Sports

Iran captain, Mehdi Taremi has delivered a scathing criticism of FIFA, claiming his side feels tournament organizers would prefer to see them eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. Iran's hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the very first time hang in the balance after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Egypt in the controversial 'Pride Match' in Seattle. Taremi's team saw a last-gasp winner ruled out for offside. Following Iran's opening draw against New Zealand, Taremi branded the World Cup a 'disaster' and he reiterated those claims on Friday before slamming FIFA for 'doing nothing' to help his team. 'We always complain about these things since the beginning, it's a disaster World Cup. A disaster,' he said. 'As professional players in a professional competition, it's not r...

Twelve countries have officially been knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the latest round of group stage fixtures, with only the final set of group matches left to determine the remaining qualification spots. The latest teams to exit the tournament are Iraq, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. Iraq's hopes ended after a heavy 5-0 defeat to Senegal, who secured third place in Group I. New Zealand also bowed out following a crushing 5-1 loss to an impressive Belgium side. Uruguay were eliminated after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Spain, while Saudi Arabia's goalless draw against Cape Verde was not enough to keep their Round of 16 hopes alive. A total of 16 teams will fail to progress beyond the group stage, with 12 nations already confirmed as eliminated. ...

France forward, Ousmane Dembele, on Friday, made history after scoring a hat-trick in his side’s World Cup final group game against Norway. Dembele was impressive as France defeated Norway 4-1, thanks to his three goals and a goal from Desire Doue. Dembele’s hat-trick just 32 minutes into the game is the second earliest a player has scored a FIFA World Cup hat-trick in a match, according to OptaJoe. The Paris Saint-Germain star is only behind Erich Probst in 1954 for Austria against Czechoslovakia (24 minutes). Dembele now has four goals from three World Cup matches so far. The Ballon d’Or winner scored against Iraq on Monday as France won 3-0 in their second World Cup game. Dembele will now hope to lead France to victory when they face Sweden in the R...

Cape Verde etched their name into World Cup history after battling Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw that secured a place in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Blue Sharks finished second in Group H with three points, becoming the first team since Chile in 1998 to reach the knockout stage with three consecutive draws. The result also saw Cape Verde become the first African nation since Ghana in 2006 to progress beyond the group stage on its World Cup debut. With Uruguay losing 1-0 to Spain in the other group fixture, Cape Verde’s disciplined display proved enough to book a blockbuster last-32 meeting with defending champions Argentina on July 3. Cape Verde looked the more threatening side throughout the contest. Willy Semedo forced an early save from Mohammed Al Owa...

Nigeria's influence in global basketball continued to grow as six players of Nigerian heritage were selected during the 2026 NBA Draft held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The players—Ebuka Okorie, Zuby Ejiofor, Otega Oweh, Felix Okpara, Tobi Lawal, and Ugonna Onyenso—were drafted by six NBA franchises, although some are expected to join different teams through draft-night trades. Ebuka Okorie and Zuby Ejiofor earned first-round selections, while Otega Oweh, Felix Okpara, Tobi Lawal, and Ugonna Onyenso were picked in the second round. Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie was selected 17th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder but is expected to join the Detroit Pistons following a pre-arranged trade. Zuby Ejiofor, who starred at St. John's University, was chosen 23rd overal...

The rematch between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has been postponed indefinitely. This was revealed by Pacquiao’s camp on Friday. It comes after reports that a planned Mayweather exhibition in Greece had been called off after an events company connected to the Pacquiao bout had sought an injunction. The two Hall of Famers, whose 2015 bout drove 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, have been at loggerheads since Mayweather stunned the boxing world by declaring a rematch announced by Netflix for September would only be an exhibition — something bitterly contested by Pacquiao. On Friday, the Pacquiao camp released a statement blaming the postponement on “a volatile mix of federal lawsuits, scheduling overbooks, and financial gridlock completely surrounding the Mayw...

President Daniel Noboa has declared Friday a nationwide public holiday after Ecuador stunned Germany 2-1 to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The declaration came shortly after Ecuador secured a historic victory over the four-time world champions at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, advancing beyond the group stage for only the second time in the country’s history. In a post on X on Friday, Noboa praised the players and coaching crew for overcoming criticism to deliver the result. “Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults, and the tough times they went through, managed to bounce back and bring this immense joy to the entire country. Tomorrow, holiday! Long live Ecuador,” he wrote. Ecuador entered the Group E clash needi...

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to return to Trabzonspor on loan for a second straight season. The Cameroon international has fallen out of the pecking order at Old Trafford following the emergence of Senne Lammens, who has established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper. According to the Daily Mail, United are prepared to sanction another temporary move to Turkey, where Onana impressed during the 2025-26 campaign, helping Trabzonspor lift the Turkish Cup against Konyaspor in May. Although the club would prefer a permanent transfer to recover part of the £47.2m paid to Inter Milan in 2023, a loan is viewed as the most realistic outcome. The 30-year-old remains under contract for two more years but is not expected to feature in the Red Devils’ ...

The South African Football Association’s (SAFA) appeal against Bafana Bafana midfielder Themba Zwane’s three-match suspension has been dismissed by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. SAFA disclosed this in a statement released on their website on Thursday.Zwane is serving a three-match suspension he was handed by the FIFA disciplinary committee following the red card he received in the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening game against tournament co-hosts Mexico last week.“We are disappointed with the outcome of our appeal because we strongly believe that the punishment is far harsher than the offense that Themba is said to have committed,” SAFA said in a statement.Zwane will serve his final match on the sidelines when Bafana Bafana face 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts Canada in the Last 32 in Los Angele...

FIFA has confirmed that fans will be allowed to bring rainbow flags when Iran faces Egypt in this weekend's controversial 'Pride Match' at the World Cup. The fixture, between two countries where hom0s£xuality is outlawed, is meant to honour the LGBTQ+ community and was pencilled in before it was known which teams would be involved. It will be held in Seattle and coincides with the city's annual Pride Weekend. The announcement of the 'Pride Match' sparked a bitter row involving the two Muslim countries, with Egypt writing a strongly worded letter to FIFA. The country's football association said it 'completely rejected' any initiatives related to supporting homosexuality, which are described as 'directly contrary to cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in ...