GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 14 - A new kick-off match is being introduced in the Champions League, Cape Verde becomes the second-smallest World Cup qualifier in history, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers: Latvia vs. England, 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET. England have kept eight clean sheets in their last nine matches, and are yet to concede a goal in this World Cup qualifying campaign. The first match between these nations, in March this year, saw England win 3-0 at Wembley. Spain vs. Bulgaria, 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET. Spain are leading Group E with nine points to their name, while Bulgaria are pointless at the bottom of the standings at the halfway point of the qualifying campaign. Portugal vs. Hungary, 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET. Portugal are one win away from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after having won their first three qualifying matches. In Group F, Hungary boast a one-point advantage over Armenia and a three-point lead over Ireland in the play-off spot. See every Uefa World Cup qualifying fixture here.
Results…
UEFA World Cup qualifiers: Iceland 2-2 France | Wales 2-4 Belgium | Northern Ireland 0-1 Germany | Slovakia 2-0 Luxembourg | Slovenia 0-0 Switzerland | Sweden 0-1 Kosovo | Ukraine 2-1 Azerbaijan | N. Macedonia 1-1 Kazakhstan (Group Standings)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Champions League ‘Kick-Off’ Game
The men’s Champions League will see the competition begin with a standalone Tuesday night match at the home of the reigning champions from the 2027-28 season. The rest of the opening league matches will then be played across the following Wednesday and Thursday. This change aims to increase visibility for all the competing clubs.
This format is common in the United States, particularly in the NFL, which kicks off a new season with the defending Super Bowl champion hosting a game. Since 2022, it has also been used in the German Bundesliga as the reigning league champions have begun playing the first match of the season on Friday. In the last two of three seasons, the Premier League has unofficially followed this format, with the league winners opening the domestic campaign.
The kick-off match will be screened globally on one platform, a move designed to appeal to the global streaming services. It’s not clear whether the new-look format will take place in the women’s game.
Multi-Club Ownership Relaxation
UEFA is planning to relax multi-club ownership rules, giving clubs more time next season to resolve conflicts if teams under the same ownership qualify for the same competition. The proposal follows the controversy that saw Crystal Palace expelled from the Europa League for breaching ownership regulations.
Clubs would still need to declare potential conflicts by 1 March, but under the new rules, Uefa would grant additional time after the season ends to find a resolution. Palace were demoted to the Conference League after failing to meet the March deadline, as then-shareholder John Textor’s French club Lyon also qualified for the Europa League.
To comply with existing regulations, clubs often use blind trusts to separate ownership interests, as Manchester City and Manchester United have done previously with Girona and Nice. In theory, this transfers control to a third party who operates the club independently.
Cape Verde Make History
Cape Verde have qualified for the World Cup for the first time after a 3–0 win over Eswatini, sealing top spot in their group ahead of Cameroon. The victory confirms the Atlantic island nation’s historic debut at next year’s tournament. Watch their celebrations here.
With a population of around 525,000, Cape Verde will become the second-smallest nation ever to appear at a men’s World Cup, behind Iceland (340,000), who qualified in 2018. They are the 14th African nation and the 83rd overall to qualify for the tournament.
An archipelago of 10 islands, Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and first entered World Cup qualifying ahead of the 2002 tournament hosted in Japan and South Korea. Known as the Blue Sharks, they reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on debut in 2013 and again in 2023, and currently rank 70th in the world.
POLL
Do you think international breaks disrupt domestic league momentum?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> David Kogan, the first chair of the Independent Football Regulator, told English clubs that “change is coming”; read the full breakdown of changes Kogan intends to implement (More)
> England defender Millie Bright has retired from international football (More) | Brighton Women defender Maelys Mpome is “OK” after she had to be taken off due to a concussion in her side’s 1-0 WSL loss against Arsenal (More)
> Jack Wilshere has been named as manager of League One side Luton Town (More)
Americas
> International friendlies Colombia vs. Canada, USMNT vs. Australia, and Mexico vs. Ecuador take place on Tuesday (Oct 14) (Kick-Off Times)
> Neymar remains in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil plans, but the manager insists the forward needs to be fully fit to earn a recall to the squad (More)
> The USL Championship’s reorganised match between Charleston Battery and Colorado Springs Switchbacks will conclude shortly after publication (Live Result)
> River Plate's struggles deepened as they fell 1–0 to Sarmiento in the Argentine Clausura season (More); see Group A and Group B standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Ghana became the fifth African nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup following a 1-0 win against Comoros (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Does UEFA's qualification process for major tournaments need a shake-up?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (75%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (23%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 S.H: “Aside from most of the fixtures being stale and uninteresting, qualification for continental and international tournaments is just too confusing. It’s so hard to keep up with the number of games–that’s probably why I’m hooked on reading Route One!”
👍 D.G: “Should we also be asking if the sport is too saturated with different tournaments, leagues, competitions, etc., and therefore public interest is still high but spread further apart amongst all competitions. Something to think about.”
✍️ N.L: “Although it’s the most watched sport, the smaller nations have to have the most difficult time drawing any sort of ratings outside of their market. I can appreciate the number of teams eligible for qualification, but at some point, the skill gap is too wide, thus it’s even harder to get big ratings while building interest.”
EXTRA TIME
Which nations have qualified for WC26–and who is next?
… and San Marino need to lose to improve qualification chances.
Why Italian players train wearing eyepatches.
Latest drone footage of the updated Camp Nou.
How much do you make owning a 5th division Kenyan club? (video)
Denver Summit’s Nick Cushing on building an NWSL club from scratch.
20 of the Premier League’s best young talent.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Gianluigi Buffon, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cesc Fabregas, Olexandr Shovkovskiy, and Roar Strand.
Clue: An achievement and a failure.
ON TODAY
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers
Estonia vs. Moldova (15:00)
Spain vs. Bulgaria (19:45)
Turkey vs. Georgia (19:45)
Portugal vs. Hungary (19:45)
Republic of Ireland vs. Armenia (19:45)
Italy vs. Israel (19:45)
Andorra vs. Serbia (19:45)
Latvia vs. England (19:45)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
They are the players who have made over 100 Champions League appearances without lifting the trophy.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I feel like I've been in an inconsistent environment for a very, very long time.
