Record transfer, Emerse Faé controversy, and Oranje excitement: a recap of the American night at the 2026 World Cup
The night was full of lessons in the United States. Côte d’Ivoire proved once again that it is more than a “wild” team (as Bastian Schweinsteiger put it), and Ecuador finally woke up against Germany.
In terms of atmosphere, an Oranje wave swept everything in its path, while France wants to pay tribute to Didier Deschamps against Norway.
Ambitious elephants, relieved Ecuador
In Group E, one of the toughest, Côte d’Ivoire managed to clinch second place ahead of Ecuador and Germany. “We knew we could do it, we also knew it would be difficult. We did it,” said coach Emerse Faé after the match. “Plus, we finish second. We are happy, proud, but we are looking even further.”
For its part, Ecuador suffered after two tough initial matches, including a surprise draw against Curaçao. “It’s better this way,” said Gonzalo Plata, the hero of the day. “It’s an enriching experience for us, and we will now approach the next round with an even greater thirst for victory. This team strongly believes in itself.”
Emerse Faé disappointed by Schweinsteiger
After this fine victory, Emerse Faé was also asked about Bastian Schweinsteiger’s comments. Recall that the 2014 world champion had said that “African football was sometimes unorthodox, a bit wild, not quite as tactical” before the match between the Elephants and Germany (2-1).
“I was disappointed in the man when I heard those comments. When you know football like he does, it’s strange to have remarks of this kind, which can frankly be called racist,” he began. “Everyone has the right to say what they think,” Faé continued. “But I disagree with him. I have no other option but to accept and deal with it. We can only show on the pitch that African football is also about technique and tactics. I don’t really know what was on his mind… Football is like that, there are many pundits trying to create buzz. Now that he is somewhat in anonymity, he tries to make himself heard…”
Oranje madness takes over Kansas and its mayor
The Netherlands held their own in a tough group. After their victory over weak Tunisia, they finished first and can look forward to the rest of the competition calmly.
Enough to ignite the streets of Kansas before and after their fine victory. One man experienced and, above all, enjoyed this Oranje wave: Quinton Lucas.
The current mayor of Kansas went wild when he grabbed… the DJ decks for the Dutch supporters.
Although he did not actually mix, he moved left and right to fire up the crowd. A great moment for a politician more accustomed to speeches than to characteristic Flemish techno music.
Historic transfer during the World Cup
At 23, Elliot Anderson has the biggest clubs at his feet. For several days, Manchester City had been leading the race to sign the Three Lions midfielder.
The Citizens reportedly reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest for the tidy sum of 150 million euros!
This smashes the Premier League record from last year set by Liverpool when they bought Alexander Isak. The English international, who started in the first two World Cup matches, now needs to agree personal terms with the Mancunians. That should be a formality.
South Americans dominate Europeans
Four matches, four victories. Since the start of this World Cup, South American teams have been thrashing teams from the Old Continent.
In detail, Paraguay beat Turkey (1-0) in the second round, as did Argentina, who easily defeated Austria (2-0). And the third round has not reversed the trend, with Brazil thrashing Scotland (3-0) while Ecuador secured a heroic victory meaning qualification against Germany (2-1).
Two teams can still save Europe’s honor: Spain and Portugal. The first faces Uruguay tonight. The second takes on Colombia on Saturday night into Sunday.
Making Deschamps “proud”
On the eve of the third Group I match of the 2026 World Cup against Norway, France midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni expressed on behalf of the Blues their full support for Didier Deschamps, who returned to France for his mother’s funeral.
“First of all, on behalf of the entire France team, we want to offer our condolences again to the coach and his family,” said the Real Madrid player. “We know the situation is not normal. He gave us a mission. Our goal is to make him proud.”
“We thought Belgium would already be qualified”
But first, they must beat New Zealand. Currently last with one point, they must win against the Red Devils to qualify. “This is a match that already looks like a knockout game. We have to take points and we will make sure we get them,” said ‘All Whites’ coach Darren Bazeley on Thursday at a press conference.
Before discussing the Red Devils’ performance. “We don’t know how they react to this situation. After the draw, we were happy to play Belgium in the last match. We thought they would already be qualified with 6 points and would rotate their squad. It didn’t happen that way, as often in football. They may not have achieved the performances they wanted in this World Cup yet, but they know they risk going home if they don’t win. It will be interesting to see how they react to this situation.” Belgium has been warned.
