GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, Dec. 24 - Fifa is testing new VAR upgrades, the NWSL has changed its salary cap to retain talent, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
THANK YOU!
Dear Router. The R1 team will be off for the holidays—we’ll be back in your inbox sharp on Monday.
In the meantime, we want to say a huge thank you for being part of the community. The messages you send us each day, the comments on the poll, and the sharing of the newsletter reinforce why we began R1 in the first place: to build a community of intelligent and like-minded football fans who don’t want sensationalism or clickbait. R1 will forever remain unbiased, as factual as possible, and free.
If you feel R1 makes your day better, we’d be grateful if you share it with someone in your life. Whether that’s a friend, a family member, your boss, or your hairdresser, it helps to grow the community and keep us free.
Happy holidays—R1 team.
KEY RESULT
English League Cup, Quarter-Final: Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace (Arsenal win 8-7 on penalties). Palace’s Maxence Lacroix had a night to forget after scoring an own goal and having his decisive penalty saved in the shootout. Arsenal, who advance to the semi-finals for a second consecutive season, will travel to Chelsea for the first leg on January 14. Read the full match report here.
Results…
AFCON (All Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
VAR Upgrades Tested
FIFA is testing new technology to determine if the ball went out of play before a goal, in what is dubbed the ‘Out of Bounds’ innovation. The technology was tested offline in three Intercontinental Cup matches in Qatar this month, meaning the system ran in the background but was not used for in-game decisions. It’s unclear how successful the initial trials were, but Fifa is expanding the testing programme.
Alongside this, Fifa has expanded its Real-time 3D Recreation system to speed up and improve offside decisions, particularly those involving a player blocking the goalkeeper’s line of sight. Two virtual camera feeds, replicating each goalkeeper’s view, are now available to VAR officials and broadcasters.
Fifa also held further trials of instant audio offside alerts sent to assistant referees, which debuted at the Club World Cup in the summer. The aim is to reduce delayed offside flags in clear situations, helping to limit the risk of injuries.
NWSL Salary Cap Change
The National Women’s Soccer League will allow teams to pay certain players up to $1m above the current salary cap in a bid to retain top talent. The mechanism, called the High Impact Player rule, is partly a response to Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman potentially leaving the league as negotiations continue to retain the free agent.
The NWSL released criteria that enable teams to justify players being paid above the salary cap. This includes being featured in the Ballon d’Or top 30, appearing on annual lists compiled by sports publications that rank the world’s best players, and game time for the U.S. women’s national team–see the full list here. The $1m threshold will increase year-over-year at the same base rate as the league's salary cap. The additional allotment can be applied to a single player or distributed among multiple players.
The league could pay up to a total of $115m more to players between now and the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2030. However, the NWSL Players Association formally rejected the proposal last week, arguing that its implementation has been rushed.
Year-End World Rankings
Spain will end 2025 as the top men's team in the Fifa rankings. Defending World Cup champions Argentina were ranked second in the final poll of 2025, while France sit third. England and Brazil complete the top five, with Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Croatia rounding out the top 10 in that order.
The U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) have reclaimed top spot among Concacaf nations, rising to 14th, just ahead of fellow 2026 World Cup hosts Mexico, who slipped to 15th. Under Mauricio Pochettino, the USMNT are unbeaten in their last five matches. Canada remain 27th.
Morocco sit just outside the top 10, the highest-ranked African nation, following their Fifa Arab Cup Qatar 2025 triumph. Elsewhere, Kosovo were the biggest climbers, rising 19 places to 80th after seven wins across World Cup qualifying, the Uefa Nations League and friendlies. Suriname, Norway, Paraguay, and the Philippines also recorded notable rises.
POLL
Should VAR be used to determine if the ball went out of play before a goal was scored?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The Premier League will resume on Friday (26 Dec) as Manchester United host Newcastle United; see every upcoming Premier League fixture (More); dive deeper into Opta’s Premier League match predictions (More)
> Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo would reportedly choose to move to Manchester City amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United, with his release clause set to be initiated in January for £65m (More)
> Former Barcelona player Rafinha has announced his retirement from football at age 32 due to injuries (More)
> Wrexham’s James McClean will face a three-game ban following footage showing him striking out at Swansea forward Ronald (More) | American businesswoman Martha Stewart, 84, has become the latest celebrity to join Swansea City as a co-owner (More)
Americas
> The Colorado Rapids have hired Tottenham Hotspur assistant Matt Wells as coach to replace Chris Armas (More); keep up to date with MLS player transfers (More)
> NWSL’s Denver Summit has received approval from Denver City Council to move forward with its plan for a purpose-build stadium in Santa Fe Yards (More)
Rest of the World
> Mohamed Salah scored a stoppage-time winner as Egypt came from behind to beat Zimbabwe in their opening match at Afcon (More)
> Al-Hilal defeated Sharjah of the UAE 1-0 to remain the only team with a perfect record in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Would you enjoy matches on Christmas Day?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (59%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (39%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 P.W: “There would be nothing better than finishing presents and Christmas lunch with the family, then settling in to watch a Prem match. It would be fitting for Christmas too, as football is the thing we come together to watch most often throughout the year. Wonderful idea.”
👍 K.F: “I am too old to play with Christmas presents, so football would be a great distraction from the holiday parties.”
🙅♂️ J.Mc: “The biggest issue in the UK is public transport to games on that day; no trains, buses or coaches run. Plus, support infrastructure such as hospitality, traditionally operates a very limited service. Whilst I’m not religious, this part of the calendar is widely seen as an opportunity for families, wider groups, and communities to come together for perhaps the only time in a year. So let’s not lose this in the rush to commercialise and make money.”
🙅♂️ N.T: “Definitely not. Firstly, it's not fair to the families of footballers and the staff involved. Secondly, it wouldn't be fair to the families of the fans either. Merry Christmas to all of you who write this email, which we all get. And a very happy New Year to everyone also.”
EXTRA TIME
January transfer window preview–what do Europe’s clubs need?
How watching football on TV could change.
Jamie Carragher's Premier League Team of the Season so far.
Imagine scoring directly from kick-off.
Is Chelsea using Strasbourg as a ‘farm team’?
Lamine Yamal does a house tour.
Why Mbappe had a £1.3m ethics bonus in his PSG contract.
Seven stats to show just how eventful the EPL has been.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who scored a famous Boxing Day hat-trick for Manchester United against Newcastle in 2012?
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.
Is [Guardiola] weighing himself in do you think? One rule for one… Come on, Pep!
Answer
Javier Hernandez (Chicharito)
