Sunday, January 4th
23:20 CET - That's all from us here on the Football Tracker for the first weekend of 2026, and what a weekend of football it's been!
We leave you with some developing news: reports are circling that West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has just one more match to save his job, and that's going to be on Tuesday against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.
Strap yourselves in for another week of drama - here we go again!
22:56 CET - Atletico Madrid have dropped two points on the road at struggling Real Sociedad in LaLiga.
The 1-1 draw means Diego Simeone’s side have failed to leapfrog Villarreal into third, who have two games in hand.
For La Real, at the other end of the table, it could be a crucial point gained - they are up to 15th.
Catch up on the weekend in LaLiga here.
22:44 CET - Inter have brushed Bologna aside 3-1 to return to the summit of Serie A in style.
The top of the table now sees Inter, Milan and Napoli separated by just two points in what is turning into the continent’s most compelling title race.
22:43 CET - PSG have edged their (very) local rivals Paris FC 2-1 in the derby, thanks to Ousmane Dembele’s winner.
The victory sees the champions close the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Lens back down to one point after 17 rounds.
Catch up on all the action from Paris here.
21:54 CET - That’s all she wrote in Rabat, and Cameroon have beaten Bafana Bafana 2-1, hanging on to withstand a late South African surge.
The loss sees South Africa exit AFCON 2025 at the Round of 16 stage. For the Indomitable Lions, it’s onto the quarter-finals, where they will take on hosts Morocco!
Catch up on all the action here.
21:48 CET - Over in LaLiga, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad are still goalless at the break in San Sebastian.
Diego Simeone’s side need all three points this evening to go back into third place, while La Real need as many as they can get to jump out of the bottom three.
21:36 CET - At half-time in the final Serie A match of the weekend, Inter lead Bologna 1-0 thanks to a goal from Piotr Zielinski. As it stands, the Nerazzurri are back in top spot.
Follow the second half in Milan here.
21:34 CET - At half-time in the Parisian derby, PSG are leading Paris FC 1-0, thanks to a goal late in the half from Desire Doue.
A win will see the French champions go back within one point of surprise league leaders Lens after 17 rounds, so Luis Enrique’s side will be desperate to get the victory.
21:07 CET - It hasn't taken long in the second half for Cameroon to double their lead over South Africa.
Bayer Leverkusen talent Christian Kofane has put them 2-0 up and put one Cameroonian foot in the quarter-finals at AFCON.
20:55 CET - Cameroon are 45 minutes away from the last eight, with them leading South Africa at the break despite having less possession and fewer shots.
As those stats show though, this match is far from over.
20:42 CET - The Premier League action is done, but the night is far from over! On top of the AFCON action, the Paris derby is about to get underway in the French capital, Inter are going up against Bologna in Italy and Real Sociedad are hosting Atletico Madrid in Spain.
20:37 CET - Cameroon have taken the lead at AFCON, with Junior Tchadmadeu putting them 1-0 up after 34 minutes.
20:31 CET - it's full-time at the Etihad and the hosts won't be heading home happy, with Man City paying the price for a somewhat casual second-half display, dropping points to a managerless Chelsea.
City now trail league leaders Arsenal by six points.
20:25 CET - Chelsea equalise at the death! Enzo Fernandez has tapped in a great cross from Galo Gusto to level things up in the 93rd minute!
20:18 CET - Chelsea are running out of time in Manchester, with five minutes plus stoppage time to go and the hosts looking fairly comfortable.
19:51 CET - There's local derbies, and then there's the Paris derby. The two clubs are separated quite literally by a stone's throw!
Kick-off is at 20:45 CET:
19:25 CET - We're just over 30 minutes away from the biggest match of AFCON yet, a heavyweight clash between South Africa and Cameroon.
Here's how the two nations line up for it:
19:17 CET - What a goal from Tijjani Reijnders! The Dutchman has opened the scoring in Manchester just before half-time with a great strike, rolling the ball under his foot before sending it flying into the roof of the net from the narrowest of angles.
19:12 CET - Brest and Le Havre have picked up wins in the evening action in Ligue 1, leaving just one match left on the agenda, and it's a biggie, with PSG facing local rivals Paris FC in the first edition of the derby for 47 years.
19:04 CET - Morocco have marched on at AFCON. It wasn't a vintage performance from the hosts, but they've eased past Tanzania 1-0 to move into the quarter-finals.
18:32 CET - AFCON hosts Morocco have the lead in their last 16 match against Tanzania, with Brahim Diaz breaking the deadlock shortly after the hour mark in Rabat.
18:21 CET - We're just 10 minutes away from a blockbuster clash in the Premier League, as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City host managerless Chelsea.
The Cityzens have won their last eight league matches on home soil, while the Blues are without a win from the last eight head-to-heads.
Follow the game from 18:30 CET here.
18:13 CET - Real Madrid are back within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona after Gonzalo Garcia's hat-trick fired Los Blancos to an emphatic 5-1 victory over sixth-placed Real Betis.
Read the full match report here.
18:10 CET - Fulham and Liverpool have shared the spoils in a four-goal thriller at Craven Cottage, with Harrison Reed's 97th-minute stunner denying Liverpool a crucial three points at the death.
Here are the rest of this afternoon's results in the Premier League:
17:53 CET - We've reached the halfway stage in Rabat, and there's nothing to separate Morocco and Tanzania after a cagey opening 45 minutes.
Follow the second half right here.
17:38 CET - Florian Wirtz has drawn Liverpool level at Fulham with his second goal of the season, while Real Madrid have added a third against Real Betis via Raul Asencio.
17:27 CET - A second goal of the day for Gonzalo Garcia, and Real Madrid are 2-0 up and cruising at home to Real Betis.
17:12 CET - Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid remain a goal in front at half-time against Real Betis, while Liverpool are trailing at Fulham after Harry Wilson's well-taken opener.
Check out the stats for both matches below:
17:03 CET - Nantes have moved to within a point of safety in Ligue 1 after a superb 2-0 away victory against nine-man Marseille. Fabien Centonze and Remy Cabella scored the goals for the visitors.
Read the full match report here.
Meanwhile, in Serie A, a 92nd-minute goal from Moise Kean has given struggling Fiorentina their second league victory in three matches.
16:55 CET - Three of this afternoon's 16:00 CET Premier League kick-offs have now reached the halfway stage:
16:40 CET - Real Madrid are a goal to the good at home to Real Betis thanks to Gonzalo Garcia's first LaLiga strike of the season, while Harry Wilson has given Fulham the lead against his former side, Liverpool.
16:36 CET - We're just over 20 minutes away from our first AFCON knockout match of the day, as hosts Morocco come up against Tanzania in Rabat.
Here are the starting lineups for that one:
16:21 CET - Brentford lead Everton early on, with Igor Thiago netting his 12th Premier League goal of the season.
Meanwhile, Marseille have been reduced to nine men in their Ligue 1 clash against Nantes after two yellow cards in as many minutes for Bilal Nadir.
16:06 CET - The Liverpool match has been delayed due to a medical emergency at the ground, but the rest of the next batch of Premier League games are underway - keep up with them all here.
15:53 CET - Marseille look set to end the weekend eight points off the top of Ligue 1, with Roberto De Zerbi's side losing 1-0 to Nantes and down to 10 men at the break.
15:33 CET - The day is just getting started, with Liverpool and Real Madrid among the sides getting underway in the next hour.
Liverpool are away to Fulham, where they can go five points clear in fourth with a win. However, they'll need to play much better than they did last time out against Leeds if they want to prevail, and their task will be harder by the fact that they'll be without Hugo Ekitike, who misses out due to fitness issues.
Real Madrid will begin their year with a tricky test against sixth-placed Real Betis, knowing that they need a win if they want to stay within five points of league leaders Barcelona. Star man Kylian Mbappe won't be able to help them, with the forward missing out through injury.
Here are the starting XIs for both of those matches:
15:22 CET - It's honours even in the first Premier League match of the day, with Leeds and Man Utd drawing 1-1 after a thrilling second half.
Leeds looked more likely to find a winner in the closing stages and are now unbeaten in seven matches, despite facing United, Liverpool (x2) and Chelsea in that time. At this rate, they won't have to worry about relegation!
As for Ruben Amorim's side, they've now won just one of their last five and are in danger of dropping down the table this afternoon.
14:50 CET - The floodgates have opened! Brandon Aaronson opened the scoring to send the home crowd wild, but Mathues Cunha has immediately silenced them with an equaliser!
14:27 CET - After a fiery second half that saw Lazio get two red cards and Napoli one, with Adam Marusic and Pasquale Mazzocchi both being dismissed for a late bust-up, the visitors will be taking all three points back to Naples with them. Antonio Conte's side held on to their 2-0 lead to move to within a point of AC Milan at the top of the league.
14:18 CET - That's that for the first half in Yorkshire, and it's goalless at the break, with neither side able to create a huge amount of openings yet.
Leeds have won just one of their 15 previous Premier League meetings with Manchester United that have been level at half time (D7 L7) - can they improve on that record in the next 45 minutes?
14:05 CET - it's been an evenly-matched opening 30 minutes at Elland Road, with both sides enjoying very similar levels of possession and chances. The hosts are ending the half stronger though, and have just hit the post through in-form striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
13:37 CET - The clash between Leeds and Man Utd is underway, as is the second half in Rome - the day is well and truly up and running!
13:06 CET - It's 2-0! Kosovan centre-back Amir Rrahmani has headed in a free-kick to double Napoli's lead and put them firmly in the driving seat.
12:48 CET - Napoli come flying out of the blocks! Leonardo Spinazzola has scored a beauty of a volley to give them their first goal of 2026 and an early lead in the Eternal City.
12:42 CET - The first Premier League match of the day should be a good one, with in-form Leeds playing host to rivals Manchester United.
Leeds are in better form and have home advantage, while a combination of AFCON and injuries has left Man Utd with just two attackers in their starting XI, so the hosts will have their sights set on picking up all three points.
11:57 CET - Today's fun will begin with a heavyweight clash in the Italian capital, where Lazio will play host to reigning champions Napoli.
Napoli are enjoying a much better season, but they have struggled away from home and haven't beaten Lazio in six matches, with their last victory against them coming in 2022.
This is how the sides line up:
11:30 CET - Good morning and welcome back to our Football Tracker as we look ahead to a stacked Sunday!
The headline clash of the day comes in the Premier League, with Manchester City hosting managerless Chelsea at 17:30 CET. Read more on that heavyweight battle here.
Elsewhere, reigning Serie A champions Napoli travel to Lazio and Inter Milan take on Bologna, while AFCON hosts Morocco get their knockout stages underway with a last-16 game against Tanzania.
Here are all of today’s standout matches:
Leeds vs Manchester United - 13:30 CET
Fulham vs Liverpool - 16:00 CET
Real Madrid vs Real Betis - 16:15 CET
Morocco vs Tanzania - 17:00 CET
Manchester City vs Chelsea - 18:30 CET
South Africa vs Cameroon - 20:00 CET
Inter Milan vs Bologna - 20:45 CET
Paris Saint-Germain vs Paris FC - 20:45 CET
Saturday, January 3rd
23:33 CET - That's that for the first Saturday of 2026, and if the rest of them are as entertaining as this one, we're in for quite a year!
The final word of the night has to go to Barca goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who produced an excellent performance against his former club in the face of a huge amount of abuse from their fans to give Hansi Flick's side the win.
See you tomorrow!
23:07 CET - Rennes have claimed a big win over Lille in the final match of the day in France, prevailing 2-0 away from home to move within two points of the fourth-placed side.
They have now scored in 14 of their 17 league games this season; no team has done so more often.
23:02 CET - Mali pull off a miracle at AFCON! They were a man down for the majority of the match and behind for most of the penalty shootout, but they've ultimately won it 3-2 to move into the quarter-finals!
Besiktas forward El Bilal Toure scored the winning spot-kick to send them through to the last eight.
22:56 CET - Barcelona get a late win out of nowhere! After struggling for much of the match, the LaLiga leaders have scored goals in the 86th and 90th minutes through Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski to seal a dramatic derby victory!
22:50 CET - Atalanta have produced an excellent performance to beat Roma and deal a big blow to the title hopes of the club from the capital.
22:43 CET - We're heading to penalties in Morocco! Tunisia failed to make the most of their one-man advantage, and Mali now have just as good a chance as their opponents of prevailing.
Follow every kick of the shootout here.
22:37 CET - Barcelona are running out of time, with 15 minutes to go and Espanyol still looking just as likely to open the scoring as the league leaders.
22:00 CET - Mali equalise! After a handball, Lassine Sinayoko has stepped up to convert a penalty in the 96th minute and take this match into extra time! Incredible drama!
21:53 CET - Tunisia have surely won it at the death! Firas Chaouat has headed his nation ahead in the 88th minute to surely send them into the last eight of AFCON!
21:51 CET - We're halfway through the Derbi Barceloni, and while Barcelona have dominated the ball, it's Espanyol who have looked more likely to score, having seven efforts on goal to their opponents' three.
In Bergamo, Atalanta lead 1-0 at the break.
21:26 CET - Despite being a man down for almost an hour now, Mali are holding firm at AFCON with just over 15 minutes to go. The game remains goalless, and Tunisia have just one effort on goal in the second half despite having 71% possession.
Are we about the see our first extra-time of the tournament?
21:06 CET - Atalanta have made a flying start to a heavyweight clash in Serie A, with the Bergamo side leading Roma and their former manager Gian Piero Gasperini thanks to a 12th-minute goal from Giorgio Scalvini.
20:57 CET - It's been a disappointing evening for Liam Rosenior, whose Strasbourg side have only been able to draw 1-1 to struggling Nice in what could be the English manager's last game in charge, with Chelsea reportedly close to appointing him.
20:40 CET - Barcelona's first match of 2026 is a big one, with the LaLiga leaders travelling across the city to face local rivals Espanyol, who are enjoying their best season in a long time.
The two sides are the only two in the league to have won five games in a row so this should be a high-quality affair as well as a feisty one, with no love lost between the two clubs.
Here's how they'll line up:
20:37 CET - Just over 30 minutes into the second knockout clash of AFCON, things aren't looking good for Mali, who are down to 10 men against Tunisia after a red card for defender Woyo Coulibaly.
20:28 CET - Arsenal have held on to win 3-2 and go six points clear at the top of the Premier League for the time being, extending Bournemouth's winless run to 10 matches.
In Spain meanwhile, Villarreal have stayed in the LaLiga title fight with a 3-1 victory away to Elche, which moves them to within four points of Real Madrid with a game in hand.
20:05 CET - Goals galore in Bournemouth! Rice scored his second of the night to give Arsenal some breathing room, but 19-year-old Eli Junior Kroupi has cancelled that out with a lovely effort from outside the box!
19:58 CET - Juventus have made a stumbling start to the new year, with Luciano Spalletti's side being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Lecce.
They dominated the second half after drawing level through Weston McKennie, but missed numerous chances including a penalty from Jonathan David.
19:43 CET - Arsenal lead! They've gone ahead eight minutes into the second half through Declan Rice, who has stroked the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
19:18 CET - At half-time down on the English south coast, Arsenal and Bournemouth are level at 1-1, with Gabriel causing one goal then scoring the other in what was a rollercoaster start to the match.
Follow the second half live here.
19:05 CET - In the first Ligue 1 tie of the weekend, Lyon have downed 10-man Monaco 3-1 away in the Principality to solidify their spot in the top five.
19:02 CET - We have the first confirmed quarter-finalist at AFCON, and it is Senegal, who have navigated past Sudan in their Round of 16 tie, winning 3-1.
Sudan took a shock lead in the match, but it was all the Lions of Teranga from there, as they dominated possession and chances.
Next up, Mali take on Tunisia at 20:00 CET, with the winner set to play Senegal in the quarters.
18:47 CET - Well, Gabriel has almost immediately made up for his huge defensive error by firing the ball into the net to make it 1-1 between Arsenal and Bournemouth. Plenty going on there then.
18:43 CET - Bournemouth have taken a shock lead over the Premier League leaders Arsenal.
It’s 1-0 on the south coast thanks to an absolutey brain fade from the usually impeccable Gabriel, who passed it straight to Evanilson, only for the Brazilian to slot home.
18:31 CET - Arsenal's match at Bournemouth has just kicked off - follow the action with our live audio commentary!
18:07 CET - Moving to the north of Spain, Osasuna and Athletic Club have played out a 1-1 draw in LaLiga.
Next up there, Elche host Villarreal at 18:30 CET. The visitors would go third with a win, but don't discount Elche; they have the fifth-best home record in LaLiga.
17:57 CET - Wolves have finally won a game! After 19 matches winless in the Premier League, Wolves have at last taken all three points from a league match this season, and in some style, by thrashing fellow strugglers West Ham 3-0.
