World Cup: Questions for final countdown. Plus: A Cooper conspiracy theory

With only six of the 48 berths still unclaimed, the international break that kicks off this week is the last meaningful checkpoint before the 2026 men’s World Cup in North America. Forty-two nations already know their summer destination; the remaining places will be settled through a flurry of play-offs that conclude over the next ten days. For the teams already through, friendlies serve as auditions for final 23-man lists, adding a layer of personal drama to the geopolitical stakes.

Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side will watch the UEFA path with particular interest. The winner of the Wales-Bosnia-Herzegovina semi-final will drop into Group D alongside the Americans, and the odds currently point toward Turkey should they survive their own tie. Inside the camp, Pochettino must decide whether Matt Freese has done enough to unseat the more experienced keepers, and if Gio Reyna’s cameo minutes since his return from injury merit a ticket to North America. Paul Tenorio’s hunch is that Reyna’s quality will override his lack of game time; the coaching staff appear to be leaning the same way.

Yet the intrigue is not confined to on-field matters. Enter a plot line worthy of a paperback thriller. Bosnia-Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez has suggested that Brøndby IF boss Steve Cooper—Welsh by birth—is deliberately freezing out Bosnian midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic at club level to blunt the nation’s hopes in Thursday’s play-off in Cardiff. Barbarez stopped just short of accusation, noting “it has something to do with his coach’s roots and origins.” Brøndby, mired in a nine-match winless run, dismissed the claim as “far-reaching,” and neutrals may struggle to see a manager fighting relegation form risking results for international sabotage. Still, the episode underlines how thin margins and thinner nerves have become in the race for the World Cup.

While the intrigue simmers, Europe’s managerial carousel continues to spin. Francesco Farioli, once the architect of Ajax’s lost nine-point lead in last season’s Eredivisie, has resurfaced at Porto, where he has the Dragons top of the Liga. With Italian clubs historically promoting home-grown tacticians, the 34-year-old’s omission from Serie A radars is striking. James Horncastle’s upcoming profile asks whether Ruben Amorim’s stuttering start at Manchester United will cool Premier League interest in Portuguese-based coaches, or whether Farioli’s progressive style is simply too compelling to ignore. The answer may shape next summer’s touchline storylines as surely as this month’s results shape the groups.

Elsewhere, the UEFA Women’s Champions League offers a blockbuster double bill: Wolfsburg vs. Lyon and Arsenal vs. Chelsea, both available across Paramount+ and Disney+, with the latter tie also on the BBC. And in England’s non-league, Rushden & Diamonds have told forwards Bruno Andrade and Tyler Winters to find new employers after the pair were dismissed for brawling with each other during Saturday’s 21st-minute melee against Loughborough Students. Management labelled the incident “unprofessional,” reminding lower-league dressing rooms that World Cup fever has not entirely eclipsed the sport’s more surreal sub-plots.

By the time the final whistle blows on next week’s play-off finals, the World Cup jigsaw will be complete. Between now and then, expect answers on rosters, rankings—and perhaps the odd conspiracy.