GM football fans. It’s Thursday, July. 03 - The Club World Cup has a new favourite to win the competition, Fifa is asked to get involved in U.S. immigration policy, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Women’s Euro 2025: Belgium vs. Italy, 17:00 / 12:00. Belgium have had mixed results this year, earning just six points from as many games to finish in the relegation play-off spot of their Nations League group. They’ll want to claim just their second win in Euro history. Meanwhile. Italy will now be looking to avoid a third consecutive group-stage exit, having failed to reach the knockout rounds since the 2013 tournament. Spain vs. Portugal, 20:00 / 15:00. Tournament favourites Spain qualified after they recorded five wins in six matches in the 2025 Nations League finals, including 4-2 and 7-1 victories over Portugal. Francisco Neto’s Portugal side are winless in their last five matches in all competitions. See every Euro 2025 fixture here and buy tickets here.
TV Channels: BBC Two / ITV 1 (UK) | fuboTV / Fox Sports (US) | TSN+ (Canada)
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
New Club World Cup Favourites
Chelsea are now the favourites to win the Club World Cup, according to Opta’s prediction model. The Blues, who are given a 26.8% chance of winning, have overtaken Paris Saint-Germain, who have a 24.9% chance. Before the last 16 ties were played, PSG (20.6%) were favourites, while Chelsea were projected to have a 10.4% chance of winning the trophy.
Chelsea’s chances have been boosted as the model sees their half of the bracket as ‘easier’ than PSG’s route–see the bracket here. Luis Enrique’s French side must beat Bayern Munich and then one of Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid in the semi-final. The model sees the Brazilian clubs, Palmeiras (3%) and Fluminense (1.5%), as major outsiders to win the tournament, despite their impressive last-16 wins over Inter Milan and Manchester City, respectively.
The remaining eight clubs have earned an additional $13.125m for qualifying for the quarter-finals. Including this windfall, Real Madrid have earned the most in Club World Cup prize money at $64.8m, Bayern are second ($52.2m), PSG third ($55.9m), Chelsea fourth ($53.6m), Dortmund fifth ($52.3m), Inter sixth ($49.9m), and Fluminense and Palmeiras have both earned $39.8m. See how the prize money is distributed here.
FIFA’s Political Pressure
A letter signed by over 90 civil society groups has urged Fifa to use its influence to call on President Donald Trump to guarantee the rights of football fans attending next summer’s World Cup. The letter follows the Trump administration's travel bans, which could exclude Iranian football fans from the World Cup, as well as partial restrictions on Venezuela, which are in contention to qualify.
Signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union, and others, the letter urges Fifa to publicly call on President Trump to reverse policies that could threaten foreign attendees’ access and safety. The letter warns that if Fifa remains silent, then its brand will be used to whitewash “the reputation of an increasingly authoritarian government.”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly said foreign spectators and teams will have no issues entering the country next summer.
Newcastle’s Kit Apology
Newcastle United have apologised for causing offence in a video that was used to launch the club’s third kit. The video (at 1:45) originally included a flag in the club’s colours that resembled the Rising Sun flag, used by the Japanese army in World War II.
The symbolism remains controversial in countries where Newcastle will sell the shirt, due to its connotations with Japanese imperialism. Among these nations are Singapore and South Korea, where Newcastle are travelling for a pre-season tour this month. As such, the club removed the video and replaced it with an adapted version.
Newcastle’s third kit was ranked by ESPN as the best Premier League kit launched ahead of the new season so far. The kit is a modern take on the club’s iconic dark blue, green, and gold away kit from the 1997-98 season. See images of the kit here.
POLL
Who do you think will win the Club World Cup?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> La Liga 2025-26 fixtures have been released, with Barcelona beginning their title defence away to Mallorca on the weekend of August 16-17; the first El Clasico fixture against Real Madrid is set for October 26 (Full Fixture List)
> Chelsea have officially signed Joao Pedro from Brighton for £55m on a seven-year contract (More) | Arsenal Women have signed Chloe Kelly on a free transfer following her Manchester City contract expiring (More)
> Jobe Bellingham won’t face his brother Jude when Borussia Dortmund play Real Madrid in the Club World Cup after he received his second booking of the tournament (More)
> Olivier Giroud has signed a one-year deal with French club Lille after leaving MLS side Los Angeles FC (More)
Americas
> The Gold Cup semi-final fixtures, the United States vs. Guatemala and Mexico vs. Honduras, will conclude shortly after publication (See Results); Find Gold Cup final tickets at One Reliant Park, Houston, TX (Buy Tickets)
> Birmingham Legion FC and Charleston Battery face each other in the USL Championship regular season; the match concludes shortly after publication (See Result) | See USL Championship standings (More)
> Liga MX will introduce new rules for its return with the 2025 Apertura tournament: only captains can talk to the referee, goalkeepers are limited to eight seconds to release the ball from their hands, and they’re adopting the accidental double touch rule (More)
Rest of the World
> Alexandre Lacazette has signed for Saudi Pro League side Neom Sports Club upon their first appearance in the top flight (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Has the Club World Cup made you think non-European teams are more or less competitive than you expected?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👏 More competitive... (64%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 😬 Less competitive... (32%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (4%)
Your punditry takes:
👏 M.T: “Hard to say whether the European clubs are sleepwalking a bit, but the non-European clubs have definitely come to play, and it's added some life to what could easily be a somnambulant experience.”
👏 L.J: “I have to say more competitive based solely on the results. That is the beauty of cup competitions–on any given day, one team is better than the other, and the Asian and South American teams have shown that in a one-off, they can hang in there. Are the European sides better? Yes, but the gulf is not as wide as everyone may think.”
😬 N.S: “The Brazilian clubs have impressed for sure, but that’s not surprising given most of their players are exported to European clubs. Still, it’s clear that the peak of European football is far higher than that of non-European clubs. Yes, there have been some blips, but both Man City and Inter have been prone to that this season.”
✍️ C: “Given the timing of the season for European clubs, I find it hard to put much stake in their performance at all in this Club World Cup.”
EXTRA TIME
Meet the sculptors behind football statues.
Which clubs are the best transfer fit for Europe’s top strikers?
Ajax release water-inspired away shirt.
Watch the first goal of Euro 2025.
Has a team won the UCL without beating any league champions?
Basel change traffic lights for Euro 2025.
USL Championship power rankings after week 17.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Eight players have made four assists in a single Premier League game, but who was the most recent to do so?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Women’s Euro 2025
Belgium vs. Italy (17:00)
Spain vs. Portugal (20:00)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Jeremy Doku for Man City vs. Bournemouth in November 2023.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
If you believe the four people on Twitter who think the level of the Club World Cup is garbage, you're mistaken. People who really know the game are aware that Brazilian teams are strong.
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