Former undisputed light-heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev is keen to return to action as soon as possible, but he believes that one of the current world champions is ‘ducking him’.

Beterbiev knocked out Enrico Koelling to capture the IBF light-heavyweight title back in 2017 and, after defending the belt against Callum Johnson and Radivoje ‘Hot Rod’ Kalajdzic, the Canadian-Russian unified the titles by halting WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Once again, two defences followed, as Beterbiev continued his 100% knockout streak with wins against Adam Deines and Marcus Browne inside of the distance, before adding the WBO strap to his collection by knocking out Joe Smith.

Then, for a third time, Beterbiev made two further title defences before colliding with Dmitry Bivol in a legendary undisputed showdown in October 2024, where his knockout streak came to an end in the crowning moment of his career – going the distance for the first time but claiming a majority-decision win.

Just four months later, Bivol reversed the result in their rematch with a majority decision triumph of his own, but there has been no rubber match since that meeting 16 months ago, much to the disappointment of 41-year-old Beterbiev,

Speaking with The Ring, Beterbiev declared that Bivol is ‘ducking’ a third fight, despite the ‘loose agreement’ which is understood to be in place. 

“There is a very short time after the first fight and third fight, even with that I accepted this fight, expecting to have the third fight within five/six months. You can see that he doesn’t want to fight, he is ducking me, I thinks so.”

To add to Beterbiev’s concerns, Bivol will be made to face mandatory challenger Callum Smith in the near future, unless he is willing to relinquish the WBO world title.

France’s final group match against Norway had been billed as a showdown between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, but Ousmane ⁠Dembélé tore up the script as he scored a ​hat-trick to seal top spot for Les Bleus in Group I.

The winger scored three times in the space of 25 minutes in the first half to send the 2018 world champions and 2022 runners-up into the knockout phase of this year’s tournament with ​a spring ‌in their step.

Read moreFrance top group as Dembélé’s first-half treble downs second-string Norway

The France players had promised to go for a win as ⁠a tribute to coach Didier Deschamps who has flown home from the United States to attend the funeral of his mother.

By finishing top of Group I, France are likely to meet Sweden in the first knockout round of the tournament. As runners-up, Norway will play Ivory Coast.

Deschamps is due to return to the squad on Saturday ‌to begin preparing for the next phase.

Les Bleus – like Norway – had ‌made sure of a place in the Round of 32 before Friday’s clash but wanted ⁠to top the group to take advantage of a lighter travel schedule offered by the tournament’s North American criss-crossing route map.

Their task was made easier by Norway coach Stale Solbakken’s decision ​to rest all but one of the players who started against Senegal earlier ‌this week, including goal-scoring machine Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard.

France went on the attack from the kickoff.

Kylian Mbappé, who is likely to be challenging Haaland for the World Cup’s Golden Boot top scorer award, slammed an angled ‌shot off the bar with barely 20 seconds on the clock.

Six minutes later Mbappé swept a glorious cross-field pass to Dembélé who cut inside ​and then outside a defender before blasting an angled shot past goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

Mbappé fed Dembélé again in the 20th minute and the Paris Saint-Germain forward gained a yard of space against his marker once ​again to score with a dipping shot.

Norway pulled a goal back almost immediately through Thelo Aasgaard before ​Dembélé became only the third France player to score a World Cup ​hat-trick – after Just Fontaine and Mbappé – by curling a low shot into the bottom corner in the 32nd.

It was the second-earliest hat-trick ever scored at a ​World Cup, behind Erich Probst who got three goals for Austria in 1954 against Czechoslovakia after 24 minutes.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Group standings

Jorgen Strand Larsen blew a chance to get Norway back into the game early in the second half when his soft penalty was saved by Mike Maignan.

Winger Oscar Bobb forced Maignan into another save as the Scandinavians exposed ⁠some vulnerability in their opponents’ back line before Désiré Doué got France’s fourth with a header from a cross by substitute ⁠Bradley Barcola in the ​dying moments.

Norway coach Solbakken said it had been a “no-brainer” to rest so many of his usual starters against France, including ⁠Haaland and Odegaard.

“The only argument for ​not doing what we did is that the fans in Norway and here could have seen Erling and Martin. But then it wouldn’t be a long World Cup, and that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “We’re here to go as far as possible.”

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

This weekend’s Diamond League track and field meeting in Paris will go ahead as planned despite the historic heat wave gripping the country and stretching emergency services, organizers said on Friday. Hours after Paris police authorities said they wanted the event canceled, the French athletics federation (FFA) confirmed that it would take place on Sunday at Charlety Stadium, in agreement with the police prefecture. Citing the exceptional heat that has affected Paris since June 21, the police prefecture had asked organizers of the meet, and other events scheduled this weekend including a music festival and a Pride march, to cancel.

The prefecture said it would be forced to comply with the order if they didn’t agree voluntarily as emergency services needed to concentrate their efforts on protecting the most vulnerable people.

Noah Lyle, Femke Bol and Mondo Duplantis are among the athletes expected to compete in Paris.

The FFA, which organizes the meet, said it would be staged in “an adapted format designed to ensure the safety of all participants.”

Only competitions involving professional athletes will be held, with all other activities cancelled.

“Since the beginning of this extreme weather event, the French Athletics Federation has been closely monitoring the situation in constant coordination with government authorities. The safety of athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials, spectators and all staff involved remains our highest priority,” the FFA said.

Among the measures put in place to mitigate the effects of the heat, the FFA cited delaying the opening of the stadium gates to the public, reinforcing medical and emergency services and providing additional drinking water stations and shaded areas.

The average temperature recorded at 30 weather stations by the Meteo France weather agency on Thursday reached 30 degrees C (86F) again, matching the record for the hottest day nationwide set the previous day.

More than three-quarters of France has been placed under a red weather alert for the first time.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Senegal ⁠crushed 10-man ​Iraq 5-0 on Friday to ​remain in the running for a place in the round of 32 and ​end ‌their opponents’ hopes ⁠of reaching the World Cup knockout stages.

The ‌West Africans enjoyed a dream start ⁠when Abdoulaye Seck’s header directed off teammate Habib Diarra and ​into the Iraqi net ‌in the fourth minute.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Group standings

Iraq went down a man in the 12th minute ‌when the referee decided after a VAR ​review to send off defender Rebin Sulaka for pulling down Sadio Mane ​as the Senegalese striker was ​through on goal.

Senegal, who ​ran riot after the break with goals by ​Ismaila Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye and a double from Pape Gueye, must wait to see if they will ⁠advance as one of the eight best ⁠third-placed ​teams.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Mbappé becomes France’s record scorer as Les Bleus down valiant Senegal

For all the fun of the new 48-team World Cup format so far, there is a sense that the tournament is a little too forgiving, with 32 teams surviving the initial group phase.

But there’s good news for those of you who need bit more cruelty with your sporting spectacle: That all ends after Saturday, when the new, and obviously larger and better (this is America after all) knockout phase begins Sunday with Canada facing South Africa.

Here’s everything you need to know about the business end of the World Cup, which begins to look a lot more like the playoff formats we know and love in American sports.

Who gets in?

Every team that finishes first or second in group play gets into the knockout phase. Of course, that would only be 24 teams, so in this expanded World Cup, the top eight third-place group finishers also receive a berth.

Those third-place teams are ranked by points they earn in their respective groups. For those finishing on the same number of points, the tiebreakers go in this order: Total goal difference, total goals scored, best discipline record (yellow and red cards), and then FIFA World Rankings.

The first- and second-place finishers have dedicated, pre-determined slots in the bracket. Those third-place teams that qualify are sorted into the remaining spots by that Ghanaian witch doctor who put a curse on Harry Kane.

OK, so they’re actually sorted by a complicated formula that merely feels like a creation of sorcery. But for American fans, the important thing to know is the U.S. men’s national team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara, Calif.

How does it work?

Unlike the group stage that may feel foreign to fans of American sports, this is good, old-fashioned, single-elimination knockout play. The winner moves on. The loser goes home, though the wealthier players might stop off for a confusingly unappealing vacation in July in South Florida.

Also, the bracket is completely fixed, similar to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournament, rather than the NFL, NBA or NHL Playoffs. There is no re-seeding after each round.

What if the match finishes tied?

In single-elimination matches in the World Cup and most other major competitions, teams play 30 minutes of extra time to decide a tie after 90. Teams switch ends after 15 minutes plus stoppage time, but it’s only a momentary pause.

Extra time is not a sudden-death format In other words, play continues after a goal, allowing a losing team to tie the match again or the winning team to add insurance.

For example, in the 1966 final, England defeated West Germany 4-2 in a final that was tied 2-2 after 90 minutes, and England’s fourth goal lives on as one of the most iconic moments in their national team history.

In the 2022 final, Argentina and France each scored in extra time before Argentina eventually won on penalties following an enthralling 3-3 draw.

The match goes to penalties if still tied after 120 minutes.

What happens in penalties?

Usually, Emi Martinez. Or Croatia.

Oh, the format. Each team takes five kicks from the spot, and the team that makes more moves on. If tied after five kicks, they go to a sixth, seventh, and so on in a manner similar to extra-inning baseball, where each team gets an additional attempt until there is a winner.

How long does this all take?

With the knockout phase doubled in size, there is an additional round and the process takes a little bit longer. The bracket and schedule is designed so that, at a minimum, every team has three off days between its last match and its next one (with the exception of the third-place match played a day before the World Cup final).

Unlike the NCAA Tournaments or the NFL Playoffs, the bracket so the games feel continuous. The first truly unscheduled day of the tournament won’t come until July 8. And there will only be five idle days in total until the final on July 19.

Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia will fight for their 2026 World Cup survival when they meet in Houston on Friday night. Cape Verde shocked the world by battling to a 0-0 draw with Spain in their opener, before battling to a 2-2 draw with Uruguay on Matchday 2. Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with Uruguay, but a 4-0 defeat to Spain left them in trouble. The Saudis need to beat Cape Verde to avoid an early elimination. A draw could be enough for Cape Verde to qualify for the Round of 32. 

Kickoff for Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia is 8 p.m. ET from Houston. The latest Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia odds from FanDuel Sportsbook list Cape Verde at +160 (risk $100 to win $160) on the 90-minute money line, with Saudi Arabia at +175 and a draw at +230. The over/under is 2.5 total goals. Before locking in any Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia picks or World Cup 2026 predictions, check out the Saudi Arabia vs. Cape Verde predictions from SportsLine’s Martin Green.

After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Last year, Green was profitable in multiple areas on his soccer betting picks, including the Champions League (+211.25) and Bundesliga (+100). He’s also been red-hot in 2026, posting an 18-8 record over his last 26 UCL picks, returning nearly $1,000 in profit. Additionally, he enters Friday on a 9-5 run (+382) on World Cup picks. Anyone wanting to follow his World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could see big returns.

Now, Green has studied Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia and just revealed his 2026 World Cup picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several World Cup odds and soccer betting lines for Saudi Arabia vs. Cape Verde:

Top Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia predictions

After examining Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia from every angle, Green is leaning Under 2.5 total goals (-150). The four games these two sides have already played at this World Cup split evenly on that number, Cape Verde’s scoreless draw with Spain and Saudi Arabia’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay both stayed under, while Cape Verde’s 2-2 with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia’s 4-0 loss to Spain both went well past it.

“Vozinha made eight saves to help Cape Verde shut out Spain, and Mohammed Al-Owais made nine in Saudi Arabia’s draw with Uruguay, so a quiet final score wouldn’t be a shock if either keeper has a similar night. Cape Verde sit level with Uruguay on two points, and a draw here could be enough to send them through if Spain beat Uruguay elsewhere in the group.” See Green’s best bets for Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia at SportsLine, and you can bet the Under in Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia at FanDuel here:

How to make Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia picks

After studying Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia from every angle, Green has found a critical x-factor and locked in a pair of best bets, including one that returns around +250. You can head to SportsLine to see what they are. 

So what are the best bets for Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, all from expert on an 18-8 roll on UCL picks, and find out.

Before coach Amir Ghalenoei or goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand answered any questions Thursday ahead of Iran’s World Cup match with Egypt, a FIFA official spoke up.

Daniel Marin, FIFA’s executive director of public relations, read a statement in light of the teams meeting in a “Pride Match” in Seattle on Friday. Egypt and Iran are two of the most repressive places in the world for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, but they coincidentally will play each other while the host city honours the LGBTQ+ community.

“This Islamic Republic of the Iran Football Federation has asked us to inform the media that they are only willing to answer questions in relation to the game,” Marin said. “We fully respect the right of all journalists to ask questions. In this case, we ask you respect the rights of the federation here today to only answer questions in relation to the team, the tactics, the match, and so on.” 
Nonetheless, Ghalenoei was peppered with questions about what will transpire inside Lumen Field and around the stadium on Friday.

In December, both countries asked for the Pride-themed celebrations to be cancelled. FIFA treats the rainbow flag as a statement of human rights and will allow fans to wave it inside the stadium, according to Hana Tadesse, a spokesperson for Seattle’s World Cup organising committee.

Ghalenoei said the team would focus on soccer. With a win, Iran could advance to the tournament’s knockout stage for the first time.

“I said to you earlier we are here to play football. For nothing else,” Ghalenoei said in response to a reporter’s question in Persian. “Our entire focus is going to be on tomorrow’s game, on succeeding in tomorrow’s game. And, anything else that is banned … we don’t want to speak about it. 

“We are only going to speak about football, what a beautiful game it is, and how enjoyable it’s going to be.” 
Iran has faced numerous complications off the field. The team has endured travel restrictions imposed by the US Department of Homeland Security in light of the war in Iran.

In March, Iran sought to move its group-stage matches to Mexico, with which it has diplomatic ties. Its request to move its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana was granted two weeks before the team’s arrival. Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from travelling into the US with the team.

For the first two matches, near Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before. The US then eased its restrictions, allowing the squad to travel to Seattle two days before Friday’s match.

Ghalenoei said the team is in a better position with its fitness as a result.

“This was a right that we should have had in the two previous games,” Ghalenoei said.

“They deprived us of the right to arrive in time. … What they did for us this time, they didn’t do for the two previous games.” 
Ghalenoei commended FIFA president Gianni Infantino for doing the “utmost” to “minimise the challenges” Iran has faced.

But on Friday, Iran is sure to be tested in multiple ways. Egypt is in first place in Group G, and Iran will try to focus strictly on its opponent.

“We are not going to think about what is going on outside of the pitch, because the game is going to be so arduous,” Ghalenoei said. “It is going to be so exciting that we are going to have our total focus on that. We are representatives of our great Iranian nation and great Iranian country, and football only. We are only focused on football, and nothing else.

India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted his side let the game slip despite making the ideal start with the ball as Ireland stunned the reigning T20 world champions by 34 runs in the opening T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.Leading India for the first time as full-time T20I captain, Iyer felt the bowlers executed their plans well in the early stages but failed to maintain the same discipline during the middle and death overs, allowing Ireland to recover from a precarious position. “I think initially, the bowlers were bowling well. They got lateral movement, and they got a couple of wickets as well. So we got a tremendous start, but in between, we lost execution. We made them hit straight down the ground, where we know that the dimensions are pretty small. But then, yeah, the bowlers, when we had to shut down the overs, they were brilliant as well. So I thought 140 would have been an amazing score considering the start that we got to chase. But nonetheless, it’s a great experience over here. We got to play in these conditions, got a fair idea about the wicket, and yeah, great start as a captain.”After reducing Ireland to 36/3 in the Powerplay, India allowed Lorcan Tucker, Gareth Delany and George Dockrell to turn the innings around as the hosts eventually posted 182/9. Delany and Dockrell’s assault on Prasidh Krishna in the death overs, including a 27-run over, proved decisive.Asked whether India’s long break had contributed to the defeat, Iyer acknowledged there was rust but insisted the team would quickly move on and focus on the series decider.“Yes, definitely. We’re going to forget what’s happened. Definitely a lot to learn from this game and see to it that we come out in the next game all guns blazing.”The India skipper reserved special praise for Harshit Rana, who impressed with figures of 3/24 in his return from injury, while also highlighting the value of Shivam Dube’s contribution with the ball.“Yes, certainly. They were getting help up front at the start, and Shivam, he has bowled crucial overs in the past. So I always back him, and I’ve played with him in the domestic circuit as well. I know his strengths and weaknesses. And Harshit Rana, he bowled phenomenal. Coming out of an injury to perform at this level and showcase this sort of talent, it’s simply brilliant.”India’s chase never gathered momentum despite Abhishek Sharma‘s explosive 20-ball fifty, with the visitors eventually bowled out for 148 as Ireland registered their first-ever win over India in any format.Reflecting on the defeat, Iyer urged his teammates not to become complacent and stressed the importance of capitalising whenever an opponent is under pressure.“I think you can’t take anything for granted. You can’t just turn up and win matches. You have to work hard and see to it that you’re in that moment. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ve got to stay in the present and see to it that if you’ve got that opportunity to squeeze the opponent, we’ve got to do that. And yeah, never take any moment or situation lightly.”Despite the disappointing result in his first match as India’s permanent T20I captain, Iyer made it clear the team is already focused on bouncing back.“Yes, looking forward to it.”

Shreyas Iyer (Pic credit: BCCI)

NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer’s first outing as India’s T20I captain ended on a disappointing note on Friday as Ireland stunned the reigning world champions by 34 runs in Belfast, consigning the Mumbai batter to an unwanted place in the record books.With the defeat, Iyer became only the fourth Indian captain to lose his maiden T20I in charge, joining an unfortunate list that includes Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill.Kohli’s first match as T20I captain ended in defeat against England at Kanpur in 2017. Pant suffered the same fate against South Africa in Delhi in 2022, while Gill’s captaincy debut ended with a loss to Zimbabwe in Harare in 2024. Iyer has now added his name to that list following Ireland’s historic victory.The result also marked Ireland’s first-ever win over India in men’s international cricket.

Indian captains losing their maiden T20I in charge

Historic return overshadowed by historic defeat

Ironically, Iyer had entered the match with a remarkable record already to his name.The 31-year-old returned to India’s T20I side after missing 63 consecutive matches since his previous appearance against Australia in December 2023 — the longest gap by any player before captaining a national team in T20 internationals.His captaincy debut also brought two more milestones. At 31 years and 202 days, he became the third-oldest player to make his T20I captaincy debut for India, behind Shikhar Dhawan and Suryakumar Yadav.Iyer also became the most experienced T20 captain before making his India captaincy debut, having led 114 T20 matches across franchise and domestic cricket, ahead of Rohit Sharma (80), Virat Kohli (72) and KL Rahul (42).

Ireland’s debutants steal the show

However, the records counted for little once the action began.Asked to bat first, Ireland recovered brilliantly from 51 for 4 to post 182 for 9, thanks to captain Lorcan Tucker’s fluent 50 and Gareth Delany’s 49.India’s chase never gained momentum despite Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 50. Ireland’s debutants proved to be the difference as India-born left-arm pacer Jai Moondra claimed 2 for 25, while Matt Hollard impressed with 3 for 28 to trigger a batting collapse.India were eventually bowled out for 148 with seven balls to spare, handing Ireland one of the greatest victories in their cricket history.