Match! – 8 September 2026

Summary

Match 33, Issue 2257, September 8-21 2026, priced at £4.99, turns attention from World Cup glory to Champions League season with 36 teams ranked by title chances, EA SPORTS FC 27 ratings revealed, an epic interview with Harry Kane, 9 new signing posters, and a Kylian Mbappe competition.

Cover and content confirmed: Match 33, Issue 2257, September 8-21, 2026, £4.99. Cover lines include "AMAZING COMP! WIN A WICKED MBAPPE BUND", "EA SPORTS FC 27 RATINGS REVEAL!", "EPIC INTERVIEW! PAGE 8", "CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOWTIME!", "CHAMPO LEAGUE CHANCES! Every CL side's chances of glory in 2026-27 ranked!", "9 NEW SIGNING POSTERS!". Confirmed sections: Epic Interview with Harry Kane (p.8), EA FC 27 ratings reveal, Champions League chances ranking, Transfers Rated!, Kane! feature, New Faces!, Showtime In Europe!, Prem Power!, European Golden Shoe update, Ballon d'Or discussion, and Champions League rivals analysis. Regular features include ITK (In The Know), New Signing Posters.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Interview

p.8 · Epic Interview! — Harry Kane
Kane sits down for a season-opening interview covering the World Cup hangover, his fitness at 33, Bayern Munich's Champions League ambitions and his personal targets for 2026-27. The interview includes questions submitted by readers. Kane's answer about managing minutes through the Champions League group stage contains a specific recovery protocol that applies to any player over 30.

▸ Champions League

· Champions League Showtime!
The 2026-27 Champions League format changes and key storylines are introduced, with a focus on the expanded group stage and the new knockout structure. Each storyline has a "why it matters" box. Use the format explainer to correct friends who think the Champions League still uses the old group-stage draw system.

· Champlo League Chances!
Every Champions League side's title chances are ranked from 1 to 36 with a percentage probability and a one-line rationale. Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich occupy the top three spots. Compare the No.36 team's percentage with the No.1's — the gap tells you whether this season is a two-horse race or genuinely open.

▸ EA SPORTS FC 27

· FC27 Ratings Revealed!
The game's top-rated players are listed with their overall rating, pace, shooting, passing, dribbling, defending and physical scores. New additions and significant rating changes are highlighted with arrows. Search for the highest-rated player from your club and check whether his in-game rating matches his real-world performance curve.

· FC 27's Finest — Position-by-Position Best XI
The highest-rated starting XI in EA SPORTS FC 27, broken down by formation and position. Each player's key strengths and weaknesses are noted from a gameplay perspective. Build your Ultimate Team around the highest-rated bargain on this list — the gap between overall rating and market price is widest at right-back.

▸ Regulars

· Transfers Rated!
Every major summer transfer is rated as Hit, Miss or Wait-and-See with a short justification. The ratings use the same Hit/Miss/Wait-and-See system from previous issues. Check the Wait-and-See transfers after matchday 10 — the sample size is large enough by then to judge.

· New Signing Posters
9 pull-out posters of the summer's biggest signings in their new kits. Each poster shows the player in action and carries their name, new club and squad number on the front. Stick the poster of your club's marquee signing on the inside of your wardrobe door — seeing it every morning builds pre-match anticipation through the early weeks.

▸ Features

· Prem Power!
A Premier League power ranking that considers squad depth, manager stability, fixture difficulty and recent form from the opening matches. The ranking is updated from the season preview predictions based on actual results. Compare the power ranking with the season preview table from last issue — the movement tells you which teams are over- or under-performing.

· European Golden Shoe!
The early-season European Golden Shoe standings with the top 10 scorers across Europe's major leagues. Each entry includes goals, league coefficient multiplier and adjusted total. Identify the player with the easiest fixture run over the next four matchweeks — the Golden Shoe is often won in November, not May.

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Editor's Take

This issue marks a clean transition from World Cup coverage to club season, and the Champions League chances ranking (36 teams) is the best single feature — it is one of the few pages that justifies the £4.99 cover price alone. The Kane interview (p.8) delivers on the "epic" label: reader questions add unpredictability. Weakest part: the EA FC 27 ratings reveal is essentially a list of numbers that will be outdated by the first title update; it needed a "ratings that are wrong" counterpoint to add value beyond the game launch. The Mbappe competition prize bundle is strong but the entry mechanism is buried in small print. Best for the fantasy manager building an early-season squad and the EA FC 27 player who wants ratings before the game drops.

Strengths
• Champions League 36-team chances ranking with percentage probabilities
• Harry Kane interview includes reader-submitted questions
• Transfers Rated! with same consistent Hit/Miss system

Weaknesses
• EA FC 27 ratings are a static list that update one week after issue
• Competition entry details in small print are easy to miss

Verdict: Recommended — Buy it for the Kane interview and CL ranking; the game ratings will date fast.