Page 6 - Latest Updates on FIFA World Cup

One in five Fifa World Cup goals came from substitutes. Who benefits most?

Substitutes have scored 50 of the 266 goals in the Fifa World Cup 2026 so far. But some teams have gained far more from their benches than others on the road to the quarterfinals

FIFA WC RO16 round-up: Ronaldo, Neymar retire; Messi's record run continues

Morocco and Norway script upsets, England, France and Spain edge through tense encounters, while Belgium and Argentina survive to complete the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final line-up

FIFA investigates altercation involving IShowSpeed at World Cup tie

FIFA said on Tuesday that it is investigating an incident involving streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed with a fan in the stands during the World Cup match between Argentina and Cape Verde on Friday. IShowSpeed was livestreaming the game and could be heard asking a fan in an Argentina jersey what was being said toward him. The fan speaking in Spanish appeared to be telling IShowSpeed, who is Black, to "go cry to the zoo." "FIFA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms," the soccer body said in a statement. "These actions have no place in football, at the FIFA World Cup, or anywhere in society. ... The FIFA World Cup is a celebration of unity, diversity and respect. It brings together people, cultures and communities from around the world, and anyone who acts in a manner that undermines these values is not welcome in our game." Messages sent to IShowSpeed and publicists seeking comment were not immediately returned. IShowSpeed, a 21-year-old American, has more th

EU lawmakers demand FIFA probe over Trump call before USA-Belgium match

Dozens of European lawmakers are gathering support to launch an investigation in the European Parliament of FIFA boss Gianni Infantino over his involvement in the decision to permit U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play despite an earlier red card. Balogun was shown a red card during the U.S. victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1, which normally would make him ineligible to play in team's next game, but FIFA lifted his suspension for a match on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened with Infantino on behalf of the 25-year-old striker. European Parliament lawmakers Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters and Niels Fuglsang said in a joint statement that FIFAs decision to "change the rule on red card suspensions mid-tournament is a disgrace and a perversion of justice." "Once again, we've seen Infantino and FIFA surrender to the demands of the Trump administration," the statement said. The lawmakers are asking the national football associations of the EU countries to spur the FIF

Who will reach the world cup semifinals? Quarterfinal schedule, timings IST

Fifa World Cup 2026 quarterfinals feature France vs Morocco, Spain vs Belgium, Norway vs England and Argentina vs Switzerland. Check IST timings, players to watch and semifinal predictions

Atlanta chaos fallout: Egypt cries foul over refereeing, pro-Messi bias

Argentina's 3-2 comeback win over Egypt had the scoreline of a classic, but VAR controversy, touchline fury and accusations of favouritism gave Atlanta a darker edge

Switzerland end 72-year wait, set quarterfinal date with Argentina

Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernandez's penalty before Ruben Vargas scored the decisive kick as Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 in a shootout

Argentina escape Egypt scare as Messi sparks late World Cup comeback

Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 till the 79th minute before Lionel Messi inspired a stunning late comeback to seal a 3-2 win and reach the quarterfinals

Argentina vs Egypt HIGHLIGHTS World Cup, pre-QF: Argentina rally from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2

Argentina vs Egypt HIGHLIGHTS: The defending champions keep their title defence alive and will now face the winner of Colombia vs Switzerland in the last eight.

As Messi dominates World Cup, global war rages for Maradona's ghost

Unlike Messi Maradona lived a life of excess - glorious highs shadowed by criticism and controversy

The fall of Joga Bonito: What has gone wrong with Brazilian football?

Since lifting their fifth World Cup in 2002, Brazil have failed to reach another final despite continuing to produce some of football's biggest stars, like Neymar, Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha

FIFA World Cup 2026 pre-QF today's matches, live timings (IST), streaming

Argentina will be eager to avoid another scare after being pushed to extra time in the previous round, whereas Egypt are eyeing one of the biggest upsets of the competition.

Kylian Mbappe slams Paraguayan senator over racist World Cup comments

France star Kylian Mbappe on Monday condemned a Paraguayan senator over racist remarks she made following Paraguay's loss to France in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Mbappe called Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay's Liberal Radical Party, a "despicable woman" who was "unworthy" of serving in Paraguay's Congress. "Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup," Mbappe wrote on X. Amarilla posted a series of racist comments on X after Mbappe converted the winning penalty in France's victory over Paraguay on Saturday, mocking the French captain's origins, upbringing, education and appearance. France advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will face Morocco on Thursday. Late Monday, Amarilla issued an open letter in French and Spanish to Mbappe on social media, in which she said her problem was with the player, not the country of France. She wro

Balogun suspension sparks integrity debate despite FIFA, Trump defence

Soccer leaders questioned the World Cup' s integrity on a chaotic and unprecedented day in the event's modern history Monday. The furor centered on a phone call that President Donald Trump made last week to FIFA head Gianni Infantino to make the case that U.S. striker Folarin Balogun should not have been suspended for matchup with Belgium because of a red card in a game last week. FIFA lifted the suspension and cleared Balogun to play. The decision appeared to be the first time since 1962 that punishment for a World Cup offense was suspended in the tournament, increasing scrutiny on Infantino's control of FIFA and his close association with Trump. European soccer body UEFA said FIFA "crossed a red line" and called Sunday's decision by FIFA's disciplinary committee "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable." Infantino denied having a role in the decision. Trump called it a "horrible" call and took credit for getting FIFA to review the foul, but said he did not demand an ...

Scoreless Pulisic hobbled by injuries in disappointing FIFA World Cup run

United States forward Christian Pulisic could only watch from the bench as Belgium extinguished his team's World Cup bid, ending a tournament in which the American star was hobbled by injuries and largely ineffective. The most accomplished U.S. striker, Pulisic was held scoreless in his second World Cup. He has 33 goals in 90 international appearances but has scored just once in eight World Cup games - against Iran in the group stage in 2022. For the second time in this World Cup, Pulisic left a match in the second half with an injury, leaving Monday's 4-1 loss to Belgium after twisting his right ankle when he extended for a shot attempt and hit the boot of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans in the 52nd minute. After spending a few moments lying on the pitch, Pulisic began favoring the foot and was replaced in the 59th by Sebastian Berhalter with the U.S. trailing 3-1. Having to come out of the game was "difficult for me to deal with," he said. "I felt really good this summer with th

Belgium end USA World Cup dream as Balogun controversy fades in 4-1 rout

Belgium beat the United States 4-1 in the Fifa World Cup 2026 Round of 16 as Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and Folarin Balogun had little impact

USA vs Belgium HIGHLIGHTS FIFA WC Last 16: Belgium humble USA 4-1 to go through to the quarter-final

Balogun failed to come on the scoresheet as the Red Devils dominated the proceedings on the day in Seattle.

Spain set World Cup record with sixth straight clean sheet as Simon shines

Spain broke a World Cup record with its sixth consecutive clean sheet and goalkeeper Unai Simon extended his record shutout streak to 609 minutes after a 1-0 win over Portugal on Monday. Spain broke its tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) for the most consecutive World Cup matches not allowing a goal. Spain's streak began with a 0-0 draw in the round of 16 in 2022, when Morocco advanced after a penalty shootout. There was also a surprising scoreless draw against Cape Verde to open group play in this tournament followed by four consecutive shutout victories to advance to the quarterfinals. Simon surpassed the previous record of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes during a 3-0 blanking of Austria to open the knockout round Thursday. Famed Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga set the standard in 1990 with five consecutive clean sheets in his home World Cup. Simon's shutout streak started in 2022 in Qatar during a 2-1 loss to Japan to wrap up group play. He came into the Portugal g

Mbappe slams Paraguayan senator over racist remarks after World Cup match

France star Kylian Mbappe on Monday condemned a Paraguayan senator over racist remarks she made following Paraguay's loss to France in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Mbappe called Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay's Liberal Radical Party, a "despicable woman" who was "unworthy" of serving in Paraguay's Congress. "Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup," Mbappe wrote on X. Amarilla posted a series of racist comments on X after Mbappe converted the winning penalty in France's victory over Paraguay on Saturday, mocking the French captain's origins, upbringing, education and appearance. France advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will face Morocco on Thursday. The Paraguayan government released a statement Monday afternoon condemning Amarilla's remarks as "contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and resp

Egypt coach says no sympathy for Palestinians is 'not human' at World Cup

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan broke away from discussing his team's upcoming World Cup round of 16 match against Argentina to give an impassioned monologue about the plight of the Palestinian people. Hassan, who waved a Palestinian flag after Egypt's victory over Australia in the last round, spoke for more than four minutes on the subject on Monday and was applauded by many of the assembled media. "If there is anyone in the world who does not feel for the Palestinian people, then they are not human - whether they are Arab, European, or American," Hassan said at news conference to preview Egypt's game against defending champion Argentina on Tuesday. More than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, face uncertainty after a war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Israel's retaliation has killed a total of 73,066 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. "Everywhere in the world, including in Europe or America, if someone hurts a