Sports

By Patrick Sung Cuadrado, Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Wow! If you missed last night’s match between Argentina and Cape Verde, go right now and

By Kyle Feldscher, Jacob Lev, CNN (CNN) — On the final day of the Round of 32, the World Cup presented soccer fans with plenty of memories. Between Argentina surviving a potential stunning upset by Cape Verde – a small African island nation making its World Cup debut – to Colombia defeating Ghana, and Egypt

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here. We all knew this World Cup would be good on the pitch. In truth, they always are. But this summer has been so dramatic and

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — It’s been called one of, if not the biggest VAR decision in World Cup history. Whatever you call it, it was one that left Croatia heartbroken and Portugal thanking its lucky stars. But what exactly happened in last night’s Round of 32 clash? And how did new technology within

By Reagan Yip, CNN (CNN) — As 48 nations battle for World Cup glory, another group has endured a similarly grueling path to soccer’s biggest stage: the referees. This year, 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistant referees (VARs) have been selected. The 170-strong contingent is the largest in World Cup history, with

By Kyle Feldscher, Jacob Lev, CNN (CNN) — The first game on Thursday and the last one were pretty straightforward affairs for Spain and Switzerland. But in between, Portugal and Croatia served up yet another helping of World Cup drama that will be hard to forget. Here’s everything to know about Thursday’s Round of 32

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports on July 2, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here. The story has been updated to reflect Sunday’s announcement that Folarin Balogun is now set to play on Monday. My voice still

By Will Edmonds, CNN (CNN) — In the summer of ‘96, as a 14-year-old English kid in love with soccer and in awe of the UEFA European Championship on home soil, I saved up and bought my first England jersey: the now classic, Umbro Euro ‘96 white home kit. Ever since, every World Cup and

By Kyle Feldscher SANTA CLARA, California (CNN) — It’s a historic win – the first time the USA has advanced past the first knockout game since 2002 and only the second World Cup elimination game victory in American men’s soccer history. It’s the first win for the USA over a European opponent since they last

By Kyle Feldscher, CNN Atlanta (CNN) — It seems like the 2026 World Cup is serving up new and better forms of drama every single day now that the knockout rounds have finally arrived. Wednesday has been no different. England needed two late goals from captain Harry Kane to storm back and hold off a

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here. Here we go, then. The biggest match for the USA in this tournament so far. Win, and the impossible dream lives on. Lose, and a

By Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Wimbledon (CNN) — Serena Williams lost in her return to singles tennis 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 against Maya Joint of Australia in a thrilling match in front of an at times raucous crowd on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. In what was her first singles match since losing to Ajla Tomljanović at the