Global Pulse

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  • Jonas Vingegaard out of Tour de France after crash on Stage 15

    Jonas Vingegaard out of Tour de France after crash on Stage 15

    The 2024 Tour de France has suffered a stunning upset ahead of its closing stretch, as two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard was forced to abandon the race following a high-profile crash with just 20 kilometers remaining in Sunday’s grueling 15th stage, held at France’s Plateau de Solaizon.

    Vingegaard, riding for the Visma–Lease a Bike squad, entered the mountainous 15th stage sitting just behind UAE Team Emirates leader Tadej Pogacar in the general classification, setting up a tense showdown on the stage’s challenging finishing climb. The incident occurred when Vingegaard and a small group of other riders fell close to a roadside curb in the final kilometers of the route.

    After the crash, the 29-year-old Danish rider was able to move under his own power but visibly limped to waiting medical staff, leaving the course with his right arm stabilized in a sling before being taken away in an ambulance.

    A generational talent in professional road cycling, Vingegaard cemented his legacy as one of the sport’s great all-rounders by claiming back-to-back Tour de France titles in 2022 and 2023. He is also one of only eight male riders in the history of professional cycling to have secured overall victory at all three of the sport’s Grand Tour events: the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España.

    His early exit reshapes the dynamic of the 2024 Tour, clearing a major path for Pogacar to secure a fourth overall title, and leaves millions of cycling fans shocked by the abrupt end to Vingegaard’s bid for a third consecutive yellow jersey.

  • The World Cup winner will earn $51 million under expanded purse

    The World Cup winner will earn $51 million under expanded purse

    When the final whistle blows on the 2026 FIFA World Cup final this Sunday, the new champion will not only lift soccer’s most coveted golden trophy and claim eternal glory in their nation’s sports history — they will also take home the largest winner’s payout in the tournament’s history, alongside a first-ever set of championship rings for the squad.

    For the 2026 edition, expanded from 32 to 48 competing nations and co-hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA has set an all-time total prize pool of $871 million, marking a $100 million increase from the initial payout plan announced last year. The top-up came in April after European national federations lobbied for additional funding, arguing that the three-host format created extraordinary travel and accommodation costs that would leave most teams out of pocket without deeper tournament runs.

    This year’s champion will walk away with $51 million in prize money, a substantial jump from the $42 million awarded to 2022 Qatar World Cup winner Argentina. The runner-up will take home $34 million, while third-place England will earn $30 million and fourth-place France will collect $28 million. Payouts scale down based on tournament progression: quarterfinalists (5th to 8th place) earn $20 million each, Round of 16 exits (9th to 16th) get $16 million, Round of 32 eliminations (17th to 32nd) receive $12 million, and even teams eliminated in the group stage (33rd to 48th) leave with $10 million in prize money.

    Every participating federation also receives an additional $2.5 million upfront to cover pre-tournament training and preparation costs, bringing the minimum total payout for any qualifying nation to $12.5 million. This structured upfront payment was adopted to resolve longstanding pre-tournament tensions, where players frequently went public with claims that their national federations had failed to pay promised bonuses ahead of the competition.

    The push for increased prize money gained traction after top European federations pointed out the stark gap between World Cup payouts and rewards for elite club competition. French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo had repeatedly raised the issue with FIFA President Gianni Infantino for months, noting that the 2025 Club World Cup winner — a tournament also hosted in the United States — took home $115 million, more than double the 2026 World Cup champion’s payout. To put the disparity in even sharper perspective: the entire $51 million winner’s check is less than the $ reportedly transfer fee English Premier League side Brighton paid last week to sign 19-year-old Croatian defender Luka Vušković, who spent nearly the entire 2026 World Cup on Croatia’s bench.

    Beyond prize money, FIFA is required under tournament regulations to cover core logistical costs for all participating delegations. The governing body pays for business-class return flights for each federation, as well as board and lodging for a 50-person delegation starting five nights before the team’s first match and extending one night after elimination. FIFA also covers domestic travel within host countries for the 50-person group, plus provides a dedicated fleet of vehicles that includes an equipment truck. National federations are responsible for covering delegation insurance, extra accommodation for additional staff, and any incidental hotel costs.

    Off the field, the iconic gold World Cup trophy remains the ultimate honor for the champion. The original trophy is kept permanently by FIFA, so the winning federation receives a gold-plated full-size replica to keep permanently, alongside the new championship rings being awarded for the first time this edition.

    Importantly, all prize money is paid directly to national federations, not individual players, and each federation sets its own policy for distributing the funds. A notable example is the United States Soccer Federation, which approved a landmark equal pay agreement in 2022, making it the first soccer governing body in the world to guarantee equal compensation and equal prize sharing for its men’s and women’s national teams. Under the terms of that deal, USSF retains 20% of any prize money earned by the men’s team, and the remaining 80% is split evenly between the men’s and women’s national programs.

  • Red and yellow sweep Madrid before World Cup final

    Red and yellow sweep Madrid before World Cup final

    Hours before the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey, the Spanish capital of Madrid has been transformed into a sea of the nation’s iconic red and yellow, with widespread excitement and national pride sweeping every corner of the city ahead of what is set to be one of the most tightly contested football matches in recent memory.

    Sixteen years after the Spanish men’s national team claimed its first ever World Cup trophy in South Africa, millions of fans across Madrid have gathered in public squares, neighborhood bars, and dedicated public viewing sites, all holding their breath to see La Roja lift the trophy for a second time. From street-level public transit to major mobile network providers, every corner of the capital has embraced football fever to show support for the young Spanish squad.

    Municipal buses running through Madrid’s busiest core routes now display Spanish flags on their front ends, turning a daily transit network that carries more than one million passengers into a moving, rolling celebration of the national team. Even the capital’s subway system has joined the excitement: one entire train car has been wrapped in the team’s signature bright red, decorated with oversized portraits of head coach Luis de la Fuente and standout players, including teenage breakout star Lamine Yamal, winger Nico Williams and midfield star Pedri. Fans frequently pause their commutes to snap photos of the customized train as it pulls into stations across the network.

    Two large outdoor fan zones have been constructed to accommodate thousands of supporters eager to watch the match on giant projection screens, while a third viewing space has been set up inside Madrid’s iconic air-conditioned Movistar Arena, the city’s primary indoor venue for major concerts and elite sporting events. Local street vendors have reported record brisk sales of official and unofficial team shirts and national flags, while bars across the city have decorated both their outdoor terraces and indoor spaces in red and yellow to welcome packed crowds of fans.
    Major national retailers including El Corte Ingles, Carrefour, Leroy Merlin and Ikea have gone a step further, announcing they would close all of their Spanish locations early to allow all their employees to head out and watch the match with friends and family. Even the country’s mobile telecommunications networks have joined the show of support: millions of Spanish users have noticed their carrier’s standard name on their device screens has been replaced with football-themed messages of national support. Telefonica customers now see “ConLaSeleccion” – meaning “With the National Team” – displayed on their devices, while other leading providers have rolled out their own custom pro-team messages.

    For many fans, confidence in the young Spanish side runs high ahead of the match. Javier Fernandez, a 23-year-old supporter wrapped head-to-toe in a Spanish flag, shared his optimism with Agence France-Presse ahead of heading to a local bar to watch the game with his friends. “I think we’ve had an excellent tournament and we’re going to prove it against Argentina,” he said.

    But not all fans are counting on an easy win for La Roja. Mercedes Rojas, a 50-year-old teacher who traveled from Toledo to Madrid with her husband to watch the match on one of the capital’s giant public screens, acknowledged the strength of the opposing Argentine squad. “Argentina are very good opponents,” she explained. “At this stage, having reached the final, both teams deserve to win.” If Spain does claim victory, Rojas says she plans to keep her celebration simple: “with a small beer and a tortilla.”

  • Ryan Fox wins the British Open with birdie on the final hole

    Ryan Fox wins the British Open with birdie on the final hole

    On a sun-battered, tension-filled Sunday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, 39-year-old New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox etched his name into golf history, surviving a chaotic back-nine rollercoaster to sink a career-defining 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and claim his first-ever major championship at the British Open.

    The final round was defined by shifting momentum, with five different golfers holding a share of the lead at various stages. American contender Cameron Young sat atop the leaderboard for nearly two full hours without hitting a single stroke, having carded a blistering 6-under 64 in his morning round more than 120 minutes before the final groups teed off the back nine.

    Fox, the son of a former All Blacks rugby player, refused to let a late pair of bogeys derail his bid for the Claret Jug. He pulled even with Young at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie on the par-4 16th, then delivered a stunning closing birdie on Royal Birkdale’s toughest finishing hole to secure victory. The win made him just the third golfer from New Zealand to claim a major men’s championship.

    Finishing the round at 2-under par for a 68, Fox threw his powerful arms into the air in elation immediately after the ball dropped into the cup. Within moments, he was on a call with his family back home, telling them with a shaky, excited voice: “You asked me to bring a trophy home, and I am, aren’t I?” His name will now be added to the base of the iconic silver Claret Jug, joining New Zealand golf legend Bob Charles, who won the event at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1963.

    For Young, the dramatic finish added another chapter of near-misses in major championship play. The American already finished one stroke shy of victory at the 2022 British Open at St Andrews, and he held a third-round lead at the Masters Tournament before Rory McIlroy overtook him on Sunday.

    Fifth-ranked Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader entering the final round, saw his chances fade over the closing holes. Burns had only planned to compete in the 2025 Open after his wife gave birth to the couple’s first daughter earlier than expected, forcing him to rearrange his tournament schedule at the last minute. He held a two-shot lead heading into the back nine but failed to record a single birdie over his final 12 holes, ultimately finishing two strokes off Fox’s winning pace.

    Defending champion Scottie Scheffler stayed in contention through most of the day, but two costly bad bounces sapped his momentum. A late lucky break gave him an unlikely birdie to stay in the hunt, but he failed to convert a birdie opportunity on the 18th, closing with a 67 to tie for fourth. He shared that spot with local favorite Tommy Fleetwood, the Southport-born golfer who fell back early in the round but sent the thousands of fans lining Royal Birkdale’s dunes into a frenzy with back-to-back closing birdies for a 68.

    In a surprising turn of events, fan-favorite contender Bryson DeChambeau was largely absent from the final-round drama. After losing his tee shot on the 11th hole, he carded a triple bogey that knocked him far down the leaderboard, and he did not record a birdie until he was well out of contention. A two-shot penalty assessed to him on Friday for improving his swing path never ended up impacting the final outcome, as he shot a 1-over 72 to tie for 14th place.

    Sunday’s victory marks Fox’s 10th career win across global professional golf tours. Prior to this major triumph, his most prestigious title came at the 2023 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. At 39 years old, Fox is the oldest golfer to win his first major championship since Henrik Stenson won the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon at age 40.

  • Tour de France rivals Pogacar, Vingegaard given night-time doping controls

    Tour de France rivals Pogacar, Vingegaard given night-time doping controls

    The 2024 Tour de France was thrown into a small but sharp controversy just hours before one of its most grueling mountain stages, when the race’s two leading overall contenders were pulled from their hotel beds for out-of-competition anti-doping testing in the dead of night.

    Race leader Tadej Pogacar, the four-time Tour champion from Slovenia, and his closest challenger, two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, both confirmed the surprise visits from International Testing Agency (ITA) officials ahead of Sunday’s 15th stage. The 183.9-kilometer route, which winds from the Jura region to the high-altitude finish at Plateau de Solaison in the Alps, features four rated climbs and finishes with an 11-kilometer ascent averaging 9% gradient—one of the toughest tests riders will face in this year’s race.

    Le Parisien first reported that both riders were specifically targeted for the unannounced overnight tests at their team hotels. Pogacar, who has held the overall leader’s yellow jersey for more than 10 days (requiring post-stage testing after each of those days of racing), told reporters that inspectors arrived at his room at 5 a.m., leaving him with just four hours of sleep before the stage start.

    “It was a big shock to only get four hours of sleep,” Pogacar said. “I couldn’t fall back asleep after they left, so I spent the morning chilling out, listening to old Eminem tracks and making coffee—ended up over-caffeinated. I was ready to race when the start came, but there’s nothing nice about being woken up mid-dream.” He added that random out-of-competition morning tests are common during the Tour, but this was the first time officials had conducted testing in the middle of the night this year.

    Vingegaard’s test came even earlier, with inspectors knocking at his door at 2 a.m., cutting his sleep short ahead of the high-stakes mountain stage. “The ITA didn’t let me get much sleep last night. I was sleeping really well until that knock,” Vingegaard told reporters. “Don’t get me wrong—it’s good that they test, we all support anti-doping work. But when it disrupts your sleep and can impact your performance out on the road, that doesn’t make sense. It has to be equal for all riders, but getting woken up at two in the morning is never pleasant.” The entire testing process took 40 minutes, Vingegaard said, and while he felt physically able to race, it was far from an ideal preparation.

    Richard Plugge, managing director of Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team, told Dutch cycling outlet Wielerflits that multiple teams had riders targeted for night-time testing, though he did not share further details. Plugge acknowledged that rigorous anti-doping oversight is critical to maintaining the sport’s integrity, but admitted the timing of the tests was “unpleasant” for fatigued riders.

    Not all team members took the disruption as calmly as the two overall contenders. Matteo Jorgenson, Vingegaard’s American teammate, slammed the timing as a major snub to rider welfare. “I was told to keep my mouth shut about this, but this is a complete lack of respect for the riders,” Jorgenson told reporters. “Recovery is everything for us, especially between two of the hardest mountain stages of the entire Tour. To get woken up at 2 a.m. right before one of them? That makes me absolutely furious.”

    Heading into the 15th stage, Pogacar holds a commanding 4.5-minute overall lead over Vingegaard, with five other riders sitting within 1 minute 20 seconds of the Dane in the general classification. Both top contenders took the start on Sunday despite the disrupted night of sleep, as the race continues its push toward the Paris finish.

  • World Cup integrity questioned by European rights body urging FIFA to help protect 2030 tournament

    World Cup integrity questioned by European rights body urging FIFA to help protect 2030 tournament

    GENEVA – On the eve of the 2026 men’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, the head of Europe’s leading human rights organization has delivered a scathing rebuke of FIFA’s management of the global tournament, calling out systemic threats to competition integrity and pushing for immediate structural reform ahead of the 2030 edition.

    Alain Berset, a former two-term president of Switzerland (FIFA’s host nation) and current Secretary General of the 46-nation Council of Europe, published an open letter Sunday to FIFA, the governing body of global soccer, just hours before the 2026 title match kicked off in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In the letter, Berset warned that the sport’s biggest tournament is already facing a new existential crisis driven by unchecked political influence and outsized commercial interests tied to gambling.

    “The next crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power,” Berset wrote, pointing to two high-profile incidents from the 2026 tournament that he says expose deep flaws in FIFA’s governance.

    The first controversy centers on U.S. men’s national team forward Folarin Balogun, who was cleared to play in a critical knockout stage match against Belgium just days after receiving a mandatory one-game suspension. Berset confirmed the unusual last-minute reversal of the ban came directly after then-U.S. President Donald Trump personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to pressure for the decision. Belgium went on to win the quarterfinal-qualifying match 4-1, eliminating the U.S. from the tournament. Berset emphasized that when tournament rules are bent to accommodate political pressure, every match outcome becomes vulnerable to legitimate doubt.

    “Political influence has also moved onto the field,” Berset wrote. “The sanction suspended mid-tournament came after a head of state called the president of FIFA.”

    UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has already publicly condemned FIFA’s disciplinary ruling on Balogun, saying the decision “crossed a red line” for the rule of law and transparency in global soccer. As of the publication of Berset’s letter, FIFA has still not released any official documentation explaining the reasoning behind the reversal of the ban, which was decided by a FIFA disciplinary judge from the United Arab Emirates.

    A second major integrity risk Berset outlined stems from FIFA’s controversial $150 million sponsorship deal with ADI Predictstreet, an Abu Dhabi-backed prediction betting firm that was formally registered just one week before the partnership was announced in April 2026. The deal is part of a broader series of commercial partnerships FIFA has struck with gambling industry entities for the 2026 World Cup, the first edition of the tournament expanded to 48 teams and 104 total matches.

    Critics have long argued that micro-prediction betting markets create openings for insider trading and match manipulation, because they allow bettors to wager on small, in-game moments that individual players can influence without altering the final score. Berset echoed these concerns, writing that this type of commercial partnership “is an open door to fraud, and this World Cup has opened the door wider.”

    Beyond the two high-profile controversies, Berset also raised a series of additional concerns about the 2026 tournament, including eroded authority for on-field referees, unaddressed racist abuse of players (some of which came from elected public officials), and the proliferation of micro-betting on nearly every in-game event from passes to corner kicks.

    The public rebuke from the Council of Europe carries particular weight, as the intergovernmental body – whose core mission is advancing democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the globe – has maintained a formal working partnership with FIFA since 2018. When the memorandum of understanding was signed eight years ago, Infantino emphasized that the alignment was natural, as both organizations shared core values of transparency, accountability, competition integrity, and respect for human and children’s rights. Berset and Infantino most recently met on the sidelines of the 2024 United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss cooperation.

    Looking ahead to the 2030 men’s World Cup, which will be hosted primarily by Spain and Portugal with additional matches co-hosted by Morocco and three opening games split between Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the centenary of the first World Cup held in 1930, Berset laid out a clear call to action for FIFA.

    “So here is my proposal to FIFA,” Berset wrote. “A working dialogue that starts tonight, to build the integrity framework of the 2030 World Cup before it is played.”

  • England win toss, bat in series-deciding 3rd ODI against India at Lord’s

    England win toss, bat in series-deciding 3rd ODI against India at Lord’s

    One of the most anticipated men’s One Day International series of the northern summer has reached its decisive final chapter, with England winning the pre-match coin toss and choosing to take the batting crease first in the third and final ODI against India at London’s iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday.

    The five-match? No, three-match series has already delivered plenty of drama, splitting the two sides one win apiece ahead of Sunday’s decider. England fell to defeat in the opening fixture at Birmingham’s Edgbaston, but mounted a crucial comeback in the second match in Cardiff, where veteran batsman Joe Root’s unbeaten knock of 99 runs proved the decisive difference between the two sides, securing England’s equalizing win.

    For England, this match also carries the weight of historical pressure: the home side has not claimed a series victory over India in ODI play since 2018, giving Sunday’s decider far more stakes than just a single match result.

    Both sides made key tactical changes to their starting lineups ahead of the opening innings. England made one swap, calling up pace bowler Josh Tongue to replace Saqib Mahmood in the 11-man squad. India opted for a more extensive reshuffle, making three total changes to their side: KL Rahul, rookie spinner Prince Yadav, and left-arm pace bowler Arshdeep Singh earned starting spots, stepping in for pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Washington Sundar and batting all-rounder Shivam Dube.

    The full confirmed starting lineups for the decider are as follows:
    England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue
    India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

  • The World Cup final is here, with Argentina taking on Spain in soccer’s showdown

    The World Cup final is here, with Argentina taking on Spain in soccer’s showdown

    After more than three weeks of world-class soccer action across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the expanded 48-team edition that already holds the title of the largest World Cup in tournament history — is set for its climax on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium, where two global powerhouses will clash for soccer’s most coveted prize: four-time finalists Argentina, seeking their fourth World Cup crown, face off against Spain, who are gunning for their second men’s title. A win for Spain would make history, as it would become the first nation ever to hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup trophies simultaneously, following Spain’s women’s team victory at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

    This expanded 48-team tournament has already broken multiple records before the final whistle even blows. With 103 matches completed heading into Sunday’s final, the 2026 edition has already seen more total goals scored than any previous World Cup, with 307 goals on the board entering the championship clash. If Argentina and Spain net at least two combined goals in the final, this tournament will claim another milestone: the highest average goals per game since the 1956 World Cup, which posted an average of 3.6 goals per match. Even if the two sides combine for fewer than two goals, 2026 will still hold the second-highest average goals per game in World Cup history, outperforming every tournament since the 1970 World Cup, which averaged 2.97 goals per game.

    Beyond the on-pitch action, this final will deliver a unprecedented global entertainment spectacle, a first for FIFA’s men’s World Cup. Grammy-nominated multiplatinum artist Post Malone will headline the official closing ceremony, scheduled to begin 90 minutes before kickoff. For the first time in men’s World Cup history, the match will feature a star-studded halftime show headlined by a roster of global superstars: Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, and KRT, joined afropop icon Burna Boy, award-winning Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the acclaimed PS 22 Chorus with a special guest appearance from Coldplay, and even beloved characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets.

    High-profile attendance is also expected for the historic match, with former U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to be in attendance and scheduled to take part in the post-match trophy presentation. Ahead of kickoff, both sides have confirmed their kit choices: Argentina will take the pitch in its iconic light blue and white vertically striped home jerseys, while Spain will wear its primary kit of predominantly red with navy blue sleeves. Officiating the historic final is a crew from Slovenia, led by head referee Slavko Vinčić, with assistant referees Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič.

    For Argentina, the match also represents a chance for captain Lionel Messi to add another chapter to his already legendary career. Messi enters the final within striking distance of tournament leader Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot, and is also in contention for a record third Golden Ball award, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players to ever step onto a soccer pitch.

  • If history is any indication, expect some goals in the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain

    If history is any indication, expect some goals in the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain

    As the world’s biggest stage in men’s soccer prepares for its headline showdown between Argentina and Spain, decades of World Cup history offer compelling context and fascinating storylines to watch when the two sides step onto the pitch Sunday.

    First, fans can reasonably expect a high-scoring, action-packed clash, if past finals are any indicator. An analysis of 22 prior men’s title matches — including the 1950 decisive fixture between Uruguay and Brazil that settled the tournament despite not bearing the official “final” label — shows that winning sides have notched an average of 2.6 goals per final, while losing teams add an average of 1.1 goals to the scoreboard.

    Recent finals have leaned heavily into this offensive tradition: the 2018 and 2022 title matches combined for a staggering 12 total goals. In 2018, France outpaced Croatia 4-2 to claim the crown, and four years later, Argentina and France fought to a 3-3 draw before Argentina secured the win on penalties. Overall, 17 of the last World Cup titles went to teams that scored at least two goals in the final, though eight teams have hit that two-goal mark and still walked away empty-handed. Low-scoring title games are far rarer: only three finals have ended 1-0 (West Germany over Argentina in 1990, Spain over Netherlands in 2010, and Germany over Argentina in 2014), and just one final ended 0-0 in regulation, when Brazil bested Italy on penalties in the 1994 tournament — the only previous World Cup final held on U.S. soil before this edition.

    Beyond historical scoring trends, multiple coaching and player milestones hang in the balance this Sunday. For Argentina, if the side lifts the trophy, head coach Lionel Scaloni — who already led the Albiceleste to the 2022 World Cup title — will cement his place in history as just the second manager ever to win two World Cup championships. The only other coach to achieve this feat is Vittorio Pozzo, who led Italy to back-to-back titles in 1934 and 1938, a record that has stood unmatched for nearly 90 years. Three other managers (Brazil’s Mário Zagallo, West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer and France’s Didier Deschamps) have won World Cups as both a player and a coach, but none have claimed two triumphs on the touchline.

    Argentina’s global icon Lionel Messi is also set to make history just by stepping onto the field. At 39 years old, Messi will become the oldest outfield player ever to appear in a men’s World Cup final. The previous record for the oldest outfield finalist belonged to Sweden’s Gunnar Gren, who was 37 when he faced Brazil in the 1958 final. The only player older than Messi to ever start in a World Cup final is Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who was 40 when he backstopped Italy to the 1982 title. Additionally, Messi is on the cusp of joining Brazil’s Cafu as only the second man to play in three men’s World Cup finals; unlike Cafu, who was a reserve for one of his three final appearances, Messi will be the first player ever to start in three men’s World Cup title matches.

    For Spain, the final brings its own set of potential history-making moments, centered on a unique blend of youthful talent and veteran leadership. La Roja is expected to field two 19-year-old teenagers, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, in its starting lineup. No men’s World Cup champion has ever put more than one teenager in the starting lineup for the final, putting this young duo in uncharted territory. Teenagers actually hold an unbeaten record in World Cup finals, per FIFA data: only three teens have ever played in a men’s final, and all three left with winner’s medals: 17-year-old Pelé for Brazil in 1958, 18-year-old Giuseppe Bergomi for Italy in 1982, and 19-year-old Kylian Mbappé for France in 2018.

    If Spain claims the win, their 65-year-old head coach Luis de la Fuente will break another age record, becoming the oldest manager ever to win a World Cup. The current record is held by Vicente del Bosque, who was 59 when he led Spain to the 2010 World Cup title.

    Entering the final, both sides carry impressive ongoing streaks that add to the narrative. Spain enters the match unbeaten in 37 consecutive matches (28 wins, 9 draws), a run that ties Italy’s 2018-2021 stretch for the longest unbeaten streak by any European men’s national team in history. Argentina also boasts a notable tournament streak: the Albiceleste have won seven consecutive World Cup matches, tying Italy for the second-longest consecutive win streak in men’s World Cup history. Only Brazil, which won 11 straight World Cup matches across the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, holds a longer streak.

    Sunday’s showdown will only be the second time Argentina and Spain have faced off in a World Cup. The pair’s only prior tournament meeting came in the 1966 group stage, where Argentina claimed a 2-1 win. Across all competitive matches and friendlies, the two sides are remarkably evenly matched: they have played 14 times total, with six wins apiece and two draws, setting the stage for what is expected to be a tightly contested, historic final.

  • Messi on the brink of history – will it be his last World Cup game?

    Messi on the brink of history – will it be his last World Cup game?

    Argentina stands on the cusp of an unprecedented piece of football history, needing just one more victory in Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final to etch their name alongside the sport’s immortals. If head coach Lionel Scaloni’s side can overcome European champions Spain to claim the title, they will become only the third men’s national team ever to win consecutive World Cup trophies, joining an elite club that currently only includes 1930s Italy and 1950s Brazil.

    For Argentina to cross that finish line, all eyes will once again fall on 39-year-old legend Lionel Messi, who has delivered another tournament for the ages to carry his side this far. Whether fans label him the undisputed greatest of all time or merely rank him among the top contenders, there is no arguing that the Argentine playmaker has redefined what elite attacking play looks like across a decades-long career that has rewritten the sport’s record books.

    A Sunday victory would not only secure back-to-back World Cup titles for Argentina — it would also make Messi the first men’s captain in history to lift the World Cup trophy twice. After a string of underwhelming performances across his first four World Cup appearances, Messi exploded into form at the 2022 Qatar tournament, leading Argentina to their first crown in 36 years, and he has picked up right where he left off in North America four years later. Currently, he sits just one goal behind France’s Kylian Mbappe in the race to become the World Cup’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer, an extraordinary milestone for a player who briefly walked away from international football entirely back in 2016, only to reverse his retirement months later.

    Sunday’s final will mark Messi’s 34th World Cup appearance, stretching across six tournaments, and a growing debate has emerged around whether this will mark his final outing in Argentina’s iconic blue and white stripes — or whether the legend has another World Cup run left in him, when the tournament celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2030.

    If Messi does elect to continue his international career through 2030, he will make history again as the oldest outfield player to ever feature at a men’s World Cup, turning 43 before the tournament kicks off — a record that would only be broken if his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo chooses to extend his own Portugal career to join him. Beyond the record books, 2030 also offers a deeply sentimental draw for Messi: the centenary tournament will host at least one opening match on Argentine soil, offering the homegrown icon a chance to play a World Cup game in front of his own nation’s fans. That opportunity is one many close to Messi believe will be too tempting to turn down.

    “Even if you hear it is the end, I doubt it but we’ll see. I just see him with the national side, simply because he enjoys it,” Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport. “I don’t see him being at Inter Miami in the MLS, still performing and then saying that’s it and he’s going to play out the rest of his career with Inter Miami. I feel that he hasn’t said the last word yet. He finishes games, 120-minute games, at 39. In the first 90 minutes against Cape Verde, he covered 6.5km and 62% of that is walking. You can add a bit more walking. The passion is still there. All of that means he’s not going to leave the national side.”

    Messi’s 2026 World Cup campaign has been nothing short of sensational, with eight goals in seven matches and a string of match-winning displays that dragged Argentina through the knockout rounds. Scaloni, who has led Messi and his side to two consecutive finals, has no hesitation in anointing the 39-year-old as the greatest to ever play the game.

    “He is history, a legend. I feel proud, he is the best footballer the world has ever seen and reaching a final at 39 is something unbelievable — and that is why I said we must enjoy him,” Scaloni told reporters. “With Diego Maradona, we still miss him but Messi is still with us so we must enjoy him. I have no idea if this is Leo’s last game, you will have to ask him. We haven’t discussed it.”

    Messi’s remarkable late-career resurgence on the World Cup stage is one of the most unexpected stories in modern football: 15 of his 21 all-time World Cup goals have come after his 35th birthday, a statistic that defies conventional wisdom about athletic aging. This late-career hot streak has already seen Messi break multiple tournament records, and he adds more with each game he plays.

    While he didn’t find the back of the net in Argentina’s semi-final comeback win over England, two late assists from Messi secured the victory, pushing his all-time World Cup assist total to 12 — 10 of which have come in knockout rounds, a new all-time record. Already the leader in World Cup appearances with 33, Messi is one of only two players (alongside Ronaldo) to feature at six men’s World Cups, the only player to win two World Cup Golden Balls, and the only player to score in every round of a World Cup on the way to lifting the trophy. He also holds the record for the longest consecutive run of scoring or assisting in World Cup matches, with 11 straight games dating back to 2022, and has scored in nine consecutive World Cup games, another unprecedented record. Sunday’s final will also see him become only the second player after Brazil’s Cafu to start three men’s World Cup finals.

    It is worth noting that Messi already predicted his World Cup career would end after the 2022 tournament, telling reporters before that final: “I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying. There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don’t think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant.”

    That prediction, of course, did not come to pass. So regardless of any announcements that come after Sunday’s 2026 final, the football world will be waiting to see if Messi has one more magical chapter left in his World Cup story, on home soil in 2030.