GM football fans. It’s Monday, Oct. 13 - FIFA is looking to redraft its rules on overseas matches, Uefa is considering shaking up its qualification process, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers (13 Oct): Northern Ireland vs. Germany, 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET. Both teams are embroiled in a three-way battle at the top of Group A. After starting with a shock loss in Slovakia, the Germans have since posted back-to-back wins; meanwhile, their hosts, who lost in the second round, also claimed maximum points on Friday. Iceland vs. France, 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET. France have nine points from three games, while Iceland are third, one point behind second-place Ukraine for a play-off spot. France have won each of their last three games against Iceland, including a 2-1 success in the reverse game last month. Wales vs. Belgium, 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET. The hosts have 10 points compared to the visitors' 11, while first-placed North Macedonia have 12 points. Belgium narrowly beat the Welsh hosts 4-3 in June in the reverse fixture, though they relied on an 88th-minute winner from Kevin De Bruyne. See every World Cup qualifier fixture here.
Results…
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers: Netherlands 4-0 Finland | Scotland 2-1 Belarus | Croatia 3-0 Gibraltar (All Results)
Women’s Super League: Aston Villa 0-0 Leicester | Chelsea 1-0 Spurs | Everton 1-4 Man Utd | London City 1-0 West Ham | Arsenal 1-0 Brighton | Liverpool 1-2 Man City (Table)
International Friendlies: Canada 0-1 Australia | USMNT 1-1 Ecuador | Argentina 1-0 Venezuela | Chile 2-1 Peru
TOP TALKING POINTS
FIFA vs Overseas Matches
FIFA is reportedly seeking legal advice over whether it can ban domestic league matches from being staged abroad. The move comes a week after Uefa reluctantly allowed Villarreal vs. Barcelona to take place in Miami in December and Milan vs. Como in Perth in February, blaming the “relevant Fifa regulatory framework” for allowing the matches to take place.
The governing body has begun redrafting its regulations to make them more robust and prevent clubs from hosting competitive matches outside their home nations. The current rules, written in 2014, allow Fifa to block what it calls an “international match” only if the proper procedures are not followed. If the national associations of both clubs approve the move, Fifa has limited power to intervene.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino warned last week that allowing clubs to play league matches overseas would be a “big risk” for football. In 2023, Fifa’s settled with U.S.-based promoter Relevent Sports, which had filed an antitrust lawsuit challenging the ban on overseas league games.
Qualifying Shake-Up Considered
UEFA is reviewing the structure of international qualifiers amid concerns that fans and broadcasters are losing interest. A working group within Uefa’s National Teams Committee has been formed (paywall) to explore changes to the World Cup and European Championship qualifying formats.
Two options are being considered: expanding the use of the Nations League as a qualifying pathway or adopting the Swiss model used in the Champions League. The Nations League format has already been applied to women’s international competitions since 2023, while the Swiss model would see all 55 nations play six or eight matches against seeded opponents. The league-style format would encourage marquee fixtures, and smaller nations will still enjoy lucrative clashes with higher-ranked nations.
The current World Cup qualification process sees European nations play in small groups of four or five, playing each side twice. “Broadcast revenues and fan engagement around the international qualifiers have been going down, but they have been going up in the Nations League,” a source told The Times.
Zidane Hints Return
Zinedine Zidane has outlined his plan to become the next manager of the France national team. “I will surely return to coaching,” Zidane said at the Festival dello Sport di Trento. “I don’t know what the future holds for me. I feel like I can do something with the national team, that’s what I would like to do one day.”
Current coach Didier Deschamps, France’s 1998 World Cup-winning captain, has been in charge since 2012 and is set to step down after the 2026 World Cup. He guided Les Bleus to World Cup victory in 2018 and to the final in 2022.
Zidane has been out of management since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, following two spells in which he won three consecutive Champions League titles and two La Liga crowns.
POLL
Does UEFA's qualification process for major tournaments need a shake-up?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick despite missing two penalties as Norway took a step towards qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998 with a 5-0 win against Israel (More) | Italy’s hopes of qualifying were boosted with a 3-1 win away to Estonia (More)
> Steven Gerrard has turned down the opportunity to return as Rangers head coach following Russell Martin’s sacking (More)
> Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate has been released from the France squad and will return to Liverpool to continue his recovery from a thigh injury (More)
> Defending WSL champions Chelsea extended their league unbeaten run to 31 matches with a 1-0 victory over Spurs (Match Report); see all WSL results (More)
Americas
> Lionel Messi scored twice and assisted to help Inter Miami clinch home-field advantage in the first round of the play-offs with a 4-0 victory over Atlanta United (More); see his first goal (Watch)
> The NWSL has increased its media rights deal to expand coverage on ESPN and CBS Sports next year while adding Victory+ to the mix (More) | The Kansas City Current broke the single-season points record with a 2-0 win over Gotham FC in the NWSL (More); see all NWSL results (More)
> The USL Championship fixture between Charleston Battery and Colorado Springs Switchbacks will be replayed in full on Monday (Oct 13) after it was abandoned at half-time on Saturday due to unplayable conditions (More); see all USL Championship results (More)
Rest of the World
> The UAE beat Oman 2-1 in the fourth round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and now needs a draw against host Qatar on Tuesday to reach the finals for the first time since 1990 (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Are you "open" to major tournaments regularly being played outside of summer?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (34%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ No (64%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 R.M: “The dynamics of scheduling of large-scale football tournaments will continue to evolve to support commercial expansion. Think Virtual Reality, one can purchase a pitch-side seat to watch a match in VR from wherever they choose, but does the time of year and weather conditions factor as much to the supporter at that point? Immersion will be the next frontier of sport consumption; new generations of fans will want to be immersed, not so much in a stadium environment, but on their terms. The game is changing.”
🙅♂️ M.T: “Once in a great while? Sure. But to do it regularly is to concede that we're no longer going to have a ‘regular’ club schedule. And the ‘regular’ club schedule is already interrupted enough by countless international breaks.”
🙅♂️ S.L: “With all the domestic league and Uefa games, winter tournaments are not a good idea for the players' well-being, if that matters to Fifa. One must not only look at the cash side of things, but the players are humans first and foremost. Their physical AND mental health should be the FIRST concern.”
EXTRA TIME
Haaland mic’d up during Norway’s training.
How ChatGPT is saving players on agent fees.
The wildest kit designs this season.
Analysing ‘myths’ at the start of the season.
Sevilla star marks wife’s return to health in style.
Is the ball less in play in the EPL this season?
The lights went out during a Concacaf match.
Diego Costa and Skrtel argue in Liverpool legends game.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Luis Suarez has now scored 600 career goals. From highest to lowest, rank the clubs he has scored the most goals—national team (69 goals) excluded.
Nacional
Atletico Madrid
Groningen
Liverpool
Inter Miami
Barcelona
Gremio
Ajax
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers
Northern Ireland vs. Germany (19:45)
Slovakia vs. Luxembourg (19:45)
Slovenia vs. Switzerland (19:45)
Sweden vs. Kosovo (19:45)
Iceland vs. France (19:45)
Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan (19:45)
N. Macedonia vs. Kazakhstan (19:45)
Wales vs. Belgium (19:45)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Barcelona - 198. Ajax - 111. Liverpool - 82. Inter Miami - 42. Atletico - 34. Gremio - 29. Nacional - 20. Groningen - 15.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
During all the years I coincided with [Messi] at Barcelona, I never saw him practice a single free kick.
