GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 18 - Barcelona’s iconic Camp Nou will return this weekend, the tiny Caribbean island on the verge of World Cup history, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers (Nov 18): Spain vs. Turkey, 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET. Spain boast a three-point lead over Turkey in Group E, so a win would secure La Roja an automatic spot at the World Cup. Turkey have been in good form, having won all but one match in the qualifying. Scotland vs. Denmark, 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET. A win for either side, or a draw for Denmark, will secure automatic qualification. Recent history is on Scotland's side, as both nations won 2-0 at home in qualifying for Qatar 2022, and Tuesday's hosts lead the head-to-head by three wins to one. Wales vs. North Macedonia, 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET. Both sides, who are on 13 points in Group J, will be hoping that first-place Belgium lose to Liechtenstein. Wales and North Macedonia drew 1-1 during March's Group J fixture, but the only previous meeting between the two nations on Welsh soil ended in a 1-0 Dragons success in 2013. See every World Cup qualifier fixture here.
Results…
World Cup Qualifiers: Germany 6-0 Slovakia | N. Ireland 1-0 Luxembourg | Malta 2-3 Poland | Netherlands 4-0 Lithuania | Czech Republic 6-0 Gibraltar | Montenegro 2-3 Croatia (Group Standings)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Historic Qualification Hopes
Curacao, a Caribbean island, are one point away from becoming the smallest-ever, by population, country to qualify for a World Cup. Following their 7-0 win over Bermuda on Thursday, anything but a loss against second-place Jamaica on Tuesday night (Wednesday 01:00 GMT) will secure their spot at the tournament for the first time in history.
Manager Dick Advocaat, who is 78 and has managed Rangers, Sunderland, and seven other national teams, has been forced to abandon the match and return home for family reasons. Under Advocaat’s management, they have won seven of nine qualifying matches, including a 2-0 home win over Jamaica in October.
Curacao has just 156,115 people and a land mass of 444 km², about a third of the size of New York City. The record for the smallest nation to qualify is Iceland, which had around 350,000 people at the time of qualification in 2018.
Dive deeper into the smallest nations to qualify for the World Cup here.
Mbappe Sues PSG
Kylian Mbappe is seeking around €240m ($279m) from his former employer Paris Saint-Germain. On Monday, the player’s lawyers argued he is owed the sum due to unpaid wages and alleged perceived ill-treatment by the club when PSG refused to extend his contract in 2023 ahead of his move to Real Madrid. The full legal arguments behind both sides’ demands haven’t been made public.
In response, PSG has reportedly counter-sued for €180m, seeking partial compensation for losing out on a €300m offer from Al Hilal during the 2023 summer window, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.
Mbappe’s case centres on French labour law, arguing that his contract should be governed by the rules protecting permanent employees, rather than those for fixed-term sports contracts, which offer fewer benefits and post-employment protections. French workplace law is among the most protective in Europe, potentially giving Mbappe a strong legal position if the court agrees with his interpretation.
Camp Nou Returns
Barcelona will return to the Camp Nou this weekend after confirming that Saturday’s La Liga game against Athletic Club will be played at the stadium. On Monday, the Barcelona City Council approved a license allowing 45,401 fans to attend matches during the partial reopening. Once fully complete, the renovated stadium will seat 105,000, up from its previous 99,354 capacity. See the biggest football stadiums in the world here.
The Camp Nou has been closed for refurbishment since 2023, with the original plan for the team to return by late 2024. While Barcelona will now resume competitive matches at the venue, full completion is not expected until June 2026, with current costs estimated at €900m ($1bn).
It remains unclear if the Champions League game against Frankfurt will be held at the Camp Nou on December 9. Uefa’s rule prohibits teams from moving stadiums during the initial phase of the Champions League, but Barcelona have expressed confidence that an exemption can be granted. Otherwise, the match will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, where the Catalan side have been temporarily hosting home matches.
Watch a video of the Camp Nou’s renovations here.
POLL
Is the Camp Nou football's most iconic stadium?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Germany and the Netherlands have qualified for the 2026 World Cup (More); see every nation that has qualified (More)
> Real Madrid president Florentina Perez is ready to sell between 5% and 10% of the club’s equity to outside investors (More)
> Zinedine Zidane has reportedly secured his return to management and will replace Didier Deschamps as France manager after the World Cup (More/first reported in Spain)
> Several WSL teams are in support of Manchester United coach Marc Skinner’s request to remove in-game interviews (More)
Americas
> Jaedyn Shaw scored with the last kick of the game and Gotham FC beat the Orlando Pride 1-0 on Sunday to advance to the NWSL’s championship game (More); what’s next for Orlando’s Marta? (More)
> Trinity Rodman is negotiating directly with the NWSL about contract terms that would keep her in the league (More)
> The USL Championship Final between FC Tulsa and Pittsburgh Riverhounds will take place on Saturday (22 Nov) (More)
> Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Oscar has been discharged from the hospital after being admitted last week with a heart issue (More)
Rest of the World
> Achraf Hakimi, Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen have been named the three finalists for the CAF Player of the Year prize (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think MLS’s changes will strengthen or weaken the league?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 💪 Strengthen (84%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 😬 Weaken (11%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (1%)
Your punditry takes:
💪 D.R: “Just from a player buying/selling standpoint, this can elevate MLS to the next level. Also, the November window has always killed the playoffs. Time to put them into the spring and play them appropriately!”
💪 S.P: “This is a series of changes that needed to be made to the format to be a serious league. I applaud what they're doing.”
😬 J.R: “This change will effectively kill the game in northern, cold-weather cities. Nobody wants to sit outside in below-zero weather in Montreal or Toronto. Don't believe the propaganda that there is a 90% overlap between the new season and the old. There will be three fewer months of summer games in exchange for sub-zero games in stadiums not equipped for the cold.”
✍️ P.J: “I think aligning with European schedules does make signing the next tier of players easier. But I think this will hurt fan engagement, particularly for the northern and northeastern teams like New England, Toronto, Chicago, Denver, Cinci & Columbus, and Minnesota. Competing with the NFL during the winter, and battling the weather will make selling tickets significantly more difficult. I also think it makes destination cities like Orlando, Miami and Los Angeles that much more attractive to elite players. It's already tough to sell someone like Lionel Messi on playing in Minneapolis. Now try to get him to commit to playing in Minneapolis in the winter...”
EXTRA TIME
Coach alleges DR Congo “did voodoo” during shootout.
The 380 players with just one Premier League appearance.
Is anything being done about poor player behaviour?
Adidas’ World Cup away kits leaked.
Neymar attempts two rainbow flicks.
Ranking the best (and worst) summer transfers this season.
The man who played in two games, in two countries, in one day.
GAME FACE ON
Question: What do the following players have in common…
Kylian Mbappe. Harry Kane. James Rodriguez. Thomas Muller. Miroslav Klose. Ronaldo Nazario.
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.
During all the penalties, the guy from DR Congo did some voodoo.
Answer
They are the Golden Boot (top scorers) in each edition of the World Cup this century.
