draw

Mikel Merino rescued Arsenal as the Premier League leaders battled to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Chelsea in a bad-tempered London derby.

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was sent off for a crude foul on Merino late in the first half at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Despite Caicedo’s dismissal, Trevoh Chalobah headed Chelsea into a second half lead, but Merino’s second half leveller ensured Arsenal emerged with a point from a bruising encounter between the title rivals.

Arsenal are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who beat Leeds United on Saturday, and sit six points above third-placed Chelsea.

When the dust had settled on a contest of relentless intensity, Arsenal were left to rue a missed opportunity to extend their lead over Chelsea in the title race, while the Blues were relieved to avoid a damaging defeat.

Arsenal remain the favourites to win their first Premier League crown since 2004, but Chelsea’s combative display suggested they could emerge as the biggest threat to the Gunners’ title aspirations.

Arsenal are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions, winning 14 of those matches, while Chelsea have gone seven matches without losing in all competitions.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had played down his young side’s title hopes, but they went toe to toe with Arsenal, who were without injured centre-back William Saliba.

A thunderous first half included a rash of bookings as both teams tried to impose themselves.

Gunners midfielder Martin Zubimendi hauled down Reece James, Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella crunched into Bukayo Saka, Mosquera pole-axed Joao Pedro and Riccardo Calafiori cynically tugged James.

Saka almost exacted immediate revenge on Cucurella with a stinging strike that Robert Sanchez saved at his near post.

Teenage sensation Estevao Willian started for Chelsea after his star role in their 3-0 midweek win over Barcelona.

The 18-year-old could not replicate his stunning goal against Barca however as he lashed over from 9 metres (10 yards) to squander Chelsea’s first serious chance.

Enzo Fernandez tested Arsenal keeper David Raya from the edge of the area as Chelsea began to exert pressure on the visitors’ reshuffled defence.

The war of attrition turned ugly in the 38th minute when Caicedo caught Merino on the ankle with a nasty foul that was upgraded from a booking to a dismissal after a VAR review.

It was the Blues’ sixth red card in all competitions this season.

The Ecuador midfielder’s premature exit was followed by a dangerous Hincapie elbow on Chalobah, provoking Chelsea cries for a red card that went unheeded.

Gabriel Martinelli nearly added to Chelsea’s angst on the stroke of half-time with a fierce blast that forced a fine save from Sanchez.

Arsenal arrived as the best set-piece team in the league with 10 goals in 12 matches.

But Chelsea ranked second with eight and Chalobah grabbed their ninth in the 48th minute.

It was a goal straight from the Arsenal playbook as James curled a corner to the near post and Chalobah rose highest inside the six-yard box to glance his header into the far corner.

Arteta responded by sending on Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke, who was jeered and barraged with chants of “Chelsea reject” on his return to his former club.

The Arsenal changes reaped an instant reward as Merino snatched the 59th minute equaliser.

Saka danced past Cucurella with a mesmerising run and cross, picking out Merino for a powerful close-range header that flashed past Sanchez.

It was Merino’s fourth goal this season as Arteta once again used the Spain midfielder as a makeshift striker.

A frantic finale featured Sanchez making superb stops to deny Saka and Merino, but Arsenal could not land the knockout blow.

Chelsea’s captain Reece James told Sky Sports that he was “disappointed” not to come away with the three points but that the sending off limited his side.

“Arsenal have been on the top for the last few years. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Their midfield is tough. We done what we could today to play our game and hurt them off the ball,” he said.

He added: “[Maresca] changed the formation slightly, and he knew they were going to come at us. So we tried to soak up the pressure, and then try to catch them [on the counter].

“I am proud of the boys. It was electric at the Bridge today. We are happy to take the point.”

Merino said Arsenal were also disappointed not to get the win.

When you wear this shirt, you want to win every game.” he told Sky Sports. “This is a really tough stadium to come and take a point. We could have done things better but the team showed good mentality.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the Reds as the under-pressure football champions earned a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United.

Manchester United ended Crystal Palace’s nine-month unbeaten home run with a 2-1 comeback victory, Aston Villa climbed into the top four with a 1-0 victory over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Brighton won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to go fifth.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being staged in United States, Canada and Mexico, with Washington, DC hosting December’s draw.

Iran is to boycott next week’s World Cup finals draw in Washington because the United States refused to grant visas to several members of the delegation, the Iranian football federation announced on Friday.

“We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken have nothing to do with sports, and the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” the federation’s spokesperson told state television.

Iranian sports website Varzesh 3 had claimed on Tuesday that the US had declined to issue visas to several members of the delegation, including the president of the federation, Mehdi Taj.

On Thursday, Taj had denounced the decision as being a political one.

“We have told the head of FIFA, Mr [Gianni] Infantino, that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell them [US] to desist from this behaviour,” added Taj.

According to Varzesh 3, four members of the delegation, including Amir Ghalenoei, the coach, had been granted visas for the draw on December 5.

Iran qualified for the sport’s quadrennial showpiece in March, guaranteeing them a fourth successive appearance and seventh in all.

They have yet to progress to the knockout stages, but there was unconfined joy when in the 1998 finals in France, Iran beat the USA 2-1 in their group match.

The US avenged that by beating Iran 1-0 in the 2022 edition.

The US – which is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico – and Iran have been at loggerheads for more than four decades.

They had, though, been holding high-level nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington that had begun in April, during which the two sides were at odds over Iran’s right to enrich uranium – which Tehran defends as “inalienable”.

However, they ended when, in mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that the US briefly joined, with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

The top four seeded countries will not be able to meet each other until the semi-finals of next year’s World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Fifa has announced that Spain (1st seed) and Argentina (2) will be ‘paired’ and placed into groups in opposite halves of the draw.

France (3) and England (4) will also be paired, which means England will not be able to come up against Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and France until the final.

This only applies if the four countries win their groups.

When two teams are paired, they are placed in opposite halves of the knockout bracket and cannot meet each other until the final. This happens at Wimbledon, and in the new Champions League format, where seeds are kept apart in pairs.

Fifa wants to ensure the top-ranked countries do not meet earlier in the knockout rounds, thus potentially creating blockbuster games later in the tournament. The same ranking system was used for the Club World Cup in the summer.

France knocked England out of the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals, while Spain beat the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final.

The four pots for the final draw, which takes place on Friday, 5 December (17:00 GMT), have also been confirmed.

Scotland will be in pot three, with the six play-off paths – which includes Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Italy – all in pot four.

Debutants Uzbekistan are in pot three, with fellow first-timers Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao in pot four.

Jude Bellingham’s 87th minute equaliser rescued Real Madrid from defeat at Elche as Los Blancos return to top of ladder.

Jude Bellingham struck late on to secure Real Madrid a 2-2 draw at Elche on Sunday, taking his team top of La Liga by a point.

Xabi Alonso’s side struggled against their mid-table opponents in an entertaining battle in which Madrid twice came from behind.

Aleix Febas fired the hosts ahead before Dean Huijsen levelled for the league leaders, with Bellingham stabbing home from close range after Alvaro Rodriguez blasted Elche back in front.

Barcelona cut Madrid’s lead by two points over the weekend after they thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-0 on Saturday in their first match back at Camp Nou.

Alonso afforded Rodrygo Goes a rare start as part of the attack, while benching Vinicius Junior. The coach also gave Trent Alexander-Arnold his first start since August.

The England international missed several weeks injured and is yet to find form following his summer switch from Liverpool.

Alexander-Arnold was also partly to blame for Febas’s goal, with the midfielder sneaking in behind him to break the deadlock in the second half.

Elche sets the tone

Elche impressed against Barcelona a few weeks ago and gave Madrid a tough night at the Martinez Valero stadium.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine early save to deny Andre da Silva after Hector Fort teed him up.

The forward was involved in an unfortunate incident earlier in the day at Real Madrid’s annual general meeting, when Los Blancos displayed his photograph by accident in a tribute to former Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash in July.

Former Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena denied Kylian Mbappe after the French forward broke through on goal and then stopped the French superstar’s volley in Madrid’s best chance of the first half.

Elche stunned Madrid early in the second half with a slick move to take the lead.

German Valera’s superb backheel allowed Febas to dart behind Alexander-Arnold and squeeze a shot across the goal, past Courtois and in off the post.

Alonso responded by sending on Vinicius Jr and then young striker Gonzalo Garcia. Alexander-Arnold earned some redemption with his contribution to Madrid’s equaliser.

His cross was deflected against his own crossbar by a defender and behind for a corner. Alexander-Arnold whipped it in and Bellingham flicked it on into Huijsen’s path to bash home.

Elche took the lead again when Rodriguez caught out Courtois with a powerful drive from the edge of the box.

However, three minutes later Madrid equalised for a second time, with Mbappe only just keeping the ball in for Bellingham to convert from point-blank range.

The England midfielder was in the spotlight back home earlier in the week after he was unhappy to be taken off by national team coach Thomas Tuchel.

Bellingham was not at his best against Elche but was involved in both Madrid goals, highlighting his game-changing ability in the box even when otherwise quiet.

Directed by Japan’s monomonikered Hikari, “Rental Family” — a beautifully moving and affably humorous story of human connection — kicks off with one funeral and culminates with another, demonstrating the evolution that our protagonist, Philip (Brendan Fraser), goes through during his personal journey between these two events.

The first funeral is a shock. Philip is a struggling actor in Tokyo, with one massively successful commercial as a toothpaste superhero mascot under his belt. His agent has booked him a gig as “Sad American,” a role he can easily play with his looming height, doleful eyes and a heart he wears on his sleeve. Late as usual, he dashes to check in for work and is shocked to stumble into a somber funeral. He’s even more shocked when the formally dressed corpse starts emotionally reacting to the tearful eulogies.

The scene is a marvel of revelation and reaction from Fraser and, in fact, much of the genius of his performance in “Rental Family” comes from his reactions, especially as he discovers the weird and wonderful new job he’s landed.

In the screenplay by Hikari and Stephen Blahut, Philip finds himself working for Tada (Takehiro Hira), who runs a company called Rental Family that’s hired by clients to provide staff to role-play in various real-world scenarios — the fake funeral, for example, or as a mistress apologizing to a spurned wife or just for friendship. Philip’s first role is quite complex: He plays a Canadian man getting married to a young Japanese woman in a show wedding for her conservative parents. She’s queer and needs an out in order to be with her real partner. Philip, who is earnest and honest to a fault, chafes at the lie but soon realizes that he’s helping someone to live their authentic life, so he throws himself into it.

Rental Family’s service is all about maintaining Japanese values of propriety and politeness through performance, and the little (or big) white lies are manipulations to get what the clients want: an apology, companionship, love, admiration, closure. Philip’s most challenging high-wire act proves to be posing as the long-lost American father of a shrewd and emotionally intelligent young girl, Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), in order to secure her school admission. Both Philip and Mia’s mom (Shino Shinozaki), the client, soon realize that it’s much more complicated than just pretending to be a nuclear family for a school interview.

While playing daddy, Philip also juggles a role as a curious journalist profiling an aging, iconic (but largely forgotten) screen actor, Kikuo (Akira Emoto), from whom he learns surprising lessons about life, memory and legacy. He finds himself deeply connecting with these people, young and old, and learning from them, while becoming tangled in their lives.

Empathy pours off Fraser in waves, which is what made his Oscar-winning performance in “The Whale” work. Hikari channels that quality to good use in “Rental Family” but never oversteps. The film is sweet and affecting, never treacly or overly sentimental. She knows how to balance humor and poignancy, to allow Philip to be a grown man with his own needs and peccadilloes and mistakes, though we never question his motivations because of the inherent goodness that radiates off Fraser.

Hikari’s naturalistic style perfectly suits this story. The Tokyo that she showcases is one of quotidian everyday life, not the futuristic neon city that an outsider might capture. Hers is one of small, cramped apartments, karaoke bars, public transit, hotels, temples and schools. It’s a world occupied by normal people who sometimes need a little help, a little push to get the things they want in life. Philip is there to provide that service even though he’s also in need of his own connection to others.

But it’s the mishaps along the way that actually help Philip to grow. By the time we get to the second funeral, we see how much he has bloomed. Fraser has an openness to his expression that’s like a flower unfolding, beaming in the sunlight of recognition and personal fulfillment. As an actor, Fraser’s second act has been a sight to behold. He’s the emotional anchor of this life-affirming and quietly resonant film about the importance of being together — a movie that announces Hikari as a major talent.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Spain finish unbeaten at the top of Group E despite being given genuine scare by Turkiye, who will compete in playoffs.

Spain have booked their ticket to the 2026 World Cup with a 2-2 draw against Turkiye in their final qualifier to top Group E.

Turkiye finished second on Tuesday and will compete in the playoffs after they became the first team to force Luis de la Fuente’s Euro 2024 champions to drop points.

Dani Olmo fired Spain ahead, but Deniz Gul and Salih Ozcan struck for Turkiye as the hosts conceded their first goals in the qualification process.

Mikel Oyarzabal hit back to equalise in Seville for a Spanish team looking to win football’s biggest prize for the second time.

Spain scored 21 goals in qualifying while conceding just twice and have not tasted defeat in a national record 31 consecutive games.

However, that run includes a 2-2 Nations League final draw with Portugal after extra time in June with Spain losing on penalties.

Turkiye showed de la Fuente’s side are not flawless although Spain were missing several key players, including Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Rodri.

They knew to qualify all they had to do was avoid defeat by a seven-goal margin, which was never on the cards, and might have triumphed if not for some inspired goalkeeping by Manchester United stopper Altay Bayindir.

Marc Cucurella’s cross found Olmo in the box, and he controlled it well to bypass a defender before finishing lethally in the fourth minute.

The Barcelona playmaker twice came close to scoring a second from long range, but Bayindir tipped over both efforts.

Turkiye became the first team to score against Spain in qualifying just before the break when Gul levelled, reacting quickly to flick home a knock-down from a corner.

The visitors came out strongly in the second half and forced Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon into a pair of smart saves before taking the lead.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ozcan rifled home from the edge of the box after Orkun Kokcu had set the ball up nicely for him.

Spain bit back, and Oyarzabal finished from close range after Merih Demiral did brilliantly to block Yeremy Pino’s shot on the line, but it rebounded off another defender nicely for the Real Sociedad forward.

It was Oyarzabal’s sixth goal in a qualifying campaign in which he has staked his claim to being Spain’s starting striker at the World Cup.

Substitute Samu Aghehowa came close as Spain sought a winner, but Bayindir kept out his header and then denied Alex Baena to secure Turkiye an impressive point.

Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez found the net in stoppage time, but his goal was disallowed for offside.

Elsewhere, Scotland scored two dramatic stoppage-time goals to beat 10-man Denmark 4-2 on Tuesday and reach the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

A 1-1 home draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina was enough for Austria in Group H while Belgium routed Liechtenstein 7-0. Switzerland qualified after a 1-1 draw at Kosovo.

The 12 group winners qualified directly while the runners-up will participate in playoffs along with the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024-2025 Nations League that did not finish first or second in their groups.

The playoffs will be played on March 26 and March 31.

The World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

The Irish Football Association says it is “fantastic news” the qualifying draw for Euro 2028 will be held in Belfast.

The tournament will be hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland with no matches set to take place in Northern Ireland.

Casement Park, which has not been in operation since 2013, was originally listed as one of the stadiums to be considered when the UK and Republic of Ireland submitted their bid to host Euro 2028.

However, the west Belfast venue was withdrawn from the list of venues in September 2024 after the UK government said it would not be providing funding to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament.

“We are incredibly proud that our city will play such an important role in delivering what will be the best-ever EURO – one that celebrates passion, inclusivity and the power of football to bring people together,” said Irish FA president Conrad Kirkwood.

“It’s a proud moment for the Irish FA and for everyone who loves football here in Northern Ireland.”

With the opening game of the tournament set for Cardiff and matches to be played in stadiums across England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, the qualifying draw is, to date, the only official Euro 2028 engagement set to take place in Northern Ireland.

It will take place on 6 December 2026 at the ICC Belfast.

“It’s a real privilege to host the qualifying draw for Uefa Euro 2028 – a key milestone in what promises to be a memorable, world class tournament,” added Irish FA CEO Patrick Nelson.

“We’ll welcome UEFA’s leadership, national associations and teams to Belfast, giving them the chance to experience everything our city and ICC Belfast have to offer.

“It’s fantastic news for Belfast, for Northern Ireland and for football across these islands.”

Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the sixth minute of a dramatic period of stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Tottenham looked like claiming all three points on Sunday when Richarlison glanced in a header in the first minute of added-on time, completing a Spurs comeback from a goal down.

There was still time for de Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalwards and over the line before Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clawed the ball away.

Trailing to Bryan Mbeumo’s 32nd-minute header, Tottenham dominated the second half and grabbed an equaliser in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off de Ligt.

De Ligt said United deserved more from the game than a point.

“I’m proud of the team for how we fought back and got a point in a really difficult stadium,” he said.

“You can see that we still have the fire in our belly to get a goal, to get a point – even with 10 men,” he added, as United played the last few minutes a man down as Benjamin Sesko was forced off injured after United had made all their five substitutions.

However, Tel said he felt Spurs merited all three points.

“We are feeling 50-50, we conceded a goal, but our reaction in the second half was top,” Tel said.

“We changed the game, but we are mad because we have to win today. The subs brought energy to change the game, and we showed great mentality; we deserved to win.”

United extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games – three wins followed by two draws – while Tottenham have only won one of their six home games so far.

However, the Red Devils have now failed to beat Spurs in their previous eight meetings, but it was the most recent of these that will live long in the memory of the Tottenham support.

Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought thanks to a scrappy 1-0 win in the Europa League final in May, which also took them into the Champions League while United missed out on European football altogether.

Despite the huge blow to United’s finances and prestige, Ruben Amorim is making the most of having more time on the training field to finally build some momentum after a tough first year at Old Trafford.

Unlike most of United’s big-money signings in recent years, Bryan Mbeumo has proved his worth since a 65-million-pound ($86m) move from Brentford in July.

The Cameroonian was named Premier League player of the month for October and took his tally to four goals in as many games when he headed in from Amad Diallo’s cross on 32 minutes.

Spurs were booed off after a woeful attacking display in losing a London derby 1-0 to Chelsea last weekend.

After another dreary first 45 minutes, the hosts came to life early in the second period.

Senne Lammens produced a brilliant stop to turn Cristian Romero’s flick behind.

The Belgian goalkeeper was quickly called into action again to parry Joao Palhinha’s effort.

Brennan Johnston, who scored the winner when the sides last met in Bilbao, was then denied an equaliser by the offside flag.

Tottenham’s burst of attacking threat quickly fizzled out, though, and discontent among the home fans with manager Thomas Frank showed when his decision to replace Xavi Simons was roundly booed.

However, the Spurs boss can claim his changes turned the game around.

Destiny Udogie crossed for fellow substitute Tel to turn and fire into the top corner via a deflection off de Ligt.

Wilson Odobert, introduced off the bench at half-time, then curled a shot towards the far corner that Richarlison flicked in to leave Lammens helpless.

The Brazilian tore off his shirt and was reduced to tears in his celebration.

Yet, it still was not enough to earn Tottenham a first home league win since the opening weekend of the season.

De Ligt was offered too much space at the back post from Bruno Fernandes’s corner, and his header was too powerful for Vicario.

Later, Arsenal take a six-point lead into a match at Sunderland, while Chelsea host Wolverhampton in one of three other games.

Brugge had the lead three times against Barcelona and had a fourth goal chalked off, but ended up sharing the points.

Spanish giants Barcelona needed to come from behind three times to earn a 3-3 draw at Club Brugge in the Champions League, with teenage winger Lamine Yamal back to his best for Hansi Flick’s side to help them earn a point in a gripping clash in Belgium.

Barca’s defence was shredded on multiple occasions on Wednesday by the hosts as Brugge winger Carlos Forbs struck twice and set one up for Nicolo Tresoldi.

Ferran Torres, Yamal and a Christos Tzolis own goal saved Barcelona from what would have been a humiliating defeat, even though they have several players out injured.

Barcelona have been in shaky form in recent weeks, including a Clasico defeat by rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.

The hosts took an early lead at the Jan Breydel Stadium through Tresoldi, who was set up by the electric Forbs.

With Forbs rampaging in behind Barcelona’s high defensive line, Brugge set an early blueprint for how they could consistently hurt the Catalans.

Flick’s side hit back quickly through Torres, who produced a clever finish after Fermin Lopez played him in.

Midfielder Lopez struck the woodwork before Forbs netted Brugge’s second in a relentless battle between two sides determined to attack.

The Portuguese winger played a one-two with Tzolis to burst into space behind Barca’s defence once more before finishing with aplomb past Wojciech Szczesny.

Barca defender Jules Kounde crashed a shot against the bar at the other end as last year’s semifinalists sought a leveller.

Yamal, who was once again his side’s key player after some recent flat displays, created a fine chance for Torres to score before the break, but the striker nudged the ball past goalkeeper Nordin Jackers and wide.

Szczesny saved well from Joaquin Seys at the near post as Brugge continued to attack in the second half, showing no intention of trying to protect their lead.

Eric Garcia almost scored from long range but became the third Barca player to hit the frame of the goal, as his effort slapped against the crossbar.

Barcelona eventually pulled level with a brilliant goal, as Yamal combined with Lopez superbly to break through.

Lopez backheeled the ball into the teenager’s path, and Yamal flicked it past Jackers and into the bottom corner.

Forbs wasted a fine chance to put his team ahead again, but given another chance minutes later, he took it with a stylish finish.

Hans Vanaken played him through on goal, and he delicately dinked it past Szczesny for his second and Brugge’s third.

Forbs was awarded a penalty when he went down after a collision with Barca’s Alejandro Balde in the box, but it was cancelled after a VAR review showed he had actually bumped into the Spaniard.

Jackers produced a superb save to tip away a Yamal effort bound for the top corner, but could do nothing about Barca’s equaliser, which arrived in a similar fashion.

Yamal’s curling effort from the right deflected off Tzolis’s head and beat the goalkeeper.

Brugges thought they had won it in stoppage time when veteran goalkeeper Szczesny tried to turn in his area but lost the ball as Romeo Vermant slid in on him.

Vermant rolled the ball into the empty net, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review after the Belgian forward was ruled to have fouled the relieved Szczesny.

Elsewhere in the Champions League on Wednesday, Erling Haaland scored against his former club as his Manchester City cruised to a 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday

Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen scored a second-half hat-trick to ensure a comfortable 3-0 away win over hapless Ajax.

Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, defeated Benfica 1-0 to bounce back from a 7-2 defeat to title holders Paris Saint-Germain in the previous matchday two weeks ago.

Runners-up Inter Milan made it four wins in as many games with a 2-1 triumph against Kairat Almty. Inter, Arsenal and leaders Bayern Munich are the only teams that have won all of their Champions League games so far this season.

Meanwhile, Newcastle defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and Atalanta claimed a narrow 1-0 win at Olympique Marseille.

England have been drawn with Spain in their qualifying group for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Spain beat the Lionesses in the 2023 World Cup final, but England gained revenge when they beat the world champions in the Euro 2025 final in July to retain their European title.

Iceland and Ukraine have also been placed in Group A3 alongside Sarina Wiegman’s side.

Qualifying for the World Cup, which will be held in Brazil, follows the same format as the Nations League and is split into three tiers.

Only the four group winners in League A will automatically qualify for the finals, with the remaining teams having to go through the play-offs for the remaining eight places.

Scotland have been paired with Belgium, Israel and Luxembourg in Group B4, while Wales will face the Czech Republic, Albania and Montenegro in Group B1.

Northern Ireland have been placed in Group B2 with Switzerland, Turkey and Malta, and the Republic of Ireland are in Group A2 alongside the Netherlands, France and Poland.

The qualifiers will be played across six matchdays, on a home and away basis, during 2026, starting on 3 March and finishing on 9 June.

Uefa has been allocated 11 places for the 32-team 2027 World Cup.

An additional European team could also qualify through Fifa’s intercontinental play-offs.