| In partnership with |
|
GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, June. 25 - Fifa to consider 2026 World Cup draw constraints amid geo-political tensions, Lyon is being relegated to Ligue 2, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
Feeling hungry? We’ve got you covered. Get 1+ referrals by this Friday using your unique referral link, and we’ll send you a $5 DoorDash gift card—on us. This is currently only available to North American readers, but we’re working on a tasty equivalent for Europe.
KEY FIXTURES
Club World Cup: Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan HD, 20:00 / 15:00. Dortmund need a win to guarantee qualification for the round of 16, while Ulsan are last in the group with no points. Dortmund’s display in front of goal has been outstanding, with the Bundesliga side scoring 24 times in their eight most recent fixtures. Inter Milan vs. River Plate, 02:00 / 21:00. These sides are going head-to-head to secure first place in Group E. Inter’s coach, Cristian Chivu, drew his first match in charge against Monterrey, while his side narrowly beat already-eliminated Urawa thanks to a last-minute winner. Meanwhile, River Plate have been in good form, losing just one of their last 19 competitive matches. See the current Club World Cup group standings here.
TV Channels: DAZN (UK) | DAZN (US) | DAZN (Canada)
Results…
Club World Cup: Bayern Munich 0-1 Benfica (Report) | Auckland City 1-1 Boca Juniors | ES Tunis vs. Chelsea & LAFC vs Flamengo to conclude shortly after publication (See Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Lyon’s Forced Relegation
Seven-time French champions Lyon, owned by American businessman John Textor, have been relegated to Ligue 2 due to the club’s financial problems. Sources close to the matter claim that Lyon plans to appeal the decision. Should the decision stand, Lyon will be replaced in the top flight by Stade de Reims, who were beaten in the relegation play-off by Metz.
In November, Lyon were provisionally demoted by the DNGC, the body which oversees the accounts of French professional football clubs. The DNCG’s ruling allowed for provisional relegation, dependent on Lyon improving their financial position before the season’s end. At the time, Textor said there was "no chance" the club would be relegated.
French outlet L’Equipe estimates Lyon’s current debt at €175m, with the club reporting in November that it had debt worth more than €500m. Textor’s proposal to transfer funds from Botafogo, another club he owns in Brazil, to Lyon to cover the debts was denied.
World Cup Draw Constraints
Fifa is considering changing the 2026 World Cup draw to accommodate Iran’s participation while the country is involved in a conflict with the United States, who is co-hosting the tournament. The governing body could assign Iran a fixed slot—such as in Group A—that would ensure all group-stage matches are held in Mexico. If Iran win the group, they would continue playing in Mexico for the round of 32 and potentially the round of 16.
Draw constraints have been used in previous editions of the tournament, but usually to ensure competitive balance, not due to geopolitical tensions. In 2022, Qatar’s World Cup used constraints to prevent more than one non-European team from the same confederation from being placed in a single group.
Iran is currently subject to a U.S. travel ban, though the ban contains exemptions that could apply to players, staff, or team personnel involved in the tournament.
Messi’s PSG Reunion
Lionel Messi will face former club Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup round of 16 on Sunday, June 29. Inter Miami, who finished their group unbeaten after a 2-2 draw with Palmeiras, are the first MLS club to reach the Club World Cup knockouts. LAFC and the Seattle Sounders, have both been eliminated.
While Miami left-back Jordi Alba labelled PSG the “current best in the entire world,” the Champions League winners lost to Botafogo in the group stage. They’re also playing without Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembele, who’s recovering from a hamstring injury. Still, Luis Enrique’s side remains the 23.4% favourites to win the competition, according to Opta’s prediction model.
Throughout his career, Messi’s teams have advanced in all 33 group stages he's appeared in. Miami’s progression has already earned them $21.5m—the equivalent of winning 71 MLS Cups. Should they beat PSG in the last 16, they will earn an additional $13m.
Watch Luis Suarez’s goal of the tournament contender against Palmeiras here.
POLL
Should World Cup group draws be influenced by off-pitch political tensions?
PRESENTED BY GEMINI SPORTS
Stop Wasting Fans’ Money on Custom Player Platforms
|
|
Building your own squad planning system? There’s a faster, smarter, and more cost-effective way. Gemini, created by a former All Blacks sports scientist, provides football clubs with an all-in-one, AI-powered player trading platform that’s ready to use—no tech team required.
Gemini’s plug-and-play, mobile-first platform breaks down information silos, transforms scattered data into actionable insights, and streamlines your squad planning workflows. Skip the hidden costs of custom app development and gain a competitive edge in weeks, not years.
Future-proof your player decision-making. See why top European and U.S. clubs trust Gemini to power their deals. Contact Gemini Sports today.
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Nottingham Forest have reportedly reached an agreement with Juventus to sign Timothy Weah and Samiel Mbangula for a combined total of €22m (More) | Forest have rejected a £45m bid for Antony Elanga from Newcastle United (More/paywall)
> Gareth Bale denies Plymouth Argyle takeover talks, but instead says he is hopeful that a bid he is involved with to buy Cardiff City will succeed (More)
> Viktor Gyokeres has personally told Sporting that he doesn’t want to play for the club anymore and will not return to training (More); dive deeper into why big clubs want to sign the striker (More)
> Manchester United Women will play Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the second round of qualification for the Women's Champions League (More)
Americas
> Gold Cup Group B and C fixtures will conclude shortly after publication; Canada vs El Salvador, Honduras vs Curacao, Guadeloupe vs Guatemala, Panama vs Jamaica (See Results)
> MLS matchday 20 kicks off as Philadelphia lead the Eastern Conference and Vancouver lead the Western Conference; see all fixtures and results (More)
> USL Championship Eastern Conference leaders Louisville City FC will travel to Loudoun United FC at 18:00 ET, shortly after ending their 13-game unbeaten streak (Standings)
> U.S. Soccer hopes to build the best football training facility in the world in Fayette County, Georgia (More)
Rest of the World
> For the fourth time in six years, Singapore are on the hunt for a new head coach after Tsutomu Ogura stepped down just 16 months at the helm (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should we see referee cams used more widely in football?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 📸 Yes... (67%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope... (32%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other… (1%)
Your punditry takes:
📸 S.G: “Referee cams are extremely exciting for the fans, as it would allow them to get an exclusive look on the game that they could never get otherwise. It would also allow coaches, analysts, and players to get a view into their game that they usually couldn't, allowing them to pinpoint areas of improvement.”
📸 L.E: “Absolutely! It may help us, the fans, understand things from the refs' perspective. It’ll also help us understand some of their decisions, and some of the abuse during the game.”
🙅♂️ E.C: “It’s a unique quirk that provides no real benefit to the game or viewers. Often the picture is jerky or not focused on the play that it needs to be on anyway. It was 'fun' for a bit, but it’s not worth continuing.”
🙅♂️ C.V: “It’s so shaky you can barely see the play, and it gives me a headache trying to follow along when watching. Perhaps if it's on slow motion and easier to follow, then it might be useful.”
EXTRA TIME
Premier League clubs ranked by squad value.
The 5074th globally ranked side have scored at the CWC.
Ranking every women’s Euro 2025 kit.
… and a club honours their biscuit heritage with new kit.
Ibrahimovic, Iniesta, Marcelo and Kroos amongst many new EAFC icons.
The Club World Cup final Adidas ball leaked. (image)
The 13-year-old clubs are bidding £700,000 for.
GAME FACE ON
For which club have each of the following pairs of players been teammates?
Patrice Evra & Paulo Dybala.
Wesley Sneijder & Pepe.
Joel Matip & Leroy Sane.
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Club World Cup
ES Tunis vs Chelsea (02:00)
Los Angeles vs Flamengo (02:00)
Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD (20:00)
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense (20:00)
USL Championship
Loudoun United FC vs Louisville City FC (23:00)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Juventus. Real Madrid. Schalke O4.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I have achieved everything in football, there is nothing left.
