New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 delivered late winners, stunning upsets, dramatic comebacks and emotional farewells as the race for football’s biggest prize narrowed to the final eight. Morocco kicked off the knockout stage in style with a commanding display to eliminate co-hosts Canada. The Atlas Lions have carried forward the momentum from their memorable run in Qatar, while Canada can take pride in reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in thei…
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New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) USA striker Folarin Balogun issued an apology to fans after his team’s humiliating FIFA World Cup exit, saying the team was not at its best when it mattered the most. Balogun into the international spotlight when set to serve a one-match suspension after receiving a red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the Round of 32 victory before US president Donald Trump’s intervention helped get his ban overturned so he was able to play against Bel…
Madrid, July 7 (IANS) La Liga president Javier Tebas has become the latest football administrator to criticise FIFA over its decision to suspend the one-match World Cup ban imposed on United States striker Folarin Balogun, describing the episode as “the tip of the iceberg” of what he called a governance model that has steadily eroded the credibility of world football.Balogun was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic duri…
Seattle, July 7 (IANS) United States manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was proud of his team’s World Cup campaign despite Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat to Belgium, insisting the tournament had laid the foundations for future success.The Argentine said his side had failed to reproduce the form it showed earlier in the tournament, but insisted its overall campaign remained a source of pride.”It hurts to be eliminated. We didn’t perform well today, and that’s the reality. Sometimes, during a tournament, y…
Seattle, July 7 (IANS) Charles De Ketelaere’s first-half brace, Hans Vanaken’s first World Cup goal and a late strike from substitute Romelu Lukaku send Belgiium through to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory over co-hosts USA at Seattle Stadium. USA became the final co-hosts to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico had already bowed out in the Round of 16.Belgium has not lost a match since March 20, 2025, a 3-1 defeat against Ukraine in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relega…
Arlington, July 7 (IANS) Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time strike earned Spain a 1-0 victory over Portugal at Dallas Stadium and a FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final place. Luis De La Fuente’s team will now head to Los Angeles Stadium to play the winners of USA-Belgium. The final whistle of the match marked the end of Christiano Ronaldo’s time on football’s biggest stage. “This will be my last World Cup,” he reiterated pre-match. The 41-year-old hit 11 goals in 27 games and set multiple mile…
Nyon, July 6 (IANS) European football’s governing body UEFA launched a scathing attack on FIFA on Monday after world football’s governing body suspended the one-match World Cup ban handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun following intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump, calling the move a threat to the integrity of the sport.The surprising decision allowed Balogun to play in the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium. It received a lot of criticism from UEFA, coaches, of…
Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) A lopsided rivalry, but for one big exception — the USA and Belgium have met seven times, and the record is almost entirely one-sided in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026.Belgium have won six of them, with the USA’s only victory coming all the way back in the very first World Cup ever played, a 3-0 win in 1930. Their last World Cup meeting was the heartbreaker: a 2-1 extra-time loss in the 2014 Round of 16, remembered as much for Tim Howard’s tournament-record 15 …
Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Portugal and Spain, two of Europe’s oldest rivals, meet in Arlington with Cristiano Ronaldo possibly playing his last World Cup match, while co-hosts USA welcome Belgium to Seattle for a shot at a quarter-final they haven’t reached in over two decades. Add a red card twist, a fading golden generation, and two sides that both needed late drama just to get here, and this is about as good as a World Cup matchday gets.Portugal and Spain share a border and a rivalry that goes ba…
New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Former USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who is part of FIFA’s Technical Study Group for the 2026 World Cup, has picked Belgium as a favourites in the round of 16 tie against the co-host USA, scheduled on Tuesday at the Seattle Stadium. Belgium have not lost a match since March 20, 2025, a 3-1 defeat against Ukraine in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs and head coach Rudi Garcia’s first match in charge. Since then, Belgium has accrued an eye-po…