Mark Wakefield

Liverpool lost 3–2 to Monaco in a pre-season friendly at Anfield during Andoni Iraola’s first home fixture in charge after replacing Arne Slot. Alexander Isak opened the scoring and Florian Wirtz added a close-range goal, but Monaco responded through Aleksandr Golovin’s penalty and Mika Miereth’s equaliser before completing the comeback. Wirtz and defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe received the highest ratings at 8/10, while Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and several others also impressed. Liverpool will finish pre-season with a double-header against Como before beginning their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United.

Anthony Elanga was stretchered off during Newcastle United’s pre-season friendly against Valencia after being caught on the shin by Jose Gaya. The tackle led to a mass confrontation, with Gaya sent off and Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle and his staff entering the pitch. Elanga was replaced by Jacob Murphy and was later reported to have suffered only a bruised shin, although the full extent of the injury remained unclear.

Arsenal have extended their partnership with Emirates until 2033, retaining the airline as front-of-shirt and training-wear sponsor and the naming-rights holder for the stadium. The renewal is described as financially significant as Arsenal pursue further squad investment, including a reported £75 million move for Bruno Guimaraes and interest in Vinicius Jr. The announcement comes alongside plans for the Emirates Cup, pre-season fixtures and Arsenal’s Premier League title defence.

Casemiro endured a difficult Inter Miami home debut, scoring an own goal after a misplaced pass in a 2-2 draw with Columbus Crew. Luis Suárez and Noah Allen scored for Miami, while Brais Méndez's 84th-minute equaliser secured Columbus a point. The former Manchester United midfielder joined Inter Miami as a free agent on a one-year contract with an option extending to 2029, fulfilling his ambition of playing alongside Lionel Messi. Major League Soccer is investigating the transfer after Inter Miami and LA Galaxy settled a dispute over the right to sign him.

UEFA has issued a second criticism of FIFA’s proposal to sell private investors shares in competitions including the men’s and women’s World Cups. UEFA says FIFA is pressuring its 211 member associations with potential payments of up to $40 million and claims the plan would enrich FIFA and its allies. European football officials are expected to hold an emergency meeting that could consider boycotting the World Cup. FIFA says external investment would be placed in a subsidiary while it retained control of football governance, competitions and sporting decisions.

Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for unnecessarily impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, forcing him to start fifth instead of near pole position. The penalty was his third in three consecutive race weekends, following punishments at the Belgian and British Grands Prix. Hamilton said the run of setbacks was making it difficult to remain positive, although he remained encouraged by Ferrari's improving pace and hoped to score well in the race.

Jude Bellingham scored twice to send England past Norway into the World Cup semi‑finals, prompting sharp criticism from manager Thomas Tuchel, who called the team’s performance sloppy and fortunate. Tuchel praised Bellingham as world class, while the midfielder cited character and perseverance for the win and dismissed Tuchel’s frustration with a brief “whatever,” highlighting tension despite England’s progress.

Comedian Michael McIntyre recounted an awkward exchange with FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a World Cup 2026 match while appearing on the Netflix show Rest is Football. The tournament has faced controversy after FIFA lifted Folarin Balogun’s suspension following intervention by US President Donald Trump, prompting criticism across the football community. McIntyre humorously described being unsure what to say when introduced to Infantino, eventually uttering only the word “FIFA.” The discussion also touched on England defender Jarell Quansah’s suspension as the World Cup quarter-finals progress in North America.

Argentina overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the World Cup last 16, with Lionel Messi scoring a late equaliser before Enzo Fernandez secured the winner in added time. Messi, who missed an earlier penalty, was in tears after the comeback that kept Argentina in the tournament and extended his scoring streak to a record-equalling ninth World Cup match. The result sets up a quarter-final meeting with either Switzerland or Colombia, with a potential semi-final against England if they beat Norway. Pundits discussed Argentina’s penalty-taking options following Messi’s miss, while his goal put him ahead in the Golden Boot race.