The 2026 FIFA World Cup is deep into the knock-out stages — and HuffPost is live-blogging every twist and turn as the final looms at New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
Even before a ball was kicked, the 23rd edition of the tournament was engulfed in controversy: from Iran’s tough journey to the competition amid Donald Trump’s war, to the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino. That’s not to mention Trump’s travel bans keeping some fans and officials out and the fury over soaring ticket prices.
Once the soccer actually began, much of the concern was eased — at least for a short while.
The sport’s biggest stars came out to play, and the Cape Verde’s Cinderella story captured the imagination. Off the field, Norway’s “Viking row” went viral and Boston was a sea of tartan as Scotland’s fans took over.
But the introduction of hydration breaks, seen as a vehicle for TV advertising, prompted booing from fans and questions about the fundamentals of the game being undermined. And Trump’s intervention in an effort to get a red card reversed for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, which was fruitless, as the Americans were soundly defeated by Belgium, will likely leave a stain on this World Cup.
Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.
Follow along with our coverage below:
Egypt Files Formal Complaint With FIFA After Loss To Argentina
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) filed a formal complaint with FIFA on Wednesday, calling for the organization to investigate referee François Letexier following the team's 3-2 loss to Argentina on Tuesday; multiple outlets reported.
"Hany Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, filed a complaint with FIFA demanding an investigation into French referee Francois Letexier after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the officiating team and double standards that caused Egypt to lose the match and exit the World Cup," the federation said in a statement on Wednesday.
Controversy began to swirl before the match even reached halftime, after a goal from Egypt's Mostafa Ziko was called back by Letexier after a review determined Argentina's Lisandro Martínez had been fouled during the lead-up.
Despite a late 2-0 lead, Argentina stormed back in the final minutes to win the match 3-2.
However, Egypt's biggest issue was the officiating in the moments leading up to Enzo Fernández's eventual game-winning goal. The EFA argues that Hamdy Fathy was pulled down inside the penalty area by Alexis Mac Allister and that the team should've been awarded a penalty kick.
EFA said the referees failed to properly review the play.
Read more from The Guardian here:
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Mbappe Strikes Again After Missing Penalty As France Outclass Morocco To Reach Semi-Finals
France captain Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty but curled in a superb goal on the hour as France struck twice in six minutes to brush aside Morocco 2-0 on Thursday and book their spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe, who at 27 became the youngest player to rack up 20 World Cup appearances, also bagged his 20th World Cup goal with a curling shot from just inside the box before Ousmane Dembele added another six minutes later with a low drive to set up a last-four meeting with Belgium or Spain.
Mbappe is the tournament's joint top scorer with eight goals, level with Lionel Messi, and he trails the Argentine by one goal in the World Cup all-time scoring list.
"That’s three (semi-finals) in a row — it’s good," France coach Didier Deschamps said. "It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty... when it’s Kylian. He never has any doubts.
"But we’re exactly where we wanted to be," said Deschamps, who substituted Mbappe late in the game after a knock to his ankle. "We’re taking another step forward today, finding ourselves in the final four once again. It shows we’re right there in the mix."
In a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, France, who have now kept clean sheets in all three knockout matches, looked the hungrier throughout with Morocco, aiming for a second straight last-four spot, badly missing injured forward Ismael Saibari, and failing to get a shot on target until the 84th minute.
The French, bidding to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive World Cup finals, started strongly with a couple of early chances.
Mbappe Equals Lloris Record
Mbappe, who also equalled the all-time French record held by Hugo Lloris for World Cup matches, had an early opportunity with a low drive that Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou managed to tip wide.
France earned a 28th-minute penalty through Mbappe but Bounou calmly stood his ground, picked the correct side and smothered the France forward's low effort. It was Mbappe's first penalty miss for the national team since Euro 2020.
The title favourites also hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time through Lucas Digne's powerful 30-meter drive, as defensive-minded Morocco struggled to reach their opponents' box and did not have an effort on or off target in the entire first half, with Brahim Diaz as the lone striker.
Mbappe made amends for his miss on the hour mark with a quick look up and superb finish, and before Morocco had time to recover the twice world champions struck again through Dembele.
The forward, who forms a formidable frontline with Mbappe and Michael Olise, made use of the space opened up by Mbappe's run to rifle in the second goal and his fifth of the tournament.
"A mission? I don't know but we can't afford to let up," Mbappe said. "There's still a long way to go, and what lies ahead is even tougher, but we'll recover well."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
England Player Suspended For Two World Cup Games Amid Balogun Reprieve
ATLANTA (AP) — England defender Jarell Quansah was handed a two-match suspension on Thursday for his red card offense against Mexico in the World Cup round of 16.
That means Quansah will miss England's quarterfinal match against Norway in Miami Gardens on Saturday and also the semifinals if Thomas Tuchel's team advances.
Quansah was sent off in the second half of England's 3-2 victory against Mexico on Sunday for a dangerous foul on Jesus Gallardo.
FIFA confirmed the two-match suspension for serious foul play.
FIFA’s handling of red card punishments has come under intense scrutiny after its disciplinary committee suspended the one-game penalty of star United States striker Folarin Balogun after President Donald Trump intervened and contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino defended the independence of FIFA’s disciplinary committee and insisted the Balogun case was properly handled.
Right Back Saga Continues
Quansah’s prolonged extension is the latest issue for Tuchel to contend with at right back.
First choice Reece James has not played since England’s second game of the tournament against Ghana due to a hamstring injury.
His backup Tino Livramento was sent home before England even kicked off its campaign after injuring his calf. Tuchel opted to call up a center back in Trevoh Chalobah as his replacement, rather than going for a specialist right back.
It meant Quansah, who usually plays in central defense, has taken on the role of deputy to James.
Tuchel faced questions before the World Cup for leaving out Real Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is widely regarded as one of the top players in Europe.
Christian Pulisic Fractured Leg In World Cup Loss To Belgium
U.S. star Christian Pulisic fractured his right leg during the Americans' World Cup loss to Belgium and will be sidelined for several weeks, a person familiar with the injury said Thursday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the diagnosis, first reported by The Athletic, had not yet been announced by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Pulisic has a bone bruise and a microfracture of his tibia and fibula, the person said.
He is expected to be able to resume training before AC Milan's Serie A opener at Torino on Aug. 23, the person added.
Pulisic hit a leg of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot in the 52nd minute of Monday's 4-1 round-of-16 loss at Seattle. He remained in the game but was hobbling and Sebastian Berhalter replaced him in the 59th minute.
Pulisic failed to score in the World Cup, missing one of the Americans' five matches because of a calf injury and leaving two other games early. He has 30 goals in 90 international appearances.
Pulisic, who turns 28 in September, is entering his fourth season with Milan.
Erling Haaland Approves Of 'Viking Row' Google Feature As Star Rises
Tech giant Google has also been hit by a bout of Erling Haaland fever, it seems.
The Norwegian striker has arguably been the breakout star of the World Cup with his astonishing scoring record — seven goals in four games — dragging his team of underdogs to a historic quarterfinal showdown against England on Saturday.
Off the field, his self-deprecating social media style and striking appearance — 6 feet, 5 inches, long blond hair — has also helped attract a new legion of fans, gaining almost 15 million Instagram followers over the course of the tournament.
Now, Google has paid its own tribute to the Manchester City player by adding a feature when users search “Erling Haaland” by name.
As the results pop up, several figures sporting Norwegian flags appear at the bottom of the page, rowing in unison — a nod to the viral “Viking Row.”
On Thursday, Haaland encouraged his 12.5 million followers on X to give it a go.
One thing to do today… search my name on Google 😉— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) July 9, 2026
France's World Cup Team Flew With Airline Better Known For ICE Deportations: Report
France's World Cup team has reportedly been traveling during the tournament on an airline that also carries out deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
An investigation published by The Guardian on Thursday reported that Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) has flown the French team on at least three domestic flights during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the report, the airline has operated about 950 ICE deportation flights since 2022.
The national teams of England and Iran have also reportedly been linked to the airline during the tournament, The Guardian said.
Read more on The Guardian:
World Cup Quarterfinal Weather Watch: France vs. Morocco
Here's what fans can expect in Boston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between France and Morocco on Thursday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.
See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.
England's World Cup Dream Could Come With An Extra Day Off
If the England men’s national soccer team does, after 60 years of hurt, bring the World Cup home, the rest of the country may be treated to a special public holiday in celebration, according to The Guardian.
Outgoing Prime Minister Kier Starmer would reportedly not reveal a specific date for a bank holiday, though, saying he didn’t “want to jinx it."
Zohran Mamdani Unexpectedly Weighs In On World Cup Controversy During NYC Announcement
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighed in on a World Cup controversy during a speech Wednesday as he unveiled a plan to improve the city's bus service.
Promoting the "Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service" initiative, Mamdani said faster journeys would give New Yorkers more time to do the things they enjoy.
Among his examples? "Agreeing with your friends that Egypt were robbed yesterday."
The quip referenced Egypt's dramatic 3-2 round of 16 defeat to Argentina, after which Egyptian players, coaches and officials complained about several refereeing decisions.
FIFA Refereeing Boss Shuts Down Claims Argentina Got Special Treatment
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt in the World Cup round of 16, dismissing allegations of bias and saying match officials operated with complete independence.
In an interview published on inside.fifa.com on Thursday, Collina said criticism of referees was part of football but he condemned the questioning of the officials' integrity after Egypt complained about the officiating following the defeat.
"Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina said.
"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials ... Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino)."
Collina said that such allegations could provoke threats against referees and their families.
Egypt exited the tournament but claimed they had been treated unfairly after Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit to snatch victory with a stoppage-time winner from Enzo Fernandez.
Coach Hossam Hassan alleged after the match there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the tournament. And the Egyptian Football Association said "several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game."
Egypt argued that Mostafa Zico's second-half strike was incorrectly ruled out for what it described as a non-existent foul in the build-up. Egypt were also incensed that a challenge on Mohamed Salah was not penalised moments before Argentina launched the move that produced the winning goal.
FIFA's Collina said VAR had correctly recommended overturning Zico's goal after identifying a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking possession phase.
"We believe that a foul is a foul," Collina said. "Regardless of whether the foul appears 'obvious', if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."
Collina also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina's winner, saying both the referee and VAR judged the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez to be "normal football contact".
"Stepping on an opponent's foot is a foul, whereas a defender who touches the ball first and then makes normal football contact has not committed a foul," he said.
While acknowledging that some decisions would always involve an element of subjectivity, Collina said FIFA was satisfied with how VAR principles had been applied throughout the tournament.
England Star Shares Update After Freak World Cup Celebration Injury
England midfielder Jordan Henderson has turned the corner following surgery on his left wrist and is focused on the club's World Cup quarterfinal match against Norway.
"Surgery done! Now let's get ready for the big one Saturday," Henderson said in an Instagram post.
Henderson sustained his injury after tripping over an advertising board at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to celebrate England's 3-2 win over Mexico on Sunday. He was in obvious pain after trying to break his fall. Multiple teammates immediately called for medical assistance and Henderson was later stretchered off the field.
Henderson, 36, rejoined the team at its camp in Kansas City as it prepares to face Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla. He has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup.
Henderson became England's first man to appear in four different World Cups when he came on against Panama during the group stage. He did not get into Sunday's match but was shown a yellow card during the second half for actions on the sideline.
Source: HuffPost
