LIVE: Bournemouth vs Man City – Premier League

It’s easy for travellers to literally look down on Kansas City, Missouri. In the heart of the United States Midwest, it represents the definition of flyover country for anyone on their way to more famous locales.

That perspective is about to change as the attention of the sporting world lands on the city in a few months along with hundreds of thousands of football fans.

Arrowhead Stadium, the 76,000-seat home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, will host six World Cup matches, including a possible Argentina-Portugal quarterfinal, anticipated as a Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo showdown.

Kansas City overcame major odds to become one of the 11 US venues for the biggest World Cup ever. The 39-day tournament stretches from Mexico City to Vancouver in Canada.

While Kansas City is the 37th most populous city in the US, according to the 2020 US Census, most of the other host cities are in the top 10 in terms of population.

“That’s a big gap, and most of those in between were bid cities,” Alan Dietrich, chief operating officer of the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Sporting Kansas City, told Al Jazeera in a recent interview.

Read more about how Kansas City did it here.

Pep Guardiola will leave ⁠Manchester City ⁠after a decade in charge, according to widespread reports, bringing to ⁠a close one of the most successful spells in Premier League history.

Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who led the Blues to FIFA Club World Cup victory last year, is expected to replace him.

The 55-year-old Guardiola will reportedly announce his departure shortly after City’s final ‌game of the season against Aston Villa at  Etihad Stadium, capping a campaign that included winning both the League Cup and the FA Cup trophies.

Saturday’s FA Cup victory over ⁠Chelsea secured Guardiola his ⁠20th trophy with the club.

Maresca, who left Chelsea four months ago, has been rumoured for months to ⁠be the top contender for the Spaniard’s job. ⁠Guardiola’s contract at City ⁠is set to expire in June 2027.

Guardiola on verge of Manchester City exit at end of Premier League season https://t.co/ko2pL8Pyl1 pic.twitter.com/TMnCP6a5VL

— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) May 18, 2026

Who actually gets to go to the World Cup?

With US President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies, some fans may never make it past the United States border.

Because while teams qualify on merit, passports don’t. Al Jazeera’s Samantha Johnson explains.

Hello, welcome and thanks for joining our live coverage of Bournemouth against Manchester City in the English Premier League.

The Cherries are chasing Champions League qualification while City are chasing the league title. A twist to their tale has emerged this evening, though.

As Arsenal moved five points clear, having played a game more, with their 1-0 win against Burnley, reports emerged that Pep Guardiola is preparing to step down as City manager at the end of the season.

It has added an intriguing element to the game at Vitality Stadium, which is a must-win for both teams given their end-of-season ambitions.

I’m Kevin Hand, and I’ll bring you the live build-up and photo coverage of the day plus the news, analysis and opinion surrounding the game.

Manasi Pathak will bring you the team news as it drops before our comprehensive text commentary stream of the match.