🇩🇿 Algeria make WAFCON statement, Neymar hits back at poker allegations, Vozinha's new club | VAR

🌏 ASEAN Championship | 🤩 Barca's next wonderkid | 👴 59-year-old scores

Jul 27, 2026

You thought the international football was over for the summer with the end of the World Cup? You thought wrong!

The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations kicked off this weekend as Algeria made a big statement in their opener against Senegal.

More on WAFCON below as well as the 2026 ASEAN Championship which similarly got under way over the weekend.

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In other news, Vozinha has a new club after the World Cup, La Masia has produced an 11-year-old wonderkid (because they needed another young star) and the world’s oldest player found the back of the net.

Let’s take a look at everything 👇

Something at WAFCON 🌍

Algeria made a big statement in the 2026 WAFCON opener as they beat Senegal 2-0 when most expected a comfortable victory for the Lionesses of Teranga!

Senegal had beaten Algeria 4-1 and 3-0 in two recent friendlies, but suffered a shock defeat when it mattered most. This stunner by Melissa Bethi capped a tremendous performance.

Something in ASEAN 🌏

Last week’s in-depth newsletter focused on Vietnam’s growth as a football nation with the Golden Star Warriors kicking off the defence of their ASEAN Championship title.

Vietnam made good on their status as pre-tournament favourites by thumping Timor-Leste 7-0. There was also a statement win by Thailand over Laos. The pair will be difficult to stop.

Something 59 years old

The world’s oldest professional football player is a guy called Kazuyoshi Miura who plays in the Japanese third tier and he scored his first competitive goal in nearly four years this weekend.

Miura, nicknamed ‘King Kazu,’ found the back of the net for Fukushima United in a 7-0 victory in the Emperor’s Cup. The forward has been playing professionally since 1986 when he started out at Santos.

What a career!

Something in high school

Pedri is accustomed to being around children, being a Barcelona player and all that.

Not even this explains why the World Cup winner showed up to a national high school final in Suzhou, China. Won’t somebody let this poor guy have some time off! He’s played about 20,000 minutes in 12 months!

Something poker-faced ♣️

Neymar played his first club match since the World Cup and scored. Twice, actually!

The 34-year-old (he’s only 34?!) found the back of the net and used his celebration to hit back at allegations that he is spending all his time playing online poker through the night.

There’s always something with Neymar.

Something in Chile 🇨🇱

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha was one of the icons of the 2026 World Cup and the brick wall who kept a clean sheet against Spain and Uruguay has a new club!

Colo-Colo have signed the 40-year-old for the 2026/27 season. “Aura” is right. Where can this newsletter writer find a Vozinha jersey? I need one!

Something at a wedding 💒

The Viking Row was one of the abiding memories of the 2026 World Cup and Erling Haaland is still performing it every opportunity he can.

MetLife Stadium, Oslo city centre, Gianluigi Donnarumma’s wedding… all the places you would expect to see a giant 6ft 5” Scandinavian leading a group of people sat on the ground in a rowing routine…

Something classy

Como released their new kit for the 2026/27 season in an unusual way.

The Serie A club gave the jersey to various local figures for their promotional campaign. A butcher, a baker, quite possibly a candlestick maker. All very quaint for a club that spent €60m on a single player this summer…

Something from the halfway line

Eloy Room was a star for Curacao at the World Cup. On Saturday, however, he was lobbed from the halfway line in the USL Championship.

Marco Micaletto found the back of the net from 40 yards out to give the Tampa Bay Rowdies a 3-2 win over Miami FC.

Life comes at you fast, I guess.

Something in Venezuela 🇻🇪

This goal in the Venezuelan second division has to be seen to be believed!

Any goalkeeper intent on playing out from the back should be shown this video. When it works, it can work really well. When it doesn’t work, though, well… this sort of thing can happen.

Something on a plane ✈️

We have featured some imaginative tifos in this newsletter over the years, but this one might just have set a new standard!

This effort by Motherwell’s ‘Well Boys’ supporters group depicted their European journey complete with plane to the Faroe Islands. That’s just quality stuff!

Something French in Florida 🇫🇷 🐊

New Orlando City signing Antoine Griezmann is loving life in Central Florida. Alligators, Disney churros, crippling humidity… what’s not to love?

Central Florida seems to love Griezmann too with this mural of the former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona forward appearing in Orlando last week.

Something Swiss 🇨🇭

The 2026/27 Swiss Super League season kicked off in suitably chaotic fashion on Saturday!

Vaduz of Liechtenstein had to play the final 10 minutes of their season opener against Lugano with an outfield player in goal after their starting keeper was sent off and they didn’t have a number two on the bench.

Something prodigious

It’s probably not a good idea to hype up an 11-year-old as the next best player in the world. That’s not fair and is only establishing expectations that no kid should be burdened with.

But also… HAVE YOU SEEN HOW GOOD HUGO GALDEANO IS?! This is insane. Get him in the Barcelona first team right now.