Soccer

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- Former FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol appeared at Midea's booth at IFA 2026 in Berlin, marking a public milestone in the five-year partnership between Midea and FC Barcelona.

Puyol joined Lewis Fu, president of Midea International, to present a personalized FC Barcelona jersey before touring the area dedicated to the Midea SMART MASTER and FC Barcelona collaboration.

Puyol recalls handing the captain's armband to Éric Abidal in 2011

During the appearance, Puyol recounted passing the captain's armband to Éric Abidal and inviting him to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2011. He described leadership as valuing teammates, leading by example, and maintaining high standards until the final whistle.

Offenbach, Germany – September 09, 2026 -- Hyundai Motor Company has signed a multi-year deal to become the Official Automotive Partner of the UEFA Champions League, starting with the 2026/27 season and running through the end of 2030/31.

The deal extends nearly 30 years of Hyundai's football sponsorships

Hyundai has backed football at major international tournaments and clubs for almost three decades. This agreement, struck with UC3 -- UEFA's joint venture with European football clubs -- moves that commitment to the top tier of European club competition.

"Football has been part of Hyundai for almost 30 years," said José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. "The UEFA Champions League is the best club football in the world, played every week in front of the most passionate fans in Europe." Muñoz, who is from Madrid, said the partnership follows Hyundai's involvement at this summer's World Cup.

Ingolstadt – September 09, 2026 -- Alemannia Aachen scored three goals in the opening 11 minutes at FC Ingolstadt, sealing a 3:0 win in the fourth matchday of Germany's 3. Liga, broadcast live on MagentaSport.

Ingolstadt's Elias Decker was sent off in the fourth minute

Decker committed a professional foul on Aachen's Jonas Oehmichen, receiving a red card just four minutes into the match. Aachen capitalized immediately, with Lukas Scepanik scoring in the 6th minute, Mika Schroers in the 8th, and Louis Köster in the 11th, putting the hosts down 0:3 while still a man short.

Munich -- August 30, 2026 -- Third-division club Viktoria Köln dismantled relegated Preußen Münster 4-1 on Sunday, August 30, as forward David Otto scored twice and set up two more goals in a blistering start at home. Newly promoted TSV Havelse stunned SV Waldhof Mannheim 3-2 after trailing 0-2, handing the promotion favorite its first loss of the season. In the Frauen-Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in Leverkusen to keep its unbeaten start alive following an 8-2 win over Nürnberg and a Champions League qualifying victory over Inter. MagentaSport carried all three matches live.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 28, 2026 -- Fortuna Düsseldorf beat VfB Stuttgart II 1-0 on Friday night in the third matchday of Germany's 3. Liga, picking up its first win of the season after opening the campaign with two straight losses. Andreas Müller scored the only goal. Both clubs' coaches described the match as scrappy and low on quality, with Stuttgart II head coach Nico Willig calling the winning goal a classic bad-luck own-side error.

Düsseldorf, which dropped from the 2. Bundesliga last season, had rebuilt its squad with 16 to 17 new signings over the summer. Head coach Alexander Ende said the team played a solid preseason but stumbled out of the gate, losing a difficult away match at Mannheim before following it with a poor home performance. He said breaking that pattern required grinding, defensive work rather than open, attacking football, and that keeping a clean sheet mattered more than style points on the night.