Football Calendar: What's On and Where to Watch
The football calendar for 16 November to 20 December 2026: Premier League, Champions League, MLS Cup playoffs and the finals, with UK times and channels.
Football today and this week, 9–15 November
Football today and this week, 9 to 15 November 2026: the international break, with Nations League, WSL, League One and Two kick-off times in UK time.
Football today and this week, 2–8 November
Football today and this week, 2 to 8 November 2026: confirmed Premier League and Champions League kick-off times in UK and US Eastern time.
Champions League Format Explained: League Phase, Play-offs
Champions League format explained: 36 clubs, eight league-phase matches, top eight into the last 16 and places 9 to 24 in two-legged play-offs.
VAR Football Explained: How Video Review Works
VAR football explained: a video team checks goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity, but cannot overturn yellow cards or most fouls.
Football today and this week, 26 October – 1 November
Football today and this week, 26 October to 1 November: confirmed Premier League kick-off times in UK time and what is still unconfirmed.
Record Transfer Fees: From £100 to €222 Million
From Willie Groves for £100 in 1893 to Neymar for €222 million in 2017: how football's record transfer fee climbed, and how fees are counted.
The Bosman Ruling Explained: How Free Transfers Began
In 1995 a Belgian midfielder won a court case that changed football for good. What the Bosman ruling said, why it happened, and what it did to the game.
Football today and this week, 19–25 October
Football today and this week: all 18 Champions League Matchday 3 games on 20 and 21 October, with kick-off times in Central European and UK time.
Why Were Leicester 5000 to 1 to Win the Premier League?
Why were Leicester 5000 to 1 to win the Premier League? Near-relegation the season before, a modest squad and a doubted manager.
What Happened to the Stolen World Cup Trophy in 1966?
The stolen 1966 World Cup trophy was found a week later by a collie called Pickles, and returned to the FA before the tournament.
Football Fan Culture Explained: Scarves, Kits and Ultras
Football fan culture is the shared identity supporters build around the game, from scarves and kits to ultras, pubs, away trips and stadiums.
Football Rules Explained: A Complete Guide to Soccer
Football rules explained in plain English: the 17 Laws of the Game, match length, offside, cards and restarts, and who sets the rules.
Barcelona's Phenomenon: Ronaldo's One Season at Camp Nou
Ronaldo's one season at Barcelona: 47 goals in 49 games, the Pichichi and European Golden Shoe, and the move to Inter Milan.
Goal-Line Technology: How Cameras Decide Goals
How goal-line technology tracks the ball, why it only answers one question, and what the rules require before a goal is confirmed.
What Were Football Terraces and Why Were They Removed?
How football terraces worked, the disasters that exposed their risks, and why the Taylor Report after Hillsborough led to their removal.
How Football Crowds Build Atmosphere Through Chants
How football chants and singing sections began, why ultras lead the noise from behind the goals, and how crowd songs spread from the 1880s to today.
The Offside Rule Explained, and How VAR Changed It
The offside law in plain English: when a player is offside, when it is an offence, the exceptions, the 1925 and 1990 changes, and what VAR does.
Football Formations Explained: From the Pyramid to the Press
From the 2-3-5 pyramid to the 4-2-3-1: how football formations are numbered, why they changed, and what the numbers do and do not tell you.
A Fan's Glossary of Football Terms
Assist, brace, clean sheet, false nine, Fergie time, nutmeg and xG: a plain-English glossary of the words commentators use every weekend.
Promotion and Relegation: How Football Leagues Are Built
Why the worst teams drop down and the best move up, where the idea came from in 1892, how parachute payments work, and why American leagues are closed.
A Short History of the World Cup
From 13 teams in Uruguay in 1930 to 48 teams across three countries in 2026: how the World Cup grew into the biggest event in sport.
The Greatest Rivalries in Football
Boca and River, Celtic and Rangers: what turns a local fixture into a rivalry that defines a city, and the history behind two of the biggest.
The Greatest Football Managers of All Time
Michels invented Total Football, Sacchi was never a player, Ferguson won 38 trophies at one club. Three managers who changed the game, and how.
Lucky Shirts, Same Seats: Football Superstitions
A kiss on the goalkeeper's head, a curse that lasted sixty years, a lucky shirt never washed: football's superstitions, and why they help.
Why Penalty Shootouts Feel Unfair (But Aren't)
Introduced in 1970 to replace coin tosses, the shootout is cruel but closer to fair than it feels. What the research says about who wins, and why.
The Stadiums with the Best Atmosphere
A standing terrace for 25,000, a stadium that shakes, and what really makes a ground loud: the architecture behind football's best atmospheres.
Women's Football: What Changed After 2022
A sold-out Wembley, a 32-team World Cup and prize money nearly quadrupled: how two tournaments changed women's football, and what the numbers show.
The Greatest Goals Ever Scored
Maradona's run through England, Ibrahimović's overhead kick and the goals FIFA rewards every year: what makes a goal great, and who decides.
How the Transfer Window Actually Works
Why clubs can only sign players at certain times, how the windows were introduced in 2002, what deadline day really is, and the exceptions to the rule.