Soccer

Remember when soccer was being touted as the next big sport in the U.S.? Well, it looks like that moment has finally arrived.

Or not. It all depends on who you ask and how you interpret what they tell you.

On one hand, there’s the recent Harris Poll that found 72% of Americans profess an interest in soccer, a 17% increase from 2020. A quarter of those are “dedicated” fans and 1 in 5 say they are “obsessed” with the sport.

On the other hand, there’s the stark decline in attendance and TV viewership for the country’s top two domestic leagues, MLS and the NWSL, and the underwhelming crowds that showed up last summer for the FIFA Club World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

LAFC fans lift up a banner honoring Carlos Vela during a ceremony to honor him before a match against Real Salt Lake at BMO Stadium on Sept. 21.

(Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

These contrary findings — a growing fanbase at the same time attendance and viewership numbers are falling off a cliff — come at an important inflection point for soccer in the U.S., with the largest, most ambitious World Cup kicking off at SoFi Stadium in fewer than 200 days.

“The short answer is yes, the World Cup will be a watershed moment for soccer in America. However, it’s unlikely to immediately lead to a significant increase in ticket sales for MLS and NWSL. Soccer fandom in America develops differently from that of other sports,” said Darin W. White, executive director of the Sports Industry Program and the Center for Sports Analytics at Samford University, which next year will launch a major five-year study to explore how soccer can become mainstream in the U.S.

“The World Cup will bring millions of new Americans into the pipeline. Over the next few years we expect these new fans to progress through the pipeline, giving soccer a substantial enough fan base to tip the scales and help make soccer part of the ongoing mainstream sports conversation. I am confident that the World Cup will enable soccer to reach that critical mass.”

Steven A. Bank, a professor of business law at UCLA who has written and lectured extensively on the economics of soccer, isn’t as optimistic.

“The risk isn’t that U.S. soccer will be in the same place in 10 years, but that it will have regressed,” he said.

“For the World Cup to benefit domestic leagues’ attendance, ratings, and revenue, as well as youth and adult participation rates in playing soccer, it will have to be the catalyst for more domestic investment in the game. The question isn’t whether the World Cup will convince enough people to become fans or to move from casual to dedicated or obsessive fans. It’s whether it will convince enough wealthy people and companies to risk the kind of money necessary to compete with the top leagues for the top talent.”

U.S. captain Christian Pulisic drives the ball during an international friendly against Ecuador at Q2 Stadium on Oct. 10 in Austin, Texas.

(Omar Vega / Getty Images)

That investment could be a boost to both first-tier domestic leagues, which saw their attendance and TV rating fall dramatically this year. After setting records in both 2023 and ‘24, MLS watched its average attendance fall 5.4% — to 21,988 fans per match — this season. According to Soccer America, 19 of the 29 teams that played in 2024 saw their attendance drop; more than half saw declines of 10% or more.

The TV audience also appears to be relatively small, although the fact Apple TV, the league’s main broadcast partner, rarely releases viewer data has hampered efforts to draw any firm conclusions. MLS said last month that its games attracted 3.7 million global aggregate viewers a week on all its streaming and linear platforms, an average of about 246,000 a game on a full weekend. While that’s up nearly 29% from last year, the average viewership figure is about 100,000 smaller than what the league drew for single games on ESPN alone in 2022, the last season before Apple’s 10-year $2.5-billion took effect.

NWSL also saw overall league attendance fall more than 5%, with eight of the 13 teams that played in 2024 experiencing declines. And TV viewership in the second year of the league’s four-season $240 million broadcast deal was down 8% before the midseason July break, according to the Sports Business Journal.

That follows a summer in which both the expanded Club World Cup and the Gold Cup struggled to find an audience. Although the 63-match Club World Cup drew an average of 39,547 fans per game, 14 matches had crowds of fewer than 20,000. The Gold Cup averaged 25,129 for its 31 games — a drop of more than 7,000 from 2023. And five matches drew less than 7,800 people.

“There’s a danger of taking this year’s decline out of context,” said Stefan Szymanski, a professor of sports management at the University of Michigan and author of several books on soccer including “Money and Soccer” and “Soccernomics” (with Simon Kuper). “Last year was a record year. It’s really about the diminishment of the Messi effect.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a moment of crisis. And the way MLS is looking at this strikes me that they’re entirely focused on a post-World Cup [bump], which they think they’re going to get. I’d be skeptical myself about that. I don’t think it will do that much for them.”

Szymanski said the World Cup could hurt the league by underscoring the huge difference in the quality of play between elite international soccer and MLS.

“Americans are not dumb,” he said. “They know what’s good quality sport [and] not good quality sport. And they know that MLS is low level. The only way, in a global marketplace, you can get the top talent to have a truly competitive league is to pay the salaries.”

Which brings us back to Bank’s conclusion that fixing soccer in the U.S. isn’t about the soccer, it’s about the money being spent on the sport. For next summer’s World Cup to have a lasting impact, the “bump” will have to come not just from an increase in attendance and TV viewership but in investment as well. And, as Szymanski argues, that means additional investment in players as well.

“If all it does is attract eyeballs for this competition,” Bank said “I’m not sure it does more than the Olympics does every four years when it temporarily raises the profile of a few sports for some people who were not casual fans before.”

It’s confusing enough that senior Maggie Kearin attends Louisville High in Woodland Hills and will soon attend the University of Louisville in Kentucky on a full scholarship.

Let’s forget about the two Louisvilles for a moment. Did you know she has a scholarship awaiting her based on her skills in field hockey? And the high school she attends doesn’t have a field hockey team.

She earned the offer based on her play in club field hockey. At Louisville High, she’s perfectly happy playing volleyball and soccer when outsiders have no idea she’s one of the top field hockey players in Southern California.

Her father is Jeff Kearin, the former Loyola High and Cal State Northridge football coach who’s the JV football coach at Crespi and has been transporting her for years to competitions. He consulted with others about whether Maggie should go to a high school that has field hockey, and they told him being good in several sports will help her versatility in field hockey.

Maggie has been playing the sport since she was 5.

“She came home one night from a sleepover, ‘I want to play the game with a stick.’ I thought it was lacrosse,” her father said.

Now she has a way to pay for her college education. “No one is happier than Mom and Dad,” her father said.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Maybe the national team turned a corner in last week’s 2-0 win over Japan.

Maybe the change to a 3-4-2-1 formation unlocked the lively and innovative play that had been missing in the team’s first year under coach Mauricio Pochettino. Maybe Pochettino and his players have finally found the chemistry and coordination that was so obviously missing.

And maybe, just maybe, the U.S. really can make a deep run in next summer’s World Cup, the first to be played in the U.S. in 32 years.

Maybe.

Or maybe not.

One game can’t totally erase the dysfunctional and dispassionate performances that have marked much of the brief Pochettino era, one which included four consecutive losses at home and two losses in as many games with Mexico.

Nor can it make up for a player pool that has seemingly grown thin and ever-changing or speed the learning curve for a successful club coach who has struggled with the transition to the international game.

But it can buy the team and its coach some time.

“Touch the right buttons and we start to perform,” Pochettino said last September, shortly after he took the U.S. job. Just now, however, is he finding those buttons.

The win over Japan clearly lifts a huge weight off Pochettino and his players, but the reprieve may be temporary. If the U.S. regresses in friendlies with Ecuador and Australia next month, the angst and despair that have hovered over the team most of the year will return.

What it all means is Pochettino and the USMNT have reached a fork in the road. And the path they take will likely shape U.S. Soccer’s future for years, if not decades.

A World Cup the federation has been pointing to for years is just nine months away and much is riding on the U.S. team’s performance. A deep run in the tournament will engage and ignite the country, open the wallets of deep-pocketed sponsors and do more for the sport in the U.S. than any event since the last World Cup held here. That one led to the formation of MLS, which has grown into the largest first-tier professional league in the world, and the establishment of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, which has invested more than $100 million at the grassroots level, impacting nearly 100 million kids.

The coherent performance against Japan — albeit a young, inexperience Japanese “B” team — brought hope that a successful path, the longest one at the fork in the road, is still open.

But three days before beating Japan, the U.S. was thoroughly outplayed by South Korea in a 2-0 loss — the team’s sixth loss in 14 games this year — that raised alarm. According to The Athletic, the performance dropped the U.S. to 48th in the world in the Elo Ratings, a results-based formula for measuring all men’s national teams. It was the lowest ranking in 28 years for the Americans.

If the USMNT follows the South Korea path in the World Cup, its tournament run could be short, ending in the first two rounds and likely stunting both interest and investment in soccer in the U.S.

With just three international breaks remaining before the World Cup, there is reason for both hope and concern.

Pochettino’s lineup choices remain as unsettled as his tactical approach — although the Japan game may help settle that. As Stuart Holden, World Cup midfielder turned Fox Sports analyst, noted, the change to a three-man backline solved many problems.

Against Japan, Holden said, the center backs played with noticeable confidence and aggression. The formation also freed wingbacks Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman to be more creative and allowed attackers Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun, the team’s game-changers, to be more impactful.

There was much to like in the new approach and for the first time in his tenure, it seemed as if Pochettino had finally found a game plan that suited his players, with Balogun among those who benefited most: his goal, off an assist from Pulisic, was his first for the U.S. in nearly 14 months while his start was his first under Pochettino.

The other goal went to Alex Zendejas, who was called up for the first time this year despite having one of the best two-year runs of any USMNT attacker, scoring 16 goals and contributing 15 assists to help Mexico’s Club América to three straight Liga MX titles.

Another player who stepped up when given the opportunity was Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan, who played an inspired 90 minutes, leading all players with 83 touches.

Pochettino welcomed the result but continued to argue it wasn’t the most important thing.

“It’s the process,” he told reporters.

“When you are strong in your ideas and your belief, it’s about never giv[ing] up.”

So which team is the real national team? The one that beat Japan or the one that was humiliated by South Korea? And what will the USMNT’s destiny be in the World Cup? A long, profitable run that changes the trajectory of soccer in the U.S. or a short, disappointing one that sets the sport’s progress back years?

The October games with Ecuador and Australia could go a long way toward determining that. There’s a lot riding on the answer.

World Cup ticket update

More than 1.5 million people registered for the chance to buy World Cup tickets in the first 24 hours of the tournament’s initial presale lottery, according to FIFA. Online applications came from 210 countries, FIFA said, with the three host countries — the U.S., Mexico and Canada — leading the way.

The presale draw, which began last Wednesday and will end Friday at 8 a.m. Pacific time, is the first phase of ticket sales for the tournament. After a random selection process, successful applicants will be notified via email starting from Sept. 29 and will be given a date and time slot to purchase tickets, starting at $60, beginning Oct. 1. When fans enter the window won’t affect their chances of winning.

Subsequent ticket sales phases will begin in October. Further details on the timeline and products are available at FIFA.com/tickets.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.

The most-followed professional sports league on Earth is increasingly an American one, but it’s not the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball. Despite their impressive strides in growing global audiences and reach, homegrown U.S. sports aren’t the world’s biggest draw. Instead, American teams are buying into the world’s most popular sport — the other football — via the global all-star English Premier League.

The Premier League kicked off its 2025-2026 season Aug. 15 with 11 of its 20 clubs under U.S. ownership (only four teams in the league are British-owned. It promises to be a crackling season.

Will thrice runners-up Arsenal (which shares owners with the Los Angeles Rams) be able to dethrone Liverpool (owned by the Red Sox’s Fenway Sports Group)? Will heavy spenders Chelsea (which shares owners with the Dodgers and the Lakers) once again vie for the league title, fresh off its improbable FIFA Club World Cup win this summer? And will San Francisco 49ers-owned Leeds United gain a permanent foothold in the league after being promoted from the lower division last season?

Perhaps the most compelling Premier League storyline is the fast-accelerating American takeover of soccer/football and what it tells us about the globalization of American culture. Suddenly, Americans are far more connected to the rest of the world than previous generations were, thanks to sport, our age’s leading pastime and most important form of media.

When I first moved to the United States as a teenager in the 1980s, Americans didn’t play much with others. We had our sports and proclaimed the winners in our domestic leagues “world champions.” Sport was the exception to the rule that all things American were the world’s cultural lingua franca. Indeed, as a result of the great 19th century footballing schism, the U.S. is the only major country where the stars of our most popular sports leagues never get to represent their country in international competition.

Tom Brady never got to wear a Team USA jersey because, well, only other Americans play his kind of football. Moreover, although a Hollywood blockbuster might make three-quarters of its box office outside the U.S., and Taylor Swift scheduled two-thirds of her Eras Tour in nations other than America, our biggest sporting production — the Super Bowl — is still watched by far more people inside the U.S. than outside it.

Yet things have changed dramatically over the past generation. It used to be common to hear sports pundits and American politicians (especially conservative ones) vilify soccer with the same xenophobic fervor reserved for such dastardly foreign schemes as the metric system and socialism. But now our “America First” President Trump is fast friends with FIFA’s leader Gianni Infantino, and Trump’s enthusiasm for the recent Club World Cup was such that he famously overstayed his welcome on stage during Chelsea’s post-match celebrations last month at MetLife Stadium.

We can thank the girls and women of America, and Title IX, for putting an end to America’s sporting isolationism, along with immigrants, who were often the first to introduce the sport across American communities, and the marketing departments and aspirations of multinational corporations.

Coca-Cola was FIFA’s first global sponsor not because it was already a powerful American company, but because FIFA could help push the brand to every corner of the world. Electronic Arts could have simply created its Madden video game for NFL aficionados, but it was its FIFA game that made it a global player (and in turn helped popularize the sport among millions of American kids).

In 2026, the men’s World Cup, which the United States will co-host with Mexico and Canada, will further ratify the end of America’s sporting isolationism. Ours is now a nation where soccer practice is a staple of most kids’ lives, the game’s best player ever joined our top domestic league (which didn’t exist until 1996), and we can watch every other league on the planet. Thanks to NBC’s masterful coverage, England’s Premier League is as avidly followed in this country as many of our domestic leagues.

It wasn’t that long ago that I could wear my Arsenal sweatshirt out and about without eliciting much of a response, but no more. A couple of seasons ago in Phoenix, I had taped a midday match to watch after work and was scrupulously avoiding any source of spoilers. Then I ran into my gym for a quick workout wearing my Arsenal cap.

“Tough loss,” the guy at the front desk said.

I guess so, but an oddly satisfying spoiler too, for what it represented.

Andrés Martinez is the co-director of the Great Game Lab at Arizona State University, a fellow at New America and author of the forthcoming book, “The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America’s Quest to Conquer Global Sport.”

BEIJING — Humanoid robots hip-hop danced, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening.

The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. It comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence.

During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports day.

One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted.

The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. One robot model sadly fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings.

Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating.

China’s official newspaper People’s Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying “every robot participates is creating history.”

The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from 180 yuan ($25) to 580 ($80).

Ting writes for the Associated Press. Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing.

SKY SPORTS were forced to apologise after Soccer Saturday made three blunders in the first-half of a match.

League One and League Two clubs got their seasons underway today as Barnsley faced Plymouth Argyle.

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Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season

But Soccer Saturday had a nightmare opening 45 minutes while covering the action at Home Park.

Former QPR star Jamie Mackie was tasked with giving updates on the game from the Sky Sports studio.

There was confusion just five minutes in when host Julian Warren went across to the pundit after Caleb Watts had found the back of the net for Argyle.

He announced that there had been a goal, only for it to be disallowed for a foul in the build-up.

The next error came when Argyle star Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu netted an own goal.

Presenter Warren said: “Goal for Plymouth, we have heard this before. Does this one count, Jamie Mackie?”

Mackie then awkwardly replied as the scoreboard said 1-0 to the incorrect team: “It is a Plymouth player that scored… but it is at the wrong end.”

The graphic quickly changed and a red-faced Warren clarified: “It is Barnsley who are in front.

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“Apologies for the slight moment of excitement for you Plymouth fans, only to find out you’re behind.”

But the blunders were not done there as The Tykes then made it 2-0.

When Adam Phillips doubled their lead, Sky Sports accidentally made a score correction on the vidiprinter to say it was still 1-0.

They were then forced to hilariously correct the correction.

Warren handled it like a pro, brilliantly saying: “I think the vidiprinter might still be on holiday, lying on a lounger with a couple of pina coladas.”

There were no errors in the second-half as Barnsley won 3-1.

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The post-match action began in lively fashion as both sets of players became involved in a brawl after the final whistle, but once tempers had calmed, it was time for Messrs Trump and Infantino to hand out some awards.

Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia collected the top scorer prize, PSG’s Desire Doue was named young player of the tournament, Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez picked up the golden glove award, while Cole Palmer – the Blues’ two-goal hero in the final – was named the player of the tournament.

After the two sets of players had collected their medals, Trump and Infantino presented the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James.

According to Fifa, the Club World Cup trophy is inspired by the periodic table and historic golden records sent into space aboard the Voyager probes.

It can also be ‘opened’ with a special key, which only Infantino is permitted to use.

Perhaps to the relief of captain James and his team-mates, the trophy was already in its ‘open’ position when it was handed to the Blues’ skipper.

With Trump in close proximity, having positioned himself right in the middle of the Chelsea squad instead of exiting stage right, James lifted the enormous trophy into the East Rutherford sky as the celebrations began in earnest – nearly three hours after kick-off.

Liverpool FC and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother, fellow soccer player André Silva, died in a car crash early Thursday morning, Spanish authorities said Thursday. Jota was 28, and Silva was 25.

The brothers were found dead near Zamora, Spain, the country’s Civil Guard confirmed to the Associated Press. Police are investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred just after midnight when the Lamborghini the brothers were riding in veered off the road and burst into flames.

No other vehicles were involved and the brothers were alone in the car, police said. It’s unclear which brother was driving.

“We have lost two champions,” Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença said in a statement. “The passing of Diogo and André Silva represents an irreparable loss for Portuguese football and we will do everything we can to honor their legacy every day.”

Football fans stand next to tributes left Thursday at Anfield Stadium in memory of Liverpool player Diogo Jota.

(Ian Hodgson / Associated Press)

Jota, whose full name was Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, was known as a clinical finisher. Early in his professional career, Jota played for such teams as Paços de Ferreira, Atlético Madrid and the Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He signed with Liverpool in 2020 and went on to score 65 goals in 182 games for the Reds. The organization said in a statement that it is “devastated” by Jota’s death.

“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss,” the team wrote.

Lakers star LeBron James, a minority Liverpool owner, referenced the team’s unofficial anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as he paid tribute to Jota on X.

“My prayers goes out to his loved ones during this time!” James wrote. “May you all be guided and protected! YNWA JOTA!!”

Jota played nearly 50 games for Portugal as well. He made the 2022 World Cup squad, but was unable to play because of injury. Jota’s final match was Portugal’s 5-3 win in a penalty shoot-out over Spain in the Nations League final June 8. About two weeks later, Jota married Rute Cardoso, who was his childhood sweetheart and mother of their three young children.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jota’s Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo wrote in Portuguese on X. “Just now we were together in the national team, just now you had gotten married. My condolences to your family, to your wife and to your children. I wish them all the strength in the world. I know that you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, left, celebrates with Portugal teammate Diogo Jota during a Euro 2020 qualifying match in Luxembourg in November 2019.

(Francisco Seco / Associated Press)

Silva was a midfielder for the Liga Portugal 2 squad Penafiel.

A moment of silence for the brothers will be observed at all UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 matches on Thursday and Friday, including the Spain-Portugal game Thursday at noon PDT.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Heimo Schirgi’s first big job in soccer was as head of operations for UEFA, the largest and most influential of the global game’s six geographic confederations. Part of that job involved planning and managing the UEFA Champions League, the largest and most influential club soccer competition in the world.

So when Schirgi moved into his current job as FIFA’s chief operating officer for the World Cup, he brought with him the knowledge that the Champions League, for all its prestige and gravitas, also had one weakness: its field was limited to the 55 soccer-playing countries of Europe.

“You have all these club competitions on a confederation, continental level, right?” he said. “But you don’t have it on a global level. You never had clubs from South America competing against European clubs in a serious tournament with high stakes.

“I’m personally interested how the rest of the world’s clubs are going to fare. There’s only one way to find out.”

That one way is the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicked off in the U.S. 10 days ago. And while the tournament has many flaws, it has gone a long way toward answering Schirgi’s curiosity. Europe, it seems, isn’t so dominant after all.

Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning European champion, lost to Botafogo, currently eighth in Brazil’s Serie A. Iconic English club Chelsea was beaten handily by Flamengo, another Brazilian team. Mexico’s Monterrey played Inter Milan, the Champions League runner-up, to a draw. Real Madrid, Europe’s most decorated club, tied Al Hilal, which finished second in the Saudi Pro League.

And Spanish power Atlético Madrid, which made the round of 16 in the Champions League, didn’t even make it out of the group stage.

Those results may still prove to be little more than a stumble on the way to an all-European final four. Or not. And that uncertainty, Schirgi insists, is why the Club World Cup was created.

“Our sport is a sport where underdogs have a genuine chance, right?” he said. “It’s not just the money game. We know that club soccer is at a very high level.”

The real winners through the tournament’s first 34 games have been Latin American teams: Five of the six South American clubs entered Monday unbeaten, as did Mexico’s Monterrey. And if there’s been a big loser, it’s arguably been Major League Soccer, which has shown it’s not ready to play with the big boys.

Although the U.S. league made history when Inter Miami beat Porto 2-1 in a group-stage game, marking the first time an MLS club has beaten a European team in a competitive match, the league’s other two entries — LAFC and the Seattle Sounders — combined for just two goals and were shut out three times in their first five games, all losses.

But if the first Club World Cup has proven to be surprisingly entertaining, even compelling, there have been a few hiccups. Attendance was hurt by several early weekday kickoffs and high admission prices, which forced FIFA to essentially start giving away tickets. The average announced attendance of 36,043 through the first 34 games was matched by nearly as many empty seats.

Just one game has sold out; six others drew fewer than 14,100 fans.

Porto’s Rodrigo Mora tries to cool off after the FIFA Club World Cup group match on Monday.

(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

The weather has also proven difficult with several players complaining about the heat and humidity. It was so bad in Cincinnati last Saturday, Borussia Dortmund’s substitutes watched the first half on TV in the dressing room. And it’s only going to get worse. Temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees on Tuesday in New Jersey, where Porto plays Al Ahly, and an excessive heat warning has been issued in Philadelphia, where Chelsea and Esperance de Tunis meet.

High 90s temperatures are also forecast Tuesday for Nashville, Tenn., and Charlotte, N.C., where afternoon games are scheduled. That, however, will serve as a wake-up call for next summer’s World Cup, which will be played in similar conditions.

Perhaps the most complex problem FIFA faces in attempting to make the Club World Cup a significant quadrennial event, however, is the crowded fixture schedule. The World Cup will expand from 64 to 104 games next summer. Recent years have seen tournaments such as the Nations League added to the international calendar while club competitions including the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup expanded.

Others, such as the Leagues Cup, were created out of whole cloth.

As a result some players have played more than 70 matches for club and country in the last year. The fixture schedule has become so packed that the only place left to accommodate a monthlong tournament such as the Club World Cup was the traditional early summer break between one European season and the next.

FIFPRO, the global union representing soccer players, has cited scientific research in its call for a mandatory four-week break each year. FIFA, the Club World Cup organizer, responded by offering a $1 billion prize-money purse to get teams to play through that break.

“With the introduction of the new Champions League format and the new Club World Cup, which extends for over a month, the workload on teams and players has increased significantly,” said Giuseppe Marotta, chairman and chief executive officer of Inter Milan. “However these competitions also represent a huge opportunity in terms of visibility and revenue. For this reasons, they must be safeguarded.

“Adjustments should instead be made to the rest of the calendar to lighten the overall load.”

Marotta suggests shortening league schedules, which means diminishing domestic competitions while giving more power to the likes of FIFA and UEFA. That could be a slippery slope, one that would make the world’s game less local and more global.

But if the Club World Cup follows the trajectory of the Champions League, Schirgi thinks that’s a trade worth making.

“The beginnings of the Champions League, it was not always this huge, great event,” he said. “There is a lot of growth that needs to happen and a lot of education. We are super excited that we are part of history.”

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.

For Thieb Delaporte-Richard, the Parisian cafe within walking distance of his home in Santa Monica was the best spot for an early-morning chat.

While standing in line, the aroma of baking croissants wafted, and the buzzing of espresso machines reverberated off the skeletal remains of an old church that now houses the café.

“This kind of feels like home, to be honest, and I think that’s the reason I like this place,” Delaporte-Richard said of both the cafe and Santa Monica.

Born in Strasbourg, France, Delaporte-Richard spent much of his childhood bouncing around — from eastern France to Paris to French Guiana in South America — never living in one place for more than a few years and never quite sure how to answer when asked which place he truly called home.

“Every city, everywhere, you can see the sunset. But here, it’s so unique — with no clouds and those colors,” French artist Thieb Delaporte-Richard says. “For some reason, it feels like I only see those colors here.”

(Los Angeles World Cup 2026 host committee)

He eventually returned to Paris to attend Gobelins design school. While there, he had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. for a three-month internship in Santa Monica — his first taste of the beachside city, where he says he “had this vision of Hollywood, palm trees, the sunset,” and wanted to have the “California experience.”

A decade later, Delaporte-Richard, 30, wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Every day, he’s still drawn to the Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Coast Highway, the Santa Monica Mountains and the iconic seaside sunsets.

“Every city, everywhere, you can see the sunset,” he said. “But here, it’s so unique — with no clouds and those colors. For some reason, it feels like I only see those colors here. The way it bounces — it’s so red at the bottom, then you see hues of orange, purple and then blue, nothing to hide it. That makes it so unique.”

In a year’s time, when teams and fans arrive in Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup — with Los Angeles set to host opening stage matches and quarterfinals at SoFi Stadium — Delaporte-Richard’s interpretation of that sunset will blanket Southern California. From walls to billboards to screens, the striking visual will serve as the focal point of the official L.A. poster for the tournament.

Delaporte-Richard’s pièce de résistance.

Like many in L.A. County, Delaporte-Richard is a transplant drawn to the area in pursuit of a dream. For him, that dream is art, and the region city welcomed him. His L.A.-centric poster stands as a love letter to the place he adores.

“My story is L.A.,” Delaporte-Richard said. “Moving here, I realized how much deeper it is — how L.A. is also all of the stories that people told me. That really changed my vision and made me realize it’s much more than what I thought. When I moved here, it was just supposed to be for a short time. And I realized, well, I love this place.”

Delaporte-Richard didn’t want his poster to be just a checklist of landmarks or symbols — his initial instinct was to include every aspect of the city. But once he scrapped that idea, he focused on subtlety: a careful balance between representation and cliché, aiming to capture an authentic L.A. feel.

He settled on the concept of a silhouetted footballer mid-strike — a composite inspired by countless goal-scoring moments, including one by his childhood hero, Ronaldinho — launching a left-footed shot against the setting sun over the downtown skyline. The city’s signature palm trees stand tall, while Easter eggs like the sweeping searchlights of a Hollywood premiere reveal themselves on a second glance. The player’s outline remains ambiguous enough to let viewers imagine their favorite star in the scene.

“A lot of people reached out to tell me, ‘Oh, it truly captures the spirit of L.A.,’” Delaporte-Richard said. “There is nothing more meaningful to me than people who’ve lived here their entire lives, for generations, telling me it feels like home. A poster like that is not just a marketing visual. To me, it’s a piece of culture. It becomes part of the history.”

The chance to showcase his art, however, nearly slipped away. Delaporte-Richard learned about the contest close to the submission deadline. Pressed for time, he put together a storyboard in a few hours in his apartment. During the next few days, he feverishly sketched and digitally painted the piece. By the end of the week, he finished the project and submitted it with just two hours to spare.

“I knew I wouldn’t have much time,” Delaporte-Richard said, shuffling through his black notebook filled with original sketches and concept art explaining his goal of capturing the energy and motion soccer brings. “I searched for an idea that would work and created that connection between soccer and Los Angeles.”

When Delaporte-Richard hit send on his submission, he wasn’t sure what to expect. At first, all he received was an automated message thanking him and highlighting that more than 900 people had entered the poster contest.

Then came the waiting game. In December, he was notified that he was one of 16 finalists whose work was getting evaluated by five Los Angeles County experts in public art and cultural exhibitions. Several months later, Jason Krutzsch of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission reached out with a message.

“I received an email that said, ‘Congratulations, your poster has been selected,’” Delaporte-Richard said. “I had to send an email just asking, ‘Is it for real? Is it literal? You’re not joking?’ And he was like, ‘I’m dead serious.’”

It took a phone call for it to finally hit Delaporte-Richard — he won. It was a big moment he shared with his wife, who moved to California with him from France, and with friends and family back home in Paris.

For the first time, the soft-spoken, introverted Delaporte-Richard found himself in the spotlight, with his first major project now available for the world to purchase — unfamiliar territory for him. Initially, the poster’s release left him anxious, unsure of how people would react.

Would they love it? Would they hate it? The weight felt heavier because of how deeply personal the project was.

Delaporte-Richard’s decision to enter the contest comes from a lifelong love of soccer that began in his youth in France, where he first learned to kick a ball. To him, Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, Argentine star Lionel Messi and French hero Zinedine Zidane were magicians devoted to their craft, inspiring Delaporte-Richard to follow his path.

When he was 16, his first designs were soccer banners and photoshopped graphics. A chance to celebrate soccer sparked his love of art.

Having never been to a World Cup, Delaporte-Richard says it is an honor to now have his work be part of the games. He plans to attend matches at SoFi Stadium, the venue he passed through a months ago when his artwork was first put on display by the L.A. World Cup host committee.

“If you ask the person who’s got into design, creating football banners, about doing the World Cup poster, 15 years later, I would not believe it,” Delaporte-Richard said. “I wouldn’t believe it at all. So this experience in L.A. and in the U.S. made it a reality.”

June 18 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed members of the Italian Juventus Club World Cup team to the Oval Office as he spoke about a range of topics, including transgender athletes.

The team, which includes Americans Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie, appeared in the White House before playing Al Ain of the United Arab Emrites at Washington, D.C.’s, Audi Field on Wednesday night. Thirty-two teams are competing from last Saturday to July 13 in the United States.

Also on hand were FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Juventus club executives, former player Giorgio Chiellini and head coach Igor Tudor.

They stood behind the president.

Trump turned around and asked them: “Could a woman make your team, fellas.”

They smiled nervously and didn’t respond.

Juventus’ general manager Damien Comolli finally said: “We have a very good women’s team.” They are the reigning Serie A champions.

“But they should be playing with women,” Trump said as Comolli looked at the floor and chose not to answer.

“But they should be playing with women,” Trump replied. “He’s being very diplomatic.”

Transgender athletes have been allowed to compete in the Olympics, including soccer, since 2004 if they meet the eligibility criteria set by their sport’s International Federation. It wasn’t until 2021 that the first openly transgender athletes competed in the Games.

Trump’s executive order that bans transgender participants from women’s sports directs the Secretary of State’s office to pressure the International Olympic to amend standards governing Olympic sporting events “to promote fairness, safety and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.”

During the signing ceremony in February, Trump said he wants the International Olympic Committee to “change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject” ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Of the more than 500,000 NCAA athletes, only about 40 are known to be transgender, according to Anna Baeth, director of research at research at Athlete Ally, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ equality in sports.

The NCAA later adhered to Trump’s executive order.

Trans people appear to have no advantage in sports, according to an October 2023 review of 2017 research published in the journal Sports Medicine.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming care for minors can stand.

FOOTIE legend Wayne Rooney has been booted into third place in the Soccer Aid shirt auction – by a boyband heartthrob and a rising telly star.

The former England skipper’s signed shirt is currently sitting at £1,578, but that’s still miles behind the top two.

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One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is topping the leaderboard with a whopping £5,364 bid for his England top – despite barely touching the ball on the pitch.

Coming in second is Bella Ramsey, the breakout star of The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, whose shirt has pulled in an impressive £1,731.

But it’s not just Rooney who’s struggling to get to the top in the footie world – Brazil legend Rivaldo’s shirt is number five, with a bid of £809.

The former Barcelona man is surprisingly beaten into fourth by Twitch streamer Morgan Burtwistle, better known online as AngryGinge.

Even more surprising, though, is the fact there’s no place in the top 10 for former Manchester City star Carlos Tevez.

Fans have been scrambling to snap up the signed shirts from this year’s charity clash, which raised £15.28million for UNICEF.

But Rooney’s spot behind Louis and Bella has raised a few eyebrows – especially considering he’s England’s all-time top scorer.

It just shows how fast the world of fame moves – especially when you step out of the limelight.

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Louis has a cult-like following, and his fans are proving they’ll do anything to get their hands on his kit.

And Bella’s fanbase is booming after she has been smashing it on screen.

The auction is still live but with bids flooding in it looks like pop power and screen stardom are winning this match.

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In this Monday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day from Romeo Beckham’s ex speaking out on the famous family feud to one Brit dad’s life-saving flight change and fallout from yesterday’s Soccer Aid

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we pull together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Monday, we’re featuring everything from another development in the Beckham family feud to one dad’s lucky escape from the doomed Air India flight and Soccer Aid drama hitting social media.

This afternoon, Romeo Beckham’s ex girlfriend Kim Turnbull has broken ranks to speak out about the Brooklyn feud that has tormented the family. Elsewhere, a dad has spoken out after a last minute flight change saved his life and Paddy McGuiness has hit out at Carlos Tevez after the Soccer Aid star scored four goals past the TV icon last night.

Romeo Beckham’s ex Kim Turnbull breaks silence on Brooklyn feud and ‘scapegoat’ lies

As the Beckham feud drags on, our showbiz team spotted that Romeo Beckham’s ex-girlfriend, Kim Turnbull, broke her silence on social media this afternoon after being dragged into the bitter family drama. Kim, 26, is said to be at the heart of the Beckham fallout in which eldest child Brooklyn and wife Nicola Peltz, 30, have become estranged.

The DJ is said to have dated Brooklyn before he met billionaire heiress Nicola. However, following weeks of headlines about her and Brooklyn, Kim fumed that she was ’embarrassed by the lies.’

This Monday, Kim took to social media to speak out for the first time on the drama. She said: “I’ve avoided speaking on this topic to prevent adding fuel to the fire, however it’s come to a point where I feel the need to address it so I can move on.”

Read the full story here.

Brit dad meant to be in Air India plane crash survivor’s Seat 11A breaks silence

This Monday, our News team covered one British dad’s lucky escape after a last minute flight change saved his life – he was due on the Air India flight 171 this week. The dad has shared his shock and expressed his gratitude after he changed his plans at the very last minute and has spoken of the very bizarre coincidence with his new booking.

Owen Jackson, 31, from Saffron Walden in Essex, had been in India on a work trip and was scheduled to fly back this week but had to decide between flying back on Thursday or Saturday. In the end his colleagues said to take the Saturday flight as the job would take a bit longer than originally planned.

He was then booked onto the same route on Saturday which would have been the same aircraft as the one which crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people onboard. In a bizarre coincidence, Owen was booked onto seat 11A for the Saturday flight – the seat number belonging to the only survivor of flight 171.

Read the full story here.

Paddy McGuinness hits out at Carlos Tevez ‘assault’ after Soccer Aid

Soccer Aid graced TV screens yesterday evening, raising over £15 million for UNICEF. However, drama over the hotly anticipated match has spilled in to today after former Manchester City ace Carlos Tevez fired four goals past England keeper Paddy McGuinness and fans accused him of forgetting Soccer Aid is for charity.

Paddy McGuinness has now broken his silence after being on the wrong end of the Carlos Tevez masterclass. Taking to Instagram today, Paddy shared a hilarious snap of him and Tevez post-match. Tevez had a huge grin on his face as he and Paddy pointed fingers at each other.

The funnyman wrote alongside it: “Police are looking to contact this man in connection with an assault that took place in the Old Trafford area of Manchester last night.” Viewers at home joked Tevez was approaching the game with the ferocity of a Champions League final.

Read the full story here.

Grooming gangs have ‘nowhere to hide’ Yvette Cooper vows as damning report published

This afternoon, our Politics team were in the Commons to listen to Yvette Cooper’s statement on grooming gangs. The Home Secretary said a “damning” report into grooming gangs found the UK has “lost more than a decade” in protecting children.

The Labour minister told MPs “vile” abusers will have “nowhere to hide” as she vowed to finally bring hundreds of evil predators to justice. She told the Commons the Government will bring in a string of new laws after Baroness Louise Casey unearthed chilling failures.

In a report published this afternoon, Baroness Casey called for a full national inquiry to highlight the harrowing abuse suffered by hundreds of children, and ensure it never happens again. Ms Cooper said: “We have lost more than a decade. That must end now.”

Read the full story here.

Brazen Prince Andrew heads to huge royal event despite King Charles ‘ban’

As Royals gathered for the annual Garter Day this Monday, Prince Andrew was spotted heading to Windsor Castle – despite not being expected to take part in its public procession. The disgraced Duke of York was seen in a shirt and tie driving his car towards the castle for the ancient Order of the Garter ceremony as the Royal Family‘s summer season began in earnest.

The day sees those in the order gather for lunch at the castle before a procession takes place through the castle grounds that sees members dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes. Andrew is a member of the order alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William and is believed to be joining the annual lunch and investiture, which takes place behind closed doors.

However, he was not expected to take part in the public procession through the castle grounds – having been banished from it for the past four years. Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Read the full story here.

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Big Zuu scored the winner as a Carlos Tevez-inspired World XI beat England in front of a sellout Old Trafford crowd for Soccer Aid.

In the 14th edition of the annual charity football match between England and a World XI – which mixes celebrities and former footballers – the World XI won 5-4, as £15m was raised for children’s charity Unicef.

They had trailed 3-0 in the second half but turned things around thanks to four goals from former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez.

All four of England’s goalscorers were former England international strikers, with ex-Tottenham player Jermain Defoe getting a double after former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney and Toni Duggan – who played for clubs including Manchester City and Barcelona – had put England 2-0 up.

Among plenty of former football talents, the two sides featured the likes of former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, YouTuber Angry Ginge, Diamond from Gladiator, comedian Richard Gadd, Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah and The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey.

And while pop star Tomlinson was roundly cheered whenever he touched the ball, the plaudits went to England’s Angry Ginge.

He was named player of the match for a defensive display which included a goal-saving clearance to deny Brazil legend Rivaldo, and some on social media jokingly called for Manchester United to sign him after their poor season in the Premier League.

Hollywood star Julia Roberts was in attendance at Old Trafford for Soccer Aid 2025, which sees an England team take on Soccer Aid World XI FC in a charity football match

Dermot O’Leary delivered a “profuse apology” to ITV audiences after Tyson Fury, the heavyweight champion, let slip some colourful language during a pre-match pep talk live on air for England’s Soccer Aid 2025 team.

The star-studded charity event at Old Trafford also saw silver screen icon Julia Roberts mingling with football legend Wayne Rooney during the annual fundraiser that pits an England squad against Soccer Aid World XI FC, all in support of Unicef.

In the throes of motivation, Fury, who took on the role of manager for the England team, couldn’t contain his passion in the dressing room speech as he dropped the seven-letter swear. He said live on ITV:

“Let them know how good we are. We are England. We are f****** Spartans. We are Spartans.”

Following the raw moment, presenters Alex Scott and Dermot O’Leary swiftly offered their apologies to viewers, with Scott commenting:

“What can I say about Tyson Fury? We do apologise for the swearing, but it is Tyson Fury, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

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Adding to Scott’s sentiment, O’Leary stated: “We do profusely apologise.”

However, some viewers remained angry that Fury had used the language in the first place, with some even demanding that he should not appear on our screen again. Taking their outrage over the pre-watershed moment to X, one user said: “Why bother getting Tyson Fury on #SoccerAid2025? Of course he’s going to swear constantly on TV.”

Noting that lots of people were getting angry about his use of the F-word, @brikka49 took the mick, saying: “Hi ITV… it’s totally disgusting that uneducated idiot Tyson Fury was allowed to swear at 18:25 in the evening on the lord’s day.

“He should never appear on TV again!”

And some were just outraged that other people were outraged. @96_mikeys said: “God forbid Tyson Fury swearing on Soccer Aid, and people moaning and groaning already! Because at no point in your sad little cretin lives have you ever heard someone swear before.

“Grow up”

Adding a Hollywood shine to Old Trafford was ‘Pretty Woman’ actress Roberts, a self-proclaimed Manchester United enthusiast, captured taking pictures and sharing a smile with Rooney, who not long after dazzled the crowd by netting England’s opening goal.

Other notable names wearing the England kit included ex-One Direction star Louis Tomlinson and celebrated Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.

This year’s England team also welcomed Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, comedian Paddy McGuinness, ex-Manchester United player Gary Neville and singer Tom Grennan.

Last year saw England triumph with a 6-3 victory, marking the Three Lions’ first win in six years.

Soccer Aid was jointly established in 2006 by Robbie Williams to fundraise for children’s aid organisation Unicef. Since its inception nearly two decades ago, the charity match has raised over £106 million.

Soccer Aid, which has been running for more than two decades and has raised more than £100 million overall, had Sam Matterface as the commentator, with Iain Stirling joining him

Soccer Aid 2025 fans were divided as they pointed out what happens every time One Direction star Louis Tomlinson has the ball. The singer joined a slew of famous faces on the pitch but the audience seemed to have their focus on the star as they screamed and cheered every single time he was passed the ball.

Fans noticed how much louder the stadium got when he had the ball and took to social media to share their divided opinions on the cheering. One fan said on X: “Take that 1D kid off people screaming for him is becoming annoying and making this match unwatchable,” while another person more kindly said: “I love the applause that so louder when Louis has the ball.”

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“That constant screaming for Louis Tomlinson is already annoying af. I think a wave go around and that’s saying something,” one viewer commented.

Another posted: “You can tell when Louis has the ball as the crowd go absolutely wild,” with a laughing emoji. “The audible squeal with Louis Tomlinson gets the ball is hilarious! These girls have never watched a full 90 minutes!”

However, one disgruntled football fan said: “do these one direction fans have to scream every time louis touches the ball ffs.”

The event, which has been running for more than two decades and has raised more than £100million overall, had Sam Matterface as the commentator with Iain Stirling joining him.

England’s coaching team include the likes of Tyson Fury (Boxer), Harry Redknapp (Former football manager), Vicky McClure (Actor), David James (Former footballer) and Sam Thompson.

Former Made In Chelsea star Sam was meant to be on the pitch with the rest of the team but had to step aside after sustaining an calf injury during his gruelling 280-mile charity mission from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, the players include the likes of Steve Bartlett, Alex Brooker, Jermain Defoe, Toni Duggan, Sir Mo Farah, Angry Ginge, Tom Grennan, Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, Aaron Lennon, Dame Denise Lewis, Paddy McGuinness, Gary Neville, Sam Quek, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scoles, Jill Scott and Louis Tomlinson.

The World XI team, which is coached by Peter Schmeichel, has a few big names with the likes of Noah Beck, Tony Bellew, Leonardo Bonucci, Tobi Brown, Martin Compston, Richard Gadd and more.

Bryan Habana, Dermot Kennedy, Harry Kewell, Kaylyn Kyle, Gorka Marquez, Nadia Nadim, Livi Sheldon, Carlos Tevez, Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Billy Wingrove and Big Zuu are also part of the World XI team.

This year’s game is held at Old Trafford after previously being held at Stamford Bridge. Soccer Aid was also held at Old Trafford between 2010-2018 as well as most recently in 2023.

However, other venues have also been used in the past such as Wembley, Stamford Bridge, City of Manchester Stadium and London Stadium.

Soccer Aid was first launched in 2006 by former Take That star Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes. It initially took place every two years but is now an annual event.

Females were first allowed to play in the game in 2019 and it is the only mixed-sex match officially sanctioned by The Football Association. 2020 saw the event held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

You can watch Soccer Aid 2025 live on ITV1 and ITVX will have you covered for a live stream on mobile devices*

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SINCE Sky’s Soccer AM left our screens two years ago, its celebrity penalty shootout has been much missed.

But I can reveal the fan-favourite format has now inspired a copycat segment from Graham Norton‘s So Television.

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Just like Sky’s original version, the new series will see a line-up of big names stepping up to the penalty spot to try to score.

But with comedian Chloe Petts in charge of proceedings, it will feature fellow comics only.

So far stars including Nish Kumar and Harriet Kemsley are on the team sheet.

A source said: “Penalties frequently provide some of the funniest moments in football, so adding comedians to that mix will bring about endless laughs.

“Soccer AM had big names like Stormzy, Ed Westwick and Louis Tomlinson desperate to be involved so everyone is very excited that this new spin-off could run and run.

“Chloe Petts is a genuine football fan and brings a wealth of knowledge, as well as humour. Filming begins this week in London and everyone can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

In an increasingly common move, the series is first heading to YouTube.

The source added: “This kind of content lends itself brilliantly to a short-form media and so will live online for now.”

Soccer AM ran for 29 years on Sky until it was shelved in May 2023 due to falling ratings.

As well as the penalty spot, other segments included the Nutmeg Files, Unbelievable Tekkers and the Crossbar Challenge.

Plenty of comedic inspiration there too, I’d say.

The dancer is on the lookout for famous faces to join the BBC show and reveals which pair he’s tried to sign up

Gorka Marquez is using his Soccer Aid debut to recruit celebrities for the next series of Strictly Come Dancing – and has two big names in his sights. The professional dancer takes to the pitch for the charity match tonight at Old Trafford and admits he’s being scouting for talent in the process.

Tapping up marathon legend Sir Mo Farah, 42, and presenter Big Zuu, 29, Gorka reckons they’d both be perfect additions to the BBC show. “I should be the new casting director,” laughed Gorka, 34. “I was saying to Mo Farah he should do it. The nation loves him. He is such a great inspiration for us. So him on Strictly, such a legend, and I think because he has the stamina, he’s light on his feet, he’d be brilliant. Big Zuu too. I said to him a few months ago, and today I said it again, ‘You would win Strictly,” I said, ‘and I’ll dance with you.’ He’s hilarious and he can move. He’s very good.”

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Gorka lines up for the World XI FC team tonight as they take on England in the Soccer Aid for UNICEF match. England took the crown last summer and fan favourites including Lioness Jill Scott and singer Tom Grennan will be back as well new signings including boxer Tyson Fury and former England goalkeeper Joe Hart. One Direction star Louis Tomlinson returns as does Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney.

Gorka says he won’t be shirking from the tough tackles – even with Strictly just one month away. “Dancers are so robust,” he said. “We get injured and we carry on dancing, you know? We’re used to having injuries and niggles so I will be fine. I mean, I touch wood. No one gets injured. I don’t get injured. In a month of time, I’m starting Strictly so I’d hopefully be careful.”

Competitive Gorka says he the celebs might be pals off the pitch, but they won’t be on it. “I’m going in,” vowed Gorka. “We wanna win, you know? We’re friends now but there’s no friends on Sunday.” Taking no prisoners, Gorka says he won’t be afraid to take on his idols. “For example, if I have to tackle Paul Scholes, I’d tackle him, then I will go, ‘I’m so sorry. Big fan!” he laughed.

Speaking at the team’s training session at Champneys in Tring, Herts, Spanish dancer Gorka said he’s was loving being involved and helping a worthwhile cause in the process. “I just feel like a bit like an imposter syndrome being here,” he admits.

“There are so many people that I admired growing up, professional footballers and celebrities like Steven Bartlett, I listen to his podcast every day. I’m very privileged and it’s so for such a great cause, raising money for children so they can have the basic things that we take for granted.”

Dad-of-two Gorka says he could pass for a footballer with his skills and look. “When I was growing up, I was playing football until I was 14 and then I choose dancing,” he explained. “A lot of people said I could have been a footballer. They say I look more like one than a dancer because of my tattoos. With dancing, you have to have co coordination. You have to change your rhythms, have speed, stamina, so it pays off on the pitch.”

But he says don’t bet on him scoring any goals. “When I’m in front of the goalkeeper, I might have the wrong foot to score, because I’m like a penguin!” laughed Gorka, who says fiancé Gemma Atkinson, 40, and their two children Mia, five, and Thiago, one, will be watching from home.

Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2025 will take place on Sunday 15th June at Old Trafford, Manchester and will be shown live exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. Donate to UNICEF ahead of the match at socceraid.org.uk/donate. This year, thanks to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, every donation you make to Soccer Aid for UNICEF will be doubled – up to £5 million.