Facebook experienced a significant outage early Tuesday, leaving millions of users unable to access the social media platform and prompting widespread reports of service disruptions across its apps and website.

Downdetector, a website that tracks online service outages, began recording a sharp increase in user reports around 3:55 a.m. Eastern Time. Complaints included problems loading feeds, logging in and viewing content, affecting both the main Facebook platform and related services.

The outage appeared global in scope, with users from various regions reporting similar issues. Many turned to alternative platforms like X to share screenshots and confirm the problem was not isolated to their connections.

Meta Platforms Inc., Facebook’s parent company, has not yet issued a detailed statement on the cause or expected resolution time. Company spokespeople typically investigate such incidents internally before providing public updates.

This latest disruption highlights the growing reliance on social media platforms for communication, news and commerce. Facebook remains one of the world’s largest online networks, with billions of monthly active users who use it for staying connected with family, following news and engaging in communities.

Outages can have ripple effects beyond inconvenience. Businesses that rely on Facebook for advertising, customer service or sales may see temporary impacts. Individuals using the platform for personal updates or marketplace transactions also face interruptions.

Previous Meta outages have sometimes been linked to technical configuration errors, server issues or broader network problems. In 2021, a major incident took Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp offline for several hours, costing the company millions in lost revenue and drawing regulatory attention.

Tuesday’s event began in the early morning hours in the United States, potentially affecting users during peak activity periods in other time zones. Reports continued to accumulate as the morning progressed, though some users noted intermittent access later in the day.

Downdetector data showed the spike in problems centered on the website and mobile app, with fewer reports for Messenger in initial waves. The tool aggregates user-submitted issues and does not independently verify service status but provides a real-time snapshot of reported problems.

Social media users often react quickly to such events, sharing memes or switching to rival platforms. Tuesday’s outage prompted discussions about digital dependency and the need for more resilient infrastructure.

Meta has invested heavily in data centers and network redundancy to minimize downtime. However, the complexity of its global systems, which handle enormous data volumes daily, means occasional disruptions remain possible even with robust engineering.

For users, the outage served as a reminder of platform vulnerabilities. Many reported difficulty accessing groups, events or marketplace listings, while others noted impacts on work-related communications.

Facebook’s role in information dissemination makes outages particularly notable during times of news events or elections. While no major breaking story coincided with Tuesday’s incident, the timing amplified frustration among daily users.

Meta’s broader ecosystem includes Instagram and WhatsApp, which have experienced separate issues in the past. Coordinated outages across properties have occurred, though Tuesday appeared focused primarily on Facebook.

Company executives have emphasized reliability as a priority in earnings calls and public statements. Investments in artificial intelligence for content moderation and system optimization aim to improve overall stability.

The outage’s duration and root cause will likely be detailed in subsequent updates. Meta typically resolves such incidents within hours, though some have extended longer.

Users experiencing problems were advised to check internet connections, update apps or wait for service restoration. Clearing cache or trying different devices can sometimes resolve localized issues, though widespread outages require company-side fixes.

Downdetector’s real-time tracking has become a go-to resource for monitoring service health. Similar tools exist for other platforms, helping users distinguish between individual problems and systemic failures.

Broader context includes increasing scrutiny of big tech platforms’ reliability and market power. Regulators worldwide monitor incidents that affect large user bases, particularly when they impact communication during critical periods.

For businesses, Facebook outages underscore the importance of multichannel strategies. Relying solely on one platform for customer engagement carries risks, as Tuesday’s events demonstrated.

The incident also highlights ongoing debates about digital infrastructure resilience. As societies become more connected, the cost of downtime rises, prompting calls for greater redundancy and transparency from service providers.

Meta’s stock has faced volatility in response to various operational and regulatory challenges. Outages contribute to perceptions of execution risk, though the company’s overall financial performance has remained strong due to advertising revenue resilience.

Tuesday’s disruption affected users differently based on location and usage patterns. Morning commuters in some regions reported inability to check updates, while others in different time zones faced issues during peak evening hours.

Recovery appeared gradual, with reports of partial restoration for some users later in the morning. Full resolution typically involves rerouting traffic and addressing underlying technical triggers.

Meta has a dedicated team for incident response, drawing on lessons from previous events to minimize future occurrences. Post-incident reviews often lead to infrastructure improvements.

For the average user, such outages serve as temporary inconveniences but reinforce reliance on multiple communication channels. Many maintain presence on competing platforms as backups.

The event provides another data point in discussions about platform dominance and societal dependence on private infrastructure for public discourse. While Meta offers free services, the scale of impact when they falter raises questions about accountability.

As digital services evolve, expectations for uptime increase. Companies like Meta face pressure to deliver near-perfect reliability while innovating rapidly in areas like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

Tuesday’s outage, though significant, appears less severe than some historical incidents based on initial reports. Monitoring will continue as more details emerge about scope and duration.

Users are encouraged to stay informed through official channels or alternative news sources during such events. Meta typically posts updates on its platforms once service is restored.

The incident underscores the interconnected nature of modern communication. A problem at one major platform can prompt shifts in activity across the digital landscape.

Meta’s response and preventive measures will be watched closely by users, advertisers and regulators. Consistent reliability remains key to maintaining trust in its services.

As the day progressed, normal activity appeared to resume for many, though some lingering issues were reported in certain regions. Full analysis will require company confirmation.

Outages like this remind users of the fragility underlying seamless digital experiences. They also highlight the engineering challenges of maintaining global services at massive scale.

Meta continues to navigate a complex environment of technological innovation, user expectations and regulatory oversight. Tuesday’s events add to the ongoing narrative of its operational resilience.

Generative AI offers significant economic opportunities globally, with substantial potential gains projected by 2030. For countries to harness this, strong institutional, infrastructural, organizational, and ethical foundations are crucial.

Salesforce’s Asia Pacific Readiness Index reveals leading economies like Singapore, Japan, and China are implementing policies to capitalize on generative AI.

However, a growing readiness divide exists across the region. Success hinges on robust infrastructure, quality data, skilled workforces, ethical considerations, and seamless integration of AI technologies. The overall AI readiness in Asia-Pacific is advancing, with AI now a national priority driving economic growth and societal transformation.

• For countries to succeed in the age of generative AI, they need strong institutional, infrastructural, organizational and ethical foundations.
• In Asia-Pacific, economies such as Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia have put in place policies that should help them capture the opportunities offered by generative AI.
• That’s according to the latest Asia Pacific Readiness Index from Salesforce, which measures the AI readiness of 12 countries across the region.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an everyday reality for consumers, businesses and governments globally. The emergence and evolution of generative AI — technology that takes a set of data and uses it to create something new — accelerated in 2023. Across the world, consumers are using generative AI for daily information needs, and organizations are incorporating it into their operations.

As one of the most transformative technologies to date, generative AI helps users achieve new levels of creativity, productivity and effectiveness, and is changing the way governments and businesses are thinking about AI. A recent study found that two-thirds (67%) of IT leaders are prioritizing generative AI for their business within the next 18 months, with one-third (33%) claiming it as a top priority. Similarly, 72% of companies surveyed say they will significantly increase their investments in AI over the next three years.

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A short-lived ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed in mid-July, plunging the Strait of Hormuz back into crisis and sending global oil prices sharply higher as Washington reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian ports and both sides resumed military strikes across the Gulf region.

The renewed escalation began over the weekend of July 12-13, when U.S. forces carried out strikes on more than 80 targets inside Iran, according to reporting on the collapse of the June 17 ceasefire. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by moving to reassert control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies and about 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas typically pass.

President Trump announced on Truth Social on July 13 that the United States would reimpose its naval blockade against Iran and initially said the U.S. would charge every vessel using the strait a 20% toll on its cargo, a proposal that drew immediate pushback. The International Maritime Organization rejected the fee idea within hours of Trump’s announcement, with IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez saying the organization has “always been consistent” in opposing charges for passage through international straits. The U.S. Treasury Department separately warned that anyone paying Iran for safe passage through Hormuz would risk violating U.S. sanctions, describing such payments as “maritime extortion.” Trump ultimately abandoned the cargo fee demand on July 15, even as the broader blockade and military campaign continued.

U.S. Central Command confirmed the blockade formally took effect at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, July 14, targeting vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas. That same day, the U.S. military launched additional airstrikes against Iran, with Centcom describing a seven-hour operation involving fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels that struck missile facilities, drone production sites, naval assets and coastal defense systems along Iran’s coastline. In a social media statement following that operation, Centcom Commander Brad Cooper said Iran had “intentionally” targeted civilians over the preceding week, accusing Tehran’s forces of attacking seven commercial vessels and leaving roughly a dozen crew members dead, missing or injured.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has continued targeting commercial shipping in the strait throughout the renewed conflict, including attacks on two supertankers that were transiting Hormuz with their transponders switched off. The United Arab Emirates’ state oil company, ADNOC, reported that two of its own tankers were struck by projectiles while passing through the waterway, an attack that killed one mariner and injured several others. Iran has also demanded that vessels use a northern shipping route through its own territorial waters, asserting a claim of control over the strait that the United States and its allies have rejected, insisting instead on the continued use of a southern corridor through Omani waters that remains protected by the U.S. military.

The renewed hostilities have taken a severe toll on shipping traffic through the strait. According to tracking data cited by TheStreet, only six vessels crossed Hormuz during a 12-hour window on July 11, reflecting how sharply traffic collapsed as the ceasefire broke down. Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Financial, said Iranian efforts to control the strait would likely keep shipping traffic below half of pre-war levels for an extended period. Despite the disruption, the U.S. Energy Department told CNBC that 8.5 million barrels of oil still transited the strait on a single day, Sunday, July 12, even amid the ongoing hostilities, underscoring that the waterway has not been fully closed despite the severe drop in overall traffic.

Oil markets reacted sharply to the renewed conflict. Brent crude futures jumped 9.6% on July 14 to close at $83.30 a barrel, marking the international benchmark’s best single-day performance since May 2020, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 9.4% to settle at $78.14. Prices climbed further the following day, with Brent gaining another 1.72% to close at $84.73 and WTI rising 1.5% to $79.34, as the U.S. military launched additional strikes against Iran while simultaneously enforcing the reimposed blockade. Patrick De Haan, an analyst at GasBuddy, said he expected the national average price of gasoline in the U.S. to reach $4 a gallon within seven to ten days, with retailers beginning to pass along the increases within 24 to 48 hours of the initial price spike.

By the weekend of July 18-19, signs emerged that the situation may be stabilizing somewhat, even as the underlying conflict remained unresolved. President Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz was open. Maritime intelligence firm Windward tracked nine ships that transited the strait on Saturday, and the Joint Maritime Information Center, a U.S.-led naval coalition based in Bahrain that provides security guidance to civilian shipping in the region, confirmed that the southern route through Omani waters remained open to both inbound and outbound traffic. Even so, the center cautioned in a Sunday notice that the overall security situation in Hormuz “remains severe,” urging mariners to exercise “extreme vigilance” while transiting the waterway.

The current standoff traces back to the broader 2026 Iran war, which began on February 28 following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military targets, including the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The conflict has produced a cycle of escalation and de-escalation in the months since, including an earlier U.S. naval blockade of Iran that ran from April 13 to June 18, followed by the brief ceasefire that collapsed in mid-July, triggering the current wave of strikes and renewed blockade enforcement.

With Trump maintaining that the strait remains open and traffic slowly resuming along the protected southern corridor, but with Iran continuing to contest control of the waterway and the underlying military conflict still active, energy analysts and shipping firms said they expect continued volatility in both oil markets and Gulf maritime traffic in the days ahead, with the durability of the current, tenuous stability likely to hinge on whether renewed diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran can produce another lasting ceasefire.

The Nifty oscillated in a 367.30-point range, moving between 24,000.20 and 24,367.30 before ending the week with gains. India VIX rose 7.35% to 13.15, indicating a modest pickup in implied volatility after remaining subdued for the past several weeks. The headline index concluded the week with a gain of 127.40 points (+0.53%).

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The broader technical structure remains positive despite the absence of strong directional momentum. More importantly, the Nifty has once again defended the 23,800–24,000 zone, reinforcing it as a crucial support area and the immediate base for the ongoing recovery. While the index has been stabilising, it has now opened up room for an extension of the rebound towards the 24,500 zone, where it is likely to encounter the 100-week moving average, making it an important hurdle on the upside. Unless the index slips decisively below the 23,800 level, the current recovery structure is likely to remain intact. A sustained move above 24,500 would be required to further improve the medium-term technical outlook and revive stronger upside momentum.

The markets are likely to begin the coming week on a stable note while maintaining a positive undertone. Immediate resistance is expected at 24,500, followed by 24,780. On the downside, 24,000 and 23,800 will act as important support levels, with the latter remaining the key line of defence for the bulls.

The weekly RSI stands at 51.49 and remains neutral, without showing any bullish or bearish divergence against price. The weekly MACD is above its signal line. The latest candle has formed a small-bodied bullish candle, reflecting continued accumulation after recent stabilisation rather than any decisive breakout.

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Pattern analysis shows that the index continues to recover after successfully holding the lower boundary of its broader trading structure. The repeated defence of the 23,800–24,000 support zone lends greater technical significance to this area and strengthens the probability of a continued pullback. However, the recovery is now approaching a technically important supply zone near 24,500, where the 100-week moving average is placed. This convergence of resistance is likely to make the 24,500 area a decisive technical hurdle.
For the week ahead, market participants should continue to maintain a balanced approach. The successful defence of the key support area has improved the short-term outlook, but the index is now approaching an important resistance cluster that may trigger intermittent profit-taking.Fresh aggressive buying should ideally be reserved for stocks exhibiting strong relative strength and improving technical setups rather than chasing index moves near resistance. As long as the Nifty remains above 24,000, the recovery bias is likely to persist. However, traders should stay selective and adopt a stock-specific approach while closely monitoring price behaviour around the 24,500 zone, which is likely to dictate the market’s next directional move.

The Relative Rotation Graph (RRG) shows that the Nifty Realty, Pharma, Media, and Midcap 100 indices are inside the leading quadrant. The Nifty Midcap and Media indices are showing a paring of relative momentum; these groups are collectively likely to outperform the broader Nifty 500 Index.

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The Nifty Energy, Infrastructure, and Metal indices are inside the weakening quadrant. They may show a slowdown in their overall relative performance.

The Nifty PSE Index has rolled inside the lagging quadrant. Along with the Nifty Auto Index, it is set to relatively underperform the broader Nifty 500 Index. The Nifty IT and PSU Bank indices are also inside the lagging quadrant, but they are seen improving their relative momentum against the broader markets.

The Nifty Services and Financial Services Sector indices have rolled into the improving quadrant. The Bank Nifty is also in the improving quadrant.

Note: RRG charts show the relative strength and momentum of a group of stocks. In the above chart, they show relative performance against the NIFTY500 Index (broader markets) and should not be used directly as buy or sell signals.

Argentina and Spain meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the 2026 World Cup final, and according to prediction markets and sportsbooks alike, Lionel Messi’s bid to lead Argentina to a second consecutive title comes in as the underdog, with most odds putting his team’s chances of winning at roughly 42%.

According to prediction market Kalshi, where betting volume on the final has surpassed $1.3 billion, Spain holds a 58.7% chance of winning the tournament, compared with 42.4% for Argentina. That gap has remained fairly consistent across multiple sportsbooks in the days leading up to kickoff. BetMGM opened Spain as a -175 favorite to lift the trophy, with Argentina priced as a +125 underdog. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Spain at -148 to win the Cup, with Argentina at +129. Across eight sportsbooks tracked ahead of the match, every operator lists Spain as the favorite in regulation time, though the size of that edge varies depending on the book, with the draw and Argentina’s price generally staying close together, a signal that oddsmakers expect a tight, low-scoring contest rather than a lopsided result.

Spain’s status as favorite stems largely from its defensive record through the tournament. La Roja have conceded just once in seven matches, a stretch that includes wins over Portugal in the round of 16, Belgium in the quarterfinals, and a 2-0 victory over France in Tuesday’s semifinal, secured through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty. Spain also enters Sunday’s final riding a 37-match unbeaten streak dating back to last September, a run that spans both World Cup qualifying and the tournament itself, during which the team has posted 13 wins and four draws while allowing just four goals total.

Argentina, by contrast, has taken a far more dramatic path to the final. Lionel Scaloni’s side opened the tournament with three straight group-stage wins over Algeria, Austria and Jordan, before facing a series of tense knockout-round tests. Argentina trailed Egypt by two goals in the round of 16 before rallying to win 3-2, then defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals. In Wednesday’s semifinal against England, Argentina appeared headed for elimination until Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez scored a stoppage-time winner off a Messi assist, completing a stunning 2-1 comeback. Despite conceding more goals than Spain throughout the tournament, Argentina has outscored opponents 19-7 overall and has found the net in every single match it has played, a streak analysts have pointed to as one of the team’s most reliable traits heading into the final.

At the center of the matchup is the individual duel between Messi, 39, and Spain’s 19-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, a storyline that has followed the tournament from its earliest previews. The two are meeting on a World Cup pitch for the first time, adding another chapter to a connection that traces back to a widely circulated photograph, shared by Yamal’s father, showing a young Messi cradling a six-month-old Yamal years before either knew what the moment would come to represent.

Messi enters the final still tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé for the tournament’s scoring lead at eight goals, though Messi currently holds the Golden Boot on the tiebreaker of assists, having recorded one more than Mbappé. Should Argentina win the final and Messi finish with the most goals or the tiebreaker advantage intact, he would become just the fifth player in the tournament’s history to win both the World Cup and the Golden Boot in the same edition. FanDuel currently lists Messi’s odds to score anytime during the final at +150, the shortest anytime-goalscorer price on the board, reflecting bookmakers’ expectation that he remains Argentina’s most likely source of offense even at this stage of his career.

Betting analysts covering the match have offered a range of predictions. Squawka’s model, which the outlet said had produced a 71% hit rate across 99 settled predictions through the tournament’s semifinals, forecasts a narrow 2-1 Spain win, with both teams scoring and Messi finding the net at some point in the match. CBS Sports betting analyst Martin Green, working off a hot recent streak, said he is leaning toward the match staying under 2.5 total goals, citing Spain’s stingy defensive record while still cautioning against underestimating Argentina’s resilience. “You have to admire Argentina’s never-say-die attitude,” Green said. “They’re also always in with a chance of winning any game when they have Messi in attack.”

Not every prediction favors a low-scoring Spain win. Yahoo Sports’ betting preview pointed to history working in Argentina’s favor when it comes to how these matches tend to unfold, noting that four of the last five World Cup finals have required extra time to settle, and predicting Sunday’s match will likewise remain deadlocked through 90 minutes, forecasting a 1-1 draw in regulation. That analysis argued that while Spain has been the tournament’s best overall team, the gap may not be wide enough to make Spain a true 90-minute favorite against an Argentina side built specifically to thrive in high-pressure, close-margin moments.

Statistically, Argentina holds a narrow edge in several underlying performance metrics despite entering as the betting underdog, including a tournament-leading 91% passing accuracy, a 55% share of possession across its matches, and a 17% shot-conversion rate, marks that edge out Spain’s own numbers in those same categories, according to tournament data. A win for Argentina would make it the first nation to successfully defend a World Cup title since Brazil in 1962, while a Spain victory would deliver the country its second championship, following its lone previous title in 2010.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Eastern time Sunday at MetLife Stadium, with the match broadcast on Fox and Telemundo in the United States. Weather conditions for the final are expected to be favorable, with forecasts calling for a high near 83 degrees, a mix of sun and clouds, light winds and only a modest chance of rain, setting the stage for what oddsmakers, analysts and fans alike expect to be one of the more tightly contested finals in recent World Cup history.

Kylian Mbappé has taken a commanding lead in the race for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, scoring twice in France’s 6-4 third-place playoff win over England on Friday to push his tournament tally to 10 goals, putting him two clear of Argentina’s Lionel Messi with only Sunday’s final remaining on the tournament calendar.

Mbappé’s brace against England, coming in the 48th and 66th minutes of a wild, back-and-forth match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, extended his tournament-leading total and effectively completed his scoring campaign for the summer, since France’s elimination in Tuesday’s semifinal loss to Spain means Friday’s third-place playoff marked the French star’s final match of the tournament. Messi, by contrast, still has one match left to add to his total when Argentina faces Spain in Sunday’s championship final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Heading into that final, Messi sits on eight goals, tied for second on the tournament’s scoring list alongside no other player at that exact total, with England’s Jude Bellingham sitting third after his own dramatic stoppage-time goal against France pushed his tally to seven. To catch Mbappé and claim the Golden Boot outright, Messi would need to score at least two goals in Sunday’s final to draw level with Mbappé’s total of 10, and a third goal would be required to move ahead of the French forward outright. Should the two finish tied on goals, FIFA’s official tiebreaker rules would then come into play, first counting total assists across the tournament, and if still tied, awarding the honor to whichever player logged fewer total minutes on the field.

Messi currently holds an edge in that assist tiebreaker regardless of Sunday’s outcome, having recorded four assists so far in the tournament compared with three for Mbappé. That means if Messi manages to score exactly two goals in the final to draw level with Mbappé at 10, Messi would likely still claim the Golden Boot on the strength of his superior assist total, barring a change in either player’s underlying statistics before FIFA finalizes the award. If Messi finishes with fewer than 10 goals, however, Mbappé’s two-goal cushion built up in Friday’s third-place match would be enough to secure the award outright regardless of the assist tiebreaker, since Golden Boot rules prioritize total goals scored above all secondary criteria.

Mbappé’s tournament has featured a mix of clinical finishing and high-profile moments throughout France’s run to the semifinals. He opened his account with two goals against Sweden in the round of 32, converted a penalty in a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16, and scored again in France’s quarterfinal win over Morocco before Tuesday’s semifinal loss to Spain, in which he was held scoreless as Spain’s defense limited France to just two shots on target across the match. Friday’s third-place playoff against England proved to be Mbappé’s most productive single match of the tournament, with his two goals sandwiched around goals from teammates Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, as France briefly erased a 4-2 deficit before England’s Bukayo Saka completed a hat-trick and Bellingham delivered the winning goal with the last kick of the match.

Messi’s path to eight goals has been built around a mix of early tournament dominance and clutch, late-match contributions during Argentina’s more difficult knockout-round tests. He scored a hat-trick against Algeria in the group stage, added a brace against Austria that pushed his career World Cup goal total past Germany’s Miroslav Klose to make him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer, and continued contributing throughout the knockout rounds, including a crucial equalizer against Egypt in the round of 16 as Argentina rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2. Notably, Messi did not add to his goal total in Wednesday’s semifinal against England, instead recording two assists as he set up both of Argentina’s late goals in a dramatic 2-1 comeback win, a performance that boosted his assist total and, by extension, his current tiebreaker advantage over Mbappé.

A Golden Boot win Sunday would mark a first for Messi’s decorated career, adding a new honor to a trophy case that already includes eight Ballon d’Or awards and the 2022 World Cup title. Mbappé, by contrast, has already claimed the Golden Boot once before, winning the award at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after scoring a hat-trick in that tournament’s final against Argentina, even though France ultimately lost that match to Messi’s Argentina side on penalties.

Prediction markets tracking the tournament’s individual awards have generally favored Mbappé to claim this year’s Golden Boot given his current two-goal cushion and the fact that his tournament has already concluded, removing any uncertainty about further scoring opportunities. Messi’s path to the award now depends entirely on his performance in a single match against a Spanish defense that has conceded just once across seven games this tournament, the stingiest defensive record of any team remaining in the competition.

Beyond the two frontrunners, no other player realistically remains in contention for the Golden Boot heading into the final. Norway’s Erling Haaland finished his tournament with seven goals following his team’s earlier elimination, while Bellingham’s seven goals from Friday’s third-place match leave him mathematically tied with Haaland but with no further matches remaining to add to his total. France’s Ousmane Dembélé and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal round out the next tier of contenders with five goals apiece, both already finished for the tournament as well.

With Mbappé’s tournament now complete and his total locked in at 10 goals, Sunday’s final effectively serves as a one-man race for Messi, who will need a big performance against Spain not only to help Argentina defend its title but also to have any realistic chance of adding the Golden Boot to what is widely expected to be his final World Cup appearance.

Kuwait International Airport is open and operating today, with Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways running flights out of Terminals 4 and 5, though Terminal 1 remains closed indefinitely following structural damage sustained during a drone strike earlier this year.

The airport’s current status reflects the tail end of a turbulent recovery that began on February 28, when all flights to and from Kuwait International Airport were suspended following the closure of Kuwaiti airspace amid the broader outbreak of conflict between the United States and Iran. That closure lasted for months as the region navigated repeated waves of military escalation, before airlines began a phased return to service in the spring.

Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways resumed operations from Terminals 4 and 5 on April 26, restoring a baseline level of connectivity even as the airport’s broader infrastructure remained under repair. Terminal 1 briefly reopened on June 1, allowing some non-Kuwaiti carriers to resume flying through the facility for the first time since the closure began. That reopening, however, proved short-lived. Terminal 1 suffered more serious structural damage, including a partial roof collapse, during a subsequent strike on June 3, rendering the facility unsafe for passenger operations and forcing officials to close it once again. That second closure has remained in effect since, and no confirmed reopening date has been announced.

The damage to Terminal 1 traces back to a broader campaign of drone and missile strikes that targeted Kuwait International Airport between late February and June, part of Iran’s wider pattern of strikes against Persian Gulf states during the conflict. Those attacks caused damage across multiple parts of the airport’s infrastructure, including its radar installation, according to reporting on the airport’s recovery. Terminal 3 at the airport remains permanently closed, unrelated to the recent conflict, while Terminal 2, a separate facility under construction, was also targeted during the strikes, though officials have said the damage did not affect that project’s planned completion timeline.

Kuwait’s civil aviation authorities have emphasized a cautious, staged approach to restoring full airport operations rather than rushing to reopen all facilities simultaneously. Sheikh Hamoud Mubarak Al Sabah, chairman of Kuwait’s General Civil Aviation Authority, said earlier this year that the phased reopening process was being coordinated closely with domestic and international authorities to ensure operations resumed in line with the highest safety and security standards.

With Terminal 1 out of service, Terminals 4 and 5 have absorbed additional passenger traffic that would normally flow through the closed facility. Officials have described the airport’s overall trajectory as positive despite the setback, with foreign carriers gradually resuming Kuwait service even as Terminal 1’s closure continues limiting the airport’s total capacity. Renewed regional tension has continued to complicate that recovery at points. Kuwait reported fresh air-defense activity amid renewed missile and drone threats on July 9, a reminder that the broader security situation in the Gulf, while significantly calmer than earlier in the year, has not been entirely free of additional scares even as the airport has worked to stabilize operations.

Looking further ahead, Kuwait continues advancing a major long-term expansion of its aviation infrastructure separate from the immediate Terminal 1 repair effort. A new Terminal 2, designed by the architecture firm Foster + Partners, remains under construction and is targeted for completion in the final quarter of 2026. The project, structured around a triangular building design, is expected to add dozens of additional gates, thousands of new parking spaces and an air-side hotel once finished, significantly expanding the airport’s overall passenger handling capacity to more than 25 million travelers annually. That expansion has faced its own delays over the years, initially tied to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, to an Iranian drone strike that caused minor damage to the construction site without affecting the project’s planned completion timeline.

Travelers with flights booked through Kuwait International Airport are strongly advised to confirm their specific flight details directly with their airline before heading to the airport, given how frequently conditions have shifted throughout 2026. Passengers flying with Kuwait Airways should expect to depart from Terminal 4, while those flying with Jazeera Airways will use Terminal 5. Anyone whose itinerary was originally booked through Terminal 1 should check with their airline regarding rebooking, alternate terminal arrangements, or refund options, since that facility remains offline with no confirmed date for restoring passenger operations.

Kuwait’s aviation authorities have continued monitoring the security situation closely, particularly given the renewed air-defense alerts reported earlier this month. While the airspace closure that grounded flights for much of the spring has long since been lifted, and the region has moved from an initial ceasefire toward what officials describe as a broader, more durable peace following the conflict, the continued closure of Terminal 1 stands as the most visible remaining sign of the disruption Kuwait’s aviation sector experienced earlier this year.

For now, the practical answer for travelers is straightforward: Kuwait International Airport is open today, and flights are operating through Terminals 4 and 5 without disruption tied to the earlier conflict. But the airport has not yet returned to its full pre-conflict capacity, and the continued uncertainty surrounding Terminal 1’s reopening, combined with the possibility of renewed regional tension affecting operations on short notice, means travelers should treat any planned trip through Kuwait with the same degree of caution and flexibility that has characterized air travel across much of the Gulf region throughout 2026.

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