In this issue
It might be hard to believe for anyone who sat through Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland last year, but Irish football is on the rise. Troy Parrott’s heroics have given the national team a shot at World Cup qualification, the domestic league is thriving as a new campaign gets underway, and an exciting generation of talent is starting to emerge.
Speaking of talent, Brentford striker Igor Thiago has taken the Premier League by storm this season. We’ve taken a look at his rise, and sized up his chances of wearing Brazil’s No.9 shirt this summer. Elsewhere, we look back on AFCON and the league phases of Europe’s biggest club competitions, and ahead to the 2026 World Cup play-offs at the end of March.
Jamie Evans, Managing Editor
Contents
THE WORLD THIS MONTH
12 Henry Winter Premier League lacking entertainment?
14 Keir Radnedge World Cup boycott? Not likely
16 Jonathan Wilson AFCON tactical review
17 On the radar Hakim Ziyech
18 In numbers
20 Obituaries
22 Moves you might have missed
23 Biggest January transfers
24 6 of the Best January window signings
HEADLINERS
26 Edoardo Bove Watford’s new signing
27 Kazuyoshi Miura The world’s oldest footballer
28 Indian Super League Returning to action
IRISH SPECIAL
30 EyeWitness: Bohemians
33 League of Ireland 2026 team profiles
34 6 of the Best Irish young guns
36 Face to Face Stephen Kenny
FEATURES
40 Spotlight Igor Thiago
44 Special Feature Who will be Brazil’s No.9?
50 Numbers Game Champions League, Europa League and Conference League stats and draws
57 2026 World Cup play-offs Inter-confederation and European play-off previews
INTERVIEWS
68 Face to Face Sebastien Desabre
70 Face to Face Franco Foda
99 My Biggest Game Tomasz Radzinski
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
72 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup
73 January window transfer round-up
WORLD SERVICE
76 Morocco 2025 AFCON review
82 Brazil 2026 season preview
84 United States MLS 2026 preview
86 Japan J. League 2026 preview
88 Austria Amateur Nations Cup
89 The Sweeper
90 AFCON 2025 squads
94 ESM XI
