Removing US as World Cup host would be eminently sad – and entirely justified | Alexander Abnos

A country where safety is under threat from federal violence on the streets is not fit to stage soccer’s showpiece event

Removing the United States as co-host of the 2026 World Cup would hurt for pretty much everyone. Fans would miss out on seeing the sport’s pinnacle in their home towns (or somewhere nearby). Cities and businesses small and large would lose the financial benefits they had banked on. It would be a logistical and political nightmare on an international scale, the likes of which have never been seen before in sports. It would be eminently sad. And it would be entirely justified.

It brings me no pleasure to say this. The United States has been eager to host a men’s World Cup for more than a decade and a half. The desire survived and even grew after 2010’s failure to out-bid Russia and Qatar (in public and behind closed doors) for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. With hosting rights for 2026 later secured alongside Canada and Mexico, the US soccer scene prepared to show off that the sport is now part of the nation’s fabric, 32 years after hosting the tournament for the first time in 1994. Soccer’s growing popularity in America has helped inspire other US sports to try new formats, encouraged us to engage more fully with the world in a sporting context, and has been at the center of conversations about our society and culture. The 2026 World Cup was seen as the best chance for the world to fully experience not just how much the US has improved at soccer, but how much soccer has improved the US.

Published: January 27, 2026, 10:00 am

Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals: Rybakina v Swiatek followed by Pegula v Anisimova – live

• Updates from the women’s singles tennis on Rod Laver Arena

• Polish No 2 seed takes on Kazakhstan’s No 5 in Melbourne

• Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email

Elena Rybakina* (5) 0-1 Iga Swiatek (2) Swiatek breaks Rybakina to start the quarterfinal!

A good first serve from Rybakina gets Swiatek stretching and unable to register a return for the match’s first point. But the Pole answers back with two strong backhand winners to move ahead and then forces an error to bring up two break points, the first of which she converts with another backhand winner to move ahead.

Published: January 28, 2026, 12:50 am

Vingegaard crashes on training ride in Spain after being tailed by amateur cyclist

• Amateur rider claims Dane ‘got angry’ when followed

• Team ask for riders to be given space after Málaga crash

Visma-Lease a Bike have reminded amateur cyclists of the dangers of interacting with professional riders on the road following the revelation that Jonas Vingegaard crashed on Monday after being tailed by a fan during a descent near Málaga, Spain.

“Jonas Vingegaard crashed during training on Monday. Fortunately, he is OK and did not sustain any serious injuries,” read a team statement. “In general, as a team we would like to urge fans on bikes to always put safety first. For both your own and others’ wellbeing, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible.”

Published: January 27, 2026, 4:54 pm

Concerns grow over fairness of Women’s Champions Cup timing, location, and Fifa support

Some clubs have been dismayed at the built-in advantages afforded to Arsenal in the inaugural edition of Fifa’s women’s club competition

There are growing concerns over the integrity and fairness of the Fifa Women’s Champions Cup, with Arsenal viewed as having a significant financial and logistical advantage over fellow competitors Gotham FC, AS Far and Corinthians due to the competition being played in London and the final hosted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

The Guardian understands that while there is widespread support for a global club competition in women’s football and the announcement of the record-breaking £1.7m / $2.4m prize pot for the tournament is very welcome, clubs have been frustrated by the timing and other details of the inaugural edition, with some feeling that not enough is being done by Fifa to address the significant advantage afforded to Arsenal.

Published: January 27, 2026, 9:24 pm

Bills promote OC Joe Brady to head coach as team aims to end Super Bowl drought

• 36-year-old will replace fired Sean McDermott

• Brady will become head coach for first time

The Buffalo Bills stayed in-house by promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady as their new head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal.

The 36-year-old just completed his fourth season in Buffalo and his second full season as coordinator. He previously served as quarterbacks coach before taking over the offense after Ken Dorsey was fired midway through the 2023 season.

Published: January 27, 2026, 7:19 pm

Coco Gauff unhappy after racket smashing video at Australian Open goes viral

• American vents frustration after quarter-final loss

• Gauff believed she was letting out anger in private

Coco Gauff has expressed her disappointment after video of her smashing her racket at the Australian Open was picked up on camera.

The American was well below her usual high standards during her 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. Gauff had trouble with her forehand and serve throughout the match - she double-faulted five times in the first set alone – and hit 26 unforced errors to just three winners, losing in just 59 minutes. She also appeared to believe there was something wrong with her equipment as she struggled with her control, and had three of her rackets restrung in the opening set.

Published: January 27, 2026, 1:29 pm

Premier League has the power but still faces reckoning with European giants | Jonathan Wilson

English clubs stroll through Champions League group phase but fatigue tends to take its toll by the spring

Has there been a great game in the Champions League group stage this season? Probably not. Even if there had been, it almost certainly didn’t mean all that much. But that’s the way of the modern game: an extremely protracted clearing of the throat before the real business begins.

Uefa will proudly tell the world that only six teams have nothing to play for in the final round of games on Wednesday, but whether it was worth 126 games to get to the mild peril of Napoli or Club Brugge possibly going out, or the questionable thrill of finding out whether Tottenham or Atalanta will have to endure the playoff round, is debatable.

Published: January 27, 2026, 8:00 pm

Alcaraz flicks on genius switch to put himself two matches from career grand slam | Tumaini Carayol

One moment by the world No 1 against Alex de Minaur showed he is on a different plane to almost everyone else

One of the biggest matches of Alex de Minaur’s career was already falling from his grasp when his opponent, Carlos Alcaraz, compounded his misery with a selfish stroke of genius. Midway through the third set, the result all but a formality, De Minaur pounded an aggressive forehand down the line and flitted forward to the net.

Against nearly any other player in the world, the Australian would have won the point. Against Alcaraz, the world No 1, De Minaur watched on helplessly as the Spaniard chased down the ball and slid to his right, whipping a forehand down-the-line pass that did not come back. De Minaur could not hide his rueful smile.

Published: January 27, 2026, 3:58 pm

‘A militia that kills’: uproar in Italy over ICE security role at Winter Olympics

Milan mayor says agents ‘not welcome’ in co-host city and Italy can take care of security itself

A unit of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will have a security role in the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, sparking uproar and petitions against the deployment.

Sources at the US embassy in Rome confirmed a statement from ICE, the agency embroiled in a brutal immigration crackdown in the US, saying that federal agents would support diplomatic security details during the Milan-Cortina Games but would not run any enforcement operations.

Published: January 27, 2026, 6:31 pm

Arteta feeling bullish after Arsenal ‘take temperature down’ with team meeting

• Head coach and players spoke in wake of United defeat

• Side is ‘in great position in four competitions’, he says

Mikel Arteta has revealed Arsenal held a team meeting after their defeat against Manchester United on Sunday “to take the temperature down”, insisting the league leaders must “play with enjoyment” in order to win a first Premier League title for 22 years.

A late goal from Matheus Cunha inflicted on Arsenal their first home defeat of the season, with their lead at the top of the table remaining at four points after weekend victories for Manchester City and Aston Villa. Arteta’s side have finished as runners-up in the past three seasons and Arsenal have now spent 884 days at the summit since Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles were crowned champions in 2004.

Published: January 27, 2026, 5:11 pm

Arne Slot says PSG European exit helped Liverpool win Premier League

• Manager wants players ‘to improve in both boxes’

• Liverpool without Konaté and Gomez against Qarabag

Arne Slot has said an early Champions League exit may have contributed to Liverpool winning the Premier League title last year but said his team must improve in both boxes to secure silverware this season.

Slot has faced renewed criticism after his side’s 13-game unbeaten run ended at Bournemouth on Saturday, leaving the reigning champions sixth in the Premier League.

Published: January 27, 2026, 7:31 pm

Champions League news: Rosenior insists ‘incredible player’ Palmer is happy at Chelsea

The head coach dismisses rumours about Palmer wanting to return to Manchester, saying playmaker ‘loves being here’

Published: January 27, 2026, 10:16 pm

Frank’s injury woes mount as Tottenham prepare for vital Champions League tie

• Porro and Van de Ven join lengthy injury list

• Kolo Muani unharmed after tyre blowout

Thomas Frank’s preparations for the Champions League game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night have been rocked by injuries to Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven – and a car crash affecting Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert.

The Tottenham manager reported that Kolo Muani and Odobert were OK after pictures emerged on social media of them standing by a black Ferrari with significant damage to its front end.

Published: January 27, 2026, 8:42 pm

WSL2 minimum pay for under-23s less than national living wage for typical full-time job

• WSL says it is committed to increasing pay floors

• Clubs can be docked points for breaching salary cap

Players aged under 23 in Women’s Super League 2 are not guaranteed to be paid the equivalent of the national living wage for a typical full-time worker annually, despite a large pay increase for the division’s lowest-paid players after the introduction of minimum salaries this season.

WSL2 clubs must pay players aged 21 and 22 a minimum of £22,200 and those aged 18 to 20 at least £17,500. Regulations state they must receive a minimum “contact time” of 20 hours a week excluding matchdays and mealtimes. For players aged 23 and over, the minimum salary is £26,900.

Published: January 27, 2026, 6:11 pm

David Squires on … Manchester United giving Arsenal the title wobbles

Our cartoonist on anxiety at the Emirates as Michael Carrick oversees another thrilling win

• Buy this cartoon | David’s favourite work of 2025

• And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now

Published: January 27, 2026, 11:10 am

Brook’s ‘Stone Cold’ celebration in England series win as Root praises ‘great leader’

• Root hails captain after third ODI win against Sri Lanka

• Brook imitates move of wrestler after making century

The wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the surprising inspiration for Harry Brook’s century celebration as the England white-ball captain led his side to a one-day international series victory against Sri Lanka with a thrilling, unbeaten 136.

Brook, who was involved in a clash with a nightclub bouncer on the tour of New Zealand earlier this winter, took his gloves off upon reaching his hundred and imitated Austin’s move of bashing beer cans together in the ring before drinking them.

Published: January 27, 2026, 8:25 pm

Everton in line to host Fiji ‘home’ match against England in Nations Championship

• Fijians want neutral venue to maximise crowd receipts

• RFU privately delighted to take national team on the road

Everton have been offered the chance to host England’s Nations Championship game against Fiji in July at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in what would be their first match in England held away from Twickenham since 2019.

The 11 July Test against Fiji is an away fixture for England in their second game of the inaugural Nations Championship after they face South Africa in Johannesburg the previous week. However, the host union wants to move it to a neutral venue to maximise the revenue they receive from gate receipts.

Published: January 27, 2026, 5:22 pm

England beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs to win third men’s ODI and series – as it happened

Harry Brook clubbed an unbeaten 136 from just 66 balls as England won the deciding ODI by 53 runs in Colombo to win the series 2-1

6th over: England 17-0 (Rehan 10, Duckett 6) Six dot balls in a row from Liyanage to Rehan. I thought England might go after the seamers, given how spin-dominated this series has been, but Fernando and Liyanage have bowled well.

5th over: England 17-0 (Rehan 10, Duckett 6) Duckett slashes Fernando behind square for two; it would have been four but for a good sprawling stop. All very quiet at the moment.

Published: January 27, 2026, 4:55 pm

Harry Brook’s brutal century sets up England for ODI series win in Sri Lanka

• 3rd ODI: England, 357-3, bt Sri Lanka, 304, by 53 runs

• England win series 2-1 after captain’s 136 from 66 balls

Harry Brook’s first masterpiece of the winter, lost in defeat, seems an age ago. It was in his side’s first one-day international against New Zealand back in October, his 101-ball 135 somehow landing in the middle of nine single-figure England scores.

The nightclub bouncer’s punch followed, the Ashes tour went wrong and then came the reveal of the former. A lot has happened, but moments of genius in the middle always lurk close by when it comes to Brook. Here, in their final ODI of the winter, he brought it all together with an unbeaten 136 off 66 balls, taking England to a prized series victory in Sri Lanka, the decider won by 53 runs.

Published: January 27, 2026, 4:55 pm

Elina Svitolina humbles Coco Gauff to set up Sabalenka semi in Australian Open

• Ukrainian sweeps to 6-1, 6-2 victory in straight sets

• Sabalenka defeats American teenager Jovic 6-3, 6-0

Coco Gauff is known across her sport for her mental toughness and problem-solving abilities, her tendency to grind out wins from unenviable positions. However, down 1-6, 0-3, 0-30 on Tuesday night and sinking quickly, the 21‑year‑old has rarely looked as helpless on a tennis court as when she expressed her despair to her support team. “She’s outdoing me in everything,” she said.

This time, there was no way back for the third seed as Elina Svitolina ended a courageous, focused performance by securing the most significant result of the Australian Open so far, dismantling Gauff 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first semi-final in Melbourne.

Published: January 27, 2026, 2:34 pm

Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals: Alcaraz hammers De Minaur, Svitolina destroys Gauff – as it happened

Elina Svitolina annihilated Coco Gauff to set up a semi-final meeting with Aryna Sabalenka, while Carlos Alcaraz battered Alex de Minaur and will face Alexander Zverev next

Looking at the head-to-head, Svitolina has beaten Gauff before at the Australian Open, but that was in 2021, when Gauff was only 16 and hadn’t yet graduated to the status of double grand slam champion. Gauff has defeated Svitolina in the two matches they have played since, but they did both go to three sets. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this match goes the distance too. Svitolina is in supreme form, having won all nine of her matches in 2026.

Gauff and Svitolina have made their entrance, with the Rod Laver Arena roof closed. That’s always the case for the night session walk-outs, but we’re not sure yet if the the heat rule is in place which would mean the roof stays on for the match. It’s still 42C (!!!) at 7pm in the evening. Zverev played his match under the roof earlier, the doubles matches are taking place under the roof on Margaret Court and the start of the wheelchair events have been postponed until tomorrow.

Published: January 27, 2026, 12:46 pm

The first Women’s Champions Cup: what is it and should we pay attention?

This newsletter looks at Fifa’s new competition, which takes place in London this week and has a $2.3m prize fund

This week London will take centre stage as the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup, the brand-new club competition in women’s football, comes to its conclusion. Four continental champions – Arsenal, Gotham FC, Corinthians and AS Far – will meet in Brentford on Wednesday for a place in the final, which will be held at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

With $2.3m (£1.68m) in prize money and a shiny new trophy on the line, it is far from insignificant for the teams involved. For the wider public, however, there remains a lack of understanding about what it really is and how it came to be introduced into an already crowded football space.

Published: January 27, 2026, 12:00 pm