious attack on the refereeing following their 2-1 defeat to Portugal.
Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, trimming the gap at the top of the table to two points as the title race sprints towards its conclusion.
Luka Modric scored to put Croatia ahead before they edged Slovenia 2-1 in the international friendly before the World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup has been marred by widespread controversy surrounding the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, with coaches, players, and fans criticising its application, consistency, and impact on match outcomes, leading to a significant increase in interventions and red cards.
Harry Kane struck twice while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford delivered the knockout blows as England survived a back-and-forth battle to beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday and launch their World Cup campaign in a heavyweight clash that lived up to its billing.
City then comfortably closed the game out and victory in their record-extending seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final means they will face Crystal Palace, who beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Saturday, in the final on May 17.
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez scored a smash-and-grab goal deep in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
Captain Kevin De Bruyne scored in his penultimate game at Etihad Stadium as Manchester City beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Friday to climb to third in the Premier League and boost their chances of Champions League qualification.
Manchester City seized the opportunity of Arsenal's 2-1 loss at Aston Villa earlier in the day to climb within two points of the leaders.
Midfielder Phil Foden delivered in dramatic fashion, scoring in the first and 91st minutes, to seal Manchester City's 3-2 victory over Leeds United.
Second-placed City would have reduced Arsenal's advantage to two points but instead were frustrated as their winning streak in all competitions was halted at eight.
Nico O'Reilly's opportunistic strike and Erling Haaland's penalty helped Manchester City to fight back to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a tense Champions League contest at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Arsenal's Premier League title prospects were enhanced without them even kicking a ball on Wednesday as their closest challengers Manchester City and Aston Villa both dropped points.
The 33-year-old centre back Lovren has faced Neymar on three occasions and lost every time, with the unstoppable Brazilian scoring four goals against him.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Croatia beat Brazil in the quarter-finals, but for Dalic, Saturday's bronze medal game was the highlight of their tournament.
Manchester City took another decisive step toward an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title with a 4-0 demolition of Fulham.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia played at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.
A late penalty from Bryan Zaragoza secured Spain a 3-2 win over Switzerland in their final Nations League Group A4 game on Monday.
RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol powered home a towering header in 70th-minute to earn them a 1-1 draw against visitors Manchester City in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg.
Manchester City bounced back after conceding an early goal to beat Chelsea 3-1 on Saturday
Manchester City's Erling Haaland became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals to ignite their charge on Tuesday.
Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze sparked a massive south London party by scoring the only goal to win the FA Cup 1-0 against Manchester City on Saturday and claim the club's first major trophy in their history.
A summary of Friday's action in the FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA Qualifiers.
Images from English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Chelsea - their 12th in 13 league matches - Aston Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
Manchester City defender John Stones headed a controversial stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday that took them top of the Premier League and set a club record of 31 league games unbeaten.
Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz also struck for Real, to cancel out a double from City's Erling Haaland
The intricate play and tight triangles Croatia were attempting only had to falter in a tiny way, and when they did Argentina were ready to pounce.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Quarter-final match between Croatia and Brazil on Friday.
A summary of Tuesday's first leg quarter-final action in the UEFA Champions League.
Images from the FIFA World Cup third place playoff match between Croatia and Morocco on Saturday.
Phil Foden struck twice as Manchester City stepped up their bid for a fourth Premier League crown in a row with a ruthless 4-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday.
