Championship Play-Off Race

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Good morning football fans. It’s Friday, May. 1 - The Championship play-off race concludes on Saturday, the Football Leaks author has been acquitted of all charges, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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Premier League Matchday 35: Arsenal vs. Fulham, Saturday 2, 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET. Arsenal have never lost in 32 home league games against Fulham, the most any side has faced another without defeat in English Football League history. Fulham have also won just one of their last 15 league games against Arsenal, a 2-1 home win in December 2023. Manchester United vs. Liverpool, Sunday 3, 15:30 BST / 11:30 ET. Since Michael Carrick’s first Premier League game in charge, Man United have won more points than any other side (29). However, the Red Devils have won just three of their last 19 league games against Liverpool. Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Sunday 3, 19:00 BST / 14:00 ET. Spurs ended a 15-game unbeaten run after their win against Wolves in their last match, and only a win would give them a chance of getting out of the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Villa have won just two of their previous seven Premier League games. See every Premier League fixture here and table here.

Results…

Yes, you read that right. Real Madrid are running free events across the U.S. from May 19, open to any 18–19-year-old football player who wants to show up. No fees. No camp fees. No catch.

Just for showing up, you get a free coaching session from one of the world's great clubs, a free jersey and a health tool kit. There is genuinely no downside to attending. This is a pure giveback to the football community from Real Madrid and their long-term medical partner Abbott. We thought it was too good to be true until we saw the success they had with last year's programme. 

The Route One team can personally vouch for the team behind the programme. They are extremely passionate about giving back to the football community and want as many people as possible to take advantage of the opportunity. Six cities. Six dates. Zero cost. Starting May 19 and ending June 9.

Register for your preferred venue here. Spots are nearly gone.

All 12 Championship matches will be played on Saturday (May 2) — see the final day of fixtures here. With Coventry City already promoted to the Premier League, three teams — Ipswich Town, Millwall, and Middlesbrough — are mathematically able to join them in the automatic promotion spots. Ipswich, who play 14th-placed QPR in their final match, are one point ahead of Millwall and two points ahead of Middlesbrough. They also have superior goal differences over both sides, with positive differences of 17 and 5, respectively. Opta’s prediction model gives Ipswich a 73% chance of promotion.

Ipswich will secure automatic promotion with a win, while a draw could still be enough if Millwall fail to win. Millwall must beat Oxford and hope Ipswich drop points, while Middlesbrough need to win at Wrexham and rely on both sides above them slipping up.

In the promotion play-off race, Hull City, Wrexham, and Derby County are in contention to secure the sixth spot. Wrexham, looking to achieve a historic fourth consecutive promotion, have the toughest fixture as they play Middlesbrough. Wrexham and Hull (vs Norwich) are level on points (70) going into the weekend, while the Welsh side has one better goal difference. Derby, on 69 points, are reliant on other results going their way for a chance to secure a spot in the promotion play-offs.

At the other end of the table, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City, and Oxford United have already been relegated to League One. See the League One play-off permutations here and League Two here.

Iranian football officials were denied entry to Canada ahead of this week’s Fifa conference, making it at least the second time Iranian delegates have been barred from North America ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Among the officials were associates of the Islamic ‌Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj, who are banned from entering Canada. The Iranian news agency Tasnim had earlier reported the delegation turned back at border control, citing their treatment by Canadian immigration authorities.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that IRGC members are “prohibited from coming” to the country, but he could not speak on the individual cases under privacy laws. However, it was reported that Taj had initially been issued a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) — effectively overriding his inadmissibility — before that permission was revoked, setting off a wave of political criticism in Canada. The Senate opposition Leo Housakos issued a statement that read: “If indeed Mehdi Taj has been denied entry to Canada, that would be welcome news. However, fundamental questions remain surrounding his travel to Canada.”

Despite Iran’s absence, Fifa president Gianni Infantino reiterated that the country “will be participating” in this summer’s World Cup. "Of course, Iran will play in the United States of America,” Infantino said. “The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together."

The hacker behind Football Leaks, a website that revealed the inner workings of European football between 2015 and 2018, has been acquitted of all charges in a second Portuguese trial. Rui Pinto was accused of illegally accessing email accounts associated with Portuguese sports bodies, including Primeira Liga side Benfica. The case was dismissed after the court ruled that the charges were “invalid” because they had already been dealt with in a case in which Pinto was tried and convicted in 2023. He was given a four-year suspended sentence in the previous trial.

The 37-year-old was responsible for leaking the real transfer fees in high-profile moves such as Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona and Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid. He also shared 18.5 million documents on the internet, revealing players’ salaries, information on controversial lawsuits, and clubs violating Uefa’s Financial Fair Play Regulations — read more here. However, perhaps Pinto’s most controversial leak came in November 2018, when he revealed talks about creating a new continental club competition, the European Super League, which was eventually announced in 2021 before ultimately collapsing.

Arrested in January 2019 in Hungary, where he lived, then extradited to Portugal, Pinto spent more than a year in pre-trial detention before agreeing to help authorities unlock encrypted data in his possession.

> Disney+ has secured the rights for men’s Champions League matches for the first time in several European countries, including Sweden, from the 2027 season (More)

> Scott Parker has left his position as Burnley head coach by mutual consent (More) | Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has reportedly emerged as the main contender for the Manchester United job (More) | Ashley Young has announced his retirement from professional football aged 40 (More)

> Inter Milan could secure the Serie A title on Sunday (May 3) even before kick-off, depending on Napoli and AC Milan’s results (More); see the Serie A table (More)

> Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts will play third-placed Rangers on Monday (May 4) after second-placed Celtic travel to Hibernian on Sunday (May 3) (More); see the Scottish Premiership split table (More)

> Swiss Super League side FC Thun, who were promoted last season, are set to complete one of Europe’s most unlikely title wins to secure the club’s first major trophy in their 128-year history; dive deeper into the club’s remarkable rise (More)

> The primary group hoping to purchase the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the MLS club to Las Vegas is being led by Grant Gustavson (More) | Six MLS teams have booked their spot in the US Open Cup quarter-finals (More) | MLS commissioner Don Garber’s X account was hacked on Wednesday, with a post calling British Columbia Premier David Eby a “liar” (More)

> The MLS Matchday 11 kicks off with Toronto vs. San Jose on Saturday (May 2); see every upcoming fixture (More) and Conference Standings (More)

> The NWSL has decided against voting on whether it should change its calendar and will continue to operate a spring-to-fall schedule through 2030 (More); see all upcoming NWSL fixtures (More) and Standings (More)

> Mexico City will host up to 18 free fan festivals across the capital during the 2026 World Cup (More) | Memo Ochoa will play in his sixth World Cup representing Mexico after it was confirmed he will make the squad (More)

> The Canadian government is allocating up to $145m for security during the 2026 World Cup, building on the $220m the federal government has allocated to host cities (More)

> Al Nassr will look to maintain their eight-point lead over Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League as they face fourth-placed Al Qadsiah on Sunday (More); see the Saudi Pro League table (More)

Yesterday’s Poll: Following the semi-final first legs, what do you think the Champions League final will be?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (43%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain (26%)

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid (18%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid (13%)

Your punditry takes:

Meet the 70-year-old set to become the oldest professional in history.

Why Argentina played in fake shirts in 1986.

Could 133 Eredivisie matches be replayed?

How corners could decide the Premier League title.

Former Premier League striker misses three penalties in six minutes.

Manchester United’s 26-27 away kit leaked.

How the World Cup’s numbers stack up on Fifa’s 2026 balance sheet.

Question: Which player holds the record for the most appearances for France men’s national team?

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.

Answer

Hugo Lloris.