Coupe du monde 2026 : l’Argentine à 90 minutes d’un exploit vieux de …

Ils l’ont fait ! En renversant l’Angleterre (2-1) au terme d’une nouvelle démonstration de caractère, l’Argentine s’est qualifiée pour la finale de la Coupe du monde 2026. Les champions du monde en titre ne sont désormais plus qu’à un match d’un exploit que très peu de nations ont réussi dans l’histoire : conserver leur couronne mondiale. michezonews.co.za

Un exploit vieux de plus de 60 ans

Sacrée au Qatar en 2022, l’Albiceleste peut désormais réaliser ce qu’aucune sélection n’a réussi depuis plus de six décennies. En effet, seules deux nations sont parvenues à remporter deux Coupes du monde consécutives : l’Italie, en 1934 et 1938, puis le Brésil, en 1958 et 1962. Depuis, aucune équipe n’a réussi à défendre son titre.

L’Argentine a donc rendez-vous avec son histoire. Une victoire en finale lui permettrait d’intégrer un cercle extrêmement fermé et de rejoindre deux des plus grandes sélections que le football ait connues.

90 minutes pour entrer dans la légende

Il reste désormais un dernier obstacle sur la route de l’Albiceleste : l’Espagne. Une affiche de rêve, qui pourrait permettre aux hommes de Lionel Scaloni d’écrire l’une des plus belles pages de leur histoire.

En cas de succès, l’Argentine deviendrait la première nation depuis le Brésil de Pelé à conserver son titre mondial. Quatre-vingt-dix minutes séparent désormais les champions du monde en titre d’un exploit que le football attend depuis… 1962.

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LONDON, England, July 16, 2026 – McLaren’s Lando Norris will have a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday as a result of exceeding the permitted number of engine parts.

The world champion’s car will be fitted with a new battery, Norris’ fourth of the season, one more than is permitted.

McLaren decided to fit the new unit, along with taking the latest specification of Mercedes engine, because the one Norris was using does not have the reliability fixes introduced after a series of failures this year.

The team chose this weekend to take the penalty because overtaking is relatively easy at Spa, and it is the last race before they introduce the first of two significant upgrade packages.

McLaren have fallen to the back of the top four teams in recent races as rivals have introduced upgrades, but the hope is that the aerodynamic package to be brought in across the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix on either side of Formula 1’s summer break will return them to competitiveness.

They decided that it was better to take the grid penalty in Belgium, where they expect to be no more competitive than at the last race in Britain but where passing is relatively straightforward, than compromise Hungary, where the car should perform better and overtaking is notoriously difficult.

Norris’ grid penalty comes after a troubled start to the season for the team that won a drivers’ and constructors’ championship double last year, in both performance and reliability terms.

Technically, the part replaced in Belgium is known as the ‘power electronics’, which is a control computer within the battery module.

Norris failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix in March after a terminal issue with his power electronics unit, and a second example of that part had to be withdrawn after suffering problems in practice at the following race in Japan.

The Japan unit was repaired but suffered a terminal problem in practice in Monaco.

A McLaren statement said: “While the power electronics unit we installed in Japan, and have used in every session since Miami, has worked reliably, Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) has since introduced a series of reliability fixes to their new power electronics systems.

“However, in order to take advantage of these improvements, we must incur a 10-place grid penalty on Lando’s car in order to take a new unit.”

The statement added: “We now plan to use this fourth power electronics unit for the remainder of the season, in order to maximise reliability while minimising sporting penalties on Lando.”

McLaren will have a new rear wing design in Spa, which the team hopes will better suit the specific characteristics of the flowing high-speed track around the Ardennes forests.

This wing will have a conventional opening style in straight-line mode, rather than the somersaulting designs introduced this season by Ferrari and Red Bull.

Red Bull have had to revert to a conventional wing this weekend after Max Verstappen suffered high-speed crashes at the previous two races because of issues with the design.

Mercedes have had a series of engine-related reliability issues this year, not all to do with the battery.

Another has emerged with the engine used by championship leader Kimi Antonelli at the British Grand Prix.

That has had to go back to the HPP’s base in Brixworth for investigation and the Italian has a new engine as a result this weekend in Belgium. This is from within his allocation and therefore comes with no penalty.

Depending on the outcome of the investigations, Mercedes hope to be able to put Antonelli’s Silverstone unit back into the pool for use later in the year.

South African UFC star Dricus du Plessis returns to the Octagon this weekend for one of the biggest fights of his career when he faces former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the middleweight main event of UFC Fight Night 281.

The five-round showdown takes place at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Saturday, 18 July, with South African viewers watching into the early hours of Sunday morning.

What time is Dricus du Plessis fighting in South Africa?

Because the event takes place in the United States, the fight card runs overnight in South Africa.

Here’s when to tune in:

• Preliminary card: 23:00 on Saturday, 18 July
• Main card: 02:00 on Sunday, 19 July
• Dricus du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman: Expected cage walks between 04:30 and 05:00 on Sunday, depending on the duration of the earlier fights

Where to watch UFC Fight Night 281

South African fans will be able to watch the event live on:

• SuperSport Action
• SuperSport Grandstand

The fights will also be available to stream on the DStv Stream app.

Du Plessis returns after title defeat

Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since August 2025, when he lost the UFC middleweight championship to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.

Before that defeat, the South African had built an impressive nine-fight winning streak in the UFC and established himself as one of the division’s top contenders.

Usman begins his middleweight campaign

Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) returns after a 13-month lay-off.

The former long-time UFC welterweight champion has committed to the 185-pound middleweight division as he looks to become a two-division UFC champion.

Tale of the tape

• Record: Du Plessis 23-3, Usman 21-4
• Age: Du Plessis 32, Usman 39
• Height: Du Plessis 6’1″, Usman 6’0″
• Reach: Both 76 inches
• Stance: Both switch
• Significant strikes landed per minute: Du Plessis 5.18, Usman 4.16
• Significant strike accuracy: Du Plessis 51.22%, Usman 63.80%
• Takedown average per 15 minutes: Du Plessis 2.22, Usman 2.79

A potential title eliminator

The fight carries significant implications for the UFC middleweight division.

Both men have history with current champion Sean Strickland. Usman defeated Strickland in 2017, while Du Plessis owns two title-fight victories over him.

Victory on Saturday night would strengthen either fighter’s claim for another shot at the UFC middleweight title later this year.

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