Overall winner DigiProp and the other Welsh winners will now compete in the UK StartUp Awards in September

Cardiff-based property information tech firm DigiProp has been named the best start-up company in Wales.

It took the overall title at the 2026 Wales StartUp Awards. The company, set up by entrepreneur Matthew Lindsey, also took the digital start-up category at the awards.

All Welsh winners will now compete in the UK StartUp Awards which will be held in September at entrepreneurship festival Ideas Fest. They will compete against regional award winners in England, as well as those from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

DigiProp is transforming how property inspections are conducted, replacing static photos and lengthy manual reports with immersive 360° digital records that combine visual data, structured property information, and AI-assisted defect detection into a single intelligent asset.

The judges were impressed by the scale of the problem DigiProp is solving, the technology behind the solution and the potential to build the digital infrastructure for property inspection right across the UK.

Founder of the StartUp Awards Professor Dylan Jones-Evans said of all the winners at the awards, held at Tramshed in Cardiff; “These amazing Welsh businesses are not just coming up with clever ideas, but are building businesses with real purpose, commercial credibility and the potential to scale.

“What impressed the judges was the evidence behind their ambition from customers and partnerships to investment, innovation, impact and growth and across every region, we are seeing founders creating jobs, opening up new markets and challenging established industries.

“Many are also tackling some of the biggest issues facing society, from health and sustainability to clean energy, digital inclusion and productivity, and that combination of entrepreneurial energy and practical impact is what makes this year’s winners so impressive. Their success is not only worth celebrating, but it is also worth backing.”

All the winners

• Overall Wales StartUp of the Year & Digital StartUp of the Year: DigiProp.co.uk.
• Beauty, Health & Wellbeing StartUp of the Year: Hikitalo.
• Business to Business StartUp of the Year: MPW Making Places Work.
• Construction & Building Services StartUp of the Year: Ateb Groundworks.
• Consumer Products StartUp of the Year: Joe’s Plant Place.
• Consumer Services StartUp of the Year: IV Wetroom.
• Creative StartUp of the Year: Hope Design Solutions.
• Education & Training StartUp of the Year: Redpen AI.
• Food & Drink StartUp of the Year: Tumptonics.
• Global StartUp of the Year: Camlin.
• Graduate StartUp of the Year: Young Potters.
• Green StartUp of the Year: Ecodetect.
• Hospitality, Tourism & Events StartUp of the Year: Booking Hub.
• Innovative StartUp of the Year: LanoTech.
• Marketing & Advertising StartUp of the Year: Copperhouse Films.
• Professional Services StartUp of the Year: Littlechild & Haley.
• ·Retail & E-Commerce StartUp of the Year: Spines.
• Rising Star Award: Blackline Academy.
• StartUp For Good Award: Emwill Care.
• Technology StartUp of the Year: Vedri Studio.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Tiger Bay Cleaning.
• Judges’ Choice: AilArian.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Wednesday he “loves” teenage star Lamine Yamal‘s declaration that the reigning European champions will be “almost unstoppable” once they hit their stride at the 2026 World Cup, backing his young winger’s bold proclamation ahead of Thursday’s round of 32 match against Austria at SoFi Stadium.

De la Fuente’s endorsement came after Yamal set tongues wagging with comments made in a radio interview earlier this week, in which the 17-year-old Barcelona winger suggested Spain had yet to show their true colors and predicted a dominant run once the team clicked.

“Once we hit our stride … we’ll be almost unstoppable,” Yamal said in the radio interview, adding that Spain are “the only national team expected to play really well” at the tournament.

The comments prompted questions about whether Yamal’s confidence bordered on arrogance, particularly given Spain’s uneven group stage showing. The team drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their opener, a result that drew widespread criticism given Cape Verde’s status as one of the tournament’s rank outsiders. Spain subsequently beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 and edged Uruguay 1-0 to top Group B, but neither performance fully dispelled the sense that the side was operating well below the level that had made them European champions in 2024.

De la Fuente, speaking at his prematch news conference Wednesday at SoFi Stadium, was asked directly about Yamal’s bold claims and offered an enthusiastic defense of his youngest star’s mindset.

“I think he’s an optimistic player, confident about his possibilities and those of his teammates,” De la Fuente said. “We know what our potential is. We know how far we can go. His words, in their context, seem very positive to me. He transmits optimism, confidence, security, and I love that.”

Yamal himself has had an uneven tournament, in part due to a pre-tournament injury that curtailed his preparation and limited his early availability. He played only 19 minutes in the Cape Verde draw before contributing a goal in 45 minutes against Saudi Arabia. He was on the pitch for 76 minutes against Uruguay but found it harder to impact the game against tighter, more organized defensive opposition. De la Fuente addressed questions about whether Yamal will be capable of completing 90 minutes against Austria and struck an optimistic note.

“Lamine can now play whatever we ask of him,” De la Fuente said. “We’ve been, as always, very careful with all the players’ recovery. It isn’t the same playing a very demanding game, very intense and fast, where you might only be able to play half an hour, and other games that are more comfortable and you can play 70 minutes. Lamine is really good. You’ve seen how excited he is to play.”

Austria’s coach Ralf Rangnick offered an interesting counterpoint to Yamal’s confidence, acknowledging the teenager’s generational talent while framing his team’s approach in purely practical terms. Rangnick stopped well short of dismissing the claims, instead expressing something closer to admiration tempered by the pragmatic language of a coach who needs his players focused on nullifying a threat rather than being distracted by it.

“He is an excellent player, and he will be for the next 12, 13, 14 years or even longer if he stays healthy and keeps a good head on his shoulders,” Rangnick said. “If you look at Lionel Messi, you can see he could play a lot of matches. He’s one of the players we’ll watch very closely tomorrow. We’ll try not to give him space when he starts dribbling. He’s a player all fans love to watch, but it’s our task to make sure he has the ball as little as possible.”

De la Fuente also delivered an upbeat injury report on two wingers who picked up knocks during the Uruguay match. Yéremy Pino, who initially appeared to suffer a serious collarbone injury, has made a faster-than-expected recovery and returned to full training, with De la Fuente describing the turnaround as near miraculous given how serious the initial assessment appeared.

“Yeremy’s recovery has been miraculous,” De la Fuente said. “After the game it looked like a fracture and it wasn’t. With his character and his courage, he’s back training completely normally.”

Nico Williams, another key attacking player who sustained what was feared to be a significant injury late in the Uruguay match, has been ruled out of Thursday’s match but is expected to be available for the round of 16 if Spain advance.

“Nico got a big shock, he thought he had an important injury after the game, but it wasn’t like that,” De la Fuente said. “It’s moderate discomfort that prevents him from playing tomorrow, but we’re optimistic he’ll be there for the next game, if we go through.”

Víctor Muñoz, who has yet to feature at all during the tournament, is also back in full training according to De la Fuente, though the coach noted that a lack of recent competitive minutes makes his selection for Thursday’s match a more complex decision.

Spain are widely considered among the tournament’s top three or four favorites despite their uninspiring group stage performances, with the depth of their squad, their tactical flexibility under De la Fuente and the frightening individual quality of players like Yamal, Pedri, Williams and Álvaro Morata giving them a ceiling that most analysts still rate among the highest of any remaining team. The question throughout the group stage has been not whether Spain have that potential but when, and against whom, it will finally manifest in sustained, 90-minute dominance.

De la Fuente closed his news conference with a declaration of growing confidence that mirrored his young star’s own self-belief.

“As the days pass, I believe even more in this team,” De la Fuente said. “I’ve always believed in this team. For me they’re the best in the world. As the tournament evolves, there’s equality with the results we’re seeing. I’m still just as demanding, still just as realistic, but also more optimistic every day.”

Thursday’s round of 32 match kicks off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood with a place in the round of 16 on the line for both sides.

ATLANTA — Wayne Rooney delivered a blunt and damaging assessment of England’s World Cup prospects Wednesday night, warning that Thomas Tuchel’s side faces a serious crisis of structure and cohesion that could bring their tournament to an abrupt end unless the coaching staff makes urgent changes before Sunday’s round of 16 clash against Mexico in Mexico City.

England’s narrow 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, secured only through two Harry Kane goals in the final 15 minutes of a match they were widely expected to win comfortably, prompted Rooney to pull no punches in his post-match analysis for the BBC.

“For me there are big concerns,” Rooney said. “We are all delighted England have gone through but in particular when England lose the ball they are so open. Against a better team I think we are in big trouble if we don’t sort that out.”

The former England captain and all-time leading scorer continued with a pointed breakdown of where specifically he sees the problems manifesting across the pitch.

“The connection isn’t great between the backline and midfield, the full-backs are struggling, Madueke struggled,” Rooney said. “There are just no connections and big gaps in the middle of the pitch and that is a big worry for me. He really needs to look at that otherwise we will go out.”

Those are not the words of a pundit looking for attention. Rooney earned 120 caps for England and has spent years analyzing the international game, and his concerns mirror those expressed by numerous technical observers who watched Wednesday’s performance with mounting anxiety. England were disorganized, unable to maintain defensive shape when out of possession and alarmingly open down the flanks for long stretches of a match against a side ranked considerably below them in the global standings.

Congo DR’s Brian Cipenga scored an early goal in the seventh minute that Rooney described as the product of poor decision-making at the heart of the England backline. He had been critical of center backs Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa before his post-match comments, accusing both of “poor judgement” for allowing Cipenga to arrive completely unmarked at the back post and finish unopposed.

The right back position drew particular attention from Rooney, who singled out Djed Spence’s uncomfortable display as symptomatic of a structural vulnerability that could be exposed in a far more damaging way by Mexico, whose forward unit is in outstanding form. Spence was exposed multiple times by Congo’s attack and was eventually replaced by Eberechi Eze, with Declan Rice dropping into a makeshift right back role for a portion of the match, an arrangement that highlighted just how exposed England are at that position.

Rooney went as far as to advocate for an emergency recall of retired right back Kyle Walker, making the case that the cost of ignoring the problem is greater than the awkwardness of making an unconventional late tournament phone call.

“We’ve seen it before where players have come out of retirement,” Rooney said. “I think the minute Tino Livramento got injured, they should have been straight on the phone to Kyle Walker. Kyle’s still more than good enough and more than capable of playing in this England team. I would have been on the phone to him and saying, ‘Listen, we need you here so can you come out and help us,’ because that could really cost us. I’m worried on that.”

Walker has not featured for England since retiring from international football, but Rooney’s point reflects a view that seems to be gaining some traction among pundits and supporters who watched Wednesday’s performance and are already dreading how a more clinical attack than Congo’s would have punished the same defensive vulnerabilities. Whether Tuchel would seriously consider an out-of-retirement recall in the middle of a World Cup is another matter entirely.

Rooney’s concerns are rooted in what happened Wednesday and in what lies directly ahead. Mexico, England’s opponents on Sunday at the Estadio Azteca, are arguably the most difficult possible round of 16 opponent in the bracket at this stage of the tournament. Co-hosts who have played every match at home, Mexico have yet to concede a single goal across their four games, won all four of those matches and most recently dismantled Ecuador 2-0 in a first half performance that was as close to perfect as any team has produced in this tournament. Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones are in exceptional form, the crowd at the Azteca is among the loudest and most intimidating in international football, and Mexico’s home record in World Cup play spans more than a decade without a loss.

The potential path beyond Mexico only intensifies the stakes. Should England navigate the Azteca, a quarterfinal meeting with Brazil, who beat Japan 2-1 in their round of 32 fixture, could await. And beyond that, a potential semifinal against defending champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi in what may be the greatest individual scoring tournament of any player’s career, looms as the prize for getting that far.

None of those opponents would have allowed England the defensive lapses that Congo exploited repeatedly. Kane’s brilliance in the closing stages saved England on Wednesday, but relying on a single player’s individual class to rescue a structurally disorganized team in late minutes is not a sustainable model against opponents of the caliber England will face from the round of 16 onward.

Tuchel’s tactical adjustments Wednesday, including the substitutions that introduced Eze and Anthony Gordon in the 60th minute, changed the game’s momentum and ultimately produced the winning platform from which Kane finished. But the fundamental defensive connectivity problems Rooney identified were visible throughout, particularly in the first half when England struggled to organize themselves after going behind and passed the ball directly out of play on three separate occasions under minimal opposition pressure.

Whether Tuchel uses the days before Sunday’s match in Mexico City to address those structural concerns, and how England’s battered and injury-depleted defensive resources hold up against the pace and finishing quality of the Mexican attack, will go a long way toward determining whether Kane’s heroics on Wednesday extend further into the tournament or whether England’s World Cup ends against a side that simply doesn’t lose at home.

Under the EES system, digital records linked to passports track when “third country” nationals – including British and American travellers – enter and leave the so-called Schengen free movement zone, which includes 29 European countries.

However, Airlines UK and Airlines for America said the EES rollout had been inconsistent.

They added “with peak summer travel approaching and the system not yet working as it should, airlines need the commission and member states to get serious about contingency measures and take a pragmatic look at whether the current timeline is realistic”.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said his airline found “the continued pursuit of a policy so baffling – in cases where it has clearly not been implemented in a robust manner”.

He said allowing EES checks to be paused where systems were not ready would “result in a much better experience for holidaymakers”.

Von Massenbach said there had been a “very high level meeting in Brussels” on Wednesday, “and we see now that they start to understand that this is a situation that is not bearable, not bearable over the summer”.

Airports lobby group, ACI Europe, have written to EC president Ursula Von Der Leyen, claiming wait times at border control had now reached up to five hours in peak traffic periods, and things could worsen as the busiest time of the year approached.

It warned “airlines face half-empty planes at gate closing time, while passengers are stuck in border control queues”.

Countries do have the ability to suspend EES checks under some circumstances.

However, ACI Europe argued states needed to be allowed to pro-actively suspend the system if high volumes of passengers are expected.

An EC spokesman said that “all efforts are being made to limit the impact [of EES] on travellers from outside the EU”.

He said the impact was “limited” in “most” EU airports and where there were issues, member states had not been able to provide sufficient numbers of border guards, appropriate infrastructure and automated equipment.

He said the EC continued to offer support with the new system, and was willing to do even more “in view of the coming summer period”.