England superstar Jude Bellingham has had a dominant run through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but that World Cup run ended in heartbreak on Wednesday with the team falling to Argentina in the semifinals. After the match, Bellingham clearly let his frustration get the best of him.

As Argentina celebrated on the field following their 2-1 victory over England on Wednesday, Bellingham was caught on camera striking an Argentina player in apparent frustration.

Bellingham Strikes Argentina Player

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss, a video showed Bellingham standing on the field as Argentina players began to celebrate. After Argentinian defender Valentín Barco joined the celebration, Bellingham immediately turned and struck him on the head.

It’s not clear whether or not Barco did or said something to spark Bellingham’s reaction, but Barco responded by shoving Bellingham. The other Argentina players immediately started trying to separate the two before Bellingham’s England teammates approached to do the same.

¡EL ENGANCHÓN DE BELLINGHAM CON LOS JUGADORES DE ARGENTINA TRAS EL FINAL!#NuestroMejorMundial#NuestroMejorMundialAS@jfelixdiaz@as_tvpic.twitter.com/9Y8rlgG2TL

— Diario AS (@diarioas) July 15, 2026

The incident came after England suffered a frustrating 2-1 loss to Argentina, after Bellingham helped put the team ahead 1-0 in the second half with a perfectly placed cross.

Bellingham Sparks Outrage

While it’s not clear what led to this reaction from Bellingham, he was certainly the first to get physical with Barco, and fans were quick to express their outrage at the incident.

“Wait what? Why on earth has he done that?!” one fan wrote in a post on X.

“The guy literally didn’t do anything???” someone else wrote.

“They must have told him something. Even so, you have to know how to lose,” another fan wrote.

“What outrages me is that this guy went out of nowhere to attack a rival player who was just happily celebrating with his team. Good thing he was exposed for the coward he is,” someone else added.

“Something so nasty about male players getting violent the second they’re losing,” another fan wrote, adding that “the kid didn’t even touch him.”

“One of the most unlikable and insufferable players out there. Bellingham is the sorest loser you can imagine,” someone else wrote, adding a photo of him kicking a cooler in frustration on a previous occasion.

While England has been eliminated from championship contention, they do still have one more match to play as they are set to take on France in the third-place match on Saturday.

The post ‘Unlikable and insufferable’: Jude Bellingham sparks outrage for ‘getting violent’ after World Cup loss appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

After a dominant run through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defending champion France was denied a third consecutive trip to the final with a 2-0 loss to Spain in Tuesday’s semifinal match. It was a rather stunning end to the team’s run given the way it played throughout the tournament, but none of the players were particularly interested in talking about it.

France entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the betting favorite to lift the trophy, and it certainly looked the part through the group stage and the first three matches of the knockout round, winning every match it played by more than two goals per match on average.

The team was a perfect 6-0 in the tournament entering Tuesday’s match and had not so much as surrendered a goal through the first three matches of the knockout round, all while its high-powered offense, led by the tournament’s leading scorer Kylian Mbappé, made scoring feel inevitable.

But all that changed in Tuesday’s match. Not only did France surrender its first two goals of the knockout round, but Mbappé and company had no answers on the offensive side as they were held scoreless for the first time all tournament.

Needless to say, it was a surprising result, but France did not seem all that willing to answer for it after the match.

According to Michael J. Duarte of The California Post, no French player went through the media mix zone after the match. While not every player is required to speak to the media after matches, teams are required to designate some players to speak in the media mix zone. According to Duarte, that didn’t happen.

All of the French players refused to come through the media mix zone after the match.

FIFA will hopefully fine them.

None of the French players wanted to talk about the loss to Spain that ended their World Cup.

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) July 14, 2026

“All of the French players refused to come through the media mix zone after the match. FIFA will hopefully fine them. None of the French players wanted to talk about the loss to Spain that ended their World Cup,” he wrote in a post on X.

It is worth noting that Mbappé appears to have spoken to at least some members of the media in some capacity, as he is quoted in a Reuters article where he called the team’s performance “sloppy.” He also interviewed with Fox Sports reporter Jenny Taft following the match. So it’s probably not fair to say that all of the French players were entirely unwilling to speak on the loss. Whether Duarte and others got the chance to talk to French players, however, is obviously a different story. But based on FIFA’s rules, players are supposed to be made available in the mixed zone, and teams can be fined if that doesn’t happen.

After the loss, France will now take on the loser of Wednesday’s match between England and Argentina in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The post France players skirt media obligations after World Cup loss to Spain appeared first on Awful Announcing.

FS1 has seen one of its most successful months in recent memory on the back of World Cup viewership. The week of June 15 was the cable network’s most-watched in its history by total-day audience, averaging 885,000 viewers across its dayparts. But it appears as if that success did not rub off on the network’s new morning show, Wake Up Barstool.

According to a report by Austin Karp in Sports Business Journal, Wake Up Barstool averaged just 19,000 viewers on FS1 in the month of June, keeping in line with the show’s soft television ratings that began last September when it debuted. Get Up, the show that airs in the same hours on ESPN, averaged 426,000 viewers, a staggering 2,142% better than Wake Up Barstool, per SBJ.

The underwhelming viewership is particularly notable given FS1’s success throughout the rest of the month. Historically, major live sporting events, like World Cup matches, can have a halo effect on a network’s other programming, even lasting through the overnight hours and into the next day. No such momentum appeared to hold for the 8 a.m. ET episodes of Wake Up Barstool.

The show has failed to capture any sort of loyal audience on linear television since its debut at the beginning of last football season. In its first week on the air, Wake Up Barstoolaveraged 16,500 viewers on FS1. Of course, Wake Up Barstool is unique in the sense that it is also available in full on YouTube, where episodes generally earn between 5,000 and 20,000 additional views.

To be abundantly fair to the show, it did technically earn 2,500 more viewers on average in the month of June than it did in its inaugural week last September. But it’d be quite the stretch to call that improvement a success, especially considering the potential viewership windfall live World Cup matches could’ve provided.

The post ‘Wake Up Barstool’ evades FS1 World Cup bump, toils at under 20K viewers in June appeared first on Awful Announcing.

FS1 earned a rare month-long victory over ESPN in primetime viewership during the month of June thanks to the strength of this year’s World Cup audience.

Fox Sports 1 averaged 1.31 million viewers in primetime throughout the month of June, good for the second most-watched cable network of the month behind only sister channel Fox News which averaged 2.26 million viewers in primetime. ESPN finished in third place, averaging 1.08 million viewers for the month in primetime.

Top Cable Channels for the month of June. Live+SD, Primetime. Viewers P2+.

1. FOX News Channel: 2.26M
2. Fox Sports 1: 1.31M
3. ESPN: 1.078M
4. MSNOW: 1.015M
5. Home and Garden TV: 703K
6. CNN: 610K
7. TBS: 537K
8. Hallmark Channel: 516K
9. USA Network: 500K
10. History: 491K

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 7, 2026

In total, FS1 aired 32 World Cup matches in the month of June, though not all of those matches aired in primetime. Of those 32 matches, just 15 overlapped with the primetime hours, generally measured as between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET. Several also aired simultaneously to matches on Fox during the final day of group play, with FS1 typically getting the less desirable matchup.

Nevertheless, all FS1’s World Cup programming seemed to lift most of the network’s other programming. Per Sports Business Journal, the week of June 15 was the most-watched week in FS1 history by total-day audience. The network averaged 885,000 viewers for the week, 90% better than ESPN’s total-day audience in the same week. As a company, Fox swept the three major ratings categories — broadcast, cable, and news — for both the week of June 15 and June 22.

A World Cup is one of the rare sporting events that commands both a high level of interest and has the volume of inventory to genuinely lift a cable network like FS1 despite the secular decline of the medium over many years. While streamers and tech companies seem to be the favorites to land the tournament come 2030, there’s still clear value to be derived from legacy broadcasters airing the World Cup. Whether that value can justify the expected doubling or tripling of media rights fees for the next tournament, however, remains to be seen.

The post FS1 earns rare month-long win over ESPN on back of World Cup viewership appeared first on Awful Announcing.

The 2026 World Cup has received great feedback with its 48-team field and now Gianni Infantino and FIFA want to expand the tournament again.

This summer’s World Cup marks the first time that the competition has increased beyond 32 countries. However, Infantino and Co. are clearly eyeing another expansion in the future given the additional eyeballs and revenue.

MORE: 2026 World Cup semifinals TV schedule & viewing info

Infantino confirms that he wants more nations playing in the World Cup as he plots for 64 teams in the near future. This would align with FIFA’s plans to expand the tournament and become more similar to March Madness.

Gianni Infantino confirmed that FIFA will discuss expanding the men's World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, saying every nation should have the chance to dream of playing at football's biggest event. https://t.co/HvBTuagd8h

— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2026

The 2026 edition of the competition is drawing major plaudits from fans with new countries like Cape Verde and Haiti having success. Meanwhile, the reality of the World Cup is that the infrequency of the event always draws major attention.

Infantino wants expanded FIFA World Cup

College basketball’s success over the years with March Madness is clearly rubbing off on other sports like soccer. Infantino is undoubtedly aiming to feature more top countries from around the globe in the World Cup.

“When you organize a World Cup, it’s important that you organize it for the whole world,” Infantino said. “It’s not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively. Every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup.”

Another World Cup expansion surely benefits federations in Africa, Asia, Caribbean and other areas that aren’t regularly featured. Meanwhile, it could also prevent top countries like Italy from missing out on the tournament.

MORE: FIFA makes claim about controversial wire cam moment during England’s win over Norway

If FIFA does go through with the plans for 64 countries, teams would end up playing 128 matches during the tournament. The 2026 World Cup is currently playing 104 matches with its 48-team event.

When will FIFA expand to a 64-team World Cup?

Executives from FIFA and top federations first floated the idea of 64 teams back in 2025. However, given the World Cup’s success this summer it’s evident that Infantino wants the idea to become a reality.

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez expressed his support for the concept, which could come as early the 2030 tournament.

The next World Cup marks the 100-year anniversary of the competition, which is set to be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. However, opening matches are likely to be played in Argentina and Uruguay as an homage to the 1930 World Cup in South America.

A young woman who trolled Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo during the last World Cup has remade her video following the team’s elimination at this year’s tournament.

After the Portuguese national team was eliminated by Morocco in the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup, a Moroccan girl went viral for teasing Ronaldo’s emotional response to the loss.

“The Portugal airport is that way,” she said. “And where’s Ronaldo? He’s crying in his car. Poor Ronaldo.”

Fast forward to Monday (July 6), and the Portuguese soccer team, led by Ronaldo, lost to Spain. Ronaldo was emotional again, so it was the perfect opportunity for the young lady to remake her viral video using her original audio.

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Check out the new “Poor Ronaldo” video below.

Moroccan girl who went viral last World Cup for her “Portugal airport is that way” “Poor Ronaldo” video has created a 2026 version after they were eliminated again. pic.twitter.com/KIjcIIvIfn

— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 7, 2026

Ronaldo’s latest L in the World Cup will be his last, according to an announcement he made after Portugal’s loss to Spain. During a post-game interview with reporters, directly after wiping tears from his eyes as he applauded fans for watching the game at Dallas Stadium, Ronaldo confirmed to reporters that he wouldn’t be back at the World Cup.

"I'm sad to leave the World Cup this way," he said. "As I said yesterday, I gave it my all, and I leave with a clear conscience. That's the life of a footballer. You have to move forward. It was my last World Cup, yes. But as for the rest, there's time to think, to be with my family, and not say things in the heat of the moment."

Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martínez, also released a statement about Ronaldo’s impact on the team.

"I arrived with Portugal at a time with a lot of confusion and doubts about Cristiano, and he's been a role model, not just with goals and assists, what he does in the box, his commitment, how he experiences football. He's an example, we have to celebrate him,” Martínez.

"We're talking about an icon in football,” he added. “There aren't many Cristiano Ronaldos. We have to be thankful for what he did at this World Cup. He wanted to win it, as a player, a captain, on a human level, we'll all take it with us forever. An example as the human being who is behind the sportsman."

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After the success of the first-ever 48-team World Cup this summer, FIFA will examine yet another expansion to its quadrennial tournament.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Swiss media outlet Bluewin that the potential for a 64-team tournament in 2030 “will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” according to a report in The Athletic. The 2030 World Cup is slated to be held across six nations and three continents, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay scheduled to host one match a piece at the start of the competition to commemorate the inaugural World Cup, hosted 100 years prior in Uruguay. The remainder of the planned 48-team tournament would take place in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.

However, an expansion to 64 teams could chance that calculus, potentially allowing Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to each host an entire group for the tournament, rather than just a single match.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” Infantino said. “You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high—and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.”

The FIFA president added: “If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

It’s unclear whether the World Cup would permanently expand to 64 teams, or if FIFA would choose to expand the tournament just once to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup. A 64-team format would make for a neater group stage in which the top two finishers in 16 groups advance to the Round of 32. One criticism of this year’s 48-team format was that an entire group stage was played just to eliminate 16 teams, with the top eight third-place finishers advanced to the knockout rounds. A 64-team field would mark a return to how the World Cup group stage typically operated, just with more groups.

Assuming FIFA were to pick this format (16 groups of four teams with the top two finishers advancing from each), the World Cup would expand from 104 games under the 48-team field, to 128 games in a 64-team field. In other words, FIFA would be creating 24 games of additional inventory to sell to broadcast partners across the globe.

As most already know, FIFA will be going to market shortly after this World Cup ends with U.S. broadcast rights for the 2030 and 2034 tournaments. While FIFA have not yet formally approached media companies for bids, there are a laundry list of broadcast networks and streamers that will be interested in securing rights. Incumbents Fox (English) and Telemundo (Spanish) will certainly look to retain rights, though Telemundo parent NBCUniversal reportedly isn’t interested if the price per tournament approaches $2 billion. Netflix, YouTube, Apple, and Disney have all also been listed as interested suitors. FIFA, for its part, could also choose to sell English-language and Spanish-language rights together, should a company put in a compelling enough offer.

The expanded format, however, could pave the way for FIFA to split World Cup rights among multiple partners. With robust interest from both streamers and linear networks, and the likelihood that television consumption will still be substantially fragmented between those two distribution methods come 2030, FIFA may be wise to split its inventory among multiple partners that together can offer a mixed approach.

Added inventory from a 64-team format helps that cause. Prospective partners could be more amenable to sharing a larger tournament, since even a 50-50 split would grant them rights to 64 games each. For reference, the old 32-team format featured just 64 games in its entirety.

Prior reports suggest that media companies are expecting FIFA to command between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for the 2030 tournament. That’s more than triple the price Fox is paying for this year’s World Cup ($485 million), though that price is not at all indicative of the true market rate this World Cup would’ve garnered in a competitive bidding process.

Whether that $1.5 billion to $2 billion range is what media companies are genuinely expecting, or it’s simply a range FIFA would like to get out there in public, one thing is certain: adding 16 more teams and 24 more games to the tournament will definitely sweeten the pot for prospective media partners.

How likely it is that FIFA shift to 64 teams in 2030 is another question entirely. Two confederations, CONCACAF and UEFA, have already laid out full qualifying schedules for the next World Cup cycle, and those schedules are predicated on a 48-team field. 2030 World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF begins in September 2027, meaning any expansion decisions by FIFA would likely need to be made in relatively short order.

Of course, FIFA will need to know exactly what it’s selling anyway before approaching potential broadcast partners to submit bids. And if reports of FIFA’s plans to strike while the iron is hot after a successful 2026 World Cup are true, it’ll want to make a decision on 64 vs. 48 before long.

The post FIFA to examine 64-team World Cup for 2030. What could that mean for TV rights? appeared first on Awful Announcing.

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