Good morning. Gianni Infantino confirms he will run for re-election as Fifa president, the latest Champions League projections ahead of the new campaign, and everything else you need to know.
Editor’s note: If you haven’t already, read our Weekend Edition, which breaks down Fifa’s attempts to block Uefa gathering evidence for its potential criminal case here.
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KEY FIXTURES
Champions League league phase (Sept 8 at 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET): Porto vs Manchester City. City have won their opening game of the Champions League in six of the last seven seasons. Meanwhile, Porto have only won two of their last 16 games against English teams in major European competition. Real Madrid vs Inter Milan. Real started their season strong with three straight La Liga wins but lost 1-0 to Real Betis on Friday. While Inter haven’t beaten Real in four attempts this century, they have opened their season with three Serie A wins. Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal. Dortmund have won their opening three Bundesliga matches and will feel confident against Villarreal, having beaten them 4-0 in November last year. Villarreal have also started the season in poor form, failing to win any of their four opening La Liga matches. See every upcoming Champions League fixture here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Infantino Re-Election Bid
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reiterated his desire to stand for re-election next year. The 56-year-old, who became president in 2016, was expected to run a fourth and final term unopposed, but the organisation’s recent controversies mean that he may now face opposition. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, also a Fifa vice-president, is widely seen as the likeliest challenger.
Beyond opposition to Infantino for his recent actions, critics also suggest that Fifa used a loophole to keep the incumbent in his position beyond what he was permitted. Following Fifa’s 2015 corruption scandal, the governing body introduced 2016 reforms, including a strict three-term limit for presidents. However, Fifa’s governance committee ruled in late 2022 that Infantino’s first 39 months in office did not count toward his limit as it overlapped with Sepp Blatter’s remaining term. It has allowed Infantino to remain in power until 2031, four years beyond what the 2016 reforms had permitted. Dive deeper into this topic in our previous write-up here.
That said, Infantino isn’t without support. Last month, the 2034 men’s World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia supported Infantino, as did African football’s governing body, Caf, and South America’s Conmebol.
Champions League Projections
Arsenal are 20.9% favourites to win the Champions League this season, according to Opta’s projection model. Bayern Munich are close behind at 19.4%, while Manchester City are third favourites at 12.3%. Those three are the only sides given at least a one-in-ten chance of winning the competition. See all the Champions League fixtures here.
Barcelona are the best of the rest at 8.2%, having leapfrogged defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, whose 2-1 defeat at Monaco over the weekend extended a poor start to the Ligue 1 season and knocked them down to fifth. PSG are now given a 7.1% chance of becoming only the second club in the Champions League era to win three successive titles. Liverpool sit at 6.1%, while Real Madrid — record 15-time winners — are rated at just 4.4%, reflecting two seasons without going beyond the quarter-finals.
Manchester United are among the more interesting outsiders on their return to the competition after a two-year absence. They have just a 3.8% chance of winning the Champions League, but Opta gives them a 37.6% chance of reaching the quarter-finals and an 18.4% chance of making the last four. Inter are marginally behind at 3.7%, while Aston Villa are rated at 2%.
Watch and listen to the new Champions League intro here.
Mbappe Speaks Out
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe says he is not bothered that Paris Saint-Germain have won the Champions League in both seasons after he left the club. A reporter also asked whether he and Vinicius Jr should improve defensively, noting that Barcelona’s Raphinha and PSG’s Ousmane Dembele press more. “I can say that I score more goals than the PSG players, and they should be scoring more,” he replied.
Mbappe also said it was natural for people to consider him as a potential Ballon d’Or winner this year. The Frenchman, who’s scored four goals in the opening four La Liga games, scored 10 goals at the World Cup to win the Golden Boot and became the tournament’s all-time top scorer. “This might be a good year for the Ballon d’Or, but the journalists vote, and they will decide. I only focus on doing my best,” he said. The Ballon d’Or nominations will be released on Tuesday (Sept 8) here.
If Mbappe scores on Tuesday, he will become the joint-fifth-highest goalscorer in Champions League (and European Cup) history, matching Raul’s tally of 71 goals. He has netted 70 goals in 98 Champions League games so far.
ON THE BALL
Europe
• The English League Cup third round kicks off on Tuesday (Sept 8); see all the upcoming fixtures (More)
• Filipe Luis has become the first-ever AS Monaco manager in history to win his first five matches in charge (More) | Paris Saint-Germain haven’t won a game in their opening three Ligue 1 matches (More); PSG are expected to have 10 players nominated for the Ballon d’Or shortlist, setting a new club record (More)
• Telstar's Ronald Koeman Jr. became the first ever goalkeeper to score more than one goal in a single Eredivisie game (More)
• Fiorentina have become the first team to sack their head coach, Fabio Grosso, in Europe’s top five leagues this season (More)
• Chelsea women have become the first WSL club to pay for fertility treatment, including egg freezing, for its players (More) | The WSL says an investigation is underway after Crystal Palace broke substitution rules (More)
Americas
• Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player (16 years and 342 days old) in MLS history to record a five-match goal contribution streak (More)
• Toluca defeated Monterrey 2-0 in the 2026 Leagues Cup final to win their fifth official title in the past year and a half (More)
• NWSL’s Kansas City Current has mutually parted ways with sporting director and former head coach Vlatko Andonovski (More)
Rest of the World
• Al Nassr dropped three points in their 2-1 loss to Al Ittihad, meaning they are now trailing Al Hilal, who picked up their fifth win in a row; see the Saudi Pro League table (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Are you bothered by Mike Dean's comments?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (34%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (64%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.L: “I find this story very disappointing. As a USSF referee for 20 years, it always disturbed me when I worked with other referees who didn’t take their responsibility as seriously as I did. Not leaving the centre circle is a clear indication that the referee was either lazy, unfit or just wanted to collect their match fee.”
👍 N.A: “Fact or fiction, Dean's insatiable appetite for attention has hurt his colleagues. He was notorious for his unique manner of refereeing football matches, forging a legacy of controversy. No one wanted him refereeing their matches, especially Arsene Wenger.”
🙅♂️ N.H: “It's clear that he's just saying this to get attention. His whole career was that of an attention seeker doing a job where being anonymous is the best tactic. Typical Mike Dean.”
🙅♂️ M.F: “I don’t take the comments seriously. Sounds like he is reflecting on officiating a really boring game. We’ve all endured watching those!”
✍️ P.J.F: “Did it impact the match? Did it change calls? If it doesn't affect the match, who cares? If the referee conducts the match in a fair and unbiased way, then it doesn't matter.”
EXTRA TIME
BBC’s Premier League team of the week.
The referee’s view of Mexico v England at the World Cup.
How Barcelona beat Real Madrid to Rodri's transfer.
Erling Haaland’s day in the life.
Adidas drop a limited edition Zinedine Zidane Predator.
How do Yamal’s stats rank against the Greats?
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I…
I began my senior career at Arsenal.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but grew up in London.
In November 2025, I scored my first Champions League goal.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I won’t speak to you. If I do, I’ll expose this league.
Answer
Folarin Balogun.