The fast-tracked purchase of English soccer club Chelsea for 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion)—the highest price ever paid for a sports team—was completed Monday by a consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly. It marked the end of the trophy-filled, 19-year tenure of Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch who was forced to sell…

LONDON—The sale of Premier League club Chelsea is expected to be completed Monday after a “final and definitive” agreement was reached with the consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly. The club said Saturday that “a final and definitive agreement was entered into last night” to sell to the Boehly and Clearlake Capital…

LONDON—Add the FA Cup to the collection. Jürgen Klopp has now won every major title for Liverpool. A 6–5 victory over Chelsea on penalties in Saturday’s final produced Liverpool’s first FA Cup triumph since 2006 and kept it in contention for, potentially if unlikely, a quadruple of trophies. Just like in the League Cup final…

Britain has sanctioned hundreds of Russian parliamentarians as the government seeks to further “tighten the screw” on President Vladimir Putin’s regime over the invasion of Ukraine. The government said on Friday that 386 members of the Duma—the lower house of the Russian parliament—are being banned from travelling to the UK and any assets they have…

LONDON—Defending champion Manchester City is on top of the English Premier League for the first time this season. And if Pep Guardiola’s team keeps playing like this, it could be difficult to knock City off its perch—even in a tight title race that saw three different teams lead the standings during Saturday. On a day…

The return of near-capacity crowds fueled a barrage of goals and a bunch of home wins on the first Saturday of the English Premier League season. Fans at Old Trafford particularly enjoyed themselves. More than 72,000 spectators—Britain’s biggest soccer crowd since the pandemic—saw Bruno Fernandes’s hat trick and Paul Pogba’s four assists sweep Manchester United…

LISBON—Portugal’s government has come under fire from lawmakers for sending contradictory COVID-19 messages after allowing thousands of English soccer fans to party in Porto for Saturday’s Champions League final, despite coronavirus restrictions. In the days leading up to Saturday’s final between Chelsea and Manchester City, big crowds of English fans, who were largely maskless and…

LONDON—The Super League collapsed before a ball was kicked in the European breakaway competition after being abandoned by the six English clubs, leaving the Spanish and Italian participants stranded. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham throughout Tuesday evening deserted the proposal to launch a largely-closed midweek competition amid an escalating backlash from…

MANCHESTER, England—European soccer’s governing body UEFA led a backlash against plans for a breakaway Super League on Monday, saying associated players and clubs could be banned from its competitions—including three of this season’s Champions League semi-finalists. Addressing an emergency meeting the day after 12 of Europe’s top clubs announced the new league, UEFA president Aleksander…

MANCHESTER, England—Twelve of Europe’s top football clubs launched a breakaway Super League on Sunday, launching what is certain to be a bitter battle for control of the game and its lucrative revenue. The move sets up a rival to UEFA’s established Champions League competition and was condemned by football authorities and political leaders. Manchester United,…