The start of a football season always tricks people a little. Everything looks fresh. New shirts, new signings, clean tables, confident managers, fans talking themselves into hope again. Then the first few matches arrive, and half the predictions start wobbling. That is what makes early-season betting interesting. It is not tidy yet. Manchester City may still be Manchester City, but that does not mean they are sharp from the first whistle. Arsenal might look strong on paper and still need time to settle. Chelsea can have another summer full of noise and still leave bettors guessing. Real Madrid might have the stars, but even stars need minutes together. The first weeks are not about certainty. They are about spotting who is ready before the market fully catches up.

New Signings Need Time

Transfer excitement can make people rush. A new striker arrives at Arsenal and suddenly every goals market feels tempting. Manchester United sign a defender and people start talking about clean sheets. Chelsea add another expensive player and the same old question comes back: does this actually fix the team, or just add another name? Sometimes a signing changes everything quickly. More often, there is an awkward stage first. A forward needs to learn where the passes come from. A midfielder needs to understand the press. A centre-back needs to build trust with the goalkeeper and full-backs. That is why early-season betting after the Betway app download should not treat a new signing like a finished answer. The name matters, but the fit matters more.

World Cup Legs Will Matter

This season also carries the weight of the World Cup. Some players will come back flying. Some will come back flat. Some may start the season with managed minutes because their clubs cannot afford to burn them out early. That can change player markets fast. A bettor looking through the betway app before a weekend card should not only check the famous names in the lineup. Look at who played deep into the World Cup, who missed pre-season, who came back late, and who is being protected by the manager. A star on the pitch is not always a star at full speed.

Early Tables Can Lie

The first league table always looks more dramatic than it is. One big club drops points, and everyone starts asking if there is a crisis. One promoted side wins at home, and suddenly people talk about momentum. A striker scores twice, and the golden boot conversations begin before anyone has really learned anything. That noise can be useful, but only if bettors do not get swallowed by it. Early results need context. Did the team actually play well, or just finish two chances? Did they control the game, or survive pressure? Was the opponent missing key players? Did the manager rotate because of fitness?

Patience Beats The Big Prediction

The new season will settle. The strong teams will usually rise, the weaker squads will get exposed, and the table will start to make more sense. But the opening weeks are different. They are full of strange fitness levels, overhyped signings, tired stars and teams that are still trying to remember what they are meant to be. That is why betting on the upcoming season should start slowly. Do not fall in love with last season’s form. Do not trust every transfer story. Do not assume every World Cup star is ready to carry club football straight away. The value is often hiding in the messy part, before everyone else agrees what the season really looks like.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Federation of the International Football Association (FIFA) will not proceed with its proposal to sell a piece of its business operations to outside investors after the project ⁠was met with fierce resistance from some of its member associations.

FIFA’s plan was to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling about a 20 per cent stake in a new unit that would run FIFA events, including the ‌World Cup, valuing it at $20 billion.

The proposal was strongly opposed by the Union of the European Football Associations (UEFA), European football’s governing body, which voted on Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions. There was also opposition from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the English FA.

In a statement, UEFA said that it was “irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret”.

The Switzerland-based organisation’s statement also accused FIFA of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale.

“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature ⁠that, regardless of the level of support, are ⁠no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement announcing the cancellation.

“Our purpose has always been – and will ⁠always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”

UEFA welcomed the decision to scrap it but said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s current leadership, while AFC, while welcoming the decision, said that it expected any initiative of such magnitude to be discussed with its members in a “timely, transparent and meaningful manner”.

Mr ⁠Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro had resigned with ⁠immediate effect, calling the plan “a bad deal for football”.

FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said staff were “deceived” by Mr Infantino, describing the proposal as a “project of one person”.

The development has now raised eyebrows against the FIFA President, especially his relationship with US President Donald Trump.

The planned FIFA private investment scheme involved Mr Joshua Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital, who would lead the proposed venture capital group via a fund called Thrive Eternal. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump.

Mr Infantino said in April he ‌would seek a fourth term as FIFA president, with the election scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18 next year.

The deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members is November 18.

Observers now wonder if there will be fresh competition to the Swiss’ ambition to lead the world’s football authority for another

Nigeria’s Super Falcons will be looking to bounce back when they face Zambia in their second Group C match at the ongoing WAFCON 2026 in Morocco, following a shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening game. The defending champions will be hoping to get their title defence back on track with a crucial result against the Copper Queens. All the matches of the tournament air live on SuperSport via DStv and GOtv.

Matchday two opened on Thursday with Senegal securing a 1-0 victory over Kenya, while hosts Morocco followed with another narrow win, defeating Algeria 1-0 to strengthen their position in Group A. The results leave Morocco and Senegal in a strong position as the group stage continues.

Friday, Group B action will see South Africa take on Ivory Coast at 6:00 pm, with the 2022 champions looking to respond after their surprise 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their opening game. Ivory Coast, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on their impressive 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso and maintain their momentum in the competition.

Later at 9:00 pm, Burkina Faso will face Tanzania in another Group B encounter. Tanzania will be looking to continue their impressive start after their opening victory, while Burkina Faso will be searching for a response following their heavy defeat to Ivory Coast.

Saturday brings the next round of Group C fixtures, with Egypt taking on Malawi before Nigeria face Zambia. Malawi will enter their encounter with Egypt full of confidence after their historic 3-2 victory over the Super Falcons, while Egypt will be looking to recover from their opening defeat to Zambia.

The Super Falcons, meanwhile, will be aiming to bounce back when they face Zambia at 9:00 pm. Nigeria suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening game, while Zambia began their campaign in impressive fashion with a commanding 6-0 victory over Egypt. The encounter presents an important opportunity for Nigeria to get their campaign back on track, while Zambia will be looking to maintain their winning momentum.

Sunday’s action will bring Group D into focus, with Ghana facing Cameroon before Mali take on tournament debutants Cape Verde. Ghana started their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Cape Verde, while Cameroon secured a 2-1 win against Mali. Both sides will be looking to build on those results as the group stage continues.

Matchday 2 Upcoming Fixtures

Friday, July 31
South Africa vs Ivory Coast – 6:00 pm
Burkina Faso vs Tanzania – 9:00 pm

Saturday, August 1
Egypt vs Malawi – 6:00 pm
Nigeria vs Zambia – 9:00 pm

Sunday, August 2
Ghana vs Cameroon – 6:00 pm
Mali vs Cape Verde – 9:00 pm

SuperSport Brings All the Live Action

Catch every match of WAFCON Morocco 2026 live on SS Football (Ch. 202, GOtv Ch. 61) and SS Football Plus (DStv Ch. 202) on DStv and GOtv. Fans can also stream every match live on DStv Stream from ₦6,000, with no decoder or dish required.

Beyond WAFCON, sports fans can also catch the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, which is live every day on SuperSport across DStv and GOtv. New customers can get a DStv decoder, dish and one-month Compact subscription from ₦15,000, while existing customers can reconnect from ₦6,000 on DStv or ₦5,800 on GOtv. To subscribe or reconnect, visit DStv.com or GOtvAfrica.com, dial *288#, or use the MyDStv or MyGOtv app.