The Independent Football

• England vs Croatia smashes highest peak TV viewership for 2026

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Peak audience of 15.4 million tuned in to see Thomas Tuchel’s team open World Cup campaign with a win

• Neymar ruled out of Brazil’s World Cup clash with Haiti due to lingering calf injury

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Neymar also missed Brazil’s opening game against Morocco

• Are FIFA’s hydration breaks helping or hurting the World Cup? Experts aren’t convinced

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  This summer's tournament, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, is anticipated to be one of the hottest on record

• World Cup captains to take stance against hate speech amid soaring social media abuse

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Fifa revealed it has deleted almost 400,000 abusive posts during this year’s tournament already

• What time are the Premier League 2026/27 fixtures released?

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Arsenal will defend their title while Coventry are back in the top flight for the first time in 25 years

• Palestine FA makes ‘sportswashing’ vow after Republic of Ireland agree to play Israel behind closed doors

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Republic of Ireland have agreed to play Israel behind closed doors later this year

• ‘I’ve got a chip on my shoulder’: Jude Bellingham shows critics why he’s England’s rightful No 10

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Their relationship has at times been uneasy but Jude Bellingham’s second-half performance against Croatia showed why he is essential to Thomas...

• Czech Republic vs South Africa LIVE: Both sides fighting for World Cup survival in Group A clash

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Both sides are looking for their first win at the 2026 World Cup after respective defeats to South Korea and Mexico

• Europe-bound Motherwell appoint little-known Swedish manager after putting faith in data again

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Motherwell have named their new manager following the departure of Jens Berthel Askou

• Mexican military brings down drone near South Korean training camp in ‘unfortunate’ incident

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  The incident occurred before the two teams meet in Group A on Thursday

• Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses discover World Cup play-off opponents

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

• Ivory Coast World Cup star Yan Diomande pens heartbreaking tribute to late sister

  18-6-2026 Football The Independent Football

  Yan Diomande’s sister Roxane died last year having allegedly had a drink spiked