Samindra Kunti

A hundred and two matches down and only two to go. Let's bring on the countdown, the excited announcer, the tacky music and the inevitable Trumpian overtones for the last couple of times. Will Lionel Messi and his gravitational aura, for one last time, bend the arc of history Argentina's way, or will Spain—often so frugal, at times so gossamer—further cement the current epoch as theirs?

Ferran Torres scores the decisive goal in a tense final at MetLife Stadium as Lionel Messi's World Cup farewell ends in defeat

July 20 – After a war of attrition and extra time, Spain won their second World Cup defeating ten-man Argentina 1-0 following a 106th-minute strike from Ferran Torres.

In the days following the Belgium-US match, I cornered Fifa president Gianni Infantino at the Waldorf Astoria, a luxury hotel in Manhattan, with a simple question: “Following the Folarin Balogun case, will you resign?” I pressed him, but he batted the question aside, flashed a thumbs-up, and retreated down a corridor. Before he could escape, his security team interjected with a familiar refrain: “It’s not the right time.”

In the days following the Belgium-US match, I cornered Fifa president Gianni Infantino at the Waldorf Astoria, a luxury hotel in Manhattan, with a simple question: “Following the Folarin Balogun case, will you resign?” I pressed him, but he batted the question aside, flashed a thumbs-up, and retreated down a corridor. Before he could escape, his security team interjected with a familiar refrain: “It's not the right time.” When is it ever in Fifaland?

The 2026 World Cup got the final it deserved: 120 minutes of awful football — a war of attrition, pockmarked by Argentina's antagonism — and a

Sports News: At long last, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has gone too far. He sought to flog off the World Cup to the Kushner family and private equity. After Ue.

At long last, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has gone too far. He sought to flog off the World Cup to the Kushner family and private equity.

Elkhan Mammadov has prompted fury from some European officials, who want him out of FIFA. The Azeri is viewed by Gianni Infantino as the man who might save him.

September 30 – Nasser Al Khelaifi has ruled out running for the FIFA presidency citing ‘zero interest’ in the role.