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Sports

South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies at 25

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South Africa

JOHANNESBURG: South African midfielder Jayden Adams, who represented Bafana Bafana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has died at the age of 25, South African officials confirmed on Saturday.

Adams featured for South Africa during the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the country’s football community.

South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie expressed deep sorrow over Adams’ death, describing him as one of the country’s brightest young football talents.

“South African football has lost one of its finest young talents,” McKenzie said, extending condolences to Adams’ family, teammates and supporters who had watched him rise from academy football to the national team.

Police said Adams’ body was found at his home. Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, and the cause of death has not yet been determined. No further official details have been released.

Russian model’s resemblance to Erling Haaland sparks viral fame

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Russian model

MOSCOW: A Russian model has gone viral on social media after users noticed her striking resemblance to Norway football star Erling Haaland, a likeness that she says has transformed her career.

Twenty-four-year-old Anastasia Kostromitina said the comparison was first pointed out by a friend before family members and others began making the same observation.

As Haaland’s popularity grew, videos featuring people who resemble the Manchester City striker also gained traction online.

Capitalizing on the trend, Anastasia began creating videos mimicking Haaland’s facial expressions, mannerisms and signature goal celebrations.

The content quickly attracted millions of views and led to collaboration offers from several brands, she said.

Social media users have dubbed her “Female Erling Haaland,” “Haaland’s twin,” and even his “long-lost sibling” because of the uncanny resemblance.

Anastasia said she is supporting Norway at the FIFA World Cup and hopes to one day meet Haaland for a selfie. She added that she also hopes the football star will eventually notice her viral content and get in touch.

Mbappe sets World Cup record with fastest 20 goals

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Mbappe


PARIS: France forward Kylian Mbappe added another milestone to his remarkable career by becoming the fastest player in FIFA World Cup history to score 20 goals after finding the net in his side’s quarterfinal victory over Morocco at the 2026 tournament.

The 27-year-old struck in the 60th minute to reach the 20-goal mark in just 20 World Cup appearances, surpassing Lionel Messi, who reached the milestone in 30 matches.
Mbappe achieved the feat across three World Cup editions 2018, 2022 and 2026 and also became the youngest player to score 20 World Cup goals at 27 years and 201 days. He has scored four goals in 2018, eight in 2022 and eight so far in the 2026 tournament.
The goal also made Mbappe the highest-scoring player in FIFA World Cup knockout matches, with 12 goals in the tournament’s elimination rounds.
In another landmark achievement, Mbappe became the first France international to be directly involved in 100 international goals, having recorded 64 goals and 36 assists for his country.
With eight goals and three assists at the 2026 World Cup, Mbappe is also the first player since 1966 to register more than 10 goal contributions in two separate World Cup editions.
His 14 knockout-stage goal contributions have also drawn level with Lionel Messi for the joint-highest total over the past six decades.

Egypt’s world cup team receives hero’s welcome in Cairo

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Egypt's world

CAIRO: Egypt’s national football team received a rousing welcome on its return home after competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with thousands of fans gathering to celebrate the players’ arrival.

Government officials and airport authorities welcomed the squad upon its arrival, while large crowds of supporters waited outside the airport to greet the players with cheers, applause and requests for photographs.

The team later traveled through the city on a bus, where fans lined the streets waving Egyptian flags and chanting in support of the national side. Many gathered along the route for a glimpse of the players following their World Cup campaign.

Players acknowledged the enthusiastic reception by waving to supporters from the team bus as crowds continued to celebrate the team’s return.

Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira to headline World Cup final halftime show

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Justin Bieber

NEW JERSEY: The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will feature the tournament’s first-ever halftime show, with a star-studded lineup of international music artists set to perform.

The halftime show will take place during the World Cup final on July 19 at New Jersey Stadium, featuring performances by Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and South Korean pop group BTS.

Also scheduled to perform are Nigerian singer Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, British rock band Coldplay and the PS22 Chorus.

Justin Bieber said it was an honor to be part of the event, adding that the FIFA World Cup brings people together from around the globe.

Organizers also announced that beloved characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will make appearances during the historic halftime show.

Messi leads 2026 World Cup scoring chart with nine goals

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Messi leads

Lionel Messi has emerged as the leading scorer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with nine goals in the tournament so far.

According to tournament statistics, 280 goals have been scored across the first 96 matches of the competition, with Argentina leading all teams with 14 goals.

Messi tops the tournament’s scoring chart with nine goals, while France’s Kylian Mbappe is second with eight. Norway’s Erling Haaland ranks third with seven goals, followed by England captain Harry Kane with six.

Including his goals at this year’s tournament, Messi has now scored a total of 21 goals across all FIFA World Cup appearances during his career.

Tournament statistics also show that referees have issued 259 yellow cards and 14 red cards in the 2026 World Cup so far.

PCB confirms four-team ODI tournament ahead of 2027 World Cup

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PCB confirms

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed a four-team One-Day tournament next month as part of its preparations for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

According to the PCB, the tournament will be held in August before the start of the domestic first-class season.

Director of the High Performance Centre Aqib Javed said Pakistan has around 18 months until the 2027 World Cup, making it the right time to begin building a strong pool of ODI players.

He said selectors and coaches jointly designed the four-team tournament, which will feature all of the country’s leading white-ball cricketers.

Aqib said the selectors and coaching staff will assemble playing XIs based on players’ specific roles, allowing them to evaluate performances and identify the best player pool for the future.

He added that all matches will be televised, providing transparency in player performances and making the selection process more effective.

Aqib also said Pakistan should be ranked among the top four ODI teams in the world, adding that anything lower would be unacceptable and expressing confidence that the team’s ranking would improve.

Egypt asks FIFA to investigate referees after Argentina defeat

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Egypt asks

ZURICH:  Egypt’s football federation said it has filed a formal complaint with FIFA over the officiating in its World Cup round-of-16 loss to Argentina, alleging serious refereeing and video review errors that affected the outcome of the match.

The federation said it had asked FIFA to investigate French referee François Letexier and the video assistant referee (VAR) officials and requested that they be removed from the remainder of the tournament.

According to the federation, the match officials applied inconsistent standards, declined to review several key incidents and made clear errors that contributed to Egypt’s elimination. It called on FIFA to conduct a full investigation.

The complaint follows widespread criticism from Egyptian players, coaching staff and some supporters over several controversial decisions during the match, including the disallowing of an Egyptian goal after a VAR review and the decision not to award fouls or a penalty in incidents involving captain Mohamed Salah.

Head coach Hossam Hassan also protested several decisions during the game and was shown a yellow card by the referee.

Argentina came from behind to defeat Egypt 3-2, securing a place in the World Cup quarterfinals.

FIFA had not publicly responded to the Egyptian federation’s complaint at the time of publication.

FIFA faces criticism over all-Argentine officials for World Cup quarterfinal

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FIFA faces

BOSTON:  FIFA’s decision to appoint an all-Argentine officiating team for the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal between Morocco and France has prompted criticism and speculation among some football fans on social media.

FIFA announced the match officials for Thursday’s quarterfinal in Boston, naming an Argentine referee, two assistant referees, a reserve assistant referee and a fourth official.

The appointments drew reactions online from users who questioned why officials from a country still competing in the tournament had been assigned to the match. Some posts alleged favoritism, while others criticized FIFA’s referee selection process without providing evidence.

Among those commenting was former West Indies cricket captain Carlos Brathwaite, who questioned the appointments in posts on X.

FIFA has not publicly responded to the criticism.

Under FIFA regulations, referees are generally prohibited from officiating matches involving their own national team, but officials from other participating nations may be assigned to games provided no conflict of interest exists.

Messi scores in Argentina’s 3-2 comeback win over Egypt

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Messi scores

ATLANTA: Defending champion Argentina came from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday, securing a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Egypt stunned Argentina with two first-half goals after Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring before Mostafa Ziko doubled the lead.

Argentina had an opportunity to equalize earlier in the match, but captain Lionel Messi failed to convert a penalty after Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shabir made a crucial save.

Ziko also had another goal ruled out for a foul before scoring Egypt’s second to give his side a commanding 2-0 advantage.

Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback in the closing stages of the second half. The South American side scored its first goal in the 80th minute before Messi leveled the match three minutes later.

Argentina completed the turnaround with a late winner to seal a 3-2 victory and advance to the quarterfinals.

The win keeps Argentina’s title defense alive, while Egypt’s World Cup campaign came to an end despite its strong first-half performance.