The Writing Section
Match Report
A single strike deep into extra time, born of ten-man defiance and Spanish patience, hands La Roja the World Cup on a sweltering New Jersey night.
The LeaguePaper Team · 19 July 2026 · 4 min read
Match Report
Ten goals, one four-goal cushion nearly squandered and a stoppage-time twist as England outlasted France in the most chaotic third-place match imaginable.
19 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A cool Oyarzabal penalty and a Pedro Porro strike carried Spain past a subdued France and into a World Cup final that suddenly feels theirs to seize.
16 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
England had one foot in a World Cup final until Lionel Messi seized the last six minutes and left a nation staring at what might have been.
16 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez struck late to spare Argentina from an upset, after ten-man Switzerland threatened one of the World Cup's great rearguard acts.
12 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Two goals from Jude Bellingham, the second deep into stoppage time, hauled England past a defiant Norway and into the World Cup semi-finals.
12 July 2026 · 4 min
The Explainer
From registration windows and deadline day to instalments, loans, free agency and the rules that cap what clubs can spend, the modern market is a tightly regulated system of contracts, cashflow and compliance.
11 July 2026 · 7 min
Match Report
A stoppage of a summer's evening in Inglewood was settled at the death, Mikel Merino pouncing to break Belgian hearts and carry Spain into the last four.
10 July 2026 · 4 min
The Explainer
Expected goals has moved from analyst laptops into living rooms. Here is what the metric actually measures, how models build it, where it helps and where it misleads, and how clubs and broadcasters use it in 2026.
10 July 2026 · 6 min
Match Report
A missed spot-kick threatened to haunt France until Kylian Mbappé roused himself in a decisive second-half surge that ended Morocco's World Cup dream.
9 July 2026 · 4 min
The Explainer
How France Football’s golden ball became football’s defining individual honour — and how it is decided in 2026.
9 July 2026 · 6 min
The Explainer
Twelve groups of four, eight best thirds, a new round of 32 and 104 matches: the expanded 2026 format, explained.
8 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
A World Cup last-16 tie that refused to yield a goal ended level at BC Place, sending Switzerland and Colombia into the wringer of penalties and torment.
7 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Two goals down and staring at the exit, the world champions summoned a frantic, breathless comeback to break Egyptian hearts deep into stoppage time.
7 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A Charles De Ketelaere masterclass shredded the United States at Lumen Field, ending the co-hosts' World Cup with a chastening four-goal beating.
7 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A scoreless deadlock stretched deep into stoppage time before Mikel Merino pounced to send Spain marching on and Portugal home.
6 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Jude Bellingham struck twice inside two first-half minutes and England survived a red card and a fraught finale to knock Mexico out at the Estadio Banorte.
6 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Norway had waited an hour and a half to land a blow — then Erling Haaland delivered two of them and sent the tournament favourites spinning out at MetLife.
5 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
One moment of ruthless clarity from the wrong side of the hour was all France needed to break resolute Paraguay and reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
5 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
Azzedine Ounahi struck twice and Soufiane Rahimi added gloss deep into stoppage time as Morocco cut down the co-hosts in Houston.
4 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A single flick of brilliance from Jhon Arias inside the opening quarter-hour was all Colombia needed to book their place in the World Cup last 16.
4 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
The world champions were dragged to the brink by a fearless Cape Verde before an extra-time own goal spared them a Miami humiliation.
4 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
An unfortunate deflection from Mohamed Hany hauled Australia level after Emam Ashour's early header threatened to send Egypt marching into the knockout rounds.
3 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Breel Embolo's tenth-minute opener and Dan Ndoye's ruthless second-half punch carried the Swiss into the World Cup last 16 at Algeria's expense.
3 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
A stoppage-time header from Gonçalo Ramos hauled Portugal past a stubborn Croatia at BMO Field, sealing a comeback that looked beyond them at half-time.
3 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A polished night in Inglewood saw Spain grow into the game and blow it open, Mikel Oyarzabal's brace bookending a controlled World Cup demolition.
2 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A hero at the stroke of half-time and a villain in the second, Folarin Balogun bookended a night the hosts survived to reach the last 16.
2 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Two down and dead on their feet with four minutes left, Belgium conjured a resurrection at Lumen Field that Senegal will struggle to comprehend.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
For 75 minutes England looked bound for the exit, until their captain summoned the sort of ruthlessness a knockout tie demands.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Two goals in eleven blistering minutes after the interval carried Switzerland past a Canadian side who left their fightback fatally late at BC Place.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A thunderbolt, a cruel own goal and a headed exclamation mark carried Bosnia-Herzegovina to a commanding victory that shifts the balance of Group B.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Two goals from Vinícius Júnior and a late strike from Matheus Cunha condemned Scotland to a chastening group-stage defeat in Miami.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Two goals down inside the first half, Morocco summoned their nerve at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and overwhelmed a spirited Haiti in a breathless comeback.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A ruthless first-half double from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez sent the host nation storming into the last 16 in front of a roaring Estadio Banorte.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A single second-half strike from Thapelo Maseko settled a taut Group A contest and pointed South Africa towards the knockout rounds.
1 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
A goalless first half gave way to a second-half surge as Mexico ran riot in front of their own, sending Czechia packing.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Left for dead inside two minutes at MetLife, Ecuador answered fast and late to topple a stunned Germany and blow Group E wide open.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Nicolas Pépé bookended the tie with a pair of left-footed strikes as Ivory Coast made their Group E ambitions plain at Lincoln Financial Field.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A first-half whirlwind at Arrowhead handed the Dutch control inside seven minutes, and Tunisia's spirited fightback ultimately counted for nothing.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A six-minute burst of action in Dallas gave Group F its first real jolt, Anthony Elanga cancelling out Daizen Maeda's opener with a strike from distance.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Türkiye survived a frantic evening in Los Angeles, Kaan Ayhan pouncing eight minutes into stoppage time to settle a wild World Cup thriller.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A goalless afternoon at Levi's Stadium leaves Group D deadlocked, both sides clinging to hope but neither daring to gamble.
1 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
An early strike, an early red card and a second-half deluge saw Senegal dismantle ten-man Iraq at BMO Field, Pape Gueye the tormentor-in-chief.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
France announced themselves as World Cup heavyweights as Ousmane Dembélé plundered three inside half an hour and Mike Maignan denied Norway from the spot.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A single first-half strike from Álex Baena was enough to hand Spain victory at the Estadio Akron, leaving Uruguay to rue a night that unravelled into stoppage-time frustration.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A goalless afternoon at NRG Stadium left both nations still hunting the win that could carry them out of Group H.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Belgium flexed their attacking muscle at BC Place, five different scorers dismantling a spirited New Zealand who found only fleeting consolation.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A frantic opening quarter of an hour at Lumen Field produced a goal, a saved penalty and an equaliser — and then, remarkably, nothing more.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A stubborn Panama held firm for an hour before Jude Bellingham prised them open and, moments later, teed up Harry Kane to settle it.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A Luka Modric corner and a bullet header from Nikola Vlasic snatched Croatia three points seven minutes from time, undoing Ghana's brave equaliser.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Congo DR trailed for an hour but roared back through Yoane Wissa's brace and Fiston Mayele to turn a stubborn Group K test into a statement.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A goalless draw at Hard Rock Stadium settled little on the surface but reshaped the arithmetic at the summit of Group K.
1 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
Two exquisite free kicks bookended a commanding Argentina display in Arlington, where Jordan's brief flicker of resistance was ruthlessly snuffed out.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Riyad Mahrez thought he had authored the story of the group stage, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to rip the final page from his hands deep in stoppage time.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A World Cup last-32 tie that had crawled toward extra time detonated in stoppage time as Stephen Eustaquio broke South African hearts from range.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Brazil left it until the fifth minute of stoppage time to rescue a knockout tie that Japan, defiant and disciplined, had threatened to steal.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
Julio Enciso's first-half header threatened one of the World Cup's great upsets before Kai Havertz nodded a jittery Germany level in Foxborough.
1 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
Cody Gakpo looked to have settled a taut knockout tie until Issa Diop rose in stoppage time to haul Morocco level and force extra time.
1 July 2026 · 5 min
Match Report
Norway's talismen delivered when it mattered as Erling Haaland's 86th-minute strike settled a pulsating last-32 tie under the Texas lights.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
Match Report
A first-half strike on the stroke of the break lit the fuse and France detonated after it, sweeping Sweden aside to march into the last 16.
1 July 2026 · 4 min
The Long Read
Forty-eight teams, three host nations, sixteen cities. The biggest World Cup ever played begins, and nobody quite knows what it will feel like.
9 June 2026 · 7 min
The Notebook
Arsenal lead the table with the meanest defence in Europe and a dead-ball routine that functions like a second striker.
7 June 2026 · 5 min
Data Desk
Kane, Haaland and Mbappé are separated by two goals across three leagues. The data says the race is closer than the table shows.
5 June 2026 · 4 min
Continental
The Champions League’s 36-team table was supposed to kill the dead rubber. The evidence so far is complicated.
3 June 2026 · 5 min
The Notebook
Fifth at the break in their first season back. The data behind the most surprising team in England.
1 June 2026 · 4 min
From the Editors
A short guide to the tables, the form columns, and what the coloured flags mean.
30 May 2026 · 3 min