Despite Portugal's spirited effort to compete with Spain, a dramatic late goal from substitute Miguel Merino in the 90+1st minute sealed Spain's narrow 1-0 victory and eliminated Portugal from the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on July 7.

Portugal, having defeated Croatia 2-1 in the previous round, faced Spain, who had dominated Austria with a 3-0 victory. Portugal's coach Roberto Martínez deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation featuring players including Diogo Costa, João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha, Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Spain, under Luis de la Fuente, also used a 4-2-3-1 setup with goalkeeper Unai Simón, Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Guéhi, Pedri, Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Álex Balde, and Mikel Oyarzabal.

During the opening 25 minutes, Spain controlled possession with three shots on target, but Costa's goalkeeping kept Portugal in the match. Both teams created chances, but the first half ended goalless, extending Spain's streak to nine consecutive matches without conceding in the first half of World Cup knockout play.

The second half remained competitive, with neither side finding the breakthrough until the 90+1st minute when substitute Miguel Merino surged forward and fired past Costa to give Spain a 1-0 victory. Spain advances to the quarter-finals to face the winner of the United States versus Belgium match on July 11 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is in negotiations with Arne Slot regarding his appointment as national team head coach to replace Ronald Koeman, who has resigned.

According to Sky Sports, the KNVB is discussing the coaching position with Slot. At this World Cup, the Netherlands was eliminated at the round of 32 after drawing 1-1 with Morocco through 120 minutes, then losing 2-3 on penalties. This prompted head coach Ronald Koeman to step down.

Slot is currently without a club after Liverpool dismissed him over disappointing recent season results, despite his previous season leading the club to a league championship.

The KNVB has initiated preliminary talks with Slot, though other coaches remain under consideration as well, including Erik ten Hag, who currently serves as technical director at Twente in the Dutch league.

Before his time at Liverpool, Slot found success managing Feyenoord, winning both the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup titles once each.

Brazil's football federation has confirmed that Carlo Ancelotti will remain as head coach through the 2030 World Cup, despite the team's elimination in the 2026 tournament. CBF director Rodrigo Gaitano stated that Ancelotti will continue in his role as contracted, even after Brazil exited the 2026 World Cup at the Round of 16 following a 1-2 loss to Norway. The five-time world champions will now wait at least 28 years for their sixth title, with their last championship dating back to 2002. Although Ancelotti has faced heavy criticism over team performance, player selection, and tactical approach, the CBF remains committed to the Italian coach, having recently extended his contract in May. Gaitano said: "He is our head coach and will remain so for the duration of his contract. One of the main reasons we failed in this World Cup was the lack of a proper and stable long-term plan, which we cannot afford to repeat."

FIFA has rejected an appeal from the Belgian Football Association challenging the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogan's red card ban, ruling that Belgium is not a direct party to the case.

Balogan received a straight red card in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia, after the referee reviewed VAR footage and determined his collision with Tarik Muharemovic constituted dangerous play. The 25-year-old would normally have faced a one-match ban.

However, FIFA subsequently announced that Balogan's suspension would be suspended in favor of a one-year conditional penalty instead, allowing the striker to return for the Round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium on July 6.

The Belgian Football Association stated it had received no explanation from FIFA regarding Balogan's eligibility to play and filed a protest in response. FIFA has now formally rejected the appeal.

In its statement, FIFA's Appeals Committee said: "The FIFA Appeals Committee considers that the request submitted by the Belgian Football Association cannot be accepted, as Belgium was not a party to the disciplinary proceedings. For this reason, they have no right to appeal the decision."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that he discussed striker Folarin Balogun's red card suspension with U.S. President Donald Trump, but stated the final decision rests with FIFA's independent disciplinary committee. Balogun received a red card in the Round of 32 World Cup match where the United States defeated Bosnia 2-0 after VAR review determined his challenge on Tarik Muharemovic was dangerous. Normally, the 25-year-old striker would have faced a match ban. However, FIFA subsequently announced that Balogun's suspension had been suspended and converted into a one-year conditional sentence instead, allowing him to play in the Round of 16 match against Belgium on July 6. The decision drew strong criticism that FIFA had broken its own rules. Trump subsequently claimed he had called Infantino to request a review of the penalty. In a recent statement via FIFA's X account, Infantino said: "I discuss World Cup matters regularly with President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders, and business leaders worldwide. During our conversation, I explained that there is an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent committee, and the case will be decided at the appropriate time. This is how FIFA's system works, and it is a principle I will always uphold. FIFA's disciplinary committee is independent. They operate without influence. Their independence is crucial to football's credibility and integrity. What I always do is respect their decisions, whether we like them or not."

On July 6, 2026, police officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Siam Bunsombut, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Division, coordinated with officers from the Central Investigation Bureau to arrest 37-year-old Witthawat and 33-year-old Pannakorn at a parking lot in the Bang Phing community, Pak Nam subdistrict, Samut Prakan province on July 5 at approximately 5:00 AM. The operation followed an informant's tip about a drug trafficking network operating in Bangkok and Samut Prakan that was transporting narcotics from major dealers for storage and distribution to customers throughout the metropolitan area.

Police discovered two vehicles suspected of being used to transport drugs and initiated a search. Upon interrogation, Witthawat admitted to driving a car to pick up drugs in Nonthaburi to deliver to a major dealer. Pannakorn confessed to serving as a navigation driver for 2,000 baht, intending to use the money to support his family before being apprehended. Officers seized 37 kilograms of ketamine, two vehicles, and three mobile phones from the suspects.

Both men face charges of possessing and distributing controlled substances without authorization for commercial purposes. The case has been forwarded to the Narcotics Suppression Division for further investigation and to the Public Prosecutor's Office for legal proceedings.