The 2026 FIFA World Cup is deep into the knock-out stages — and HuffPost is live-blogging every twist and turn as the final looms at New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19.Even before a ball was kicked, the 23rd edition of the tournament was engulfed in controversy: from Iran’s tough journey to the competition amid Donald Trump’s war, to the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino. That’s not to mention Trump’s travel bans keeping some fans and officials out and the fury over soaring ticket prices. Once the soccer actually began, much of the concern was eased — at least for a short while. But the introduction of hydration breaks, seen as a vehicle for TV advertising, prompted booing from fans and questions about the fundamentals of the game being undermined. And Trump’s intervention in an effort to get a red card reversed for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, which was fruitless, as the Americans were soundly defeated by Belgium, will likely leave a stain on this World Cup.Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.Follow along with our coverage below:England Star Shares Update After Freak World Cup Celebration InjuryEngland midfielder Jordan Henderson has turned the corner following surgery on his left wrist and is focused on the club's World Cup quarterfinal match against Norway."Surgery done! Now let's get ready for the big one Saturday," Henderson said in an Instagram post.Henderson sustained his injury after tripping over an advertising board at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to celebrate England's 3-2 win over Mexico on Sunday. He was in obvious pain after trying to break his fall. Multiple teammates immediately called for medical assistance and Henderson was later stretchered off the field.Henderson, 36, rejoined the team at its camp in Kansas City as it prepares to face Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla. He has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup.Henderson became England's first man to appear in four different World Cups when he came on against Panama during the group stage. He did not get into Sunday's match but was shown a yellow card during the second half for actions on the sideline.Latest Live UpdatesFrance's World Cup Team Flew With Airline Better Known For ICE Deportations: ReportFrance's World Cup team has reportedly been traveling during the tournament on an airline that also carries out deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.An investigation published by The Guardian on Thursday reported that Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) has flown the French team on at least three domestic flights during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.According to the report, the airline has operated about 950 ICE deportation flights since 2022.The national teams of England and Iran have also reportedly been linked to the airline during the tournament, The Guardian said. Read more on The Guardian:World Cup Quarterfinal Weather Watch: France vs. MoroccoHere's what fans can expect in Boston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between France and Morocco on Thursday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/2England's World Cup Dream Could Come With An Extra Day OffIf the England men’s national soccer team does, after 60 years of hurt, bring the World Cup home, the rest of the country may be treated to a special public holiday in celebration, according to The Guardian.Outgoing Prime Minister Kier Starmer would reportedly not reveal a specific date for a bank holiday, though, saying he didn’t “want to jinx it."Zohran Mamdani Unexpectedly Weighs In On World Cup Controversy During NYC AnnouncementNew York Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighed in on a World Cup controversy during a speech Wednesday as he unveiled a plan to improve the city's bus service.Watch the video here.Promoting the "Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service" initiative, Mamdani said faster journeys would give New Yorkers more time to do the things they enjoy.Among his examples? "Agreeing with your friends that Egypt were robbed yesterday."The quip referenced Egypt's dramatic 3-2 round of 16 defeat to Argentina, after which Egyptian players, coaches and officials complained about several refereeing decisions.FIFA Refereeing Boss Shuts Down Claims Argentina Got Special TreatmentFIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt in the World Cup round of 16, dismissing allegations of bias and saying match officials operated with complete independence.In an interview published on inside.fifa.com on Thursday, Collina said criticism of referees was part of football but he condemned the questioning of the officials' integrity after Egypt complained about the officiating following the defeat."Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina said."Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials ... Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino)."Collina said that such allegations could provoke threats against referees and their families.Egypt exited the tournament but claimed they had been treated unfairly after Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit to snatch victory with a stoppage-time winner from Enzo Fernandez.Coach Hossam Hassan alleged after the match there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the tournament. And the Egyptian Football Association said "several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game."Egypt argued that Mostafa Zico's second-half strike was incorrectly ruled out for what it described as a non-existent foul in the build-up. Egypt were also incensed that a challenge on Mohamed Salah was not penalised moments before Argentina launched the move that produced the winning goal.FIFA's Collina said VAR had correctly recommended overturning Zico's goal after identifying a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking possession phase."We believe that a foul is a foul," Collina said. "Regardless of whether the foul appears 'obvious', if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."Collina also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina's winner, saying both the referee and VAR judged the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez to be "normal football contact"."Stepping on an opponent's foot is a foul, whereas a defender who touches the ball first and then makes normal football contact has not committed a foul," he said.While acknowledging that some decisions would always involve an element of subjectivity, Collina said FIFA was satisfied with how VAR principles had been applied throughout the tournament.U.S. Goalkeeper Matt Turner Re-Signs For New England RevolutionThe New England Revolution will re-sign U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Matt Turner on loan from French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais, The Athletic reported on Wednesday.Turner, 32, began his MLS career with New England in 2018 and returned to the team last August on loan from Lyon through June 30, 2026.He filled the designated player spot on the Revolution's roster for the remainder of last season and the start of this season. Per the report, there is an option to purchase, with Turner eligible for targeted allocation money (TAM), meaning he wouldn't need a designated player slot.Turner has started all 14 games this season for the Revolution (8-5-1, 25 points), recording three clean sheets and allowing 18 goals while making 61 saves. He ranks among the MLS leaders in save percentage (third, 76.3%), saves (tied for fourth) and goals-against average (seventh, 1.29).A native of Park Ridge, N.J., Turner ranks second in Revolution history in wins (54), saves (455) and games started as a goalkeeper (126). He was the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021, when he was named an MLS All-Star and made the MLS Best XI.Turner left New England in February 2022 to join Premier League side Arsenal for a reported $6 million transfer fee. He moved to Nottingham Forest in 2023 and went on loan to Crystal Palace in 2024. He joined Lyon in the summer of 2025 in advance of the 2025-26 season.Turner played in goal for the entirety of the United States' run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he has 55 career caps for the USMNT. Playing behind starter Matt Freese at the 2026 World Cup, Turner was in goal in the United States' 3-2 loss to Turkey in the last group-stage game on June 25.FIFA Chief’s Trump Ties Could Spark IOC InvestigationFIFA President Gianni Infantino could face an investigation by the International Olympic Committee after a rights group announced plans on Wednesday to file a complaint alleging he breached political neutrality rules through his support for U.S. President Donald Trump.Human rights group FairSquare said it will lodge the complaint with the IOC regarding Infantino's "repeated breach of political neutrality rules," escalating a dispute that has already seen them challenge FIFA's own ethics processes.Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.FairSquare had filed a complaint with FIFA's Ethics Committee in December 2025, citing multiple instances where Infantino "expressed his public support for the actions and policies" of Trump."It also requests that the Ethics Committee investigate Mr Infantino's role in the decision to introduce a FIFA Peace Prize, the decision to award it to President Trump ... and the conformity of these processes with FIFA's procedural rules," FairSquare said.Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.DUTY OF NEUTRALITYFairSquare's complaint says Infantino breached Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics which deals with the duty of neutrality.Persons bound by the Code must remain politically neutral in official dealings, with breaches punishable by a fine of at least 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,378) and up to a two-year ban from any football-related activity.The complaint also requests the Ethics Committee investigates whether the decisions to introduce an annual Peace Prize and then award it to Trump at the World Cup draw were taken by the FIFA Council or unilaterally by Infantino himself."If Mr Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority, this should be considered an egregious abuse of power," FairSquare said.IOC 'WOULD LOOK INTO' COMPLAINTIOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Tuesday no complaint had been received to be considered by the ethics commission but added: "Obviously, if they do, they would look into it."While FIFA's Secretariat of the Investigatory Chamber acknowledged receiving the complaint in December, the global soccer body has given "no indication" that an investigation has begun, FairSquare said.In a letter seen by Reuters, FIFA told FairSquare that its secretariat may initiate preliminary investigations into a "potential breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics" on instructions from the Chairperson of the Investigatory Chamber.But filing a complaint does not guarantee that ethics proceedings will be opened, while complainants are not parties to proceedings, with no updates or further information available due to confidentiality.FairSquare launched a public campaign aimed at serious reform of FIFA titled 'Reboot' a week before the World Cup kicked off.Last week, FairSquare said 50 Members of the European Parliament had written to FIFA's Ethics Committee expressing support for the complaint against Infantino.The Norwegian Football Federation also formally backed an official complaint, asking the committee to assess whether Infantino violated the governing body's statutes regarding political neutrality through the award of the Peace Prize and related actions.More recently at the World Cup, FIFA suspended American striker Folarin Balogun's red-card ban and cleared him to play in the last-16 tie against Belgium, which the U.S lost 4-1, after Trump personally urged Infantino to review the case.However, Infantino denied being involved in the final decision.White House's Andrew Giuliani Makes Eyebrow-Raising Claim About Iran's World Cup ExperienceThe White House has defended its handling of Iran's visa restrictions during the World Cup, with top official Andrew Giuliani saying the team's decision to base themselves in Tijuana, Mexico, instead of Tucson was mutually beneficial.Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said the cross-border logistics worked smoothly for all parties despite Iran's complaints during the group stage and after they were knocked out of the tournament.The Iranian Football Federation had negotiated at the last minute to move the team's base camp from Arizona to Mexico, due in part to uncertainty over whether they would be granted visas to enter the U.S."It's important to point out that the Iranians chose to go to Tijuana. We were happy with that choice," Giuliani told reporters on Wednesday."I think the Mexicans were very happy with that choice. I think the Iranians, as they said, were very happy with that choice as well."I think what we tried to do here on the White House Task Force was apply common sense to making sure the athletes could have fair play on the pitch."Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had said her government agreed to allow the Iranian squad to stay in Mexico during the World Cup, adding that the U.S. did not want to host the team.Giuliani added that the decision also made sure nobody with connections to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) entered the country using the World Cup as an excuse.STAFF MEMBERS DENIED ENTRYThe U.S. awarded visas to all of Iran's players just 10 days before their first match, but several support staff members were denied entry, including "key managerial and administrative members," according to Iran's football federation.Initially, Iran's squad were only allowed to enter the U.S. a day before matches, prompting coach Amir Ghalenoei to say they were the "most oppressed team" at the World Cup.But Giuliani defended the travel arrangements, noting logistical parity."In Los Angeles, they were able to come a day early for the match. For comparison's sake, the U.S., they were in Orange County. They took a bus ride, a longer bus ride than the flight was for the Iranians," he said.The restrictions were later eased for Iran's third match in Seattle when they were permitted to enter the country two days before the game."For Seattle, it was two days because we knew that flight was a little over three hours. So we wanted to make sure they had that extra day so we could achieve the parity," Giuliani said.However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the team would still be required to leave the day the match ended.Iran later thanked the people of Tijuana for their hospitality at the World Cup following the team's group-stage elimination, saying Mexico had become "our second home and our second team".'Disgrace': Colombia Legend Shreds Country's Soccer After World Cup ExitColombia left the World Cup unbeaten in normal play but broken-hearted after their latest penalty shootout defeat, and the national team's all-time top scorer Radamel Falcao was in no mood to offer soothing words.The South Americans were knocked out in the round of 16 on Tuesday after Switzerland won 4-3 on penalties following a tense 0-0 draw in Vancouver, ending Colombia's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.The country was also eliminated on penalties at the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 and 2021 Copa America tournaments.Falcao, working as an ESPN pundit during the tournament, said the defeat exposed deeper problems in the country's football system."It's a shame given the chances we had; we didn't know how to capitalise on them," Falcao said. "At this stage of a competition like this, the opposition are of a standard where they won't let you off the hook, and it's been from the penalty spot – as on so many other occasions – that our football has had its wings clipped. We have to work on our football, in our clubs and in the national team. We have to pay close attention to this because there have been so many disappointments."Falcao then turned his fire on Colombia's domestic structure, noting that it has only 36 professional teams, with 20 in the top flight and 16 in the second tier."Our youth development programmes need to improve," he said. "It's unacceptable that we don't have a third tier."It's a disgrace that our football lacks competitiveness and fosters mediocrity and laziness, with teams that don't invest because they know they won't be relegated."Colombia had won Group K after beating Uzbekistan and the DR Congo and drawing with Portugal, before eliminating Ghana in the round of 32.Midfielder Jhon Arias, who started against Switzerland, struck a more hopeful note."If there's one thing that defines us, it's our ability to bounce back," Arias said. "Let's hope today marks a fresh start that takes us all the way to the final day; we've had enough of always falling just short."Mexico Names New Coach, Days After World Cup ExitThe Mexican Football Federation (FMF), with an eye on the 2030 World Cup, announced Rafael "Rafa" Marquez as head coach of the national team on Wednesday.Marquez, 47, had served since July 2024 as assistant coach under manager Javier Aguirre, who announced his resignation after Mexico's 3-2 loss to England on Sunday night in the round of 16 in Mexico City.The path for succession already was in place for Marquez, a legendary player for El Tri who scored 17 goals in 147 games for his national team. He was captain of five World Cup teams (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)."The appointment of Rafael Marquez is part of an orderly transition designed to ensure continuity ... strengthen development, and tackle upcoming commitments," the FMF stated.Aguirre's contract ran through the end of this month, according to Transfermarkt.com. Aguirre, 67, who was in his third stint after guiding El Tri to the round of 16 in 2002 and 2010, is a native of Mexico City who played midfielder for the national team at the 1986 home World Cup -- when Mexico last reached the quarterfinals -- before continuing in the sport as an accomplished coach.Expectations were high as Mexico co-hosted this World Cup with the United States and Canada. Mexico won Group A with a 3-0-0 record (9 points) and a six-goal differential. They posted three shutouts in the group stage, beating South Africa (2-0), South Korea (1-0) and the Czech Republic (3-0) before blanking Ecuador 2-0 in the round of 32 on June 30.The FMF, in its statement, expressed "its deepest appreciation and gratitude to Javier Aguirre and his entire coaching staff for the commitment, leadership and professionalism with which they led the Mexican national team during this period, leaving a lasting legacy of hard work, identity and competitiveness that strengthens the foundations for the national team's next phase."Marquez doesn't have that kind of coaching experience, coaching youth teams in Spain before success managing Barcelona's B team (40-21-21) and then joining Aguirre's staff.Playing center back and midfielder, though, Marquez was a star, winning four La Liga crowns and two Champions League titles with Barcelona.See All Updates