June 27, 2026; Arlington, Texas, U.S.; Argentina's Lionel Messi shakes hands with referee Istvan Kovacs after the match. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi has turned back the clock and is arguably turning in the most impressive World Cup performance in his career during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Entering Argentina’s semifinal matchup against England, Messi has scored eight goals and provided two assists. However, as great as Messi has been, a lot of the conversation around Argentina has surrounded what many have found to be preferential treatment during its games.
After losing 3-2 to Argentina 3-2 in the round of 16, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan did not hold back when discussing what he felt was a match where his country had to overcome not only the great Messi, but the FIFA referees as well.
“We haven’t seen respect or fair play,” he told media members. “A penalty was ruled out and a second (incident) that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed.
“There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome. Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match.”
One controversial moment in the match occurred when Egypt had what would’ve been its second goal of the match overturned by a VAR review that left even Fox’s announcers stunned.
Many fans have felt that Argentina has received favorable rulings throughout the entirety of its World Cup run, leading them to dub the squad as “VARgentina.” Now, a delve into the numbers has revealed the truth behind Argentina’s relationship with VAR reviews.
Per the graph, which was provided on July 11th before Argentina’s quarterfinals win over Switzerland, which saw a Swiss player sent off after a VAR review, of all the teams that reached the quarterfinals, only Argentina didn’t have a single foul committed be reviewed by VAR, while also having the most fouls in its favor reviewed by a wide margin.
Still, Brennan Klein, director of the Northeastern NetSI Sport research group, is not going as far as to say that Argentina has received preferential treatment.
“Why are Argentina and Mexico topping this list?” he said. “They are topping this list because the referees missed fouls that the VAR thought should have been fouls. There’s a hop, step and a jump away from: ‘They’re biased against my team or for this team.’”
Still, these findings certainly won’t help quell any fan narratives that FIFA is favoring Argentina.
ONE Championship returns to Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium with a card guaranteed to deliver relentless action from the opening bell to the main event.
The Inner Circle 22, streaming live in Asia primetime on Friday, July 17, hosts a stacked five-fight lineup spanning kickboxing, submission grappling, and Muay Thai, available exclusively to subscribers at live.onefc.com.
After delivering one of the most breathtaking kickboxing clashes of 2022, reigning ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella and Zhang Peimian are finally set to author the second chapter of their rivalry.
The then-undefeated Team Di Bella Kickboxing standout narrowly secured the decision over the hardy Chinese star, who refused to yield throughout an action-packed 15-minute war in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Di Bella has been nothing short of sensational since that defining night. He added four more victories to his promotional slate, including a masterclass five-round defense against Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and a hard-fought unification win over Prajanchai PongSuphan PK — the very man who handed him the lone loss of his career.
The 29-year-old now carries a stellar 15-1 record into this rematch, remaining every bit the calculated technician whose high-IQ striking makes him one of the most complex puzzles to solve inside the ring.
Zhang’s road back to a second crack at the gold has been considerably rockier. The Chinese standout endured a grueling stretch, securing just two wins in five outings following that heartbreaking defeat. Rather than fade away, however, the 22-year-old clawed his way back into World Title contention with a pair of absolute statement performances over Thongpoon PK Saenchai and “El Jefe” Ellis Badr Barboza.
Four years removed from their instant classic, both men return to the same stage driven by unfinished business. Di Bella looks to prove the technical gap between them has only widened, while the Shengli Fight Club warrior aims to show the teenager who nearly dethroned him has matured into an entirely different threat.
Few names in women’s grappling can hold a candle to IBJJF No-Gi World Champion Helena Crevar, whose sheer dominance has completely redefined what is possible for her age.
The 19-year-old superstar — trained and promoted to black belt by the legendary John Danaher — has already established herself as the absolute gold standard of the sport. She seeks to add another clinical submission to her already remarkable resume at The Inner Circle 22.
Crevar carries a staggering 355-7 record into the matchup, having announced her global stage arrival with a slick estima lock finish against Teshya Noelani Alo at ONE Fight Night 39 this past January. She possesses the elite, high-level experience that most competitors twice her age never come close to accumulating.
The Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu representative rarely encounters a puzzle on the mats she cannot swiftly solve. However, that theory will be tested to its absolute limit against a surging debutant with every intention of derailing the hype train in their openweight submission grappling battle.
Paige Ivette Clymer arrives on the global stage from San Diego’s ultra-competitive grappling scene, having captured IBJJF gold at purple belt before earning her black belt in 2024. Her relentless, pressure-heavy style — forged through a grueling background in water polo and competitive bodybuilding long before she ever stepped onto the mats — makes her a highly dangerous threat to anyone in the world, regardless of reputation.
That fascinating collision of styles sets up an elite chess match. Crevar’s suffocating top game and ruthless finishing instincts will be tested against an opponent who thrives on wearing down world-class competition through sheer physical attrition.
A dominant victory for Crevar pushes her one step closer to a dream shot at ONE gold, while a win for Clymer would instantly rank among the biggest submission grappling upsets in recent memory.
#3 A Bounce-Back Battle For World Title Contention
Two elite bantamweight kickboxing contenders enter this pivotal matchup with the exact same mission: return to the win column and immediately inject themselves back into the World Title conversation.
The setback in Tokyo this past April stung, but the former K-1 Champion possesses more than enough technical quality to remind the division exactly why he originally earned a shot at 26 pounds of gold.
Ben “The Problem” Woolliss steps into this high-stakes tilt carrying an identical chip on his shoulder. The Grimsby native delivered a knockout for the ages in his promotional bow, devastating former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker in less than two minutes.
Unfortunately, he failed to maintain that massive momentum in his sophomore outing against former divisional king Petchtanong. That said, the resilient Englishman has actively used that defeat as fuel heading into his toughest tactical test yet.
Both men intrinsically understand exactly what is on the line. A victory here could thrust the winner directly into the thick of the bantamweight kickboxing title picture. That landscape will soon come into much sharper focus, with Haggerty already confirmed to defend his crown against former kingpin Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4 this October.
Whoever gets their hand raised at The Inner Circle 22 will be watching that Tokyo main event very closely, fully aware that a statement performance on July 17 could set up a direct path to the winner.
Ryan Blaney won a sensational overtime finish at EchoPark Speedway in a NASCAR Cup race that did not end until nearly 2am local time.
Blaney and Carson Hocevar were battling side-by-side for the race win, while Bubba Wallace threw it under them to make it three-wide in the fight for the checkered flag.
Exiting Turn 4, Blaney had the push from Christopher Bell and surged ahead of both Hocevar and Wallace at the finish line.
This is Blaney's second victory of the 2026 season, and the 19th of his Cup career. He also won the race from pole position.
Unfortunately for Wallace, he did not get to keep the runner-up spot. NASCAR penalised Wallace after ruling that he advanced his position by going below the yellow line during the three-wide fight for the win. As a result, he was dropped from second all the way down to 29th -- the final car on the lead lap.
Bell will be credited with second, Hocevar third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and Erik Jones fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen finished sixth in another impressive oval run for the three-time Supercars champion, with Austin Dillon seventh, Tyler Reddick eighth, Joey Logano ninth, and Chris Buescher tenth.
“It was definitely, honestly, a pretty awesome night," said Blaney, who earned Ford its 750th NASCAR Cup win. "I mean, having a really fast car and sitting on the pole, winning both stages and leading a ton of laps and just in a position to win the race. You never know how these things are gonna end, honestly. There are a couple of things I probably could have done better, but we were able to stick around and just how the last couple laps played out we were able to get the lead back and just barely hold on. It’s a pretty cool day when you have weekends like that. You can’t ask for a better weekend – sit on the pole, sweeps the stages, win the race. That’s a dream weekend right there. These guys are great. They brought a rocket ship and it was nice that we were able to close it out.”
Stage 1
At the start of the race, Keselowski brushed the wall and quickly fell through the field, eventually losing a lap.
The field got very spread out as cars struggled for grip, with the Penske trio firmly in control.
Reddick, Larson, and Hocevar all tried to break up the Penske party, and Larson eventually did as he took advantage of Reddick battling Cindric to pass them both.
He quickly dispatched Logano as well, and nearly cleared Blaney for the lead. Blaney held firm, and as the stage progressed, it was suddenly Reddick threatening him for the lead after starting way back in 31st.
In lapped traffic, Reddick made one last run at Blaney at the end of the stage, but the No. 12 remained in command.
Blaney won Stage 1 over Reddick, Larson, Logano, Cindric, Hocevar, A. Dillon, Briscoe, Elliott, and Wallace.
The free pass went to Preece, putting him back on the lead lap.
Stage 2
Reddick and Larson won the race off pit road over Blaney, and these three continued to battle for the lead once the green flag flew.
Drivers were getting far more aggressive, leading several to touch the wall. Hocevar, Larson, and Herbst were among those who had a close encounter with the outside wall early in the run.
Undeterred, Hocevar charged forward, and took over the race lead for a bit. However, Blaney prevailed on the longer run and reclaimed control of the race.
Unfortunately, storms arrived after 108 of 260 laps of racing, forcing an immediate red flag with lightning visible just outside the track. This yellow also put Chastain back on the lead lap via the free pass.
The stoppage lasted over three hours, and the green flag did not wave again until midnight, local time. Drivers also opted to pit, with several different strategies unfolding. Blaney and Logano went fuel-only, while Wallace and Reddick led another group with two-tire calls, and then Jones leading the rest on four fresh tires from tenth on back.
There was constant action, but once again, Penske held onto the front of the field with Blaney and Logano.
Late in the stage, Hocevar abruptly slowed with an issue. On the final lap of the stage, Wallace was inside the top five when he spun off the nose of Gibbs right as the green-and-white checkered flag.
Blaney went on to win Stage 2, ahead of Reddick, Logano, Cindric, Suarez, Gibbs, Bell, Jones, Hamlin, and Van Gisbergen.
Keselowski got the free pass during the stage break.
Gibbs and Cindric won the race off pit road, and suddenly it was a very different look to the front of the field as Blaney (and others) had to wait on fuel.
The JGR cars were suddenly the ones setting the pace now, with Gibbs leading Bell despite nonstop action right behind them.
Right on the edge of the fuel window, Allmendinger slid into the door of McDowell and spun sideways, causing a caution. Smith secured the free pass under this caution period.
Bell then won the race off pit road with a two-tire call, restarting side-by-side with larson. Larson.
What followed was nonstop battling for the race lead. The main players were Wallace, Blaney, Larson, Reddick, and Bell. There were several sketchy moments throughout the pack, including when Chastain made a four-wide pass, and the cars above him narrowly held onto their twitching cars -- including his teammate, Van Gisbergen.
With 30 laps to go, Blaney actually got into the wall after Wallace blocked him in the battle for the race lead. At the same time, the caution flew for Allmendinger, who blew a tire and slammed the wall. Blaney was not happy and drove up alongside his friend in the No. 23 under caution to show his displeasure.
Chastain in eighth was one of the first to pit for tires, with a lot of cars behind him following him down into pit lane.
Blaney took the lead on the restart, despite complaining about a vibration. Hocevar moved up to second, as Larson spun sideways from inside the top 10 due to a stack-up ahead of him.
On the restart, it was more of the same as Hocevar, Blaney, and Wallace traded the lead constantly.
With six laps to go, Larson squeezed up into Hamlin at the exit of Turn 2, sending Larson crashing into both the outside and inside walls. Briscoe spun in avoidance, crashing as well while collecting both Hill and Herbst. Bowman and T. Dillon got a small piece of it as well.
Chase Briscoe and Riley Herbst also pick up damage on another Kyle Larson crash 😳 pic.twitter.com/quqSgssfwl
Hocevar was in the lead for an overtime restart, and started reciting '(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight' by Cutting Crew over the radio ahead of the critical restart.
While Blaney initially got clear with a push from Wallace, Hocevar fought back, and had a decent lead at the white flag. Van Gisbergen made a late charge and was three-wide for second, but it was Blaney who had the momentum for the final 1.5 miles.
As Blaney and Hocevar raced side-by-side, Wallace made it three-wide on the bottom as Smith wrecked in the back.
Hocevar had zero drafting help exiting Turn 4, and got swallowed up as Blaney pulled ahead and took the win for Team Penske.
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