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Enzo Maresca responded, “This is not football,” when asked how the one-hour-53-minute stoppage had an impact on Chelsea’s 53-minute game against Benfica in the Club World Cup.

One year before the 2026 World Cup is held across North America, the manager questioned whether the US was a suitable host for Fifa events like the Club World Cup.

Chelsea may have defeated Benfica 4-1 to advance to the quarter-finals, but it was the sixth game to be postponed as a result of the summertime thunderstorms.

Chelsea, who had not conceded a shot on target and advanced through Reece James’ creative free-kick, looked to lose the match they looked set to win.

“We had the upper hand for 85 minutes.” We created enough chances to win the game, not by giving up. After the break, the game completely changed, Maresca said, referring to a momentum shift that Angel di Maria equalized from the penalty spot.

It’s not football for me personally. For two hours, you can’t stay inside. It is entirely new. You must suspend the game for security reasons, I get it. However, if you suspend six or seven games, it’s likely not the best place to hold this competition.

Due to extreme weather, in this case because thunderstorms were found within an eight-mile radius of the venue, in accordance with US safety regulations, players, staff, and supporters were immediately withdrawn from the field.

With the dismissal of Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall allowing the match to go on for four hours, 38 minutes, starting at the end, Chelsea took control again in extra time.

Maresca continued, “This is fantastic competition,” when asked where exactly his anger was directed. We are thrilled to be in the last eight of the Club World Cup because it is so popular.

With only five minutes left before the end of normal time, Chelsea players Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, and Tosin Adarabioyo were furious when they were pulled off the field.

Players re-enter the Bank of America Stadium’s operations and dressing room areas to do kick-ups and cycle on exercise bikes to keep their muscles warm.

Maresca explained the mood and how it affected performance, explaining that “people speak with the family outside [to check] if they were good with the security. On their mobile devices, people are eating, laughing, and conversing. Two hours passed. That’s why I said it wasn’t football.

When you’re in the game’s flow, James continued, “It was quite disruptive.” Making numerous substitutions as needed to stay warm. The weather was challenging and the weather was humid.

Benfica had another two-hour stoppage that delayed the start of their match against Auckland City, making it the second-longest stoppage of the tournament.

Due to heavy rain and storms, there have been six other similar stoppages in five different cities, including the one in Orlando that Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD.

And there were lengthy pauses in the second half of Boca Juniors vs. Auckland City in Nashville (50 minutes), Palmeiras vs. Al-Ahly in New Jersey (40 minutes), and Salzburg vs. Pachuca in Cincinnati (90 minutes).

One of the many teams that have experienced extreme heat is Chelsea. A regular training session at their previous base in Philadelphia was “impossible,” according to Maresca.

Many of the best stadiums in the US and Canada do not have roofs, like Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

In addition to the Club World Cup, Vancouver, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Toronto are covered for the following summer’s World Cup. Atlanta is the only ground chosen with a covered roof.

The expansion of that competition, however, to 48 teams, means these events are most likely to occur in the summer of next year.

Possible solutions include putting the World Cup on hold in the winter months, as Qatar did in 2022, but severe cold is also a problem in some parts of the US and Canada.

Arsene Wenger, the head of Fifa’s technical study group, addressed stoppages from its Miami base.

He said, “You want the game to flow from the beginning to the end, but you also have to put security first when you organize a competition.”

The Fifa Club World Cup match between SL Benfica and Chelsea FC has been suspended due to bad weather conditions in Charlotte, including the possibility of lightning in the area of Bank of America Stadium, according to a statement from Fifa at the time of the incident. The match will resume as soon as it is safe, and Fifa will adhere to the established safety standards.

It is the Hollywood scriptwriters’ dream, and the tournament’s organizers are making it a reality.

In the last 16 of the Club World Cup, Lionel Messi will face his former team and the reigning European champions.

The Messi factor is likely to be a major factor in Inter Miami’s clash with Paris St-Germain on Sunday in Atlanta, which is expected to have one of the biggest crowds so far.

Inter Miami and Messi’s entry into the expanded, revamped tournament sparked a lot of controversy.

For this expanded 32-team edition, Fifa gave a US club a one-time host-nation slot in a one-off rule.

And they chose Inter Miami, who are the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners because of their best regular-season record, as opposed to the LA Galaxy, who won the MLS Cup play-off.

However, despite the pre-tournament skepticism, Inter’s unbeaten start in the group games qualifies them for the knockout stages on merit.

Next up is PSG, the current best football team in the world, that Luis Enrique has chosen as the greatest player of all time.

Inter Miami are well-versed in the concept of using Messi’s ace to his full potential when using it.

The Argentine’s winner against Porto marked his 50th career goal for the club and made Miami the first Concacaf region team to defeat a major European team in an official match.

Since then, they have already advanced to the knockout stages, sending Porto home and setting up a mouthwatering clash with Messi’s former employer PSG.

Messi has never lost a major international match in the group stage, including Inter, Argentina, Barcelona, PSG, or any other major international competition.

His current role, however, may be a little different from what it was in the past.

He plays much more ball-collecting in a defensive midfield and defense position these days, allowing him to launch attacks from a further backfield either with runs through the middle or by spreading passes to either wing.

What is unwavering is a fierce competitive spirit and a burning desire to win, above all else.

His anger and frustration, which he displayed when Inter Miami lost a two-goal lead to Palmeiras in the final group game, were evidence of this. Rather than that Inter Miami would lose the game, it was simply because it meant they failed to win the game.

The Messi effect extends far beyond what happens on the pitch itself.

When Messi signed for Inter Miami two years ago, the club was only three years old and was currently owned by Sir David Beckham.

Because he knew they already had a project in place that would make Miami the beating heart of US football, he chose them over the Saudi Arabian offers for world records. He is still reportedly the highest-paid player in the MLS, but for a significantly lower salary than other players.

The Inter Miami model has allowed for the arrival of the best players, as well as forgetting relationships with the owners, the players, and ultimately the academy.

And when he retires, Messi will be able to co-own the franchise.

He would have joined Barcelona and played for nothing or, to make matters legal, for the minimum wage if Barcelona had been able to offer him anything even slightly comparable.

In the end, the much-anticipated talk of his return to Catalonia amounted to little more than politically expedient hot air in an effort to appease the masses despite conversations with then-manager Xavi about a role similar to the one we’re currently seeing at Inter Miami.

Barcelona did not provide any kind of contract or explanation for how to register him if he returned.

Miami has become the soccer capital of America since Messi’s arrival, according to their word.

Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba have all attracted a higher level player, giving the team greater focus, fans, victories chances, sales, and profits.

The current top-down attitude of the club’s under-17 team won the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup title in Nashville just days prior to the event.

Around 16, 000 youth athletes are currently being considered for a youth tournament. The interest in “football” is growing, a large portion of it being the result of Messi’s arrival.

Inter Miami’s influence extends beyond American borders, too.

The club currently sells more shirts than Juventus, and Messi’s shirts are featured in Vogue magazine.

Success results in greater success, with more sponsorship opportunities, sold-out corporate boxes, a waiting list, and numerous footballing legends contacting representatives about potential accession.

However, they are unable to accept any more substantial contracts under the MLS roster.

A winning team has been created by the Messi effect much sooner than expected. There is a footballing frenzy that ensures that wherever Messi plays, every stadium is packed. They have won two awards in a year and a half.

According to reports, MLS teams have generated more than $80 million (£58 million) in additional revenue when Inter Miami visits through dynamic ticket pricing.

When 62, 358 fans flocked to Soldier Field in Chicago in April, making their record for a football game, they attracted a record-setting crowd.

The largest home crowd in the history of the Columbus Crew and the largest non-NFL crowd in Huntington Bank Field stadium, was 60, 614 fans when Miami first played at the stadium.

Will he give Inter Miami his future?

The Messi family is in good shape in Miami after a disappointing two-year stay in Paris.

Messi is happy if his family is happy. His wife Antonella represents Tiffany in the US and collaborates with Adidas.

Messi watches each of his three sons’ games while his three sons all compete in youth teams.

According to those close to him, negotiations are ongoing to extend his stay at the club. He has a year’s contract until the end of it, but there hasn’t been a definitive agreement on an extension.

However, he has stated that this will essentially be the place where he will end his professional footballing career, despite football constantly demonstrating that nothing should ever be taken for granted.

What about the World Cup in the summer of 2016? Nobody is familiar with Messi, not even the most famous one.

He is currently just playing it tournament after tournament.

If he renews and stays in America, he’ll make adjustments as necessary, but for the time being, he’s just going with the flow.

Everyone involved wants to see him take the helm of Argentina’s World Cup preparations in 2014. However, he hasn’t made a decision until after it is all over.

Let Messi make his own decision, that is how you should approach him. However, some people believe that his final national team game might be the 2026 World Cup.

The only thing he has on his mind right now is how to create Luis Enrique’s PSG’s biggest shock.

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club, June 30 – 13 .

The process has begun. Waiting for the pristine grass courts. The strawberries have been picked. The waiting list is growing.

Wimbledon returns on Monday after all the waiting is over.

For the 2025 Championships, the best tennis players in the world are set to compete for one of the sport’s biggest prizes at SW19.

After defeating Novak Djokovic in the previous two finals on Centre Court, Carlos Alcaraz will now compete for a third successive Wimbledon title.

Although only 22 years old, Spaniard Alcaraz has already won five slams, winning a two-set victory over world number one Jannik Sinner in one of the greatest French Open finals ever held in June.

Djokovic, who defeated Margaret Court to win the US Open in 2023, is still on the verge of winning his 25th major singles title.

With Wimbledon the only Grand Slam in which he hasn’t yet entered the final, Italy’s Sinner hopes to recover from his agonizing Paris breakup.

His best SW19 run since his quarter-final defeat last year was a 2023 defeat to Djokovic.

A second-round defeat to the in-form Alexander Bublik, who might be a threat after his title triumph there, cut him off from his preparations this time.

No player has ever won back-to-back women’s singles titles at Wimbledon since Serena Williams won it for the seventh time and for the second year in a row in 2016.

Barbora Krejcikova won the Venus Rosewater Dish title last year, following in the footsteps of her Czech compatriot Marketa Vondrousova, who had won it in a year without a seed.

Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s number one, has yet to reach the Wimbledon showpiece match despite having reached the final five of her six slams.

Coco Gauff, the current champion of Roland Garros, is one of the main contenders, but she has never advanced past the fourth round in London.

The Italian world number four, Jasmine Paolini, from the previous year, will look to improve this year.

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, and former world number one Iga Swiatek, who won with force in Bad Homburg on Friday, will also attempt to challenge.

Emma Raducanu, the reigning British number one, joins Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, both of whom have recently spent time in the top 50 of the world.

Henry Patten, a British tennis player, will try to defend his last-year victory over Finland’s Harri Heliovaara.

Only Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador and Mate Pavic from Croatia are the top-ranked pairing in the world, making them the second-ranked pair in the world.

The top-ranked pair in the world, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, are the reigning champions of the women’s doubles.

Alfie Hewett won the men’s singles title with compatriot Gordon Reid after winning the men’s doubles title at home for the first time last year, completing a career grand prix.

Hewett’s main rivals, Japan’s Tokito Oda and the second-place finisher Martin de la Puente, are attempting to defend the singles.

Dutch legend Diede de Groot will aim to add to her record 23 singles titles as she fights for a fifth straight Wimbledon title.