Things in Italy are worse than we thought.

That was one of the less expected but nonetheless obvious takeaways from the United States’ eminently comfortable 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night in the round of 32 at the World Cup.

Because somehow, this very pedestrian Bosnian team got into the World Cup at Italy’s expense.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side deserve credit for not making the match harder than it had to be, even with Folarin Balogun’s unfortunate red card.

That’s far from a given at a World Cup, even for the big boys. Just ask Spain, which settled for a draw in its opening match against Cape Verde, or England, which had to fight from 1-0 down against DR Congo for their round of 32 win.

And it was particularly impressive that the Americans didn’t appear rattled by Balogun’s 65th-minute dismissal, even if it meant they would have a bit less of the ball in the late going.

But if you were going to describe Bosnia’s attacking desire after going behind, you might liken it to their attitude toward possessing Adriatic coastline. Sure, they have a little. Other countries have a lot more.

That Italy lost a World Cup qualifying playoff to this pedestrian outfit — even on penalties — is truly a damning indictment of the part of the physical and intellectual soccer world that calls it Calcio.

Yet maybe that’s fitting in a tournament where it feels like the whole Italian way of playing (read: aggressively conservative) is going by the wayside.

Bosnia may have out-Catenaccioed the Azzurri to reach their second World Cup, with the help of penalties and a first-half red card to Alessandro Bastoni in their playoff pathway final. But their progression to the knockout phase came primarily because of an exceptionally friendly group draw that featured zero opponents in the top 15 of the FIFA World Rankings, and only one in the top 25.

Ecuador entered as a popular dark-horse pick among pundits after their 19-match unbeaten run, despite scoring only once in their last five qualifying matches. They left as a fully exposed fraud that had leaned far too long on the 36-year-old Enner Valencia as a primary attacking threat.

And for all the pleasantness of their fans, Scotland were punished for their particularly dour tactics under now-former manager Steve Clarke, when they boasted a squad that should’ve been capable of more imagination.

Conversely, the game’s attacking stars are seemingly all enjoying banner tournaments, led by Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, who have an astonishing 22 goals between them.

The Americans don’t have anyone on that level. But they do have enough talent collectively that, under the right guidance, they can express a vision of the game that collectively mirrors the artistry and optimism conjured by those individuals.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has provided the necessary combination of structure and freedom, and they’ve responded so far, albeit against relatively limited opposition.

Other sides have also been rewarded for similar adventurousness. Even the upstart surprises that have exceeded expectations — like Cape Verde and DR Congo — have done so by offering more in the way of attacking endeavor than many expected.

For the Americans, the challenges will quickly ramp up in difficulty. Belgium looms next in the round of 16, and heavily fancied Spain could be after that in a potential quarterfinal. And win or lose, it will begin to feel more like the World Cups of recent past vintage that we’re more familiar with.

Just without Italy in the picture. And based on the evidence available, that’s probably for the best.

CommBank Stadium will play host to Friday’s
Round 18 NRL game between Penrith Panthers and
South Sydney Rabbitohs. The game kicks off at 8:00 pm with Penrith Panthers heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Penrith Panthers vs.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Friday July 3, 2026 at 8:00 pm

Where: CommBank Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Odds

Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Preview

Penrith returns from the State of Origin period looking to strengthen its push towards the top four when it meets South Sydney at CommBank Stadium on Friday night. The Panthers have welcomed several representative stars back into the side, while the Rabbitohs continue to battle through an injury-interrupted campaign despite gradually regaining key personnel. Cody Walker remains the focal point of South Sydney’s attack and will again carry much of the creative burden, but Penrith’s defensive system is well equipped to limit his influence. Brian To’o also looms as a major threat out wide after missing Origin selection, with the powerful winger likely eager to make a statement. With both sides chasing valuable competition points ahead of the run home, a physical contest is expected.

Each year, 250+ college prospects are drafted by NFL teams and another 500+ are signed as undrafted free agents. These roster candidates are provided by 800+ college football programs from coast-to-coast. 93 percent of NFL 53-man active rosters came from NCAA FBS schools in 2025.

According to drafthistory.com, Notre Dame (538) has had the most players drafted, followed by USC (533), Ohio State (500), and Michigan and Alabama (521). Since 2020, Georgia leads the pack with 70, then comes Alabama (63), Ohio State (61), Michigan (58) and LSU (57).

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It’s fair to say that the Rams aren’t on the “big name programs” bandwagon, but they do follow closely behind. L.A.’s scouting braintrust does a good job of scouring the top conferences without relying too heavily on particular schools. You can see that by studying the Rams preseason roster for the upcoming 2026 season.

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The eyes of the world are, once again, glued to the World Cup. Overwhelmingly, they are on Lionel Messi’s goal-scoring record, a Cape Verdean goalkeeper who shot to fame or viral clips of fans.

It’s a familiar and understandable diversion of attention from the issues that dominated the buildup. Many Argentine fans were denied visas to attend the tournament and see Messi make history, Vozinha’s mother was only granted a visa bond waiver to the country after her son’s heroics for Cape Verde, and those fans seen on TV are often the lucky few rich enough to afford outrageous ticket prices.

Infantino, Trump relationship has eroded FIFA trust

Several factors have contributed to growing frustration with FIFA.

The decision to award US President Donald Trump FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize last December, shortly before Trump started a war with tournament participant Iran, was reportedly a unilateral move by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and has further eroded trust both within and outside the organization.

FIFA employ a rotation policy for World Cup hosting — that means each confederation should host a tournament in turn, with the exception of Oceania, which lacks the facilities since Australia began playing in Asian competition. But with matches in the 2030 World Cup scheduled in Europe, Africa and South America, that cleared the way for Saudi Arabia to be awarded the 2034 tournament unchallenged and much earlier than Asia would otherwise have been due, in 2042.

With Infantino set to exceed the usual presidential term limit of 12 years, again likely unopposed, frustration with FIFA is at an all-time high, according to many observers. But can anything be done?

How does FIFA maintain its power?

FIFA is responsible for the game’s global development but also acts as its commercial operator, a system many governance experts have questioned.

The World Cup is its key financial driver, though the recently revamped and expanded Club World Cup is now another key contributor. That competition has led to widespread complaints from players and player unions about a congested calendar that makes unreasonable demands.

“I don’t think the players are listened to that much, if I’m totally honest,” said Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane last year.

Structurally, each of the 211 member nations (which sit in six continental federations), gets a single vote for the president every four years. These member associations are then financially rewarded, to a greater or lesser degree, through various schemes and programs.

“The commercial dimension is the bedrock of FIFA’s system of power. The money is used by the presidents to accumulate and consolidate their power,” Miguel Maduro, a former chairman of FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, told DW. He was dismissed from the post in 2017 after attempting to enforce political neutrality rules regarding Russia.

“It’s what supports the system of patronage through which presidents reward those loyal to them and punish anyone that dares criticize anything. It explains why incumbent presidents are never challenged and stay in power indefinitely.”

Can politics and the EU force FIFA to change?

Like Maduro, Nick McGeehan, of human rights NGO FairSquare, agrees that any reform would have to be imposed upon FIFA. And with individual member nations not incentivized or able to drive change, he is calling on the European Union to take up the fight.

“It requires political intervention. There is no other way to fix FIFA,” he told DW.

“I think the most obvious example would be the European Union, who could regulate and govern sport the way they regulate other things like Big Tech.”

FairSquare have filed a complaint with the Investigatory Chamber to the FIFA Ethics Committee over Infantino’s dealings with Trump while, separately, fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and advocacy group Euroconsumers filed a complaint about ticket prices to the European Commission shortly before the World Cup.

A commission spokesperson would not be drawn on whether the EU might take on FIFA, telling DW only that the FSE and Euroconsumers complaint was being dealt with “in line with our standard procedures.”

Asked whether they might intervene in the various questionable World Cup ticket practices, the spokesperson went on to confirm that EU laws “do not regulate the price levels for goods and services, such as event tickets.” But added that: “Traders must adequately inform consumers about the total price of their offers and avoid misleading commercial practices, such as making attractive starting price claims for tickets that are not available or pressure-selling techniques while consumers wait in the virtual queue.”

Though definitive political action is so far thin on the ground, McGeehan retains hope.

“There is going to be a politician somewhere who recognizes the political value of taking people on and actually trying to hold them accountable. And I find that quite an exciting prospect, because I think it’s inevitable right now.”

Might UEFA and FIFA tensions force a breakaway?

While it operates under FIFA’s umbrella, there are simmering tensions between FIFA and the powerful European federation, UEFA. They were laid bare in UEFA’s hiring of Somalian referee Omar Artan for the Super Cup final, days after he’d been refused entry to the US to officiate at the World Cup.

“Football is made to connect people,” said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.

Last year, UEFA delegates walked out of the FIFA Congress, accusing Infantino of prioritizing “private political interests” after turning up late from a diplomatic tour of the Middle East alongside Trump.

“There are tensions between UEFA and FIFA, and UEFA are a huge confederation and have the ear of some of the biggest and the most historic footballing nations. So if there was any form of breakaway within football it would have to come from UEFA or a number of UEFA nations getting together,” Geoff Walters, a professor in sports business at the University of Liverpool in the UK, told DW.

“But it’s hard in the context of football politics to put your head above that parapet because you get shot down. If you do say something, then what does it mean? Is it going to harm your chances of hosting competitions, which can be beneficial? Does it mean that you are ostracized from the international community?”

Germany serve as an example of this. After team members covered their mouths in a political gesture at their first match in Qatar in 2022, the team and federation have rowed back on their support of political causes, possibly with a hosting bid for World Cup 2034 or 2038 in mind.

UEFA themselves had to deal with the threat of an elite-club-driven breakaway Super League in 2021 and the legal issues that followed. Maduro said the organization “suffers from that same governance flaws as FIFA, albeit in a less obvious and radical manner.”

What’s in a FIFA breakaway for the rest of the world?

UEFA’s standing with the rest of the world’s federations may also have been weakened by Ceferin’s reported recent comments that the expanded World Cup makes a lot of matches “completely uninteresting.” A coalition of 13 football associations from Africa and Asia said they “firmly reject” the comments reported by Zurnal24 online newspaper in Ceferin’s native Slovenia.

The prestige and power of Europe and South America, particularly Brazil and Argentina, is also not as strong as it may seem compared to Infantino’s power base in Asia and Africa. Walters said this is another reason why a breakaway appears a distant possibility.

“If it was spearheaded by leading nations, what would happen to the smaller nations across the world? What would happen to their ability to develop football in their countries?

“That’s part of the challenge with global sport that we’re seeing, not just in the context of the World Cup, but in the context of a lot of sporting leagues, where you are seeing the bigger teams starting to look to push and break away. They want to maintain the largest slice of the pie, of the commercial income and revenues that are coming into that sport,” he said.

Is FIFA reaching areas others can’t?

While many others have questioned those commercial motivations, Infantino has insisted they are for the greater good.

“Every dollar we generate goes back into football,” he told reporters on the eve of the tournament on June 10. “If we were selling our TV rights to pay-TV, like everyone else, we would generate four times as much revenue. And we could give all the tickets away, but they would still end up on the black market.

“As FIFA president we have to strike a balance. We invest in countries where no one else does — South Sudan, Bhutan. No one else is doing this.”

For now, that much is true. In football terms, no one else has the remit or the money. And, given how deeply FIFA is entrenched within the sport, the chances of a breakaway seem slim.

Although discontent has rarely been higher, unless a federation, alliance of countries or prominent individual grasps the nettle, the chances of reform seem only marginally less slim than before.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

Gervonta Davis has been named as the most desirable opponent for another American star, even if his ring return continues to hang in the balance.

The 31-year-old has not fought since March 2025, back when he retained his WBA world lightweight title with a controversial draw against Lamont Roach.

After that, ‘Tank’ was in negotiations for an immediate rematch with Roach before turning his attention towards a more lucrative exhibition match with Jake Paul.

This was supposed to take place last November, only for Davis to be removed from the event following accusations of domestic violence.

Having now been made WBA ‘champion in recess’, the American finally appears to be plotting a comeback fight, quite possibly against WBO world welterweight champion Devin Haney.

News emerged towards the end of last month that the respective teams of Davis and Haney are in talks, despite the latter having been ordered to face mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis.

Following his title-winning triumph against Brian Norman Jr in November, ‘The Dream’ has seemingly passed the grace period for a voluntary defence and must now agree terms with Keyshawn by July 20, otherwise their contest will go to a purse bid hearing.

Regardless of his son’s mandatory obligation, though, manager Bill Haney has told Ring Magazine that ‘Tank’ remains at the top of their hit list.

“The biggest and the best fight I think, that everyone in culture, sports and entertainment would love [to see], would be ‘Tank’. He’s at the top of the list.”

Bill went on to claim that he has already spoken with Al Haymon, Davis’ promoter, about staging the possible Haney fight.

Australia are prepared to take a chance on Ellyse Perry if needed for Sunday’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s, with head coach Shelley Nitschke saying the all-rounder could play even if she is not fully fit.Perry retired hurt during Australia’s semi-final win over West Indies at The Oval after feeling what the team described as “minor quad awareness”. She walked off after facing seven balls, with Australia later saying the decision was taken as a precaution because they were in control of the match.Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Nitschke said Australia had not trained since the semi-final, so there was still no clear update on Perry’s condition. However, she admitted that a World Cup final changes how teams assess a player’s fitness.“Yeah, potentially,” Nitschke said when asked if Perry could play without being fully fit.“I think there’s still certain things that she wants to be able to do as well, [to] be able to still contribute to the team and hold her own, whether that’s in the field or running between the wickets. But there is that element of, this is a World Cup final, so what’s our tolerance there? So certainly a slightly different lens than perhaps some other times.”Nitschke said the team remains hopeful Perry will be available for the final.“Hopefully she’s come through okay and is available on Sunday,” Nitschke said.“We don’t really have a clear picture of what that looks like.“We’re confident, but just not completely 100 per cent sure of how that’s gone at the moment.”Perry has been Australia’s leading run-scorer in the tournament with 185 runs at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 135.03. She has scored half-centuries against Pakistan and India, including a 38-ball 56 against India that guided Australia to victory and ended Harmanpreet Kaur’s team’s campaign.She has also taken four wickets during the tournament.Australia will play their first global tournament final since 2023 when they take the field at Lord’s on Sunday. Perry, who missed the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground because of a hamstring injury, is now racing to be fit for another chance at a World Cup final.