Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2026 i World Soccer

It is something of a World Soccer tradition that the first issue to go on sale in a new year is a look to the future, and 2026 is no exception. As usual, our cover feature profiles 50 of the best young talents on the planet, put together by our global network of experts, but we’ve also picked out some of the standout teams to keep an eye on in Europe over the rest of this season and, looking even further ahead, taken a deep dive into Italy’s Euro 2032 preparations.…

The sad news that Martin Chivers passed away on January 7, aged 80, prompted widespread sadness in football, especially at the prolific striker’s former clubs, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. The news also felt poignant from an England perspective heading towards a World Cup summer. Chivers’ final cap was in the infamous 1-1 draw with Poland at Wembley in 1973 which cost England their chance of making the 1974 World Cup. Chivers contributed to the 35 efforts on goal but only Allan Clarke could find a way past Jan Tomaszewski, the Polish keeper dubbed a “circus clown in gloves” by Brian Clough on ITV. Chivers was substituted for Kevin Hector late on and it was a sad way for his England career to finish. He scored 13 goals in 24 internationals…

For Ruben Amorim, the Manchester United job was probably over from the moment he deviated away from the 3-4-2-1 he had always insisted he could never abandon. Once his faith in that system was lost, so too was he. Or perhaps causality was the other way round, and he realised around Christmas that the club would no longer back his fundamentalism. In part, the change of shape in his final games was a response to an injury crisis and allied to three players being away at the Africa Cup of Nations. But a switch that might in other circumstances have been seen as an admirable flexibility, a willingness to respond to circumstance, became instead, because of Amorim’s previous stubbornness, a sign of weakness. When you’ve been wedded to a particular…

“The government has decided to dissolve the coaching staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and exclude players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang”Gabon’s sports minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula takes drastic action after the nation’s group-stage exit from AFCON “Kevin was recently admitted to hospital for further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms. These investigations have revealed a diagnosis of cancer, for which Kevin will undergo treatment”The football world wishes Kevin Keegan a full and speedy recovery after a statement from his family revealed the former England manager has been diagnosed with cancer Miroslav KOUBEK After the firing of Ivan Hasek in October, Czech Republic hired the 74-year-old former Viktoria Plzen coach to lead them into March’s World Cup qualifying play-offs. Claude PUEL Nice turned to their former head coach after…

Serie A may revisit the idea of taking games abroad despite pulling out of plans to play a league match in Australia. Recognising its potential for promoting the competition’s global brand, Lega Serie A, the organisation that runs the Italian top flight, believes that the cancellation of the fixture in Perth between Milan and Como has been “a missed opportunity” for Italian football. The two clubs were provisionally scheduled to meet at the Optus Stadium on February 8. Were it to have gone ahead, it would have been the first time that any of Europe’s major leagues had staged a domestic league game in a different country. With Milan’s San Siro stadium hosting the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on that weekend, Lega Serie A, in tandem with the…

Getting out of the lower reaches of Finnish football is not easy, even for clubs with a recent stellar history like Tampere United. United are one of three clubs in Tampere, Finland’s third-biggest city, located some111miles north of the capital, Helsinki. Tampereen Ilves, the best supported of the three, play in the top flight, while Tampereen Pallo-Veikot (TPV) spent last season in the fourth tier, but both have been around since the 1930s. Tampere United were only formed in1998 but enjoyed a stellar run with forays into Europe, before crashing spectacularly. The club had an immediate impact on Finnish football, winning promotion to the top-tier Veikkausliiga within15 months and finishing sixth in 2000. A year later, Tampere United were champions, and they repeated the feat in 2006 and 2007. Only…

A mid the chaotic celebrations in the stands, the television cameras remained fixed on Juan Sebastian Veron. Estudiantes’ club president was celebrating as one of the faithful, wearing his six-month suspension from the Argentina Football Association (AFA) like a badge of honour. Argentina’s Clausura 2025 final pitched Estudiantes de La Plata against Racing Club. Both sides had had to prioritise the domestic prize after each being knocked out of the Copa Libertadores by eventual winners Flamengo. There were only glimmers of quality in the match. Racing forward Adrian Martinez’s brilliant chip in the 80th minute appeared to have given La Academia the title late on. Then came the drama, with ex-Southampton striker Guido Carrillo’s last-gasp equaliser sending the match to extra-time. El Pincha went on to triumph 5-4 on penalties. “That…

Kashima Antlers won a record ninth J. League title but their first since 2016 on the final day of the 2025 season. Their triumph was also a record fifth league win for coach Toru Oniki, a former Antlers player, in his first season in charge of his old club. Antlers’ standout players included new Brazilian signing Leo Ceara, the league’s top scorer with 21 goals, and veteran Japan centre-back Naomichi Ueda marshalling the back-line. Ueda, Kento Misao and Yuma Suzuki were all part of the Antlers team that won their last league title in 2016. There was also Kei Chinen, who won the league four times under Oniki at Kawasaki Frontale, and J. League Player of the Year Tomoki Hayakawa, superb all season in goal. The gap was razor-thin at…

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European clubs and coaches doubtless thought Christmas had come early when CAF president Patrice Motsepe persuaded the African confederation’s executive to break with history in approving a proposal to stage the Cup of Nations every four years instead of every two. The European gripe at being forced to release players every other mid-season is an old one but long resented by many African football leaders who perceive more than a whiff of out-dated neo-colonialism; European clubs should be grateful to benefit from Africa’s bottomless well of talent. Putting AFCON on a time schedule in line with the European Championship and Copa America is a piece of neat housekeeping for FIFA as it reshapes the international calendar. Additionally, the move ensures the certain removal of AFCON from the promotional run-up to…

FEBRUARY 1 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup final 2 Winter transfer window closes 3 CONCACAF Champions Cup kicks off Copa Libertadores preliminaries 13 CAF CL groups stage ends 17 UEFA Champions League play-offs 18 AFC CL Elite league stage ends 21 MLS season kicks off MARCH 1 Women’s Asian Cup kicks off 2 AFC Champions League Elite knockouts 3 Women’s European World Cup qualifying kicks off 10 UEFA Champions League knockouts 13 CAF Champions League knockouts 17 Women’s AFCON kicks off 21 Women’s Asian Cup final 22 EFL Cup final 23 2027 AFCON qualifying kicks off 26-31 Inter-confederation World Cup play-offs European World Cup play-offs 27 Finalissima: Spain v Argentina 31 2027 Asian Cup qualifying ends APRIL 3 Women’s AFCON final 7 Copa Libertadores group stage kicks off 18 OFC Pro…

“Santos is my place, I’m at home. It’s with you that I want to achieve the dreams that are still missing”Brazil all-time record goalscorer Neymar after extending his contract with Santos until the end of 2026 47 Goals scored in 2025 by Kevin Hernandez of Puerto Rico Surf – no player scored more top-flight goals across the calendar year. 11% Growth of attendances in the League of Ireland during 2025 compared to the previous season. 1 Year contract extension that Luis Suarez signed at Inter Miami, keeping the Uruguayan at the MLS champions for the 2026 season. 59 People injured at the Colombian Cup final after violence erupted following Atletico Nacional’s 1-0 win over local rivals Deportivo Independiente Medellin. 2032 Year that Liam Rosenior’s deal runs to as Chelsea head…

One of Australian football’s most famous clubs is back in the national spotlight after rising to the forefront of two new ground-breaking competitions for the region. In December, South Melbourne claimed the inaugural edition of the Australian Championship and then in January began a new campaign in the first edition of the OFC Pro League. The Australian Championship is organised by Football Australia and was originally intended to be a new nationwide second tier below the A-League. The competition format is a group stage followed by knockout rounds with 16 teams involved: the eight winners from the state-based National Premier Leagues (NPL) across the country, plus eight “foundation” clubs who will take part every year, of which South Melbourne is one. The club, which was founded as South Melbourne Hellas…

Honest AHANOR Atalanta (Ita) Age: 17 Centre-back If Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso had his way the Atalanta defender, who has settled in excellently following a €20 million summer move from Genoa, would already be in the Azzurri squad. Gattuso, swift to anoint the teenager as “national team material”, is an admirer of Ahanor’s muscular presence, solid technique and temperament for the big occasion, a coolness he has displayed of late in the UEFA Champions League. But despite the fact that Ahanor was born in Aversa, north of Naples, and has always lived in the country, the fact that his parents are Nigerian means he cannot be considered for Italian citizenship until he is18. The Italian federation will be hoping to break the bureaucratic logjam as quickly as possible. If…

So many years later now, what can you recall about playing for England at that1986 World Cup beyond that quarter-final with Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal? First of all, I remember the flight out. We had an emergency landing on the way in, which was a bit scary. Next I remember the armed convoy to greet us which was a bit remarkable. We thought: “What’s going on?” Then I remember the severe heat of Monterrey, 43°C. That sticks out. I remember us standing on the pitch before kick-off against Poland and we were all thinking: “How do we play in this?” I scored my hat-trick in the first half, and in the second half I remember feeling dizzy because of the heat. You expend a lot of energy celebrating…

Paris Saint-Germain are the newest champions of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the competition that pits the men’s club champions from each confederation against each other at the end of every calendar year. Technically this was only the second edition of the competition in this format, although such a tournament has existed for many years. It was known as the FIFA Club World Cup for the last two decades or so, while the old Intercontinental Cup ran from1960 to 2004 but only featured the champions of Europe and South America. FIFA’s new Intercontinental Cup falls somewhere between its two predecessors, with only four teams coming along to the week-long final stage. The “Derby of the Americas” kicks the week off, with the winner getting a spot in what is effectively a…

Inter Miami finally got the trophy they craved. The one they targeted when they signed Lionel Messi towards the end of 2023. The one the owners, David Beckham and the Mas brothers, Jorge and Jose, have coveted since the franchise’s formation in 2018 and its debut season in 2020. Winning the MLS Cup play-offs, defeating Canadian team Vancouver Whitecaps in the final, meant Miami were crowned champions for 2025 – their sixth season in the league. It also meant that two legends of the game, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, bowed out on a high in the final game of their playing careers. Inter Miami had topped the overall league table in the previous season, claiming the 2024 Supporters’ Shield for doing so, but the team crowned MLS champions is…

Many questions have followed Liam Rosenior into Stamford Bridge. Most significant is: what exactly is success for him at Chelsea? As an ambitious head coach, Rosenior wants to challenge for the major honours. Supporters want him to guide them to serious silverware – not just the Conference League and Club World Cup – and with entertaining football. Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, want him to finesse young talents and finish in the money-spinning Champions League positions. Rosenior can’t do them all. An inherent tension exists at the heart of his job specification. It will be fascinating to see how this charismatic and widely-respected 41-year-old coach fares in the strange, demanding realm of Chelsea Football Club. Rosenior is the ninth permanent coach in ten years at Chelsea (plus two caretakers and Frank Lampard…

BILL McCRACKEN, THE OFFSIDE KING By Paul Joannou (Pitch Publishing, £19.99) Bill McCracken, the Offside King is the first biography of a football pioneer and Newcastle United legend who forced a change which altered how football was played. Known as the “Offside King” for his perfect execution of the offside trap, the Belfast-born full-back was a key figure in Newcastle’s famous Edwardian line-up. Discover the colourful career and life of a hugely influential figure in this superbly researched biography. JUNGLE DAYS By John Wight (Pitch Publishing, £18.99) Blending personal memoir with social history, John Wight spares nothing in his appraisal of Celtic as a cause to live by rather than just a club to support, with a special focus on the 1980s. During this tempestuous decade, when Thatcher and Thatcherism…

“Today, I have recommended to the Board that the Bridgford Stand be renamed ‘The John Robertson Stand’ in his honour and in lasting recognition of his extraordinary contribution to our club”Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis honours club legend John Robertson after his passing on Christmas Day “His smile was unforgettable. He was always smiling. Dimitar Penev was a coach, a father and a friend. I had the luck to work under him for many years and will forever be thankful to him”Bulgaria legend Hristo Stoichkov pays tribute to one of his country’s greatest sporting figures, the late Dimitar Penev John ROBERTSON (1953-2025) Robertson was the unlikely superstar of one of the most unlikely European club champions. Quietly spoken and apparently built more for a park stroll than a European club…

It was fitting that Jesse Lingard scored in his final game for FC Seoul in December, and perhaps also fitting that the team could not hold on for the win in that game against Melbourne City in their AFC Champions League Elite clash. In his two seasons, he impressed on and off the pitch, but the team flattered to deceive and while he won hearts and minds, it was a trophyless spell. Overall though, the former England, Manchester United, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest star can be proud of his time in South Korea. The 33-year-old surprised many by heading to the K-League back in February 2024. China, Japan and now Saudi Arabia have all had their moments with famous foreign players but Asia’s oldest professional league, despite conglomerate…

AUCKLAND FC Auckland FC compete in Australia’s A-League, and their OFC Pro League side is expected to be largely a development XI. Luke Casserly, previously coach of Auckland FC’s reserves, and assistant to head coach Steve Corica, will take charge of the team which hosts the first set of matches at its Eden Park home. The prospect of the winners taking the OFC’s slot in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup may have influenced Auckland’s owners, the Black Knight multi-club group, which also owns stakes in a host of clubs including English Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth and Ligue 1’s Lorient. BULA FC Clubs from Ba and Suva expressed interest, but the Fiji Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports opted to form a new club, Bula, which…

Johan BAKAYOKO What we said: “The Belgium wide-man is one of the most effervescent and silky attacking young players in Europe today – little wonder the likes of Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are watching him.” Where is he now? Bakayoko joined German side RB Leipzig last year from PSV – although the Red Bull Arena tends to be a stopping point rather than a final destination for talented youngsters. So far, though, he has been somewhat overshadowed on the wing by his fellow summer arrival Yan Diomande. ENDRICK What we said: “The decisive last few weeks of the 2023 Brazilian league campaign gave conclusive proof that the hype is most definitely justified. Stocky left-footed figure with bags of skill, pace and audacity, understanding of space, and mental toughness. Looks…

Halfway through the league stage of the new-look Champions League, holders Arsenal were fearing elimination. Two defeats in three matches had left the Gunners 11th in the18-team league, a point above the cut-off. When they fell behind at home to Real Madrid in the fourth match, alarm bells were clanging. The decisions to hand caretaker coach Renee Slegers a long term contract and to not renew an ageing team were understandable in the wake of their triumph over Barcelona in last year’s final, but a few months on the question was being asked: were they mistakes? But Alessia Russo was on hand to answer with a resounding no. With two goals the England striker turned the game around, and a1-0 win over Twente in the next game secured qualification. Nevertheless,…

After missing out in the previous four seasons, Flamengo made the league title a priority in 2025, even risking disaster in the group phase of the Copa Libertadores. But it was mission accomplished for the club and for head coach Filipe Luis, who marshalled his resources wisely, especially after a mid-season glut of quality reinforcements. Flamengo had by some distance the best attacking and defensive records, and wrapped up the title with a round to spare, finishing three points ahead of Palmeiras. It was neck-and-neck until Palmeiras suffered a late wobble. Head coach Abel Ferreira carried out a fine rebuilding job after a disappointing Club World Cup, with Vitor Roque and “Flaco” Lopez forming an effective front pair. But Flamengo beat them home and away – and, in the end,…

After years of isolation, the Pacific island of Kiribati is trying to re-engage with the international community with the ambition of becoming a full member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). Football is the only national sport on Kiribati, which has a population of nearly 140,000 people spread across 32 islands and atolls. The Kiribati Islands Football Association (KIFA) was founded in1980 and has member associations on 23 islands, with one or more clubs on each, and organises nine junior and adult tournaments. The most recent event, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Championship, finished in November with 26 clubs from nine islands entering and Dijoren from South Tarawa beating SB Rainbow from Betio 3-2 in the final. Kiribati’s international experiences, however, have been sporadic and largely frustrated by red…

Spurs’ run to the knockout stages of the 2010-11Champions League - after topping their group ahead of Internazionale – was a historic achievement for the club, and their Brazilian midfielder was at the heart of one of its defining matches When we were drawn against Milan, nobody expected us to go through. They had so many great players – Nesta, Thiago Silva, Seedorf, Robinho, Pato, Ibrahimovic – and we knew we’d have to be better than perfect to beat those guys. It was my first season in England and it was difficult for me. In Brazil, I’d been a star. I’d won the Copa Libertadores with Internacional and I was also playing for the national team. I was only young and I knew Tottenham had a lot of amazing players,…