Ronaldo could miss two World Cup games; Hampton injury blow: football news – live

4.50pm GMT Quad injury sidelines Hampton of Chelsea Women News to emerge from Sonia Bompastor’s earlier press conference is that Hannah Hampton, the England goalkeeper, will be out of action “for a few weeks” due to a quad muscle injury. Hampton missed the 6-0 away win against St Pölten in the Champions League on Tuesday having sustained the injury in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal last Saturday. ‘She will be out for a few weeks, so we’ll see,” said Bompastor. “If we can see her before the end of the year I’m not sure.” Updated at 4.52pm GMT 4.43pm GMT Peter is referring to this story from last night, which I didn’t see earlier: Captain Erling Haaland helped Norway celebrate their 4-1 victory over Estonia on Thursday by picking up a huge order of dozens of cheeseburgers for the squad, British media reported. Haaland’s composed half-time talk helped spark the win, midfielder Morten Thorsby said, with the team now on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The 25-year-old striker, still dressed in Norway gear, was spotted after the game lugging the cheeseburger order back to the squad. “It’s a strong performance from the captain!” Norway and Fulham midfielder Sander Berge told TV2. (Reuters) 4.41pm GMT “A late-night order of 60 or 70 cheeseburgers?!” emails Peter Oh. “I hope that is all that Erling Haaland has in common with Donald Trump.” 4.33pm GMT Women’s Super League fixtures this weekend are as follows: SaturdayManchester City v Manchester United (1.30pm) Sunday (12pm unless stated)Aston Villa v London City LionessesBrighton v LeicesterLiverpool v ChelseaWest Ham v EvertonTottenham v Arsenal (2.30pm) Updated at 4.34pm GMT 4.28pm GMT “It’s really important to have Sam [Kerr] back,” says Sonia Bompastor, the Chelsea Women head coach, of the forward who started a game for the first time in 692 days in the 6-0 Champions League win away against St Pölten on Tuesday. “She started in the Champions League, and scored a couple of goals. “She brings leadership, also the fact she’s a goal scorer, she has a lot of experience, and is always in the right position to score goals.” Updated at 4.29pm GMT 4.18pm GMT Gosh, there an awful lot of cynical football fans out there! Within seconds of the referee brandishing his red card last night, I received a message from a colleague along very similar lines, as to whether Ronaldo will face the full force of the law. 4.16pm GMT “I am fully aware that Fifa are a wonderful and fair organisation led by a wonderful and peace-loving human being,” emails Espen. “Yet there is this tiny nagging thought in the back of my head saying that I’m not entirely sure they will follow their own rules and ban Ronaldo for two World Cup games. Don’t know why but there’s just something …” 4.04pm GMT John Brewin has penned today’s Football Daily. You guessed it, it’s all about Cristiano Ronaldo and his antics in Dublin last night. Related: Football Daily | Ronaldo hits new heights for hubris after busy week playing fame game 4.02pm GMT Martin McColgan has emailed to query the following stat posted below: England have won their last six away matches in all competitions, their best run since between May 1970 and December 1971 (6). “Only if you don’t count losing to Brazil and West Germany at the Mexico World Cup finals in June 1970,” writes Martin. An interesting shout, I suppose for statistical purposes tournament games are not considered “away” matches. Updated at 4.03pm GMT 3.56pm GMT Here’s the view of a friend of mine who was at Fortess Aviva: “Portugal were woeful, sideways passing, no ideas, modern football! The striker who came on for them [Gonçalo Ramos] did more in two minutes than Ronaldo did the whole game. I mean, he doesn’t even run any more.” Updated at 3.58pm GMT 3.53pm GMT “I was just finishing an email to you last night about how limited this Irish team right as Troy Parrott scored the first goal,” writes John. “Even with last nights result, I stand by that comment that they are limited but there are enough decent players to form into a competent team. The big problem is that there is no midfielder who can either dominate a game or who can create chances. That’s obviously a problem but there are enough decent centre-backs there to create a good defence and a top-class keeper in Kelleher as well. That should be the basis of a decent team but the big thing this Irish team has is that it has attackers who are capable of scoring goals. “Along with Parrott last night, Evan Ferguson has scored three goals in four games in qualifying while struggling at club level. It’s been unfortunate that Ferguson and Parrott have not been fit at the same times this season as there is a chance of a good partnership there. Adam Idah has his flaws & shortcomings but he has a decent record for Ireland and if a Scottish player had scored 20 goals last season for Celtic, you could be sure he would be starting up front for them. “Point is that for all of Ireland shortcomings, there is the bones of a decent team there and at international level, if you can get your tactics, organisation and discipline right, you can go a long way. Whether Heimir Hallgrimsson is the man to do that, I don’t know, but with last nights result I think he has earned a chance to build on this.” Updated at 3.53pm GMT 3.49pm GMT If you didn’t see this goal by Piotr Zielinski for Inter the other week, stop everything and watch this: Zielinski goal What can I say about that? Other than: I hit one very similar at Catford Powerleague in 2012. Updated at 3.50pm GMT 3.36pm GMT Football’s global popularity is being placed at risk by skewing the sport’s balance towards more matches at international level, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has warned. The impact of Uefa’s expansion of club competitions was again felt this month, with Arsenal and Crystal Palace’s Carabao Cup tie and their league fixtures preceding it having to be rearranged in part due to Palace’s participation in the Uefa Conference League. Leagues are also concerned about the impact of the expanded, summertime Club World Cup on their competitions from an economic and player welfare perspective, particularly amid talk of a further expansion from 32 to 48 teams and playing it every two years instead of every four. Masters joined other league executives at the two-day World Leagues Association annual meeting in Athens this week, where the threat to domestic leagues from international expansion was one of the major topics discussed. “(This meeting) is the best attended we’ve ever had and it’s no surprise it comes at a time when the balance between national and international football is under threat from the unprecedented expansion of international competitions,” Masters said. “We cannot take football’s global popularity, its fans and its players for granted by fracturing this balance through an overloaded international calendar. All our members are united in their belief that to restore this balance domestic leagues must be protected. “Football at all levels, from international competitions to grassroots, needs strong national leagues to provide the foundations. Dialogue with Fifa is now crucial and it is in the best interests of football to involve the leagues in any future decisions about the international calendar.” European Leagues and the European division of world players’ union Fifpro have filed a legal complaint to the European Commission against Fifa over what they see as an abuse of its dominant position under EU competition law. They argue FIFA is abusing its position as both regulator and competition organiser and in doing so, causing economic and sporting damage to domestic leagues and jeopardising player welfare. Fifa argues it is within its rights to organise competitions such as the Club World Cup within the parameters of the international calendar. Fifa also has a Memorandum of Understanding with European Football Clubs - which features 17 current Premier League clubs among its membership - through to 2030 which renews those clubs’ commitment to the international calendar. (PA Media) Updated at 3.38pm GMT 3.25pm GMT There is a parallel between Cristiano Ronaldo/Portugal and Jude Bellingham/England. If Ronaldo gets a three-match ban for violent conduct, meaning he was due to miss Portugal’s first two group games in North America, surely Roberto Martínez would be sensible to drop him altogether? Judging by his behaviour last night, it is hard to believe he is a positive presence in the changing room. Thomas Tuchel has already shown he is willing to leave Bellingham out – and while he is a less dominant presence in the England setup than Ronaldo with Portugal, it’s also feasible that Tuchel feels he is not a wholly positive figure when it comes to the building an upbeat squad dynamic. You really have to feel for the Adidas marketing people, after all that money they chucked at the current Bellingham campaign. In other news, someone on telly was just blathering on about how England’s back-up options for Harry Kane aren’t up to scratch. I don’t really buy that. The only reason England beat the Netherlands at the last Euros is that Ollie Watkins came on, a striker who can actually run fast. Kane is obviously in extremely good form but that is under specific circumstances at Bayern and in a certain way of playing. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see him stinking out another major international tournament come next summer. Updated at 3.28pm GMT 3.08pm GMT Thank you David. Here we are again. I was lucky enough to be doing the clockwatch for Republic of Ireland v Portugal last night, plus the other games. The match in Dublin bore all the hallmarks of a frustrating 0-0, or an agonising 0-1 defeat for the hosts. But it couldn’t have turned out much better, both in terms of result for the Irish, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s comically childish yet notably violent red card. I’m doing the clockwatch again for tonight’s qualifiers too. In the meantime send me an email with your thoughts on Republic of Ireland’s victory, prospects for their match in Budapest on Sunday, or tonight’s games which include Slovakia v Northern Ireland, Luxembourg v Germany and Poland v Netherlands. Oh, and there’s always England too. Let’s go! Updated at 4.34pm GMT 2.59pm GMT Time to hand the blog over to Luke McLaughlin for the rest of the afternoon. Thanks for reading! 2.54pm GMT Next up for England is a trip to Albania on Sunday. Some Opta stats here to impress family and friends with: Albania have lost all seven of their matches against England – all in World Cup qualifiers – conceding at least twice in every defeat and scoring just once, an Altin Rraklli goal in a 3-1 loss in March 2001. Albania have not conceded a goal in a home qualifier for a major tournament (EURO/World Cup) for eight matches, since a 1-0 defeat to Poland in October 2021. They have faced 70 shots (17 on target) and an xG of 4.61 without conceding in these eight games. England have won their last six away matches in all competitions, their best run since between May 1970 and December 1971 (6). England have kept a clean sheet in each of their last nine competitive internationals, facing just nine shots on target in that run – five of which were against Greece in the first of those nine games last November. England have won their last two away matches 5-0, beating Serbia in September and Latvia in October. They last hit 5+ goals in three away games in a row between May 1937 and May 1938. Harry Kane has been directly involved in seven goals in three appearances against Albania (5 goals, 2 assists), scoring or assisting on average every 35 minutes. 2.45pm GMT A quick mention for our cricket coverage with a week to go until day one of the first Ashes Test in Perth. Related: The Guardian and Qantas bowl into the Ashes with a new special edition podcast and expanded multimedia coverage for this year’s iconic tournament 2.39pm GMT Back to domestic matters now and an exclusive. The EFL is to oppose radical proposals from League one clubs to introduce a £4.7m salary cap and a luxury tax for clubs that overspend. Eighteen League One clubs wrote to the EFL chair, Rick Parry, this month advocating a fixed squad salary allowance, which they argue is required to get spending under control in a division where the median loss among 24 clubs last season was £5.2m. Related: League One clubs’ salary cap and luxury tax plans to be snubbed by EFL 2.30pm GMT “But what about the assists charts?” I hear you cry. Yes, we have those too. Norway on top again. Slightly surprising that Declan Rice has been England’s top provider in the European World Cup qualifiers. 7 Martin Ødegaard (Norway)5 Lovro Majer (Croatia)5 Sorba Thomas (Wales)4 Memphis Depay (Netherlands)4 Mateo Retegui (Italy)4 Declan Rice (England)4 Julian Ryerson (Norway)4 Manor Solomon (Israel) 2.21pm GMT Erling Haaland is a mile clear in the top scorers in European World Cup qualifying charts. Those 14 goals have helped the ‘cheeseburger chompers’ (see 11:22) smash 33 in their seven qualifiers. To be honest, it's pretty impressive that his teammates have combined for all those other 19. 14 Erling Haaland (Norway)7 Memphis Depay (Netherlands)6 Marko Arnautović (Austria)6 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)6 Harry Kane (England)6 Andrej Kramarić (Croatia)6 Mikel Merino (Spain) 2.12pm GMT The world of football throws up no shortage of questions. Today, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of them, two of those involving Pep and Messi. Related: Pitch Points: Pep’s next thousand games; will Messi drag Miami to glory? 2.02pm GMT After failing to reach the finals in 2018 and 2022, could we be facing a third World Cup without the presence of Italy? It’s possible. With group rivals Norway in such flying form (seven wins out of seven), Italy are now destined for the play-offs. The Azzurri only just scraped past Moldova last night, goals in the 88th minute and injury-time securing an unconvincing 2-0 win against a team that Norway had blasted 11 past, Erling Haaland helping himself to a five-for. Not surprisingly, the travelling fans weren’t happy, voicing their disapproval loudly but Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso wasn’t having it. “What I heard today was a disgrace. I can’t accept it. There are no easy games. If you’re still thinking about the 11-1 Norway did against them here, that’s not my problem. I’m very happy, let’s move on. You have to stay united, because the team is struggling with difficulties on the pitch - and I don’t accept hearing 500 fans protesting.” Warming to his task, Gattuso also had a go at the qualification system. “In our day, the best runners-up went straight to the World Cup.” Updated at 2.03pm GMT 1.51pm GMT Quiz time! Plenty of football questions in today’s test of the grey matter. Quite a tricky one today. Related: Sports quiz of the week: Ashes, All Blacks and a big payday in tennis 1.41pm GMT Can France, after West Germany and Brazil, become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals? Luke Entwistle runs the rule over the 2018 winners after their 4-0 victory over Ukraine last night, a game that was Didier Deschamps’ last competitive game on French soil as manager. Related: France qualified for the World Cup easily but their attack needs work Updated at 1.42pm GMT 1.30pm GMT Here’s Troy Parrott on his double against Portugal which kept the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup hopes alive. Those two goals from the AZ Alkmaar striker secured a surprise 2-0 victory which means the Irish can earn a play-off spot if winning away to Hungary on Sunday. Parrott got the nod due to the absence of injured Roma frontman Evan Ferguson. “It means everything. I felt emotions scoring those goals that I’ve never felt before. I don’t even have the words to describe them. It’s really a special feeling. I’m over the moon. “I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but I think Sunday now is probably the biggest game. We gave ourselves a good chance to get into that second spot, so now all the focus is on Sunday. “I’ve had a big night. I’m not frustrated with the past. It is still frustrating that I’ve had to wait a long time for a night like this, but it just goes to show I have a lot of belief in myself. To see it pay off is really special.” 1.20pm GMT Former England captain Millie Bright has been getting her chat on with Suzanne Wrack. The Chelsea defender talks Barcelona, the benefits of taking a breather and joining a campaign to tackle winter loneliness. Related: Millie Bright: ‘If you can make someone’s life better, why would you not?’ 1.10pm GMT Thanks Alex. Excellent win there for Curaçao. Fun fact: they’re 82nd in the Fifa World Rankings, nine spots above Bulgaria. Stoichkov won’t be happy. 1.06pm GMT It’s not just European qualifiers going on right now, naturally, results in Concacaf World Cup qualifying today include Guatemala 2-3 Panama, Haiti 1-0 Costa Rica, Nicaragua 2-0 Honduras, Bermuda 0-7 Curaçao and, vitally, Trinidad and Tobago 1-1 Jamaica – a game which pitched Dwight Yorke against Steve McClaren in a managerial showdown. Honours even! And, on that bombshell, I’ll hand you back to David Tindall. 12.55pm GMT Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card and possible suspension from two World Cup games for Portugal (note: I, perhaps cynically, believe this is unlikely) has me thinking about star players suspended for the start of major tournaments. Wayne Rooney missed England’s opening two games of Euro 2012, of course, after being sent off in England’s draw with Montenegro. Before that, in Euro 2008, Russia were without a suspended Andrey Arshavin for two group games, before he returned and helped his side to the semi-finals. I’m sure there are simply loads I’m missing … Updated at 12.57pm GMT 12.45pm GMT Unsurprising news: Marc Guéhi has now officially withdrawn from the England squad due to his foot injury. An FA statement has trumpeted: “Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi has left the England camp and will not travel to Albania for Sunday’s 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier. “The defender joined up with the Three Lions at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground earlier this week but has returned to his club to continue his rehabilitation.” Palace go to Wolves next weekend so the club will be hoping to get their captain fit for that. 12.35pm GMT Thomas Tuchel has given more feedback on his England players after the win against Serbia. The gist: stand down John Cena, because none of them require an attitude adjustment. “I’m very happy with the attitude again of the team,” said Tuchel. “I don’t see any change of attitude in training because the game doesn’t mean anything, or is a dead-rubber as you call it, or is a friendly.” England go to Albania in their last qualifier aiming to make it a perfect eight wins from eight. “I’m pretty sure we will be ready and the team will have the right spirit, to do it hopefully again in Albania, with all the respect,” added Tuchel. “It will be not easy and from there we go.” 12.26pm GMT Scotland visit Greece tomorrow in a vital Group C match – Ewan Murray is in Athens, surrounded by ancient wonders, and he’s supplied his preview. “It appears you can be on the brink of reaching your holy grail without many people paying sufficient attention. Scotland’s opportunity for World Cup qualification is their best since 1998, when they last performed on that scene. Theirs is also a scenario that would have been widely welcomed before a ball was kicked. On the basis Denmark will defeat Belarus, Scotland must take at least a point from Saturday’s clash in Greece.” Related: Steve Clarke takes Scotland to Greece against backdrop of hope and unease Updated at 12.37pm GMT 12.18pm GMT Group G’s fixtures tonight are Finland v Malta and the big one: Poland v the Netherlands. The Dutch are three points ahead of Poland with a far better goal difference, so it isn’t exactly a top-spot showdown, but nothing is settled yet. Finland could still sneak into second if it all goes wrong for Poland in their last two fixtures. Group L has Croatia v Faroe Islands (on a three-game qualification win streak!) later today. Plus Gibraltar v Montenegro. Croatia will qualify for the World Cup if they pick up a point. 12.12pm GMT World Cup qualification action tonight is brought to you by the Groups A, G and L (note: for me, Group L just sounds too far into the alphabet but there we go). Group A features Slovakia v Northern Ireland and, while the latter are guaranteed a playoff spot after topping their Nations League group, they could do Germany a favour(!) by taking at least a point off Slovakia. Germany face Luxembourg this evening, but the final match is Germany v Slovakia in a likely playoff for top spot. A reminder that Germany lost the first fixture between those two sides, 2-0 in September. Updated at 12.20pm GMT 12.05pm GMT Thanks David – on the subject of England World Cup songs: I’m obviously partial to the epic 90s duo of my youth (World in Motion/Three Lions). However I also have a guilty soft spot for Ant and Dec’s We’re on the Ball and I can recite the entire passing sequence – “it’s Neville to Campbell, Campbell to Rio, Rio to Scholsey” etc, etc – from start to finish off by heart. Yet I can remember next to nothing of my GCSE French. How useful. Updated at 12.28pm GMT 11.59am GMT Right, time for me to hand you over to Alex Reid while I head out in the pouring rain for supplies. 11.52am GMT Here’s Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defending Cristiano Ronaldo for the elbow on the Republic of Ireland’s Dara O’Shea that could lead to the skipper missing the first two group games of the 2026 World Cup finals. FIFA’s disciplinary code states violent conduct should lead to a suspension of at least three matches, as should any offence of assault, including “elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting at or hitting an opponent”. Ronaldo will definitely serve a one-match ban for his red card in the 2-0 defeat in Dublin, meaning he misses Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia on Sunday, but then it’s in Fifa’s hands as to whether that suspension is increased to three games. Martinez said of Ronaldo: “The red card is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games – I think that just deserves credit – and today, I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team. “He was 60 minutes or 58 minutes in the box being grabbed, being pulled, being pushed and obviously when he tries to get away from the defender. I think the action looks worse than what it actually is, I don’t think it’s an elbow, I think it’s a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. But we accept it. “The only thing that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth is at the (pre-match) press conference, (the Ireland) coach (Heimir Hallgrimsson) was talking about the aspect of the referees being influenced, and then a big centre-half falls on the floor so dramatically at the turn of Cristiano’s body.” 11.41am GMT An e-mail from Kieran McHugh. “We all know that the best World Cup song is This Time by the 1982 World Cup squad. Whether it’s comb and paper or a kazoo may never be known, but it’s a cracking song and the video demonstrates Shilts’ lip syncing is up there with Milli Vanilli. However as a resident of Loughton, Essex I have further information that may be of interest. News in fact of a blue plaque in Loughton that celebrates the former home of Ron Greenwood. The house number? 22. Of course!” A No 2 hit in 1982. 11.31am GMT A song now to hopefully inspire the Republic of Ireland to World Cup qualification. Remember this? Mick McCarthy on drums after 31 seconds. Produced by U2’s Larry Mullen. The Republic of Ireland’s official Italia ‘90 World Cup ditty. 11.22am GMT Exciting news from Norway where Erling Haaland was seen coming out of a local restaurant with a massive stash of cheeseburgers after scoring a brace in the 4-1 win over Estonia. Experts reckon the celebratory haul was significant, with claims of “60 to 70 cheeseburgers” in some outlets. Haaland, age 25, was still wearing his Norway training gear when emerging from the fast food establishment. More when we have it. 11.10am GMT Shall we have some World Cup songs? Let’s start with England. This is often forgotten and overshadowed by 1970’s ‘Back Home’ and 1982’s ‘This Time (We’ll Get It Right)‘ but I rather like 1998’s ‘(How Does It Feel to Be) On Top of the World’. I mean, the Spice Girls are in the video, it was written by Ian McCulloch, Johnny Marr and the fella out of Ocean Colour Scene. Released on Juxtaposition Records. Didn’t get to No.1. Good, didn’t want it to. Next. Updated at 11.27am GMT 11.00am GMT A brief departure from international musings. Then again, not quite as two England starters from last night appear in this list curated by Danel Harris. Related: The Premier League XI that deserves more credit, from Pickford to Trossard 10.51am GMT England analysis. Five pointers from the Wembley win, courtesy of Jacob Steinberg. Nico O’Reilly and Marcus Rashford both feature. “The dream scenario is Marcus Rashford becoming England’s Son Heung-min. Kane loved dropping off and releasing Son when they were teammates at Tottenham.” Related: Five pointers for Thomas Tuchel: England’s race for No 10 hots up 10.40am GMT Some Thomas Tuchel quotes from England’s 2-0 win. The German was delighted with the impact of his substitutes which included Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. “This is not about building a starting XI, it’s about building a team. And that means that sometimes, they’re all big players in their club, they’re all used to play, they’re all disappointed. This is normal, but they buy into this idea of building a team and this is what we want, this is what we need, there is no other way around it.” Related: ‘We’re building a team’: Tuchel salutes his England substitutes after they see off Serbia Updated at 10.41am GMT 10.30am GMT You want content? How about this for content, then: Luis Rubiales having eggs flung at him during during the presentation of his new book in Madrid. Not only that, the disgraced former Spanish football federation president claimed the flinger was his uncle. Zapruder footage here. You have to say that the disgraced former Spanish football federation president takes the second egg well. Quite the spin to catch it on his cool jacket, ensuring the egg doesn’t strike his cool white t-shirt and cool light blue jeans. Would disgraced presidents from other football federations have shown such mobility in a tight area? A reminder that Rubiales was convicted of sexual assault for a forced kiss on the player Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the Women’s World Cup. Related: Luis Rubiales has eggs thrown at him during book launch in Madrid Updated at 10.34am GMT 10.20am GMT Here’s Barney Ronay’s take on last night’s game at Wembley and the big talking point: England’s No 10. “Tuchel has been very clear. He wants a structure not a group of the coolest guys, a selection by aura. And in many ways it worked here as on 65 minutes, with England already 1-0 up, we finally got it, the shootout of the No 10s. We got energy, mood-shift, a four-man blazing squad entering the field of play: Jude, Phil, Eberechi Eze and, er, Jordan Henderson.” Related: Bellingham and Foden return to give Tuchel’s England a headache at No 10 | Barney Ronay 10.09am GMT The World Cup starts in 209 days. It seems quite a while yet but if you’re thinking about committing to the 2026 Panini sticker album, it’s probably worth putting aside some cash now. With 48 teams involved, this ain’t going to be cheap. I’ve asked AI to run the numbers. “It will likely cost well over £1,000 to fill the 2026 Panini World Cup sticker album, potentially reaching as high as £1,500, due to the increase in the number of teams and general inflation. While the theoretical minimum cost, assuming no duplicates, is much lower (around £120-£130), the practical cost is much higher because of the high probability of getting duplicate stickers.” Quote this to your football-mad 10-year-old nearer the time. In related news, I had a rummage the other night and found three spare Robertos from the 1978 World Cup collection. Does anyone know if the Brazilian striker is worth much? Updated at 11.33am GMT 9.58am GMT A World Cup qualifying quiz question. In the European section, only one other team apart from England have gone through qualifying with a perfect record so far? Don’t look down if you want to try and make a guess. A clue: they haven’t played in the finals since France ‘98. A second clue: they have a big lad up front. Yes, the answer is Norway, who have won seven out of seven after beating Estonia 4-1 in Oslo last night. Erling Haaland helped himself to another couple and now has 14 goals in qualifying. Technically, they haven’t yet qualified as Italy, who they play away in the final game, could still join Norway on 21 points. However, check the goal difference: Norway +29, Italy +12. So just a 17-goal swing then. Updated at 11.18am GMT 9.49am GMT Not wanting to spoil the party but it’s a still a big ask for the Republic of Ireland to qualify for the finals. To secure a play-off spot they need to secure victory over Hungary in Budapest on Sunday. Hungary stayed ahead of the Irish in Group F after Barnabás Varga headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross to secure a 1-0 win in Armenia. The last time Hungary took part in a World Cup play-off they lost 12-1 on aggregate to Yugoslovia in 1997. What?! 12-1!! 9.40am GMT Which countries have qualified for the 2026 World Cup and how did they do it? Here’s a very handy ‘Explainer’ from Andy Martin. Twenty-nine of the 48 places have now been filled but some big names – Cameroon and Nigeria for example – will need to come through a playoff. Related: World Cup 2026: which countries have qualified and how did they do it? 9.35am GMT Ronaldo could be suspended for World Cup group games That red card for Ronaldo against the Republic of Ireland was his first in 226 appearances for Portugal. And the man himself certainly didn’t see it coming having come out with these famous last words before the match. “I really like the fans here. The support they give to their national team is lovely. For me, it’s a pleasure to come to play here again. I hope they don’t boo too much to me tomorrow. I swear that I’m gonna try to be a good boy.” There could be some serious ramifications for Ronnie after his flailing arm on Dara O’Shea. The red means he’s automatically banned for Portugal’s home game against Armenia on Sunday. But if judged as “serious foul play” by Fifa, that suspension would double to two matches and if classed as “violent conduct” the ban would be extend to three. That, of course, would mean Ronaldo missing one, or even two, of Portugal’s opening group games in the 2026 finals. I’m going to make a wild guess here… I don’t think that will happen. Updated at 11.43am GMT 9.21am GMT Back to England v Serbia and some player ratings. We have a ‘9’ and a couple of ‘8s’. Press here to reveal Ed Aarons’ scores on the doors from Wembley. Related: England 2-0 Serbia: player ratings from the World Cup qualifier at Wembley 9.15am GMT Republic of Ireland 2-0 Portugal. While England winning 2-0 generated nothing much more than a shrug around the football world, another qualifier ending in that same scoreline raised lots of eyebrows. Fantastic stuff from the Irish as two goals from Troy Parrott secured a famous win in Dublin and kept their playoff hopes alive. And just for extra craic for the home fans filing out of the Aviva, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off! More details here on the best sporting performance from a Parrott since John beat Jimmy White 18-11 in the final of the 1991 world snooker championship. Related: World Cup 2026 qualifying roundup: Ronaldo sent off in Portugal defeat by Republic of Ireland Updated at 9.16am GMT 9.07am GMT Good morning! Before the deep dive, let’s start with the bread and butter: David Hytner’s match report of England 2-0 Serbia. “Too often, the final pass was missing. But what the manager did get was another win and another clean sheet. Count seven of each from seven qualifiers. The final one is against Albania in Tirana on Sunday. And, also, two lovely goals.” Related: Saka and Eze strikes sink Serbia as England maintain perfect World Cup qualifying record 9.04am GMT Preamble International breaks seem to go on for ages and we’re not even halfway through the latest one. Still, matters are being resolved and the picture of just who will be at next summer’s 2026 World Cup finals is becoming clearer. England had already qualified ahead of last night’s 2-0 win over Serbia but that didn’t stop the forensic analysis of Thomas Tuchel’s latest selection and England’s Wembley performance. We’ll bring you all the fallout from last night’s game and also a round-up of events elsewhere where it was quite the night for the Republic of Ireland. For Cristiano Ronaldo, not so much. And beyond World Cup qualifying, there appears to have been a family feud in Spain involving eggs. More on that shortly. Righty, let’s get this thing going!