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86 CommentsThere has been some haggis controversy this week.On Wednesday, a video of Governor Maura Healey swept social media with her signing a declaration stating the Scottish dish was now legal in the state of Massachusetts.It looked like the Tartan Army's mission in Boston was not simply to drink the place dry of beer, inject fun into baseball matches, or donate generously to charities, it was to liberate the haggis from it's 55-year American exile.That was until the bomb was dropped on Governor Healey's Instagram account 24 hours later."I have received countless messages from Massachusetts residents, Scotland supporters, legal experts, and at least one very concerned sheep," she wrote."After careful review by my office, I am prepared to clarify that this was, in fact, a joke."Ah, let's just lob the whole trip in the bin. What's the point?Why does Scotland's McGinn do goggles celebration?Just as well, because you cannot get away from them.There is not a statue left in the tri state area that now does not have a traffic cone for a hat, nor is there a sidewalk in Boston that has not had an unfortunate view up a kilt.There has been - quite rightly - so much said about the tartan takeover of Fenway Park on Sunday night as the toiling Boston Red Sox were celebrated all the way to a limp 6-4 defeat to the Texas Rangers.An on-screen proposal was done to the backing vocal of 10,000 Scots singing about John McGinn, a row of Sox fans had their view obstructed by two men doing the Gay Gordons in front of them, and organist Josh Kantor kept the hits coming while displaying a "No Scotland No Party" sign while on screen.Jings, a Scot even managed to scoop the 50/50 draw jackpot. What a night he will have had.Two days later, thousands of Scots returned for Pride Night as the Toronto Blue Jays fluttered into town. There is now talk of thousands descending on the Miami Marlins game next week in south Florida.At last, all those games of school rounders are paying off.But the love affair here has gone way beyond baseball, this has been a glorious embracing of two cultures. A point underlined by the news Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a sister city application with Glasgow.Fittingly, she did so in a Scottish pub wearing a Scotland football jersey.Tens of thousands of football fans swarming to a city for a major tournament is nothing new, but it is the manner of the revelry here that has set it apart.At the time of writing, there has not been one arrest of a Scotland fan either in Boston or Providence, another nearby stronghold of the Tartan Army.The ground work for this Boston bash was laid two years ago in Bavaria. At the last European Championships, Marienplatz felt like it held more Scots within it than Motherwell.Again, Scotland fans were lauded for their behaviour, generosity and patter.Alas, the football did its best to ruin the party.That is perhaps one key difference to this shindig, apart from the obvious step up in excitement from a Euros to their first World Cup in 28 years.What mood the Tartan Army would have been in if the opener against Haiti had turned into a disaster we will never know. Although, I would say it would not have made a dent.The team on the pitch have done their bit to keep the party in full swing and a point against Morocco on Friday could trigger a tidal wave of celebration flooding back into Boston that night the likes they have never seen.The best way to describe it is this has been the trip of a lifetime for people who are still in their 20s. There is a genuine appreciation from Scotland fans that they have waited this long to see their team at a World Cup, that it may be another three decades before it happens again.And, even if it did, nothing could rival the week in Boston they've just had, regardless of what Miami holds.For near enough a week, Scotland had the city to itself. Now it has become a tapestry of nations settling into one of the warmest, most welcoming place on the Charles River they could have hoped to visit.Who knows, they may be back here if they are one of the best third-placed teams.What will be the Tartan Army's Boston legacy as the sporrans are soon to get packed away and the online check-ins start for flights to Miami?Their generosity? Their good spirit? Their ability to alert some locals to the fact the World Cup is even happening?Perhaps all of the above. Just not a haggis supper.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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Switzerland took a giant leap towards qualifying for the World Cup knockout stages with an emphatic 4-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Los Angeles.What had been an otherwise uneventful encounter for the first 73 minutes came to life when 20-year-old Johan Manzambi crashed in a volley just 166 seconds after his introduction, before Tarik Muharemovic was shown a straight red for catching Breel Embolo on the heel as the last man.Embolo then teed up another sub, Ruben Vargas, to hit a first-time shot past Nikola Vasilj to make it 2-0 and it was three with 90 minutes on the clock when Freiburg midfielder Manzambi coolly side-footed in his second.There was still more action to come, though.On just his third appearance for his country, Ermin Mahmic reduced the deficit when he beat Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with the sweetest of volleys from just inside the box.But the three-goal cushion was restored with one of the final kicks of the game when Swiss captain Granit Xhaka rolled in from the spot after Djibril Sow had been brought down by Amar Memic.Aside from a flourish in the opening 20 minutes or so, Switzerland struggled with any sort of attacking cohesion for much of the game in LA. They had dominated the ball, but Bosnia-Herzegovina possessed a threat on the break. Change was needed.Murat Yakin's substitutes changed the game - and Johan Manzambi was the star. Just 166 seconds after his introduction, he lashed a volley high into the net to open the scoring, then he made it 3-0 on 90 minutes.But not only that, he had the most shots on target among Switzerland players, and ranked top for both the most opposition box take-ons (5) and dribbles (4). Only two Swiss players managed more than his five duels.Manzambi - named Europa League Young Player of the Season for his efforts in helping Freiburg to the final - has certainly given Yakin something to think about for when he names his team for Wednesday's final group game against Canada.

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You don’t win World Cups by running riot for 10 minutes in mid-June but this felt like the start of something newWalking away from Dallas Stadium, feet throbbing in the heat of the late-evening Texas tarmac, it was tempting to picture the scene inside England’s dressing room three hours earlier, the score 2-2 at half-time against a perky Croatia, with Thomas Tuchel’s side in danger of slipping into a familiar tournament pattern of entropy and angst.What exorcism was performed here? Did England’s players burn a ceremonial John Lewis merino wool slim-fit quarter zip? Did Tuchel deliver his calm, tactically focused half-time speech while simultaneously sawing the head off the lifesize Gareth Southgate effigy the team still carries around with it, before inviting his players to whack it like a piñata, open letters tumbling from the waistcoat pockets, leadership mottoes and worries about penalties scattered across the floor as its bearded and frowning head steadily deflates, a moment of pure era-shedding catharsis?There are no second acts in American World Cup lives. Except, it turns out, if your manager can find the right words after a first half during which England played episodic, mechanical football, when they seemed to be still in the old-mannered routines, assembling their siege towers and engines of war, football reduced to the status of stuff that happens in between corners.It would be wrong to describe that second half as a shedding of the Gareth-shaped homunculus on this team’s back. But sometimes you do have to stop trusting the process, change the patterns, and just run forward with a great deal more aggression. England burned an effigy of everything they used to be in the second half in Dallas. Is it real? And where will it lead them across the next two games and five weeks beyond that?The most notable part was the sense of seeing an era-shift happen in real time. If the first half felt like the least flattering notes of Southgate-ism, the second was something closer to whatever it is Tuchel wants England to do now, hunters not gatherers, a team that believes it can actively win games of football rather than waiting for its opponents to die of old age.This was a genuine break from the usual narrative pattern of these occasions, those days when England fade and wilt, the football of the plodding drum. Instead, England had more, not less, energy as the game progressed. They took 22 shots at goal, three-quarters of them in that second half. In their last tournament opener, the 1-0 win against Serbia, they had four shots all game and played like a team trying to run a marathon inside a Victorian diving suit.Nobody with any sense of scale is suggesting England are now ready to win a World Cup, or that they didn’t look in Dallas like a team that could just as easily lose one. But there are positives. They have now played a proper fixture and beaten a good team, both firsts in the Tuchel era. Key attacking players have scored and assisted. Marcus Rashford, an excellent impact sub, looked happy and loose and frankly quite alarming to all those tiring thirtysomething defenders out there.Plus, with all due respect to the cultural impact of Southgate’s England, we got a glimpse in Dallas of what a genuinely elite tactical manager might do with that legacy. There will be a lot of talk about the Surge, that period after half-time when England basically ran all over Croatia, as the midfield pressed harder up the pitch and played more aggressive and more accurate vertical passes.Tuchel talked afterwards about England’s fans enjoying this spectacle in the pub, and there is a point here about connection, the way people want to see their team play, the way England fans support the team. The Surge wasn’t exactly pub football, four-pints football. It felt more chemical, more wired and wild-eyed, football of the pre-match buttock-launching firework party.The point has been made that England played like a Premier League team, but they were more like a Premier League team of the 2000s, all galloping adrenaline, running power, the can’t-live-with-it thrusts. This is not in itself a recipe for victory against elite opponents. But the key is that this team has that in its chamber. The ability to overwhelm is in there. The backpack is loaded with ordnance. The Surge was a warning to the rest of the field that while you will have chances to take this team down, you’re also going to get clipped yourself.Tuchel’s substitutions were also progressive. At 3-2 up the England playbook states that you protect and fall back. But Tuchel did not reach for Jordan Henderson, who really does appear to be present here as the midfield equivalent of an emotional support dog. Instead, he sent on three attackers, then rejigged again as the midfield began to look a little open.It would also be wrong to overlook the good bits in that first half. The set-piece threat is a genuine asset, and England really should have scored twice more from corners. Even the first-half penalty carried some vindication of Tuchel’s selection policy, a foul caused by one very quick, agile footballer outmanoeuvring a 40-year-old. This will happen when that’s how you stack your team. England may lack some craft, but they can also be physically horrible to play against.It was a good post-match for Tuchel too, one where he still jabbed a little at Jude Bellingham, even after his best game for England. “He has learned to be a team player,” was Tuchel’s verdict, which is quite funny and salty and naggy. Keep Bellingham hungry. Make him want to prove things. This feels like a good line.There was merit too in the unusually chippy half-time chat from Anthony Barry, a reflection of the fact Tuchel doesn’t care about upsetting people, doesn’t follow the regimental line of sombre deference and respect for fame and status.Instead Tuchel has a refreshing brusqueness as England manager, like the Victorian stepfather who will slap you on the back as he sends you off to boarding school, but who really doesn’t want to hear anything about doubt, fear, flags, heavy shirts and so on. It is a major asset, used right, for a team that had become a bit mannered and sombre in its previous guises.There are clearly elements for England to fix. Luka Modric is more gnarled these days: less little boy dressed up as a witch, more former four-time surfing champion of Middle-earth. He was eventually harried from the pitch in Dallas. But England’s midfield is still a problem. The spacing felt wrong in the first half. Declan Rice is carrying an injury. Midfield is always key in knockout football, in those periods when the ability to control the tempo becomes the key asset. Do they have the ability to play that way too now?The defence also looks rusty. England’s starting attack fitted the Tuchel model of energy and speed, but also looked thin on paper. The good news is England’s starting front three in Dallas have 85 goals between them. The bad news is 81 of those have been scored by Harry Kane. This had better work, Thomas.The good news is Kane looked happy in the system, with runners ahead of him and space to drop deep. Even his retaken penalty carried a premonition of the half-time regearing. There are no second acts in American lives. Except when a goalkeeper has clearly encroached by leaving his goalline. The retake was just right. Don’t stutter and wait, Harry. Spank it into the corner.Does any of it mean much in the longer term? England don’t often start well, even in their better summers. We remember the last-gasp burgle against Tunisia on the fly-ravaged banks of the Volga, the 1-1 against Ireland in 1990, which felt like watching a medieval game of bladder wrestle in a Gloucestershire village.There is also a long way to go. You don’t win it by running riot for 10 minutes in mid-June. But there was something different here, and Tuchel is their key asset in this regard, if only as a point of difference, the polar opposite of sclerotic tactical caution and the weight of caring a little too much. Whatever happens from here this feels like progress. England: now available in fun form.

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The Premier League fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be released on Friday at 10:00 BST.The fixture announcement comes an hour later in previous years.Both the start and end dates of the 2026-27 season are later than usual as a result of World Cup 2026.The new campaign will start on Saturday, 22 August, 2026 - 34 days on from the World Cup final in the United States.The Premier League season will end on Sunday, 30 May, 2027, with the Champions League final six days later.There will be 33 rounds of weekend fixtures next term, with the remaining five taking place midweek.The Premier League has said next season's schedule will be designed to "avoid domestic competition clashes with Uefa competition dates, wherever possible".During the Christmas and New Year period, no two rounds of matches will take place within 60 hours of each other, in keeping with commitments made to clubs to address the congested schedule during that period.Contact formContact formA major change to international breaksWhen the fixtures are announced, one major change to the schedule will come across late September and early October.Traditionally, the opening months of the season have three two-week international breaks: one in September, one in October and one in November.From next season onward, this is changing. November's international break will continue as normal, but with September's and October's being merged into one larger break.That will therefore mean a three-week break in the Premier League season after the weekend of September 19/20 until October 10/11.As things stand, the longer autumn break will continue until at least the 2030-31 season.This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

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⚽️ Kick-off time: 3pm local/6pm EDT/11pm BST/8am AEST⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot Switzerland have several toes in the knockout stage after overwhelming Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 20 minutes in LA. Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi, aged 20, came off the bench to score twice.Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch makes two changes. Cyle Larin, who came off the bench to equalise against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ali Ahmed come in for Liam Millar and Tani Oluwaseyi. Alphonso Davies is among the substitutes. Continue reading...

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The hype around Johan Manzambi will only heighten after his star turn from the substitutes’ bench helped Switzerland out of a hole and got their tournament truly up and running. The 20-year-old managed to excel for Freiburg in their comprehensive Europa League final defeat against Aston Villa last month and, with 73 minutes played here and three minutes after entering as part of a triple substitution, his superb volley put an end to a sterile contest, hooking a right-foot shot into the Bosnia and Herzegovina net.At that point Switzerland had registered eight shots, three on target, but things unravelled in the final third. It was, of course, a similar story in their opener against Qatar, when they finished with 26 shots but had to settle for a draw. Manzambi scored twice here, his second finish understated but sumptuous, before Ermin Mahmic thumped in an unstoppable volley in stoppage time, the ball clocked at 71mph according to the wraparound LED screen. Switzerland’s captain, Granit Xhaka, capped the scoring from the penalty spot after Amar Memic tripped Djibril Sow.Manzambi was involved in the buildup to Switzerland’s second goal too, another substitute, Rubén Vargas, reading Breel Embolo’s pass to send a low first-time finish past Nikola Vasilj. The game had been set up for Edin Dzeko, aged 40 and 63 days, to take centre stage after becoming the ninth-oldest player to feature at a World Cup but Bosnia and Herzegovina’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament now hinge on Wednesday’s final Group B game against Qatar.A grey day in Los Angeles meant no searing temperatures to contend with but nevertheless the first-half hydration break provided Bosnia and Herzegovina with some welcome respite. Other than a couple of early set pieces – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s specialist subject – Switzerland had given Sergej Babarez’s side the runaround. Dan Ndoye blasted against the side netting and found joy inside the left channel. A few minutes later he tried to flick Fabian Rieder’s cross goalwards after Granit Xhaka’s weighted ball into the box. Switzerland schooled their opponents, who were also guilty of giving Murat Yakin’s men a helping hand. Kerim Alajbegovic, the exciting 18-year-old promoted to the starting lineup, played a risky pass that was intercepted by Rieder and Ndoye got a shot away, though fortunately for Vasilj it was lacking conviction.It felt slightly alarming that with 10 minutes of the first half remaining Nikola Katic wildly celebrated winning a goalkick, punching the air after staving off another Swiss attack, even if the Schalke defender has form for doing so; he celebrated every tackle when he lost a tooth in Plymouth’s shock triumph over Liverpool in the FA Cup last year. A few moments earlier Bosnia and Herzegovina had their first sight of goal after Alajbegovic fed Edin Dzeko inside the box. Dzeko stood up a dainty cross towards the back post but Benjamin Tahirovic recorded a swing and a miss. Approaching the interval, Remo Freuler blocked Dzeko’s first shot after a bright run by Alajbegovic.After the half-time whistle sounded, presumably Switzerland’s struggles to again apply the finishing touch flowed through their players’ minds as they headed down the tunnel. They had four shots but only one on target. The numbers were not quite as stark as in their opener with Qatar, when they finished with 26 shots to six; Qatar’s stoppage-time equaliser came courtesy of a Miro Muheim own goal.Ndoye was lively here but Embolo was a little more on the periphery, Xhaka showing his frustration when seemingly on crossed wires at the pivotal moment. None of this should have surprised Switzerland, though, with Bosnia and Herzegovina stubborn opponents; Barbarez’s side had drawn their past six matches, including their penalty shootout victories in playoffs against Wales and Italy to reach this stage.Switzerland were hardly relentless in the second half but the game continued in a similar theme, promising attacks coming undone in the final action. Manuel Akanji pinged a ball from right to left, Ndoye picked up the baton and sent another tame shot at goal, Vasilj making a comfortable save at his near post. It was Ndoye who produced one of the game’s best moments, reading Xhaka’s flighted pass and launching into the air to send an overhead kick at goal. Ndoye looked to the skies after Vasilj got two hands to his effort. Any joy would have been short-lived with Ndoye flagged offside.If Switzerland were going to score, Ndoye looked the most likely candidate. Amar Dedic took matters into his own hands to stop Ndoye streaming down the left early in the second half, earning a booking for tugging at the winger’s shirt. Bosnia’s record goalscorer Dzeko was given a yellow card soon afterwards for a late challenge on Akanji and was then withdrawn on 63 minutes. It was an up-and-coming talent in Manzambi who finally rippled the net.

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Spurs bolster backline with third summer signingDefender reunited with former Brighton head coachTottenham have completed their third signing of the summer after Jan Paul van Hecke joined from Brighton. Spurs made a move for Dutch international centre-back Van Hecke after a terrible 2025-26 campaign where Roberto De Zerbi’s team secured Premier League survival with a final-day home victory over Everton.De Zerbi worked with Van Hecke during two seasons at Brighton and earmarked the defender as a key component of rebuilding Tottenham. After two bids this month were rejected, a £52m offer was accepted and the 26-year-old has signed a long-term contract.Van Hecke said: “It’s a huge honour to become a Spurs player and when you join such a big club, it’s a dream come true. I already have a really strong connection with the head coach, who I’m looking forward to working with again. Micky [van de Ven] has also told me some great things about the club, so I can’t wait to get started.“I’ve been at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as an opposition player and now I’m looking forward to walking out there in front of our fans wearing the Spurs shirt. That will be a special moment.”After De Zerbi rescued Spurs with three wins during his seven matches in charge, the Italian warned lessons must be learned after back-to-back 17th-place finishes and the club’s majority owners, the Lewis family, promised to fund the required rebuild.Tottenham’s first focus has been on defence, with the left-back Andy Robertson and the centre-back Marcos Senesi joining on free transfers before Van Hecke’s services were secured to boost a team that have conceded 122 goals across their past two league campaigns.De Zerbi said: “Jan Paul is someone I know very well from our time together at Brighton, and I’m delighted to be working with him again. He is a strong, intelligent centre-back who is brave in possession and plays with personality. Those are important qualities for the way I want our team to set up.“Off the pitch he is mature, a leader and has a hunger to learn and improve every day. Jan Paul has made great progress over the past few years and I believe he can develop even further here at Tottenham Hotspur.”Van Hecke started his career in his homeland with NAC Breda before Brighton signed the Netherlands international in 2020. After season-long loans to Heerenveen then Blackburn, De Zerbi gave Van Hecke his Albion debut during the 2022-23 campaign.

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Gary Neville believes England produced the best football of the World Cup so far in their second-half display against Croatia, but remains unconvinced that Thomas Tuchel's side should be considered favourites for the tournament.England recovered from a chaotic first half to beat Croatia 4-2 in their Group L opener, with Neville particularly impressed by the fluency and intensity of Tuchel's side after the break."The way in which England played in that first 10, 15 minutes of the second half was probably the best 10, 15 minutes we've seen from any team in the tournament so far," Neville told Sky Sports News."That's not to get carried away because I know there's a long way to go and a game of football isn't over 10 or 15 minutes."It was really brave, it was a good night for him, the team in the second half were fantastic, it was a good performance."Neville was also impressed by Tuchel's decision-making from the touchline, particularly after England moved 3-2 ahead."I thought when England were 3-2 up you don't see many managers making those type of substitutions.World Cup 2026 fixture schedule - your day-by-day guide"The volume of substitutions, three of them all at once, but also putting Jude Bellingham back into central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson was a really attacking move.Despite England's encouraging start, Neville says he is sticking with his pre-tournament prediction."I said France before the tournament that I thought they would win it. I'm not going to change that now."I don't think we've seen enough yet. It's too early in the tournament and it's certainly too early to say that England are going to go and win it."I know that's probably what people want to hear. It was a really good start for us. There's a long way to go."Neville also hailed Harry Kane after the captain scored in the victory over Croatia, describing the Bayern Munich striker as England's only genuine world-class player."There are some great strikers who have played for England over the last 100 years but he is so special."He's genuinely, I do believe right now, the only world-class player we have. Harry Kane is there. He's absolutely on top of that mountain right now. Collectively England are strong, they're very strong."Neville was also full of praise for Jude Bellingham, who starred in England's opening victory and impressed him with both his performance and demeanour before kick-off."He is a superstar. Watching him in the tunnel before the game, he looked so relaxed, like he belongs, like this is something that he does every single day very easily."Whether he was playing in that No 10 role, whether he was playing a little bit deeper towards the end, he was outstanding and arguably England's best player."England's focus now shifts to Ghana in their second Group L fixture, with Tuchel's side aiming to build on an impressive opening victory and move a step closer to the knockout stages.

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Arsenal's opening bid for Jeremy Monga rejected by Leicester, Liverpool ready to offer a package approaching £86m for Yan Diomande and Arsenal preparing bid for Bradley Barcola. Arsenal have had their first bid for Leicester City and England Under-19 winger Jeremy Monga rejected – the 19-year-old one of the Gunners' long-term targets for the summer. (Telegraph - subscription required) , externalLiverpool are ready to offer a package approaching 100m euros (£86m) for 19-year-old RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande. (Athletic - subscription required) , externalArsenal are preparing a bid for Paris St-Germain and France winger Bradley Barcola, 23. (Independent) , externalReal Madrid are looking to continue their summer rebuild by signing a midfielder and a centre-back, with Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, being one of the options highly rated by the club. (ESPN) , externalRB Leipzig have made contact with Everton over 23-year-old France Under-21 striker Thierno Barry. (Times - subscription required) , externalThe Toffees are yet to receive a formal offer for Barry, but if a bid arrives from German side RB Leipzig or any other club, Everton's football leadership group will decide how to proceed. (Liverpool Echo) , externalTottenham are firmly in the mix to sign Anderlecht and Belgium midfielder Nathan De Cat, with Manchester United among the 17-year-old's other admirers from the Premier League. (Teamtalk) , externalLiverpool have reignited their interest in 25-year-old Juventus and France midfielder Khephren Thuram. (Corriere dello Sport via Football Talk) , externalThe Reds are also pursuing a central midfielder, centre-back and right-back after triggering 22-year-old Osasuna and Spain winger Victor Munoz's 40m euro (£34.5m) release clause. (Football Insider) , externalListen to the latest Football Daily podcast