Gunners fired up for Champions League return after 7-year wait
September 20 – Arsenal return to the Champions League for the first time in the post-Wenger era when the London club take on PSV Eindhoven in their Group B curtain raiser.
World Football
NWSL awards 15th club franchise to Boston Unity Soccer Partners
September 20 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has awarded a 15th franchise to Boston with the club expected to begin play in the 2026 season.
Spanish chaos as World Champion women still refuse to play until RFEF reforms
By Andrew Warshaw
September 19 – Spanish women’s football has been plunged into yet more controversy and confusion after a raft of players continued to refuse to play for the national team despite new interim head coach Montse Tomé naming 15 of the World Cup‑winning squad for upcoming Nations League fixtures.
Ceferin says Rubiales had to go, but questions whether in law he committed a felony
September 19 – UEFA president Alexander Ceferin believes it would be harsh if Spanish justice prosecutes Luis Rubiales (pictured) over the ‘kissgate’ scandal but has re-iterated that what the former Spanish FA (RFEF) boss did was totally wrong.
Europe’s giants kick off UCL with Man City at home to Red Star and PSG facing Dortmund
September 19 – Manchester City begin their title defence of the Champions League at home to Red Star Belgrade to kick off the European club season in earnest tonight.
PSG face FFP questions over sale of players to Qatari clubs
September 19 – Just as they start their latest quest to land the elusive Champions League, Paris St. Germain are alleged to be under scrutiny yet again by UEFA – this time over their summer sales to Qatar.
Brazil’s Fortaleza to vote on opening up ‘commercial’ ownership model
September 19 – Fortaleza might become the next Brazilian club to adopt the SAF model (that allows for private investment and ownership) with a vote among members scheduled at this weekend’s extraordinary general assembly.
MLS dumps Montreal’s Milijevic for playing outside league under fake name
September 19 – Major League Soccer in the US, which owns the contracts of all players in the league, has terminated the contract of CF Montreal midfielder Matko Milijevic for breaking MLS player agreement rules.
Flamengo vs Sao Paulo cup final smashes Brazilian ticket revenue record
September 18 – The first leg of the Brazilian Cup final between Flamengo and Sao Paulo at the Maracana has generated the highest ticketing revenue in the history of Brazil’s game with receipts of R$26.3 million (€5.06 million).
Kosovo earmarks €250m for new national stadium
September 18 – Kosovo is to invest €250 million into the construction of a new national stadium. The news was announced by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, with the money to be released after Kosovo has been chosen to host the Mediterranean Games in 2030.
Kuntz loses Turkey job after loss to Japan and hammering his less-than-100% players
September 18 – Stefan Kuntz has been sacked as Turkey manager after criticising is players following the national team’s friendly 4-2 loss to Japan that followed an under-performing Euro qualifying draw with Armenia.
Paraguay fire Schelotto after poor start to 2026 qualifiers
September 18 – Guillermo Barros Schelotto has become the first management victim of the South American World Cup qualifiers after Paraguay’s poor start in their campaign.
US Soccer to build new home in Atlanta after 32 years in Chicago
September 18 – The U.S. Soccer Federation is relocating from Chicago to Atlanta, where it plans to build a training centre and headquarters.
New UEFA report shows power of post-covid attendance bounceback and digs deep into club trends
By Paul Nicholson
September 15 – More than 209 million fans attended European club football last season, according to UEFA’s newly released European Club Talent and Competition Landscape report.
Libyan flood disaster claims lives of four Premier League players
September 15 – Several elite Libyan players have tragically lost their lives in the aftermath of the destructive floods that have devastated parts of the country.