Football. The beautiful game. Whatever you want to call it. Once you know the game, you will love it. The popular sport consists of 11 players per team, coaches managers, and other staff that help from behind the scenes. Players compete and work together to kick the ball in the back of the net. If they succeed, a "goal" is added to their tally. The team with the most goals scored at the end are the winners, and if the scoreline is even, then the game is a draw.
Teams are put in a league table format, and after the footballing season ends, the team with the most points end up winning. An eleven-aside match of football is 90 minutes long, and is split up into 2 45-minute halves. A win gives you 3 points, a draw gives you 1 point, and a loss gives you no points. Also there is goal difference, where goals for are subtracted from goals against. For example, if a team score 85 goals in a season, but concede 55 goals in a season, their gd(goal difference) is positive 30. However, if you concede more than you score, you get a negative goal difference. Okay, now that you know this, I will tell you about fouls. The referee can decide if a tackle made by one of the players without the ball is deemed unfair, then he/she can give a free kick. However, if the ball is in the box and a player gets fouled, the referee can issue a penalty kick. It is taken on the spot inside the box, and the attacker must have a shot against the goalkeeper 12 yards off the goalline, without moving. If a challenge is especially bad, the referee can give a yellow card to the fouler. 2 of them are equal to a red, which sends off the player and makes the team go down to 10 men. If the challenge is deemed dangerous, then a player can get sent off and red carded straight away. Some other helpful information is the substitution rule. Teams are allowed to substitute 5 players in 3 occasions in a game. However, they aren't roll-on roll-off, so once someone is subbed off, they cannot go back on.
Now, I will talk about professional football. It is broken up into 4 leagues: EFL League 2, EFL League 1, EFL Championship, and the Premier League. There is promotion and relegation. In League 2, the bottom 2 placing teams in the table get relegated. Also, the top 3 teams get promoted to league one automatically, and teams from 4th to 7th play off at Wembley, England's stadium. The winner of the playoffs will also get promoted. The same rules apply until the Championship, but from League 1 and onwards, 4 teams get relegated. In the Premier League, 3 teams get relegated, and the number 1 team win the title. In the Championship, 2 teams automatically get promoted, and 1 team do in the playoffs. Relegation can have a big financial impact on teams, with the smaller clubs losing lots of money, and fighting an uphill battle in the lower leagues. Next time, I will look at clubs getting relegated and how they recover. Also, I will look at competitions like the UCL, Carabao Cup, and FA Cup. I will also look at clubs abroad.
Relegation
Relegation - a situation that no club want to be involved in. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as: the action of assigning to an inferior rank or position. In footballing terms - going down. If a club, for example, Birmingham City in the
2023/24 season, are performing poorly in the league table, they are likely to drop a lot of points. That can make them slip lower and lower into the table, which makes them and their rivals desperately scrap if they are in or near the
relegation zone. A sad example of this is Nailsworth-based club Forest Green Rovers. A few years ago, they were thriving in League 1 under Rob Edwards, who went on to manage Watford and also get Luton Town promoted into the Premier League.
However, Edwards left soon after, and ever since, things have never been the same. Their best players were sold for a massive financial boost, and without them and Rob Edwards, the club spiralled down into League 2. It was meant to be an easier battle down in the lower league, but it wasn't a cakewalk. Unfortunately, in the 2023/24 season, the club got relegated to the National League, and weren't a fully-professional team anymore. Relegation can really impact any team faced with the sad situation. While they do receive parachute payments for season 1, clubs will lose broadcasting/television money, and the loss of top-tier players is another potential threat to them. Now I'll tell you a story called the great escape. Picture this. At Christmas in the 2003/04 season, West Bromwich Albion are bottom of the Premier League table(8 points clear of safety) and need a miracle to survive. It is the last day of the season, and West Brom have beaten Portsmouth 2-0. But they weren't guaranteed to survive. Norwich are playing at Craven Cottage, and if they win, they will relegate the baggies. They were losing 6-0, and then West Brom fans had hope. Southampton lost 2-1 to Man United, despite leading, and then it seemed possible for the miracle to become reality. Crystal Palace were leading 2-1 to Charlton Athletic, but Jonathan Fortune scored with a minutes left. Fans went crazy. There was a huge pitch invasion. West Brom had achieved the impossible. They hung on to their Premier League title.
European Competitions
Let's begin this new paragraph by talking about one of the most famous competitions ever. The UCL(Uefa Champions League) features the best European teams from the best leagues, all fighting it out to win the coveted Champions League trophy.
Before I tell you about it, let's have a look at its history. Real Madrid are the team with the most trophies(15). Also, the Champions League was founded by Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran in 1955. The final will be played in Munich,
Germany, at the Allianz Arena(FC Bayern Munich's stadium).Anyway, now I'll give you what you want to know. This year, the format has updated, so I will tell you all you need to know. The league format features 36 teams. The top 8 teams
automatically qualify for the round of 16, whereas 9-24th place teams play off. The top playoff team(9th) will play the bottom play off team(24th) until each team play their 'mirror image' if you understand what I mean. from 25th place and
onwards, teams will automatically be eliminated. Then, there will be a random draw for the round of 16, then the winners of a certain boxed group will face the other winners of the same boxed group. For example, if match A was Man City vs PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), and City won, then they would play the winner of match B. Let's say it was Arsenal vs Dortmund(Borussia Dortmund) and Arsenal won, then Manchester City would play Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the competition. The same applies up until the last 2 teams try and win the final. If it is a draw after 90 minutes and stoppage time( time added on for any disturbances in play) then it goes to extra-time. It is split into 2 15-minute halves, going to the 105th minute with a short break afterwards, and going to the 120th minute. If the match remains a draw, it goes to a penalty shootout. Each team have 5 shots on goal against the opposing keeper, unless mathematically a team have won before that line. If both teams are level on penalties after 5 have been taken, then it is sudden death. It is extended until 1 team misses and the other team scores. If the shootout is 11 shots long, then each player on the pitch will take 1, including the goalkeeper. Then the shots reset and loop until there is a winner.
Youth Academies and Grassroots Football
Grassroots football. If you play football and are quite young, you are most likely to be playing for a grassroots football team. According to Uefa, grassroots football has the aim of bringing everyone together and providing access to football for everyone, regardless of age, gender, physical ability, race, or religion. As a result, there is no age bracket for it. There are lots of teams who play and compete in worldwide leagues for dun. However, if you are good enough, you could play for an academy football team. At academy level, football is more serious and players are pushed to achieve greater success than grassroots football players. If you want to play for an academy, you should look for any open trials nearby, and you should attend it. If they believe that you have potential, they might invite you to another trial. Although, the most important things are hard work and perseverance. Work your socks off and push yourself to level up your skills. Ultimately, just enjoy your time playing football with your friends, and savour the time you spend having fun.
The FA Cup and the World Cup
At the moment, the Football Association Cup (FA Cup) is currently underway, and there have been some major upsets. Some people call it the magic of the cup, which I agree on. Recently, Plymouth Argyle won 1-0 against Liverpool, a very unlikely result. Anyway, I will explain other competitions. I will start with the most famous competition in football, and probably in the whole world. The Fifa World Cup. Every four years, 32 of the best national teams compete in a prestigious competition, with the glory of the World Cup trophy at stake. However, the 2026 version of the competition, hosted in the Usa, Mexico and Canada, includes a larger amount of teams (48, to be precise). It will last from June 11th to July 9th. There will be 12 groups of four teams in the group stage, with the top 2 teams from each group progressing. Additionally, the 8 best 3rd place teams (teams with the most amount of points) will advance to the round of 32. From there, it will be 1v1s, to the round of 16 (16 teams), the quarter-finals (8 teams), semi-finals (4 teams), and the final (2 teams). Heading into the tournament, Argentina and France are the heavy favourites to progress very far. Spain, according to the Fifa World rankings, also have an outside chance of World Cup glory. Anyway, if you are curious about information regarding hosting and anything else, here it is. To begin with, here are all of the stadiums that will host matches in 2026:
USA
Dallas Stadium - Arlington, Texas (capacity 94,000)
New York New Jersey Stadium - East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity 82,500)
Atlanta Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia (capacity 75,000)
Kansas City Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri (73,000)
Houston Stadium - Houston, Texas (capacity 72,000)
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium - Santa Clara, California (71,000)
Los Angeles Stadium - Inglewood, California (70,000)
Philadelphia Stadium - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (69,000)
Seattle Stadium - Seattle, Washington (capacity 69,000)
Boston Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts (65,000)
Miami Stadium - Miami Gardens, Florida (capacity 65,000)
Canada
Toronto Stadium - Toronto (capacity: 45,000)
BC Place Vancouver - Vancouver (capacity 54,000)
Mexico
Estadio Azteca Mexico City - Mexico City (capacity 83,000)
Estadio Monterrey - Guadalupe (capacity 53,500)
Estadio Guadalajara - Zapopan (capacity 48,000)
Also, here is some information about some of the players to watch from each country (in no specific order).
1. France - Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid's prolific goalscorer will be hungry to prove that he can perform not just for his club, but also for his country. Extra motivation for him would be that he could win a second World Cup, and cement his status as one of France's greats, along with players like Henry and Zidane.
2. England - Jude Bellingham. Although the current England captain is Harry Kane, Bellingham is the star of the show for Thomas Tuchel's Lions (England's newly appointed manager). From scoring a bicycle kick to save round of 16 defeat in Euro 2024, to helping Real Madrid win the Champions League, this man will be one to watch in the World Cup.
3. Spain - Lamine Yamal. In 2026, the Barcelona youngster will have matured a bit and will be an amazing player like he is now. Expect him to be dribbling round players and scoring for fun in the World Cup. Who knows, maybe he will take Spain to the promised land of champions of the world.
4. Germany - Jamal Musiala. The German sensation has is currently enjoying life in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, but will want to add to his trophy collection internationally. Also, he can partner up with Florian Wirtz to create an unstoppable force.
The best footballers for each position.
This season, there have been many insanely good players show their true value, so I will compile 11 of the best players for each position, and I will make them into a team. Also, I will add subs, with detailed info about every player on the team.Let's start now then.
Manager: Formation:
Arne Slot
4-3-3
Goalkeeper - Thibaut Courtois. Club: Real Madrid. Nationality: Belgian. This season, Cortois has been playing excellently, saving plenty of shots and bailing out Real Madrid on many occasions. He deserves to be goalkeeper, but 2nd choice will be Alisson. Nationality: Brazilian. Club: Liverpool. The Brazilian is an amzing keeper, and is currently set to win another title under manager sensation Arne Slot.
CB number 1 - Virgil Van Dijk. Club: Liverpool. Nationality: Dutch. Virgil van Dijk is a dominant defender known for his strength, composure, and leadership. He excels in aerial duels, reading the game, and organizing defenses, making him one of the best in the world.
CB number 2 - William Saliba
Club: Arsenal.
Nationality: French.
Ability: A commanding centre-back known for his strength, pace, and composure. Saliba excels in one-on-one duels and is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world.
LB Théo Hernandez.
Club: AC Milan.
Nationality: French.
Ability: A left-back renowned for his speed, dribbling, and attacking contributions. Hernandez is also a goal-scoring threat and a key player for both club and country.
RB Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Club: Liverpool.
Nationality: English.
Ability: A right-back with exceptional passing, crossing, and set-piece skills. Known for his creativity, Trent often plays a playmaker role from deep positions.
CM/CDM Rodri.
Club: Manchester City.
Nationality: Spanish.
Ability: A world-class defensive midfielder known for his tactical intelligence, passing accuracy, and ability to control the tempo of the game. Rodri was pivotal in Manchester City's treble-winning season.
CM Federico Valverde.
Club: Real Madrid.
Nationality: Uruguayan.
Ability: A versatile midfielder known for his stamina, work rate, and long-range shooting. Valverde can play multiple roles, including central midfield and right-back.
CAM/CM Kevin De Bruyne.
Club: Manchester City.
Nationality: Belgian.
Ability: An elite playmaker celebrated for his vision, passing, and shooting. De Bruyne is considered one of the best attacking midfielders in football history.
CF/LW Vinicius Junior.
Club: Real Madrid.
Nationality: Brazilian
Ability: A dynamic forward celebrated for his pace, dribbling, and flair. Vinicius has been instrumental in Real Madrid's success, scoring crucial goals in Champions League finals.
RW Mohamed Salah.
Club: Liverpool.
Nationality: Egyptian.
Ability: A prolific winger with incredible speed, dribbling, and finishing. Salah is one of the greatest African players of all time and a consistent goal-scorer.
ST Erling Haaland.
Club: Manchester City.
Nationality: Norwegian.
Ability: A phenomenal striker with unmatched goal-scoring instincts, speed, and physicality. Haaland broke the Premier League single-season goal record in his debut campaign.
Honourable mention:
LW/ST Kylian Mbappe.
Club: Real Madrid.
Nationality: French.
Ability: A forward with electric pace, clinical finishing, and exceptional dribbling. Mbappe is a World Cup winner and one of the most marketable players globally.