After the FA lifted their ban on women playing at Football League grounds, England’s Lionesses played their first international in 1972 – two years later, Liz Deighan won her first cap against France

Simon Kuper World Cup Fever A footballing journey in nine tournaments 352pp. Profile. £20. Jonathan Wilson The Power and the Glory A new history of the World Cup 608pp. Abacus. £25. In 1994, a column

Italy is in a race against time to be ready to stage its first major tournament since the 1990 World Cup

Africa Cup of Nations: a “ludicrous finale” to ...

La Plata giants win the Clausura crown despite the suspension of their compelling club president Juan Sebastian Veron

Had qualification for the World Cup been decided by population, Spain would only just have made it for the past seven tournaments. Ranked 31st by that metric, they lag behind Myanmar, Sudan and Colomb