Soccer

Soccer players are known for having powerful, durable legs -- but wait 'til you get a load of the United States Men's National Soccer Team's abs ... they're a must-see!!

The USMNT made it out of the group stage this time around ... and you can tell they put in extra time in the gym to get ready for the Cup, which shows in the shredded abs they've been hiding under their jerseys.

The entire country has been supporting the boys in the Red, White, and Blue ... but let's see if you can spot which six packs belong to whom.

The United States just got some GREAT news ahead of Saturday's match against the Netherlands -- Christian Pulisic has been cleared to play after suffering an injury against Iran.

Captain America's been recovering from getting hit in the balls a pelvic contusion this week ... which came after making contact with Iran's goalkeeper after scoring the game-winning goal.

CP said Thursday he was taking it one day at a time ... but was doing "everything in my power" to make it out on the pitch on Saturday.

Pulisic also clarified his injury was, in fact, a pelvic contusion ... saying, "I didn't get hit in the balls."

"I'm alright. It was very painful. That bone is there for a reason to protect you and I hit it well. I was sore."

He posted a Snapchat from his hospital bed after the 1-0 win on Tuesday ... promising he'd be back for their next match -- but admitted the pain was pretty tough to fight through.

The 24-year-old is holding up on his promise ... 'cause Pulisic is now good enough to go as the Red, White and Blue head into the round of 16.

U.S. soccer superstar Christian Pulisic wants everyone to know his gonads are perfectly intact ... telling reporters his World Cup injury was legitimately a "pelvic contusion" -- and not a made-up term for sore testicles.

Pulisic was injured after colliding with Iran's goalkeeper during his game-winning goal for Team USA on Tuesday ... forcing him to miss the second half of the match.

The 24-year-old midfielder was hospitalized after the contest ... but updated his supporters with a selfie, saying he'd be ready to take the pitch on Saturday against the Netherlands.

Based on the area of contact during the incident, many believed Christian's "pelvic contusion" diagnosis was just a code word for getting hit in the family jewels ... but now, all that speculation can be put to rest.

"I didn't get hit in the balls," Christian said with a laugh. "I'm alright. It was very painful. That bone is there for a reason to protect you and I hit it well. I was sore."

Christian says he's still taking it one day at a time ... but is doing "everything in my power" to be back in time for Saturday's match.

Incredible scene in Australia following the team's huge World Cup victory Wednesday ... fans took to the streets of Melbourne with flares and parties to celebrate -- at 4 AM!!

Aussie supporters started to go wild just seconds after Australia defeated Denmark, 1-0, in Qatar to advance to the round of 16 for the first time since 2006 ... and in a matter of minutes, the celebration grew to insane proportions.

Videos, which have now gone viral, show hundreds of people jumping up and down as smoke and fires from flares covered the sky.

Of course, during the game, fans were going crazy as well ... with one video showing people losing their minds following Matthew Leckie's game-deciding goal.

With the win, Australia will now play next on Sunday.

A 27-year-old Iranian man was reportedly killed by state security forces Tuesday night after he was shot in the head for honking a horn in celebration of Iran's defeat in the World Cup.

According to multiple reports, including from the Iran Human Rights NGO, Mehran Samak was killed by government agents after he joined dozens of other demonstrators on the streets in Bandar-e Anzali, a city in northern Iran, in protest of the regime's abysmal human rights record.

Samak was sitting in a car next to his fiancée when a security officer walked up and shot him, according to Iran International.

After he was hit, Samrak was reportedly rushed to a local hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

The United States beat Iran in a thrilling 1-0 game on Tuesday ... slamming the door on the middle eastern nation's hopes of advancing to the knockout stage.

Despite the Iranian regime's oppressive nature, protests have steadily broken out since September ... when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died three days after being arrested in the nation's capital of Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code.

The protests quickly broadened to include the general rights of the country's citizens. Over 400 people have been killed for participating in the protests, according to a human rights org.

Mehran Samak was reportedly laid to rest Wednesday morning. BBC Persia posted a video the outlet says is from the funeral service. Mourners were heard yelling, "You are the filth, you are the immoral, I am a free woman," a phrase BBC says has been used frequently during the unrest.

Given the tense situation inside the country, the players -- caught in between the government and its citizens -- have faced incredible pressure.

Prior to Iran's first W.C. match against England, players didn't sing the national anthem. But, that lasted just one game after the players were reportedly threatened by the government, where players were essentially warned ... sing or face possible retribution.

Canelo Alvarez is apologizing to Lionel Messi and the people of Argentina after threatening to kick the soccer superstar's ass ... saying he's learned from the mistake.

"These last few days I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place for which I want to apologize to Messi and the people of Argentina," the boxing champ said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Every day we learn something new and this time it was my turn."

Canelo unleashed on Messi following Argentina's win over Mexico on Sunday ... accusing the striker of disrespecting his home country's jersey in the locker room.

"He better pray to God that I don't find him!!" Canelo said on Twitter at the time. "Just like I respect Argentina, he has to respect Mexico!"

Despite fans' attempts to explain the apparent misunderstanding to Canelo -- including a message from Messi's own teammate, Sergio Aguero -- the boxer refused to change his stance until Wednesday.

Brazilian soccer legend Pele has been hospitalized again ... but his daughter is assuring the public there is "no emergency" regarding her father's health.

The 82-year-old has been battling colon cancer, and has been in and out of the hospital on multiple occasions since his diagnosis in 2021. But, following his latest visit to a Sao Paolo medical facility this week, ESPN Brasil reported the famed soccer player's health was "worsening."

Pele's daughter, however, said in a statement there's no need for panic ... insisting her father has not received any new bad news -- and is simply regulating his medication.

"I will be there for New Years and promise to post some pictures," Kely Nascimento said Wednesday. "Really and truly, we appreciate the concern and love!!"

Pele initially had a tumor removed in Sept. 2021, and underwent chemotherapy treatments a short time later.

He's often kept a positive attitude throughout his battle, saying in a video message on his birthday last month that "life is good."

Members of the Iranian national soccer team could face arrests -- or, perhaps worse, brutal beatings -- upon their return home from the World Cup ... this according to multiple experts, who fear for the team's safety following Tuesday's loss to the U.S.

Kenneth R. Timmerman, a political author and an expert in Iran, told the NY Post this week that after the team's initial protest of its country's national anthem on Nov. 21, and its subsequent bouncing from the huge soccer tournament, players could now be facing retribution.

"I would be afraid of arrest," Timmerman said. "Even if they had won, they would have been arrested, soundly beaten, and warned, 'Don't ever do this again.'"

Former CIA covert operations officer Mike Baker added that punishments for the players could be "brutal."

"Given what we've seen from the Iranian regime … they've shown themselves to be brutal," Baker said, "and there's no reason to believe they're going to suddenly become rational."

Iran chose to not sing along to its national anthem ahead of its W.C.-opening game against England ... to show support for protestors in its home country.

But, four days later, against Wales, that protest ceded, and players sang to the tune. Prior to their loss to the U.S. on Tuesday, players sang once again ... amid reports that their families could face "violence and torture" if the protests picked back up.

Still, Baker said the initial protest, combined with the 1-0 loss to the Americans, could turn into fines or arrests.

"Neither is good if you’re an Iranian player upon returning home," he said.

Middle East Institute's Fatemeh Aman, however, said she believes the team could be spared ... telling the Post, "You can't arrest the entire national team at the same time, you can't do that."

Model Ivana Knoll -- known as the "World Cup's Hottest Fan" -- believes Qatar's harsh clothing guidelines have been completely relaxed while hosting the soccer competition ... telling TMZ Sports her attention-grabbing outfits have been a fan favorite with the locals.

Knoll has been sporting her own sexy custom wardrobe at the stadium throughout the opening stages of the tournament ... leaving many to question whether she'd face punishment for showing too much skin.

We spoke with Knoll about her fashion statements at the World Cup ... and she says she meant no disrespect to the Qatari people with her designs. Instead, Knoll feels like everyone should have the decision to wear whatever fits within their own culture.

Qatar sees it completely differently, though ... and the tourism site specifically states men and women visiting the area are "expected to show respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing in public."

Taking that into consideration, the businesswoman says she first tested the waters by wearing a long dress with cleavage to Croatia's first match on Nov. 23 ... and after she made it through the whole contest without a hitch, she knew she'd be able to wear a more revealing outfit on Sunday.

Eventually, Knoll -- who has more than 900k Instagram followers -- felt comfortable enough to wear a bikini to the beach ... and despite how popular her posts on social media became, she says she faced zero issues with authorities or the public eye.

"The locals confirmed to me that I can wear whatever I want," Knoll tells us. "But I didn't know that my video in a bikini walking by the sea would be such a big deal. The whole country is speaking about it. Everybody knows me here, and I saw that I was accepted."

Knoll explains she was not worried about any consequences with the country ... adding, "I was never afraid to be arrested to be what I am, and I don't think I can hurt someone wearing a bikini. And if that deserves to be arrested, then arrest me."

Christian Pulisic is on the road to recovery ... and despite getting injured against Iran Tuesday, the U.S. soccer star says he fully intends to play on Saturday against the Netherlands!

Pulisic scored the game's only goal late in the first half (en route to the U.S.'s 1-0 victory over Iran) ... but he was injured after colliding with the goalkeeper on the play, sidelining him for the entire second half.

According to FOX Sports reporter Jenny Taft, 24-year-old Pulisic was transported to the hospital for further evaluation after suffering an abdominal injury during the collision.

A pic of Christian laying in a hospital bed was posted on social media with the caption, "So f***ing proud of my guys. I'll be ready Saturday. Don't worry 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️."

The United States victory over Iran was so big ... even President Biden could barely contain his excitement.

POTUS was delivering a speech in Michigan during the high-stakes match ... and was pumped when he learned the U.S. won.

"That's a big game," the commander in chief said with a huge smile on his face, as chants of "U-S-A!" broke out.

The USMNT will enter its game against Netherlands as a sizeable underdog ... but with Pulisic vowing to be on the pitch, the USA likes its chances a whole lot more!

Joe Biden was so pumped America was able to pull out the win in the World Cup on Tuesday -- he straight-up led an old-fashioned "U-S-A!" chant at a political event!!

POTUS was out in Michigan while the must-win game against Iran was going down in Qatar ... and after the 1-0 contest ended, he grabbed the mic to gloat to the room.

Audio issues missed the first part of his impromptu winner's speech -- but it all clicked on just in time to hear him egg on a pro-U.S. shout.

"That's a big game man!" Biden said as the "U-S-A!" chants rang out in the room. "When I spoke to the coach and the players, I said, 'You can do this!' and they said, 'Ahh' -- they did it!"

"God love 'em!"

Back home in D.C., meanwhile, those still at the White House made sure they were showing love to the USMNT ... posting a "Go Team USA!" sign out in the yard.

As for the on-the-pitch action ... U.S. had to win the game over Iran in order to advance out of the group stage -- and after Christian Pulisic scored a goal late in the first half, they held on long enough to do just that.

Up next is the Netherlands on Saturday -- and the U.S. is already being billed as a HUGE  underdog in the game.

Iran officials have reportedly threatened the families of their national soccer team's players ahead of their huge game with the U.S. -- insisting if they don't "behave" for the contest, "violence and torture" could ensue back home.

CNN, citing a World Cup security source, reported Monday that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps met recently with its country's players to get the point across.

Iranian players had previously shown support for protestors in their home country by refusing to sing its national anthem before its game against England back on Nov. 21. But, before their game against Wales just days later, players once again participated in the song.

According to CNN, the IRGC has made it clear to players it expects no further protests in the World Cup -- including when the team kicks off its hugely important contest with the U.S. on Tuesday ... or the consequences could be dire.

Circumstances surrounding the group stage matchup had already been tense ... after the U.S. altered an Iranian flag on social media this past weekend to show support for the protests in the foreign country.

Iran's state media had asked FIFA to boot the U.S. out of World Cup action over it all.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter ended up apologizing Monday for the posts ... but insisted he and his team had nothing to do with them, and were solely focused on Tuesday's game.

The contest is set to kick off at 11 AM PT.

A top Qatari official just made a shocking admission ... estimating between 400 to 500 migrant workers died while working on projects tied to the FIFA World Cup, significantly higher than previous official figures indicated.

Hassan Al-Thawadi -- chief of the iconic soccer event -- disclosed the amount during an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV Monday ... saying hundreds of migrant workers died as a consequence of World Cup labor.

"Between 400 and 500," Al-Thawadi told the British reporter in a response that appeared off the cuff, adding, "I don't have the exact number. That's something that's being discussed."

"One death is too many. It's as simple as that."

Prior to Al-Thawadi's interview, the death toll was said to be around 40 ... with a large majority of those coming being non-work related deaths (think sickness instead of worksite accident).

It's possible Qatar is still not being forthcoming with the true statistics. In fact, other reports have estimated thousands of workers have died during W.C. prep. The conditions under which the mostly foreign-born work staff operated were also reportedly abysmal.

Despite admitting to the hundreds of deaths, Al-Thawadi claims the health and safety standards have improved since they won the bid to host in 2010.

"I think overall the need for labor reform in itself dictates that yes, improvements have to happen."

"This was something that was recognized before we bid. The improvements that have happened aren’t because of the World Cup. These are improvements that we knew that we had to do because of our own values"

The Portugal vs. Uruguay World Cup match was interrupted by an unexpected intruder on Monday ... when a man holding a rainbow flag stormed the pitch in protest.

The spectator made his move 50 minutes into the contest ... running at full speed before getting stopped by security and escorted off the grass.

Along with the rainbow flag, the man was wearing a Superman shirt that read "Save Ukraine" on the front ... and "Respect For Iranian Women" on the back.

Of course, homosexuality is illegal in Qatar ... and the stunt is sure to come with serious ramifications.

As we previously reported, journalist Grant Wahl said he was detained for nearly half an hour last week ... after World Cup guards took issue with his pro-LGBTQ shirt.

The spectator's message for Iranian women's rights also comes on the heels of Team USA's decision to alter the country's flag in support of the same cause ... which led Iranian state media to call for FIFA to boot America from the massive sporting event.

A stunning soccer fan decided to rock a sexy 'fit as she cheered on her team at the World Cup over the weekend ... despite Qatar's strict dress code.

Model Ivana Knoll -- who's known as the "World Cup's Hottest Fan" -- posed for pics in a revealing red and white dress while in attendance for the Croatia vs. Canada matchup on Sunday ... with her shoulders and knees fully exposed.

Of course, Qatar takes a modest approach to clothing ... and anyone who visits is strongly encouraged to follow the guidelines.

In fact, the country's tourism page specifically states both men and women are "expected to show respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing in public."

Safe to say Knoll's wardrobe choice was a big no-no in the eyes of the locals ... but it doesn't appear she was kicked out of the game or got in any sort of trouble.

As for the contest ... Knoll's beloved Croatian squad ended up easily defeating Canada, 4-1.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter apologized on Monday for his team's edit of the Iranian flag in World Cup social media posts ... though he insisted he and his players had no say in the matter.

The U.S. Soccer Federation's posts were up for several hours on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on Saturday ... showing Iran's flag without the emblem of the Islamic Republic in it.

U.S. soccer officials said the scrubbing was on purpose, telling CNN it was a planned 24-hour change to show "support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights." The normal flag had been restored by Sunday afternoon.

The move, however, was panned by Iran ... and the country's state media asked FIFA on Sunday to kick the U.S. out of World Cup action over it all.

"According to section 13 of #FIFA rules," Tasnim News Agency tweeted, "any person who offends the dignity or integrity of a country, a person or group of people ... shall be sanctioned with a suspension lasting at least ten matches or a specific period, or any other appropriate disciplinary measure."

FIFA has yet to comment on the issue -- though Berhalter was peppered with questions about it during a meeting with reporters just 24 hours before the U.S. is slated to play Iran in a must-win match on Tuesday. The loser is likely eliminated from the tourney.

Berhalter said "players and the staff knew nothing about what was being posted" ... calling it "out of our control." He did, though, say he was sorry.

"All we can do on our behalf is apologize on behalf of the players and the staff," he said, "but it's not something that we are part of."

The 49-year-old manager then said he and his team's focus is strictly on Tuesday's match.

"I don't want to sound aloof or not caring by saying that, but the guys have worked really hard for the last four years, we have 72 hours between England and Iran, and we really are just focused on how to get past Iran and how we can go to this knockout stage of the tournament."

"Of course, our thoughts are with the Iranian people -- the whole country, the whole team, everyone. But our focus is on this match."