A final the world has seen only once, and Shkendija squeaks through with an 86th-minute goal: what that says about us

Spain v Argentina: a final the world has seen only once before

On Sunday the World Cup final is played in New Jersey, and the Argentina - Spain tie will be only the second official meeting between these two sides in history. The one previous match was played in Birmingham - that is how rarely two of the biggest football powers on the planet collide. Argentina is defending the title and chasing a second consecutive trophy; Spain arrives after knocking out France and shattering their dream of a third final in a row. The final will be refereed by Slovenia's Slavko Vinčić, with compatriots Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovanč as his assistants. A referee from the Balkans at the biggest match in the world - for a region usually mentioned only when there is a scandal, that is no small thing.

FIFA pulls out rings before the final: sport looks more and more like showbusiness

The winner of the 2026 World Cup will, alongside the trophy and gold medals, receive championship rings for the first time - a novelty lifted straight from American sporting tradition. FIFA is staging the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico and clearly wants the product to look familiar to American eyes. The question that remains: does football need rings, or does FIFA need one more item to sell? A title is remembered by who won it, not by the jewellery handed out on the podium.

Kane is not giving up, Tuchel stays - England consoles itself with promises again

England went out in the semi-final to Argentina 2:1 after Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the 55th minute. Enzo Fernández equalised with a strike from distance, and Lautaro Martínez scored the winner in stoppage time. Harry Kane, who turns 33 in two weeks, refused to say it was his last World Cup: „It's too early to say that," he said, adding that he takes it year by year. Tuchel, criticised for retreating into defence once ahead, keeps his seat - the Football Association trusts him and sees him on the bench through to the 2028 European Championship. England went out, and nobody answers for it. Familiar pattern, isn't it?

Shkendija carries on in Europe, but Pollozhani does not pretend it was pretty

Shkendija secured a place in the second round of the Conference League after beating Europa of Gibraltar again, this time by a narrow 1:0 in Skopje. The only goal came from Vane Krstevski in the 86th minute - against opposition from Gibraltar, at home. Coach Artim Pollozhani did not hide behind the result: „The expectation was that we would win by a bigger margin... What worries me from this match were our attacking moves, which were utterly unconvincing." Next up is Slovenia's Bravo, a side that plays physically and constantly in transition. A coach who says publicly that his attack was unconvincing instead of boasting about qualifying - that is a rarity worth applauding.

Sileks fell on penalties: in Europe every mistake is paid for dearly

Sileks did not get past the first round of the Conference League - after 120 minutes and penalties, the Kratovo side were eliminated by Belarus's Dinamo Minsk. They went into the return leg in Skopje with a lead from the first match, but Dinamo wiped it out in regular time with 0:1 and went through on penalties in the end. Coach Aleksandar Vasoski pointed to the fear at the start: „In the first twenty minutes or so we came in with a certain fear and unconsciously dropped back, even though the plan from the very beginning was to attack." Velinovski had the biggest chance, going through one-on-one with the keeper. „In Europe every mistake and every missed chance is punished expensively," Vasoski said. Of two Macedonian representatives, one goes on - and it does so on an 86th-minute goal against Gibraltar. That number says more than any analysis.