Jose Mourinho has returned to the Bernabeu and Real Madrid, judging by their activity in the summer transfer window, mean business ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Spanish giants suffered a rare trophyless season last term, with Xabi Alonso and his replacement Alvaro Arbeloa both struggling to get the best out of the club’s star-studded squad.
A season without silverware is an unmitigated disaster for Real Madrid, the 15-time European champions, and the club’s president Florentino Perez was always going to do everything in his power to get the team back to winning ways.
His first move was to contact Mourinho, the legendary Portuguese coach who’s back for his second spell in the Spanish capital after previously leading the club between 2010-2013.
The 63-year-old will be desperate to prove that his best days aren’t behind him after slightly underwhelming spells with Manchester United, Tottenham, AS Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica since leaving Chelsea in 2015.
But in order to compete with Barcelona domestically, and the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Mourinho requires a squad that’s capable of challenging on multiple fronts – and that’s precisely what Perez is providing.
Several players have already departed, including David Alaba, Dani Ceballos and Dani Carvajal.
And a handful of top players have arrived, including Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries.
Real Madrid’s Potential 2026-27 Starting Line-Up
REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Real Madrid aren’t finished yet. More top players are expected to arrive before the transfer window closes. Let’s take a closer look at their frightening potential starting line-up:
Goalkeeper and Defenders
Thibaut Courtois; Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Antonio Rudiger, Marc Cucurella
Thibaut Courtois turned 34 in May but the Belgium international is still the world’s best goalkeeper. The 6ft 7in shot-stopper has been worth his weight in gold for Los Blancos since joining the club in 2018.
Real Madrid have strengthened their full-back positions with the acquisitions of Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella from Inter Milan and Chelsea, respectively. Mourinho is likely to prefer Dumfries over Trent Alexander-Arnold as his first-choice right-back, but the Englishman will still get plenty of minutes over the course of the season.
Ibrahima Konate is a shrewd purchase after the France international left Liverpool, while Antonio Rudiger will compete with Dean Huijsen for the other centre-back spot.
Federico Valverde was outstanding last season and will retain his place in midfield as the team’s captain. The arrival of Rodri would free up Jude Bellingham, magnificent for England in North America this summer, to fly forward and cause far more damage than he did last season.
Forwards
Yan Diomande, Kylian Mbappe, Vini Jr
Real Madrid have won the battle for Yan Diomande’s signature. The Ivory Coast international, 19, is one of the most exciting young talents in world football and will compete with the likes of Arda Guler, Endrick and new signing Bernardo Silva, who can also play in midfield, for a spot on the right wing.
And then there’s Kylian Mbappe, the 2026 Golden Boot winner and arguably the best player on the planet. With a stronger team behind him, who knows how many goals the prolific Frenchman will finish the 2026-27 season with.
Attention now turns to the next World Cup, which will be held in 2030. The tournament will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, while Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will all also host a match in honour of the 100th anniversary of the first edition in 1930.
Despite the tournament being four years away, we have asked ChatGPT to predict the 48 teams that will qualify for the 24th edition of the World Cup and exactly how it will play out.
Group Stage
REUTERS/Mike Segar
2026 World Cup winners Spain will be one of the favourites to retain their title in 2030, and they are predicted to cruise through their group as winners. AI also thinks England, France, Argentina and Portugal will win their group.
Italy didn’t qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but, not only are they expected to qualify for the 2030 edition, they are expected to cruise through the group stage.
The United States, Mexico, the Netherlands and Morocco are among the teams predicted to qualify for the knockout rounds by virtue of finishing second in their group, while Croatia, Egypt and Australia all scrape through after finishing third.
Among the teams that are predicted to be eliminated from the group stage include China, New Zealand, Ghana, Canada and Iran.
AI Predicts 2030 World Cup – Group Stage
Group Winners
Group Runners-Up
Best Third-Place Teams
Eliminated
Spain
South Africa
Nigeria
China
England
Japan
Croatia
Honduras
Brazil
Denmark
Costa Rica
New Zealand
Portugal
USA
Egypt
Iraq
France
Mexico
South Korea
Uzbekistan
Germany
Uruguay
Australia
Saudi Arabia
Argentina
Switzerland
Algeria
Panama
Italy
Colombia
Ecuador
Ghana
Norway
Netherlands
Qatar
Belgium
Morocco
Venezuela
Serbia
Turkey
Jamaica
Sweden
Paraguay
Bolivia
Cameroon
Canada
Czech Republic
Iran
Last 32
REUTERS/Lee Smith
2026 World Cup co-hosts Mexico and USA both impressed before being knocked out in the last 16. They aren’t expected to go as far in 2030 as they bow out in the first knockout round, losing to Norway and Argentina respectively.
Switzerland made it to the quarter-finals in 2026 before losing to Argentina in the quarter-final. AI thinks they will be beaten by Nigeria in the last 32 in four years’ time. Co-hosts Morocco suffers the same fate after losing 2-1 to Turkey.
Among the teams that cruise through to the last 16 include Spain, England, Portugal and France, who beat Australia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Algeria respectively.
AI Predicts 2030 World Cup – Last 32
Spain 3-1 Australia
Serbia 2-1 South Africa
England 2-0 Ecuador
Sweden 2-1 Japan (AET)
Brazil 3-1 Croatia
Belgium 2-1 Denmark
Portugal 2-0 Costa Rica
Norway 2-1 Mexico
France 2-0 Algeria
Argentina 3-1 USA
Germany 2-0 South Korea
Italy 1-0 Uruguay
Nigeria 2-1 Switzerland
Colombia 2-1 Paraguay
Netherlands 3-0 Egypt
Turkey 2-1 Morocco
Last 16
REUTERS/Paul Childs
Without doubt the biggest tie of the round sees Argentina face France in a repeat of the 2022 final. Argentina, who will most likely be without Lionel Messi in 2030, are beaten 3-1 by Les Bleus.
Like Argentina, Portugal will almost certainly be without their greatest ever player in 2030: Cristiano Ronaldo. They crashed out of the 2026 World Cup at the last 16 stage, and they are predicted to do the same in four years’ time, with a 2-1 defeat to Norway.
Italy and Belgium are also among the sides that exit the competition at the last 16 stage, while Nigeria and Turkey’s dream runs continue with victories over Colombia and the Netherlands respectively.
AI Predicts 2030 World Cup – Last 16
Spain 2-1 Serbia
England 2-1 Sweden
Brazil 2-0 Belgium
Portugal 1-2 Norway
France 3-1 Argentina
Germany 1-0 Italy
Nigeria 2-1 Colombia
Netherlands 1-2 Turkey
Quarter-Finals
Danilo Fernandez / Fotoarena/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
England, should they not emerge triumphant on home soil at Euro 2028, will be on a 64-year major trophy drought when the 2030 World Cup comes around. Their long wait for a trophy is expected to go on as reigning champions Spain beat them 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
Brazil are the most successful nation in World Cup history with five titles. They are predicted to avenge their defeat to Norway in 2026 and progress to the semi-finals.
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World Cup History Quiz
You scored
out of 20
Germany recently appointed Jurgen Klopp and, should he remain in his role, could still be in charge in 2030. The four-time world champions are predicted to lose to France after extra-time in their quarter-final clash.
Incredibly, AI is predicting Nigeria and Turkey to play each other in the quarter-finals of the competition. The African side are expected to win the match 1-0 thanks to a goal from Victor Boniface.
AI Predicts 2030 World Cup – Quarter-Finals
Spain 2-1 England
Brazil 3-2 Norway
France 2-1 Germany [AET]
Nigeria 1-0 Turkey
Semi-Finals
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro
In AI’s simulation, co-hosts Spain will face Brazil in the first semi-final, while France and Nigeria will face off in the second semi-final.
Brazil will be looking to become world champions for the first time since 2002 in 2030, but their hopes are dashed when they lose 2-1 to Spain after extra-time. AI is predicting Lamine Yamal to score a 113th minute winner for the remaining champions.
While ChatGPT thinks that Nigeria’s remarkable run will come to an end after pushing France all the way. They take the lead through Boniface but goals from Warren Zaïre-Emery and Desire Doue ensure Les Bleus recover from an early setback and qualify for another World Cup final.
AI Predicts 2030 World Cup – Semi-Finals
Spain 2-1 Brazil [AET]
France 2-1 Nigeria
Third-Place Match and Final
REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
In 2022, Morocco became the first African side to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. They were beaten by Croatia in the third-place playoff. ChatGPT thinks Nigeria will suffer the same fate in 2030 as it predicts them to lose 3-1 to Brazil.
AI Predicts 2030 World Cup – Third-Place Match
Brazil 3-1 Nigeria
AI has backed Spain to play France in a repeat of the 2026 World Cup semi-final. Spain got the better of France in 2026 as they won 2-0, and they are predicted to get the better of Les Bleus again.
According to AI, Nico Williams will give Spain an early lead, only for Kylian Mbappe to equalise shortly after half-time. Yamal scores what turns out to be the winner in the 81st minute as he ‘produces another decisive performance on the biggest stage.’
Chelsea are plotting a surprise move to sign a Brighton forward in the summer transfer window.
The Blues have been incredibly active in the summer market, which certainly isn’t out of the ordinary for a club like Chelsea.
The capital club are looking to back new manager Xabi Alonso in the transfer window as they aim to steer themselves back in the right direction after missing out on Europe.
So far in the Summer transfer window, Chelsea have spent significantly, bringing in Morgan Rogers and Marco Palestra.
The Blues also have new additions Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha join the club, but those deals were finalised previously.
Their business certainly doesn’t appear to be finished there, though, as they continue to look for reinforcements for Alonso.
Chelsea eyeing Brighton man
According to a report from journalist David Ornstein, Chelsea are interested in a surprise move to sign Brighton striker Danny Welbeck.
Chelsea’s recruitment strategy over the last few years has been to bring in young talents from around the world. It would certainly be a surprise to see them sign a 35-year-old Welbeck.
The report from The Athletic does claim that Alonso is looking to add more experience and leadership to his squad, and there is optimism on all sides that a deal can be done.
Did you know that it was once possible to hit a 240-point shot in darts? Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor, now 64, was responsible for the remarkable score which is now impossible to achieve in the sport 33 years later.
Regarded as one of the greatest darts players of all time, if not the greatest, Taylor has an impressive total of 85 major titles to his name. Known as ‘The Power,’ the Englishman holds multiple records, including the most televised nine-dart finishes with 11, and being the first player to hit two nine-darters in a single match.
Much of his success came during an era when darts was less popular than it is today. Thanks to Luke Littler’s recent rise to stardom, the working man’s javellin is now one of the most popular spots in the UK.
However, this also means many newcomers may not fully appreciate the brilliance of past players. Nevertheless, rare footage of Taylor’s 240-point shot will certainly help demonstrate just how extraordinary these players were.
The 1993 UK Matchplay was held at the Aquarius Club in Chesterfield and was broadcast by ITV’s Yorkshire television. In a first for the competition, Taylor scored 240 — the highest possible score achievable with three darts. This remarkable feat was made possible by the introduction of the ‘Quadro’ board the previous year by Harrows Darts Technology.
The Quadro board featured an additional ring between the double ring and the outer bullseye, allowing players to hit quadruples as well as trebles. The highest possible checkout was 210, achieved by hitting two quadruple 20s followed by the bullseye. However, Taylor surpassed this by scoring the maximum 240 against Jocky Wilson, who eventually reached the final but lost to Dennis Priestley.
The announcer shouted “240!” in the same way they now do for 180s. Taylor’s shot is considered the second-ever 240 recorded on camera, with Wilson, Shayne Burgess, Bob Anderson, and Peter Evison later achieving the same feat during the event.
As the caption of the viral tweet reveals, the Quadro board was in play for a few years but, according to Patrick Chaplin, darts players were often left confused by the fact there were so many combinations that were tough to remember. Referees and callers also had great difficulty having to quickly work out the scores.
In 2000, the decision was made to discontinue it, and it hasn’t been used professionally for quite some time. However, a 2025 version has now been released, offering a more contemporary twist on the classic design. On this non-standard board, an eight-dart finish from 501 is achievable.
