With a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday, Manchester City advanced to the League Cup semi-finals thanks to Rayan Cherki’s stunning strike.
With their sixth consecutive victory in all competitions, Pep Guardiola could afford to give Erling Haaland the night off ahead of the hectic Premier League schedule.
Guardiola made seven changes to the Etihad, leaving Haaland out of the lineup.
Abdukodir Khusanov, a rare start, was fortunate to only receive a yellow card for deflecting German-attacking Kevin Schade.
As the England international replaced the ailing Oscar Bobb after just 20 minutes, Guardiola was forced to substitute the in-form Phil Foden.
Also Read: 2026 World Cup Winners Will Win $50 Million in Prize Money.
On December 17, 2025, Manchester City’s Croatian defender #24 Josko Gvardiol (CL) and Fulham’s Serbian midfielder #20 Sasa Lukic (CR) faced off in the English League Cup quarter-final football game between Brentford and Manchester at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England. (Photo by Darren Staples/AFP)
Ten minutes before half-time, Cherki was the one to styleably unlock the Brentford rearguard action.
The Frenchman gathered a corner that was cut inside the box, cut inside, and slammed into the top corner with an unstoppable effort.
The home side’s second came much more favorably, 20 minutes apart, when Savinho’s shot deflected off Kristoffer Ajer to encircle Hakon Valdimarsson.
Between 2018 and 2021, City won the League Cup four years in a row under Guardiola.
However, this is their first time making it to the top four in five seasons.
With a 3-1 victory over Cardiff on Tuesday, Chelsea advanced to the semi-finals early in the year.
Later on Wednesday, Arsenal host Crystal Palace in their final quarter-final match against them, while Fulham or Newcastle will play them.
The country’s football authorities announced on Wednesday that the latest punishment in a simmering scandal was FIFA, which led to three 3-0 defeats for fielding ineligible players.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) reported that friendly victories over Cape Verde and Singapore, both of which were held at home this year, were overturned.
Seven foreign national team players have already been suspended by FIFA because of forged documents that claimed to be from Malaysian descent.
The FAM was previously subject to a $ 440,000 fine, and it has since received a further $ 12,500 fine.
Malaysia is alleged to have lost 3-0 of its three matches, according to a ruling from a FIFA disciplinary committee meeting on Friday.
Following Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier in June, FIFA launched an investigation following a complaint.
READ ALSO: 2026 World Cup Winners Win $50,000,000 in prize money.
Two of the seven players each scored.
According to its investigation, none of Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, or Joao Brandao Figueiredo were selected for the national team because they were required to have a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia.
The FAM has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, alleging any wrongdoing.
FIFA, the world’s governing body, announced on Wednesday that the 2026 World Cup winners will receive $ 50 million in prize money as part of a record-setting financial contribution to the event.
The total World Cup prize fund, which is $655 million (5558.5 million euros), is an increase of almost $ 40 million over the previous Qatari tournament’s $ 40 million in 2022.
However, the United States, Mexico, and Canada will host the next World Cup, which will be held from June 11 through July 19. This year’s event will have 48 teams, a 50% increase over the 32 teams that were present last year.
FIFA Also Announces $60 World Cup Tickets for “Loyal Fans.”
Lionel Messi’s inspiration for glory three years ago, when they won on penalties in the final against France, earned the Argentine Football Association $ 42 million in prize money.
For their berth in the final, France received $ 30 million. The third-place finishers will receive $29 million, while the other defeated semi-finalists will receive $27 million. The beaten finalists will also receive $29 million this time.
Teams that are eliminated from the group phase will receive $9 million, while all 48 participating nations will receive an additional $1.5 million to cover “preparation costs.”
Following a glittering era, which included winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Ahmed Musa has ended his international career with the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Former Leicester City forward Musa announced his retirement on Wednesday, describing his time with the Super Eagles as being a thing of “pride.”
Dear Super Eagles family, I have made the decision to leave professional football, ending almost 15 years of my tenure with the Super Eagles. The winger, who is affectionately known as the “Governor,” announced his retirement from the national team in a post announcing his decision to wear green and white from the very beginning.
Musa thanked teammates, coaches, and fans for their continued support while playing for the Super Eagles.
Football gave me a career, but Nigeria gave me meaning. Thank you for believing in me, my teammates over the years, the coaches, the backroom staff, and the administrators,” he wrote.
Your support to the fans at home and abroad, in stadiums, and in front of their TVs, was more important to me than it is to you. I take a deep breath and express gratitude when I leave professional football.
I’m confident in my efforts. The Super Eagles will advance, I’m sure of that. And I am aware that this friendship will never end. Always an Eagle, once an Eagle.
FIFA Releases $60 World Cup Tickets Following Pricing Backlash.
For 15 years, I’ve worn this badge proudly. From a boy, 17, who answered every call, to a 111-game Super Eagle record. Champion of the AFCON Nigeria’s top goalscorer at the World Cup Captain . Servant . Believer in .
I gave everything. Thank you for the Nigerian photo. twitter.com/Ri34E3UuAl
The Kano Pillar manager has four goals in 2014, including a brace against Argentina in Brazil, making it Nigeria’s top overall scorer. Four years later, when the Super Eagles defeated Iceland 2-0 in Russia, he did it again.
Musa, 33, started out with the Kano Pillars before moving to Europe, where he frequently appeared for Turkish teams Karagümrük and Sivasspor, as well as CSKA Moscow in Russia and VV Venlo in the Netherlands.
He also assisted Al Nassr in winning the Saudi Pro League, where he also played.
In September of that year, the AFCON champion returned to Nigeria as a player and was later appointed club’s general manager.
After William Troost-Ekong’s exit from the Super Eagles, he retired a few weeks later.
Defending the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title has historically proven to be one of the tournament’s toughest challenges.
Since Egypt first lifted the trophy in 1959, many reigning champions have struggled to replicate their success at the next edition.
While a few teams managed deep runs, early exits and modest group-stage finishes have been far more common, underlining the competitiveness and unpredictability of African football.
READ ALSO: Coach Fae Under Fire As Côte d’Ivoire Seek Back-To-Back AFCON Titles
Only a handful of nations have successfully defended their crown. Ghana did so in 1965, while Cameroon (2002) and Egypt (2008 and 2010) stand out as the most dominant modern examples.
Egypt’s back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2010 remain a historic achievement, especially considering they failed to qualify for the 2012 tournament. Cameroon also enjoyed a strong spell, winning in 2002 before falling to the quarter-finals two years later. In contrast, several champions such as Zaire, Sudan, Congo Brazzaville, and Morocco (1978) exited at the group stage in their title defences.
Recent tournaments have followed the same pattern of difficulty for reigning champions. Ivory Coast (2017), Algeria (2022), and Senegal (2024) all failed to progress beyond the early knockout rounds or group stages, despite entering as favourites. Nigeria and Zambia also suffered disappointing campaigns, while Nigeria notably withdrew from the 1996 edition due to political tensions with hosts South Africa.
Overall, AFCON history shows that defending the title is often harder than winning it, with form, pressure, and fierce continental competition frequently disrupting champions’ hopes of repeat glory
How AFCON Defending Champions Performed
1959: Egypt – champions
1962: Egypt – runners-up
1963: Ethiopia – 4th
1965: Ghana – champions
1968: Ghana – runners-up
1970: Zaire – Gp B, 4th
1972: Sudan – Gp B, 4th
1974: Congo Brazzaville – 4th
1976: Zaire – Gp B, 4th
1878: Morocco – Gp B, 3rd
1980: Ghana – Gp B, 3rd
1982: Nigeria – Gp B, 3rd
1984: Ghana – Gp B, 3rd
1986: Cameroon – runners-up
1988: Egypt – Gp B, 3rd
1990: Cameroon – Gp B, 3rd
1992: Algeria – Gp C, 3rd
1994: Ivory Coast – 3rd
1996: Nigeria – withdrew after a political row with the hosts, South Africa
World Cup organisers unveiled a new cut-price ticket category on Tuesday after a backlash by fans over pricing for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Football’s global governing body FIFA said in a statement that it had created a limited number of “Supporter Entry Tier” fixed at $60 for all 104 matches, including the final.
It said the plan was “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament”.
FIFA said that the $60 (51 euro) tickets would be reserved for fans of qualified teams and would make up 10 per cent of each national federation’s allotment.
(FILES) Liga de Quito’s Haitian defender Ricardo Ade (R) and Always Ready’s midfielder Robson Matheus fight for the ball during the Copa Sudamericana knockout round playoff second leg football match between Bolivia’s Always Ready and Ecuador’s Liga de Quito at the Municipal de Villa Ingenio stadium in El Alto, Bolivia, on July 25, 2024. Free the country, we want to live in peace, said Ricardo Ade, a member of the Haitian national team that will compete in the World Cup in the United States, who made this appeal to the violent gangs that have caused a crisis in his impoverished nation. (Photo by AIZAR RALDES / AFP)
Fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which last week called prices “extortionate” and “astronomical”, responded by saying FIFA was offering too little.
“While we welcome FIFA’s seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were to cause, the revisions do not go far enough,” FSE said in a statement on Tuesday.
Last week, FSE said ticket prices were almost five times higher than in 2022 in Qatar, describing FIFA’s pricing for 2026 as a “monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup”.
“If a supporter were to follow their team from the first match to the final it would cost them a minimum of $6,900,” it said at the time, adding that World Cup organisers had promised tickets priced from $21 in a bid document released in 2018.
– ‘Appeasement Tactic’ –
On Tuesday, FSE said FIFA’s partial ticketing U-turn exposed flaws in how prices for next year’s tournament had been set.
“For the moment, we are looking at the FIFA announcement as nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash,” FSE said.
“This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation — including with FIFA’s own member associations.
“Based on the allocations publicly available, this would mean that at best a few hundred fans per match and team would be lucky enough to take advantage of the 60 US dollar prices, while the vast majority would still have to pay extortionate prices, way higher than at any tournament before.”
(FILES) Liga de Quito’s Haitian defender #04 Ricardo Ade celebrates after winning the Copa Libertadores quarterfinal second leg football match between Brazil’s Sao Paulo and Ecuador’s Liga de Quito, at the Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on September 25, 2025. Free the country, we want to live in peace, said Ricardo Ade, a member of the Haitian national team that will compete in the World Cup in the United States, who made this appeal to the violent gangs that have caused a crisis in his impoverished nation. (Photo by Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP)
The organisation also criticised the failure to make provisions for supporters with disabilities or their companions.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed FSE, stating that FIFA’s cheaper ticket category did not go far enough.
“I welcome FIFA’s announcement of some lower-priced supporters tickets,” Starmer wrote on X.
“But as someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn’t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”
Announcing the $60 tickets on Tuesday, FIFA said that national federations “are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams”.
(FILES) Liga de Quito’s Haitian defender #04 Ricardo Ade heads the ball past Central Cordoba’s midfielder #12 Leonardo Heredia during the Copa Libertadores group stage football match between Ecuador’s Liga de Quito and Argentina’s Central Cordoba, at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, on May 28, 2025. Free the country, we want to live in peace, said Ricardo Ade, a member of the Haitian national team that will compete in the World Cup in the United States, who made this appeal to the violent gangs that have caused a crisis in his impoverished nation. (Photo by Rodrigo BUENDIA / AFP)
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FIFA also said that if fans bought tickets for games in the knockout rounds only to find their team eliminated at an earlier stage, they “will have the administrative fee waived when refunds are processed.”
It added that it was making the announcement “amid extraordinary global demand for tickets” with 20 million requests already submitted.
The draw for tickets of all prices in the first round of sales will take place on Tuesday, January 13.
