On Sunday, August 17, Hibernian, champions of the Scottish Women’s Premier League, will host Aberdeen.
This season’s top flight will now have 10 teams, replacing the 12-team league.
Rangers travel to Montrose, who avoided relegation on the final day of the season, while Glasgow City, who were pipped to the title on the final day of the season and are looking for a new head coach after Jo Potter’s switch to Crystal Palace, are at home to Motherwell.
Heart of Midlothian, who finished fourth last season in the league, is playing Celtic, who won in season 2023-24 but finished fourth overall.
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After Brian Graham left after almost five years, Thistle have appointed David Elliott as their head coach.
Accies will still play their home games at New Douglas Park despite Hamilton Academical’s men moving to Cumbernauld after a disagreement with the stadium’s owner.
Kick-off times for all five SWPL1 opener games will be set for August 17 with discussions with television partners, including BBC Scotland and BBC Alba.
The teams will play twice, once at home and once away, in the top six and bottom four of the SWPL after 18 matches.
The 10th-placed team will be relegated to SWPL2, while the ninth-placed team will compete in a one-time play-off final against a second-tier team that has advanced through play-offs.
Due to Hibs and Glasgow’s commitments to the Champions League, their meeting will now be held on October 1.
The first of the season’s Old Firm, Edinburgh, and Lanarkshire meetings will take place on Sunday, September 7th, in an extravaganza of derby extravaganza.
In New Douglas Park, Celtic take on Rangers, Motherwell take on Hamilton, but in East Kilbride, K-Park, and Hearts take on Hibs.
On Sunday, August 17, Hibernian, champions of the Scottish Women’s Premier League, will host Aberdeen.
This season’s top flight will now have 10 teams, replacing the 12-team league.
Rangers travel to Montrose, who avoided relegation on the final day of the season, while Glasgow City, who were pipped to the title on the final day of the season and are looking for a new head coach after Jo Potter’s switch to Crystal Palace, are at home to Motherwell.
Heart of Midlothian, who finished fourth last season in the league, is playing Celtic, who won in season 2023-24 but finished fourth overall.
SNS
After Brian Graham left after almost five years, Thistle have appointed David Elliott as their head coach.
Accies will still play their home games at New Douglas Park despite Hamilton Academical’s men moving to Cumbernauld after a disagreement with the stadium’s owner.
Kick-off times for all five SWPL1 opener games will be set for August 17 with discussions with television partners, including BBC Scotland and BBC Alba.
The teams will play twice, once at home and once away, in the top six and bottom four of the SWPL after 18 matches.
The 10th-placed team will be relegated to SWPL2, while the ninth-placed team will compete in a one-time play-off final against a second-tier team that has advanced through play-offs.
Due to Hibs and Glasgow’s commitments to the Champions League, their meeting will now be held on October 1.
The first of the season’s Old Firm, Edinburgh, and Lanarkshire meetings will take place on Sunday, September 7th, in an extravaganza of derby extravaganza.
In New Douglas Park, Celtic take on Rangers, Motherwell take on Hamilton, but in East Kilbride, K-Park, and Hearts take on Hibs.
According to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office, the United Kingdom plans to purchase at least a dozen F-35A fighter jets that can carry tactical nuclear weapons. This will be the “biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation.”
At the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday, where NATO leaders are expected to approve a significant increase in their defense spending, Starmer will make an announcement about the purchase, which will allow the UK’s air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
The UK’s current nuclear deterrence arsenal is limited to submarine-launched missiles.
We can no longer take peace for granted in a time of extreme uncertainty, which is why my government is supporting our national security, Starmer said in a statement.
The F35 dual-capable aircraft will “herald a new era for our world-leading Royal Air Force” and deter hostile threats to the UK and our allies.
Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of NATO, expressed his gratitude for the announcement in a statement, calling it “another significant British contribution to NATO.”
Dual-capable fighter jets
The UK air force currently uses the F-35B, but the F-35A can carry nuclear weapons in addition to conventional weapons, similar to the F-35B produced by Lockheed Martin.
According to the AFP news agency, seven NATO members, including the US, Germany, and Italy, already have dual-capable planes on European soil that are capable of carrying the same US B61 nuclear warheads that the UK will likely carry.
According to Downing Street, the aircraft would serve as NATO’s nuclear dual-capable aircraft mission, strengthening the alliance’s nuclear deterrence posture.
The Marham airbase will house the new jets, and the company’s acquisition of the planes is anticipated to create 20, 000 jobs there, according to the statement, adding that the UK will house a portion of the world’s jet supply chain, which is located there.
Europe re-arms
At the summit in The Hague, the 32 NATO members are expected to approve a significant increase in defense spending targets, moving from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP.
The UK has already made significant investments in building new attack submarines and munitions factories, as well as a pledge to meet the spending goal.
The Trump administration, which claims that the US bears too much of the financial burden of the alliance, has been critical of the increase in defense budgets. Donald Trump, the head of the US, has threatened to leave the alliance and has questioned whether it should support nations that don’t meet the spending goals.
In a 3-0 victory over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday, Liam Delap scored his first goal for Chelsea, moving them into the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Delap scored two goals in stoppage time in Philadelphia to cap a game that was played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day.
At the conclusion of the game, when Enzo Maresca’s side recovered from a 3-1 defeat to Flamengo, Tyrique George added the third in injury time in front of 32,937 fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
While Esperance were eliminated, Chelsea moved into second place in Group D, behind the Brazilian giants.
When Delap was asked about his first goal in his third game, Maresca responded, “He has three clear chances to score goals against Flamengo, so that means he is there, in the right position, and doing well.”
We have no doubts about Liam’s ability to score goals with us.
The Premier League side will now travel to Charlotte on Saturday to face Benfica, who had earlier defeated Bayern Munich to take the top of Group C.
The winners of that tie will face either Brazil’s Palmeiras or Botafogo of Brazil in the final eight of the club’s first meeting since Chelsea beat Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final.
“Benfica is a top club with a top manager and top players, and it will be difficult,” Maresca said. “We are currently in the last 16 and the next goal is to try to be in the last eight.
After the Flamengo defeat, Maresca made eight changes to his starting lineup, making Chelsea only need a draw to advance.
Josh Acheampong was one of the few unheard faces who had a chance, while Delap, Enzo Fernandez, and Malo Gusto kept their places.
Maresca explained that Chelsea’s squad rotation was unavoidable due to the heat wave that existed in and around Philadelphia.
Because playing every three days in these circumstances is impossible, I said yesterday, “It was impossible to not rotate players.”
“The players were good, and it’s important to regain our energy and try to win the following game.”
We need to be proud and happy because 32 clubs were present at this tournament, and they are now 16 and represent organizations that have competed in the Champions League finals for the past five or six years, like Atletico Madrid, who are already (back) in Spain.
Acheampong, who is making his 10th start of the season, had a low-pass saved by Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said on 36 minutes to make it close.
Chelsea controlled the opening period until the third minute of stoppage time when Fernandez fired wide from the edge of the box.
Adarabioyo scored with a header into the bottom corner after Fernandez floated a free-kick into the area.
READ MORE: Atletico Crash Out Of Club World Cup Despite Win Over Botafogo
difficult situations ,
Chelsea’s English defender #04 Tosin Adarabio (2nd L) celebrates scoring the opening goal with fellow teammates #09 Liam Delap, French defender #05 Benoit Badiashile, and Belgian midfielder #45 Romeo Lavia on June 24, 2025 at the Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field stadium as a group d match between Tunisian Esperance Sportive de Tunis and England’s Chelsea in Group D football at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group D match. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP photo)
Esperance needed to win, and Chelsea’s hopes were boosted when Chelsea scored again two minutes later.
Delap was the new signing from Ipswich Town, who controlled with his back to goal, turned and slotted a low shot into the net to match his new colors. Fernandez was once more the provider.
Conditions remained challenging late into the evening with temperatures still hovering close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mamadou Sarr and Andrey Santos had their first Chelsea minutes since joining from Strasbourg, but both teams made changes.
When the referee pointed to the spot after a Santos shot brushed the hand of Yassine Meriah, Chelsea thought they had a penalty 15 minutes later, the decision was overturned following a VAR check.
At the conclusion of the game, George, another substitute, found the net with a shot that the goalkeeper should have stopped, which was close to the scoring.
“We faced a team from the highest level, and we were dominant,” Esperance coach Maher Kanzari said.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has refuted reports from US media outlets that claim the attacks on several of Iran’s nuclear sites have “completely destroyed” the facilities.
According to a first-class intelligence evaluation, the US bombardment failed to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, according to officials with access to the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), according to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN on Tuesday.
Iranian centrifuges were “largely intact,” according to two people with knowledge of the assessment’s description.
Prior to the US strikes on Sunday, a different source informed the US broadcaster that, in the opinion, enriched uranium had been moved.
Trump has argued that the US strikes have destroyed Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that “Fake News CNN and the failing New York Times have collaborated to disparage one of the most successful military operations in history.”
Iran’s nuclear sites have been completely destroyed, according to the statement! he wrote.
Trump responded to reporters’ questions on Tuesday regarding Iran’s plans to rebuild its nuclear arsenal, saying, “That place is under rock. That location has been destroyed.
The intelligence assessment was “flat-out incorrect,” according to the White House.
Everyone is aware of what happens when you drop fourteen, 000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets, according to press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who quoted them in a statement for CNN.
The intelligence report was also refuted by US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
According to Witkoff, “every three of those had most, if not all, the centrifuges damaged or destroyed in a way that almost made it impossible for them to resurrect that program.”
It will take a number of years, according to my opinion and that of many other experts who have seen the raw data.
Witkoff referred to the report’s leaking as “treasonous.”
It needs to be looked into, “. And whoever did it, and who holds the blame, should be held accountable, he continued.
Shihab Rattansi, a reporter for Al Jazeera, reported from Washington, DC, claiming a new information war is raging.
He claimed that “figures in Washington are obviously very interested in disclosing a very preliminary assessment of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s bombings.”
He noted that a press release from the White House was obtained by reporters, claiming that it was “a clear attempt to demonize President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who carried out a flawless mission to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.”
Julien Stephan has been named as the team’s new head coach by the Queens Park Rangers.
Marti Cifuentes, 44, has taken over the club after being placed on gardening leave in April and formally leaving on Tuesday night.
Stephan led Rennes, his hometown club, for two spells, winning the French Cup in 2019, his first trophy in 48 years.
He spent 18 months at Strasbourg, where he was sacked in 2023, before moving back to Rennes, where he had previously worked. He left last November, after a rough start.
He told the club, “I’m very proud and excited to join QPR.”
I feel honored because QPR is a legendary club with strong values and devoted fans.
I was interested because I was aware of the high level of passion for the club and the team, and I consider that to be true.
English football has a distinctive quality. The club’s atmosphere, pace, the fans’ tempo, the atmosphere, and the culture surrounding it all contribute to a very stimulating environment for a coach.
Stephan, who is he?
With his professional career beginning at Bordeaux, Stephan started out as a defensive midfielder and center-back.
He also played for the B team of Paris St-Germain, RC Paris, Stade Briochin, and FC Drouais, retiring in 2007.
Before joining Chateauroux and Lorient’s under-19s team, he served as a youth coach at Drouais.
He then relocated to Rennes, where he was born, and began his coaching career there before taking the position of head coach in 2018.
Before quitting his position at RC Strasbourg, a fellow Ligue 1 team, in 2021, he took his next job.
At Strasbourg, Stephan managed 58 games during a 58-game winning streak until January 2023.
But he returned to Rennes in November that year as the club’s head coach before moving to QPR.
“I expect players to give it everything,” he says.
Working with some of the world’s brightest and most exciting young players, Stephan has established a positive reputation in France.
Raphinha, Raphael, Camavinga, Real Madrid, and Jeremy Doku, a former Manchester City player, all benefit from his coaching.
Stephan, who is now in the second tier of England, stated to the club that he has high expectations and standards for his players.
He said, “The main values are commitment, discipline, and teamwork.”
“I expect my players to put in the right attitude and show the right attitude on the field for the team, for the fans, and for the team.”
The shirt is not subject to negotiation, and it deserves complete respect.
A group with talent, commitment, and potential strikes me. I believe there is always more improvement to be done, but I believe the squad has great potential and a solid foundation to grow on.
