As a star boxer, Claressa Shields has it all. Well, almost.
Two Olympic gold medals. Nineteen world **** les. A pro record of 18-0.
But, only three knockouts.
"I have more knockouts than she has wins,'' Laila Ali said last yaer.
Indeed, Ali does, having finished her career 24-0 with 21 knockouts.

#knockouts #shields

Long before she became one of the organization's most feared strikers, Natalia "Karelian Lynx" Diachkova was a 12-year-old girl in a small Russian province who fell in love with the sound of a heavy bag.
That heavy bag has led her to the upcoming headliner of ONE Fight Night 46 on Prime Video, where she challenges two-sport queen Stella "Always Hungry" Hemetsberger for the ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World ***** le. The event streams live in U.S. primetime this Friday, August 14, from Bangkok's historic Lumpinee Stadium.
It is the biggest opportunity of a career built on hardship long before it was ever built on highlight-reel knockouts. To understand exactly what this shot at gold means to the 31-year-old, the story has to start at the very beginning.
Diachkova found her way into combat sports through an unlikely spark. Her father, who had originally hoped for a son, brought her to a wrestling gym in the small city of Petrozavodsk when she was just 12 years old.
Wrestling never took, but everything changed the moment she watched a local coach named Ivan working a heavy bag inside a newly opened Muay Thai gym nearby. She described that moment as something close to love at first sight, the kind of feeling that stays with a person for life.

#thai #long

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is live TODAY (Sat., Aug. 8, 2026) with UFC Vegas 120, streaming live online via Paramount+. The event goes down at the familiar META APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our main event tonight is Mateusz Gamrot vs. Quillan Salkilld.
We are back at UFC's new and improve APEX venue for the first time since April (latest renovation details here). And we've got a card that doesn't look too great on paper. However, many thought that about UFC Belgrade … and look what happened there. Tonight's ho-hum card, on paper, is topped by a pivotal 155-pound showdown between top-ranked contenders in Gamrot (No. 8) versus Salkilld (No. 12).
Gamrot has been inconsistent since switching KSW for UFC and he's coming off a decent win over Esteban Ribovics, which followed a very lopsided loss to Charles Oliveira (re-live that here). His inconsistency has left him on the outside looking in in regard to UFC's Lightweight ******* le picture.
Salkilld burst onto the scene in 2024 and has looked sensational with his quick knockouts and dominant wrestling. Last time out he put away Beneil Dariush in quick fashion, showing the mixed martial arts (MMA) world that he means business. A win over Gamrot will catapult him up the rankings and set up some fights with the real elites of the division.
The co-main event is Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo. That's at Lightweight, too, but these guys are nowhere near the rankings. They have a combined 16-12 record in UFC and both are coming off knockout losses. Rounding out the main card are Darren Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle, Amanda Lemos vs. Alexia Thainara and Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff.

#salkilld #live #card #lightweight

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is live TODAY (Sat., Aug. 8, 2026) with UFC Vegas 120, streaming live online via Paramount+. The event goes down at the familiar META APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our main event tonight is Mateusz Gamrot vs. Quillan Salkilld.
We are back at UFC's new and improve APEX venue for the first time since April (latest renovation details here). And we've got a card that doesn't look too great on paper. However, many thought that about UFC Belgrade … and look what happened there. Tonight's ho-hum card, on paper, is topped by a pivotal 155-pound showdown between top-ranked contenders in Gamrot (No. 8) versus Salkilld (No. 12).
Gamrot has been inconsistent since switching KSW for UFC and he's coming off a decent win over Esteban Ribovics, which followed a very lopsided loss to Charles Oliveira (re-live that here). His inconsistency has left him on the outside looking in in regard to UFC's Lightweight ****** le picture.
Salkilld burst onto the scene in 2024 and has looked sensational with his quick knockouts and dominant wrestling. Last time out he put away Beneil Dariush in quick fashion, showing the mixed martial arts (MMA) world that he means business. A win over Gamrot will catapult him up the rankings and set up some fights with the real elites of the division.
The co-main event is Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo. That's at Lightweight, too, but these guys are nowhere near the rankings. They have a combined 16-12 record in UFC and both are coming off knockout losses. Rounding out the main card are Darren Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle, Amanda Lemos vs. Alexia Thainara and Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff.

#card

The Audi Summer Tour kicked off in the Korean island of Jeju with Bayern Munich taking on Jeju SK FC. The Bavarians fielded a lot of young players for a large portion of the match and the 2-1 lead is a result of the Bayern youth's hard work. While a few of the first team players came on later in the game, they could not affect the scoreboard despite some good chances. Here are the match awards from this hard fought game although it was a friendly on paper.
The Brazilian was a live wire for Jeju. Aiás was not only a finishing threat, but also had the skill to set up one of his teammates. Jeju's goal came off some sheer brilliance from the Brazilian forward. His rainbow flick near the goal line completely flummoxed Kim Min-jae. He found his partner Chang-Min Lee who pulled back his marker in the very last moment to drift into open ***** e. That was all Jeju needed to equalize. It was a brilliant goal from the setup by Aiás to the finish by Lee. Aiás was also the joint highest dribbler of the game with Bayern's Guido Della Rovere.
The Bayern backline suffered from poor communication. Dayot Upamecano did not travel for the tour and is on an extended holiday after France's deep run in the World Cup. The Frenchman's absence along with Jonathan Tah starting on the bench exposed the lack of leadership and co-ordination in the defense. The duo of Hiroki Itō and Kim Min-jae should have done better being the seniors on the pitch. While Jeju's goal was brilliant, there were gaps in the box throughout the first half that could have led to more goals conceded.
João Palhinha was often rushing to break up play or screen the backline. He made two crucial tackles and was the primary physical presence for Bayern in their own third of the pitch. The Portuguese international's reading of the game allowed him to shield his defenders and the passing lanes in between. His ***** ist to Bastian ***** omo's winning goal came from an interception due to his positioning. A good game for Palhinha and maybe under Vincent Kompany can become a crucial sub in Champions League knockouts.
The young midfielder showed once again why he is Bayern's present and future in midfield. His technical ability is supreme, there is always a diagonal pass ready to precisely find his teammate across the pitch. His time at left-back last season further honed his defensive skills and that has improved his game in the middle. Bischof can really throw a tackle if he needs to. This is despite Bischof coming off as a typical technical player, who might prefer to let a defender or a CDM do the dirty work. With two tackles and just three passes misplaced, the 21 year-old is the best box-to-box midfielder under Kompany at the moment. Additionally, Bischof is miles ahead of Joshua Kimmich with his corner kicks which will be a welcome change in that direction.

#jeju #bischof #brazilian #palhinha

JoshHokit and Jake Paul aregoing back and forth on social media.

Paul recently attracted Hokit's attention by challenging NFLplayers. The YouTuber-turned-boxer believes no NFL player canoutbox him in the squared circle. However, he's confident he cancatch a touchdown pass without any training.
"The Problem Child" even offered $1 million to any NFL player whocan box him better than he can run routes against them.

"Will pay any NFL player $1 million dollars if you can box mebetter than I run routes against you Internet is judge. Will sendmy jet to pick you up who's down?" Paul wrote on X.

"Not a single NFL player could last 2 rounds in a professionalboxing ring," he wrote in another post. "Meanwhile I can catch atouchdown pass tomorrow in the NFL with 0 training."

Former football player Hokit didn't let Paul's comments pass. "TheIncredible Hok" is confident that he can beat Paul not only inboxing but in any sport in the world.

"With all due respect, [Jake Paul] Not only could I beat you in aboxing match, I'd beat you in any sport under the sun," Hokitposted in response.

Paul believes Hokit is just trying to chase clout and is open toboxing the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight in Puerto Rico.

"I see your hustle. You do your best to sell," Paul responded. "Ifyou want to fly down to Puerto Rico and box - anytime I will gladlyembarrass you."

Hokit (10-0) originally looked to make a career in the NFL.However, he went unpicked in the 2020 NFL draft before being signedby the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Hokit's NFLcareer never took off and he transitioned to MMA soon after. He hasfour UFC wins with three knockouts and three bonuses. Theundefeated heavyweight has also quickly grown in popularity withhis polarizing comments and antics.

#paul #hokit #pass #jake

Uros Medic ensured Saturday will be a night Serbian MMA won't soon forget.
On an evening where the UFC established new records for the most total finishes (12) and first-round finishes (10) on a single event, Serbia's Medic ended the festivities with the finest performance of his UFC career, knocking out Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds to set off a raucous party inside the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.
Medic (14-3) caught Rodriguez clean with a wicked left hand in the opening seconds, then downed the welterweight veteran with a follow-up combination and sealed the deal with a vicious salvo of strikes. Almost immediately after, the emotions poured out of Medic, 33, who is now tied for most first-round knockouts in UFC welterweight history (5).
"I just want to cry, man. I just want to cry," Medic said post-fight. "I missed home so much. Nine years, it's a long time. I left as a student, I was 22 years old with a dream, and look where it got me.
"I have so many words, I don't think we enough time tonight. With that being said, I'm going to cook the rest of this division. With you guys by my side, we're going to bring the belt to Serbia."

#first #seconds

We at Sherdog provide regular, in-depth preview coverage for allmajor events, including our oft-praised preview column along withour "Sheehan Show" handling all sorts of related matters includingbetting. With those official sources for picks handled, we wouldlike to take the edge off here and get a bit lighter with one finalbreakdown.

The industry of sports betting is exploding before our very eyes,with billions of dollars pumping in since legalization stateside.Oftentimes, those driving the lines are right on the money withtheir openings, valuations and ***** yses. Occasionally, they are wayoff, or otherwise merit some additional conversation. That is wherewe come in with this reinvigorated series of Prime Picks, where,swiping a line from game show host Sam Reich, we hold hands andjump into the abyss together for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's maiden voyageto Serbia on Saturday. Try it out.
JanBlachowicz (+260)
OR
MarcinTybura (+280)
Why Not Both Total: (+1268)

First off, we are not suggesting that one should go out on a limbfor both Blachowicz and Tybura, but rather that one should choosetheir poison. The most daring, optimistic bettors might be temptedto throw a few bucks on the flier, but we see that as just a way topad the betting company's bank account. One or the other, however,could pull off the upset as elder statesmen in their respectivedivisions of light heavyweight and heavyweight. The "fightinguncle" movement is still very much in play.

Having turned 43 in February, former champ Blachowicz isunquestionably on the tail end of his UFC career. The last time hewon a fight, GloverTeixeira held the belt in their weight class and future starPaddyPimblett just picked up his second win under the UFC banner.There is an age cliff that every athlete encounters, and thatincludes Yoel Romeroeven as he draws Darren Tillsoon without gloves on. With that gloom-and-doom surrounding thePolish vet's tenure out in the open, there are still ample ways hecan pick up the win. After all, if a top-10 BogdanGuskov—whom he drew with in December—is the worst loss he hassuffered in that stretch, who is to say how "washed" he is againstburgeoning talent?

Blachowicz is an equal opportunity finisher despite his reputationof "Polish Power," with that expectation looming so large that mostforget he posts an equal number of subs to knockouts. It has notbeen since 2018 that he landed one, and it is not the implicationthat he will put NavajoStirling in danger with offensive submission grappling, butrather that he has demonstrated a wherewithal in the field to addanother wrinkle to his game. Additionally, Blachowicz serves ***** neakily effective takedown artist, practically shutting downIsraelAdesanya in a performance that at the time seemed shockingwhile in hindsight might have been predictable. Blachowicz canspoil the record of the unbeaten upstart in a variety of ways, aslong as he does not keep his chin on the proverbial gunnery rangehoping to s

Alan Jouban has trained several times with Daniel Rodriguez in the past, so he knows the danger he brings as an underdog vs. Uros Medic in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 283 headliner.
Longtime UFC desk ****** yst and veteran welterweight Jouban is quite compelled by Medic (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) vs. Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who meet in their first octagon main event at Belgrade Arena in Serbia (Paramount+).
Both men bring three-fight winning streaks into the bout, where Medic is a sizeable betting favorite. "The Doctor" has a home-field advantage in Serbia and heavy hands that have proven capable of knocking out high-level fighters. Jouban understands why Medic is favored, but his history with Rodriguez, as well as studying his many fights, affords respect to the potential path to victory.
"D-Rod's got this thing, man – I was training with him when he was young, before he got into the UFC," Jouban told MMA Junkie. "I used to bring him in to spar with me, and I just always remember he has this follow-up left hand that buzzes you. You see it in his fights. He'll be losing a fight, he'll get knocked down and people get a little overzealous and go for the finish. He always had a natural ability – he's a southpaw, so a lot of people don't like to throw their power hand because it makes you put yourself more in danger and commit to the punch, whereas a check hook or something is a lot easier to stay away. Daniel has this natural ability to always finish a combination with his left hand, which is his power punch and his best punch, as well. It's natural. I've felt it. It buzzes you. He seems to get guys.
"That's what I'm going to be looking for in this fight with Uros Medic. He's a finisher, he smells blood, and he gets you out of there very quickly. Three-fight win streak, three knockouts for Uros Medic. If he hurts D-Rod, I expect to see this in the first round. I expect to see him hurt D-Rod. D-Rod's kind of got a history of getting hurt, and then hurting you after. What happens in that exchange? Did Uros do the film study? Is he able to control the emotions of not going for that finish that he's so good at? If D-Rod can find that left hand and change the course of the momentum of this matchup. That's going to be what I'm really looking at closely in this fight."

#jouban #three

The octagon will touch down in Serbia for the first time in history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 283 in Belgrade (Paramount+).
Headlining the event at Belgrade Arena will be Serbian-born welterweight contender Uros Medic (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who gets his first main event on home soil after scoring three consecutive first-round knockouts. Looking to end that streak and play spoiler will be Daniel Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who looks to complete a unique comeback story of his own.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie's UFC Fight Night 283 pre-event facts.
Medic is 5-2 since he moved up to the welterweight division in July 2023.
Medic's average fight time of 3:59 in UFC welterweight competition is second shortest in divisional history behind Frank Trigg (3:55).

#history

DWCS returns Aug. 11 for another season of prospect hunting.
The series, which takes place Tuesdays, is a 10-week prospect search at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and over the years it has provided now hundreds of new UFC fighters. Some even have become UFC champions, including Sean O'Malley.
O'Malley leads off the UFC's look back at the best knockouts in the show's history. Take a look at 27 true bangers in the video above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Ahead of its return, 27 of the greatest KOs in DWCS history

#tuesdays

The pinnacle of football rose up from the fiery dunes of Qatar and flew down to North America, born again like a phoenix that comes alive every four years. The FIFA World Cup, the biggest spectacle of the planet unwrapped nearly every emotion that can be experienced through the medium of sport in another edition. Here are the moments that made this one special.
The Hosts: The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City ushered in the World Cup with the opener between Mexico and South Africa. The charged atmosphere that turned the stadium into a buzzing cauldron when Julián Quiñones scored the opening goal for Mexico was a propitious sign for the tournament and its audience. Canada and the USA did not disappoint in their games either, seeing enthusiastic support push their teams to qualify for the knockout stages and reach the round of 16.
Unyielding Underdogs: Talk about the underdog spirit. DR Congo, Cabo Verde, Paraguay, Ecuador and more. The performances by these seemingly minnow teams who turned into nightmares for some of the biggest footballing nations like Germany, England, Argentina, Spain will be an important story in footballing heritage.
No matter the result of the games, they made their opponents suffer. These upstarts displayed what sheer determination, hard work, unrelenting spirit and some smart coaching can do against the giants in the game. The expanded format has been a welcome change in this particular regard that even the smallest team can put up the biggest fight.
Clash of the ******* ans: The blockbuster fixtures awaited by eyes all over the world did not disappoint. While the heat of the group stages kept many big teams on their toes, it all simmered down to a boil in the knockouts.

#biggest #like #every

Anthony Gordon is perhaps the most traditional type of English winger. He's strong, fast, with an ability to whip a cross into the box and a work rate that goes toe-to-toe with Raphinha. He comes to Camp Nou with a hefty price tag, something that has made some fans skeptical, but there is a method to the madness. Firstly, Gordon is a younger, fitter and more intense variant of the profile Barca experimented with last season with Marcus Rashford.
Secondly, sheer pace in the final third is a trait Barcelona have lacked. While technically breaking down an opponent is the Barcelona way, the brute force of a fast winger will solve situations when tactically things get slow. Gordon has been clocked as one of the fastest players at World Cup 2026, hitting a top speed of 37.9 km/h.
What Gordon lacks in final product compared to Rashford, he brings in energy off the ball, a trait that fits the Flick system perfectly. This signing will need time to pay off. We might see Gordon struggling with fewer touches, and the more technical nature of La Liga compared to the Premier League, but that's what was said about Raphinha when he signed from Leeds. The good thing is that Gordon can be a real handful due to his physical nature in attack, an area where experienced Premier League forwards always stand out, especially when compared to La Liga's more technical forwards.
Last season, Raphinha missed many important games due to injury and one thing that could not be replaced in his absence is work rate. Barca without Raphinha looked toothless without the ball, with no leader in pressing. Gordon certainly brings that profile over Rashford. Any team that wants to compete for all ***** les needs the ability to replicate similar profiles when squad rotation is necessary. Gordon's work rate will be even more important when the calendar becomes dense as we move deeper into the season. This will also allow other forwards to be fresh and ready to go when the Champions League knockouts come around.
Another thing that is noticeable is that there were moments last season where, in Pedri's absence, Barca could not progress the ball forward with conviction. Having a ball-playing goalkeeper in Joan Garcia and a forward as pacy as Gordon can help in such situations.

Domination.
Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight champion Gable Steveson makes his highly anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut this weekend against Elisha Ellison on the UFC 329 prelims, which go down this weekend (Sat., July 11, 2026), inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And the expectations are massive.
Steveson enters his Octagon debut as one of the most decorated Heavyweight wrestlers in recent memory to transition into mixed martial arts (MMA). He is also carrying serious hype after starting his professional MMA career 3-0 with three first-round knockouts (watch highlights).
Now, he wants to make an immediate statement on the biggest card of the summer.

Reigning ONE Interim Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Nico “King of the North” Carrillo is ready to conquer a second striking discipline, and he is wasting no time getting started.
The Scottish knockout artist makes his promotional kickboxing debut against Chinese newcomer Zhou Jiaqiang in a featherweight kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 46 on Prime Video on Friday, August 14, from the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, live in U.S. primetime.
Carrillo’s rise through ONE Championship has been built entirely on destruction. The 27-year-old Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy product carries a 30-4 career record with 16 finishes and a 7-1 promotional slate into this contest.
“King of the North” made his ONE debut by securing two epic knockouts over Furkan Karabag and Muangthai PK Saenchai that earned him the coveted US$100,000 main roster contract.
Then he continued his rampage with devastating stoppages of former longtime ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama and Saemapetch Fairtex, performances that announced him as a genuine force at the striking art’s highest level.

Rolly Romero is all set to defend his WBA Welterweight ****** le for the first time ever when he goes up against Teofimo Lopez on August 22, 2026 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to a recent report from Ring Magazine.
Romero won the vacant ****** le by upsetting Ryan Garcia in May 2025, defeating him via unanimous decision outside of Times Square in New York City (see it again here). Currently on a two-fight win streak, Romero currently holds a record of 17-2 with 13 knockouts on his resume. Often over-looked when it comes to talking about the best fighters in the sport, Romero can up his resume even more by taking out Lopez and Garcia in consecutive bouts.
As for Lopez, he was last seen coming up short against Shakur Stevenson earlier this year, a loss that snapped his six-fight win streak and cost him his WBO and The Ring Light Welterweight ****** les (highlights here). The loss to Stevenson was just the second of his career, bringing him to a record of 22-2 with 13 knockouts. Now, the former champion is out to reclaim a major world ****** le.
The two men do have a bit of a history as they were sparring partners when they were both coming up. Over time, however, the they began a bitter rivalry after Lopez released footage of him getting the better of Romero during training. Now, the former friends will finally get the chance to settle their feud in a real fight.
Predictions?

Argentina face Egypt in the last-16 of the World Cup hoping for avoid another knockout-stage scare in their pursuit of back-to-back ******* les.
The holders were forced to extra time against African minnows Cape Verde in the round of 32, pegged back twice before an own goal proved the difference in a 3-2 win in Miami.
That will give Egypt hope of pulling off an upset against Lionel Scaloni's side, with Mohamed Salah hoping to spearhead the Pharaohs towards more history after sealing their first-ever knockouts win with a shootout triumph over Australia.
Lionel Messi took his goal tally to seven for the tournament against Cape Verde but will need to keep up his stellar scoring form in the race for the golden boot, with Kylian Mbappe matching his pace.
Here's everything you need to know.

Cairo, Egypt — In the hours before a historic day for millions of Egyptians, the scene is set across the country: flags flutter over cars and balconies, patriotic songs blare from loudspeakers, and cafes are transformed into mini stadiums.
And from public transport to workplaces and markets, every conversation is centred around one question: Will the Pharaohs continue their historic World Cup run when they play against Argentina?
Egypt face the reigning world champions in a round-of-16 fixture in Atlanta, United States, on Tuesday. But the match is no longer a mere football contest – it has become a national event that transcends the boundaries of the football pitch.
The national team has restored hope by reaching the tournament's knockouts for the first time and has opened the door to a long-awaited dream of competing alongside football's giants.
The match holds deeper meaning for fans following Egyptian head coach Hossam Hassan's passionate show of support for Palestine in the aftermath of his team's win over Australia in their round-of-32 match on Friday.

The United States are hoping to prolong their dream home World Cup as they face Belgium with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
Mauricio Pochettino guided the US to only their second-ever knockouts win as they brushed aside Bosnia and Herzegovina, with star man Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman scoring in Santa Clara.
However, the co-hosts are now at the centre of controversy after Fifa had Balogun’s red card from that game wiped, reportedly after being lobbied by the White House.
USA v Belgium LIVE: Balogun to start in World Cup after Fifa rejects appeal following Trump intervention
Belgium, who produced the most dramatic win of the tournament against Senegal in the round of 32 to reach this stage, have branded themselves “astonished” at the decision and will look to overcome what many has seen as preferential treatment towards the host nation.

It's been seven years since one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history — and for now, the fastest.
In the featured fight on the main card at UFC 329, which took place July 6, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Jorge Masvidal put away Ben Askren in 5 seconds to set the new promotional standard for fastest finish.
Masvidal went straight to the center of the cage and launched a flying knee, and it was on the ******* on. Askren, a former champion with Bellator and ONE Championship, never had lost a fight until then, let alone been put away. He came in 19-0 after a win in his UFC debut over ex-welterweight champ Robbie Lawler earlier in 2019.
But after Askren was starched by Masvidal, he fought just once more in the UFC – a submission loss to Demian Maia – before he left the sport. He boxed Jake Paul in 2021, but was knocked out in the first round. Most notably, though, he had a medical emergency a year ago that left him in a coma for more than six weeks, but his miraculous recovery continues, and may even continue to include competition.
For Masvidal, the win was in the midst of a one-year superstar run that saw him finish Darren Till, Askren and Nate Diaz – the latter of which won him the inaugural BMF ******* le. But after that, he lost four straight in the UFC and is inactive in MMA. He's competed in boxing, grappling and has his own promotion.

Teams out of World Cup 2026: Updated list of nations eliminated from FIFA tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 World Cup presents competing nations with a far greater chance of progressing to the knockout phase than most of the previous tournaments ever have.
The decision to expand the field to 48 teams from 32 means there is an additional knockout round. That means all but 16 nations will get to continue their campaigns beyond the group stage.
Of course, the expansion will not be good news for everyone. There will still be bitter disappointment for those who are eliminated early on, just as there will be for those who falter in the knockouts — especially those teams that are expected to go deep in the tournament.
Below is an updated list of those teams whose World Cup 2026 campaign has already come to an end.

While bracketing for the FIFA World Cup didn't align for the USA to play England on the nation's 250th birthday in Philadelphia, there may still be a shot for the two teams to faceoff later in the tournament.
England made it through their July 5 game against Mexico in the Round of 16 knockouts, and the U.S. Men's National Team is scheduled to play Belgium today at 8 p.m.
If team USA pulls out the win, here's the pathway that could lead to a 250-year rematch.
The next time England and USA could face off is the July 18 playoff for first place, followed by the July 19 final at New York New Jersey Stadium.
But the route is narrow.

The United States are hoping to prolong their dream home World Cup as they face Belgium with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
Mauricio Pochettino guided the US to only their second-ever knockouts win as they brushed aside Bosnia and Herzegovina, with star man Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman scoring in Santa Clara.
However, the co-hosts were also dealt a ****** ing blow in that match with Balogun controversially seeing red - a decision that could not be overturned, to the ire of Pochettino.
This means the US will have to do without their in-form striker against Belgium, who produced the most dramatic win of the tournament against Senegal in the round of 32 to reach this stage.
Here’s everything you need to know.

Need some fireworks on this 4th of July? The UFC has you covered.
With 2026 reaching roughly its halfway point, the promotion has released a 69-minute "greatest knockouts from 2026 ... so far" highlight video, which you can watch below:
If you like violent finishes in cage fights, this video is for you. Enjoy!
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Greatest UFC knockouts of 2026 at the halfway point

The last-16 of the 2026 World Cup looms large this weekend.
The top two sides in each group qualified for knockouts along with the eight best third-place teams. Uruguay and Scotland were among the 16 nations eliminated, while tournament contenders including Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany all topped their groups.
There are 104 matches in North America this summer, up by 40 since the Qatar World Cup in 2022, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.
And here is every knockout fixture’s date, kick-off time and host city:
Here are how they finished in the group stage:

The last-16 of the 2026 World Cup looms large this weekend.
Argentina face Cape Verde tonight as the round-of-32 wraps up, along with Australia vs Egypt and Colombia vs Ghana.
Among the thrilling ties already teed up for the next round are England's trip to the Azteca to face Mexico, Spain taking on Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and hosts USA against Belgium.
The top two sides in each group qualified for knockouts along with the eight best third-place teams. Uruguay and Scotland were among the 16 nations eliminated, while tournament contenders including Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany all topped their groups.
There are 104 matches in North America this summer, up by 40 since the Qatar World Cup in 2022, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.

It has, for long, been speculated that Julian Nagelsmann was on thin ice with the DFB. Since his arrival, Nagelsmann has won twenty games out of thirty four, but his side was eliminated when it mattered. In particular, the quarter-finals of 2024 Euros, and most recently in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, there were high expectations that Germany turn their tides around, but the team continued to disappoint.
Nagelsmann led his side into the World Cup group stage with a nine-game win streak, and his side showed much promise in their opener against Curaçao. They ultimately faltered in the knockouts, as they often have, and with two years of multiple chances, the DFB saw it fit to replace him.
There was a catch in this exit — his resignation would need him to walk away from the severance pay the DFB was obliged to offer if he were sacked. For long, it was ****** umed that Nagelsmann would not leave on his own terms and would rather wait to be removed by the higher-ups. However, the latest reports say otherwise.
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg from Sky Sports and Bild, Nagelsmann has resigned from the national team with immediate effect (via iMiaSanMia.)
The official confirmation is yet to come from the DFB. This ends the former Bayern Munich manager's disastrous run with the German National Team. His exit points at what might be a long-due overhaul for the DFB.

One of the shocks of the ongoing FIFA World Cup was Uruguay's group-stage elimination from a group that included Spain, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia.
In a tournament where the top two teams from every group are guaranteed qualification and even the best finishing third-placed teams progress to the knockouts, it is unbelievable that Uruguay did not make it to the Round of 32.
Yet their performances were not much better, as they lost to Spain and drew with both Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.
Taking to his Instagram for the first time since Uruguay's painful elimination from the FIFA World Cup, Real Madrid star and the national team captain Federico Valverde opened up on how gutting the performances were on a personal level.
"Several days have passed since our elimination, and only now can I begin to process everything I experienced.

Switzerland marched into the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a composed 2-0 victory over Algeria at BC Place in Vancouver, goals from Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye doing the damage on either side of half-time.
Murat Yakin's side arrived in the knockouts having topped Group B unbeaten, posting wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-hosts Canada before a late draw against Qatar.
Algeria, meanwhile, had squeezed through as third-place finishers in Group J following a dramatic group stage that included a Lionel Messi hat-trick against them and a last-gasp equaliser against Austria that sent both sides through.
The Desert Foxes started encouragingly, with Houssem Aouar threatening early on, but Switzerland gradually tightened their grip.
The opener arrived on 10 minutes when Johan Manzambi carved through the Algerian defence on a brilliant solo run, allowing Embolo to convert from close range.

Teams out of World Cup 2026: Updated list of nations eliminated from FIFA tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 World Cup presents competing nations with a far greater chance of progressing to the knockout phase than most of the previous tournaments ever have.
The decision to expand the field to 48 teams from 32 means there is an additional knockout round. That means all but 16 nations will get to continue their campaigns beyond the group stage.
Of course, the expansion will not be good news for everyone. There will still be bitter disappointment for those who are eliminated early on, just as there will be for those who falter in the knockouts — especially those teams that are expected to go deep in the tournament.
Below is an updated list of those teams whose World Cup 2026 campaign has already come to an end.