Columns

Every South Korean man has to do military service, and footballers are no exception. The only ways to avoid around 18 months away from the pitch in the middle of a career are an Olympic medal or Asian Games gold. Here is how Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in earned their exemptions, which national-team players served with the army club Sangmu, and the players, led by match-winner Eom Ji-sung, who earned their exemptions by beating Japan in the Asian Games final on 3 October.

Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 in Córdoba in their first match since the World Cup final. Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, new captain Cristian Romero and substitute José Manuel López scored, with Paz adding an assist.

We took the eleven players each of the 16 League A nations started on matchday 2 of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League (27-29 September) and worked out their average age. Wales were the oldest at 28.45, France the youngest at 24.55 — and in all eight matches, the side with the younger starting XI won.

Uruguay beat South Korea 4-1 in Seoul. Darwin Núñez scored twice and Giorgian de Arrascaeta had a goal and an assist as Uruguay led 3-0 at half-time; Lee Kang-in's late strike was Korea's only reply.

The Asian Cup is moving to even-numbered years from 2032, and the AFC has decided to launch a Nations League. With the international windows filling up with competitive matches, we expect Japan's friendlies to drop sharply and games against South American and European sides to all but disappear. This column separates what has been decided from what we project, explains why football is heading this way, and lays it all out next to the world's other major tournaments.

India host Brazil at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on 3 October. It is the first senior meeting between the two countries, and fifth-ranked Brazil are the highest-ranked opponent India have faced since the FIFA ranking began. Here is our predicted India XI, built on the side that drew 1-1 with Panama on 25 September, plus the squad and how Khalid Jamil's team plays.

Brazil's first match since their World Cup exit ended in a 1-1 draw in Townsville. Nestory Irankunda's 20-metre free kick put Australia ahead, and only Rayan's header in the fifth minute of stoppage time spared Carlo Ancelotti's side a defeat.

Xavi's first match with the Netherlands and Jürgen Klopp's first with Germany ended level. Felix Nmecha put Germany ahead, Marc-André ter Stegen made nine saves, and Cody Gakpo equalised in the 92nd minute.

Robert Moreno's first match in charge of South Korea ended in a 3-0 win. Oh Hyeon-gyu, Son Heung-min and substitute Lee Dong-gyeong scored in the second half, while Marcelo Gallardo's Ecuador lost on his debut.

Japan's first match since the World Cup belonged to the new faces: debutant Kuryu Matsuki opened the scoring from right wing-back, and substitute Kento Shiogai won it in stoppage time with his first international goal.

Lionel Messi, who announced his international retirement on 31 August 2026, will play his final match for Argentina against Benin at Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental on 6 October. We look back on 21 years that produced 207 caps, 125 goals and 21 World Cup goals, and predict the line-ups for a farewell that brings back the 2022 world champions.

A World Cup group-stage exit, the resignation of head coach Hong Myung-bo and a federation president under a cloud: South Korea have handed the rebuild to 48-year-old Robert Moreno, Luis Enrique's long-time right-hand man at Barcelona and with Spain. Based on the 30-man squad announced on 14 September and the 4-4-2 he confirmed at his press conference, we set out two predicted line-ups — a first-choice A-team for Ecuador on 24 September and an entirely rotated B-team for Uruguay on 28 September.

Beaten by Norway in the World Cup round of 16 — Brazil's first exit at that stage in 36 years — Carlo Ancelotti has kept his job and launched a "new cycle", leaving out 17 of his 26 World Cup players and calling up eight uncapped names in a squad averaging around 24 years old. Based on the 26 players named for two games against Australia on 25 and 29 September and a first-ever meeting with India on 3 October, we predict a first-choice A-team for the opening Australia match and an entirely rotated B-team for the second, played just three days later.

La Liga's fourth round was played between 3 and 7 September, the first week of the season in which all 20 clubs lined up on level terms. We took every starting eleven from that round — 220 players — and worked out each club's average height. The division averages 181.12cm: 2.81cm below the Premier League and, more surprisingly, below the Eredivisie's 181.96cm too. Real Madrid top the table on 184.73cm with the 201cm Thibaut Courtois behind them; Levante are bottom on 176.18cm, a spread of 8.55cm. And at 178.69cm, La Liga's forwards are the shortest of the four leagues — shorter even than J1's. Whatever height this division has sits with the goalkeepers and the centre-backs, and nowhere else.

The Premier League began its 2026-27 season on 21 August. We took the starting eleven each of the 20 clubs named for round one and worked out their average height. The division averages 183.93cm — 1.97cm above the Eredivisie and 4.88cm above J1 on the same starting-XI basis. Leeds United top the table at 186.45cm and Bournemouth sit bottom on 181.27cm, a spread of just 5.18cm — and even bottom-placed Bournemouth would out-measure the tallest club in J1. The Premier League's height is built not on outliers at the top but on a floor that never drops.