Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i World Soccer

It’s been some years since the emergence of Odegaard, Haaland and others prompted talk of a Norwegian football revolution. But with that talk now becoming reality, this month’s issue is a bit of a Norway special. We’ve taken a look at the thriving national team and their World Cup ambitions, chatted to their next rising star, and sent Josh Butler to one of the country’s fiercest derbies. The Norwegian champions, Bodo/Glimt, also make an appearance in our Champions League preview, alongside the 35 other teams to have qualified for the league phase of the 2025-26 competition. Finally, if you’ll forgive a bit of self-indulgence, we’ve marked World Soccer’s 65th anniversary by diving into the archives and picking out some of our favourite front covers from down the years. Here’s to…

There has never been a run of success in any major international youth tournament quite like Argentina enjoyed at the Under-20 World Cup between1995 and 2007. They won five out of seven editions in that 12-year span, which only made it all the more baffling that they won nothing at senior level from1994 to 2020. Yet it was in that run of success that the foundations were laid for glory in Qatar. The youth set-up was created by Jose Pekerman, who moved to the senior job for the 2006 World Cup. “The most important thing in the youth divisions,” said Hugo Tocalli, who worked as Pekerman’s assistant for 14 years, “is not to form teams in order to win games and tournaments, but to keep in mind that we are…

“Everybody in the Indian football ecosystem is worried, hurt, scared about the uncertainty we are faced with” India legend Sunil Chhetri on the delayed Indian Super League, which should have kicked off in September 11 German Super Cups won by Bayern Munich after the Bavarians defeated Stuttgart 2-1 in August. 9 Matches (six in the Leagues Cup, three in MLS) that Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez was suspended for after spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member at the end of the Leagues Cup final. 4 World Cup qualifying matches that Germany have lost in their entire history following September’s shock 2-0 defeat to Slovakia. 21 Shirt number that Ruben Neves will wear for Portugal, inheriting it from his late friend Diogo Jota. 52 International goals scored by Kylian Mbappe,…

In recent months, plenty has been written about Italian league games being taken abroad. Yet while this debate has raged on, Italy has been hosting foreign league games on its own shores, with the Libyan Premier League playing out its final phase in Milan and its suburbs. This was the second year in a row that the competition has been staged in Italy, in an arrangement that went beyond football and was arranged through political and diplomatic input. In May 2024, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Tripoli to discuss the details of the so-called Mattei Plan, which envisages deepening cooperation between Italy and several African countries. During the talks, football became a means of diplomacy; matches from the Libyan Premier League could be played in Italy in exchange for…

The small Arctic town of Bodo has become accustomed to hosting football teams from around Europe. Home to four-time Eliteserien champions Bodo/Glimt, who in 2025 became the first Norwegian team to reach a major European competition semi-final, this quiet settlement admired by hikers and adventurers has welcomed the likes of Arsenal, Roma and Ajax in recent years. Yet for all the prestigious clubs that have taken to the artificial turf of the Aspmyra Stadion, the visit of northern rivals Tromso precipitates a reaction like no other. As Robin Gundersen, lifelong Glimt fan and resident artist in the town puts it: “Seeing all these huge teams come to little Bodo is amazing but, of all of them, I like least to lose to Tromso.” It is a rivalry as curious as…

In recent years, Norwegians have got used to seeing their country produce elite-level footballers. Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth, Oscar Bobb, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Antonio Nusa are all excelling at major European clubs, and soon there could be another name to add to that list: Sverre Nypan. After becoming both the youngest debutant and goalscorer in Rosenborg’s history, establishing himself as an integral component of his hometown club’s midfield, the18-year-old starlet had a queue of scouts wanting to see him in action. Finally, after months of speculation, he signed for Manchester City in July before quickly being sent out on loan to Middlesbrough. Having made his top-flight debut at the age of15 in 2022, his rise has been compared to that of Odegaard’s, who sparked a Europe-wide scramble…

ARSENAL Now or never for Arteta? When it comes to fan assessments of Mikel Arteta’s near six-year stint as Arsenal manager, two distinct camps tend to crystallise. For the harder to please, a haul of just one major trophy – the FA Cup in 2020 – represents a poor return for a club of the Gunners’ size and prestige. In the other camp the more patient “trust the process” types, who recognise how deep in the doldrums the club were before Arteta brought about a huge change in mood at the club, point to the number of near-misses in that time: Premier League runners-up three seasons in a row, as well as Champions League semi-finalists in 2024-25, notably beating PSG in the group phase and Real Madrid home and away…

BENFICA No longer the kings of Portuguese football For the fifth consecutive season, the Lisbon giants will feature in the group/league phase of the Champions League. They’ve made it to the knockout stages in three of the last four campaigns too, and such a run would be more than enough for a club that is no longer the undisputed big beast of Portuguese football, with only one league title in the past six seasons. The transfer merry-go-round was spinning merrily at the Estadio da Luz this summer, with outstanding Spanish left-back Alvaro Carreras moving to Real Madrid for €50m, Turkey internationals Orkun Kokcu and Kerem Akturkoglu heading to Besiktas and Fenerbahce respectively, and legendary Argentina winger Angel Di Maria returning to Rosario Central on a free transfer. Close to €100m…

“David, this seems like a surprise move at the age of 38 – what’s the reason behind it? For me, football is passion. I still feel the fire inside to compete and to give everything on the pitch. When the opportunity came with Pafos FC it felt right – a new challenge in a place full of energy and ambition. But at your age, you could now be putting your feet up on a beach in Brazil with a nice cigar… Maybe one day! But right now, my motivation is still the game. I love football too much to stop. I want to keep sharing my experience and also enjoy the adventure of playing for Pafos FC, an exciting project which gives me the opportunity to compete in Europe again.…

The first year of World Soccer…

The football association on the tiny US protectorate of the Northern Marianas have called on President Donald Trump for support in their bid to join FIFA. A chain of13 islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the USA. The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NIMFA) was set up two decades ago by a group of expat soccer-loving parents looking to provide a game for their children and has succeeded in establishing soccer on the islands. NIMFA joined the East Asian Football Federation in 2008 and was admitted to the Asian Football Confederation as a provisional member the following year. In 2020, NIMFA was accepted as a full member of the AFC, which allowed the national side, nicknamed the…

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is world famous as the home of Real Madrid. Yet, as it exerts its magnetising effect on another Champions League campaign, no one, it seems, stops to ask: who was this man and what was his significance? The tale starts130 years ago in the old town of Almansa, inland from Valencia to the northeast and Alicante to the southeast. That was the home of young Santiago, born on June 8, 1895, the youngest of seven children of a local lawyer and estates manager. Both parents died young, and the teenage Bernabeu was taken to the capital and enrolled in the then Madrid FC by elder brothers Marcelo and Antonio in1912. What he lacked in skill he made up for with enthusiasm, energy and the leadership qualities that…

Gilberto MORA (Mexico & Tijuana) Mora made headlines by becoming Mexico’s youngest-ever player during the summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the 16-year-old’s three appearances weren’t just cameos – he played a big part inEl Tri’s victory, setting up the only goal in the semi-final. He seems sure to be involved for the co-hosts at next year’s World Cup, but that doesn’t mean he’s skipping the Under-20s event. “It’s always an honour to wear the national team shirt, whether it’s with the senior side or the Under-20s. Playing in this World Cup is a dream,” he said during a recent training camp. Mora can’t move abroad until he turns 18 in October 2026, but that won’t stop Europe’s biggest clubs queuing up to sign him – especially if he impresses in…

“I’ll get the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time, which will be a great challenge” Young Argentina forward Facundo Buonanotte after joining Chelsea on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. Just days later, the 20-year-old was left out of the Blues’ Champions League squad for the league stage Domenico TEDESCO Fenerbahce hired the former RB Leipzig and Belgium manager after sackingJose Mourinho, who was fired for failing to qualify for the Champions League. Adrien RABIOT Transfer-listed by Marseille after a fight with team-mateJonathan Rowe, the formerJuventus man returned to Italy, joining Milan for €10m. Rowe joined Bologna. Ben CHILWELL Having spent the summer seeking a move away from Chelsea, the left-back completed a free transfer to Strasbourg, who share the same owners as the Blues.…

The Hamburg derby doesn’t come along too often, or at least not in the top flight. August’s clash at the Volksparkstadion between HSV and St Pauli was the first time both clubs had faced one another in the Bundesliga since 2011. They met several times in the second tier between 2018 and 2024, until St Pauli went up to the Bundesliga as champions. Hamburg followed them into the top flight last season, finally bringing an end to seven torturous years in the second tier. Any prospect of the home fans approaching the much-missed clash with modesty or humility was quickly dashed when an almighty tifo was unveiled by the club’s ultras ahead of kick-off. It carried the city’s historic Hanseatic emblem, a white castle on a red background flanked on…

In February, Norway and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland got involved in promoting a new line of Oasis merchandise ahead of the band’s long-awaited return. As the summer began, and nineties nostalgia gripped the UK, it was not just Mancunians in bucket hats that were dreaming of recreating the events of 30 years ago. In June, Haaland was on the scoresheet as Norway thumped Italy 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier to give them a golden opportunity of reaching the global finals for the first time since1998. The1990s was a special decade for Norwegian football. Coached by Egil Olsen and subsequently his tactical disciple NilsJohan Semb, the national team rose to an all-time high of second in the FIFA world rankings in1995, with the on-field peak coming at the1998 World…

JUVENTUS Dreaming of better days Juventus are not the domestic and European powerhouse that they once were. They have not picked up a Serie A title for five years, their last Champions League triumph was way back in1996 and they almost missed out on this season’s competition. A 3-2 victory over relegated Venezia on the final weekend was just enough for them to edge out Roma by a single point in the battle for the coveted fourth place in Serie A. Embarrassment avoided by the barest of margins, the Bianconeri probably would not have reached port if they had not pulled the plug on the lifeless regime of Thiago Motta in March, replacing him with former club centre-back Igor Tudor. Most supporters were underwhelmed when Tudor was appointed, pointing out…

Tuesday, September 16 Athletic Club v Arsenal (5.45pm) PSV v Union Saint-Gilloise (5.45pm) Benfica v Qarabag (8pm) Juventus v Borussia Dortmund (8pm) Real Madrid v Marseille (8pm) Tottenham Hotspur v Villarreal (8pm) Wednesday, September 17 Olympiacos v Pafos (5.45pm) Slavia Prague v Bodo/Glimt (5.45pm) Ajax v Internazionale (8pm) Bayern Munich v Chelsea (8pm) Liverpool v Atletico Madrid (8pm) PSG v Atalanta (8pm) Thursday, September 18 Club Brugge v Monaco (5.45pm) FC Copenhagen v Bayer Leverkusen (5.45pm) Eintracht Frankfurt v Galatasaray (8pm) Manchester City v Napoli (8pm) Newcastle United v Barcelona (8pm) Sporting v Kairat (8pm) Tuesday, September 30 Atalanta v Club Brugge (5.45pm) Kairat v Real Madrid (5.45pm) Atletico Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt (8pm) Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham Hotspur (8pm) Chelsea v Benfica (8pm) Galatasaray v Liverpool (8pm) Internazionale v Slavia…

“What are New Zealand’s realistic aims at the World Cup next year? It depends on who we’re drawn against, but I feel getting out of our group is a genuine possibility. Maybe in the past the team has gone to a World Cup with somewhat of an inferiority complex. However, this is now a new generation of players. The majority of the first team are based in Europe. We believe we can compete with the world’s leading teams. Reaching the last 32 is achievable, that should be our minimum aim. You were 11 years old during New Zealand’s last appearance at the World Cup in South Africa 2010, what are your memories of that tournament? We were unbeaten in the tournament [New Zealand drew their three group matches, finishing third…

Seattle Sounders confirmed their status as one of the pre-eminent teams not only in MLS but in US professional soccer, defeating the much-fancied Inter Miami in the 2025 Leagues Cup final. It completed a collection of North American trophies for the Sounders, with this latest silverware being added to the MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup titles claimed in previous seasons. And the manner in which they went about this latest triumph summed up what has made them consistently successful. For the Leagues Cup itself, it was another tentative move forward as the organisers try to get the balance right in this MLS versus Liga MX competition. There are still controversies surrounding it, not least the tournament being played entirely on MLS soil, which puts…

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP LINE-UP CONFIRMED Australia’s brand-new second-tier competition, the Championship, kicks off in October. There are16 clubs involved in the inaugural edition. The eight founding members are APIA Leichhardt, Avondale, Marconi Stallions, Preston Lions (who featured in the May edition of World Soccer), South Melbourne, Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58 and Wollongong Wolves. They will be joined by the eight state National Premier Leagues (NPL) champions, which this season are Bayswater City, Broadmeadow Magic, Canberra Croatia, Heidelberg United, Moreton City Excelsior, North Eastern MetroStars, NWS Spirit and South Hobart. The initial plan was to have a standalone, home-and-away league. But with not enough clubs meeting the necessary sporting, financial and geographic criteria, Football Australia was forced to rethink the format. Instead, the16 participating teams will be divided into four groups…

When England were humiliated by Iceland at Euro 2016, the players’ pain was deepened on seeing a viral video of Wales players celebrating their loss. They felt it disrespectful. The Welsh were certainly daft to let footage filmed by a player somehow escape on to social media. England didn’t forget and took their anger into the World Cup group game against the Welsh at the 2022 World Cup. Speaking to Luke Shaw before the match, we were left in no doubt how motivated England were. They duly thrashed Wales 3-0. In October, England play Wales for the first time since Qatar and the game is ambitiously billed as a friendly. It can’t be. There’s too much rivalry, too much water under the Severn Bridge. England should have taken Welsh mocking…

1974 By Marvin Close (Pitch Publishing, £16.99) This book whisks you back half a century to discover the major matches, controversies and seismic stories that lit up football in that momentous year. From Shankly’s retirement and a heart-breaking follow-up episode, to Revie’s England appointment and Clough’s infamous 44-day reign at Leeds – it’s all here. 1974: Football In The Seventies, is a richly detailed portrait of a sport – and a society – on the cusp of transformation. BRUSHES WITH A STROKE By Neil Harman (Pitch Publishing, £14.99) Brushes with a Stroke is the inspirational account of how the human spirit need not be crushed by the debilitating effects of a stroke. It tells seven vivid sporting stories – including those of Olympian Michael Johnson and footballer Noel Blake –…

“We will keep pursuing him because I know from my conversations with Mason and his family that he loves Jamaica…He wants to concentrate on club football” Jamaica boss Steve McClaren on Marseille striker Mason Greenwood, who has obtained a passport for the Caribbean nation without formally committing…

Elena Estrada is 24, she’s a law graduate who is preparing the entrance exams to become a civil servant and just before 9.30pm on August 24, the night Real Madrid played Real Oviedo, she got the first touch. Alongside her, receiving her left-footed pass, Carlos Llamedo got the second, 29,578 fans standing to applaud. Carlos studies industrial engineering and is about to begin a Masters degree. Like Elena, whose younger brother Nacho plays up front in the club’s youth team, he is 24. Season-ticket holders since they were born in Oviedo in the summer of 2001, together they took the honorary kick-off in the first home game of the 2025-26 season, symbols of life and loyalty. They stood as representatives of a community that refused to abandon its team, an…

LIVERPOOL The Reds’ radical rebuild Heartfelt, appreciative memories of forward DiogoJota will be front and centre as the Merseysiders aim for glory in UEFA’s most important club competition. The Reds, winners of the European Cup/Champions League on six previous occasions, have a rich history of supremacy in this particular arena and dearly would love to pay the ultimate tribute to their fallen comrade with another glittering continental prize. After securing their first Premier League crown in five years last term, Liverpool have taken the calculated risk of not merely tinkering with a successful formula but going all out, spending more than £400m on a raft of high-priced talent, including striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, gifted playmaker Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) and France forward Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt). That means…

SPORTING Reigning kings ofPortugal Portuguese champions for the second straight season, Sporting made history last term by defending the league title for the first time in 71 years. Quite an achievement in a campaign marked by upheaval, with coach Ruben Amorim leaving for Manchester United in November, his successor Joao Pereira lasting only six weeks and Rui Borges arriving just after Christmas to shrewdly steer them to glory, finishing two points ahead of capital city arch-rivals Benfica. The most important item on the agenda this summer was how to fill the void left by the departure of prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres, who piled up 54 goals in 52 games across all competitions last term, as well as making13 assists. The huge task of replacing the Arsenalbound man has fallen to…

Having conquered Europe, including the apparently unbeatable Barcelona, can Arsenal now conquer England and the actually unbeatable – domestically at least – Chelsea? That was the big question at the start of the new WSL season, and if Arsenal fail to end Chelsea’s run of six successive titles it won’t be for lack of effort. The Gunners, benefiting from having the highest average attendance of any women’s team in the world, made Olivia Smith the first £1 million women’s footballer after signing her from Liverpool, and turned Chloe Kelly’s hugely effective loan move from Manchester City into a permanent deal. In fact, their attacking options are so strong that they allowed Michelle Agyemang, the breakout star of Euro 2025, to return to Brighton for another season on loan. The Gunners…

It took an extraordinary goal to settle what turned out to be an extraordinary tournament, even though doubts remain over the usefulness of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and, indeed, its long-term future. The tournament, originally scheduled for the start of the year, was due to be scrapped. But a change of heart from Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe brought it back to life, largely to test the facilities of the three East African countries due to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals. Work on stadia refurbishment and other logistical requirements was proving torturously slow, particularly in Kenya, but Tanzania and Uganda also needed the hurry-up that hosting the CHAN two years ahead provided. In the end, it was all a bit of a last-minute…