Ecuador's football federation filed a complaint with FIFA after around 1,000 Mexico fans made noise outside their team hotel before their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match in Mexico City. The fans reportedly used noisemakers, pans and buckets while singing “Cielito Lindo” before police moved them back. Ecuador went on to lose the match.

France captain Kylian Mbappé corrected a reporter who wrongly mentioned his FIFA World Cup goal count as 17 after France's 3-0 Round of 32 win over Sweden. "18, it's 18. I am happy, but that is not the most important thing," he said. The 27-year-old scored a brace, finding the net in the 45th and 74th minutes against Sweden.

France midfielder Michael Olise is rewriting FIFA World Cup history with a series of dazzling performances, the latest being a masterclass against Sweden that has placed him alongside some of footballs greatest names. The 24-year-old playmaker provided two assists in Frances commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32.

Team India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has become the world number one T20I batter. The 27-year-old overtook his teammate Abhishek Sharma to reach the top of the rankings for the first time. Abhishek had held the top ranking for almost 12 months. Kishan has scored 545 runs in 15 T20Is in 2026 with a strike rate of 199.63.

As co-hosts, Mexico qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Ecuador, fans flooded the streets of Mexico City in celebration. FIFA, while sharing a clip of the same, called it a "historic night" as videos showed supporters dancing, embracing and singing. The victory marked Mexico's first FIFA World Cup knockout-stage win since 1986.

The football world has reacted with outrage after several Netherlands players were subjected to racist and discriminatory abuse online following their team's elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed that players including Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville were targeted after missing penalties.

R Ashwin defended his remarks on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's bench role after facing criticism, saying, "Carrying water is not degrading" and asking, "Why do people think carrying water is a bad thing?" He also insisted, "We need to give Vaibhav time." Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer kept the teenager's India debut plans "very private" ahead of the England T20Is.

NBA legend LeBron James has informed LA Lakers that he'll leave the team and play elsewhere in NBA 2026-27 season. The 41-year-old spent eight seasons with Lakers, his longest with any franchise. He won the NBA title with Lakers in 2020. Notably, the four-time NBA champion is the all-time leader in games (1,622) and points (43,440).

Ex-South Africa batter Daryll Cullinan said that 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is living a life that is not proceeding at the ordinary pace of growing up. He added, "Sooryavanshi should be at home preparing for his exams, playing gully cricket with...mates, and being a young boy." Cullinan added, "We should hope...that he retires at 40 and not washed up at 25."

Ahead of Congo DR's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against England, head coach Sébastien Desabre said, "The pressure is on England." "We don't have much to lose, but it's also source of motivation...If we're here, it's because we deserve it," he added. Congo DR drew with Portugal, lost to Colombia and beat Uzbekistan to reach knockouts.