Cristiano Ronaldo says his Euro 2016 title carries the same weight as a World Cup, after Portugal’s 1-0 stoppage-time loss to Spain ended his sixth and, by his own admission, final World Cup campaign.
Donald Trump says he would call a US loss to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16 rigged, as controversy grows over FIFA’s reversal of Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension.
France Football has debunked the belief that Ballon d’Or winners must play in Europe, revealing Lionel Messi’s 2023 win at Inter Miami as the only exception since the rule was scrapped in 2007.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest World Cup knockout scorer as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1, setting up a last-16 showdown with Spain, 3-0 winners over Austria.
Mexico broke a 40-year World Cup knockout curse with a 2-0 win over Ecuador at the Azteca, goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez sealing a last-16 spot.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move within one goal of Messi’s World Cup record as France beat Sweden 3-0, while Erling Haaland’s late strike gave Norway their first-ever knockout round win.
From Yan Diomande and Nico Paz to Gilberto Mora and Luka Vuskovic, discover the 20 rising stars expected to make headlines at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
