Sports
The World Cup is half over, with 54 of 104 matches complete
“The best is yet to come,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino told SNTV earlier this week.”
• United States’ Alex Freeman (16), second left, celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the World Cup Group D soccer match between the United States and Australia in Seattle, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — It’s halftime at the World Cup.
Take a break, everyone.Wednesday marked the midpoint of the 104-match tournament — technically, just past the midpoint, with 54 matches now in the books and 50 remaining before a World Cup champion is crowned in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.
The U.S. has reached the Round of 32, which shouldn’t be surprising. Mexico and Canada, the other host nations for this biggest World Cup in history, are also through to the knockout stage. And the stars are positively shining: Argentina’s Lionel Messi has five goals to kick-start what he hopes is a run toward a second consecutive World Cup title. France’s Kylian Mbappé has four, as do Norway’s Erling Haaland and Brazil’s Vinicius Júnior.
Stadiums are mostly filled; FIFA is touting record attendance.
And there have been some feel-good stories, most notably the tale of Cape Verde goalie Vozinha and how his mother was able to come to this World Cup.
“The best is yet to come,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino told SNTV earlier this week.
In other words, the second half of this tournament — just like the second half of matches — is when things might get really good.
Sports
Lightning kills 24-year-old Thailand footballer during match
Video footage from the match shows players running across the rain-soaked pitch when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground near them, producing a bright flash followed by flames and smoke.
•Safwan Awae
A 24-year-old footballer,Safwan Awae has died and 12 other players were injured after lightning struck a football pitch during a match in southern Thailand.
The incident occurred on August 4, 2026, at Santiphap Stadium in Narathiwat province as a monsoon storm brought heavy rain during the game.
Video footage from the match shows players running across the rain-soaked pitch when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground near them, producing a bright flash followed by flames and smoke.
The lightning struck Safwan Awae, who collapsed on the pitch.Spectators and others at the stadium immediately rushed onto the field in an attempt to help the player, while emergency responders were called to the scene.
Sports
Ugandan soccer star dies after assault in capital
“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.
• David Owori, SC Villa captain
Uganda international footballer David Owori, captain of one of the country’s biggest soccer clubs, has died after an assault in the capital Kampala, police said.
Owori, 28, captain of SC Villa, was critically injured by unidentified assailants in a suburb of Kampala on Tuesday, police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said.
He was found unconscious by passers-by, who took him to a nearby hospital.
He was transferred to another hospital where he was later pronounced dead, Kawala said.
“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.
Sports
FIFA back Infantino at crisis meeting but shelve World Cup privatisation plan
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within his organisation, over his handling of the aborted plan to open the World Cup to private investment , fuelling calls for him to step down.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has received the “full support” of senior directors on Wednesday at a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within his organisation, over his handling of the aborted plan to open the World Cup to private investment , fuelling calls for him to step down.
In a statement Wednesday, FIFA’s leadership acknowledged “that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media”.
After Wednesday’s meeting in Rabat, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance said in a statement they “reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations.
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