Mbappé ties Messi as Mexico ends 40-year KO drought
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- Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 at Azteca — their first World Cup knockout win since 1986, with Raúl Jiménez tying Jared Borgetti on Mexico's all-time scoring list (47 goals).link ›
- Kylian Mbappé scored his 9th World Cup knockout goal (passing Leonidas and Ronaldo) and tied Messi atop the Golden Boot race with 6 goals in France's 3-0 rout of Sweden at MetLife Stadium.link ›
- Julian Nagelsmann resigned four days after insisting 'I'm not someone who runs away'; Germany lost to Paraguay on penalties — no World Cup KO win since 2014 — and the DFB is now chasing Jürgen Klopp.link ›
- FIFA proposed moving England-Mexico from 6pm to noon local time Sunday, then reversed after both federations objected; Mexico manager Javier Aguirre called it 'a kick in the stomach.'link ›
- LeBron James told the Lakers on June 30 he won't re-sign, ending his eight-year run; agent Rich Paul listed Warriors, Cavaliers, Heat, and Timberwolves as possibilities.link ›
- Chris Johnson, the former Titans RB who set an NFL record with 2,509 scrimmage yards in 2009, revealed an ALS diagnosis at age 39 and now uses a speech-generating device.link ›
- Aston Villa were fined €22.5m (£19.4m) by UEFA — €15m suspended pending squad-cost reduction — joining Chelsea (€3m) and Nottingham Forest (€2.5m) in the Premier League fine sweep.link ›
Mexico snapped a 40-year World Cup knockout-stage drought with a 2-0 win over Ecuador at Estadio Azteca — Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scoring within nine minutes after a one-hour lightning delay. The expanded 48-team field delivered elsewhere: France's Kylian Mbappé tied Lionel Messi atop the Golden Boot race (six goals) while becoming the all-time World Cup knockout-stage scorer (nine goals) in a 3-0 rout of Sweden. Germany imploded to Paraguay on penalties and is now chasing Jürgen Klopp after Julian Nagelsmann reversed course on staying. FIFA even walked back a proposed six-hour kick-off change for England-Mexico after both federations pushed back.
The stories behind this week
Marcotti's Best World Cup Group Stage XIThe expanded 48-team format puts 70% of matches before the knockout round, giving fringe nations like Cape Verde and South Africa real stage time while also flooding the Best XI conversation with candidates from five continents — Marcotti's list spans Europe, South America, Africa, and North America, signaling how the format itself is redistributing where World Cup stardom gets discovered.
NBA free agency winners and losers: Raptors suddenly leap into title contention, Heat lacking urgencyThe Clippers' reset — Leonard, Harden, and Zubac for Garland plus the No. 5 pick and four future firsts — is arguably the day's biggest franchise swing, while the Raptors gave up 2031 and 2033 firsts for a puncher's-chance title shot. The Heat, meanwhile, are saving cap space during Antetokounmpo's 31-year-old, injury-prone prime window.
NFL record holder Johnson reveals ALS diagnosisFor an athlete whose career was defined by physical dominance — 2,006 rushing yards in a single season — Johnson's account of losing grip strength and now relying on a speech-generating device within roughly a year of diagnosis shows how quickly ALS can progress even with early detection and aggressive experimental treatment, strengthening his case for more research funding.
Germany seek Klopp talks after Nagelsmann resignsGermany's four-time champions have cycled coaches through three consecutive major-tournament failures, and the DFB is turning to a figure whose availability would be the highest-profile appointment in the role in years. With Euro 2028 qualifying on the horizon and no World Cup knockout win since 2014, whoever takes charge inherits a team with a decade of diminishing returns on the biggest stage.
FIFA Reverses England-Mexico Kick-Off ChangeFIFA's unexplained attempt to shift a knockout match six hours earlier caught both federations off-guard and Mexico's manager mid-radio interview, exposing how its 'sole discretion' to reschedule under World Cup 2026 regulations collides with the real-world costs of moving a game for 3,000 traveling fans and UK pub licensing laws.
Mexico oust Ecuador, 1st WC KO win in 40 yearsMexico's 40-year knockout drought ended on home soil in front of one of the loudest crowds Azteca has ever produced, per Aguirre, and a Sunday meeting with England or DR Congo gives the co-hosts a realistic path to a first World Cup quarterfinal since 1986. Ecuador, meanwhile, saw a campaign that began with an upset of Germany undone by a stoppage-time sending-off under a new FIFA rule.
Mbappé sets record to lead France past SwedenMbappé sits one goal behind Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list with as many as three matches remaining, placing both the Golden Boot and the record firmly in reach. France's largest knockout-stage margin since the 1998 final signals they are peaking at the right moment heading into a round of 16 against a Paraguay side that already upset Germany.
Villa among four Premier League clubs fined by UefaVilla's suspended €15m hangs entirely on the club materially reducing its squad-cost ratio in 2026 — failure converts a warning into a hard cash hit. The batch action against four Premier League clubs in one ruling shows UEFA is moving from theoretical PSR enforcement to active financial discipline on the league's biggest spenders, with Champions League squad registration now a live consequence rather than just a fine.
Why it matters: Mexico's first World Cup knockout win in 40 years sets up a Sunday date with England or DR Congo — a win would put El Tri in their first quarterfinal since 1986.
