Football/Soccer 8 Hours

Last updated: July 2, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

World Cup Knockout Stage Heats Up

Spain cruised into the round of 16 with a decisive 3-0 victory over Austria, extending their World Cup momentum. Lamine Yamal, named MVP, declared, "the World Cup starts now," signaling Spain's growing confidence after a historically lean period in knockout matches since their 2010 triumph Spain are growing into. Elsewhere, Belgium pulled off a dramatic extra-time comeback against Senegal, raising questions about whether this was a last hurrah for their golden generation or a sign of renewed vigor, a sentiment echoed by Youri Tielemans who downplayed a spat with teammate Leandro Trossard as "part of football" Tielemans Trossard fight. The USMNT, meanwhile, faces Belgium in the next round without top scorer Folarin Balogun, whose red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be appealed, potentially leading to an extended ban USMNT can play ugly. Colombia, surprisingly, topped their group, a feat potentially sparked by an earlier humbling defeat to France Colombia's World Cup reshaping.

Portugal Survive Scare, Pay Tribute

Portugal edged out Croatia 2-1, with Gonçalo Ramos scoring a late winner in stoppage time while Cristiano Ronaldo watched from the bench after converting a penalty. The victory kept Ronaldo's World Cup aspirations alive amidst late VAR drama Ronaldo's World Cup dreams. Following the match, both Ronaldo and the Portuguese squad paid an emotional tribute to former teammate Diogo Jota, who died a year ago. Jota's memory is being used as inspiration for the team as they advance in the tournament Portugal ready to honor.

Club Transfers and Player Movements

Enzo Fernández's agent has confirmed the midfielder is exploring options to leave Chelsea this summer, with multiple NWSL teams showing interest in USWNT winger Emma Sears, who has requested a trade from Racing Louisville Sears requests trade Louisville. In other NWSL news, Gotham FC forward Sam Kerr stated that returning to the league was her only consideration after departing Chelsea Kerr says NWSL only. Manchester City have reached an agreement to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest City confirm deal, while Tottenham Hotspur have announced the signing of midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for $112 million Spurs sign $112M Fernandes. Manchester United are reportedly targeting Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, with Arsenal also interested in Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes, and rumors linking Mason Greenwood to Madrid Man Utd ready.

Other Football News

UEFA competitions will not result in players being sent off for covering their mouths when speaking to opponents reds mouth covering. England reached the Women's T20 World Cup final after a dominant 40-run victory over South Africa, with Nat Sciver-Brunt leading the charge England beat South Africa. The Football Association of Ireland has warned that boycotting games against Israel in the Nations League would cause "significant and lasting harm" Israel games would cause.