Is this when Liverpool launch title challenge? Liverpool’s form has sneaked up out of nowhere. An apparently wobbly start to the campaign had left pundits assuming Andoni Iraola's team cannot challenge for the title this season, and yet on closer inspection there are very few barriers to a challenge. Indeed three wins in their last four Premier League matches have slowly changed perceptions, not least because their new front four – Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo,

The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Executive Committee (“EXCO”) has unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (“AFCON”) will return to taking place every two years. The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe announced at the CAF Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde which was held from 7-9 October 2026, that the CAF EXCO would be re-assessing and reconsidering the decision it took last year, for the AFCON to take place every four years. This reassessment an

SASCOC Acting President Lwandile Simelane. The South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) announced Durban as South Africa's preferred Host City for the proposed 2036/2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Thursday. It is a milestone in the country's ambition to bring the world's greatest sporting celebration to African soil for the first time. Addressing the media, SASCOC Acting President Lwandile Simelane said the ambition rests on a simple

With the CAF Women’s Champions League 2026 edition kicking off on Sunday football fans can now follow the full match schedule of the Competition. The CAF Women’s Champions League will kick-off in Ismaila, in Egypt on 1 November and the Final will be played on 15 November 2026. Eight Clubs have Qualified for the Competition and will be divided into two groups of four. Group A comprises FC Masar (Egypt), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), FUS Rabat (Morocco) and Lekié Football F

England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or at the 70th edition of the prestigious awards. The Three Lions striker and joint all-time appearance maker enjoyed a goal-laden season with Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 times in 65 games – 61 of which came for his club and 12 for his country. He becomes just the fifth Englishman to win the award, after Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001). T

The league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Women's Champions League continues on Wednesday and Thursday with the third set of matches. Here we preview the action and highlight the key storylines and players to look out for, including Barcelona seeking to maintain the only perfect record and the chasing pack attempting to keep pace. The 18 teams compete over six league phase matchdays, with the top four progressing directly to the quarter-finals and the sides finishing between fifth

Can Spurs win the midfield battle against Chelsea? Tottenham Hotspur’s first Premier League victory of the season on Monday night could be the springboard for the Roberto De Zerbi era, not least because the 3-1 win over Coventry City included the return of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski – as well as a brand new 3-1-3-3 formation. But the task of continuing their recovery away to rivals Chelsea is a difficult one. Spurs have lost each of their last six Premier League matc

The UEFA Champions League hopefuls are in action for a second consecutive week, with Matchday 3 games taking place on Tuesday Wednesday. Here we take a look at the key facts and stats from every fixture as the league phase continues. All matches kick off at 9pm CET unless stated. All statistics are group stage/league phase to final unless stated. Tuesday Fenerbahçe v Slavia Praha (6.45pm) Fenerbahçe have lost only two of their last ten UEFA matches against Czech opposition (W

Can Chelsea take advantage of midweek rest against unbeaten Everton? Before a ball had been kicked, pundits proclaimed that Chelsea’s greatest advantage in their debut campaign under Xabi Alonso would be free midweeks while their rivals exhaust themselves in Europe. This week is the very first time that theory is tested. During the first round of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches, in early September, Chelsea had an EFL Cup tie against Leeds United on the We

The UEFA Champions League returns to centre stage with Matchday 2 Tuesday and Wednesday. Here we take a look at the key facts and stats from every fixture as the league phase continues. All matches kick off at 9pm CET unless stated. All statistics are group stage/league phase to final unless stated. Tuesday Lens v Sporting CP (6.45pm) Lens signed Franjo Ivanović on loan from Benfica in the summer. The striker drew one game and won the other against Sporting CP last season. Le

Is Man Utd v Spurs a bigger game for Carrick or De Zerbi? Old Trafford hosts a game of huge significance for two clubs who are struggling to hit the heights expected of them in pre-season. In fact it’s difficult to separate the two. Head coaches Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi can both claim to need the win more than the other. Certainly defeat for either team plunges them into unwanted territory. Tottenham Hotspur finally ended their goal drought in their 3-2 loss at ho

From left: Shehu Dikko, Chairman of Nigeria's National Sports Commission, and Mitchell Obi, Former President of AIPS Africa and author of this op-ed. Nigeria has approximately 26 stadiums. Four belong to the federal government. The rest are scattered across the states. They were built with public money, for public pride, at enormous cost. And only one of them, the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, meets the FIFA and CAF benchmarks required to host an international football mat

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revealed the next steps for selecting the host of the 2036 Olympic Games by publishing a handbook for potential hosts who wish to be considered to organise this edition of the Olympic Games. The handbook sets out the full pathway towards the host election and the requirements for Interested Parties to be considered in order to pass through each stage of the selection process. The principles of the process were approved by the IOC

The TUT Red Army come back from 1-0 down to clinch their fifth and record Varsity Football title with a 3-2 victory over archrivals UP-Tuks in a fierce Tshwane derby. The Red Army were the first to pose a threat with Akani Rathokoa and Lucky Raphala combining well, however Rathokoa could not capitalize. Tuks responded immediately with Risen Albert coming close to taking the lead. The home side then grabbed the lead in the 17th minute. Albert delivered a perfect cross, connect

Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice as South Africa cruised to a 5-0 victory over Eritrea in Cairo on Wednesday to make it six points from their opening two TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers. Mofokeng struck twice in the first half before Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and substitute Luther Singh completed a comfortable victory for Pitso Mosimane’s side at the Al-Salam Stadium. The win follows Saturday’s 2-1 home success against Guinea and leaves

Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor's return to OL Lyonnes and teams aiming to build on promising starts are among the highlights to look forward to on Women's Champions League Matchday 2. The league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Women's Champions League reaches its second week, with nine games taking place across Wednesday and Thursday. We preview the action and look at the key storylines and players to keep an eye on, including an OL Lyonnes v Chelsea match-up involving two leading c

Norway-based defender Samukele Kabini scored his first international goal 13 minutes from time to hand South Africa a potentially crucial 2-1 victory over Guinea in their opening Group D match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday. The victory provided a winning start for returning coach Pitso Mosimane in his third spell in charge of Bafana Bafana, who moved two points clear at the top of the group after Eritre

Victories for TUT and UP-Tuks set up a Tshwane derby for the Varsity Football 2026 final! TUT edged Wits at Wits Stadium to book their place in the title decider, while UP-Tuks defeated UJ 1-0 at the UJ Soweto Stadium. UJ will be disappointed after an impressive campaign that saw them reach the semi-finals but their journey came to an end against a disciplined Tuks side. The results set up an all-Tshwane final, with TUT and UP-Tuks now set to battle for the Varsity Football c

African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com), the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, today announced the appointment of Jan Alessie to its Advisory Board. Alessie is Co-Founder and Managing Director of the World Football Summit (WFS), which he founded in Madrid in 2016 alongside Marian Otamendi. Now in its

Brazilian Olympic skateboarding star and two-time Olympic medallist Rayssa Leal has been named Global Ambassador for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the first Olympic sporting event to be held on the African continent. One of the most recognisable young athletes in the world, Leal captured global attention as a teenager before winning Olympic silver on her debut at Tokyo 2020 and adding a bronze medal at Paris 2024. Her journey from young skateboarder to Olympic med