8:30 AM ET Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday. The new partnership was confirmed during a news conference at the Swiss headquarters of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body. – Stream on
Football
6:28 AM ET Rodrigo Faez Moises Llorens Atletico Madrid are set to agree a deal with Barcelona to sign Antoine Griezmann on a permanent basis, multiple sources have told ESPN, bringing an end to the stalemate that has seen the France forward start just one LaLiga game this season. Griezmann, 31, returned to Atletico —
7:29 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Erik ten Hag has insisted Cristiano Ronaldo is happy at Manchester United, despite concerns the striker could leave in January’s transfer window after a lack of game time. Ronaldo was an unused substitute in United’s heavy defeat against rivals Man City on Sunday. Ten Hag said he resisted the temptation
10:43 AM ET Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez said he has found it “difficult to adapt” to the Premier League after scoring just once this season following his €75 million move from Benfica in the summer. Nunez, 23, admitted that his struggles were partly self-inflicted after his reckless challenge against Crystal Palace, which saw him receive
10:00 AM ET As friendlies go, Friday’s matchup between the U.S. women’s national team and England is about as enticing as they get. Fresh off winning the 2022 Euros, the Lionesses will be eager to keep manager Sarina Wiegman’s incredible unbeaten streak going against the reigning World Cup champions. The U.S., meanwhile, might have won
3:14 AM ET Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho’s iconic phrases went down in football folklore. CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images Classic quotes from Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho have made the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary. The dictionary features 600,000 words, three million quotations and over 1,000 years of English, and
7:45 PM ET Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson and Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler are both stepping away from decision-making roles with their National Women’s Soccer League clubs until the findings are released from an ongoing investigation into numerous reports of sexual misconduct and abuse around the league. Paulson, who is also the owner
4:58 PM ET Barcelona are in danger of failing to make it out of the Champions League group phase after a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan on Tuesday left them with just three points from three matches. Hakan Calhanoglu scored the only goal of the game at the San Siro in first-half stoppage time to
4:52 PM ET Liverpool bounced back from Saturday’s disappointing draw against Brighton and Hove Albion to ease past Rangers with a routine 2-0 victory in Champions League Group A at Anfield on Tuesday. Goals either side of half-time by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah sent Liverpool second in the group, below Napoli who thrashed Jurgen
1:36 PM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Bayer Leverkusen are considering sacking manager Gerardo Seoane and are looking at appointing Xabi Alonso as his replacement, sources have told ESPN. Seoane will be in charge for Leverkusen’s Champions League Group B game with FC Porto on Tuesday, but his future is uncertain after a poor start