Cristiano Ronaldo is "not going to give up" and will feature at the 2026 World Cup, according to Portugal team-mate Vitinha.

The Selecao skipper holds the international record for the most caps (216) and most goals (133) since making his senior bow in August 2003.

Ronaldo also captained Portugal to their triumphs at Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League three years later.

The 39-year-old has appeared in five separate editions of the World Cup between 2006 and 2022, yet football's biggest prize has eluded him.

However, he was subjected to widespread criticism after failing to score at Euro 2024, where Portugal bowed out at the quarter-final stage after losing to France on penalties, while many claim his presence is now hindering his nation's progress.

Ronaldo will be 41 when the World Cup is held in North America, but international colleague Vitinha is adamant the Al-Nassr forward will be present for their country.

"39 years old and still a starter for the national team, I have no explanation for this longevity," the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder told RMC podcast Rothen s’enflamme.

"He has already said it, and I imagine it's the professionalism he has in everything he does. In the morning, in the evening, every day of his career, it's incredible.

"I can imagine the efforts and sacrifices he must make and has made. And I also imagine that's what has kept him in this condition at 39 years old.

"It's a privilege for me. We are small, we are children, we dream of playing with him one day, and it's happening.

"Luckily, I've had quite a few years to enjoy the national team with him. Of course, he will be there [at the 2026 World Cup]; he's not going to give up."

Valencia's Copa del Rey match against Parla Escuela has been postponed after the devastating flash floods hit the region. 

Valencia's away game against the sixth-tier side was to be played in Parla, located 15 miles from the Spanish capital of Madrid, on Wednesday.

The match has since been rescheduled for November 6, while other games within proximity have also been postponed. 

Levante's trip to fourth-tier Pontevedra in north-west Spain has been pushed back to next week, as has the tie between Xerez and AD Ceuta. 

Thursday's Copa del Rey fixtures were also affected, with Manises' encounter with Getafe also called off.

"Given the current circumstances, it is possible that other matches scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, may also experience changes," the RFEF said in a statement.

"The RFEF, in coordination with the various clubs, is working intensively to assess all possible scenarios and take appropriate measures."

Valencia host LaLiga champions Real Madrid at Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, though there has been no official confirmation whether the game will go ahead. 

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has accused Real Madrid of "exaggerated victimhood" as he slammed the club's decision to boycott Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The club opted to skip the ceremony after hearing Vinicius Junior would miss out on the top award, which was won by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.

The Brazil winger failed to scoop the accolade despite scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists last season, as Los Blancos won a LaLiga and Champions League double.

Madrid's decision not to attend sparked controversy, though City boss Pep Guardiola empathised with Carlo Ancelotti's side, insisting "it is up to them".

However, it has not gone down well with LaLiga boss Tebas, who feels it went against the club's principles.

"I am a Real Madrid fan. The most important values of this club are being a gentleman and shaking hands when you lose," he told l'Equipe.

"I think Real Madrid lost that spirit a long time ago. They should have gone to the ceremony and not questioned France Football's system, which is transparent, with 100 journalists voting.

"Real's victimhood is unnecessary and exaggerated. I don't know where they want to go."

Vivianne Miedema has undergone "successful surgery" on her left knee, Manchester City have confirmed. 

The Netherlands forward, who moved from Arsenal in the close season, has scored two goals and provided one assist in five appearances for City across all competitions this season.

However, Gareth Taylor's side must now make do without Miedema, as she prepares for a spell on the sidelines to undergo her rehabilitation.

The Women's Super League's all-time leading scorer has struggled with injuries since rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in December 2022, which forced her to miss the following year's World Cup.

And it is unclear how long the 28-year-old will be unavailable for City.

"Manchester City can confirm that Vivianne Miedema has undergone a successful surgery on her left knee," the club wrote on X.

"The Dutch international will now begin a period of rehabilitation at the City Football Academy, working closely with the Club's medical team. Everyone at City would like to wish Vivianne a full and speedy recovery."

Jurgen Klopp is baffled by the criticism he has received since agreeing to become the new global head of soccer at Red Bull.

The German reportedly signed a five-year contract with the energy drinks brand earlier this month, in what is his first role since leaving Liverpool in June.

Starting in January, Klopp will be responsible at the strategic management level for Red Bull's international network of clubs, which includes RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Bragantino and Red Bull Salzburg (managed by former assistant Pep Lijnders). 

The 57-year-old will advise the teams on playing philosophy, transfer strategy and coaching development, though former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Mainz have been among those scrutinising his move.

Many felt his decision to join Red Bull was inconsistent with claims he was "running out of energy" when announcing his departure from Anfield earlier this year.

Speaking on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast, hosted by former Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos and his brother Felix, Klopp addressed the situation.

"I really don't know what exactly I could have done for everyone to be happy," he said. "I didn't want to step on anybody's toes, definitely not, and, personally, I love all of my ex-clubs.

"I'm 57, so I can still work for a couple more years, but I don't really see myself on the sideline [as a coach] for the time being.

"But it was always clear that I wasn't going to do nothing at all. And then this story with Red Bull came into the picture, and for me, it's outstanding."

Explaining his new role, he added: "Basically, I'm an advisor. Hopefully, I can bring calm in different ways and, in other situations, assess things correctly and help the coaches.

"But I just want to support, not interfere, because I know how disruptive that is. Instead, I want to pass on my experience and work in the world that I know best."

With nothing separating them so far, Jamaica’s Cavalier FC and their Dominican Republic counterparts Moca FC will have all to play for in the decisive second leg of their Concacaf Caribbean Cup semifinal tie at National Stadium on Wednesday.

The teams, who will meet for the third time in Caribbean Cup history, played out a goalless stalemate in the Dominican Republic last week, which means it is anybody’s game to take when the ball gets rolling at 7:00pm.

Prior to their goalless scoreline, Cavalier won the first meeting between the two 3-0 last year at Sabina Park. With that in mind, Cavalier should again start slight favourites, especially being at home.

However, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champion will have to tread cautiously as Moca will be riding high on the fact that the away goal rule is in effect. That means a 1-1 draw would be enough to see Moca FC through to the Caribbean Cup final and, by extension, next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.

Should the contest again end scoreless, then extra time and penalties, if necessary, will decide the winner.

While declaring that his players are ready for the challenge, Cavalier’s Head coach, Rudolph Speid, is wary of the away goal rule.

“I don’t think it’s an advantage for us, because the away goal rule is in effect and we didn’t score one goal away. So, if they score one, we’ll have to score two. So I’m not really pleased, and we don’t have an advantage at this point,” Speid said.

“Moca is a good team, and you can see they have a lot of structure. They have players from Argentina and from all over South America, so they are not an easy team. Those players are well versed in the art of playing, so we have to give them a lot of respect,” he added.

Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson is again expected to be the point man in Cavalier’s attacking line, which has tallied 27 goals across last year and this year’s editions and stands as the team with the best offensive power in the history of the tournament.

They also placed second last year when they lost to Robinhood of Suriname and will be hoping to go one better on this occasion.

For Moca FC, this campaign is about seeking redemption after they were eliminated at this same stage last year by eventual champion Robinhood. They take an unbeaten record into Wednesday’s decisive leg and will be intent on keeping that record intact.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has warned Manchester United they must turn their season around before time runs out as he prepares for his first game as interim head coach. 

Van Nistelrooy, who returned to Old Trafford in July as an assistant coach, will be in the dugout for United's EFL Cup tie with Leicester City following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils parted ways with Ten Hag on Monday following their 2-1 defeat to West Ham, leaving them 14th in the Premier League after nine games of the season. 

United are in discussions about making Sporting's Ruben Amorim their next permanent boss. 

The Portuguese club confirmed on Tuesday that United had made an approach and are willing to pay Amorim's 10m euros (£8.3m) release clause.

Van Nistelrooy was brought to the club to work under Ten Hag but will assume the first-team coach role until a permanent successor is appointed amid ongoing talks with Amorim.

The former United striker, who scored 150 goals in 219 appearances as a player, said his side must waste no time in getting their campaign back on track.

Writing in United’s matchday programme, Van Nistelrooy said: "Good evening and welcome to Old Trafford.

"As I am sure everyone can imagine, I am writing these notes with a huge amount of mixed emotions.

"Erik ten Hag brought me back to Manchester United in the summer and, while I have only been part of the coaching staff here for a few months, I will always be grateful to him for giving me the opportunity, and I am saddened to see him leave.

"Even on an interim basis, it is a great honour to manage the club I love for however long I am asked to do so.

"I can promise that I will continue to give my all, in whatever capacity, to try to turn around our fortunes.

“Despite our results, I am loving being back at Old Trafford and working with the team and staff every day. We’ve seen the squad’s potential at times this season, but clearly not often enough.

“Now is the time for everyone at the club to work together, give everything and turn this season around while we have time.

"From my experiences as both a player and a coach here, I can say for sure that when players, staff and supporters pull together, Manchester United can be unstoppable.”

Van Nistelrooy has previous managerial experience, overseeing 50 games as the PSV Eindhoven head coach, winning 34 of those matches (D8 L8) in all competitions. 

During his time in the Eredivisie, he lifted the Dutch Cup in the 2022-23 season along with the Johan Cruyff Shield. 

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is confident Nuri Sahin can turn things around at the club after being dumped out of the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday. 

Dortmund were beaten 1-0 by Wolfsburg in their second-round clash, with Jonas Wind's extra-time winner deciding the contest at the Volkswagen Arena. 

It marked a miserable week for BVB, who are now without a win in four games in all competitions, piling more pressure on Sahin. 

Dortmund lost 5-2 to Real Madrid in the Champions League last week, despite leading by two goals, before losing to Augsburg upon their Bundesliga return. 

Sahin has won seven of his first 13 matches in charge in all competitions (D1 L5). While Kehl acknowledged the results had not been good enough, he remained confident in the Dortmund boss. 

"It is clear that we are not satisfied with the overall situation of our results," Kehl said.

"But we have to stick together and work hard on things. We are lagging behind in our goals. But we will go through it together.

"This is a situation that Dortmund has handled successfully in the past.

"The atmosphere in the changing room was one of frustration, very quiet," Kehl added on Dortmund's cup exit.

"At the end of the day, we have now been eliminated and that is very bitter."

Sahin has, however, had to try and navigate some difficult fixtures without a plethora of his first-team players. 

Dortmund are without Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton, Karim Adeyemi and Gio Reyna due to injury. 

Sahin's side have managed just 13 points after eight games in the Bundesliga, their worst start in 10 years, having picked up just seven points at this stage in 2014-15.

They have also conceded 14 goals in the Bundesliga, only letting in more during the 2007-08 season (16). 

Despite an away trip to second-placed RB Leipzig up next for Dortmund, Kehl is confident they can earn a first league away win this term. 

"The squad is relatively small due to the unfortunate injury situation. Still, we will try to win the match on Saturday," Kehl said.

But it looks like a difficult task for Dortmund as they head into the encounter having lost six of their last seven competitive games against Leipzig. 

They had previously gone on an eight-match unbeaten run against Leipzig in all competitions (W6 D2).

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has said that he was unsurprised by Erik ten Hag's sacking at Manchester United given the amount of attention on both him and the club.

Postecoglou has faced criticism himself this season, with Tottenham currently eighth in the Premier League following a defeat to previously winless Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Similarly, Ten Hag oversaw a 2-1 defeat away to West Ham on Sunday that put United 14th in the table, just seven points above the relegation zone. It was to be his last in charge.

But Postecoglou was sympathetic towards the Dutchman, though, explaining that the pressure put on managers is sometimes hard to live up to.

"I'm not really shocked. Disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he had," said Postecoglou in a press conference.

"If you look at Erik, he was there for two and a bit years. He won a trophy in each year, they finished third in his first year.

"If he was here with that record would he have lost his job? I don’t know.

"Would he be under the same scrutiny? I don’t know because everyone tells me all I have to do is win a trophy, but I have got a feeling it would be the same because, just the nature of the world today."

Felipe Carballo's first MLS goal secured New York Red Bulls a 1-0 triumph over reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew in the first match of their best-of-three series.

Carballo, on loan from Brazilian side Gremio, netted the only goal of the game in the 25th minute, volleying the ball beyond Patrick Schulte at Lower.com Field. 

It marked the Red Bulls' first win over Columbus in the postseason, with the Crew having won their previous four playoff meetings before Tuesday. 

But the visitors were indebted to their goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who made eight saves throughout the contest to put the Red Bulls one game up ahead of the second leg.

The Crew mustered 15 shots, with eight on target, accumulating an expected goals (xG) total of 0.77, though the Red Bulls managed a 0.85 xG with only three attempts on target.

In the other playoff game, Jefferson Diaz converted the decisive spot-kick for Minnesota United as they came out 5-4 victors in a penalty shootout against Real Salt Lake. 

Diaz slotted home his penalty before Braian Ojeda struck the woodwork with Salt Lake's final effort, putting the Loons a game up in their best-of-three series. 

In an evenly contested affair at America First Field, chances were aplenty, with Kelvin Yeboah and Cristian Arango squandering the best opportunities for their sides. 

Minnesota and Salt Lake tied three times in the regular season, and again could not be separated after 90 minutes. 

Both teams missed in the third round of the shootout as Minnesota captain Michael Boxall and Salt Lake's Justen Glad failed to convert from 12 yards. 

But the Loons held their nerve, earning a vital victory in the first postseason encounter between the two sides. 

Sporting coach Ruben Amorim was unable to give a proper answer when questioned about whether the rumoured interest from Manchester United meant he would be leaving the club soon.

Sporting confirmed earlier on Tuesday that United had made an approach and are willing to pay Amorim's 10m euros (£8.3m) release clause.

But Amorim was in the dugout to oversee Sporting's 3-1 win over Nacional in the Portugal League Cup quarter-final on Tuesday. 

The 39-year-old was given a standing ovation by Sporting fans after the triumph, though said he still needs to make a final decision on the move.

"Nothing is decided yet. I don't know if it's the farewell game or not," Amorim said. 

He did go on to confirm that the interest from United was legitimate but said that his future had not yet been finalised.

"There is interest from Manchester United, there is the payment of a contract term and when I have something more solid, I will come here and tell my position, because it will be my choice.

"While I don't have everything decided, for one side or the other, I can't tell much more".

Amorim has been reportedly installed as Manchester United's number one target to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked as manager on Monday following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday.

The defeat left United 14th in the Premier League table, with 11 points from their opening nine matches and just seven above the relegation zone.

Unsurprisingly, Amorim's post-match press conference on Tuesday centred around the rumours about him and vacant post at Old Trafford.

But he did say that he would be in training with Sporting to get ready for Friday's league game against Estrela da Amadora.

Asked if he will be in the dugout at Old Trafford for Manchester United's game against Chelsea on Sunday, Amorim said: "I will be here." But when pressed added: "I don't know."

Jonas Wind's extra-time winner saw Wolfsburg dump Borussia Dortmund out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round, piling more pressure on Nuri Sahin. 

With the game goalless after 90 minutes, the encounter at the Volkswagen Arena looked destined for penalties until Wind tapped home from close range in the 117th minute. 

Dortmund started strongly and almost took the lead early on when Maximilian Beier was sent through on goal, but struck the post with only Kamil Grabara to beat. 

Further chances fell to Serhou Guirassy and Beier, but the visitors were unable to take advantage of their dominant first 45 minutes. 

Wolfsburg grew into the contest after the break, and came closest in the second minute of extra-time when Tiago Thomas hit the woodwork before Wind had a header cleared off the line by Ramy Bensebaini. 

But Denmark international Wind would have the final say, netting the winner to leave Dortmund winless in their last three games in all competitions. 

It was, however, a more comfortable evening for holders Bayer Leverkusen, who swept aside second-tier Elversberg 3-0 on Tuesday. 

Patrik Schick scored a brace in the first nine minutes to put Xabi Alonso's side in control, with Aleix Garcia adding Leverkusen's third with a stunning free-kick before the break. 

Elversberg beat Leverkusen in the first round of the 2022-23 DFB-Pokal, making them the last team to beat the current holders in the competition.

RB Leipzig, the winners of back-to-back DFB-Pokal's before Leverkusen's triumph last year, also went into the hat for the next round after a 4-2 win over St. Pauli. 

Yussuf Poulsen and Christoph Baumgartner handed Marco Rose's side an early advantage before Morgan Guilavogui halved the deficit at the Red Bull Arena. 

Poulsen notched his second on the half-hour mark, only for Eric Smith to score the visitors' second after the interval. 

But Leipzig's progression was sealed by Antonio Nusa, who rounded off a fine solo run with his third goal for the club in all competitions.

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo insisted he is not looking at the Premier League table despite his side’s fine start to the season.

Forest earned their fourth win of the campaign against East Midlands rivals Leicester City last time out, with Chris Wood’s brace helping them to a 3-1 win at the King Power Stadium.

The Tricky Trees currently sit eighth in the early-season standings, but that matters little to Nuno, who expects further improvement from his side in the coming months to fully realise what he believes is their true potential.

"We played a good game, very stable, confident and solid. Our organisation was good, I am delighted," Nuno told Sky Sports.

"It is not about the table, what is more important is to see our fans celebrate like they did today. What is important is how we do things, how we continue to progress.

"It is the commitment, we as a group want to progress, become better and play good football.

"They (the players) have the ability, we need to make them stronger so we can build on it." They deserve it since last season was so this is a moment for them to enjoy.”

West Ham, meanwhile, needed an injury-time penalty from Jarrod Bowen to earn a 2-1 victory over Manchester United, a result that would lead to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal.

It’s been an inconsistent start to the season for the Hammers, though, who have managed 11 points from their first nine games under new manager, Julen Lopetegui.

But Sunday’s match-winner Bowen said that their result against United must be the catalyst for their campaign, with aspirations of qualifying for Europe again this term.

"It needs to be because this season we have been in positions where we have won 4-1 against Ipswich, then gone and lost 4-1 to Tottenham,” Bowen said.

"It's about consistently winning games and, if you want to be successful, you have to see it as a building block."

Max Kilman echoed his captain’s thoughts, saying: “It's been a tough start, but we showed a lot of resilience and a lot of character.

“We’ve seen with the second half performance how we pushed on and we've got a great result against a top team.

“All the boys who came on have done a great job and changed the game for us and that's what we need, the whole squad to push us on.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

Wood has scored seven Premier League goals this season, already the most by a Forest player in their first 10 games in a single campaign in the competition.

Overall, he’s scored 22 Premier League goals for the Tricky Trees, with only Bryan Roy netting more (24). The New Zealander has also netted more goals (seven) against the Hammers than any other side he has faced in the top-flight.

West Ham – Jarrod Bowen

Bowen’s winning penalty against United last time out was his 78th Premier League goal involvement for West Ham (46 goals, 32 assists), with only Michail Antonio (101) and Mark Noble (82) registering more for the Hammers (Paolo Di Canio also 78).

The England international has also created more chances (22) this season than any of his team-mates, with midfielder Tomas Soucek in second on just nine.

MATCH PREDICTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN

Forest have won both of their Premier League home games against West Ham since their return to the division in 2022. They last won more consecutively against the Hammers between 1969 and 1978 (four).

The Tricky Trees have won their last two Premier League games – they last won three in a row in the top-flight in May 1999.

Only Liverpool (five) have conceded fewer Premier League goals than Nottingham Forest this season (seven). It’s their fewest goals conceded at this stage of a league season since 2014-15 (seven in the Championship) and fewest in the top-flight since 1978-79 (seven).

West Ham, meanwhile, have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), as many as they had in their previous 12. They’re looking to win back-to-back league games for the first time since March.

However, the Hammers have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last 24 Premier League games played outside of London, conceding in each of their last 15 since a 4-0 win at Bournemouth in April 2023.

West Ham have also lost only two of their last four Premier League games against Nottingham Forest (W2), having lost just one of their previous 15 against them in the top-flight (W7 D7).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nottingham Forest – 41.4%

Draw – 26.7%

West Ham – 31.9%

Napoli won 2-0 away to AC Milan on Tuesday to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points.

The visitors struck twice in the first half through Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to seal their victory and put more space between themselves and second-placed Inter Milan.

Hosts Milan were rocked by Lukaku's goal, which came in the fifth minute and was his fourth of the season, while Napoli never looked back afterwards.

Antonio Conte's side scored a second with a wonderful curling effort from Kvaratskhelia that killed the game as a contest.

Milan did have an Alvaro Morata goal ruled out two minutes into the second half after a VAR review for offside, but that was the closest they came among a handful of decent opportunities.

But league leaders Napoli were able to hold on for their fifth consecutive league victory, which was also their ninth without defeat. Milan stay eighth on 14 points.

Data debrief: Dominant Napoli are challenging for another Scudetto

Tuesday's victory puts Napoli on 25 points after 10 matches, which is almost half of their entire total (53) from the 2023-24 season.

The match was also their seventh clean sheet in their last eight matches in all competitions, while they have conceded the equal-fewest goals (five) in Serie A.

They are unbeaten since losing against Hella Verona on the opening day and have won eight of their nine league games since.

AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca was unwilling to rule his team out of title contention following their 2-0 home defeat to Serie A leaders Napoli, who now lead them by 11 points, on Tuesday.

While Milan have a game in hand over their victors, it's a considerable gap to bridge even having played just nine matches so far this season.

That is especially true when they have already lost three times, but Fonseca was not going to give up on the dream after being asked if it was still the objective after the match.

"I can't say the opposite, especially seeing how we played. How the team responded to a difficult moment and how it showed unity even without important players," Fonseca told DAZN.

Milan had to cope without key players including Theo Hermandez and Tijjani Reijnders against Napoli and their manager thinks they they will improve,

"No team has won the league after nine games and none has lost it after nine games," he said.

"For this reason, we must continue on the path of growth. Clearly we will need results to enter this fight."

Fonseca accepted the blame for the defeat to Napoli, but did say that he was happy with how his team responded after Romelu Lukaku put the visitors in front after just five minutes.

"I'm always responsible for what happens on the pitch and once again I take this responsibility," he said.

"It's not easy to start the game with a Napoli goal after five minutes, but if we look at the result, they scored two goals and we created the chances.

"The team had a good reaction at the beginning of the game, we played positive football with quality.

"It's not easy against a Napoli team that... defends in front of its penalty area."