The Republic of Ireland have secured a seeded play-off spot for next year’s World Cup in Brazil despite narrowly missing out on automatic qualification following a 1-0 defeat to France in Grenoble.
Carla Ward’s side finished third in a daunting League A qualifying group, registering three impressive victories over the course of the campaign.
The bottom seeds were widely tipped for immediate relegation but defied expectations to become the first promoted team to survive in the top tier.
Pride amid qualification heartbreak
The visitors pushed the group winners all the way at the Stade des Alpes before a fine strike from Melvine Malard settled the fiercely contested match.
Momentum briefly swung in the away side’s favour when Thiniba Samoura received a red card for bringing down Emily Murphy.
However, the Irish failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage, with Abbie Larkin missing a crucial opportunity to level the scoreline moments later.
Ward looks ahead to crucial autumn play-offs
Their third-place finish ensures the team will be a formidable seeded opponent when the play-off draw is conducted on 18 June.
The manager expressed a mixture of deep pride and frustration after her squad fell agonisingly short of an automatic tournament berth.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group and I said it to them there,” Ward told RTE.
“We’ve got a special, special group who work unbelievably hard.”
“France are a top, top side and the fact we are here disappointed tells you an awful lot about where we are.”
The former top-flight boss remains highly optimistic about their prospects, emphasizing the significant growth her players have shown throughout a grueling qualification schedule.
“We are in a really good place going into October and that has to be the focus,” she added.
Arsenal and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber has been ruled out of the 2026 World Cup after failing to recover from a persistent groin injury.
The 24-year-old suffered the initial issue during a Premier League match against Everton in March and has struggled to regain full fitness.
Despite featuring for more than 50 minutes as a substitute in Arsenal’s recent Champions League final penalty shootout defeat by Paris St-Germain, he was deemed medically unfit for a gruelling international tournament.
Heartbreak for Dutch defender
The versatile full-back expressed his devastation on social media after missing out on a lifelong ambition to play on the global stage.
“Representing my country on the biggest stage is something I’ve always dreamed of, and it’s difficult to accept that injury has taken that opportunity away from me.”
The Dutch football federation confirmed the withdrawal in an official statement on Monday, noting that he could not participate in a medically responsible manner.
Geertruida steps in as replacement
Sunderland defender Lutscharel Geertruida has been called up to Ronald Koeman’s squad to fill the vacant defensive position.
The injured Arsenal man had been training with the national team at their pre-camp in New York ahead of upcoming group-stage fixtures against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia.
He will now depart the training camp following the Netherlands’ final warm-up match against Uzbekistan.
Family dream put on hold
This untimely absence means the London-based star will not be able to feature alongside his twin brother, Quinten.
The Marseille midfielder remains in the squad for the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Quinten will now fly the flag alone for the family on the world stage.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the national team will continue to manage Bukayo Saka’s playing time ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup warm-up friendly against Costa Rica.
The Arsenal winger missed the recent 1-0 victory over New Zealand after joining the squad late following his participation in the Champions League final.
The 22-year-old had previously sustained a knock during the March international camp, forcing him to miss six consecutive domestic club fixtures.
Despite returning to start four of his team’s final five matches, the national setup remains cautious with their dynamic attacker.
Caution urged for star forward
“We have to take care with Bukayo who had an injury in the March camp and carried it through to the club campaign,” the England head coach explained.
“He made himself available and was brilliant. He was managed in between matches – we are also building him up.”
“That continues at the moment.”
Trio return to full fitness
Moving beyond the pacey forward, the manager delivered positive news regarding the rest of his tournament squad.
Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are completely fit and ready to feature for the first time since returning from European club duty.
The Three Lions boss stated that there are no ongoing physical complaints following their opening warm-up fixture.
“No-one needs a break. Everyone is available which is very good news. No injury complaints after the first match.”
“We are ready to give it a push tomorrow; meaning more than 45 minutes. Players will play 60, maybe 70 minutes.”
Final preparations before Kansas
Following the clash with the Central American side, the squad will face a final behind-closed-doors match at their training facility.
This private fixture will conclude the preliminary camp before the European nation departs for their tournament base in Kansas.
“Tomorrow, we expect a physical push. Physically, with intensity and style and play.”
“We want to take the next step and we feel ready for it.”
England captain Harry Kane believes the upcoming World Cup represents the greatest opportunity of his career to secure international glory.
The 32-year-old enters the tournament following a historic season with Bayern Munich, having registered an astonishing 61 goals.
He is preparing for his third appearance at the global showpiece, having previously guided the national side to the semi-finals and quarter-finals.
However, the prolific forward has dismissed lingering suggestions that the team are overly reliant on his individual attacking output.
“This is the best opportunity I will get maybe in my career to win the World Cup,” Kane told ITV.
The frontman feels in peak physical condition and retains a fierce hunger to succeed on the ultimate stage.
Strength in depth
The former Tottenham talisman insists the current squad possesses more than enough quality across all positions to lift the trophy.
Doubts have been raised over the team’s alternative scoring options, given the skipper has amassed 79 goals in 113 caps – more than the rest of the squad combined.
The veteran marksman drew comparisons with other leading international sides to defend his prominent role.
“Any top striker in the team, there’s going to be a reliance on the striker to score goals,” the Bayern Munich star explained.
“With Erling [Haaland] with Norway, Mbappe with France, when you’re a top goalscorer in the team you are expected to score the goals and it doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing.”
Ending the 60-year drought
The Three Lions record goalscorer highlighted the recent domestic success of his international team-mates as proof of their winning mentality.
“I do think we have goals from other areas in the team when you look at the squad we’ve picked,” he added.
“We’ve not won in an England shirt for 60 years and we’ve been extremely close, and now it’s time for us to step over that line for sure.”
The national side recently secured a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in their opening warm-up fixture, courtesy of a trademark header from their captain.
England will conclude their preparations against Costa Rica in Florida before travelling to their Kansas City base camp.
Their tournament campaign officially begins against Croatia on 17 June.
England captain Harry Kane has reached out to former Tottenham team-mate Christian Eriksen after the Danish midfielder collapsed during a friendly match against Ukraine on Sunday.
The 34-year-old was briefly unconscious after falling to the ground at Nature Energy Park in Odense.
His implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) successfully activated in the 65th minute, allowing him to walk off the pitch before receiving hospital treatment.
The former Spurs playmaker was discharged on Monday and has reassured supporters he is recovering safely at home.
‘A scary moment’ for former colleague
Kane, who spent seven years alongside the midfielder in north London, admitted he feared the worst when news of the incident broke.
The Bayern Munich striker confirmed he had messaged his old friend but is giving him space to rest with his family.
“I’ve not heard anything back from Chris yet, but obviously he put out a statement saying he was going to go away, rest up and spend some time with the family now, which I think is important.”
Harry Kane told ITV
He added that it was frightening for everyone who remembered the harrowing scenes of the Danish international’s cardiac arrest in 2021.
“Obviously, I’m a little bit calmer now I know he’s okay and everything seemed to work in the way it was supposed to.”
Harry Kane
Eriksen confirms ICD intervention
The veteran international was making his 151st appearance for his country when the frightening episode occurred.
Fitted with the life-saving device following his initial collapse three years ago, the Danish star acknowledged the profound physical and emotional impact of receiving a shock on the field.
“As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major impact on both me and my family, but I want to reassure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021.”
Christian Eriksen wrote on Instagram
The midfielder expressed immense gratitude to the medical professionals who provided immediate on-field assistance.
Speculation now surrounds the future of his playing career as he takes time away from the sport to consider his next steps.
France captain Kylian Mbappe needs five goals at the 2026 World Cup in North America to surpass Miroslav Klose and become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
The 27-year-old currently sits on 12 goals from just 14 appearances across two previous editions of football’s biggest global event.
The prolific forward boasts a remarkable strike rate on the international stage, averaging nearly a goal per game after a stunning eight-goal haul in Qatar.
Chasing down German and Brazilian legends
Former Germany international Klose holds the current honour with 16 goals.
The legendary striker claimed the ultimate milestone during the 2014 tournament by surpassing Brazil icon Ronaldo, who scored 15 times during his illustrious career.
To claim the record outright, the former Parisian requires exactly five more goals.
A four-goal return would see the rapid attacker tie with Klose at the summit of the historic standings.
Reaching this milestone appears highly likely given his explosive history, having scored four times in 2018 and eight times during the 2022 competition.
The Messi factor and group stage opportunities
The European heavyweights have been drawn in Group I alongside Senegal, Norway and Iraq for the upcoming North American showpiece.
Expectations will be high for the French talisman to immediately close the gap during these opening group stage fixtures.
However, his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi remains a genuine threat to his historic quest.
The legendary Argentine inspired his nation to penalty shootout glory over France in the 2022 final, taking his own World Cup tally to 13 goals.
Despite turning 39 during the next tournament, the veteran playmaker needs just four goals himself to become the standalone record holder.
Atletico Madrid have rejected a €100m bid from Barcelona for striker Julian Alvarez, despite the existence of a complex release clause that could facilitate his departure.
The 26-year-old has made it clear to the Spanish club that he wishes to leave the Metropolitano Stadium this summer.
Catalonia is his firm preference, but Atletico maintain their prized asset is not for sale and continue to point publicly to his official €500m buyout clause.
However, it is understood that special provisions were included in the Argentine international’s contract when he arrived from Manchester City in 2024.
Complicated contract clauses
These hidden terms supposedly allow certain Champions League clubs to sign the prolific forward for a fee significantly lower than €150m.
Club chief executive Miguel Angel Gil and former sporting director Andrea Berta negotiated these exit options, leaving Atletico vulnerable to a domestic rival.
The Madrid side have been left angered by Barcelona’s highly public pursuit of the former Premier League star.
They vehemently deny that active club-to-club negotiations are currently taking place.
Arsenal and Real Madrid interest
Arsenal have also identified the defending World Cup champion as a dream target as manager Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his Premier League title-winning squad.
Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers are currently being considered as attacking alternatives for the Gunners.
Arsenal’s sporting director Berta made informal enquiries earlier this year regarding the player he initially took to Spain.
Despite the interest from north London, the attacker is reportedly entirely uninterested in securing a return to English football.
Rumours have also circulated in the Spanish press regarding a potential move to city rivals Real Madrid.
“We have no information on the matter and no one has contacted us about it.”
That was the firm response from the player’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, when questioned about links to the Santiago Bernabeu.
World Cup focus
For now, the forward’s immediate focus remains firmly on international duty.
He is currently with the Argentina squad in Mexico preparing for the start of the 2026 World Cup.
The defending champions begin their campaign against Algeria in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
He enters the tournament on the back of another impressive domestic campaign, having scored 20 goals last season to take his overall Atletico tally to 49.
Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon has completed a miraculous return to the national squad for the World Cup in North Carolina after undergoing life-threatening neck treatment earlier this year.
In March, the 43-year-old visited spine specialist Usamah Jannoun in London to address a severe neck issue.
The medical expert warned the veteran stopper that the necessary procedure carried extreme risks, including paralysis or even death.
“You’ve read the information leaflet. You could get paralysis, you could die,” Jannoun told him.
A career defined by resilience
The remarkable journey to Charlotte features in a new BBC Scotland documentary titled Icons of Football.
Throughout his extensive career, the Hearts captain has missed approximately 1,975 days of football due to various severe ailments.
His medical history reads like a catalogue of trauma, including ankle issues, broken arms, a fractured leg, and multiple knee surgeries.
In 2012, a career-threatening battle with patellar tendonitis sidelined the former Sunderland player for two entire years.
Fighting for family and football
Despite specialists advising him to retire permanently, the resilient shot-stopper refused to concede defeat.
He endured immense psychological strain during his rehabilitation, admitting that the physical trauma often brought him to tears privately.
“I suppose I try and hide it. There are definitely times where I’ve cried because of injury,” he confessed.
The veteran made his international debut over 22 years ago, before several of his current World Cup team-mates were even born.
However, the recent neck complication forced the Scottish international to seriously weigh his professional ambitions against his long-term quality of life as a father.