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January
January 2026
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In defence of the Saipan movie
Saipan movie plays fast and loose with some facts – but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get to the truth.
Interview
'I still haven’t fully processed it' - The Mayo teenager flying out for Junior Australian Open bid
Mayo tennis prospect Eoghan Jennings speaks to The 42.
Opportunity
No 1 issue: Gavin Bazunu must improve stats and consistency at Stoke City
Data gurus rank the Irish international as the worst performing goalkeeper in the championship by one key metric.
weekend in amsterdam
Ulster awarded 28-0 win as postponed Cheetahs game is officially cancelled
The game was due to be played in Amsterdam but was postponed twice owing to snowfall and freezing temperatures.
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Why football's posturing, meddling corporate class prevent good management
There is no evidence that United and Chelsea’s structures can succeed at the elite end of English football.
brittle and broken
Ruben Amorim at least stood for something - unfortunately for him, it was never going to work
Amorim’s inflexibility now looks absurd, and the United hierarchy have run out of patience.
On The 42Back to the drawing board
Assessing Ireland's midfield options after the shattering injury to Josh Cullen
Cullen has started every competitive game for which he has been available for the last five years – how can Ireland replace his influence?
On The 42bizarre episode
The Atomic Bowl: The untold story of the American football game played at Ground Zero in Nagasaki
A new documentary unearths the bizarre and chilling tale of the American military’s New Years’ game on the site on which they dropped the bomb.
Last year
2025
Political Football
Rip-off ticket prices, ICE raids, moving fixtures: What to expect from the MAGA World Cup
We look ahead to some of the storylines to expect from next summer’s World Cup in North America.
essay
What I think about when I think about Rory McIlroy in 2025
Assessing the making and the legacy of McIlroy’s extraordinary 12 months.
Comment
Villa's amazing run looks unsustainable while United are genuinely getting better
Villa are giving a historically emphatic two-fingers to Expected Goals, while Man United are onto the right thing with Ruben Amorim. They just need to get better players.
On The 42column
Best Heckle, WTF moment and Ronaldo red card of the year - The alternative 2025 awards
It’s time to look back on 2025 with the highly prestigious The 42 Alternative Awards of the Year.
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The proof that America has conquered football - Welcome to the Rip-Off World Cup
Here is another event separating us all according to the great hierarchy of wealth, telling many of us that, actually, this World Cup just isn’t for you.
Explainer
Hoping to go to the World Cup? Here's how to try to get tickets
Fifa’s latest ticket sales window opens today and runs until 13 January.
Liverpool
Liverpool show signs of arduous progress against Inter - but they have an Isak problem
This was another wretched outing for the club’s record signing: technically sloppy, physically overwhelmed, and just generally looking diffident and confused.
Comment
Salah knows his time at Liverpool is over, and he is right to say it is not his fault
For the first time, Liverpool’s self-interest does not align with Salah’s. In these scenarios, the player is always the fall guy.
Golden Girl
Ellen Walshe makes history with 200m butterfly gold at the European Short Course championships
Walshe stormed home to gold with a stirring finish.
On The 42Cyrus Christie
‘I’m enjoying football again’ - Ireland’s forgotten defender on injuries, racial abuse, and chasing promotion dream
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From the GAA to World Rugby to Fifa - Stop changing the formats of our great competitions
The formats of virtually of our biggest events have changed radically in the last few years – we have to call a halt.
On The 42making his name
Charlie Smyth kicks 56-yard field goal in impressive NFL debut
Smyth also executed an onside kick as the Saints’ comeback against Miami fell just short.
On The 42Comment
Even with only a draw, Chelsea mark themselves out as real title contenders
For Arsenal this was a good result even with the odds in their favour – for Chelsea this was an opportunity missed even from adversity.
On The 42column
Revealed*: Cristiano Ronaldo's letter to Fifa explaining why World Cup ban should be quashed
*Letter may be the product of the author’s imagination.
Off the Mark
Evan Ferguson scores first Serie A goal as Roma go clear at the top
Ferguson got off the mark on his return from injury in a 3-1 win away to Cremonese.
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