After the conclusion of the final World Cup match, Leandro Paredes received a red card, which worsened an already unsuccessful day for his team.
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in New York. The goal was scored by Ferran Torres in extra time after Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the 93rd minute for a second yellow card. Although the game was intense, chaos reigned in the stadium after the final whistle.
According to video footage that did not receive wide coverage from live broadcasters, Paredes engaged in a confrontation after the match, grabbed the Spanish defender Eric Garcia by the neck, and then pushed Gavi to the ground, after which the referee showed him a red card.
This final, in which Spain's victory was hailed as 'the triumph of football' over 'shameful' Argentina, ended on an extremely unpleasant note. The match statistics did not support Argentina's arguments: Spain controlled the ball 68 percent of the time over 105 minutes and had 20 shots on goal compared to three for Argentina. In the remaining 125 minutes, Argentina only controlled the ball 32 percent of the time, registering three shots on target, 24 fouls, and receiving five yellow cards.
Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente stated that his team 'won everything, absolutely everything,' calling his players 'an example for Spanish sport.' Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal, noted that 'the goal belonged to 47 million people.'
Argentina, in turn, demonstrated dignity at the press conference, despite some of its players temporarily losing it on the pitch. Luis Scaloni said: 'There is sadness, but also the knowledge that we gave everything we had. I am forever grateful to these guys; they fought until the end. The other team was better.'
Craig Foster on Stan Sport’s Added Time was less lenient, calling Argentina's post-game behavior 'shocking and disgraceful.' He noted: 'You were the reigning champions, Spain completely surpassed you, and you tried to turn it into a brawl instead of a football match.'
Alan Shearer on BBC expressed a similar view, stating: 'Paredes landed two or three punches to someone's face. He went for it. There is no place for that.'
ESPN UK commentator Craig Berly was even harsher, labeling Argentina a 'complete and absolute disgrace' both for the game and their conduct.
Furthermore, there was an incident during the trophy presentation. Nine sources reported that Argentine players, as Spain received the World Cup, turned their backs, bypassing their own fans to head toward the tunnel.
Thus, despite the fouls, photos of the unfortunate losers usually remain forever, and this day became a terrible one for Messi's team.
Following a series defeat in the ODI format against England, although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) states that the situation is normalizing, the reality appears different. After the Indian team's victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup, the performance of the Indian squad shows a constant decline in level.
Previously, the Indian team suffered a comprehensive 0-2 defeat in a T20 series against Ireland. Subsequently, England surpassed India in both T20 and ODI series. After losing the third ODI at Lord's by a margin of 27 runs, BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla defended the team. He noted that the match was very tense, and the main reason for the loss was England scoring 60 runs in the last three overs. Rajiv Shukla told ANI: 'Our batsmen showed magnificent play. Especially Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli proved again that they still have potential. Shubman also played well. I believe the team composition is good, and everything is fine.'
Although the board's statement is positive, statistics suggest otherwise. Under Shubman Gill, India has already lost three ODI series. At one time, an ODI series loss was major news, but now such results happen constantly. Defeats against Australia, a home loss to New Zealand, and the recent loss to England in a bilateral ODI series indicate a decline in the pace of the Indian team.
This tour heightened concerns regarding strong bowling. Without Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian bowling looked completely ineffective. At Lord's, England scored an impressive 387 runs, which is the highest score in an ODI at this historic venue. In Bumrah's absence, India lacked a bowler capable of regularly taking wickets or putting pressure on the opposition batsmen.
The management team continues to experiment with the squad, focusing on strengthening the batting by including additional batsmen or all-rounders. However, this has led to spinners like Kuldeep Yadav being constantly excluded from the squad. Kuldeep's ability to take wickets in the middle overs is his biggest strength, but he is ignored under the pretext of team composition.
India has been fielding eight batsmen consecutively, but this has not yielded benefits. In the second ODI, the team scored only 233 runs. In the third ODI, the Indian batsmen failed to secure a win while chasing a large target. Throughout the European tour, the Indian team also struggled with injuries. Players like Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar suffered from fitness issues, forcing frequent changes to the team composition. Constant defeats, questions about strategic decisions, and player injuries have put pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir. If the team does not address its weaknesses soon, it could affect preparations for the 2027 ODI Cup.
A viral video featuring Marc Cucurella has sparked widespread public discussion regarding the World Cup trophy. Spain was declared the winner this year after a tense match against Argentina, where Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal, securing the country's second tournament victory in history.
Numerous materials have appeared online, one of which shows defender Marc Cucurella supposedly leaving MetLife Stadium with the World Cup trophy wrapped in a garbage bag. In the video, Cucurella is wearing the red Spanish jersey he wore during the celebration, as well as blue shorts that he wore throughout the match. He was also wearing slides, a headband, and a bag holding the World Cup trophy in a transparent garbage bag.
Some viewers reacted critically to this moment; one wrote: 'The most valuable trophy in the world is carried like groceries from the store.' Another commentator added: 'If this is the new award policy in a 'lightweight' format, I'll bring my own shopping bag to the next final.'
There are several possible explanations for this video. According to available information, to mark the victory, all Spanish players were presented with small World Cup trophies by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the locker rooms.
Other users suggest that it might refer to the LEGO version of the FIFA World Cup trophy, which is available on the website for $199.
As for the fate of the original trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy itself has been used since 1974, when it was first awarded to West Germany. According to The Athletic, the trophy is made of 18-karat gold and costs about $9,390 to produce, with its current value estimated at $110,000.
Although most expect Spain to take the original trophy home, since 2006, winning teams have displayed a golden replica in the streets during state and government-organized parades when players are welcomed home.
The original trophy is kept at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and only a few people have had contact with it, including winning players and government leaders.
The Spanish national team returned today. During the day, they will participate in a parade in Madrid, after which they will board an open-top bus where Spanish residents and fans can celebrate and welcome them. The team will be greeted by President Pedro Sánchez and other government officials.
Organizers have announced that the national chess team of Uzbekistan will compete against the United States team on July 27–28 at the WR Chess tournament, which will be held at the Faena Miami Beach hotel in Miami. This tournament will feature rapid and blitz chess competitions and will mark the debut of the WR Chess format for the national US team.
The Uzbekistan team will consist of Javohir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, and Shamsiddin Vohidov, with Mukhiddin Madaminov serving as a reserve player. The United States will be represented by Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Levon Aronian, while Leiner Dominguez will play in reserve.
Organizers particularly highlighted the resumption of matches between Nakamura and 20-year-old Sindarov as the main attraction of the tournament. Earlier this year, the Uzbek grandmaster defeated the American player at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, which allowed him to become an official contender for the World Chess Championship.
According to the organizers, the team compositions reflect a clash of different generations. The US team, one of the most decorated in chess history with six Olympic gold medals, has an average player age of 37.6 years. In contrast, Uzbekistan, the 2022 Chess Olympiad champion, has an average age of 21, which organizers described as the most exciting rising force in world chess.
WR Chess founder Vadim Rosenstein stated that the organization's goal is to make chess more accessible and engaging for a new audience, adding that Miami and Faena reflect the direction of the game's development. The tournament is part of WR Chess's ongoing international expansion. Furthermore, on June 26, Rosenstein announced his candidacy for the presidency of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), elections for which are scheduled for the end of September.
