Football

9:38 AM ET It’s not a “Last Dance.” Neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi has announced their retirement, and neither man has already won the biggest prize in football, the World Cup, which is what the next five weeks are all about. It’s not a “Changing of the Guard,” either. Sure, they have heirs apparent,

10:52 AM ET Adam Snavely There’s plenty to be excited about for this World Cup, from up-and-coming stars and rivalry matchups to records under threat and air-conditioned stadiums. Illustration by ESPN The biggest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup, is upon us, with play set to kick off in Qatar on Nov. 20

4:30 AM ET Qatar 2022 is going to be unlike any previous World Cup. Even though it will be the first World Cup played in a northern hemisphere winter of November and December, due to the searing heat in the Persian Gulf during the tournament’s usual slot of June and July, the matchday temperatures experienced

1:09 PM ET Adriana Garcia Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Thursday’s warm-up game against Nigeria because he has a stomach bug. The Manchester United forward sat out Portugal‘s training session on Wednesday, having trained the previous two days with the national team. “Ronaldo has a gastritis and did not train today in order to recover and

2:35 PM ET AL-RAYYAN, Qatar — United States men’s national team winger Tim Weah says that the side’s relative youth isn’t a reason to count the Americans out at the 2022 World Cup. “Even though we’re young, we’re not young-minded,” he said following Tuesday’s training session. “It’s not an immature group at all.” When the

7:00 AM ET The World Cup kicks off next week in Qatar at a time when international soccer is under attack from match-fixing syndicates. Sportradar, a prominent international firm that monitors the betting markets, says it identified approximately 600 potentially manipulated soccer matches in the first nine months of 2022. Most of the suspicious activity

10:17 AM ET Mark Ogden Kyle Bonagura Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. Nearly 12 years later, it stands as a moment that defies logic. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter stood at a podium in Zurich, Switzerland, and prepped the convened dignitaries for the second World

9:20 AM ET AL-RAYYAN, Qatar — The preparations involved in getting a team ready for the World Cup are always complicated. In some cases, they can make or break a tournament. Germany‘s hideaway in Brazil in 2014 was widely hailed as being key to their eventual title. Conversely, the United States men’s national team’s decision

2:32 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United bosses that Cristiano Ronaldo should not play for the club again, sources have told ESPN. Ten Hag held a meeting with co-chairman Joel Glazer, chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough on Monday to discuss the fallout from Ronaldo’s explosive interview

8:45 PM ET Cristiano Ronaldo said he believes the Glazer family, which owns Manchester United, sees the team as a “marketing club” and that they don’t care about football. The comments came during an explosive interview that first aired on Sunday in which Ronaldo told Piers Morgan that he felt betrayed by Man United and

9:36 AM ET DOHA, Qatar — United States men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter said that he and his team will continue to push the team’s “Be the Change” message while in Qatar, even as FIFA has told participants not to raise awareness about the host country’s treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQIA+ community.

6:38 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester United have been left furious at Cristiano Ronaldo‘s explosive attack on the club and manager Erik ten Hag, sources have told ESPN. United are particularly angry at the timing of Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan, during which he said he “doesn’t respect” Ten Hag, coming just hours after the

5:18 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Cristiano Ronaldo says he “doesn’t respect” Erik ten Hag and claims the Manchester United manager tried to force him out in the summer. In an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan, Ronaldo criticised Ten Hag, the club and former interim boss Ralf Rangnick. The 37-year-old was suspended by Ten Hag after

2:39 PM ET LONDON — Manchester United eked out a stoppage-time win over Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring in the 93rd minute to ensure the Red Devils left southwest London with all three points. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) Christian Eriksen scored his first goal

4:38 PM ET Arsenal will take a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table into the World Cup break after a Martin Odegaard brace secured a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday. Odegaard broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half before the Arsenal captain added a second

4:00 PM ET Carlos Queiroz had a pretty good idea what he was signing up for in September when he agreed to return to his previous role as coach of the Iran national team, three years after ending his initial eight-year stint in charge, on a $50,000 contract for three months’ work culminating at the

12:15 PM ET The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! TOP STORY: Maguire not in Ten Hag’s plans

5:30 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has told national team managers hopeful of having their World Cup players rested this weekend: “Don’t call me!” There is one last round of Premier League fixtures before the tournament starts but Guardiola has rejected the idea that he could give a helping hand to