GM football fans. It’s Thursday, Nov. 13 - Euro 2028 has officially launched, the MLS is planning to vote on two major structural changes, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
Editor’s note: It’s the international break — and the R1 staff are taking one too. No Friday edition, but we’ll be back on Monday. We miss you already!
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA World Cup Qualifiers (Nov 13): France vs. Ukraine, 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET. Despite dropping two points in their last match, France are in a commanding position at the top of Group D to qualify, with victory against Ukraine guaranteeing their spot in next year’s World Cup. England vs. Serbia, 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET. England, the only team to have qualified in Europe so far, have kept eight consecutive clean sheets in competitive internationals, their longest such run ever, winning all eight of those games. Rep. Ireland vs. Portugal, 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET. Portugal have picked up 10 points across four World Cup qualifiers, and they currently sit top of Group K, five points clear of their nearest challengers Hungary. A win for Portugal secures their spot at next year’s tournament. See every UEFA World Cup qualifier fixture here.
Results…
Women’s Champions League: Barcelona 3-0 OHL | Bayern 3-2 Arsenal | Atletico 1-2 Juventus | Man United 2-1 PSG | Benfica 1-1 Twente (Standings)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Euro 2028 Launched
Cardiff will host the opening match of the 2028 European Championship on June 9, with the final and semi-finals to be played at Wembley Stadium in London. The tournament, co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, will feature 51 matches involving 24 nations across nine venues in eight cities, also including Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle. See a guide of all the stadiums being used at the tournament here.
Unlike in previous Euros, host nations must qualify for the tournament. If they qualify directly, they will play all three group-stage matches on home soil. Should England qualify, the Three Lions will begin at the Etihad Stadium, while Wales, the Republic of Ireland, and Scotland would open in Cardiff, Dublin, and Glasgow, respectively. Dive deeper into the qualifying system here.
The UK government says it is investing £557m to host the tournament but expects a £3.2bn return, driven by job creation, regional growth, and international investment. The average stadium capacity across the nine venues is around 60,000, leading Uefa to predict record attendance numbers for a European Championship.
See the official Euro 2028 logo here.
MLS Fall-Spring Vote
MLS owners are expected to vote (paywall) on Thursday (Nov 13) on two major proposals: switching to a fall-to-spring calendar and introducing a single-table format. A vote this week is not guaranteed, but one must take place before March for any changes to be implemented by the 2027 season, something the owners are reportedly pushing.
Specifically, the plan is for the MLS regular season to span from mid–to-late July or August to April, with play-offs staged in May. A winter break would be implemented in December and January. The aim of the calendar change is to sync up with the European football calendar and, in turn, align with the primary and secondary transfer windows with the rest of the world. The current view is that the MLS is not able to take advantage of free transfers or maximise value when buying or selling players.
The league is also considering replacing its two-conference structure with a single-table system featuring five regional divisions—see what the divisions would look like here. Each club would play 34 matches—home and away against divisional rivals, and once (home or away) against the remaining 24 clubs. Division winners would automatically qualify for the play-offs, though the final format is still being debated.
World Cup Parking
World Cup ticket holders can expect to spend as much as $175 per parking pass, more than the price of some actual match tickets at previous World Cups. A "general parking" pass for the July 14 semi-final in Dallas was listed at $175, while the price for parking at a group-stage match was listed at $75.
While stadiums at the last World Cup in Qatar were generally accessible by public transport, several 2026 host venues lack robust transit links. As many as 11 U.S. metropolitan areas staging matches do not have major rail systems, meaning fans will rely heavily on shuttles, rideshares, and park-and-ride services.
Fifa, which has been criticised for the cost of tickets, is expected to make more than $10bn from the tournament. The governing body says the revenue will be reinvested to help grow the game across the world.
POLL
Should host nations automatically qualify for major tournaments?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Premier League clubs will take legal action against the league if it introduces salary caps in a vote next week, says the chief executive of the PFA (More) | Wolves have appointed former Luton boss Rob Edwards as their new manager on a three-and-a-half-year contract (More)
> Barcelona have reportedly made Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane their first-choice striker to replace Robert Lewandowski (More)
> The 2024 MLS Coach of the Year Wilfried Nancy is on the shortlist to replace Brendan Rodgers at Celtic (More); see how Nancy approaches leadership (Watch/video)
Americas
> Canada host Ecuador in an international friendly on Thursday (Nov 13) (Match Preview)
> Brazilian midfielder Oscar is considering retirement after discovering a heart issue (More)
Rest of the World
> Nigeria players and technical staff boycotted training on Tuesday for the World Cup due to unpaid allowances and match bonuses; reports suggest the issue has been resolved (More)
> Iraq and UAE each have one last chance to stay on the road to the 2026 World Cup in a two-game series in the fifth round of Asian qualification (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should federations be compensated when players switch national teams after representing them at youth level?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (40%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (55%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 L.J: “It makes sense as long as there is an age limit, if a 24 year old, for instance, has never represented his youth nation at senior level and has the option to switch nationalities then that's fair enough, but if they're still young when they switch, like Yildiz is, then there should be compensation just like there is when a youth player switches clubs.”
🙅♂️ J.V: “It’s part of the deal, Germany isn’t offering to pay other countries when they take a dual national player. So perhaps do a better job of convincing your players to stay with you or let them go, but stop making everything about compensation.”
✍️ M.A: “No. International football should remain the purest form of the game, free from commercial compensation. A player’s identity is not a contract; it is a calling. National teams should not profit from personal evolution. The money in international football should go toward redeveloping grassroots systems, not reimbursing federations. Each country funds football differently, some through tax dollars and others through culture, and that diversity is what makes the global game special.”
EXTRA TIME
Scotland FC win Zimbabwe’s league—and bags of cash.
A day in the life of a Man United player. (video)
Ligue 1 has completed the circle of parity.
Which European nations can still qualify for the World Cup?
How PL teams are borrowing NFL tactics on set pieces.
… and the PL teams that win and lose the longest this season.
Could a stopped clock end time-wasting in football?
Barcelona will bring back their mint third kit.
GAME FACE ON
Question: What do the following clubs have in common?
Chelsea. Middlesbrough. Aston Villa. Rangers. Lyon. Millwall. FC Copenhagen. Sporting.
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.
I'm a coach, I'm not Harry Potter. He is magical, but in reality, there is no magic. Magic is fiction, and football is real.
Answer
All their crests feature a lion.
