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The Gunners seemingly have the easier end-of-season schedule, but Manchester City are clinging to hope that anything can happen

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The title race should be done. All logic says it’s already over. Arsenal lead Manchester City by two points which means two wins in their final two games of the season would seal the title – and those two games are tonight against Burnley, who have been relegated, and, on Sunday against Crystal Palace, who will be preparing for the Europa Conference League final three days later. It’s hard, frankly, to imagine a better pair of fixtures for Mikel Arteta’s side to play at this stage of the season.

City’s games appear harder. On Tuesday they play away at Bournemouth, who are still fighting for Champions League qualification, whether by claiming fifth above Liverpool, or by taking sixth and hoping Villa win the Europa League but finish fifth. (It makes little sense but, under Uefa regulations, if Villa finish fourth and win the Europa League, there would be no sixth Champions League slot for Premier League clubs.) Man City finish at home against Aston Villa, who will just have returned from Istanbul and a Europa League final.

• Three European finals restricted to TNT and HBO Max

• Uefa understood to be unhappy with the decision

The Champions League final will not be available to watch for free in the UK for the first time since the competition’s modern rebrand 34 years ago when Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

The rights holder, TNT Sports, is understood to have irritated Uefa by opting to charge fans to watch all three European finals despite English clubs chasing a clean sweep of titles.

The WSL Golden Boot winner looks to have played her last game for the champions, while there are definite goodbyes at Arsenal and Chelsea

The focus was less on the performance and result and more on Khadija Shaw and her future. Manchester City had wrapped up the title after Arsenal dropped points against Brighton 10 days prior, so the game against West Ham was somewhat irrelevant. That Shaw scored two goals in City’s 4-1 win further highlighted what a huge error it would be for the club to let her go, with her contract expiring this summer. Shaw, though, gave hope to City fans so desperate for her to stay they chanted her name over and over at the club’s title party on Sunday. After the match on Saturday, she told Sky Sports: “I’ve always said Manchester is my home, it’s where I want to be, but there’s a lot of things which go on behind the scenes which I won’t talk about now. But I’ve always been proud of all the girls and everything. Manchester is where I would want to be, but ultimately we’ll see.” Suzanne Wrack

• England defender thanks Prince of Wales for his support

• William expected to be in Istanbul for Europa League final

Ezri Konsa has said the Prince of Wales referring to him as a “Rolls-Royce” counts as the greatest compliment of his career and that Aston Villa are grateful for his royal backing. Prince William, arguably Villa’s best-known supporter and a patron of the Football Association, is expected to be in Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League final. Villa are seeking their first trophy since the League Cup in 1996 and will face the German side Freiburg in Turkey.

Konsa has opened up on the surreal nature of support from the heir to the throne. William was in the Villa Park directors’ box for Villa’s second-leg 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, which cemented Villa’s place in a first major European final since 1982.

Bafflement at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s Wembley drought goes on and Leeds give fans cause for optimism

Luke Shaw’s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back’s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw’s experience and quality, he should be considered for a spot at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel does not have a vast array of riches in the position and Shaw’s consistency has been key to Michael Carrick’s turnaround at Old Trafford. “He deserves to go,” said Carrick after the win against Nottingham Forest. “His consistency, his performances, his experience, his qualities. He’s an excellent full-back.” Nico O’Reilly is the current first choice for England and he has a very different profile from Shaw, having converted from playing as a central midfielder under Pep Guardiola. Tuchel may want to take Shaw to provide variety and reliability, which would be a sensible approach. Will Unwin

Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

Match report: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool

Nice began the season in the Champions League but may end it in Ligue 2 – a terrible indictment of Ineos’ ownership

By Get French Football News

Nice’s players and staff were attacked by their own fans a few months ago. On Sunday night, their ultras stormed the pitch after their goalless draw at home to Metz and the players had to scamper down the tunnel. It was a perfect snapshot of the scale of Ineos’ failure and the anger it has elicited from the club’s fans.

Nice’s season began with Champions League qualifiers and it could end with relegation to Ligue 2. Their failure to beat Metz on the final day of the season means they will face Saint-Étienne in a two-legged relegation playoff later this month. The timing is a disaster for Inoes, who are looking to cut and run after failing to turn the club into challengers to PSG’s dominance – their stated ambition when they bought Nice for €100m in 2019.

After a spring of boardroom civil war, the Giallorossi’s two-goal hero put his side on the verge of a historic return to Champions League

A Rome derby on the penultimate weekend of a Serie A season could never be a low-stakes occasion. Scudetto wins come rarely in Italy’s capital city – Roma and Lazio have only five between them – leaving neighbourly bragging rights as the next-most important prize on offer. It is an intense, bitter rivalry that has produced countless iconic moments – from Francesco Totti taking selfies under the Curva to a cup-winning goal by Senad Lulic – if sadly also many violent clashes between supporters.

And, of course, it matters more when either side has tangible objectives left to play for. As recently as late April that did not appear very likely. Roma were sixth – five points adrift of the Champions League places – and Lazio ninth. But then the Giallorossi got on a roll, just as Milan and Juventus started dropping points. A win in the derby now could propel them into the top four, if either of those sides slipped up again.

The final is the most expensive ticket on resale for this summer’s tournament. But there are surprising get-in prices elsewhere

It’s no surprise that the most expensive World Cup resale tickets are for the final. But the next priciest is a group game between two nations who have never reached that showpiece occasion.

A ticket to the Colombia v Portugal group game in Miami on 27 June is the tournament’s second-most expensive seat on the resale marketplace, with a cheapest asking price of $2,254 as of 17 May, according to TicketData.com, an analysis site.

Cult club of Hamburg gave everything at Millentor, but Dane inspired visitors to a dramatic victory that kept their survival hopes alive

There were few tears at the end, just as there were few gazes directed to phone screens during the game to check scores elsewhere. St Pauli scarves were raised to the sky in the stands of Millentor as You’ll Never Walk Alone rolled out of the stadium’s speakers, with the players and staff forming a huddle in the middle of the field to share words of commiseration.

This club apart will live to fight another day, after a day on which they had given everything and on which it just was not enough. It would be simplistic, on a day when Europe’s premier counter-cultural club played a club that have traditionally been seen by Bundesliga fans as the embodiment of corporate football with salvation the prize, to say that Wolfsburg needed this more than St Pauli. This meant plenty to this left-leaning neighbourhood of Hamburg too, where innovative measures like selling supporters shares in the stadium to raise funds have shown how determined they are to prove that there are ways to thrive and survive in the top leagues of the modern game without shedding their traditional values.

Relegated three times this century, AGF are the latest surprise champions in a notable trend for Scandinavia

When the buses pulled up at Brøndby Stadion on the penultimate weekend of the season, the travelling fans were already celebrating. The final whistle had just blown at Nordsjælland, where Aarhus’s title rivals, Midtjylland, had been held to a goalless draw. That meant Aarhus Gymnastikforening (or AGF for short) could secure the Danish title for the first time since 1986 with a win against Brøndby. The atmosphere was electric before kick-off, the AGF fans displaying a huge tifo with the message: “Let’s write history together.” It didn’t take long for the team to meet the moment, Henrik Dalsgaard, the former Brentford and Midtjylland defender, scoring from a corner after three minutes. The away end erupted, 40 years of hurt swept away in an outpouring of euphoria.

“It was one of the greatest days of my life and I think a lot of other AGF fans would say that too,” says Jakob Emil Beikes, the chair of AGF’s fanclub. “When we were celebrating it was just everything, all the feelings coming through. I still can’t believe it, actually. It’s insane.”

National League side secured FA Trophy in a shootout – and as their manager told his squad beforehand in the hotel ‘it’s been a hell of a journey’

The noise gave it away. The sweet sound of 22,000 ecstatic Southend supporters swimming in a sea of Wembley ecstasy left their head coach, Kevin Maher, in no doubt: soon he would raise the FA Trophy.

Maher, unable to tolerate the tension, had turned away just before Gus Scott-Morriss’s winning penalty against Wealdstone, but was instantly embraced by Mark Bentley, his first-team coach, former midfield partner and, most importantly, friend.

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• England international’s move subject to medical

• Stanway’s contract at Bayern expires this summer

Georgia Stanway will join Arsenal at the start of July on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, the Guardian understands. Subject to the 27-year-old passing a medical, everything has been agreed for the England midfielder to make the move when her contract expires with the Frauen Bundesliga club.

Bayern Munich confirmed in January that Stanway would leave at the end of her deal, after four successful years in which she has helped Bayern win four Bundesliga titles.

It was a decision that threatens to keep Nuno Espírito Santo awake for many nights to come. Why, oh why, West Ham’s manager will doubtless wonder, did he opt to start with a back three on Tyneside?

Instead of subduing Eddie Howe’s players it simply served to remind Nick Woltemade precisely why he is Newcastle’s record signing. By the 26th minute, when Nuno scrapped that configuration for a much more effective back four, West Ham were 2-0 down and had one foot in the Championship.

• Sevilla safe despite defeat against Real Madrid

• Tiny Elversberg seal first promotion to Bundesliga

Roma took a huge step towards returning to the Champions League by beating Lazio 2-0 in a feisty derby which finished with both teams down to 10 men, while Napoli won 3-0 at Pisa to secure a top-four spot.

Gianluca Mancini smashed home two headers from corners, one in each half, at the Stadio Olimpico to move Roma up to fourth thanks also to Juventus’s shock 2-0 home defeat by Fiorentina.

Quite how significant these dramatic final few moments inside Elland Road prove to be for Brighton’s season will only truly be realised next weekend. But as Fabian Hürzeler bowed his head when Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent Leeds’ supporters into raptures again, you suspected he knew just how much of a missed opportunity this could prove to be.

Victories here are not easy these days. This is not the same Leeds who were mired in relegation trouble for most of this season; they are sixth and above Brighton in a Premier League table of fixtures played since the start of December, underlining the wonderful job Daniel Farke has done in the second half of their first year back in the top flight.

Fan buys missing Chile sticker for £150 after finding almost completed album in his loft

Last week, Stephen Butler completed a collection that he started almost 60 years ago. With the final piece in place, it’s now worth thousands of pounds, but he has no interest in selling it.

Butler was moving house five years ago when he stumbled across a box in the loft that he had not thought about in years. Inside was his old school cap, some exercise books, photos and, in the middle of it all, a 1970 Panini World Cup sticker book.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, John Brewin, Dan Bardell and Ewan Murray to discuss Manchester City’s FA Cup win and Celtic’s chaotic title celebrations

On today’s pod: Manchester City complete a domestic cup double after Antoine Semenyo’s brilliant backheel seals a drab FA Cup final against Chelsea. The panel discuss Pep Guardiola’s future, Chelsea’s astonishing seventh straight Wembley final defeat and the appointment of Xabi Alonso as the club’s new manager.

Elsewhere, West Ham collapse again at Newcastle to leave their survival hopes hanging by a thread, while Tottenham edge ever closer to safety despite doing very little themselves. There’s also another handball controversy at Old Trafford after Manchester United’s win over Nottingham Forest, praise for Bruno Fernandes and discussion around Michael Carrick agreeing a new deal.

Plus: Aston Villa secure Champions League football after beating Liverpool as Mohamed Salah publicly criticises Arne Slot, Sunderland keep their European hopes alive, Brentford and Brighton stumble in the race for eighth, and Ewan Murray joins the pod after Hearts’ dramatic Scottish title heartbreak at Celtic Park amid ugly scenes following a late pitch invasion.

From removal of tunnel cover to turning off concourse TVs, title-chasing Arsenal manager has left no stone unturned

It’s being billed as the biggest Premier League game ever hosted at the Emirates Stadium. Tickets for Monday’s meeting with Burnley, who were relegated almost a month ago and returned 1,500 tickets for their trip to north London, were being sold for upwards of £650 last week as Arsenal attempt to edge closer to being crowned champions for the first time since they said goodbye to Highbury.

In an attempt to recreate the red-hot atmosphere that inspired the victory over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, Arsenal supporters have been encouraged to arrive two hours before kick-off on Monday night to greet the team when they arrive at the stadium. “The players were in the other bus, but I could see straight away all the staff and everybody was there just looking at each other and saying: ‘Wow, we’ve taken this to a different level,’” Mikel Arteta said this week of the Atlético experience. “The engagement, the passion, the enthusiasm of our fans in their eyes, I think that was something special.”

Also: Guilherme helps Houston lift off, Wilfried Zaha strikes back and Orlando City bide their time as Antoine Griezmann waits

There are simple adages which help us navigate this mad world. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it heaves a beer your way on the field at PayPal Park, you give it a hearty chug.

The San Jose Earthquakes have been the season’s surprise outfit, storming to the top of a competitive Western Conference in Bruce Arena’s second season. In their final home fixture before the World Cup break, they stormed back against a valiant FC Dallas to find an 80th minute leveler, giving the crowd dreams of a comeback before the final whistle.

Manchester City’s FA Cup hero started career with loans to Bath City and Newport and heads back to Bournemouth next

When it comes to Antoine Semenyo, it is almost impossible not to fixate on his career journey. Everybody loves a triumph over adversity, a rise from the lowest level to the very top, and the narrative arc with the Manchester City winger is practically perfect.

There were the relentless rejections by the clubs in every corner of London as he grew up, culminating in the one from Crystal Palace at 15 that led him to stop playing football for a year. The rebuild at the Wiltshire Sports Academy in Swindon and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Bristol, which led to the big break at Bristol City, and a first professional contract at 17.

The SPFL and SFA wobble at the knees when it comes to punishing their biggest clubs but scenes at Celtic Park risk setting a dangerous precedent

The placing of a full stop on any league campaign offers cause for reflection. In Scotland, there are reasons to wonder if the grim denouement to a stunning title race will prompt a shift in attitudes on two fronts. Whether a Celtic board which has been castigated for its stewardship regards the securing of another title as vindication is an intriguing question. More immediate is how the champions and others will respond to the grim scenes that triggered an enforced conclusion to the visit of Hearts. The behaviour of a section of the Celtic support is so unruly during dominance that one wonders what on earth may happen if the team struggle badly.

On Sunday, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) “utterly condemned” Celtic supporters who flooded on to the pitch at the time of Callum Osmand’s third goal. “Supporters entering the field of play in any circumstances is wholly unacceptable and puts those participating and working at a match at risk,” added the SPFL. Hearts players were accosted and abused during their most crushing of moments, having lost the opportunity to break the Old Firm’s four decades of title dominance.

The former Real Madrid manager’s desire to sign and create mentality monsters breaks with previous club policy

The Chelsea end was mostly empty by the time the players went to collect their losers’ medals. There was no grand ovation for the beaten team. The disconnect was evident after defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup final, underlining how one of Xabi Alonso’s first challenges as Chelsea’s new manager will be to lift the mood and get players, fans and owners pulling in the same direction after a hugely disappointing season.

Many people are wondering why Alonso has agreed to take over on a four-year deal. Why, after running into player power and reluctance to build a project at Real Madrid, would you choose Chelsea? Just how big is the payoff?

The 2022 World Cup failed to deliver on its environmental promises. From air travel emissions to heat-related dangers, the 2026 edition will be even worse

Soccer fans are increasingly watching preparations for the 2026 World Cup through their fingers. The most popular sporting event on the planet is awash in controversy, whether it’s the eye-watering ticket prices, the question of Iran’s participation while the president of one of the host countries threatens war crimes against it, or the role that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement may or may not play in policing the event. And yet, lost in the political pyrotechnics is a fiasco that carries as much long-term peril as any: the tournament’s staggering contribution to runaway climate change.

The 2026 World Cup is not only the most politically combustible tournament in modern history, but it is also on track to be the “most polluting” World Cup ever, with total greenhouse gas emissions hitting nearly two times the historical average. Scientists conservatively project that the tournament will generate around 9m tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Air travel comprises approximately 7.7m tons of this carbon budget, and more than four times that of the average for tournaments held between 2010 and 2022. The researchers note that the worst-case upper estimate for air transport is about 13.7m tons of CO2. That may sound bad, but that’s just because World Cup emissions have never been worse.

• State department grants waiver for ticket holders

• Trump administration has cracked down on immigration

The Trump administration is suspending a requirement that would have required visitors from five World Cup-qualified countries to pay a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.

The US state department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries that it said had high rates of people overstaying their visas and other security issues as part of a broader crackdown on immigration. Travelers to the US from 50 countries are required to pay the bond, and five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup – Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia.

• Club president launches scathing attack on media

• No mention of turmoil, fights or José Mourinho

“Good afternoon, I regret to inform you that I’m not going to resign.” In a hot, packed press room at Valdebebas before an audience hurriedly summoned to witness a news conference so bizarre that they could barely believe what they were seeing, Florentino Pérez sat at a desk with a phone that he kept looking at and some papers that he didn’t, and announced that he was calling presidential elections at Real Madrid. What he didn’t announce was a date, an electoral commission, the resignation that is required for polling to actually happen, or indeed any details at all.

There was nothing about Madrid’s on-field issues either, nothing about the coach, no mention of José Mourinho, no explanation for the season they have just suffered. “I’m not here to talk about sporting issues,” Pérez said. Instead, he was there to deliver a surreal, repetitive rant that lasted over an hour, way after his own staff had tried to bring it to a close. A room of people, including the directors in the front row and lined up against one wall, looked at each other: yes, this was actually happening. Pérez went on and on, and on, the incoherent ramblings of a 79-year-old man who insisted “my health is perfect”.

Under the knowledgeable guidance of Babett Peter, the Frauen-Bundesliga club have their country’s big two, and the Champions League, in their sights

Frankfurt remains one of the most prominent and historic names in women’s football in Germany. The old 1. FFC Frankfurt ruled the nation for almost a decade, winning the Frauen-Bundesliga seven times between 1999 and 2008, including five in six seasons, and secured four European titles between 2002 and 2015.

The best of Germany, and sometimes beyond, represented Frankfurt before clubs such as Wolfsburg, and subsequently Bayern Munich, took charge, but now the city’s name is back challenging at the business end of the table.

Pierre Sage has done a great job at Lens and the Coupe de France final next Friday offers them another shot at glory

By Get French Football News

By the time Paris Saint-Germain finally travelled to Lens on Wednesday evening, they had all but wrapped up their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title. Their six-point advantage, bolstered by a clear lead in goal difference, was already insurmountable with two matches remaining.

The match at the Stade Bollaert was billed as a top-of-the-table clash but the decision to push it back until the midweek before the final day of the campaign had devalued the occasion. Had the match been played when it was initially scheduled, at the start of April, a win for the hosts could have closed the gap to just one point with five matches remaining.

Mikel Arteta’s side will be deeply unpopular champions, but this probably says more about us than it does about them

There was a minor stir a few years back when some American scientists bred a strain of “gene-edited” hamsters with the chemical that causes anger removed, presumably so they could achieve one of humanity’s historic goals: the dream of a more docile hamster.

Unfortunately the opposite happened. What the scientists created was a race of hyper-angry hamsters. These were described a little glibly in the media as Mutant Rage Monsters. But science is always more nuanced than this. We shouldn’t put angry hamsters in a box, even when we are literally putting angry hamsters in a box. Longer studies have shown more varied results. Sarcastic hamsters. Hamsters that hold grudges. Hamsters that retreat into silence on long car journeys. Even a subset of passive-aggressive hamsters who are, seriously, just fine with this. It’s pretty much what they expected from you, anyway.

It would be foolish of the club to undo a winning, entertaining formula by turning elsewhere for a permanent head coach

These days, we have a strong desire to complicate football, particularly in how we talk about it. Often, we are saying the same stuff we always were, just calling things by different names – styles are philosophies, contributions are actions, players earn minutes, not appearances – and the game can still be as simple as it ever was. This is something Michael Carrick understands well, and is one reason Manchester United’s next move is also simple: they have no choice but to appoint him as permanent head coach.

Under Carrick, United’s 33 points from 15 games puts them top of the form table for a period in which rivals have been beaten and Champions League qualification guaranteed, with a third-place finish highly likely. Had Ruben Amorim delivered these results, he’d be secure; were Luis Enrique responsible, they’d be further evidence of his generational – outstanding – brilliance. Yet there remains equivocation.

Wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama, the FA Cup reflects sporting heritage and mystique

Footballing physiques have changed a great deal over the decades, but when Chelsea meet Manchester City on Saturday there’s one outline we’ll all recognise. While the average shape has got leaner and more toned, this body has stayed comfortable in its old-school proportions. A modest waist gives on to surprisingly wide hips. Arms that have never lifted weights remain a little skinny for the frame. And yet none of this has been a hindrance in the modern game: every year, the FA Cup trophy still ends up on the winning team.

This is one of sport’s most iconic pieces of silverware, wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama. It’s a far more emotive sight than the cartoonishly crowned Premier League trophy, or even the stylishly minimalist Champions League trophy. And this makes it even more extraordinary to remember that the object itself is still not out of its tween years. This weekend it will make its 13th Cup final appearance.

The US men’s national team have high expectations at the 2026 World Cup. To me, that signals miraculous progress

The mere notion that the United States men’s national team will enter this World Cup with a plausible chance of going on a deep run represents something of a sporting miracle.

Consider that after the USMNT placed third at the 1930 World Cup – as one of just 13 countries to turn up, mind you – they were almost totally absent from the global stage for six decades. They kicked around the 1934 edition of the tournament just long enough to get smashed 7-1 by the hosts Italy in the first round. And they were there in 1950, stunning England 1-0 in the group stage, an all-time upset wedged around 3-1 and 5-2 losses to Spain and Chile, respectively.

Leander Schaerlaeckens’ book on the United States men’s national soccer team, The Long Game, is out on Tuesday. You can buy it here. He teaches at Marist University.

Our cartoonist on the Premier League title potentially being decided by a lengthy VAR check after grappling

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In this exclusive book extract, Rob Draper and Jonathan Northcroft reveal the remarkable process which led to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England manager

In 2024, when the Football Association was tasked with finding Gareth Southgate’s successor, Mark Bullingham hired two external data companies who built a profile of what successful international managers looked like then tailored it to mesh with England’s player base.

The top 50 coaches in the world were matched against the criteria and a shortlist emerged. “I joked with the team afterwards, because it came up with a list you and I could have come up with in the pub in 10 minutes,” Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, says.

In generating a constant stream of outrage, debate and engagement, much-reviled tech has become its own spectacle

“Just keep delaying,” Darren England tells the referee, Chris Kavanagh, at West Ham on Sunday afternoon. The title is on the line, possibly relegation too, and as replay after replay queues up on the tape machine, who could blame a humble video assistant for wanting to savour the moment?

To survey it from all the relevant angles, consider all contingencies. To feel the sensation of all that awesome power at his fingertips. They’re calling it the most important VAR review in Premier League history. Stuart Attwell, you’ll never sing that.

In an exclusive interview the Brazil coach talks about being in charge of ‘the most important national team’, how to get the best out of Vinícius Júnior and what he learned at Madrid

Is Carlo Ancelotti an ambitious man? The Italian leans back and smiles. “Me? I’m not ambitious. Why? Why are you asking that?” The reason for the question is simple: the 66-year-old is one of the most successful managers ever, with five Champions League wins and league titles in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. But he still wants more. Last May he was appointed Brazil head coach with one objective: to win the World Cup.

“I’m not obsessed with winning,” Ancelotti says. “What I have is a passion for enjoying the moments that football has given me. I’m not obsessed with winning the World Cup, but I have the pleasure and passion to enjoy the moment I’m living in, leading the most important national team in the world.”

The much-loved football sticker album is to be discontinued after 2030. Guardian writers recall their thrills and frustrations

With this summer’s World Cup already mired in controversy over politicisation, potential travel bans and rows over ticket prices, fans were dealt another piece of sad news this week: the tournament’s much-loved Panini sticker album will be discontinued after 2030.

Guardian writers recall their Panini memories from years gone by.

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While the rest of the known world is humming along to videos of former Bilbo near-hitmaker Colin Chisholm belting out the Hearts song, down south there’s an FA Cup final to be played. The romance of the Cup? About that: private equity Chelsea underdogs versus nation-state owned Manchester City? Be still our beating heart. Sure, there’s narrative to be found. Calum McFarlane getting measured for his Wembley suit when less than 12 months ago he was on Southampton’s coaching staff is one. Though, considering recent ongoing events at Saints, any romance there has probably been squeezed dry. That Chelsea’s players put in such a fine performance in the semi-final against Leeds mere days after not running a leg for Liam Rosenior at Brighton casts long shadows over a squad not exactly beloved by fans.

Spare a thought for us long-suffering Hull City fans (you know, the team you predicted would lose the second leg of the playoff semi-final against Millwall 1-0). Feeling safe in the knowledge we were back at Wembley hoping to make it three playoff final victories out of three, many of us have invested several hundred pounds in non-refundable train and hotel bookings. We’re now told, thanks to Southampton’s Austin Powers escapades, that the game may go ahead, but maybe it won’t. I figured the furtive finger-crossing of the semi-finals was over but with tickets going on sale on Friday (maybe) it’s a case of caveat emptor. And the 4.30pm kick-off only just announced makes it a challenge for folk to get home on the same night. It’s grim up north” – David Burnby.

I understand plans are afoot to have some sort of extravagant Super Bowl-style entertainment at half-time during the Geopolitics World Cup final. Given the time now being taken over VAR adjudication, it’s surely only a matter of time before some entertainment pops up here to keep people engaged. I was wondering if any clubs are already on the case, perhaps some are indulging in a round or two of ‘I spy, with my little eye’?” – Michael Lloyd.

Jonathan Liew ponders why VAR is getting more frequent if the much-reviled technology only generates a constant stream of outrage, debate and engagement. Isn’t that the point?” – Z Snook.

Xabi Alonso will bring essential recent experience to Chelsea – particularly his familiarity with being ushered through the door marked Do One only months into a long-term contract …” – Phil Taverner.

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Seagulls are in their first Women’s FA Cup final but their coach, Dario Vidosic, is determined to keep aiming higher

As Brighton’s old song goes, “Hark to the merry bugles”, because there is something in the air in Sussex by the sea. A purpose-built women’s team stadium is in the offing, a second consecutive top-half Women’s Super League finish is on the cards and the women’s side are heading to Wembley for the first time. The fans have never had it this good.

It took something special for Brighton to overturn a two-goal deficit in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final victory at Liverpool and they left it late – very late – as Nadine Noordam settled a classic, five-goal thriller with her 95th-minute winner, but reaching this final is something the club have been building towards. In 2022, Brighton set out a bold vision to become a “top-four WSL club” and last summer the head coach, Dario Vidosic, was unafraid to discuss even higher targets, speaking in a determined, bullish and unwaveringly ambitious tone during an interview with the Guardian.

Sunday’s edition of the famous rivalry felt like the least important in years, except for the uncertain futures of both managers

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It’s been a long time since a Manchester United v Liverpool game felt of less consequence. These are the two most successful sides in English league history, hailing from neighbouring cities and they have a rivalry that stretches back well over a century. Yet it felt perhaps only the seventh-most significant fixture of the weekend, behind the games involving the two title contenders, Arsenal and Manchester City, and the four sides still scrapping to avoid joining Wolves and Burnley in being relegated this season – Leeds, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Tottenham.

United’s 3-2 win sealed their place in next season’s Champions League while, barring very odd swings of goal difference, Liverpool need just three points from their remaining three games to be certain of their own qualification. For both, the biggest issue now is deciding who manages them next season – and this was a ragged enough game to cast doubts over the suitability of Michael Carrick and Arne Slot for their respective sides.

The Wellington Phoenix coach reflects on the aftermath of the Olympic spying scandal and leading her team into a first A-League Women’s finals campaign

Football is not the kind of profession that lends itself to time off for birthdays and the like. Especially when you’re preparing to lead Wellington Phoenix into their first A-League women’s finals campaign, as Bev Priestman was last week. Yet, especially when contrasted with last year, when she was still in the midst of a one-year Fifa ban after the spying scandal that engulfed Canada’s women’s football team during the Paris Olympics, being among “her people” turned out to be a gift in and of itself.

“It was my 40th birthday [last week],” Priestman says. “And it’s those moments I think to a year ago, and how I felt.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Will Unwin and Ewan Murray to discuss the title races in England and Scotland

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On today’s podcast: Manchester City did what they had to do, beating Crystal Palace, and are now two points behind Arsenal with two games to play. Palace started brightly, but a couple of glorious assists, one from Phil Foden and one from Rayan Cherki helped Pep Guardiola and co to keep the pressure on.

The real drama, though, was in Scotland. Celtic won and scored a controversial penalty at the death at Motherwell as the title goes down to a final day showdown against Hearts, who beat Falkirk.

Plus, spygate, an FA Cup final preview and your questions answered.

Chapters:

00:00 - Coming up ...

00:44 - City keep up the chase

14:50 - Scotland and the worst VAR call of all?

29:35 - Southampton and spygate

41:12 - FA Cup preview

44:17 - Prem preview

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Plus: winning two titles in the same season, trophies with family connections and an easy routes to finals

• Mail us with your all of your questions and answers

“Carlisle and Barrow will play each other next season in the Cumbrian derby in the National League,” writes Peter Hutchinson. “The clubs are located at opposite ends of Cumbria and the distance between the two grounds is some 78 miles [by car]. Does this make it the greatest distance between two teams involved in a ‘derby’?

A couple of clarifications: answers here will feature the shortest distances by car. The second, perhaps more important, point is that we are excluding matches that are simply rivalries. Specifically, we are looking for matches between teams that are linked based upon their proximity or geography, rather than, say, a ‘clásico’ between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which is essentially a historical rivalry in which the distance between the two teams is largely irrelevant (save for being in the same country).

Can you find a derby based on proximity or geography with teams more than 386 miles apart? Emails to the usual place: knowledge@theguardian.com.

Jérémy Doku finds the net again, Joshua Zirkzee struggles at Sunderland and Ismaïla Sarr is fulfilling his potential

When Bruno Fernandes became the Football Writers’ Association player of the year on Friday, Declan Rice and David Raya could have been forgiven for feeling a touch aggrieved. They have been essential to Arsenal’s push for a Premier League and Champions League double, but Raya showed why he might have been more deserving at the London Stadium as his technically pinpoint one-on-one save gave Arsenal the platform they so desperately needed to secure a vital three points late on. Mikel Arteta’s side were on the ropes as Mateus Fernandes exchanged a one-two with Pablo to run in with the goal at his mercy. Surely this was it for Arsenal: the title slipping again. Raya’s nerve held strong, making the most crucial of saves. Arsenal’s dream of winning a first title in 22 years remains in his hands. Graham Searles

Match report: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

Barney Ronay: VAR offers up title-deciding moment

Match report: Manchester City 3-0 Brentford

Match report: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

Match report: Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United

Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle

Match report: Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa

OL Lyonnes ended Arsenal’s Champions League hopes while Rebecca Knaak puts Man City on the brink of WSL title glory

Who is the best female player in the world right now? Melchie Dumornay continues to make a strong claim for that accolade after her starring role in OL Lyonnes’ comeback to beat Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals. The fearless Haiti international won a first-half penalty and provided a superb assist for Jule Brand’s late winner in the second leg, as well as being a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side with her pace, trickery and energy. The attacking midfielder, having missed the first leg through injury, helped the French side come from 2-1 down to win 4-3 on aggregate. Tom Garry

Ousmane Dembélé becomes our seventh winner as he beats Lamine Yamal into second and Vitinha into third on our list of the best players on the planet

• Premier League dominates list | How every judge voted | Our methodology | The top 100 female players for 2025

• 2024 edition | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

The Frenchman, who has been named the best male footballer in the world by the Guardian, has benefitted from PSG’s focus on the team rather than individuals

What makes a good player great, and a great player the best? This question has been occupying me since 2014, when the Guardian first asked me to contribute to its inaugural Next Generation feature. My job was to look for a France-based talent born in 1997 who could go on to have a stellar career.

After a great deal of research, I narrowed it down from my shortlist of five by asking questions not about the players’ football ability, but about other attributes: resilience, adaptability, decision-making, creativity, work ethic, response to feedback and willingness to learn. Qualities we cannot see, and are harder to measure.

Aitana Bonmatí has been voted the best female player on the planet by our panel of 127 experts ahead of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo

• 2024 list | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

• Meet the judges | See how every judge voted

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The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishes

They say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.

Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game.

From PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye to Brazil’s next hope, we select some of the most talented players born in 2008. Check the progress of our classes of 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and go even further back. Here’s our Premier League class of 2025