Football Headlines Jan. 31, 2025

In 2025, The Goal Club will now deliver weekly news updates from around the world related to the beautiful game summarizing the biggest news stories from the prior week.

Here are this week’s biggest headlines…

UEFA Champions League Draw

Following the conclusion of the first-ever league we now know the matchups for the playoff round of the Champions League.

After suffering a scare of possibly missing out of the Top 24, Manchester City found a way to advance and will now take part of the marquee matchup facing defending champion Real Madrid with the winner set to face either Atletico de Madrid or Leverkusen.

Potential intriguing matchups in the Round of 16 include PSG vs. either Liverpool or Barcelona and  Inter could face either Juventus and Milan.

The easier path into the quarterfinal is the path with Aston Villa and Lille who are already in the round of 16 - their possible rivals will come out of Sporting, Dortmund, Atalanta and Brugge - two of the six will reach the final 8.

Barcelona stadium woes

FC Barcelona is looking to extend the lease at the Olympic Stadium at Montjuic through May to play its final two home games of the season including the second Clasico against Real Madrid.

Barcelona hoped to return to Camp Nou in November but due to delays in construction work that was extended to May and now works may prevent the team from returning to their home ground for the rest of this season.

The stadium is expected to be fully completed by mid 2026.

Club World Cup official ball unveiled

Adidas revealed the ball that will be used for the first ever 32-team Club World Cup to be played in the United States this summer.

According to FIFA “The ball’s design pays homage to the host nation, the United States, incorporating bold graphics and emblems that celebrate and reflect the country’s heritage.”

Leagues Cup

After a lackluster second edition in 2024 - Leagues Cup is getting a major overhaul in 2025, the biggest change for this season is the fact that neither MLS or Liga MX will halt their seasons to play in the tournament. Also, the number of participating MLS teams is reduced to 18 to match Liga MX and lastly, the new format ensures that 58 of 62 games will feature an MLS team against a Liga MX team.

Under the new format each team will face three teams from the opposite league and the standings table will be divided in two - with the top 4 teams from each league advancing into the quarterfinals.

Like in the previous editions all games will be played in the U.S. and the top 3 teams will earn a spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.

More MLS in Open Cup

After trying to bail out in the U.S. Open Cup last year and ultimately agreeing to send a total of 8 teams for the 2024 season - for 2025 the number will double to 16 teams.

Big names to Liga MX/MLS

After making headlines after James Rodriguez signed for Leon, Liga MX is staying busy and ready to make more of a splash as Sergio Ramos has now signed with Monterrey.

While it is not finalized its neighbors Tigres are reportedly seeking to land LA Galaxy’s Serbian striker Dejan Joveljic. 

Meanwhile in MLS - Miguel Almiron is making a return to Atlanta United after 6 years at Newcastle United as the 2018 MLS Champions are trying to rekindle the magic of their first couple of MLS seasons.

Santi Gimenez

According to soccer outlets in Italy and the Netherlands, Mexican and Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez is expected to sign with AC Milan ahead of the transfer deadline in Europe.

If the signing comes to fruition - Gimenez could be back very soon in Rotterdam as AC Milan will take on Feyenoord in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League. The first leg at De Kuip will take place Feb.12 and the return leg in San Siro on Jan. 18.

Women’s football

Chelsea is making a strong statement in the transfer market - earlier this month they broke the bank after signing US defender Naomi Girma for a million dollars and now they made waves again after luring English defensive midfielder Keira Walsh from FC Barcelona for nearly half a million dollars.

Chelsea is one of the top contenders to win the Women’s Champions League, meanwhile Barcelona the two-time defending champion now have a big hole to fill with the open spot likely going to Ingrid Engen who has played in that role for the Norwegian national team.

NSWL to Denver

Denver has been awarded the 16th franchise for the National Women’s Soccer League for a league record $110 Million.

The club will begin playing for the 2026 season along the new franchise in Boston.

Denver plans to design and build a soccer-specific stadium for the women’s team.