The World Cup began as a sprawl — 48 teams, three host nations, heat, distance, noise and the promise that football’s centre of gravity might tilt somewhere unexpected. Two knockout rounds later, Europe has placed six teams in the quarterfinals, with Argentina and Morocco the only survivors from outside the continent. European nations — Spain … Read more
Scaloni belts out instructions from the touchline. | Photo Credit: Reuters Lionel Scaloni had barely sat down before he admitted the obvious. Argentina had put its supporters through unnecessary “suffering”. Yet the manager was in no mood to apologise for the chaos. What he had witnessed, he felt, was something larger than a comeback win … Read more
Hassan accused referee Letexier of being biased towards Argentina. | Photo Credit: AFP Egypt coach Hossam Hassan emerged from one of the World Cup’s wildest games furious with the refereeing, convinced his side had been denied a famous result and openly suggesting that the defending champion had been carried by favourable treatment. Egypt, he said, … Read more
AIFF office-bearers and club CEOs at a press conference. | Photo Credit: ANI The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Wednesday that the commercial rights of the Indian Super League (ISL) have been handed over to the 14 participating clubs ahead of the 2026-27 season. The agreement between the AIFF and teams will see … Read more
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan is shown a yellow card by referee Francois Letexier as he makes an anti-racism gesture during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at the Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. on July 7, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters The Egyptian football federation said on Wednesday … Read more
Combination image of France’s Kylian Mbappe, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Norway’s Erling Haaland in action during the 2026 World Cup | Photo Credit: AP The race to win the ‘Golden Boot’ award is heating up as the FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its final stages. Three contenders are currently leading the pack in their attempt … Read more
In his introduction to a memoir-based biography of Socrates, Johan Cruyff, the Dutch legend behind the revolutionary Total Football that evolved into the Tiki Taka, wrote: “It was a great shame that the beautiful Brazil team were eliminated by a destructive Italy in 1982… No one knows what would have happened had Brazil triumphed”. Also … Read more
A child touches a replica of the World Cup trophy in Mexico | Photo Credit: Reuters The FIFA World Cup 2026 has now entered a crucial phase with the quarterfinals, semifinals and the coveted final match in sight. The tournament has enthralled fans this time in the host nations of USA, Canada, and Mexico. The final … Read more
Switzerland’s Ruben Vargas, left, celebrates with teammates after making the winning kick in a penalty shootout in the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Switzerland and Colombia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. | Photo Credit: The Canadian Press via AP Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw … Read more
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo looks dejected after the match as Portugal are eliminated from the World Cup by Spain at the Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. on July 6, 2026. | Photo Credit: Imagn Images via Reuters Cristiano Ronaldo was tearful after the last game of his sixth and final World Cup, Portugal’s 1-0 loss to … Read more
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash in Atlanta, on July 7, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters For close to 80 minutes, Argentina’s World Cup was slipping away, inch by inch. Lionel Messi had missed a penalty, Egypt had defended with poise and countered with menace, … Read more
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. Switzerland: Gregor Kobel; Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez; Denis Zakaria, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Ardon Jashari, Fabian Rieder; Breel Embolo, Dan Ndoye. Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Daniel Munoz, Jhon Lucumi, Gustavo Puerta, Johan Mojica, Davinson Sanchez; James Rodríguez, Jhon Arias, Jefferson Lerma; Luis Diaz, Luis Suarez.
Giving it all: Cubarsi delivered yet another masterclass against Portugal as Spain continues to maintain a clean sheet. | Photo Credit: Issei Kato While Lamine Yamal continues to steal the headlines with his attacking brilliance, Pau Cubarsi has quietly become the backbone of Spain’s backline at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 19-year-old Barcelona defender … Read more
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez. Egypt: Mostafa Shoubir; Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Ramy Rabia, Karim Hafez; Mohanad Lashin, Emam Ashour, Marawan Attia, Mostafa Zico; Mohamed Salah, Haissem … Read more
Fans conduct an “Orange Walk” to Dallas Stadium before the World Cup Group F soccer match between Japan and the Netherlands, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. | Photo Credit: AP Dallas has staged Super Bowls, NCAA Finals and countless major sporting events. But for Monica Paul, president of the Dallas Sports Commission and … Read more
Belgium’s Amadou Onana with crutches and a brace on his knee as he celebrates after the match against the U.S. on July 6, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said Amadou Onana suffered a “serious injury” in Monday’s (July 6, 2026) 4-1 victory over the United States that will almost certainly keep … Read more
Football leaders questioned the World Cup’s integrity on a chaotic and unprecedented day in the event’s modern history Monday (July 6, 2026). Also read | The tarnished game: Trump, FIFA, and a suspended red card The furor centered on a phone call that President Donald Trump made last week to FIFA head Gianni Infantino to … Read more
Sarin Kumar with his collection of more than 500 FIFA World Cup stamps documenting some of football’s greatest moment | Photo Credit: Lakshmi Theertha Four years ago, Sarin Kumar, a philatelist from Kozhikode, watched the nail-biting World Cup final between Argentina and France in Qatar, just like any devout Albiceleste fan. While every football buff … Read more
France’s Kylian Mbappe. File | Photo Credit: Reuters France star Kylian Mbappé on Monday (July 6, 2026) condemned a Paraguayan senator over racist remarks she made following Paraguay’s loss to France in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Also read | The tarnished game: Trump, FIFA, and a suspended red card Mbappé called … Read more
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the World Cup round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP The United States’ World Cup dreams came to a crashing halt in the last 16 against Belgium on Monday (July 6, … Read more
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez reacts during the Round of 16 betweem Portugal and Spain at the Dallas Stadium, Arlington, U.S., on July 6, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters Saying Portugal’s national team needs “a new voice,” manager Roberto Martinez confirmed he is stepping down after the 1-0 loss to Spain on Monday (July 7, 2026) … Read more
Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan during a press conference one day ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP Egypt coach Hossam Hassan broke away from discussing his team’s upcoming World … Read more
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku celebrates after the match as Belgium qualify for the quarter finals of the World Cup. | Photo Credit: Reuters This LIVE blog has now been closed. Belgium enters the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after knocking out co-hosts U.S.A. 4-1. They will now meet Spain. U.S. striker Folarin Balogun started … Read more
Spain’s Mikel Merino (6) celebrates scoring his side’s opening goal with Fabian Ruiz (8) during the World Cup round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, on July 6, 2026 | Photo Credit: AP Substitute Mikel Merino scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to lift Spain into … Read more
All eyes will be on the two forwards in the teams. The first is a 41-year-old legend, playing his sixth World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, who will seek to make the best of his role as a poacher for the Portuguese. For Spain, it will be the 18-year-old wizard, Lamine Yamal, who will be hugging the … Read more
Linchpins: Egypt will try to get Salah on the break while Messi will be Argentina’s bow and arrow. | Photo Credit: AFP Both Argentina and Egypt needed 120 draining minutes to survive their opening knockout ties and had barely four days to recover before meeting for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals. For Argentina, … Read more
Haaland celebrates with Schjelderup after netting Norway’s second goal. | Photo Credit: AP Norway coach Stale Solbakken hailed his team’s World Cup round-of-16 win over Brazil as the greatest night in the country’s football history. “This is way above 1998 (Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup group stage) because this was a knockout game,” he said … Read more
Vinicius is consoled by Ancelotti after the loss. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Carlo Ancelotti insisted Brazil’s defeat to Norway should be treated not as an ending but as the beginning of a rebuild after his side’s World Cup campaign was cut short in the round of 16. Brazil’s 2-1 loss in New Jersey brought … Read more
The fallout in Asian football continues as the continent comes to terms with an underwhelming World Cup performance. On Monday (July 6,2026) , Chung Mong-gyu stepped down as president of the Korea Football Association. FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout schedule: Matches in Indian Time His departure follows harsh criticism from the country’s president and the … Read more
This year”s FIFA World Cup started off with 48 teams, the most in the competition’s history. In the group stage, 12 groups made of four teams each played 72 matches, bringing down the number of qualifying teams to 32. Follow teams and their journey through the subsequent stages until the final match for the trophy.