Reprieve for Russian athletes as International Olympic Committee partially lifts ban to take part in international competitions
On May 7, 2026, the IOC EB announced that it no longer recommended any restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes. “For now, we thought that it was really important for athletes to have the possibility of returning to competition,”
Egypt fails to break 86th-minute hoodoo that has haunted African teams out of World Cup in 15 minutes 3-goal blitz
Lionel Messi did it yet again at this year’s World Cup. The Argentina great scored another goal – his eighth of the tournament – and led his team to an improbable 3-2 victory over Egypt on Tuesday despite trailing by two with only 11 minutes of regulation time to play....
Cape Verde and Africa’s World Cup profile in general is expected to alter views on continent where football is a religion
Speaking ahead of Cabo Verde’s group-stage match against Uruguay, Neves described the team’s World Cup debut as a historic milestone
Corrupt FIFA: President Trump’s match-fixing attempt comes off the wheels as US crashes out of World Cup on 4-1 thumping Belgium
FIFA then suspended the ban so Balogun could play, which Trump called a “brilliant decision”, but sparked fury from the Belgium team, an international uproar and turned the incident into the main talking point of the tournament.
Return to sender: Lethargic and indifferent Brazil dumped out of World Cup and sent hom by Norwegian predator Haaland’s two goals
After being a non-factor for much of the afternoon and having limited touches, Haaland turned it on when it mattered most, getting the right side of his head on the ball after a perfect setup by Andreas Schjelderup, who entered at halftime.
World Cup match-fixing fears emerge after FIFA lifts US player Balogun’s red card suspension following pressure from President Trump
FIFA announced on Sunday that the suspension had been lifted, triggering praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team.
Bribe? FIFA President Infantino under fire over his suspect cosiness with Trump after Peace Prize win, European politicians demand probe
Now, 50 MEPs have co-signed a letter urging FIFA to address the complaint filed by FairSquare in December. The letter was sent to FIFA earlier on Monday and addressed to both Infantino and members of the FIFA Council. A copy of the letter was also sent to FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom and FIFA’s investigatory chamber.
Unknown: Mafia syndicates in US, Latin America and Europe determine who wins World Cup; there was no way Cape Verde was going to overcome Argentina
On Thursday, before their press conference for the Argentina match in Miami, Cape Verde’s press officer said that the coach, Bubista, would not be answering questions about Mendes. When The Athletic attempted to ask him about the player, Bubista did not answer, and the press officer reiterated that he would only be taking questions relating to the match. When another reporter attempted to ask about Mendes’ state of mind, he, too, was shut down.
World Cup rekindles businesses and social life in Lebanon’s war-ravaged villages, towns in the south
Since the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 11, football has drawn residents back to cafes, village squares and public spaces, creating rare opportunities for communities to reconnect. The pine forest in Kfeir, transformed by the municipality into an open-air viewing area with a giant screen and seating
Official ‘Trionda’ World Cup ball brews controversy after cancelling Croatia’s equaliser in round of 32 match against Portugal
FIFA is relying on a high-tech soccer ball fitted with “advanced sensors” and insisted it got it right when determining Croatia’s Igor Mantanovic got the slightest of glances with his head, meaning Mario Palasic was in an offside position during the build-up to the goal.
