The love-hate relationship between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas has been one of the biggest off-pitch talking points of the 2026 World Cup. Partnered with Thierry Henry for Fox Sports’ coverage of football’s most prestigious competition, cracks in the dynamic began to emerge when the legendary Sweden striker openly dubbed his colleague ‘ignorant’.

Since then, the thin line between banter and bashing has often blurred, but it has made for excellent viewing with Fox Sports’ coverage often gaining traction on social media throughout the World Cup.

But when it comes to disliking workmates, Zlatan has form. With an ego almost as famous as his football, it’s pretty easy for someone to end up on the wrong side of the former Manchester United front-man. One case in point being Edinson Cavani, who threatened the Swede’s position as PSG’s main source of goals after joining the French club in 2013.

Cavani is one of four teammates the iconic forward reportedly failed to get along with during his decorated career.

Ibrahimovic’s Issues With Cavani at PSG

Ibrahimovic and Cavani are both regarded as PSG legends and, despite the Swede’s problems with the former Napoli forward, they still enjoyed plenty of success together. The pair shared the pitch 107 times, combined for 25 goals and lifted three Ligue 1 titles during their time in the same team.

However, Ibrahimovic’s former LA Galaxy teammate, Michael Ciani, offered an insight into the AC Milan legend’s hatred for Cavani and three other teammates during his career. Speaking to RMC Sport in 2020, he said:

Ibrahimovic departed PSG for Manchester United in July 2016 when his contract came to an end. Cavani almost followed a similar route, eventually joining the Red Devils two years after the former 122-cap Sweden international had left the Premier League giants.

Ibrahimovic’s Problems with Van der Vaart, Lukaku and Onyewu

Although Cavani was the only player specifically named as one of ‘the four’, the Uruguayan wasn’t the only one of Ibrahimovic’s former teammates to incur the fierce Swede’s wrath. Back in 2004, he faced former Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart during an international friendly between Sweden and the Netherlands.

A number of Dutch players crowded Ibrahimovic as he tried to force his way into the penalty area, and he reacted by lashing out, leaving van der Vaart in a heap on the turf. The former Tottenham attacking midfielder suffered an ankle injury and was forced into a spell on the sidelines.

Van der Vaart claimed Ibrahimovic had hurt him deliberately, but the former Sweden captain rejected that accusation and warned him that, if he blamed him again, he would break both of his legs and this time do it on purpose.

Romelu Lukaku, who spent one season alongside Ibrahimovic at Manchester United, was later caught up in a heated confrontation with the forward during a Milan derby in 2021. The Belgian had effectively replaced Zlatan at Old Trafford before Cavani eventually arrived.

Ibrahimovic’s most explosive clash with a teammate came during his time with former Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu. The pair wanted to ‘tear each other limb to limb’ after a training-ground fight turned physical, with punches and knees thrown. The Swede later described the incident as ‘life and death’, saying:

“The next time he got the ball in training; I rushed towards him and jumped up with my feet and studs out in front. But he saw me and leapt out of the way. I headbutted him, and we flew at each other. We wanted to tear each other limb from limb. It was brutal. We were rolling around, punching and kneeing each other. We were crazy and furious — it was like life and death.

“I was stopped by my teammates, and I suppose that was a good thing. It could have turned out nasty. All the time, I was thinking: ‘S***, my chest hurts,’ so we had it checked out. I’d broken a rib in the fight. It was not the first time I’d had a dispute with a team-mate.”

A controversial World Cup ended with Lionel Messi missing out on becoming a two-time world champion after Argentina lost to Spain in the final.

Ferran Torres scored the winner in extra time after Enzo Fernandez’s sending-off during second-half stoppage time. A post-match brawl saw Leandro Paredes also red-carded after the game for throwing punches at Gavi.

Messi had been looking to win the tournament for the second time in a row after his heroics in Qatar back in the winter of 2022. He put his nation on his back once again with extraordinary performances throughout this campaign.

The 39-year-old ultimately came up short as Argentina were deservedly beaten by Spain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday. He couldn’t quite get a foothold in the game and this may have cost him the Golden Ball award.

Argentine Press Furious as FIFA ‘Insult’ Messi

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Messi headed into the final as the favourite to win the Player of the Tournament award after posting eight goals and four assists en route to the showpiece. He had also been in a battle with Kylian Mbappe to win the Golden Boot.

The France captain scored a brace in a 6-4 loss to England in the third-place play-off on Saturday. He therefore finished as the tournament’s top goalscorer with 10 goals.

There has been a debate over Mbappe winning the Golden Boot because his two goals came in a somewhat dead rubber. But the Argentine media are more infuriated with Messi missing out on the Golden Ball, which was awarded to Spain skipper Rodri.

TyC Sports journalist Antonio Serpa has called out FIFA for showing a ‘complete lack of sensitivity’ by snubbing Messi. While the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was named the second best player of the tournament, that wasn’t enough for Serpa, who told the Argentine broadcaster:

“Giving the award to Rodri is almost an insult, it shows a complete lack of sensitivity. Not because the Spaniard is a bad player, but simply because Lionel Messi was the heart and soul of Argentina and the World Cup.”

Serpa added: “He graced the pitches with his brilliance and tears at 39, filling the nets with goals and the stadiums with fans of every nationality who came to see this phenomenon of all time in person. If the criteria is to give awards to the winners, then Infantino and his team need to be told that football is won with goals, not passes.”

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach via Action Images

The Argentine also pointed out that Rodri didn’t score a goal or make an assist during the tournament. Messi picked up the Golden Ball back in 2022 after heroically firing Argentina to the World Cup for the first time in his career.

Reuters/ Scott Heppell

While the Argentine media are upset over Messi not winning the Golden Ball, many are criticising the awarding of the Golden Boot to Mbappe based on his goals in the third-place playoff. He’d been level with the Barcelona legend before his nation’s defeat to England.

Alan Shearer was among those to argue that Mbappe has won the award after playing in a less competitive game. The Newcastle United icon said on BBC: “France are out and Mbappe has scored his two goals. Lionel Messi is playing in a World Cup final against a Spain team that have only conceded one goal and that is a lot more difficult.”

This was echoed by Wayne Rooney: “Listen, I don’t (think they should count). They do obviously but I think that’s very unfair on Messi.”

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro

Mbappe’s brace against England saw him overtake Messi as the highest goalscorer in World Cup history. He now sits on 22 goals while the Argentine forward has a tally of 21 to his name.

There is a good chance Messi has played his final World Cup game after yesterday’s defeat to Spain in the final. He was in floods of tears after the game and may have bowed out of international football.

The 2026 World Cup is over, and fans are already turning their attention to the next edition of the tournament in 2030. Spain were crowned world champions for the second time in New Jersey on Sunday, beating Argentina in extra time at MetLife Stadium, courtesy of a well-taken goal from Ferran Torres.

Now, the focus shifts towards the next tournament and what could unfold. The World Champions are one of three countries that will predominantly host the competition, alongside Portugal and Morocco, in what is set to be the first iteration of the historic event that is played across multiple continents.

To commemorate the first-ever edition of the World Cup, 100 years prior to the 2030 tournament in 1930, hosts of that inaugural showpiece, Uruguay, will hold the first match in their capital city, Montevideo. Argentina and Paraguay will also host one match each.

What do the current odds say about who might claim the 24th World Cup title? Surprisingly, Argentina — despite reaching the 2026 World Cup final — are not the bookmakers’ favourites, as per Bet365.

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Croatia have seemingly run out the same players for what feels like hundreds of tournaments now. The likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric have carried this golden generation of Croats to a World Cup final and a World Cup semi-final, but surely won’t be about to lead them into the 2030 tournament. Their chances of winning the competition are subsequently slim, and the odds reflect that, pricing them at 125/1.

Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side enjoyed an improved tournament on home soil, but still aren’t fancied to go all the way in the next edition. They are priced at 80/1, alongside Uruguay, whose one home match won’t carry them to glory.

Turkey are the perennial dark horses, and the odds believe they stand in good stead to live up to this label in 2030, despite disappointing in 2026. The likes of Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz will be seasoned pros the next time the tournament comes around, and this should put them in a good position to go far, even if they’re unlikely to emerge with the trophy.

The Turks are fancied at a similar level to Switzerland, who are priced at 66/1. The experienced European side have some blossoming youngsters, such as Johan Manzambi, who could have come into their own in four years’ time.

15-11

Raquel Cunha via Reuters

The 15th favourites for world glory are Mexico. Buoyed by an exciting 2026 campaign on home soil, the Central American nation are primed to improve by the time the next tournament rolls around, with teenage sensation Gilberto Mora developing into an excellent player.

Japan find themselves in a similar position, priced at 66/1 alongside Mexico. The Asian team are missing a superstar to take them to high levels, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them add this calibre of player to their ranks before the next tournament.

Further down the market, Norway and Colombia are priced at 40/1. Both nations benefit from enjoying impressive 2026 campaigns, with the former reaching the quarter-finals and the latter a penalty shootout away from the same stage. Norway will still have Erling Haaland flying high in 2030, while Colombia may need to source an adequate replacement for star man Luis Diaz before then.

Rounding off this section is perpetual underperformers Italy. Failing to qualify for each of the last three tournaments, gli Azzurri will need to seriously improve what they’re doing in regards to developing players to even justify their 33/1 odds.

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IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis

Coming in at number ten is Belgium, also priced at 33/1. The Red Devils’ golden generation has come and gone, and they’ll surely be preparing for the 2030 tournament without any of their stars from the team that reached the semi-finals in 2018. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will likely be retired, and the next few years will therefore be imperative for the country at grassroots level, as they look to develop a new generation of superstars.

The Netherlands and Morocco played out an intense Round of 32 tie in the 2026 World Cup, with the game going all the way to penalties, and the odds reflect the closeness of the two sides in their current state. Both countries are fancied at 25/1, although the North African outfit may feel their chances of winning the tournament are greater than this, given it’ll be played on home soil.

The biggest shock from the bookmakers is that they only view Argentina as seventh favourites to win the tournament. La Albiceleste have reached the last two finals, although the scepticism in the odds likely stems from the fact that they probably won’t have Lionel Messi to call upon at this tournament. While you can never rule out the greatest player of all time, to still be playing for his nation at a World Cup at the age of 43 may be a step beyond what even he is capable of.

Germany are ranked as the sixth favourites to win the 2030 competition, priced at 10/1. Their embarrassing 2026 exit at the hands of Paraguay sets them back, and they’ll need to unearth some gems in the coming years to have a chance of competing in Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

5-1

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

England fans may be somewhat disappointed that they’re only ranked joint fourth to win the 2030 tournament, alongside Brazil at 8/1. The Three Lions keep producing exceptional players, with the depth at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal frightening for other nations. However, they’ll need to find a top-quality centre-back, as well as potentially a replacement for Harry Kane, before 2030 rolls around.

Brazil haven’t won a World Cup since 2002, but they continue to be earmarked as one of the favourites. They’re light on quality in certain positions as it stands, although they’re certainly capable of developing several more superstars within the next four years.

It may come as a shock to many that Portugal are deemed third favourites to win the 2030 World Cup. While boasting a rich history of exceptional players, the Selecao das Quinas have limited pedigree in the competition, not reaching a single final. However, they’ll be joint hosts in 2030, and this home advantage, as well as being freed from the shackles of Cristiano Ronaldo, could put them in a good position to finally win the tournament.

France are ranked as second favourites, priced at 6/1. The French’s outstanding production line of talent doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon, and they may be under the tutelage of Champions League-winning boss Zinedine Zidane at the next tournament.

Finally, Spain are tipped to retain their title and win their third World Cup, this time on home soil. Luis de la Fuente has already won back-to-back international tournaments, and he’ll be eager to build on this as he continues to grow his dynasty. La Roja are priced at 7/2.