The United States' FIFA World Cup campaign has come to a crushing end after Belgium stormed to a 4-1 victory, but the fallout has quickly expanded beyond football into politics, diplomacy and social media. The defeat has triggered a fresh wave of controversy after Iran appeared to take a veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump. An Iranian Football Federation spokesperson reacted to the American exit by declaring that the world was celebrating "politics' humiliating defeat by football," remarks widely interpreted as criticism of both political influence and the tournament's controversies. Adding to the drama, Belgium's players celebrated with a viral dance before the country's football federation posted the message "Overturn This" on social media, an apparent reference to FIFA's decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match suspension ahead of the knockout clash. WATCH

Europe has taken one of its biggest wartime financial decisions yet. After intense late-night negotiations, the EU has officially approved a two-year, interest-free lifeline for Ukraine, designed to keep the country’s economy, military support systems, and government operations running through 2026. Instead of tapping into Russia’s frozen assets directly, EU leaders have chosen to raise the funds through capital markets, citing ongoing legal and technical barriers that have stalled any immediate use of Moscow’s immobilised billions. Antonio Costa emerged from marathon talks announcing the €90 billion support package, marking one of the EU’s strongest joint commitments since the war began. WATCH