… Only five coaches have won the trophy more times than Mourinho, who also lifted it with Porto in 2004 to kickstart his career and earn him passage to Chelsea and Europe’s biggest leagues. …
… Debutants The only club outside Spain, England, Germany, Italy and France to have won the Champions League in the last 30 years remains Mourinho’s Porto in 2004. …
… The tournament is organised in partnership with Atletico Madrid and is expected to feature youth teams from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Porto. …
… Roma have not played in Europe’s elite club competition since being knocked out by Porto in the last 16 in 2019, and a top-four finish came following goals from in-form Donyell Malen and Stephan El Shaarawy. …
… While Porto striker Mehdi Taremi is on the list, this is not the case for the other star striker, Sardar Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals for the national team and previously played for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma. …
… Roma haven’t played in Europe’s top club competition since being knocked out by Porto in the last 16 seven years ago, and have the small matter of the Rome derby next weekend. …
… Frustrated after they were knocked out of the Europa League by Portuguese league leaders Porto on Thursday, Sunday’s dominant win took Stuttgart three points clear of fourth-placed RB Leipzig. …
… If Forest win that tie they will advance to a quarter-final against either German Cup holders VfB Stuttgart or FC Porto, the two-time former winners of the competition. …
… Roma have won the Conference League and reached the Europa League final in recent years but last featured in Europe’s elite club competition in the 2018/19 season when they were eliminated by Porto in the last 16. …
Jose Mourinho, now beginning his second stint at Real Madrid, faces his former club Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday at the Bernabeu. Mourinho led Inter to Champions League glory in 2010 before joining Madrid, but neither he nor Inter have replicated that European success since.
Jose Mourinho, now beginning his second stint at Real Madrid, faces his former club Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday at the Bernabeu. Mourinho led Inter to Champions League glory in 2010 before joining Madrid, but neither he nor Inter have replicated that European success since.
Paris Saint-Germain bid to join a small group of clubs to have won the UEFA Champions League three years running, after winning back-to-back titles by defeating Arsenal on penalties last season and winning for the first time in their history 12 months before that. Real Madrid (2016–18), Ajax (1971–73), and Bayern Munich (1974–76) are the only other teams to achieve three consecutive titles.
Athletic Club Football Academy will send 50 young footballers and eight officials to Spain next week to compete in the Mad Cup 2026 in Madrid, which runs from 18 to 25 June and is expected to attract more than 800 teams from around the world. The Windhoek-based academy will be represented by its under-12, under-14 and under-15 teams.
Como qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history after a 4-1 win at Cremonese on the final day of Serie A, joining Roma in the top four. AC Milan's 2-1 defeat by Cagliari and Juventus's loss in a delayed derby left both clubs outside the Champions League positions.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described a meeting held Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian football federation as "excellent" and "constructive," aimed at ensuring Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Iranian federation president said discussions covered concerns and joint commitment to Iran's smooth participation, though visas had not yet been issued.
AC Milan suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Atalanta on Sunday that put their Champions League return at risk, while rival Como qualified for Europe for the first time. Milan remain in Serie A's top four but level on points with fifth-placed Roma and have collected just seven points in their last two months.
Germany forward Deniz Undav scored twice and assisted once as Stuttgart defeated Augsburg 5-2 on Sunday to move third in the Bundesliga, three points clear of RB Leipzig. Undav has now scored 18 goals in 23 league games this season, equalling his total from the previous year with seven matches remaining.
Aston Villa will face French side Lille in the Europa League last 16 for the second time in three seasons, with the first leg on March 12 in northern France and the return match in Birmingham on March 19. Nottingham Forest have also been drawn for a rematch, facing Denmark's Midtjylland, with the possibility of an all-English semi-final if both English clubs progress.
Real Madrid aim to seal direct passage to the Champions League last 16 against Benfica on Wednesday, where they face former coach Jose Mourinho, who coached Madrid between 2010 and 2013. Madrid's new coach Alvaro Arbeloa, a former Mourinho disciple and ex-Madrid defender, will take on his former mentor in what could be a chance for Mourinho to reassert dominance against a club that has not forgotten him.
German forward Niclas Fullkrug scored his first goal for AC Milan in a 1-0 win over Lecce on Sunday, keeping the club three points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan. Fullkrug, on loan from West Ham United, headed home Alexis Saelemaekers's cross in the 76th minute.