Last week, the US supreme court ruled that Idaho and West Virginia can continue enforcing their bans on transgender athletes playing on girls’ and women's teams in schools. It’s the latest development in the political and legal attack on trans people – and especially trans youth – that has surged in recent years. On the heels of that decision, Kai Wright talks with Guardian reporter Sam Levin, who has been covering the debate over trans athletes in California and speaking with students and their families, and Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU's LGBTQ & HIV Project, who is the first out trans person to argue in front of the US supreme court. They walk through the legal and political strategies animating the anti-trans movement, and discuss why this most recent decision could open the door to the erosion of civil liberties for everyone

• Trans youth athletes vow to keep playing after US supreme court ruling

• How the US supreme court case on trans athletes could unravel LGBTQ+ rights

• I’m a 14-year-old trans athlete. No one should face the vicious attacks I have faced

Andrew Giuliani claims actions of referee Raphael Claus over US player Folarin Balogun ‘very, very highly suspicious’

Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, has defended Donald Trump’s lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game against Belgium.

The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was “a little bit suspect, if you check his past”. This was apparently a reference to a match-fixing investigation by Brazil’s senate in 2024 that examined how referees were assigned to games but did not accuse Claus of wrongdoing.

US president unexpectedly changed plans for flight to England after using Qatari-gifted aircraft to travel to Turkey

Donald Trump flew from Turkey to England onboard the older Air Force One on Wednesday, rather than the new, Qatari-gifted aircraft he used to travel to the Nato summit in Ankara, an unexpected change in plans that prompted questions about security fears.

Trump later boarded the new plane at Mildenhall air force base in the United Kingdom for the trip back to Washington.

The USMNT’s World Cup crashout is the latest episode to suggest the support and intervention of Donald J Trump brings bad luck

• This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday

Breaking a mirror. Walking under a ladder. Spilling salt. A black cat crossing one’s path.

After the events of this week, it feels safe to add one more item to the list of things said to bring bad luck: the support and intervention of Donald J Trump.

Who is winning the battle to be top scorer at the World Cup? Live and updated throughout the tournament

All-time World Cup goalscorers

The Golden Boot is awarded to the World Cup’s top goalscorer, with assists used as a tie-breaker if two or more players finish level. The 2026 tournament has three former Golden Boot winners taking part: Kylian Mbappé of France (eight goals in 2022), England’s Harry Kane (six goals in 2018) and James Rodríguez of Colombia (six goals in 2014).

Mbappé and Kane are among the pre-tournament favourites to finish top scorer in North America, alongside Norway’s Erling Haaland – making his World Cup debut – and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

• Team manager and security member missed match

• Incident may have been related to Balogun controversy

Two US Soccer staff members were suspended by Fifa for their team’s World ⁠Cup defeat to Belgium on Monday.

Team manager Sam Zapatka and US ⁠Soccer vice-⁠president ​of security Frank Pannell weren’t allowed at the match. Fifa has not given a specific reason for the suspensions.

The Frenchman is a footballer, flautist and a thespian. There’s no question he is the most thrilling and compelling figure at this year’s tournament

This has been the World Cup of characters, bold fashion statements, and bantz: we’ve had Thomas Tuchel rubber-banding around the England dressing room like a teen at his first all-ages rave, and Iván Barton booting Miguel Almirón from the field as if sentencing him to death. Mauricio Pochettino and his $500 overshirt have brought fresh energy and inspiration to the wardrobes of convex middle-aged men the world over. Jokester Javier Aguirre’s avuncular “fuck you” at Anthony Gordon has pushed bilateral relations between Mexico and England to their warmest point since the British-brokered peace that ended the Pastry War of 1839.

Erling Haaland has shown it’s possible to be Jaws in front of goal and Scooby Doo once the ball is in the back of the net, that there’s nothing about football so important that it can’t make way for some silly bit of online comedy. Even Harry Kane, a man who often seems like he was media trained in the womb, has squeaked thrillingly, if briefly, to life.

The Australian superstar returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape

When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue, and the playing conditions were comparatively abysmal. The Australian striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team infamously bereft of locker rooms or running water at its training facility. This July, she returned to a vastly evolved franchise that has won two NWSL Championships in three seasons while implementing a comprehensive overhaul of its players, personnel and prioritization of player conditions.

Kerr’s return, called “a landmark moment for our club” by the president of soccer operations, Yael Averbuch West – whose role was intrinsic to Gotham’s progress – feels like an exciting moment of nostos for one of the greatest to ever play women’s professional soccer in the United States, and a sign of continued ambition for a program that has worked hard to overhaul its operations.

Arthur Fery, a British wilrdcard, devastated Flavio Cobolli, while Alexander Zverev, Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova also made the semi-finals

Paolini bursts out of the blocks with as much speed as she shows when charging around the court, racing to 40-0 and taking the game to 15. This match pits two of the best athletes in the women’s game against each other, and while Kostyuk possesses more power than the counterpunching Paolini, it’s Paolini who has the greater experience at this stage of grand slams, having reached not only the Wimbledon final but also the French Open final two years ago. Which could be to her advantage, if this comes down to who handles the moment better.

Three more games, three more holds, but it’s been fairly tortuous on serve for Mertens, who has to save three break points to scramble to 2-2, just as Paolini and Kostyuk make their entrance on Centre. I’m really, really looking forward to this one … Paolini, after losing the opening set of her first-round match 6-0, has been a player transformed, finally rediscovering the form that took her to the 2024 final and made her a fan favourite, while Kostyuk, after reaching the French Open semi-finals last month, has carried her form from the clay on to the grass, and has won 20 of her past 21 matches.

The Americans crashed out in disappointing fashion, but there were positives from the tournament on the whole. We look at how the roster performed

Stats from fotmob.com, Opta and Fifa; players listed in order of minutes played.

Weston McKennie, center/attacking midfield (Juventus)

We assess the teams who played in the tournament’s last 16 before the next round of games begins

A very different side of France came to the fore, proving they are not mere showboaters, there is plenty of steel, grit and determination among the ranks. It was a brutal encounter as they became targets for Paraguay, who added menace to the low block. No one in blue retreated to the shadows, instead taking the overaggression head on, using it as fuel. “To anyone who wants to go to war with us, this is what you should expect,” Rayan Cherki said. It was the biggest test they have faced this far but intimidation tactics do not work, it transpires, leaving everyone else wondering how to stop them.

From Philly’s blockbuster coup to LeBron James once again dominating the market, here are the early winners and losers from a frantic first week of NBA free agency

Once again, it’s time to pass judgement prematurely. After all, I would have my basketball writer card revoked were I to not evaluate before the dust has fully settled: that’s why they pay me the modestly-sized bucks, I’m told. So, without further ado, the Winners and Losers of week one of 2026 NBA free agency.

Egypt complained about the officials in their defeat to Argentina and Henderson underwent surgery

Perhaps Lionel Messi could do with a look at this video – our own Nikhita Chulani sifts the data in search of the perfect penalty.

Just in, from AP.

• Pochettino awaits talks over future with US team

• Federation backs coach but leaves door open

Spend any time around US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino and you’ll likely notice a medallion hanging from a bracelet on his right wrist. It is emblazoned with an engraving of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers.

It’s a detail that feels appropriate for Pochettino, or any high-level manager, really, all of whom are inherently nomadic. The Argentinian has enjoyed stability at a handful of stops but has also done his share of moving, having shepherded five different clubs prior to his arrival in the United States about 22 months ago.

• Kneeland died by suicide in 2025 after police chase

• Researchers determine he was in stage one of four

• Brain disease can be diagnosed only after death

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide in November 2025 after a high-speed chase with police, had early stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain abnormality linked to repeated concussions, his family announced Tuesday.

The Boston University CTE Center, which investigates the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and others, analyzed Kneeland’s brain tissue after his death. Researchers determined Kneeland, who was 24, was in stage one of four of CTE.

In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

The company’s target to hit £1bn profitability is intact. Why isn’t the board putting up a proper fight?

Some foreign takeover swoops on UK listed companies are easier to swallow than others. Sometimes it is hard to mount an argument that shareholders should stick to the virtuous path of independence and say no to an offer of hard cash at a fat premium. The current £10bn bid for Intertek, the FTSE 100 product testing and quality inspection firm that had been going sideways for a while, probably falls into that category. The bid premium on that one was about 60%.

EasyJet, on other hand, looks to be a case of a board giving up before it has put up a proper fight. The story so far at the budget airline is that three non-starter offers from Castlelake, a US private investment firm that is big in aircraft financing and leasing, were rejected in the standard manner as “fundamental” undervaluations. The last of those was at 625p. A fourth, at 650p a share, was dismissed in the softer language of “substantial”. Then “an agreement in principle” was reached at the weekend at 690p, or £5.5bn. Castlelake has until 3 August to put up or shut up.

For much of the star’s career, this tournament has been held as a high-water mark. Instead much of the USMNT’s success came without his involvement

There was a quiver in Christian Pulisic’s voice as he answered the final question posed to him at the 2026 World Cup.

On its face, the question was straightforward: how did the overall experience of this tournament meet his expectations? The subtext was overwhelming. For eight years, this World Cup co-hosted by the United States has been viewed as the potential high-water mark of his career and those of his teammates. Every machination of American soccer has operated with signposts displaying “2026” in bold.

• Suspension had been imposed after invasion of Ukraine

• Decision on Russian anthem and flag still unclear

The International Olympic Committee has lifted its suspension on Russia, paving the way for Russian teams to return to the Olympic fold before the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Russia has been banned from competing at the Olympics under its own flag since 2016 because of state-sponsored doping offences and then the invasion of Ukraine. However, the IOC’s executive board has invited the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) back in from the cold after accepting that it no longer controlled sporting bodies in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.

The USA men’s run at a home World Cup had attracted people who usually ignore soccer. Instead of triumph, they saw a humbling by Belgium

In the closing moments of the USA’s 3-2 win against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup, the ESPN commentator Jack Edwards took a moment to remind viewers who had stayed up all night of the profound result they were witnessing. From his perch in Suwon, South Korea – where he was watching the first match of a campaign that would end in a quarter-final that remains the high‑water mark for the modern US men’s national team – Edwards delivered a soliloquy that cut straight to the heart of the profound role World Cups play not just for the USA men’s team but for soccer as a force in American life.

“The players on that 1950 team that beat England … this [result] is about the foundation that they laid,” Edwards said in his booming bravado as the hour crept toward 7am ET. “This is about the thousands of American families who have helped this sport grow, and the people in those pockets all over the country who have stuck with soccer. And it’s also for those seven- or eight- or nine‑year-old kids, who are going to hear about this result when they wake up in the morning and rush outside, and knock a ball against a wall, and dream of something even greater than this.”

Passengers say they paid extra for outside views but were seated beside blank cabin walls instead

A federal judge on Monday rejected United Airlines’ bid to dismiss a lawsuit ⁠by passengers who complained they paid extra money to sit in window seats – only to discover their seats ⁠had no actual windows.

US district judge ​James Donato in San Francisco rejected United’s defense that “window” referred to the location of a seat relative to the ⁠cabin wall and aisle, and the carrier also contended it never contractually promised that seats in the window position would have views outside.

• Fans across Belgium watched 4-1 win in early hours

• Victory ‘a real slap in the face for Trump and Infantino’

Belgium fans reacted with jubilation after the national team trounced the USA in a World Cup game that was overshadowed by the controversy over Donald Trump’s lobbying to overturn the suspension of the striker Falorin Balogun.

Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, has yet to comment on the national team’s triumph, but the official Instagram account of his cat offered a sardonic, albeit indirect sign of satisfaction. Maximus, De Wever’s beloved cat, was shown lying on a rug holding a soft toy in the image of the US president. “I slept really well last night. And you?” reads the speech bubble in Dutch.

Novak Djokovic beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in Wimbledon’s longest-ever quarter-final, while Karolina Muchova saw off Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner also won

Now a love hold for Struff, who’s started pretty well and leads 3-2 He looks confident, but he’s not yet been put under pressure and I wonder if he can offer more testing returns. Even if he needs to stand back to give himself a better look at Sinner’s serve, he has to try and dig into it rather than hope e can struggle to a tiebreaker.

Nana Sinner appears to have been busy knitting Jannik’s top; that, or Nike have rinsed him with gear yet again.

Laws banning trans athletes claim to defend science, fairness and women’s safety. They do the opposite

Last week, the US supreme court ruled that states may restrict participation in girls’ and women’s sports to “biological females” and exclude transgender athletes from competing. In the past six years, 27 states have enacted such bans; before the court were challenges to West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act and Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.

The majority opinion, penned by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, upholds the laws’ legality under Title IX, the federal statute that guarantees women’s equal participation in college sports, and their constitutionality under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. It also vindicates Donald Trump’s February 2025 executive order “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports”. That directive withdraws funding from “educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy”. US policy, the order continues, will “oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth”.

Kelsey Pfendler, 32, says she hopes her solo 2,400-mile trek across the mid-Pacific inspires other women to take risks

A Grand Canyon river-rafting guide who recently became the first US woman to row solo from California to Hawaii – traveling in record time – says she hopes her accomplishment inspires other women to push their limits and take risks.

“It’s really motivating to think [that], maybe one day, I will get to see another woman work even harder to do what I did,” Kelsey Pfendler, 32, told ABC’s Good Morning America program on Monday, three days after completing the record-setting journey across the mid-Pacific. “And it would be so special to watch.”

Joy is unbounded and when it dies down perhaps the guilty will be held to account for cheating and facilitation: perhaps they won’t. Still, enjoy the moment

Oh dear. Such a shame to see the US lose at football after their insanely embarrassing president cheated for them. Still, it really brought the world together. The last time this many people cheered on a Belgian resistance, it was 1914 and the Germans had just crossed the Meuse. As you’ll be aware, the USA were dumped out of their own World Cup on Monday night by a wholly superior Belgium, after Donald Trump boasted that he’d personally intervened in three phone calls with Fifa president Gianni Infantino to get the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun rescinded. Yes, the US cheats at football. Pass it on.

You’ve heard a lot about shithousery during this tournament. We have even, excruciatingly, seen a few American commentators attempt to use the word in conversation. Guys, please, just – no. It’s not for you. You have ’erbs, “a couple things”, and “a ways to go”. But let’s call the events of the past few days by the name they deserve in all the languages of the world: Whitehousery.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

Marina Hyde’s new book, What a Time to Be Alive!, is out in September (Guardian Faber Publishing, £20). To support the Guardian, order your signed copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

• It says overturning red cards is a common measure

• No talk from Uefa before about ‘red line’, Fifa states

Fifa has hit back at Uefa in the war of words over the lifting of the USA striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension by accusing it of hypocrisy in its condemnation of the decision.

In a statement attributed to the chair of Fifa’s disciplinary committee, Mohammad al-Kamali, published before the USA’s last-16 defeat by Belgium, Fifa insisted that “the overturning of red cards is a common disciplinary measure” in Uefa-affiliated leagues, “yet this has never raised concerns about crossing any ‘red line’”.

The fallout from USA’s defeat to Belgium gathered pace, with criticism of Fifa growing

Let’s talk about everyone’s favourite subject: England!

What a game that was against Mexico, by the way. I feel asleep about 1am (BST), woke up with England winning 2-1, just before Quansah got sent off and all hell broke loose. England’s defending in the final 20 minutes or so was an absolute work of art (thank you Dan Burn), even if Mexico’s attacking play lacked a certain amount of imagination. A magnificent performance by the players, not to mention Thomas Tuchel, who I feared had gone too early with the: ‘Play a back five, and just hack the ball anywhere’ strategy.

• Red Devils beat USA to advance to World Cup last-eight

• Team had been angered by suspension of red card

For Belgium, Monday’s 4-1 victory over the United States was doubly sweet. They advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals, as well as overcoming what they saw as injustice off the field.

The buildup to the match had been tinged with controversy after Fifa had suspended the red card US striker Folarin Balogun was given in the last 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That meant Balogun was free to play against Belgium instead of serving a one-match ban. When it emerged that Donald Trump had lobbied for Balogun’s red card to be overturned, Belgium – and other nations – were outraged: Uefa called the decision “incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.

The United States’ quest to get Folarin Balogun’s red card overturned may have opened a Pandora’s box – one specifically designed to contain the national team’s worst nightmares.

With a country on the verge of falling in love with this team, and tens of millions eager for a reason to embrace the glory and pride this sport can provide, there were instead questions of fairness and propriety. A star striker, who made an honest, unintentional mistake – and said and did all the right things – became a talking point. And a day later, on an otherwise beautiful Monday evening in the Pacific north-west, the United States’ World Cup dream ended with a thud.

The tournament co-hosts wilted against Belgium for a 4-1 defeat, costing them a quarter-final spot. We look at the best images from the showdown in Seattle

The tournament co-hosts crashed out with a disappointing display as Belgium proved too strong an opponent

Through four games, Belgium have retained 57% of possession with a 65% field tilt – a possession metric weighing only final-third touches – but haven’t found a way to maximize that advantage.

While possession can be a noisy statistic, viewing it in stylistic terms can be informative. So far at this World Cup, Belgium have won the possession battle in all four of their games, with Senegal playing them closest in a 52-48 split. The United States have maintained a 58% share of the ball in their four games, neck-and-neck with Garcia’s Belgium. If Mauricio Pochettino’s side can keep the ball off Belgian feet more often than not, it could unsettle the Red Devils.

We try to teach our children to follow the rules. Now an American president has chosen the opposite tack

I’m rooting for the US as we take on Belgium today in Seattle for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals.

But the game isn’t what it was – before Trump asked the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, to review the suspension of the US’s top scorer, striker Folarin Balogun, who got a red card in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and would otherwise have been suspended from Monday’s match.

European governing body’s dramatic move could have major implications for the future of the sport

Perhaps the only globally renowned figure who has been more conspicuous by his absence at this World Cup tournament than Donald Trump is the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, although both men have more than made up for their silence over the past 24 hours.

By endorsing a statement in which Uefa accused Fifa of crossing “a red line” in making the “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision to lift the USA striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension for the last-16 tie with Belgium on Monday, Ceferin has effectively put European football on a war footing with the world governing body, a dramatic move that could have major implications for the future of the sport.

Years of unremitting disasters have convinced me not to go to sleep with hope in your heart. But that footballing victory took me back to more innocent times

When I went to bed on Sunday, football commentators were killing time waiting for the England match by talking about Donald Trump, Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Folarin Balogun’s red card, waived for the US because of reasons. None of the available words – “unacceptable”, “cheaty”, “absolutely stinks” – covered it. There’s no chance of Trump’s US playing nicely in an international tournament, especially when it’s hosting most of it. Does the US just get the trophy, whatever happens? Do they fashion two trophies, one for the winner and one for most winning host?

It was all a big deal for geopolitics, but for the more immediate matter of how to take seriously a competition in which there were no longer rules, it wasn’t the end of the world. Whatever happened, it definitely wouldn’t end in a showdown between the US and the UK, fixed in advance by a president determined to celebrate 250 years in style. Because, by tomorrow, I thought, England would be out. If we’ve learned anything from the past decade, it’s not to go to sleep waiting for news. Whatever the dawn breaks over will be bad.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Parts of 2018’s Golden Generation still remain, but there are more than enough good players in this Belgian side to give the US headaches

• Predict the winner | Daily podcast | Download our app

The whiff of unfulfilment lingers around Belgium. The Golden Generation – and the fact it never quite achieved what it might have done – has dominated coverage of their last three tournaments. This perhaps isn’t quite fair – either on those who were part of that group or those who have followed.

Beating Brazil in the quarter-final to reach the semi-final in Russia 2018 was a fine achievement, but that side featuring Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne then lost 1-0 to France in the semi. The squad was good enough to win a tournament, but that was as close as they came. Courtois, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and the right-back Thomas Meunier have all endured since 2018. The 2026 Belgium squad is not, as 2022 felt, the Golden Generation redux, just a little bit older and a little bit more tired. A new wave is emerging and, while the likes of Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans, Jérémy Doku and Charles De Ketelaere may not have quite the star quality of the previous generation, they’re still decent players – perhaps not World Cup winners, but certainly not to be dismissed. And remember, this is Belgium, a country of just under 12 million; it’s not realistic to think it can consistently produce potential world champions.

This is an extract from Soccer Desk: World Cup edition, a newsletter from the Guardian US that will run regularly during the tournament. Subscribe for free here.

• Trump says he asked Fifa to review red card

• Infantino confirms Trump called over Balogun

• US president insists he did not pressure Fifa

Donald Trump said on Monday that he personally asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun, saying he believed the dismissal was unfair but insisting he did not pressure football’s governing body to overturn the suspension.

The intervention by the president of a World Cup host nation has thrust Fifa’s disciplinary process into the spotlight and prompted an angry response from Belgium, who face the USA on Monday night for a place in the quarter-finals.

Seaplane carrying eight people made ‘hard landing’ and was towed back to dock, according to the fire department

A seaplane made a rough landing in New York City’s East River on Sunday, alarming bystanders and resulting in two minor injuries, according to city authorities.

The seaplane carrying eight people made a “hard landing” at about noon, according to the New York City fire department. The plane made it upright and was towed back to dock, the department said.

Alexander Zverev led Jiri Lehecka by two sets to love when the 11pm curfew fell to end another day of drama at SW19

“I feel like I still cannot process this happening,” says Kostyuk, also noting how hot it is. “The longer you stay on this surface, the worse you feel.” She adds that the court wasn’t easy given the heat and wind, especially against an opponent on a roll having played 17 consecutive matches on grass – more than Kostyuk in her entire career. So it was very difficult and she still can’t believe it.

She was struggling to break the whole match so is really happy with the last two service-games she faced, and then thanks the crowd for their contribution.

Collegiate sports organization led by Charlie Baker banned trans athletes from women’s sports after 2025 Trump order

The president of the US’s top administrator of collegiate sports on Sunday said his organization does not anticipate adjusting its rules on transgender athletes after a recent federal supreme court decision allowed states to ban them from participating in school athletics.

In an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation, Charlie Baker, the NCAA president, alluded to how his organization in late January 2025 had effectively banned transgender athletes from women’s sports by closing off those programs to athletes who were assigned male at birth or were taking testosterone therapy. There are no restrictions for participation in NCAA men’s sports, which Baker referred to on Sunday as “the open network”.

• Decision is ‘incomprehensible and unjustifiable’

• Football associations and politicians also speak out

• Trump confirms that he asked Fifa for a review

Fifa’s willingness to bow to the wishes of Donald Trump by lifting the suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun from the host’s last-16 World Cup tie against Belgium was strongly criticised on Monday, with European politicians, football associations and governing body Uefa condemning the decision.

In an unprecedented intervention in the middle of a tournament, Uefa accused Fifa of crossing “a red line” by making an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision to rescind Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, which it claimed undermined “the integrity of the game and the credibility of the competition.”

In pushing Fifa to reverse Folarin Balogun’s suspension, the president did the most American thing possible: assert unasked-for power to get his way

The story of Garrincha’s red card in the 1962 World Cup is the stuff of legend. The Brazilian great was sent off in the semi-final for lashing out at an opponent, but back then Fifa had no automatic one-match suspension in place. So a disciplinary committee convened the next day to decide his fate for the final.

As the story goes, the assistant referee who had the best view of the offense was paid off and disappeared, and the president of Chile, the tournament’s host, put in a call to Fifa, urging them to decide against any additional suspension. He did so for the sake of keeping one of the tournament’s most entertaining players on the field. Garrincha emerged scot-free and Brazil won their second World Cup.

A decidedly unremarkable Brazilian team had looked tentative at this tournament. A sixth World Cup title looks a long way off

Brazil were 1-0 down. At first, a few yellow jerseys wandered up the aisles and out to the concourse, writing off the small fortunes they had invested in being here, never mind the chances of their nation lifting a sixth World Cup. Then it was a steady stream of Brazil fans heading to the exits.

They knew how this was going to end. That Brazil would be eliminated here in the last 16, knocked out at the earliest stage since 1990. That they would have gone six World Cups without lifting the trophy, their longest title drought.

Has the success of the US men’s team – and hosting the World Cup – finally made Americans fall in love with football? With Guardian US soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter

For decades, the US has been unmoved by the charms of the beautiful game. As Guardian US soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter, a boyhood fan of the sport, explains, football in America was a ‘ramshackle’ affair – unloved, boring, a little alien.

But, Helen Pidd hears, things are beginning to change. The US men’s national team is thriving in the World Cup they are hosting, and Americans are being won over by travelling football teams and fans, from the Scots in Boston to Algerians in Kansas

The surprise move deeming the US striker eligible to play came after the American president reached out to the governing body to appeal for the change

Donald Trump has been conspicuous by his absence so far at the World Cup, but unusually he may have been making his presence felt behind the scenes with some quiet diplomacy.

In addition to failing to attend a game, despite the USA’s impressive progress to the last 16, Trump had not mentioned the tournament on social media since offering some bland recognition of record attendance figures on 28 June. All that changed on Sunday when he took to Truth Social to thank Fifa for its highly unusual decision to lift striker Folarin Balogun’s ban from Monday’s last-16 tie against Belgium.

• Trump called Infantino to reverse Balogun ban

• US plays Belgium in World Cup last 16 on Monday

Mauricio Pochettino hailed Fifa’s shock decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban on Sunday, reiterating his claim that the call to issue the US striker a red card was harsh.

“Everyone that really loves the sport and trusts ethics and integrity, I think we celebrate all that decision,” Pochettino said. “We were punished enough against Bosnia Herzegovina to play with 10 men for 30 minutes [because of] a decision that was completely unfair. … 99.9% of people agree there was an unfair red card.”

• Rudi Garcia likens decision to April Fools’ Day joke

• Belgian FA says it will investigate all potential options

• USMNT reaction to Fifa flip: ‘Thought it was AI at first’

As a Fifa media officer read aloud the statement confirming the governing body’s shock reversal of US striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension on Sunday, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois put their poker faces to work. Garcia stared straight down the aisle of the press conference room at Seattle Stadium. Courtois’s eyes fluttered about, perhaps masking some rolls as he faced a press pack eager to make sense of an unexpected World Cup twist.

Balogun’s reinstatement came across as a joke to the Belgian boss, though he hardly seemed ready for a laugh.

• US striker was shown red in last-32 match

• Fifa announced suspension of ban earlier Sunday

• Belgian FA ‘astonished’ by decision

Donald Trump lobbied Fifa to lift the US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for a red card received in the team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, preceding Sunday’s stunning announcement that he would be available for the cohosts’ last-16 clash against Belgium in Seattle on Monday night.

Sources have told the Guardian that Trump made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure that the change was made.

The sides meet Monday for a World Cup quarter-final spot, and the USMNT’s main goal threat is able to play after a shock reversal. Here’s what to know

After a few days of preparing for the World Cup’s last 16 without their top scorer, the United States were dealt a surprise Sunday when Fifa rescinded Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension for Monday’s match against Belgium.

Belgium’s own preparations have now been scuppered as they go from planning to face an alternative – likely either Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright – to trying to contain one of the World Cup’s most in-form forwards.

Les Rouges brought moments of joy to their nation. But there are plenty of questions around Canadian soccer as the tournament moves on

It was standing room only in Toronto’s oldest bar, The Wheatsheaf, on Saturday lunchtime. For some, the wake had already begun. Nestled in the corner was a group of sullen Irish GAA fans, who had just witnessed Cork’s demoralizing defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland Hurling semi-final. Resplendent in their red and white as they gazed despairingly into the middle distance, at least they had another team to root for.

It was an odd scenario. Canada is co-hosting this tournament but, due to the team’s second-place finish in the group stage, they were playing Morocco far to the south in Houston, Texas. But The Wheatsheaf was a sea of red and white as Canada fans gathered for the last-16 clash. Some guy even dusted off a vintage Manchester United 1999 jersey with ‘Beckham’ on the back. Anything for Canada. And that sense of collective patriotism soared when Wayne Gretzky – the once Great One now derided in his native land for cosying up to Donald Trump, amongst other curious missteps – popped up on TV screens and was booed mercilessly and enthusiastically by the crowd.

All the latest news from Sunday’s live action at SW19
Swiatek and Rybakina go out | Order of play | Mail Sarah

I can’t wait to see Naomi Osaka’s look today, she has been using fashion to express herself and represent her heritage across all of the slams. So far at Wimbledon she has been wearing a white kimono and she told the BBC about it:

When I think about Wimbledon, it’s obviously the all white. There’s obviously the tradition of it all. In my head, when I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian.

Then, if I dive deeper into Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.