WTF

Desperate fans facing 1,000% markups in Qatar for World Cup tickets

DOHA - Ashraf Ali arrived at Stadium 974 six hours ahead of the Argentina-Poland World Cup match and, in desperation, raised a hand-written sign: "We need tickets."

Someone offered one for $2,000, nine times face value.

That was too steep for Ali, 30, who traveled to Qatar from Egypt to fulfill a dream to see Argentina star Lionel Messi play. Thirty minutes before kickoff, he managed to nab a ticket for $500 and witnessed Argentina's 2-0 win.

Group E chaos is exactly why we love soccer

Unpredictability is inherent in soccer, and major international tournaments seem to always throw up a heaping of craziness. The gulf between reality and previous perceptions reminds anyone who claims to know soccer that they don’t, and if we were truly as smart as we claim to be, we’d stop trying to predict results. Just embrace the unpredictability and the chaos and enjoy these moments. 

Romelu Lukaku distraught after his series of terrible misses eliminates Belgium

Belgium, the world's second-ranked team, needed a win over Croatia on Thursday to avoid elimination and reach the World Cup round of 16. The Belgium players had promised unity and urgency in the face of rumors alleging total chaos in the squad, but the Red Devils again came out flat with Leandro Trossard and Dries Mertens leading the attack.

Mexico is out of the World Cup on goal difference!

Mexico beat Saudi Arabia but the third goal wouldn't come. Argentina beat Poland but the third goal, which would've gotten it done for El Tri, wouldn't come. When the final whistle sounded at Lusail Stadium, bringing the insanity of World Cup Group C to a close, it confirmed Argentina as winners and Poland as runners-up on goal difference (Poland's zero vs. Mexico's negative one).

It had been even closer than that.

Hazard and Courtois make surprise media appearance to deny rumors of chaos in Belgium squad

DOHA - Belgium captain Eden Hazard has denied there is a rift in the squad but admits frank words were exchanged between the players following their surprise 2-0 World Cup Group F loss to Morocco on Sunday.

Hazard was speaking to the media along with experienced goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on Tuesday after they replaced the players originally scheduled to talk, Yannick Carrasco and Arthur Theate.

World Cup streaker is the bravest person in the world

Everyone wondered if it would happen and at the halfway point of the World Cup, Qatar finally got its streaker. Monday’s final matchup between Uruguay and Portugal was interrupted momentarily when a pitch invader brandished what appeared to be a rainbow pride flag and found their way past security and onto the playing surface. 

Tyler Adams handles geopolitical interview question better than most politicians

One day before the United States takes to the field against Iran in a must-win Group B clash, the crucial match at hand seems to be the last thing anyone wants to talk about. In their pre-game press conference with the media on Monday, American midfielder Tyler Adams joined head coach Gregg Berhalter. The pair faced questions about racism, geopolitical tension and many other questions one would feel would be better suited to a press conference at the White House than a World Cup match. 

Delirious Canelo Álvarez threatens Messi after accusing him of disrespecting the Mexican flag

World champion boxer Canelo Álvarez is mad at Lionel Messi and warned that the next time they see each other it's not going to be pleasant for the Argentine. Why is Canelo so angry? According to him, Messi disrespected the Mexican flag and the Mexican jersey after Argentina's 2-0 win over El Tri in the World Cup. 

The big problem with Canelo's story is that Messi did not disrespect any Mexican symbol, which makes the whole situation dumb. 

So why bother writing an article about it? Because fake news and toxic nationalism are viruses that need to be eradicated. 

The 'big hat' is in, and yes, you can support the U.S. at the World Cup with one

After the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons in NFL action Sunday, all the talk centered around Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. All that chatter wasn't because the 23-year-old went over 100 yards on only 18 carries, it was because Robinson delivered his postgame interviews while wearing an incredibly large hat.

Robinson was promoting his friend's NogginBoss company, which was on the TV show "Shark Tank" and has its own online shop.

Worst decision of the World Cup? Cameroon drops André Onana and immediately suffers

Cameroon produced a thrilling two-goal comeback to draw Serbia 3-3 on Monday to keep its World Cup dream alive, but would the Indomitable Lions' performance have been more than enough to secure three points if starting goalkeeper André Onana hadn't been dropped by manager Rigobert Song?

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