There have been so many talking points during the 2026 World Cup, and the biggest of them have related to co-hosts, the United States. They have now exited the tournament after a 4-1 loss to Belgium, but expect headlines to rumble on.

The build-up to that game was packed full of drama as key man Folarin Balogun was handed a red card in the Last 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but after intervention from Donald Trump, FIFA overturned the red card, allowing the striker to start against Belgium. That wasn’t enough to help the US, though, as they scored just once, crashing out at the Round of 16.

Many will feel footballing justice was served as Mauricio Pochettino’s men were thumped 4-1, and it appears as though the Iranian Football Federation have certainly enjoyed the result. Iran’s participation in the tournament has been one of the other key controversies of the 2026 World Cup.

Iran Delighted as USMNT Lose 4-1 to Belgium

Daniel Cole via Reuters

The conflict between Iran and the US had made for concerning headlines in the lead-up to the World Cup, and it was unclear if they would even be able to come into the country to play matches. The Iranian Football Federation spoke out a number of times as they made it clear how hard Trump’s government had made it for players and key staff members to get visas into the host nation.

In the end, Iran had to move their World Cup base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. Not only that, but when playing their group games in the US, they were even forced to immediately fly out of the country and back to Mexico once their matches had finished.

With those issues, and so many more in mind, it’s no wonder that Iran have now released a rather pleased statement following the USMNT’s exit from their own competition. As quoted by the Telegraph, a spokesman for the Iranian Football Federation reacted to the co-hosts’ exit by saying:

Iran likely would have also enjoyed the post made by the official Belgium social media account, which shared a picture of players celebrating a goal vs the US, alongside the caption: “Overturn this.”

Iran Captain Was Left Unhappy With FIFA President Gianni Infantino

During the tournament, Iran captain Mehdi Taremi spoke strongly about FIFA, taking aim at the inaction of president Gianni Infantino. He said: “We always complained about these things since the beginning, it’s a disaster World Cup. A disaster. As professional players in a professional competition, it’s not right… it’s not fair… if it’s fair for FIFA, okay, good for them. But it’s not fair. Who wants to help us… no one helps. No one.

“Who has to solve this problem for us? Who? FIFA? I don’t know. USA. I don’t know – just mention one name for me. [FIFA president Gianni] Infantino came to [our locker room] the first game [against New Zealand] and said we will solve every problem here, but actually FIFA did nothing.”

Iran drew against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in the three games, finishing third in Group G, which wasn’t enough to see them qualify for the knockout stages. After exiting the World Cup, they released an emotional statement thanking the ‘wonderful people of Mexico’ for their hospitality, while also praising the media for fairly covering the ‘unfair and unsportsmanlike treatment’ of their delegation.

Newcastle United are now making their moves to upgrade their squad this summer, and they’re already on to their next target for the window after agreeing a deal.

The Magpies have signed Even Jaouen and Bazoumana Toure during the transfer window, while it emerged that they have agreed a surprise deal for Ajax star Seun Steur to strengthen their midfield following the departures of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali for a combined £170m.

But despite those deals being done, the Toon are now ready to step up their interest in another top target in the coming days, as they look to get back to the Champions League.

Newcastle Moving for Johan Manzambi

According to David Ornstein, Newcastle are now ready to make a deal for Switzerland star Johan Manzambi in the coming days.

Manzambi, who has been described as ‘incredible’, has lit up the World Cup with his performances in central midfield, and that has attracted the attention of a number of top clubs across Europe.

The club have held talks with the player’s reps about a move to St James’ Park and are understood to be the frontrunners for his signature, but they are now prepared to make a move by opening up club-to-club talks with Bundesliga side Freiburg.

Manzambi is understood to be keen on making the switch to the Premier League side, and Newcastle are prioritising a move for him at this stage of the window, as they look to get ahead of the competition.

Ornstein reports that Newcastle are in the strongest position to complete a deal, although it’s claimed that they want to lower the £50m asking price at this stage.

Howe Rebuilding Newcastle Midfield

The big talk this summer around St James’ Park was that a rebuild was needed, and Howe believed he was in the perfect position to oversee it.

With Gordon replaced by Toure, attention now turns to replacing Tonali, and it seems that Howe feels that Manzambi and Steur can do that job, despite their age and lack of experience at the highest level.

With those signings though, it becomes imperative that they keep hold of captain Bruno Guimaraes, amid big interest from Arsenal, to keep things together and help carry over the transition the squad will be going through.

Tyson Fury’s highly anticipated clash with Anthony Joshua will NOT take place in the UK unless a strict rule put in place by local authorities is changed, according to the event organiser.

Fury vs Joshua has been scheduled for later on this year without a set date or location being confirmed. Many fans have speculated where the fight will take place, with Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium or Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena being the most likely venues for this historic bout.

While these venues are highly regarded, many British boxing fans have voiced their outrage at even the possibility of this fight taking place outside the UK.

While Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has claimed that the clash is contractually bound to take place in the country, event organiser Turki Alalshikh has disclosed that there have been some roadblocks in getting the event confirmed for Wembley Stadium.

Why Wembley Stadium Might Not Host Fury vs Joshua

“I’ve said from the beginning, it depends on whether England gives us all that we need.

“We want the fights here in England, but we want the time zone and the time zone of all the world, especially in America.

In the UK, the main event usually commences around 10pm, with Brent council being strict with event organisers regarding licensing conditions, which usually see events conclude by 11pm in order to prevent any late-night disruption to residents.

With a huge focus on US markets, with west coast audiences being eight hours behind the UK, a 10pm start to the main event will be seen as too early in the eyes of Alalshikh and other event organisers.

In 2024, UFC 304 took place in Manchester and the company managed to negotiate with the local council to secure a 3am main event commencement time in order to cater to the US audience and market.

Alalshikh will have this in mind and will be hoping to be able to push back the event’s start time to ensure that Fury and Joshua make their entrances beyond midnight.

Tyson Fury & Anthony Joshua’s Next Fights Confirmed

Despite the uncertainty of when and where they will meet, Joshua and Fury have already begun preparation for their clash, with the former taking on Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh at the end of the month, while Fury will be in Thailand the day prior, fighting former WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight challenger Mariusz Wach.