GM football fans. It’s Friday, Oct. 10 - Champions League coverage could drastically change, a verdict for Manchester City’s ‘115’ case is nearing, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

One-click email share: Send Route One to a friend with this link. (or copy URL here).

TOP TALKING POINTS

Champions League Bids Begin

Europe’s top clubs are seeking at least €5bn (£4.3bn) a year from the sale of broadcast rights for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. The bidding process for Europe’s five biggest markets—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK—covering 2027–2033, begins on October 13 and will be the first cycle managed by U.S. agency Relevent Sports.

Netflix is reportedly (paywall) exploring a bid for the global rights to one Champions League match per round. The platform that wins the rights to show a match globally would have the first pick of Tuesday games, but would have a limit on the number of matches featuring one team. Every other streaming platform will be able to bid for multiple markets at the same time for the first time ever.

Uefa expects at least a 10% annual increase in value from its club competitions. The new Champions League format, introduced in 2024–25, delivered a 25% rise in the previous cycle.

City Verdict Nears

Premier League officials reportedly expect a verdict on Manchester City’s 115 alleged financial breaches to be delivered this month. The charges span 2009 to 2018, covering the period after the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover–read more here. City deny any wrongdoing.

The hearing began on September 16, 2024, and concluded in December, but no verdict has been made public since. Unnamed sources believe the impact of the verdict “could be significantly lessened in terms of regulatory effect” than has been speculated, drawing parallels to the recent settlement between the Premier League and Man City in a separate case related to APT rules. However, there is no evidence to suggest this outcome.

New Independent Football Regulator chief David Kogan said many people are “surprised by how long” the verdict has taken. As part of a wide-ranging interview, Kogan also said that he is seeking powers to investigate Sheffield United’s owners amid an escalating cash crisis at the club. Read the full interview here.

World Cup Calendar Change

The 2034 World Cup, set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia, could now be played in early 2035. The tournament is expected to be held in winter due to extreme summer temperatures, but not in November or December 2034, to avoid the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

On Wednesday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said football must “keep an open mind” about moving major tournaments away from the traditional summer window. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar faced criticism for disrupting European domestic seasons with a mid-season break.

The shift also opens a window for a winter Club World Cup. Fifa is considering staging the competition every two years from 2029, with Qatar the leading candidate to host the 2031 edition, making a winter schedule increasingly likely.

POLL

Are you "open" to major tournaments regularly being played outside of summer?

Leave your initials in your response if you'd like to be featured in Monday's edition.

Login or Subscribe to participate

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Scotland claim vital three points in Group C after their 3-1 win over Greece in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers (Match Report); see all Uefa qualifier fixtures and results (More)

> England beat Wales 3-0 in their friendly at Wembley with Rogers, Watkins, and Saka on the score sheet (Match Report) | Thomas Tuchel has said England will go to next summer's World Cup as "underdogs" and have "no chance" of succeeding in North America unless they work as a team (More)

> Tottenham’s owner have injected £100m into the club to reiterate their long-term commitment (More)

> The owners of Premier League’s Burnley have completed the purchase of La Liga side Espanyol, thought to be around €130m for 99.66% of the club (More)

> Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has voiced criticism of his club’s plans to play Villarreal in Miami in December (More)

Americas

> A match between Argentina and Puerto Rico has been relocated from Chicago to Florida amid an immigration crackdown in the city (More) | USMNT face Ecuador in an international friendly on Friday (10 Oct) (More), while Canada play Australia (More)

> Five MLS fixtures take place this weekend, with Miami vs. Atlanta kicking it off on Saturday (11 Oct) at 19:30 ET; see all MLS fixtures (More)

> NWSL newcomer Boston Legacy have attracted investment from Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams (More); see all NWSL fixtures this weekend (More)

> Six USL Championship clubs, Louisville, Charleston, North Carolina, Tulsa, Sacramento, and New Mexico, have clinched a spot in the play-offs (More); see all USL Championship fixtures this weekend (More)

> Boca Juniors manager and Argentina legend Miguel Angel Russo has passed away at 69 (More)

Rest of the World

> Riyad Mahrez scored and assisted in Algeria’s 3-0 win over Somalia, leading his nation into their first World Cup since 2014 (More)

> Togo midfielder Samuel Asamoah broke his neck in a collision with a pitch-side advertising board in China that his club says could leave him paralysed (More)

> A former club captain who was honoured as the A-League’s player of the year has admitted his role in a lucrative match-fixing scheme (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Do you see a place for any gambling adverts in football? 

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (20%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅‍♂️ Nope (78%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)

Your punditry takes:

  • 👍 J.M: “Where else can they advertise? It’s sports betting. It’s like saying you shouldn’t sell sweets in a newsagent.”

  • 🙅‍♂️ W.G: “Gambling has known problems, and they are not insignificant. Why—when something like gambling is already popular—do we need to add fuel to the fire? If it can live and prosper on its own without the addition of advertising, should we accept additional eyeball grabs?”

  • 🙅‍♂️ J.L: “There is no place in sports for gambling. Real fans enjoy the competition and don't need to bet on it to make it more interesting. Ban gambling adverts in full from football.”

  • ✍️ K.C: “It’s one thing to see gambling adverts while watching football, but it’s another to be inundated with them. Gambling is now just a part of professional sports, but I think something has to be done to curb how many advertisements we’re seeing during a match.”

EXTRA TIME

Where are Leicester’s Premier League champions now?

Mateta’s performs induction song to France squad.

60 of the best young talents in world football.

Milan’s new stadium–everything to know.

Grading the starts of new Premier League strikers.

The most complicated football shirt in history.

GAME FACE ON

Question: James Milner is 12 Premier League appearances from breaking who’s appearance record?

Bonus: How many appearances did this player make?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

UEFA World Cup Qualifiers

  • Kazakhstan vs. Liechtenstein (15:00)

  • Germany vs. Luxembourg (19:45)

  • Northern Ireland vs. Slovakia (19:45)

  • Kosovo vs. Slovenia (19:45)

  • Sweden vs. Switzerland (19:45)

  • France vs. Azerbaijan (19:45)

  • Iceland vs. Ukraine (19:45)

  • Belgium vs. North Macedonia (19:45)

*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.

Answer

Gareth Barry holds the record with 653 Premier League appearances. See the players with the most Premier League appearances here.

Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.

I had lost my patience with [Jose] Mourinho… He'd say on WhatsApp every night 'Miki, please go away’…. Around January his text changed to ‘Miki, please go away so I can get Alexis [Sanchez].’

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, in his autobiography