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France secured their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in their Round of 16 encounter in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The tightly contested match remained goalless until the 70th minute when France were awarded a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a foul on Désiré Doué inside the area. Captain Kylian Mbappé stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to hand Les Bleus the decisive breakthrough.

Paraguay defended resolutely for much of the contest and frustrated the French attack with disciplined organisation, but they struggled to create clear-cut chances at the other end. France controlled possession and continued to press for a second goal, only to be denied on several occasions by Paraguay’s resilient defence and goalkeeper.

Mbappé’s 70th-minute penalty proved enough to separate the sides, extending France’s impressive run in the tournament and keeping alive their bid for a second World Cup title in eight years. The goal also moved the French forward level with the tournament’s leading scorers.

The victory sends France into the quarter-finals, where Didier Deschamps’ side will face Morocco national football team for a place in the last four, while Paraguay bow out after an admirable campaign that included a memorable knockout victory over Germany.

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Atlas Lions rule in Houston as second-half blitz ends co-hosts’ dream as
Morocco delivered a commanding second-half performance to hammer co-hosts Canada 3-0 on Saturday night, securing a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Atlas Lions remained patient throughout the opening 45 minutes as Canada stood firm, with the home crowd creating an electric atmosphere and believing their dream run could continue.

However, Morocco returned from the break with renewed purpose and completely took control of the contest.
The breakthrough goal opened the floodgates before a second strike put the result beyond doubt. A third goal sealed an emphatic victory, leaving Canada with no way back.
By the final whistle, Morocco had dominated possession, controlled the tempo, and capitalised on every mistake made by the Canadians. What started as a competitive encounter ended as a convincing statement of intent from the African side.
The victory sends Morocco into the last eight of the tournament, keeping Africa’s hopes alive on North American soil, while Canada’s World Cup campaign comes to an end on home ground.

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Ugly development unfolding as Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, is facing another administrative and funding crisis after reports emerged that the players risk being evicted from their hotel in Angola and could even face disruption of their campaign in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers over unpaid accommodation and participation fees.

The latest development comes barely a day after D’Tigers boosted their qualification hopes with a hard-fought 84-81 victory over Tunisia in their opening Group C game in Luanda on Thursday.

However, despite the impressive result on the court, officials familiar with the tournament say Nigeria has yet to settle its financial obligations to the organisers and hotel management.

A source within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) told journalists on Friday that the situation could escalate if the payments are not made promptly.

“Your team is looking good, but I don’t know if their participation will be disrupted by their situation here,” the FIBA official said.

“Nigeria has not paid for anything here, even though we understand your government officials could be in Luanda on Friday. I hope they are not ejected from their residence or even stopped from the competition.”

The funding crisis threatens to derail Nigeria’s bid to secure one of Africa’s qualification tickets to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by Qatar.

D’Tigers entered the second qualification window under pressure after managing just one victory from three games in the opening window.

To keep realistic hopes of qualifying alive, the Nigerian side is expected to win all three matches in Angola.

The latest controversy adds to a growing list of administrative setbacks that have plagued Nigerian basketball in recent years.

Only months ago, D’Tigers also battled funding challenges that delayed their preparations and forced the team to arrive at an international competition just moments before tip-off, raising concerns over the welfare of Nigerian athletes and the country’s approach to sports administration.

The crisis also comes after years of instability within Nigerian basketball, including the Federal Government’s suspension of the Nigeria Basketball Federation from international competitions in 2022 following a prolonged leadership dispute. Although the suspension was later lifted after intervention by the International Basketball Federation, concerns over poor funding, administrative inefficiency and inadequate planning have continued to dog the country’s basketball programmes.

Sports stakeholders have repeatedly warned that recurring financial and organisational failures risk undermining the performance of Nigerian teams despite their abundant talent.