Football

6:35 AM ET Associated Press Paul Pogba is a major doubt for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a knee injury. James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images A police investigation into allegations that France midfielder Paul Pogba was targeted by extortionists took a bizarre new twist Friday with his elder brother Mathias releasing a long

12:24 PM ET In less than two months, the 3,065-day wait between World Cup matches for the United States men’s national team will come to an end. Only tuneups against Japan in Germany (Friday, 8:25 am ET on ESPN2/ESPN+) and Saudi Arabia (on Tuesday in Spain) remain before the Nov. 21 group-stage opener against Wales

1:15 PM ET Cesar Hernandez Only two months separate the Mexico men’s national team from their World Cup group-stage opener against Poland on Nov. 22. Before the trip to Qatar, El Tri have two upcoming friendlies in California, against Peru (Sept. 24) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and against Colombia (Sept. 27) at Levi’s

4:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen Sometimes, for whatever reason, a player just looks more comfortable playing for their national team than their club. 2 Related Yes, they may only get a handful of games a year, compared to the never-ending cycle of club football, but the national team can offer a change in style, formation

7:30 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Phil Jones was one of only five players picked to represent England at both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, but when Gareth Southgate sits down to select his squad for Qatar 2022, he won’t be anywhere near the conversation. 2 Related The 30-year-old defender can’t play for Manchester United

12:45 PM ET The USMNT and the USWNT change kits just about every year, and the designs have run the gamut. Let’s look back and pick the best ones. Illustration by ESPN When Nike revealed the uniforms last week for the United States men’s and women’s national teams for the upcoming World Cup tournaments, responses ranged

3:43 PM ET DOHA, Qatar — The 2022 World Cup is just two months away. Twelve years after being awarded the rights to host the tournament, the tiny Gulf state of Qatar has built the stadiums, opened five-lane highways and a $36 billion Metro system, and undertaken a huge construction effort on a grueling timeline

3:40 PM ET United States star Christian Pulisic has criticized his former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, saying he was left “dumbfounded and very disappointed” by the decision not to start him in the Champions League semifinal second leg against Real Madrid in 2021. Pulisic started and scored Chelsea’s goal in a 1-1 draw in the

12:55 PM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Atletico Madrid released a statement Tuesday condemning the racist chanting aimed at Vinicius Junior before the Madrid derby, saying they will ban club members who are identified as having been involved. A group of Atletico fans were filmed singing racial slurs before Sunday’s derby at the Metropolitano stadium,

11:24 AM ET Lionel Messi and Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni have their sights set on the World Cup Gustavo Pagano/Getty Images When Argentina take on Honduras and Jamaica in upcoming friendlies, there will be few changes to the Albiceleste squad that has not lost a match in more than two years. And why should there be?

9:58 AM ET Harry Maguire is at the beginning of the biggest week of his career. The Manchester United captain has two games for England, against Italy and Germany in the UEFA Nations League, over the next seven days that will shape his season and show whether he can emerge from a nightmare 12 months

9:49 AM ET Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct? After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game. – How VAR

6:32 PM ET Atletico Madrid fans were filmed racially abusing Real Madrid‘s Brazil forward Vinicius Junior outside their Metropolitano Stadium ahead of the Madrid derby on Sunday. Hundreds of Atletico supporters could be heard singing “Vinicius, you are a monkey, you are monkey” in a video published on social media by radio station Cope in

6:35 PM ET Ahead of the FIFA international break, some prominent clubs (looking at the ones from Bavaria and Turin) are already facing some questions so early in the season. And at other sides, it could mean see some managers being replaced before league action re-starts in less than a fortnight. Meanwhile, we saw some

Will the World Cup be full of tired stars? Assessing burnout, minutes played across top leagues If it seems like elite players like Virgil van Dijk look a little error-prone or rusty this season, could it be that they’re all just exhausted? How many players are facing burnout ahead of the World Cup?

12:40 PM ET Barcelona went top of LaLiga ahead of Real Madrid after a commanding performance against Elche, who went down to 10 men after Gonzalo Verdu received a red in the 14th minute. – Report: Barca 3-0 Elche | LaLiga table | Upcoming fixtures Robert Lewandowski scored a brace, with Memphis Depay also getting

2:20 PM ET Son Heung-Min came off the bench and scored a quick-fire hat trick as Tottenham Hotspur rallied to a dominant 6-2 victory over bottom-place Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday. The South Korean, the Premier League’s joint-top scorer last season, had not scored in Tottenham’s first eight games and had lost

9:30 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester City put in a dominant performance against Wolves away as they won 3-0 to leapfrog Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) Jack Grealish took just 55 seconds to open the scoring as he latched on to a