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France backed to edge Morocco as Sutton predicts open England win
BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has given his score predictions for the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, backing tournament favourites France to see off Morocco and expecting Spain to overcome Belgium. His forecasts are set against those generated by AI (Microsoft Copilot Chat) and the choices of BBC predictor game users, in a running contest that…
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White House’s World Cup head defends Trump lobbying Fifa over red card
Andrew Giuliani claims actions of referee Raphael Claus over US player Folarin Balogun ‘very, very highly suspicious’Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, has defended Donald Trump’s lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game against Belgium.The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus,…
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US Soccer issues statement on Mauricio Pochettino’s future with Team USA after World Cup
US Soccer has been drawn into questions over the future of head coach Mauricio Pochettino following the US Men’s National Team’s dramatic exit from the 2026 World Cup, which the country is co-hosting. Having been hailed as a major appointment for his European pedigree, Pochettino’s tenure is now under scrutiny after a heavily anticipated home…
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Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game
Football’s three defining stars of the past two decades — Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah — are preparing for life after the game, and their off-pitch strategies are increasingly diverging. As the 2026 World Cup marks Ronaldo’s final tournament and another career milestone for Messi and Salah, Messi and Ronaldo have moved heavily…
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A bank holiday for a World Cup win? Starmer is poised to grant a day off if the Three Lions bring it home
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly considering granting a bank holiday in England if the men’s football team win the World Cup, marking a first triumph in 60 years. The move matters because it would be a rare exception to the government’s usual reluctance to approve extra public holidays, which are estimated to cost…
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England to receive bank holiday if Tuchel’s side win World Cup
Sir Keir Starmer is understood to be preparing to declare a bank holiday should England’s men’s team win the 2026 World Cup, marking what would be the nation’s first triumph in the tournament since 1966. The prime minister declined to confirm a date so as not to “jinx” the team’s progress, but the day off…
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DoorDash Is Offering the Chance to Win Tickets to the World Cup Final Through Its Summer of Dashpass Campaign
DoorDash, an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026, is running an eight-week “Summer of DashPass” campaign that began in June and coincides with the tournament and the wider summer season. The headline perk is a sweepstakes giving DashPass members the chance to win a trip for two to the World Cup Final,…
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FAI motion to continue with Israel games passed at EGM
The Football Association of Ireland’s General Assembly has backed a motion to proceed with the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel, resisting mounting public and political pressure for a boycott over the conflict in Gaza. The vote, held at an Extraordinary General Meeting at the Aviva Stadium, passed by 75 votes to…
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Arsenal on alert after Bruno Guimarães tells Newcastle he wants to leave
Bruno Guimarães has told Newcastle United that he wants to leave the club and join Premier League champions Arsenal, prompting the Gunners to intensify their pursuit of the Brazil midfielder. The development matters because it places Newcastle’s club captain at the centre of a potential summer saga, following the departures of Anthony Gordon and Sandro…
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Justin Bieber Added to World Cup Final Halftime Show
The satirical entertainment outlet Pitchfork reports that Justin Bieber has been added to the line-up for the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show, scheduled for 19 July. The piece frames the move as part of a wider pattern of the pop star attaching himself to major sporting events, noting it comes soon after he supposedly…