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Good morning football fans. It’s Thursday, Apr. 16 - The Champions League semi-finals are locked in, the latest data on how long the ball is in play in the Premier League, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Europa League quarter-finals (April 16): Celta Vigo vs. Freiburg, Agg 0-3, 17:45 BST / 12:45 ET. Despite their three-goal deficit, Celta Vigo have won 12 of their previous 13 second legs at home in Europe. Meanwhile, Freiburg have failed to score in seven of their eight away knock-out ties in major European competition. Aston Villa vs. Bologna, Agg 3-1, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Villa have won 15 of their last 17 home European matches, winning their last eight in a row. They’ve also kept five consecutive home clean sheets against Italian clubs in major European competition. Nottingham Forest vs. Porto, Agg 1-1, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. In major European competitions, Porto have played 24 away matches in England and have never won. Forest have been weaker at home in Europe this season, losing three matches in the competition - no English side has ever lost four home games in a major European season. See the Europa League bracket here.
Results…
Champions League: Arsenal 0-0 Sporting CP (Agg 1-0) | Bayern Munich 4-3 Real Madrid (Agg 6-4) (Bracket)
FROM OUR PARTNERS
Every now and then, something lands in our inbox that feels different. Not just another camp, not just another showcase, but an opportunity that could genuinely change a young player's life. This is one of those.
Abbott has partnered with Real Madrid to launch the ‘Abbott Dream Team’, giving 18–19-year-olds across the US the chance to earn a fully funded training experience in Madrid. Sixteen players will be selected to travel to Spain to train at Real Madrid’s facilities and meet club legends. All expenses will be covered by Abbott.
To be considered, players must first sign up and attend a completely free local tryout event. Even attending the tryout comes with real value. Players will train with Real Madrid coaches, learn how nutrition and health impact performance, and walk away with a free adidas jersey and Abbott health toolkit.
Tryouts are running across the US this May and June:
Miami — Tuesday, May 19 | AutoNation Field, Davie, FL
Washington D.C. — Thursday, May 21 | Howard University
Houston — Wednesday, May 27 | South Houston High School
Kansas City — Tuesday, June 2 | Shawnee Mission Soccer Complex, Overland Park, KS
Los Angeles — Thursday, June 4 | California State University, Los Angeles
Chicago — Tuesday, June 9 | Intentional Sports
After last year’s success, spots for 2026 are limited, so register soon if you’re interested. Proof of age is required.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Champions League Semis
The Champions League semi-finals have been set following the conclusion of the quarter-final ties. The first legs will be played on 28 and 29 April, with Paris Saint-Germain hosting Bayern Munich and Arsenal travelling to Atletico Madrid.
Going into the semi-finals, Arsenal are given a 74% chance of progressing to the final and a 38.5% chance of winning the competition, according to Opta’s prediction model. Bayern are expected to join them in the final, with a 60.55% chance of beating PSG in the semis and a 33% chance of repeating their 2020 success. Meanwhile, PSG (39.45% chance of advancing) and Atletico (25.13%) are, on paper, the underdogs heading into the semi-finals.
Harry Kane, the second-highest goalscorer (13) in the competition this season, scored his 50th goal of the campaign across all competitions for the first time in his career. Surprisingly, Kane has failed to score in almost a quarter of games this season - 10 out of 42 - but has made up for this by scoring more than once in 15 matches. Kylian Mbappe, who exited the Champions League with Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, is the top goalscorer in the competition with 15 goals — see the full list here.
Tailgating World Cup Ban
The popular tradition of tailgating has been banned at MetLife Stadium and Gillette Stadium for the 2026 World Cup. Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, will reportedly enforce bans, too. While the term carries a different meaning in the UK, tailgating in the US is a staple of sports culture, with fans gathering in stadium car parks to eat and drink before games. However, parking around venues will be drastically reduced for the tournament, with the space used for other purposes: MetLife Stadium will reportedly offer no parking at all, while Gillette Stadium’s capacity will be cut from 20,000 spaces to just 5,000.
Responding to reports online, Fifa denied having a formal policy restricting tailgating at 2026 World Cup venues, but confirmed that “site-specific restrictions may be imposed in alignment with host city public safety authorities in certain venues based on local regulations.” The governing body is expected to release more information for fans closer to the event, which begins on June 11.
With parking limited, public transportation is expected to be the primary alternative, though travellers may face higher fares to cross state lines. Train tickets from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium could cost over $100 return during the World Cup. The 18-mile journey normally costs $12.90, meaning the new price would represent around a sevenfold increase. However, operating costs for the train service are also expected to rise significantly due to higher security requirements and increased demand, with reports suggesting that running the service for eight matches could cost up to $48m.
Premier League’s Ball-in-Play Time
New data from The Times shows that the average match in the Premier League sees the ball in play for just 55 minutes and 31 seconds — or 55.3% of total match time — with the average Premier League match this season lasting 100 minutes and 24 seconds. The average ball-in-play time is more than one minute fewer than in the 2024–25 season and nearly three minutes fewer than in 2023–24. Compare the average ball-in-play time for every Premier League season from 2016–17 here.
Corners have been one area that has eaten into playing time. The data shows that Arsenal spend 44.03 seconds on average per corner, the most in the league, followed by Sunderland (40.56 seconds) and Tottenham Hotspur (39.79 seconds). Meanwhile, for direct free-kicks, Liverpool take the longest in the league, with an average of 114.93 seconds, compared to Crystal Palace, who take the least time at just 60.56 seconds.
The teams with the ball in play the most are Manchester City (58.99%), Everton (57.09%) and Nottingham Forest (56.42%). The three teams with the lowest shares are Tottenham Hotspur (53.24%), Newcastle United (53.02%) and Bournemouth (52.99%).
Across Europe’s top five leagues, ball-in-play percentages are broadly similar to the Premier League. However, despite an average of 7 minutes and 10 seconds of added time across both halves, which is lower than the Premier League, the Uefa Champions League has a slightly higher ball-in-play rate of 58.4%.
POLL
After Lisandro Martínez’s red card this weekend, should hair pulling be an automatic red card offence?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike has ruptured his right Achilles tendon and is set to be on the sidelines for around nine months, missing the World Cup (More) | Marco Rose is thought to be the front-runner to take over the Bournemouth head coach role (More)
> West Brom’s expected point deduction could come after the season has finished (More) | The EFL has informed the preferred bidder for Sheffield Wednesday that the club will start next season in League One with a 15-point penalty (More)
> San Marino have announced the launch of their first senior women’s national football team (More)
> The Bundesliga trophy has been expanded with an extra ring to allow space for future champions’ engravings (More)
> Real Madrid defender Jose Emilio Santamaria, who won four European Cups as part of the club’s golden generation, has died aged 96 (More)
Americas
> A Miami-based events company is suing Lionel Messi and the Argentine Football Association over alleged unmet contractual obligations related to his expected participation in Argentina friendlies (More)
> Nashville SC and LAFC have reached the semi-finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup; LA Galaxy vs Toluca and Seattle vs Tigres conclude shortly after publication; see live results (More); Nashville became the first MLS team ever to win at the Estadio Azteca (More)
> Japan beat the United States women’s national team 1-0 in a friendly on Tuesday night to end the Americans' 10-game winning streak (More)
> The NWSL is working on a policy where brands have to make a deal with the league for players to wear their boots without covering logos or risk being fined (More)
> Canada has launched a national register of individuals who have been banned or suspended from sport, as BC Soccer faces legal action (More)
Rest of the World
> Former England midfielder Jonjo Shelvey retired from football aged 34 on Wednesday and moved right into management, taking charge of Arabian Falcons FC in the United Arab Emirates' third tier (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think football needs major rule changes to remain engaging for future generations?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (20%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (77%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 R.H: “I think rule changes are necessary as there is far too much skulduggery in the game at present. Shirt pulling, which is not always treated the same, deliberate fouls called ‘taking one for the team’ and the holding and blocking, particularly on the keeper, that goes on when corners are being taken. I also think VAR has spoiled the flow of the game.”
🙅♂️ W.G: “Football doesn’t need major changes to stay popular, but it should consider some rule changes to make it more of what we would like the game to be, and cut down on tactics that skew the intent of certain rules. These include: cynical yellow card tackles to stop an attacker, time wasting for ‘injuries’, throw-ins, keepers holding the ball, walking off the pitch in end-of-match substitutions, slow setup at dead-ball situations, determining winners by pens, etc. I would not call such changes radical, but rather in keeping with promoting the kind of fluid, open play that makes the game so magical.”
🙅♂️ L.J: “Football has been doing just fine, and here in North America, it is growing, without completely overhauling the game. If you want to make those radical changes, create a new sport or make a different league built around those new rules.”
✍️ F.Y: “Major rule changes? Probably not. Minor and moderate changes? Probably yes. The only significant change I support is using an ice hockey-like punishment for cards: 5 minutes for yellow, 15-20 minutes for red, and game misconduct for a ‘new colour card.’”
EXTRA TIME
How bad analytics built a Tottenham team that might get relegated.
How many points are needed to stay in the Premier League?
… and analysing each relegation candidate’s run-in.
When was the last three-team race for the Scottish title?
A look at Champions League balls through the years.
Meet the 'Pirate' battling Mbappe to be La Liga's top scorer.
The greatest footballers never to make an appearance in England.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Can you name the last six Real Madrid captains?
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.
Do you know how beautiful it is to be in the Champions League semi-finals? You don’t know how good it feels.
Answer
Dani Carvajal (2025-26), Luka Modric (2024-25), Nacho (2023-24), Karim Benzema (2022-23), Marcelo (2021-22) and Sergio Ramos (2015-21).
