Crystal Palace
August 2025
Crystal Palace will meet Norwegian side Fredrikstad in the Europa Conference League play-offs after being demoted from the Europa League. Palace were barred from the Europa League for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, with their place handed to Nottingham Forest.
Canada National Football Team (Canada)
July 2025
Led by stars like Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Jonathan David (Juventus), and Tajon Buchanan (Inter Milan), Canada boasts young and experienced talent across all lines. Goalkeepers Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crepeau will battle for the No.1 spot.
Rico Lewis (Manchester City)
June 2025
Rico Lewis’ red card suspension has been extended to three matches by FIFA, ruling him out of City’s final Club World Cup group game vs. Juventus and their last-16 tie.
Lewis was sent off for a late challenge against Wydad AC. City appealed, but FIFA upheld the extended ban under Article 14(1)(e). Guardiola must now reshuffle, with no natural right-back available and Kyle Walker absent from the U.S. tour.
Ander Herrera, Nicolás Figal (Boca Juniors), Andrea Belotti (Benfica)
June 2025
Boca Juniors players Ander Herrera and Nicolás Figal have received four-match bans, while Benfica’s Andrea Belotti was suspended for two games following red cards in their Club World Cup group stage clash on Monday.
FIFA cited breaches of Article 14 involving unsporting behavior, particularly toward a match official. Herrera’s aggressive touchline conduct, Figal’s late tackle, and Belotti’s foul on Costa led to their dismissals. Boca must reach the semifinals for Herrera or Figal to return.
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
June 2025
Mbappé missed Real Madrid training due to a fever ahead of their Club World Cup opener against Al Hilal. A decision on his availability will be made on matchday.
Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said Mbappé felt better but not enough to train. The team also faces injury concerns with Rüdiger, Camavinga, Carvajal, and Militão. Heat and humidity in Miami remain a challenge for players.
Mehdi Taremi (Inter Milan)
June 2025
Inter Milan’s Mehdi Taremi will miss the Club World Cup due to flight restrictions in Tehran as military tensions escalate between Iran and Israel.
After scoring in Iran’s recent World Cup qualifier, Taremi couldn’t leave Iran as all flights were grounded. Reports say he won’t participate at all, even if air travel resumes.
Francesco Farioli (Ajax)
May 2025
Ajax manager Francesco Farioli said he has no regrets despite one of the worst title collapses in European history, as his side finished second in the Eredivisie after leading by nine points with five games left.
Farioli praised his players’ effort and said the team “gave everything” despite taking only two points from the final four matches. He stopped short of committing his future to Ajax amid links to Serie A jobs.
Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain
May 2025
Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League semifinals after a 2-1 second-leg loss to PSG, ending 3-1 on aggregate. Despite early dominance and several chances, the Gunners were undone by goals from Fabián Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi. Bukayo Saka’s goal was a mere consolation.
Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal were the better team over 160 minutes, saying Donnarumma was the deciding factor. Luis Enrique disagreed, emphasizing PSG’s clinical edge. Declan Rice admitted early missed chances and defensive errors cost Arsenal dearly.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
April 2025 (Asian Champions League Elite Semifinal)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr were eliminated from the Asian Champions League after a shocking 3-2 loss to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale. Ronaldo was left in tears, extending his major trophy drought in Saudi Arabia.
Despite Ronaldo assisting a key chance and hitting the post, Al Nassr fell behind early and couldn’t recover. Kawasaki’s late goals and heroic goalkeeping denied Ronaldo an injury-time equalizer in a dramatic semifinal exit.
Liverpool
Summer 2025
Liverpool will not participate in the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup despite being UEFA’s higher-ranked side, missing out due to FIFA’s two-club-per-nation rule.
Chelsea and Manchester City qualified based on past Champions League wins, leaving Liverpool excluded despite strong UEFA ranking; Liverpool will instead focus on a pre-season tour of Asia.
