Lionel Messi proved his class once again when sending a heartfelt message to Argentina’s promising youngsters after seeing them suffer an agonising defeat to Morocco in the FIFA U20 World Cup final. The Albiceleste are the current holders of the global crown at senior level and had been hoping to capture another in the youth ranks. Messi has offered his support after seeing that dream crushed in dramatic fashion.
FIFA is rolling out a brand new VAR challenge initiative that gives managers the power to use purple and blue cards during matches to request a decision review from the referee, but it threatens to lead to even more frustrating delays. The cards are currently being tested at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup in Chile and in other smaller-scale tournaments and leagues.
The United States made a deep run into the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, but that came to a halt in the quarterfinals - their fifth tournament in a row reaching that round - as Morocco won 3-1 on Sunday. Despite Cole Campbell's first-half equalizer, Morocco advanced to the semifinals with a second-half own goal from Joshua Wynder and a late counterattack strike.