FIFA men's World Cup 2026

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⚽️ U.S. survives a man down

U.S. midfielder Malik Tillman celebrates the Americans' second goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara last night. Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images The U.S. beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 last night for its first World Cup knockout-round win in 24 years, Axios' Bob Gee writes. The U.S. showed grit and resilience playing a man down after losing striker Folarin Balogun, the team's leading scorer. Balogun was issued a red card in the second half after he inadvertently landed on a Bosnia defender's heel, meaning he must sit out the next game. Midfielder Malik Tillman sealed the win in the 82nd minute with a free kick that curled over the Bosnian wall and past goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. Next up, the Americans face Belgium in Seattle on Monday. Read on. Team USA The USA defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday to advance to the World Cup Round of 16, earning its first knockout-stage victory since 2002. The historic win now sets up a highly anticipated clash with Belgium on Monday in Seattle. Catch up here. Malik Tillman of the US celebrates after scoring the team's second goal. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) FOLLOW ALONG: Sign up for The Beautiful Game, CNN Sports' daily World Cup newsletter

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World Cup controversy

The soccer world is up in arms over FIFA’s decision to allow Team USA’s Folarin Balogun to be eligible to play against Belgium today despite being sent off in the previous match. A source familiar with the matter told CNN on Sunday that President Donald Trump spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino this week after Balogun’s red card and asked him to review the call. Read more.

ANALYSIS: Trump’s red card call stirs political storm around World Cup   FIFA lifts US star’s suspension at World Cup after Trump call President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted, allowing him to play against Belgium on Monday. Read more. Why this matters: Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the game with Bosnia-Herzegovina asking FIFA to review the red card, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. It appeared to be the first time since 1962 that a red card during a World Cup didn’t result in a suspension.   The extraordinary move triggered praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump said in a statement on social media. The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished.” RELATED COVERAGE ➤ UEFA says decision by FIFA to let U.S. forward play at World Cup is ‘incomprehensible’   Previewing the US match against Belgium

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Belgian federation to challenge FIFA’s decision to let Folarin Balogun play in World Cup match

The Belgian soccer federation wants an explanation from FIFA about a decision to let U.S forward Folarin Balogun play at the World Cup despite getting a red card in his previous game.

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-balogun-belgium-fifa-84795f69bc7a2b6ebe5f7486f34654d7?

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Belgium beats US 4-1 to reach World Cup quarterfinals, taking advantage of defensive lapses

SEATTLE (AP) — Images told the story of the United States’ World Cup downfall.

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-united-states-belgium-score-0325e8102be7a88e852079deffd70ca0?

ps:Good for them! The US didn't need any help from the man that has no knowledgeable of soccer!! They could've won on there own, they didn't need someone to try and fix the game for them!!!!!!!!!!

⚽ World Cup bummer

View from behind the goal as U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese unable to stop Belgium's fourth score during a 4-1 World Cup Round of 16 loss in Seattle. Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images The U.S. crashed out of its home World Cup last night, losing 4–1 to Belgium in Seattle, just after President Trump leaned on FIFA to get striker Folarin Balogun cleared to play. The Americans got their best crack at a deep run in a generation with home turf, a soft bracket and a mostly healthy roster, but squandered it in a lopsided and embarrassing exit. Belgium rested two of its biggest stars and still won comfortably — a measure of how far the Americans remain from soccer's elite. The match was nearly over before it started. A Belgium forward scored in the ninth minute, and though the U.S. bounced back on a deflected free kick, the same Belgian struck again two minutes later to take back the lead. U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese's blunder, mishandling a ball far outside his net, gave Belgium a third goal, and then the Belgians scored a fourth in the final minute. For a month, America charmed the soccer world as co-host and won over visiting fans. That goodwill came crashing down after FIFA reversed the suspension of Balogun, the U.S.'s leading scorer. The reversal came after Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Balogun had been red-carded a match earlier. The reversal drew a rare public rebuke from Europe's soccer establishment. Photo: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images Cristiano Ronaldo, one of soccer's biggest superstars, teared up on the pitch in Arlington, Texas, after playing in his last World Cup match yesterday. Portugal, where he made his international debut 23 years ago, was eliminated by Spain. That ended the World Cup career for the all-time leader in international goals (146) and appearances (233). He's the only player to score goals in six consecutive World Cups. "I go with a clear conscience," Ronaldo, 41, said after the match. Photo gallery: Ronaldo in six World Cups.

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US loses and integrity of World Cup questioned as Trump, FIFA defend actions surrounding star US player’s suspension Folarin Balogun’s presence on the field for the United States against Belgium had a seismic impact on the world of soccer, but he ultimately played a forgettable role in the Americans’ 4-1 loss in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday. Read more.

Why this matters: The striker was shown a red card during the U.S. victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, but FIFA lifted his suspension for Monday’s match after President Donald Trump intervened on Balogun's behalf. FIFA’s decision prompted soccer leaders to question the integrity of the World Cup, with European soccer body UEFA saying FIFA “crossed a red line” and Belgium’s soccer federation contesting Balogun's eligibility.   FIFA’s disciplinary committee defended its decision Monday. Trump on Monday called the referee’s decision a “horrible” call while admitting he was confused about the rules and punishment surrounding red cards.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US eliminated in 4-1 loss to Belgium   Trump says World Cup referee’s red card call was ‘horrible’ but insists he left outcome to FIFA   WATCH: Emotional rollercoaster for US fans   Photos of the US match

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Lionel Messi leads Argentina to 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt and spot in World Cup quarterfinals

ATLANTA (AP) — It was another World Cup epic from an Argentina team that simply doesn’t know when it’s beaten.

https://apnews.com/article/argentina-egypt-world-cup-score-5129f0693b78e1ca7efeee87c46cc4cb?

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World Cup's TV golazo

Spain fans gather for the World Cup game between Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles Stadium today. Photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images ⚽ Even some soccer fans who don't speak Spanish are finding themselves hooked on Telemundo's World Cup broadcasts this summer, Axios' Herb Scribner writes. The result: Record-breaking ratings and billions of minutes consumed, according to NBC Sports. 🔢 By the numbers: More than 42 million viewers tuned in Monday night across both Fox Sports and Telemundo for the USA vs. Belgium match, setting the record for the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history. England vs. Mexico drew nearly 45 million viewers between Telemundo (23.2 million) and Fox Sports (21.7 million) — beating viewership of some NFL playoff games. 🦊 Reality check: Fox Sports counters that it's dominating the FIFA World Cup across FOX, FS1 and Tubi, averaging 6.687 million viewers per telecast — nearly triple Telemundo/Universo, averaging 2.801 million viewers. Fox's coverage of the USA vs. Bosnia match on July 1 was the most-watched live sports event of the week, delivering 26.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Sports Business Journal notes that for technical reasons, some industry insiders are skeptical of some of the Telemundo data cited above. Andrés Cantor of Telemundo has become a cultural phenomenon. Photo: Steven Molina Contreras for The New York Times 🎙️ New viewers are discovering the charm and excitement that Telemundo brings to the game, most notably the electric "Goooooooooal!" celebration by announcer Andrés Cantor — something he trains to deliver, The New York Times reports (gift link). FIFA President Gianni Infantino told The Times: "It's pure commentary master class — taking the emotions from the field and transmitting them to a global audience, a skill that he has perfected over the years." 💰 The other side: The success of Telemundo is raising the stakes for future World Cup broadcast bids. Netflix, Disney and YouTube are reportedly eyeing the rights for future World Cups in deals worth $2 billion. Spanish-language rights — normally sold separately — could be sold with the English rights, CNBC reports, allowing FIFA to drive up the price. Get the latest.

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Alvarez’s 112th-minute goal helps lift Argentina past Switzerland 3-1 and into World Cup semifinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Perhaps it is in Argentina’s character that the reigning World Cup champion always finds a way to win.

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-argentina-switzerland-score-d47ccb4ac5b3af67eca1f82228155174?

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Defending champion Argentina reaches World Cup final by beating England 2-1

ATLANTA (AP) — No “Hand of God” this time. Argentina didn’t need it.

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-england-argentina-score-2ae6a218ae88248db6565ffd13f60d38?

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⚽️ More than a match

Today's England vs. Argentina World Cup semifinal is the latest saga in a rivalry shaped by disputed goals, national humiliation and war, Axios' David Adkins writes.

🪖 Britain and Argentina fought the Falklands War in 1982 over islands that Argentina calls the Malvinas.

• 649 Argentines, 255 Brits and three islanders were killed in the conflict.

⚽️ Four years later, Diego Maradona delivered one of the World Cup's most extraordinary performances, scoring both the illegal "Hand of God" goal and the "Goal of the Century" in Argentina's 2-1 quarterfinal win.

• Maradona later described the victory as revenge: "More than defeating a football team, it was defeating a country."

🟥 Argentina again eliminated England in 1998 after David Beckham's infamous red card.

• Beckham answered with a game-winning penalty kick in 2002.

How to watch.

Miracle in Atlanta

Lionel Messi and his devoted flock pulled off another miracle in Atlanta yesterday after Argentina scored two late goals to defeat a shocked England 2-1 to advance to a second consecutive World Cup final. It’s a match that is likely to be Messi’s last time in an Argentina shirt, a glorious going-away party for the biggest sporting event on the planet. The team now faces Spain in Sunday’s showdown in New Jersey. Read more.

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🏟️ Priciest World Cup matches

Data: TicketData.com. (Excludes championship final and third-place match.) Chart: Brad Jennings/Axios Some of the toughest World Cup tickets, per Axios' Brad Jennings via TicketData: Mexico. Three of Mexico's home matches ranked among the tournament's five most expensive. Each required at least $3,000 to get in. Argentina vs. England. The dramatic 2-1 semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday carried a $3,560 get-in price. Scotland vs. Brazil. The June 24 Miami match drew a $3,382 get-in, amped by the boisterous traveling "Tartan Army."

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Mexico's president to attend World Cup final at Trump's invitation

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will attend Sunday's World Cup final after an invitation from her U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, their first meeting since December after months of verbal sparring. Read More.

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⚽ "Live" not quite as live as we thought

New York New Jersey Stadium (aka MetLife Stadium) is ready for today's World Cup Final in East Rutherford, N.J. Photo: Tullio Puglia/FIFA via Getty Images During today's World Cup Final, how quickly you see pivotal moments will depend on how you watch. In one Axios group chat, "omg" or "whoa" might pop up 20 seconds sooner depending on whether the person was watching on YouTube TV, FS1 or Peacock en Español. Live TV used to mean the signal went almost straight from the camera to viewers. Not anymore, a fascinating New York Times piece explains: "Before you see the video, it's captured, processed, compressed, encrypted, packaged, sent out, stored, decoded, and finally shown on your screen," says Kenny Elcock, NESN's former VP of technology. "Each step adds a bit of delay, and together, these delays can add up." 📺 Old-fashioned rabbit-ear TV is fastest, with viewers seeing action within 3–8 seconds, Elcock tells The Times. Cable TV sends a signal through fiber networks, with a delay of 5-12 seconds. Satellite TV goes to space and back, with more encoding and processing, meaning a delay of 15-30 seconds. Streaming splits the video into thousands of small files ("segments"). Delays can reach 60 seconds or more. 📱 On top of that, buffering means your device downloads a small amount of video and holds while you watch slightly older video, guarding against internet glitches that could freeze your frame. Keep reading (gift link) ... Match preview.

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Spain wins the World Cup by beating Argentina 1-0 on Ferran Torres’ goal in extra time

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — This is how good Spain was at the World Cup: Not even Lionel Messi had any answers.

https://apnews.com/article/argentina-spain-world-cup-final-score-messi-fccc26aa12d9226e63d06b601b770617?

ps:Congrats to Spain!!

Mbappé wins another Golden Boot, and Spain’s Rodri gets Golden Ball with World Cup title

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Kylian Mbappé kept the Golden Boot award and Spain wouldn’t let Lionel Messi get anything else.

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-golden-boot-awards-messi-mbappe-2036d505bc97ce3a116f20dd67db43e5?

La Furia Roja

Spain topped Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final yesterday, winning the global tournament for the second time and the first since 2010. The win denied Argentina back-to-back titles, a feat that hasn’t happened since Brazil in 1958-62. The Spaniards frustrated star Lionel Messi for most of the match, winning time of possession 65%-35% and forcing five yellow and one red card. Argentina had just two shots—neither of which was on goal—while Spain took 20 shots and put 12 on goal. Despite the dominance, Argentina forced Spain into extra time, with the winning shot coming at minute 106. Watch the goal and match highlights here. Separately, England topped France in Saturday's high-scoring third-place match, 6-4. French star Kylian Mbappé became the all-time World Cup top scorer (22 goals across three tournaments) at just 27 years old.  Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will serve as the main hosts for the 2030 World Cup.

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⚽ The winning goal

Covers: ABC and El País, two of Madrid's largest papers.

Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time, winning the World Cup and bringing the curtain down on the largest and flashiest tournament soccer has ever seen. President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and global politicians and celebrities attended the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Spain's Ferran Torres scored the match's only goal in the 106th minute, in the second period of extra time. Spain controlled the game, taking the first 20 shots before Argentina got its first attempt off in the second half of extra time. Only the record-breaking 11 saves by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez kept the team in the match despite their otherwise lackluster performance. Argentina's Lionel Messi, 39, broke down in tears after what could be his last World Cup game. Two decades after his 2006 debut as an 18-year-old, the player many consider the greatest ever came up one game short. He had previously said the 2022 World Cup would be his last. If he plays in 2030, Messi would be among the oldest players ever at a World Cup. 🇪🇸 Spain's domination: The team — nicknamed La Roja for their red jerseys — suffocated opponents, allowing just one goal in the entire tournament. They also set a record for the longest undefeated run (38 games) in men's international football history. 🏆 The country of 49 million people is now the reigning champion of three of the sport's biggest tournaments: the World Cup, the Euros and the Olympics. Spain also won the last Women's World Cup three years ago. 📱 Watch the winning goal ... Tournament takeaways: From video reviews to hydration breaks.

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⚽ World Cup ratings record

Data: Nielsen. Chart: Kerry Flynn/Axios Sunday's World Cup final drew more than 62.8 million viewers in the U.S., making it the most-watched World Cup final and soccer telecast in American history, Axios' Kerry Flynn and Sara Fischer write. Nearly 39 million U.S. viewers watched the game on Fox, which had exclusive English-language broadcast rights in the U.S. Those figures are up 132% from the 2022 final, the company said. Nearly 24 million U.S. viewers tuned into the broadcast on Telemundo, which had exclusive Spanish-language broadcast rights in the U.S. Those figures are up 166% from the 2022 final on Telemundo. Keep reading.