Football

1:02 PM ET Nigeria became the first nation to reach the knockout phase on Wednesday. Getty Nigeria became the first side to advance to the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday as they beat Guinea 1-0, having taken more than an hour to break the deadlock for the second straight match. Nigeria

ESPN FC’s Sid Lowe says it’s still early, but he fully expects Real Madrid to make a big push to generate money from player sales this summer. Alejandro Moreno examines Real Madrid’s projected starting XI for next season and says additional signings are still needed to bolster the squad. Real Madrid left-back Marcelo said Wednesday that

Australia has held discussions with Indonesia about making a joint bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, Football Federation Australia said on Thursday. “Football Federation Australia confirms it has held discussions with the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) about the possibility to jointly bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup,” the FFA said in a statement

ESPN Brazil analyst and former CBF referee Renata Ruel says the laws of the game must be reformulated to account for the addition of VAR. PARIS — Amid criticism that video assistant referee technology is affecting the product on the field in the Women’s World Cup, FIFA spent the day before the start of the

After renewing his contract with Man City, Kyle Walker describes how he’s developed under Pep Guardiola and his hunger for more silverware. Via Man City Manchester City hope to complete the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri Hernandez by next week, sources close to ESPN FC have confirmed. Bayern Munich had been making a strong

With a berth in the quarterfinal stage already booked, head coach Gregg Berhalter made the maximum number of changes to his lineup for the final group stage match versus Panama on Wednesday night in Kansas City and the U.S. pulled out a 1-0 win. A slow and sloppy group struggled to create clear chances for

11:22 PM ET Jozy Altidore scored in a 1-0 victory over Panama to seal top spot in the group for the United States at the Gold Cup in Kansas City, Kansas, on Wednesday. Gregg Berhalter fielded a rotated side, including a start for Altidore for the first time since October 2017 and giving Omar Gonzalez

10:42 PM ET Alejandro Pozuelo scored a penalty kick four minutes into stoppage time to give Toronto FC a 3-2 win over visiting Atlanta United on Wednesday. After Toronto defender Richie Laryea was brought down in Atlanta’s box, Pozuelo converted the penalty for the Spanish forward’s second goal of the match. Atlanta striker “Pity” Martinez

ESPN’s Julie Foudy chats with Tobin Heath about how the USWNT plan to attack France, who she feels have grown each game of the Women’s World Cup. Outside the Lines’ Jeremy Schaap outlines the significance of behind the Women’s World Cup quarterfinal showdown between the United States and France. Sam Mewis says the USWNT continue

PARIS — France and the United States will soon be on opposite sides of one of the biggest games in the history of women’s soccer. The two most abundant fan bases in this tournament will turn the Parc des Princes into a seething cauldron of nearly 50,000 voices, a “s—show circus” of epic proportions, as