To manage Lionel Messi’s workload, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni decided to bench the captain for the final Group J match against Jordan. (Photo/ANI) Defending champions Argentina go out without their talismanic captain Lionel Messi in the starting lineup when they face tournament debutants Jordan in their final Group J clash on Sunday.With Argentina having already…
FILE – FIFA President Gianni Infantino watches an international friendly soccer match between Iran and Costa Rica, in Antalya, southern Turkey, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Riza Ozel, File) Russia could move closer to a return to FIFA competitions after football’s governing body confirmed that all 211 member associations have been invited to the FIFA…
Vinicius Junior (AP Photo) The match was yet to reach the first hydration break. Brazil were already enjoying the gift of an early goal. In the 22nd minute, open goal scorer Vinicius Junior set up Scotland defender Jack Hendry and crossed for what looked to be Brazil’s second. The Scots looked dejected, but ready to…
The Netherlands sealed top spot in Group F with a comfortable 3-1 win over Tunisia on Thursday, setting up a last-32 clash against Morocco FIFA World Cup.Ronald Koeman’s side finished ahead of Japan, who were held to a draw by Sweden earlier in the day. The result meant the Dutch progressed as group winners, while…
Ecuador delivered an incredible shock to the soccer world by defeating four-time champions Germany 2-1, catapulting themselves into the knockout rounds of the World Cup (AP Photo) A record crowd witnessed a historic World Cup heist as gritty Ecuador stunned four-time champions Germany 2-1 at MetLife Stadium on Friday, sealing a dramatic place in the…
FIFA has issued a five-match suspension to Qatar’s Assim Madibo after a dangerous tackle that seriously injured Canada’s Ismael Kone in a World Cup match. (Photo/AP) FIFA has cracked the whip on some serious foul play. Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was handed a hefty five-match ban on Wednesday by soccer’s world governing body after a…
Ted Lasso was a rare silver lining during the dark days of COVID. As the world went into lockdown, an American football coach who manages a football team had the unenviable job of not only coaching a team in a sport he didn’t know, but also lifting the spirits of the world in its saddest…
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has urged Brazil fans not to get carried away after the team’s 3-0 win over Scotland at the FIFA World Cup, a match that also featured the return of Neymar and another strong performance from Vinícius Júnior.After opening their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco, Brazil followed it up with two…
The FIFA World Cup trophy (AP Photo) As the group stage of the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup enters its finale, attention turns to one of the tournament’s most intriguing qualification battles – the race between the third-ranked teams for a place in the Round of 32.For the first time in the history of the…
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (13) celebrates after the World Cup Group A soccer match between the Czech Republic and Mexico in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo) Guillermo Ochoa entered an exclusive list in the history of the FIFA World Cup, becoming only the third player since Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to…
France, Argentina and Norway reserve their seats The 2026 FIFA World Cup is inching closer to its knockout stage of 32, and as the tournament progresses, the list of qualified teams continues to expand. Fifteen days into the competition, 12 teams have already secured their places in the knockout rounds.Let’s take a look at the…
Brazil’s Neymar (10) celebrates after the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Brazil in Miami Gardens, Florida, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Neymar marked his long-awaited return to the FIFA World Cup by achieving two of the most exclusive goals in Brazilian football history during Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland….
Is cricket more global than football? (Featured by Mukesh Sharma/TimesofIndia.com) NEW DELHI: There is an exhausting pace for summer in the subcontinent. The heat hits you like a wall the moment you step outside and, more often than not, survival dictates a quick retreat to the nearest roadside stall for a glass of ‘nimbu paani’…
Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Brazil in Miami Gardens, Florida, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Vinícius Júnior continued his extraordinary 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign by writing his name in Brazilian football history during the Seleção’s…
Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Brazil in Miami Gardens, Florida, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Brazil secured top spot in Group C with an emphatic 3-0 win over Scotland at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami,…
Jude Bellingham sparks confusion over new FIFA rule during England’s World Cup draw / Image: X England midfielder Jude Bellingham became the center of fresh World Cup controversy during Tuesday’s goalless draw with Ghana after television cameras caught him covering his mouth while talking to Ghana captain Jordan Ayew. With FIFA’s new gagging rule having…
Harry Kane is the Ghanaian doctor England’s World Cup draw against Ghana sparked attention both on and off the pitch after a Ghanaian sorcerer claimed he had placed a curse on England captain Harry Kane and then “released” him after the match.Nana Kwaku Bonsam, a self-proclaimed spiritualist who earlier claimed responsibility for a knee injury…
Have you ever wondered why you feel anxious when facing the unknown? The answer lies in evolutionary biology, which dictated that those who maintained a healthy skepticism survived while those who went on to struggle for trouble unwound their mortal coil. Familiarity does not breed contempt; it actually gives us a warm feeling. Football fans…
Argentina’s Lionel Messi during a training session. (AP Photo) The FIFA World Cup winning icon in Argentina Lionel Messi proved once again that age is just a number, marking his 39th birthday not with a lavish party, but with an intense workout session in the gym.On Wednesday, Messi turned 39 years old and enters a…
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi NEW DELHI: Cristiano Ronaldo turned back the clock with a stunning performance as Portugal thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The 41-year-old captain scored twice to help his team register their first win of the tournament after a disappointing performance against DR Congo.With his brace, Ronaldo created…
NEW DELHI: Daniel Muñoz scored the decisive goal as Colombia beat DR Congo 1-0 on Tuesday to become one of the first teams to secure a place FIFA World Cup internship at KO.The defender found the breakthrough in the 76th minute after a closely contested match in Guadalajara. Muñoz’s left-footed effort from inside the box…
Neymar Jr. training in the field of Brazil (Image: @CBF_Futebol/X) Brazil fans received mixed news ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup clash against Scotland on Thursday. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Raphinha will miss Brazil’s final group stage match against Scotland on Wednesday (local time), while also revealing that Neymar is fully…
NEW DELHI: One of DR Congo’s most famous football supporters finally got his moment at the FIFA World Cup on tuesdayMichel Nkuka Mboladinga, better known as Lumumba Vea, attended DR Congo’s match against Colombia after missing the team’s opening game against Portugal due to Ebola-related quarantine requirements.The supporter became a global sensation during the 2025…
Jordan may be out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the tournament’s debutants left a lasting impression with a touching gesture off the pitch.After their 2-1 defeat to Algeria in California, Jordan’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stages are officially over. Having also lost their opening Group J match 3-1 to Austria, the…
Croatia held its own FIFA World Cup hopes alive with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Panama on Tuesday, thanks to a second-half goal from Ante Budimir.Budimir scored in the 54th minute, just four minutes after coming on as a substitute. Josip Stanišic brought a curling cross into the box and Budimir was perfectly placed to…
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo share an incredible World Cup coincidence in a once-in-a-lifetime moment that may never come again. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have spent two decades chasing, matching and surpassing each other on football’s biggest stages. Now, after another week of World Cup history, the sport’s defining rivals have come to one…
England’s Harry Kane (9), right, and England’s Jude Bellingham (10) during the World Cup Group L soccer match between England and Ghana in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) England and Ghana battled to a hard-fought 0-0 draw at the Boston Stadium on Tuesday night, with neither side able to…
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (7) greets the fans after the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Uzbekistan in Houston, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Cristiano Ronaldo responded to critics emphatically after Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan, declaring “I’m back” after a record performance that helped revive Portugal’s World Cup campaign and…
Cristiano Ronaldo cuts off a reporter’s question about Lionel Messi after making World Cup history / Image:X Cristiano Ronaldo he was happy to talk about records, criticism and emphatic response of Portugal against Uzbekistan. He was much less interested when the conversation turned to Lionel Messi.The Portugal captain produced one of the standout performances of…