Good morning football fans. It’s Monday, April. 20 - The first-ever professional goal scored using the new offside rule, Fifa takes aim at New Jersey’s transit costs during the World Cup, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
Premier League Matchday 33 (April 20): Crystal Palace vs. West Ham United, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Crystal Palace have won five of their last seven Premier League games against West Ham, but they’ve only won one of their last eight home league derbies. Meanwhile, West Ham are winless in their last five Monday league games, though Palace have won just three such games in their last 25 in the competition. See the Premier League table here.
Results…
Premier League: Man City 2-1 Arsenal | Everton 1-2 Liverpool | Forest 4-1 Burnley | Villa 4-3 Sunderland | Chelsea 0-1 Man United | Brentford 0-0 Fulham | Leeds 3-0 Wolves | Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth | Tottenham 2-2 Brighton
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich 4-2 Stuttgart | Hoffenheim 2-1 Dortmund (Table)
Serie A: Inter 3-0 Cagliari | Verona 0-1 AC Milan | Napoli 0-2 Lazio (Table)
Copa del Rey Final: Atletico Madrid 2-2 Real Sociedad (Real Sociedad won 4-3 on pens)
MLS (Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
First-Ever ‘Daylight Offside’ Goal
The new ‘daylight offside’ rule was used for the first time in professional football history on Saturday, allowing a goal to stand in a Canadian Premier League fixture. The first goal in Pacific FC’s 2-2 draw against Halifax Wanderers was awarded to striker Alejandro Diaz, who was offside under the traditional International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules. Watch the goal here.
In cooperation with Fifa and Ifab, Canada’s top-flight league is the first to trial the new offside rule, with low-level trials previously held in Italy’s Under-18 Championship in 2023. This season will be used as a real-life case study, which Ifab will review at the end of the season. If successful, the law is likely to be implemented globally for the 2027-28 European season.
The new offside rule, pioneered by former Arsenal manager and now Fifa’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger, was first proposed in 2020. Under the system, an attacker is only deemed offside if there is clear "daylight" between them and the second-last defender, rather than being penalised for narrowly being ahead. Supporters of the rule change say it will reduce marginal offside calls and increase the number of goals scored. Dive deeper into the new law here (video).
FIFA Critiques Host City
FIFA has said that New Jersey’s decision to increase train fares during the 2026 World Cup will have a “chilling effect” on fans. Last week, NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill said Fifa should subsidise the cost of public transport for World Cup games. This came just before NJ Transit confirmed that a round-trip train journey between New York Penn Station and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which usually costs $12.90, will now cost $150 — a nearly 12-fold increase.
In a statement responding to the price rise, the governing body said that “arbitrarily [setting] prices and [demanding] Fifa absorb these costs is unprecedented.” The statement continued: "While Fifa is projected to generate approximately $11bn in revenue, not profit, as the governor incorrectly claims, Fifa has always been a not-for-profit organisation as per our statutes.”
Elsewhere, other host cities are taking varied approaches to transport pricing for the tournament. Kansas City will offer free airport buses and $15 matchday services, while Philadelphia’s subway fares will remain at $2.90, Houston’s light rail at $2.50, and Los Angeles’ metro at $3.50. In some cases, prices have also been increased to reflect demand and operational costs, such as in Boston, where train fares are set at $80 and buses at $95.
See a detailed guide of all 16 2026 World Cup stadiums here.
Premier League Losses Mount
Premier League clubs made combined losses of almost £800m ($1.08bn) last season, rising from £153m a year before, the Financial Times reports. Fourteen of the 20 clubs reported pre-tax losses in the 2024-25 season, despite revenues rising to more than £6.5bn across the league, buoyed by a nearly £400m rise in non-broadcast income.
Data from Transfermarkt shows that Premier League teams spent around €3.5bn (£3.04bn; $4.1bn) on players in the summer of 2025, just over €1bn more than in the summer before. Further, the average Premier League wage bill is now £220m, a £40m rise in three years. Across the league, the wages-to-revenue ratio is 65%, though across the ‘Big Six’ teams — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham — the ratio is 55%, compared to the rest of the league at 76%.
Chelsea reported an English record loss of £262m, while Tottenham lost £121m and West Ham £104m. Meanwhile, only four clubs — Liverpool, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town, and Crystal Palace — managed to turn a profit without selling assets to themselves.
POLL
Is this the best Premier League season in recent memory?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Manchester City can go level on points with Premier League leaders Arsenal when they play Burnley on Wednesday (April 22) after they beat the Gunners 2-1 at home on Sunday (Match Report) | Bournemouth have an agreement in principle with Marco Rose to become their new head coach (More)
> Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga title for the 13th time in 14 seasons with four games to spare following their 4-2 win over Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim (More) | Marie-Louise Eta’s landmark first match as interim head coach of Union Berlin ended in a 2-1 Bundesliga defeat at home to relegation-threatened Wolfsburg (More)
> Coventry City have been promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years following a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers on Friday (More); see the Championship table (More) | Bromley have been promoted to League One for the first time in the club’s history after Notts County’s 2-1 defeat by Barnet (More)
> Real Sociedad beat Atletico Madrid on penalties 4-3 in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday following a 2-2 draw, claiming their fourth such title in the club’s history (More); Sociedad head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo became the first American to win a major final in Europe’s top five leagues (More)
> Celtic have advanced to the Scottish Cup final, where they will play Dunfermline Athletic next month, following their 6-2 win against St Mirren in extra time (More)
Americas
> Lionel Messi scored twice, including the winner, in Inter Miami’s 3-2 away win at Colorado Rapids in front of the second-highest attendance ever in the MLS (More); watch Messi’s winning goal (Watch); see every MLS result (More) and Conference Standings (More)
> The NWSL is reportedly considering changing the calendar season to a fall-to-spring schedule to align with other top leagues (More)
> The United States women’s national team won their final friendly against Japan 3-0, including goals from Naomi Girma, Rose Lavelle and Kennedy Wesley (More)
> Louisville City FC regain top spot in the USL Championship Eastern Conference, while Orange County SC now lead the Western Conference; see every USL Championship result (More) and Conference Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Al Nassr’s 4-0 AFC Champions League Two victory over Al Wasl, taking his career goal tally to 969 (Goal Tracker)
> Egyptian side Zamalek advanced to the African Confederation Cup final after a 0-0 draw with Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria in Friday’s semi-final second leg (More)
> Saudi Arabia have sacked head coach Herve Renard with immediate effect before the World Cup (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Do you think the winner of Manchester City vs Arsenal on Sunday will go on to win the title?
This poll was asked before the match on Sunday, which ended 2-1 in favour of Manchester City.
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (83%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (15%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 R.H: “Key word is momentum. Everything (besides the Champions League) is going against Arsenal. The Cups, domestic form, and now a trip to Manchester. They need to go into the Etihad and try to grind out a result. If Arsenal lose this game to City, the momentum alone will propel City to the top. If Arsenal win this game, it puts them over the line.”
🙅♂️ M.M: “It chokes me to say these words, but Arsenal will almost certainly win the Premier League this season, regardless of this game's outcome. #COYS.”
✍️ J.M: “I think Arsenal will probably win the league regardless of the result. If they win, I think they will definitely win the league. City have a much tougher schedule than Arsenal, and they have shown themselves to not be the infallible team they were in the past, so I think they will still drop points later in the season.”
EXTRA TIME
Why footballers fear Achilles tendon ruptures more than any other injury.
Everything to know about the club Messi just acquired.
Revisit the 1987 European Golden Shoe scandal. (video)
Ronaldinho talks about one of his favourite goals.
The numbers behind Kane’s record-breaking Bundesliga season.
How does Saudi Arabia’s PIF change impact Newcastle investment?
GAME FACE ON
Question: Coventry City are set to appear in the Premier League for the first time since the 2000–01 season. Can you name the top four teams from that campaign?
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.
The main, and so far the only, revenue-generating event for Fifa is the World Cup. We generate money in one month — the 47 other months until the next World Cup, we spend that money.
Answer
Manchester United (1st). Arsenal (2nd). Liverpool (3rd). Leeds United (4th).
