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Now that we've seen all 48 teams in action at the World Cup, the picture is beginning to take shape.Some look like genuine contenders, others look capable of being the dark horses and a select few appear to have about as much chance of going deep in this tournament as a cabbage winning a beauty prize.This has been a World Cup so far for moments of genius - where the superstars are coming out to play. No superstar in your ranks, you're going to struggle.Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Luis Diaz are all revelling in the spotlight. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal have been the cautionary tale that, if your star man is not fit and firing, you will struggle.Such is life at a World Cup. It's been fun - and there is so much more to come.Lewis JonesThe 2026 World Cup was already a record-breaker. More teams, more games and longer than ever before - but the on-field action is also set to go down in history.Milestones were approached, met and passed on Tuesday into Wednesday as the world's best players started scoring goals for fun.Kylian Mbappe became France's all-time record goalscorer with his superb double against Senegal and went two goals behind Miroslav Klose's tournament record of 16.But just a few hours later, Lionel Messi matched that with his hat-trick against Algeria. With at least two more games to come, both Mbappe and Messi could bump Klose down the list.The Argentina captain has also joined Cristiano Ronaldo in appearing at the most World Cups (6), beating Lothar Matthaus' previous record of five.Harry Kane matched Gary Lineker (10) as England's highest scorer at a World Cup with his double against Croatia. He already has the overall record for the Three Lions.If England go all the way to the final, Kane will close in on Peter Shilton's all-time appearance record of 125 caps. The Bayern striker matched David Beckham's 115 caps in Wednesday's opener.And aside from the most kilts at a baseball game in history, there was another Scottish record: at 31 years and 238 days, John McGinn is the oldest player to score for Scotland at the World Cup, surpassing Kenny Dalglish (31y 103d).Joe Jordan is Scotland's highest-ever scorer at a World Cup with four goals - not entirely out of reach.Charlotte MarshMany questions were asked pre-tournament about how the conditions would impact teams not used to competing in such a climate. The answer is: dramatically.The heat, humidity and hydration breaks have been a talking point. Before the tournament, only one European team had ever won the World Cup held outside of the continent.The opening round of games has shown that we may be looking at a familiar tale. In the opening 13 games involving European nations against teams from other continents, just five were victorious - Germany against Curacao, Scotland against Haiti, France against Senegal, Norway against Iraq and Austria against Jordan.Spain, Turkey, Switzerland, Belgium and Portugal were among those who were favourites in their openers and failed to pick up the win.Those that played in closed-roof stadiums that had air conditioning shouldn't have been affected as heavily, but they were.Teams have taken different approaches to try and adjust, and it may just be a case of being patient and taking time to adapt. But for the majority of European sides, the heat has been too hot to handle and they are now on the back foot.Callum BishopHydration breaks have become a fixed feature of the matchday experience, regardless of whether a stadium is open-air or under a closed roof. Every game has seen a three-minute break in each half as players gather in the technical area to take on fluids and are able to talk to their coaching staff.Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk questioned their regular use: "If it's really hot, it makes sense - but you have to look at each game separately."But are hydration breaks changing the flow of games? Momentum often shifts sharply in the minutes immediately after the restart.Morocco flipped final-third dominance in both halves during their 1-1 draw with Brazil - despite Vinicius Junior equalising against the run of play in the 32nd minute.Germany were wobbling with the scores at 1-1 against minnows Curacao going into the first-half hydration break before restoring complete dominance in a 7-1 win.The impact, clearly, isn't neutral. Some sides are using the break to seize control, while others lose their grip entirely. The data below tracks how momentum has swung for every team in the 10 minutes after play resumes.Norway shifted attacking momentum in their favour and scored shortly after both hydration breaks during a 4-1 victory against Iraq.Of course, attacking momentum can shift but teams are also hitting opponents on the break swiftly after taking on fluids. Australia scored both of their goals from transitions after hydration time-outs in their 2-0 win over Turkey.Adam SmithThe only thing making fans yawn watching the World Cup so far has been the tough kick-off times for much of the opening round of fixtures (at least in the UK and Europe), with the games themselves serving up a feast of football over the past week.An average of 3.12 goals scored per game so far is the highest of any World Cup to date, calming fears of a lack of jeopardy owing to the easier means of knock-out qualification and searing heat in parts of the Americas.A timely report published by CIES Football Observatory on Wednesday, charting more than 10,000 professional matches, found players run on average a kilometre less in 35-degree heat than in matches played in 15-degree conditions, with energy and intensity naturally taking a dip.But despite the heat reaching those figures across of a number of the games so far, the football itself has been as enthralling as ever - and done sufficient talking to distract from the unsavoury off-field issues which threatened to overshadow the early matches.Ron WalkerThe MetLife Stadium pitch is already a talking point after just two games.The surface in New Jersey, where the final will be played on July 19, has come in for criticism following group games involving France and Brazil.The 78,576-capacity stadium normally hosts NFL games involving the New York Giants and Jets on an artificial surface , but has had a temporary grass pitch installed for the tournament.However, the quality of the surface in New York has been criticised by both Adrien Rabiot and Vinicius Junior."The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface - quite hard and quite rigid," Rabiot said after Les Bleus' 3-1 win against Senegal on Tuesday.Meanwhile, Vinicius also questioned the pitch's dryness following Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco, saying: "In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very sluggish and we can't get into our rhythm."This will certainly be one to monitor during the rest of the tournament, with the next fixture there Senegal against Norway on June 22, while England's final Group L clash against Panama on June 27 also takes place in New Jersey.Rich MorganThis summer's expanded tournament has given four countries - Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan - a first-ever World Cup opportunity, while the lowest-ranked country - New Zealand - are taking part for the third time.Many had those five down as the whipping boys. But an abundance of spirit, heart and fearlessness means that has been far from the reality for some.Admittedly, Curacao were hit for seven by Germany, but it was 1-1 for 17 minutes after Livano Comenencia cancelled out Felix Nmecha's opener. New Zealand - managed by Englishman Darren Bazeley - twice took the lead against Iran in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Jordan gave Austria a scare, despite going on to lose 3-1.It was Cape Verde, though, who produced one of the biggest shocks in the entire history of the tournament by holding favourites Spain to a goalless draw, with 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha the hero.None of these nations will win the tournament. But this is a wonderful opportunity to show they are not just there to make up the numbers.Sweden's fourth goal in Monday's 5-1 victory over Tunisia was awarded after a VAR review aided by ball-tracking technology similar to cricket's Snickometer.Substitute Mattias Svanberg scored just 18 seconds after coming on but the goal was initially ruled out for offside, with officials judging the midfielder to have been beyond the last defender when the free-kick was delivered.However, using waveform technology linked to the match ball, more commonly known as 'Snicko', officials determined that Sweden striker Alexander Isak had made a slight touch before it reached Svanberg, who was onside as a resultThe Adidas Trionda match ball is fitted with a microchip as part of the company's Connected Ball Technology. The system records every touch of the ball and transmits the data instantly to VAR officials, helping them make more accurate decisions.Replays shown after the review displayed a sensor waveform that spiked as the ball passed Isak's outstretched foot, confirming contact that was difficult to detect with the naked eye.The technology has previously played a role at major international tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the system helped determine that Bruno Fernandes, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo, scored Portugal's opening goal in a 2-0 victory over Uruguay. Although Ronaldo celebrated as if he had headed Fernandes' cross, the data showed he had not touched the ball.A similar review was also used at Euro 2024, where Belgium had a goal disallowed against Slovakia after the technology detected a touch in the build-up.David RichardsonKick-off delays are a rare occurrence on British shores but they have happened repeatedly during the tournament. It has become the norm for games to start several minutes later than scheduled.The first fixture of the tournament between Mexico and South Africa set the tone, kicking off six minutes later than planned following the opening ceremony. The theme continued with a three-minute delay ahead of France's win over Senegal on Tuesday.Some say it is down to cultural differences, with slightly delayed start times not unusual in American sports. Others might argue FIFA have underestimated the time required to carry out the various elements of their preferred pre-match pageantry.But it is another quirk of a tournament which also features hydration breaks, unusually lengthy periods of first-half stoppage time, and a general loosening of the game's traditional time constraints.Nick Wright

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Even factoring in the three minutes for the hydration break, the added time has been surprisingly low - sometimes only five or six minutes going up on the board.In Qatar, matches were lasting on average more than 100 minutes.But at this tournament - ignoring the time for hydration breaks - matches are clocking up 96 minutes."The goal we want to achieve is to increase the tempo of the match," Collina said ahead of the finals.Collina introduced a number of measures, such as putting five-second countdowns on goal-kicks and throw-ins.Tactics were introduced to try to limit how teams would break up games, by placing a 10-second clock on substitutions and forcing players who require treatment to stay off the field for one minute.The changes have, so far, been well received in the United States, Mexico and Canada.But do the stats show that Collina's masterplan is actually working?Collina's philosophy was pretty simple.If you stop players taking too long over the mundane tasks, that time could be given back to the game without adding it on at the end."The objective is to eliminate, as much as possible, the disruption of the tempo of the match," Collina explained.This was never supposed to be about awarding loads of corners, or being strict on substitutions.The aim was to change behaviour or, as Collina put it, "players will respect the limit".Only one goal-kick has been changed to a corner, when DR Congo took too long during their 1-1 draw with Portugal on Wednesday.There have been no cases of a substitute not being allowed to enter the pitch because the substituted player has taken too long to leave the field.So you have to forget about the old way of doing things, like adding 30 seconds for each sub. Now players leave the field within 10 seconds.For that reason, you might see substitutions take place in stoppage time and no more additional time added.It at least feels like there have been fewer stoppages for injuries, while referees have been quick to tell some players they must go off even if they don't have the physio on.The threat of playing with 10 men for at least a minute appears to be working as a deterrent.The video assistant referee checking corners does not seem to have impacted games, though Fifa has many more video match officials and enhanced technology which would not be available to the domestic leagues.With goalkeeper tactical time-outs banned too, games appear to have a had a better flow to them.VAR, timewasting and subs - World Cup law changes explainedPreviously, the target was to get to 60 minutes, but that has proved very difficult to achieve.Even in Qatar, with all that added time, Fifa could only get up to 58:03 of actual football.First off, the automatic six minutes applied for hydration breaks has been removed. This is effectively not part of a regular match time.The average length of matches at this World Cup is 96:08 - just over six minutes additional across both halves.In Qatar, it was 102 minutes 43 seconds for the first round of games - more than double the stoppage time.Yet in Russia it was 96 minutes 54 seconds, only slightly higher that this summer's edition.All three tournaments had four on-field VAR reviews.So, games are shorter at this World Cup than at either of the previous two.But is this strategy backed up by the average ball-in-play time?In Russia, it was 54 minutes 50 seconds. With so much stoppage time, it should be no surprise that went up to 58 minutes eight seconds in QatarThere has been a small reduction to 57 minutes 22 seconds at this World Cup. Does that mean it has not quite worked.The best way to truly judge it might be to look at the relative ball-in-play time.What percentage of the length of a match is football being played?That is where we see this World Cup is the most effective - 59.38% of the match time has seen the ball in play.Qatar, with the games being so long, was below this at 56.86% and Russia at 56.25%.It is early days for Collina's masterplan, but so far it appears to be working.Whether the same impact can last 380 Premier League matches might be more of a challenge.Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor gameEverything you need to know about the World Cup

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5 CommentsThe World Cup has already provided plenty of action.In the twenty four matches so far, 75 goals have been scored with the 3.125 goal per game ratio the highest it has been after the first set of group matches since 1958.Despite concerns about the extended nature of this World Cup, there is no problem with the competitive nature of the tournament either. Nine of the 24 matches have ended in a draw.The 37.5% draw ratio is actually the highest at this stage since 2010 - when it was the same - and has only been higher once since 1954.With the first round of games complete, here are the stand-out player stats at the World Cup so far.From one to 48 - every World Cup team ranked after first gameKane's double drew him level with Gary Lineker as England's all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 10 goals, while Messi's hat-trick saw him equal Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer in the tournament's history with 16 goals.Turkey's Arda Guler has taken the most shots at the tournament so far, although the fact that his eight attempts amounted to just 0.26 xG in total shows how optimistic his shooting was against Australia.While the Real Madrid youngster is obviously far more talented than the average player, the quality of shots he took means that historically a player would score once every 31 attempts.South Korea's Son Heung-min was the worst finisher in the opening round based on expected goals as he failed to score from six chances totalling 1.0 xG – a surprising fact given that the former Tottenham man was one of most ruthless finishers during his time in the Premier League.24 players have a 100% shot conversion rate so far but only two have taken more than one shot – Sweden's Yasin Ayari and New Zealand's Elijah Just, who have both scored twice.Seven players created five chances in their opening game but only Germany's Joshua Kimmich saw his teammates take advantage as he claimed two assists in the 7-1 win against Curaçao.Spain's Pedri did all he could to help his team break the deadlock against Cape Verde as he was the most creative player in the first round in terms of expected assists (1.23). He also won possession in the final third six times, twice as often as any other player at the World Cup.Ivory Coast's matchwinner Amad Diallo has been the best dribbler at the tournament so far. Despite only playing 34 minutes as a substitute, the Manchester United man has completed the most dribbles and has the best success rate among the 32 players to attempt five or more.Vinícius Junior scored Brazil's equaliser against Morocco but was unable to dribble past his opponent with any of his nine attempts in the game. No other player has attempted more than four dribbles without success at the World Cup so far.When it comes to players winning their individual battles, Panama's Jiovany Ramos and Senegal's Krépin Diatta were the kings of the 50-50s in the first round. Of the 158 players that battled in 10 duels or more, those two came out victorious more often that not, even if it wasn't enough to help their teams win overall.A special mention should go to Bosnia-Herzegovina's Jovo Lukic who was absolutely flawless in the air against Canada, winning all nine of his aerial duels. No other player at the tournament that has battled for the ball in the air more than four times has fallen back to earth undefeated.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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Arsenal are prioritising the signing of a left-winger this summer and, as Sky Sports News reported at the start of the window, they have been stepping up their interest in Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers as they explore the conditions of a potential deal.Villa are still expected to listen to offers around the £80m mark for a player who also has interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.There has been no club-to-club contact between Arsenal and Villa at this stage. Rogers signed a new contract until 2031 last November, putting Villa in a strong negotiating position.Independent of their pursuit of Rogers, Arsenal have been looking into a deal for Club Brugge left-winger Christos Tzolis.It is understood Tzolis would cost in the region of £34m - a Belgian Pro League record. Club Brugge do not want to sell the 24-year-old, who signed a new contract until 2029 last summer.Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi caught the eye at the World Cup with his standout performance against Brazil - but he has had plenty of admirers in the Premier League long before this summer.Arsenal are among the top clubs in England that have followed the 18-year-old Lille midfielder closely.Central midfield is a position Arsenal want to strengthen this summer and Bouaddi is one of a number of players they have looked at.The teenager's price tag will be a consideration for the Gunners with Bouaddi having signed a new contract with Lille in December. That deal takes him to the summer of 2029.However, they have prioritised other midfielders this summer, agreeing a deal for Ederson with Atalanta and now pursuing Mateus Fernandes at West Ham.Exits are expected at Arsenal this summer with one source confirming to Sky Sports News that a "key player" could depart.There could be at least one departure in the Arsenal front line if they recruit in that position.Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli all have a year left on their contracts - though the club do have a one-year option on Martinelli.Jesus and Martinelli have seen their game time limited, while Trossard will turn 32 in December.Ethan Nwaneri is another player to watch. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Marseille after falling behind Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke in the pecking order.Nwaneri found game time hard to come by at Marseille and had his commitment called into question by manager Habib Beye, who succeeded Roberto De Zerbi midway through the season.The 19-year-old only signed a new Arsenal contract last August, which runs until the summer of 2030.Ben White is another player facing an uncertain future at Arsenal. A number of Premier League and European clubs continue to keep an eye on his situation.The defender's recovery from a medial ligament injury is understood to be progressing well and he remains on course to be back for pre-season.White has two years remaining on his contract, with Arsenal holding the option to extend for a further 12 months.Any decision on White's future could be impacted by the severity of Jurrien Timber's groin injury. Timber was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands' World Cup squad.Potential reinforcements in midfield could see Christian Norgaard look for a new club after just one season at the Emirates.The 32-year-old, signed from Brentford in a deal worth up to £15m, started just one Premier League game last season for Arsenal.His contract is up next summer with Arsenal holding a 12-month option.

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Convinced football is coming home? Lumping on Germany after scoring seven? Tipping Lionel Messi to retain it? Telling yourself that Sweden are dark horses? Writing off Spain, Brazil and Cristiano Ronaldo? Hold fire. Because the World Cup is an epic.Never more so than this time around in which the group stage will reduce the number of participants down to the 32 that were involved previously. It is what happens in the eighth game not the first that will dictate which team will lift the famous trophy.The lessons from history are there. Most famously, of course, the reigning champions Argentina were beaten by Saudi Arabia in their opening game in Qatar in 2022. Spain also lost to Switzerland in 2010. That is two of the last four World Cup winners losing their first match.This detail should be seen as more than a mere quirk. It is an indication that even over the course of a hectic summer, teams can evolve and emerge. Coaches find solutions. Sometimes the answers just present themselves. Player seize their opportunities.Alexis Mac Allister did not start Argentina's first game in 2022 but was man of the match by the third - the same game in which Enzo Fernandez and Julian Alvarez made the starting line-up for the first time. All three were pivotal in the team's eventual triumph.That Spain team in 2010 came to realise that they needed Pedro's runs in behind to stretch the opposition, dropping David Silva to accommodate him. Go through World Cup history and there are so many examples of winners looking very different by the end.Sir Geoff Hurst must be the most famous example, not making his bow until the quarter-final stage when he came in for the injured Jimmy Greaves. But not since Brazil's masterclass in 1970 has the winners' line-up been the same for the first game as the last.For West Germany in 1974, Rainer Bonhof came in and was instrumental in setting up the winning goal in the final. Four years on, Argentina changed both of their wingers with one of them, Daniel Bertoni, scoring the goal that sealed their 3-1 victory in the final.Italy changed personnel and formation in 1982, having not won any of their games in the first group stage. Famously, Paolo Rossi would go on to win the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball that summer in Spain despite not scoring in any of Italy's first four matches.Argentina's legendary 1986 triumph was all about Diego Maradona and the way that Carlos Bilardo built the team around him but even that was a system that developed out in Mexico rather than before. Going into the tournament, they were not fancied at all.Speaking to Pedro Pasculli, a striker in that squad, he made that clear. "The media in Argentina did not just underestimate us. Above all, they denigrated us saying that the team was too weak and did not have a chance of even getting out of the group."Pasculli started the opening game with Argentina deploying him and Jorge Valdano ahead of Maradona. He was still playing - and scoring the winner - in the round of 16 against Uruguay. But Bilardo opted to bolster the midfield for the game against England."He had to sacrifice a striker in order to do it. That striker was me," Pasculli told Sky Sports. "The unpredictable change of system was important against England. Hector Enrique, a midfielder with defensive skills, took my place, and Valdano moved up."Bilardo and Argentina stuck with the new 3-5-1-1 formation all the way through to beating West Germany in the final. "I can tell you that many of those journalists who did not believe in us, at the end they were the ones shaking our hands to congratulate us."The newly unified Germany also went more defensive during the course of their success at Italia '90, Thomas Berthold beginning in the back three but finishing at wing-back. Brazil even changed their captain from Rai to Dunga during the course of their victory in 1994.France started Thierry Henry in their first two games in 1998 with him scoring three goals in those matches. In fact, he was his country's top scorer at the tournament and had featured in all six games prior to the final. Henry found himself an unused substitute that night.Juninho lost his place in Brazil's team in 2002 with Kleberson preferred by the end. Italy changed four of the team in 2006. Mario Gotze began 2014 in the Germany team but was on the bench for the final - and still came on to score the extra-time winner.And those are just the winning teams. Argentina made the final in 1990 after being humiliated by Cameroon in the opening game. Salvatore Schillachi won the Golden Boot that summer despite not forcing his way into Italy's side until their third match.Then there are those who burn brightly before fading. Brazil won as many games as Italy in 1982 but lost the one that mattered. Denmark lit up Mexico '86 before being blown away. Argentina thrilled us in 2006, the Netherlands in 2014. Neither made the final.And even if you do get there, the narrative can shift under your feet. It was Ronaldo not Zinedine Zidane who was the best player at France '98. Indeed, Zidane was sent off during the group stage, missed the next two games and did not score until the final.What people remember is not Ronaldo's Golden Ball but his anxiety-induced nightmare in Paris. In 2014, it was Messi who endured the awkward experience of being awarded that prize after a final in which he not only lost but missed his team's best chance.The point is that the story of a World Cup sometimes has not yet emerged even on the morning of the final itself let alone a third of the way through the group stage one month prior. Plenty of time for hopes to be dashed. And for heroes to reveal themselves.

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Rangers will begin life under Derek McInnes at Dundee United on July 31, live on Sky Sports.The Friday night clash, which will kick-off at 8pm, marks the start of a groundbreaking opening weekend that will see all six Scottish Premiership games shown live on Sky Sports for the first time.The fixture will be McInnes's first competitive match in charge after he replaced Danny Röhl as Rangers manager on Wednesday.His Premiership Ibrox bow will come against Hibernian the following week on August 9, before the visit of St Mirren on August 22 and a trip north to face former club Aberdeen on the 29th to round out the month.McInnes will take his Rangers team to Celtic Park for the first Old Firm clash of the season on Sunday September 20, live on Sky Sports, where he will be looking to banish the memory of that final-day title heartbreak with Hearts last season. Rangers will then host Martin O'Neill's side on Saturday January 2, 2027 before the final pre-split meeting back in Glasgow's east end on Saturday February 27.The new Rangers boss will return to Tynecastle on league business for the first time since his exit from Hearts on Wednesday October 28 in a midweek clash under the lights at Gorgie which could see title rivals going head to head once again.Hearts then visit Ibrox on Saturday December 19 as part of a packed month with Rangers in action six times. They host Dundee United on Wednesday December 2 before travelling to Easter Road to play Hibernian three days later. Rangers are on the road again the following week as they go to St Johnstone on Saturday December 12 before a Boxing Day visit to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock. They welcome Steven Pressley's Dundee side to Ibrox on Wednesday December 30 as they round out their 2026 fixtures.In full: 2026/27 Scottish Premiership fixturesRangers' final pre-split fixture takes place on Saturday April 10 at Dundee, with the league campaign concluding on the weekend of May 15/16.Rangers enter Europa League qualifying at the third qualifying round, with their first leg on August 6, six days after that Premiership opener at Tannadice.The return fixture is a week later, with their league game against Hibernian (August 9) sandwiched in between. Should Rangers progress to the play-offs, they will take place on August 20 and 27.Their Premiership clash against St Mirren on Saturday August 22 could be delayed at the request of the Ibrox club, should they wish to have more days to prepare for the second leg of the play-off clash.31: Dundee United (a) - 8pm, live on Sky Sports20: Celtic (a) - 12pm, live on Sky Sports

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Hearts will kick off their 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season at Aberdeen on August 1, live on Sky Sports.The Saturday evening clash at Pittodrie, scheduled for 5.30pm, is part of a groundbreaking opening weekend that will see all six Scottish Premiership games shown live on Sky Sports for the first time.The Tynecastle Park club, who are searching for a new head coach after Derek McInnes left for Rangers, then host Dundee United the following weekend before a trip to Falkirk on August 22 and the visit of St Johnstone to Edinburgh on August 29 round out the opening month.September starts with a bang in the capital with Hearts travelling to play Hibernian in the first Edinburgh derby of the season under the lights at Easter Road on Wednesday, September 2. David Gray's side then travel to Tynecastle for the reverse fixture on Boxing Day before the pair meet again in the final pre-split fixture on April 10 back in Leith.Hearts will return to Celtic Park on league business for the first time since their final day title heartbreak last season on October 17 before welcoming Martin O'Neill's side to Tynecastle on November 28. Former boss McInnes will return to Gorgie with Rangers on Wednesday, October 28 before Hearts travel to Ibrox on December 19.Indeed, with no winter break, December is a busy month in the Premiership with Hearts in action six times. They host Aberdeen on Wednesday, December 2 before travelling to St Mirren three days later. Motherwell travel to the capital on December 12 before those massive fixtures against Rangers and Hibernian, with a trip to St Johnstone on December 30 rounding out the league fixtures for 2026.The post-split league campaign concludes on the weekend of May 15/16.In full: 2026/27 Scottish Premiership fixturesHearts enter the Champions League at the second qualifying round, with the first and second legs of their fixture against Sturm Graz taking place before their Premiership campaign gets underway.Should Hearts progress, their next game would kick off potentially three days after the league campaign begins - with the first leg on August 4/5 and the return game on August 11, either side of their clash against Dundee United on August 8.They have a League Cup game on August 15/16 ahead of what would be the first leg of their play-off tie, be that in the Champions League or Europa League, should they drop into that.They are then due to face Falkirk on August 22, however, the Tynecastle Park club are allowed to request that league game is postponed in order to prepare for the second leg of the play-off the following week.1: Aberdeen (a) - 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports

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Striker will miss match against Germany in TorontoWas arrested over alleged ‘organised fraud’ in Ligue 1The Côte d’Ivoire striker Elye Wahi, who is being investigated for alleged fixing, has not been authorised to travel to Canada for his team’s World Cup match against Germany, the Côte d’Ivoire football federation (FIF) said on Thursday.FIF said Wahi would not be able to travel with the squad for Saturday’s game in Toronto because “the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage”.Wahi started for Côte d’Ivoire when they beat Ecuador 1-0 in their opening game in Philadelphia on Monday. He will remain in the United States pending the team’s return, FIF said.The French football league said on Wednesday that an “unusual amount of bets” were placed internationally on Wahi receiving a yellow card during a Ligue 1 game with Nice in May. It was alerted by partners monitoring betting markets about suspicious activity at international level concerning Nice’s home game against Metz on 17 May, which ended 0-0, and in which Wahi was shown a yellow card. The French league said it passed this information to relevant police and gambling authorities, as well as to the French football federation.The Marseille prosecutor’s office said “a 23-year-old professional football player, competing in France’s Ligue 1 championship, was arrested on 29 May 2026 as part of their investigation”.The office added “the investigation concerns alleged offecses of organised fraud, organised sports corruption, receiving stolen goods, and money laundering”. The player was questioned while in police custody and released without being detained. The office added the investigation was ongoing.Wahi’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.FIF said it had not been officially notified “of any judicial or administrative proceedings” concerning Wahi. “During this particularly delicate period, the FIF offers its full support to the player and reaffirms its confidence in him. Elye Wahi remains an important member of the Côte d’Ivoire national team.”Wahi joined Nice on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt in January and scored nine goals in 19 games, helping Nice reach the French Cup final.

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Ivory Coast international Elye Wahi has been denied entry to Canada for his country's World Cup group game against Germany on Saturday.The Nice forward was reportedly, external arrested last month before the World Cup over alleged involvement in spot-fixing in Ligue 1.Wahi, 23 - who started Sunday's World Cup win over Ecuador – has been accused of deliberately earning a yellow card while playing for Nice against Metz in May.Spot-fixing is the practice of deliberately affecting match incidents in a way that allows people to profit through betting markets.A statement to the Athletic from the public prosecutor's office in Marseille confirmed a 23-year-old football player, competing in France's Ligue 1, was arrested, without naming Wahi.On Wednesday, Ligue de Football (LFP) confirmed they had been alerted to "an unusually high volume of bets placed on a warning involving the player Elye Wahi".The Ivory Coast's football federation (FIF) say they had not been told of any "judicial or administrative proceedings" against Wahi, but confirmed he had not been able to obtain authorisation to enter Canada."The Ivorian Football Federation has taken note of the various articles and information published on this Wednesday, June 17, 2026, concerning the Ivorian international Elye Wahi," it said in a statement."To date, the FIF has not been officially notified of any judicial or administrative proceedings involving him."In this particularly delicate period, the FIF extends all its support to the player and reaffirms its confidence in him. Elye Wahi remains an important element of the Ivory Coast national team."The FIF also informs that the player will not be able to join the delegation's trip to Canada. Indeed, the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage."Elye Wahi will therefore remain in the United States pending the team's return."After facing Germany in Toronto, the Ivory Coast then play Curacao in Philadelphia next Thursday.The statement from the Marseille public prosecutor's office said the arrest was made "as part of an investigation opened by the Marseille public prosecutor's office into allegations of organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering".The player was released after being interviewed in police custody and the investigations remain ongoing, officials added.Wahi's booking in the game was his fifth in the league so earned him a suspension for the first leg of Nice's relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne on 26 May.That game ended in a 0-0 draw but Wahi returned for the second leg in which he scored twice in a 4-1 victory to help Nice keep their place in the top flight.BBC Sport has contacted Wahi's representatives and Fifa for comment.The LFP said: "At this stage, and given the ongoing investigation and the confidentiality requirements imposed by the police authorities, the LFP will not make any further comments and has not initiated disciplinary proceedings. However, it reserves the right to do so depending on the progress of the investigation."The LFP reiterates that it remains fully committed to ensuring the integrity of its competitions and that it will act with the utmost firmness against any behaviour that could compromise it."Wahi is the second World Cup player to be denied entry to Canada after Ghana's Thomas Partey was refused a visa because of ongoing criminal proceedings in the UK.Former Arsenal midfielder Partey pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022 and is scheduled to stand trial next year.Partey wrongly told officials in Canada he had never been arrested or charged with a crime and missed Ghana's World Cup win over Panama as a result.The Ghanaian government sought permission for him to enter the country briefly to take part in the game but that appeal was rejected at a federal court in Ottawa.Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor gameEverything you need to know about the World Cup