Odyssey and Oyarzabal

Odyssey and Oyarzabal

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Erling Haaland	5,065,428	Norway's best footballer ever opened the week continuing his country's unbeaten streak against Brazil once his adversary's coach made enough bad decisions to leave Haaland unguarded to score two goals, raising his total in the World Cup to seven while his nation reached the quarterfinals for the first time. And then against England Haaland didn't score, was substituted during extra time, and ultimately saw his team get eliminated, so he's deserving this.
2	2026 FIFA World Cup	3,700,780	The week had both the round of 16 (where following Canada's elimination the Saturday before, fellow co-hosts Mexico and United States also fell) and the quarterfinals that led to the first semifinals contested only by previous champions since 1990: the Spain of Lamine Yamal vs. the France of #8, and the England of #6 vs. the Argentina of #10. The games of Saturday had a moment of silence for South African player Jayden Adams, who was found dead at just 25 mere weeks after playing all three games of the group stage before missing the one where the Bafana Bafana were eliminated by Canada.
3	Bonnie Tyler	1,860,252	This Welsh singer, known for her raspy voice which was the result of a vocal-cord surgery, found international success in the 1970s and 1980s with songs such as the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", the top-five hit "It's a Heartache", and "Holding Out for a Hero" from the Footloose soundtrack, which a few decades later Jennifer Saunders brilliantly performed as Fairy Godmother for the soundtrack of Shrek 2. Tyler underwent emergency surgery in Portugal on May 6 and suffered a cardiac arrest when doctors attempted bringing her out of the coma. She woke up on June 15 but remained unwell and ultimately died from illness complications on July 8, at the age of 75.
4	Ann Widdecombe	1,823,948	Another prominent British death, but this one is suspected to be a murder. Ann Widdecombe was a prominent right-wing politician in England, spending 23 years in the British Parliament and holding a few other offices over the years. She was known both for her strong social conservatism and her regular media appearances, including on a dancing competition. Widdecombe was found dead at her house this week; police arrested a man suspected of driving halfway across the country to commit the crime. The motives behind the killing remain unclear.
5	Cristiano Ronaldo	1,727,367	Portugal was knocked out of the World Cup by their neighbour Spain, heralding the end of CR7's time in international football after 23 years (!). He ends with 146 goals across 233 appearances, both world records by some distance. Where Ronaldo will go from here isn't clear, though he still has his Saudi gig for the moment.
6	Jude Bellingham	1,713,210	Imagine being Jude Bellingham for a minute and being perceived as one of the most attractive football players (though this here writer has a thing for someone else), having a London railway station temporarily renamed to honor your name and absolutely dominating the recent World Cup edition. The British star scored six goals at #2 so far, tying him with captain Harry Kane in a race for the Golden Boot, with his back-to-back goals against Mexico in the 36th and 38th minute making him the first player since Diego Maradona in 1986 to do so in a knockout stage match. On the last day of this Report, Bellingham's two goals against Norway secured England's spot in the semi finals. He'll now be facing Argentina of #10 on July 15.
7	Arthur Fery	1,707,652	Still on grass sports, across The Pond the best of tennis are playing in Wimbledon. A local player surprised everyone by entering as a wildcard and going all the way to the semifinals, where he was defeated by Alexander Zverev.
8	Kylian Mbappé	1,635,449	France's big star Mbappé made the semi-finals of the World Cup for the third time in a row, scoring the first goal in France's win over Morocco. That goal marked his 20th goal at the FIFA World Cup, a milestone he shares only with #10; and he's only 27...
9	FIFA World Cup	1,403,605	The world's biggest show rolls on into another week.
10	Lionel Messi	1,344,035	After helping Argentina get an impressive comeback on the Egypt of Mohamed Salah, even scoring the tying goal, Leo managed to get to his third Cup semifinal with an overtime win over Switzerland that was also the first game in #2 where he didn't have a goal. #6 and friends are the next adversaries.

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

Erling Haaland

5,065,428

Norway's best footballer ever opened the week continuing his country's unbeaten streak against Brazil once his adversary's coach made enough bad decisions to leave Haaland unguarded to score two goals, raising his total in the World Cup to seven while his nation reached the quarterfinals for the first time. And then against England Haaland didn't score, was substituted during extra time, and ultimately saw his team get eliminated, so he's deserving this.

2026 FIFA World Cup

3,700,780

The week had both the round of 16 (where following Canada's elimination the Saturday before, fellow co-hosts Mexico and United States also fell) and the quarterfinals that led to the first semifinals contested only by previous champions since 1990: the Spain of Lamine Yamal vs. the France of #8, and the England of #6 vs. the Argentina of #10. The games of Saturday had a moment of silence for South African player Jayden Adams, who was found dead at just 25 mere weeks after playing all three games of the group stage before missing the one where the Bafana Bafana were eliminated by Canada.

Bonnie Tyler

1,860,252

This Welsh singer, known for her raspy voice which was the result of a vocal-cord surgery, found international success in the 1970s and 1980s with songs such as the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", the top-five hit "It's a Heartache", and "Holding Out for a Hero" from the Footloose soundtrack, which a few decades later Jennifer Saunders brilliantly performed as Fairy Godmother for the soundtrack of Shrek 2. Tyler underwent emergency surgery in Portugal on May 6 and suffered a cardiac arrest when doctors attempted bringing her out of the coma. She woke up on June 15 but remained unwell and ultimately died from illness complications on July 8, at the age of 75.

Ann Widdecombe

1,823,948

Another prominent British death, but this one is suspected to be a murder. Ann Widdecombe was a prominent right-wing politician in England, spending 23 years in the British Parliament and holding a few other offices over the years. She was known both for her strong social conservatism and her regular media appearances, including on a dancing competition. Widdecombe was found dead at her house this week; police arrested a man suspected of driving halfway across the country to commit the crime. The motives behind the killing remain unclear.

Cristiano Ronaldo

1,727,367

Portugal was knocked out of the World Cup by their neighbour Spain, heralding the end of CR7's time in international football after 23 years (!). He ends with 146 goals across 233 appearances, both world records by some distance. Where Ronaldo will go from here isn't clear, though he still has his Saudi gig for the moment.

Jude Bellingham

1,713,210

Imagine being Jude Bellingham for a minute and being perceived as one of the most attractive football players (though this here writer has a thing for someone else), having a London railway station temporarily renamed to honor your name and absolutely dominating the recent World Cup edition. The British star scored six goals at #2 so far, tying him with captain Harry Kane in a race for the Golden Boot, with his back-to-back goals against Mexico in the 36th and 38th minute making him the first player since Diego Maradona in 1986 to do so in a knockout stage match. On the last day of this Report, Bellingham's two goals against Norway secured England's spot in the semi finals. He'll now be facing Argentina of #10 on July 15.

Arthur Fery

1,707,652

Still on grass sports, across The Pond the best of tennis are playing in Wimbledon. A local player surprised everyone by entering as a wildcard and going all the way to the semifinals, where he was defeated by Alexander Zverev.

Kylian Mbappé

1,635,449

France's big star Mbappé made the semi-finals of the World Cup for the third time in a row, scoring the first goal in France's win over Morocco. That goal marked his 20th goal at the FIFA World Cup, a milestone he shares only with #10; and he's only 27...

FIFA World Cup

1,403,605

The world's biggest show rolls on into another week.

Lionel Messi

1,344,035

After helping Argentina get an impressive comeback on the Egypt of Mohamed Salah, even scoring the tying goal, Leo managed to get to his third Cup semifinal with an overtime win over Switzerland that was also the first game in #2 where he didn't have a goal. #6 and friends are the next adversaries.

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Lindsey Graham	4,433,727	The US Senator for South Carolina died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 71. A Republican, Graham was known as an avid war hawk; he was chair of the Senate Budget Committee and once ran for U.S. President.
2	The Odyssey (2026 film)	3,887,683	Christopher Nolan's retelling of Homer's epic was released on July 17 in the US and UK with a star-studded cast, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus.
3	Sam Neill	3,603,565	The New Zealand actor passed away in Sydney at 78 years old, with pneumonia as the cause of death. He had a slew of well-known roles in both film and TV, and was best known as Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series. He also starred in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, New Zealand's highest-grossing film (excluding all the American ones that hang out in the country).
4	2026 FIFA World Cup	2,476,321	We are nearing the end of the 23rd edition of the world's biggest football tournament, with the upcoming final between the South American and European championship winners Argentina and Spain (the former also being the defending world champions) taking place the day after this Report.
5	Jude Bellingham	2,074,030	England ultimately finished 3rd following the bronze medal game against France, with Bellingham making history by officially becoming the first English football star to score seven goals at a single World Cup.
6	Lionel Messi	2,011,242	These two superstars—one from Argentina, one from Spain—are scheduled to clash against each other in #4's final, which takes place the day after this Report on July 19. We'll most definitely be discussing that on next week's Report so to avoid any spoilers this week, let's focus on the 2007 photos that recently went viral, featuring a 20-year-old long-haired Messi bathing a 5-month-old baby, which completely by chance happens to be Yamal. No, it is not AI.
7	Lamine Yamal	1,662,304
8	List of FIFA World Cup finals	1,538,590	For those of you who don't know, this year's final will feature the first ever Super Bowl-style halftime show starring Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber. I will use a photo of Shakira because that's the first person I think of when discussing World Cup songs.
9	Erling Haaland	1,336,559	Norway was eliminated from #4 by England on July 11 and yet Haaland continues to be a social media sensation with nearly 30 million new followers on Instagram and a dinner invitation from the star of #2 with a similar surname, which Haaland completely ignored because he had no idea who Holland was. (though Haaland later clarified that his reaction was "Oh my God, it's the Spider-Man guy, and I don't watch Spider-Man!" and he sent a polite message to Holland regarding the misunderstanding)
10	FIFA World Cup	1,283,392	Eight teams have won it, and the #4 final would mark the first squad to win twice in the 21st century (jumping ahead with the result, this song was a good choice after the final ended).

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

Lindsey Graham

4,433,727

The US Senator for South Carolina died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 71. A Republican, Graham was known as an avid war hawk; he was chair of the Senate Budget Committee and once ran for U.S. President.

The Odyssey (2026 film)

3,887,683

Christopher Nolan's retelling of Homer's epic was released on July 17 in the US and UK with a star-studded cast, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus.

Sam Neill

3,603,565

The New Zealand actor passed away in Sydney at 78 years old, with pneumonia as the cause of death. He had a slew of well-known roles in both film and TV, and was best known as Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series. He also starred in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, New Zealand's highest-grossing film (excluding all the American ones that hang out in the country).

2026 FIFA World Cup

2,476,321

We are nearing the end of the 23rd edition of the world's biggest football tournament, with the upcoming final between the South American and European championship winners Argentina and Spain (the former also being the defending world champions) taking place the day after this Report.

Jude Bellingham

2,074,030

England ultimately finished 3rd following the bronze medal game against France, with Bellingham making history by officially becoming the first English football star to score seven goals at a single World Cup.

Lionel Messi

2,011,242

These two superstars—one from Argentina, one from Spain—are scheduled to clash against each other in #4's final, which takes place the day after this Report on July 19. We'll most definitely be discussing that on next week's Report so to avoid any spoilers this week, let's focus on the 2007 photos that recently went viral, featuring a 20-year-old long-haired Messi bathing a 5-month-old baby, which completely by chance happens to be Yamal. No, it is not AI.

Lamine Yamal

1,662,304

List of FIFA World Cup finals

1,538,590

For those of you who don't know, this year's final will feature the first ever Super Bowl-style halftime show starring Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber. I will use a photo of Shakira because that's the first person I think of when discussing World Cup songs.

Erling Haaland

1,336,559

Norway was eliminated from #4 by England on July 11 and yet Haaland continues to be a social media sensation with nearly 30 million new followers on Instagram and a dinner invitation from the star of #2 with a similar surname, which Haaland completely ignored because he had no idea who Holland was. (though Haaland later clarified that his reaction was "Oh my God, it's the Spider-Man guy, and I don't watch Spider-Man!" and he sent a polite message to Holland regarding the misunderstanding)

FIFA World Cup

1,283,392

Eight teams have won it, and the #4 final would mark the first squad to win twice in the 21st century (jumping ahead with the result, this song was a good choice after the final ended).

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	The Odyssey (2026 film)	5,121,181	Christopher Nolan making epic movies leads to him adapting one of the original epics (#4). Matt Damon heads a star-studded cast as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who after helping the Greeks win the Trojan War takes 10 years to return home (and nearly three hours of runtime!) due to both bad luck and divine intervention. The Odyssey already started its box office run making back its $250 million budget in a single weekend, and should top the second as well. Just not the third, given a literal couple of its actors, Tom Holland (Odysseus' son Telemachus) and Zendaya (the goddess Athena), have a blockbuster of their own.
2	Lamine Yamal	3,164,090	For all the damage he caused at Euro 2024, Yamal didn't have a breakout World Cup, with many dribbles but scoring only one goal. Still, Spain's victory six days after Yamal's 19th birthday made him the third youngest football world champion after Pelé and Giuseppe Bergomi, and he has much room for improvement until 2030!
3	2026 FIFA World Cup	2,062,454	One day after a high-scoring third place match, came a final that was a battle of attrition: the highly tactical Spain prevented Argentina from going further than midfield, and the South Americans became the first finalist ever to not shoot on goal for the whole 90 minutes of regulation – and they decided to compensate their inferiority through violence, getting four yellow cards plus a red once Pau Cubarsí was sent flying. Only many miraculous saves by Emiliano Martínez prevented a Spanish victory before the start of a grueling overtime, where eventually Nico Williams knocked a header towards Ferran Torres, who found the net to guarantee the second Iberian title (and as if losing wasn't enough, the Argentinians started a fight and turned their backs as the trophy was lifted). Aside from Kylian Mbappé being the top goalscorer, Spain's victory extended to the tournament's individual awards: captain Rodri was the best player, Cubarsí the best young player, and Unai Simón was chosen best goalkeeper for being scored on only once across eight games.
4	Odyssey	1,773,222	Called an epic for a reason, Homer's poem of over 12,000 lines is one of the oldest surviving works of literature today. Believed composed in the 8th century BC, it became canon around two centuries later. Odyssey has been adapted in innumerable forms of media, as it is considered the "birthplace of literary fiction". The latest film adaptation (#1) premiered theatrically last week.
5	Lionel Messi	1,600,217	For as much as he's been called a GOAT, that certainly makes him less than a King, as Pelé won the two World Cup finals he played, being crucial in both, as opposed to Messi only making a difference in one out of three decisive games he appeared in. He also managed a "silver treble" at #3, being tournament runner-up, second best player behind Rodri, and second highest scorer behind Mbappé.
6	Andy Burnham	1,591,367	The UK got a new prime minister this week, after Andy Burnham took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the governing Labour Party. Burnham was previously the mayor of Greater Manchester in the north of England; he's been a prominent figure in the UK for a while, and actually ran for the Labour leadership in 2010 and 2015 as well. This time he was elected unopposed after winning a huge victory in a parliamentary by-election, with his predecessor having developed a chronic case of extreme unpopularity.
7	Shakira	1,461,066	Colombia couldn't get further than the round of 16 at #3, but one of their greatest exports ever was still at the final. After all, Shakira has become the Shirley Bassey of World Cup themes, and 20 years after performing "Hips Don't Lie" at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Cup she was there to sing the tournament's official song "Dai Dai", having also done 2010's "Waka Waka" and contributing a remix of "Dare (La La La)" in 2014.
8	List of FIFA World Cup finals	1,211,919	#3's was the 22nd (23rd if you count the Maracanazo), and the first to have a halftime show akin to the final of the sport the game's host United States calls football. Aside from the above being joined by Nigeria's Burna Boy and Uganda's Ghetto Kids, Justin Bieber's weirdly religious serenade and an explosive choreography by BTS, the queen of pop music Madonna helped remind viewers of who is the biggest World Cup winner as she was driven into ~~MetLife Stadium~~ New York/New Jersey Stadium by the two Ronaldos that got Brazil the 2002 title while (here he is again!) Pelé appeared on the screen behind them.
9	Kaylee Hottle	1,159,096	A deaf actress who after having an enormous friend in King Kong across two movies tragically got her life cut short at just 18 due to a car crash.
10	Kevin Keegan	1,146,103	After entries on football and death, an English footballer who died aged 75 of cancer. As a player, Keegan earned the nickname "Mighty Mouse" winning many titles with Liverpool F.C. and Hamburg SV in the 1970s while also playing the 1982 World Cup for England. As a manager, he got another sobriquet, "King Kev", helping three teams be promoted to the Premier League while also having a short tenure coaching the England team.

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

The Odyssey (2026 film)

5,121,181

Christopher Nolan making epic movies leads to him adapting one of the original epics (#4). Matt Damon heads a star-studded cast as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who after helping the Greeks win the Trojan War takes 10 years to return home (and nearly three hours of runtime!) due to both bad luck and divine intervention. The Odyssey already started its box office run making back its $250 million budget in a single weekend, and should top the second as well. Just not the third, given a literal couple of its actors, Tom Holland (Odysseus' son Telemachus) and Zendaya (the goddess Athena), have a blockbuster of their own.

Lamine Yamal

3,164,090

For all the damage he caused at Euro 2024, Yamal didn't have a breakout World Cup, with many dribbles but scoring only one goal. Still, Spain's victory six days after Yamal's 19th birthday made him the third youngest football world champion after Pelé and Giuseppe Bergomi, and he has much room for improvement until 2030!

2026 FIFA World Cup

2,062,454

One day after a high-scoring third place match, came a final that was a battle of attrition: the highly tactical Spain prevented Argentina from going further than midfield, and the South Americans became the first finalist ever to not shoot on goal for the whole 90 minutes of regulation – and they decided to compensate their inferiority through violence, getting four yellow cards plus a red once Pau Cubarsí was sent flying. Only many miraculous saves by Emiliano Martínez prevented a Spanish victory before the start of a grueling overtime, where eventually Nico Williams knocked a header towards Ferran Torres, who found the net to guarantee the second Iberian title (and as if losing wasn't enough, the Argentinians started a fight and turned their backs as the trophy was lifted). Aside from Kylian Mbappé being the top goalscorer, Spain's victory extended to the tournament's individual awards: captain Rodri was the best player, Cubarsí the best young player, and Unai Simón was chosen best goalkeeper for being scored on only once across eight games.

Odyssey

1,773,222

Called an epic for a reason, Homer's poem of over 12,000 lines is one of the oldest surviving works of literature today. Believed composed in the 8th century BC, it became canon around two centuries later. Odyssey has been adapted in innumerable forms of media, as it is considered the "birthplace of literary fiction". The latest film adaptation (#1) premiered theatrically last week.

Lionel Messi

1,600,217

For as much as he's been called a GOAT, that certainly makes him less than a King, as Pelé won the two World Cup finals he played, being crucial in both, as opposed to Messi only making a difference in one out of three decisive games he appeared in. He also managed a "silver treble" at #3, being tournament runner-up, second best player behind Rodri, and second highest scorer behind Mbappé.

Andy Burnham

1,591,367

The UK got a new prime minister this week, after Andy Burnham took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the governing Labour Party. Burnham was previously the mayor of Greater Manchester in the north of England; he's been a prominent figure in the UK for a while, and actually ran for the Labour leadership in 2010 and 2015 as well. This time he was elected unopposed after winning a huge victory in a parliamentary by-election, with his predecessor having developed a chronic case of extreme unpopularity.

Shakira

1,461,066

Colombia couldn't get further than the round of 16 at #3, but one of their greatest exports ever was still at the final. After all, Shakira has become the Shirley Bassey of World Cup themes, and 20 years after performing "Hips Don't Lie" at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Cup she was there to sing the tournament's official song "Dai Dai", having also done 2010's "Waka Waka" and contributing a remix of "Dare (La La La)" in 2014.

List of FIFA World Cup finals

1,211,919

#3's was the 22nd (23rd if you count the Maracanazo), and the first to have a halftime show akin to the final of the sport the game's host United States calls football. Aside from the above being joined by Nigeria's Burna Boy and Uganda's Ghetto Kids, Justin Bieber's weirdly religious serenade and an explosive choreography by BTS, the queen of pop music Madonna helped remind viewers of who is the biggest World Cup winner as she was driven into ~~MetLife Stadium~~ New York/New Jersey Stadium by the two Ronaldos that got Brazil the 2002 title while (here he is again!) Pelé appeared on the screen behind them.

Kaylee Hottle

1,159,096

A deaf actress who after having an enormous friend in King Kong across two movies tragically got her life cut short at just 18 due to a car crash.

Kevin Keegan

1,146,103

After entries on football and death, an English footballer who died aged 75 of cancer. As a player, Keegan earned the nickname "Mighty Mouse" winning many titles with Liverpool F.C. and Hamburg SV in the 1970s while also playing the 1982 World Cup for England. As a manager, he got another sobriquet, "King Kev", helping three teams be promoted to the Premier League while also having a short tenure coaching the England team.

Title	Revisions	About
Deaths in 2026	2547	Along with the people listed above, the deceased of the period included Alan Greenspan, Brenda Fricker, Garry Sobers and many musical people (Victor Willis, Clive Davis, Peppino di Capri, Jennifer Finch, S. Janaki).
2026 Venezuela earthquakes	1492	For all that was hoped that starting the year forcibly removing their president would ease the Crisis in Venezuela, the country got in even worse chaos once two strong earthquakes hit, causing thousands of deaths and injuries along with billions in damages.
Map	1319	Noleander's next project on improving a Vital Article.
2026 Pacific typhoon season	1218	Climate got worse as the northern hemisphere's summer rolled on, with tropical storms and cyclones in the Pacific and record high temperatures near the Atlantic.
2026 European heatwaves	1131
Wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce	1053	In July 2023, Travis Kelce tried to meet Taylor Swift while she performed for two nights at the Arrowhead Stadium where he played as part of the Kansas City Chiefs; he was denied, but left her a bracelet with his number. It worked and only two months later, it was Swift who attended Kelce's match and later held hands with him, causing so much frenzy that even led to him topping our weekly report. On the same day Arrowhead received one of #1's games (Colombia 1-0 Ghana), the couple was getting married at Madison Square Garden, in a ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler!
2026 Iran war	1020	During the below, the Iranian team was understandably headquartered in Mexico, but to cross the border and play games in front of the "Tehrangeles" community in the country attacking theirs, faced many complications due to travel restrictions. But things seem to be improving, as the American and Iranian governments signed the Islamabad Memorandum agreeing to end the conflict, and the blockade on the Iranian ports was removed. And just when everyone was hoping things wouldn't flare up again, three weeks later the ceasefire deal collapsed after attacks by both sides.
2026 FIFA World Cup	999	The biggest iteration of association football's premier event, with 48 teams spread across 16 cities in three countries. Spain came out on top, marking the first time the male and female world champion teams are from the same country!
2026 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles	967	While Italy shamefully missed its third straight World Cup, across the pond one of their own, Jannik Sinner, was winning Wimbledon, beating Alexander Zverev in the decision.
Trump v. Barbara	910	Trump signed an executive order trying to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, a class action contesting this was started (the plaintiff "Barbara" being an Honduran trying to hide her identity), and the Supreme Court eventually struck down the order.
List of 2026 FIFA World Cup controversies	881	Already a big article before kickoff, given the union of the controversy magnets that are FIFA and the Trump administration, once the tournament was rolling more things had to be added, such as unruly fan behavior, Trump asking for a red card to be overturned, and the possibility that the referees were helping Argentina get to the final.
2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage	865	32 out of the 48 teams moved onto the playoffs. The new round of 32 had upsets in both Germany and Netherlands falling on penalties, the round of 16 was the endpoint for all three hosts and Brazil (and should've been to Argentina as well!), the quarterfinals had only past winners advancing, the semifinal had suffocation (Spain's tactics guaranteed France barely performed) and choking (England couldn't keep or increase its lead and collapsed on two late goals), and eventually the final where Spain showed they were not willing to let Argentina attempt scoring, let alone get another comeback.
Ann Widdecombe	860	The investigation into the murder of the grande-dame of British social conservatism continues. A man in South Yorkshire was arrested on July 11 in connection with the murder and has been held since. A divisive figure while alive, expect Widdecombe to receive the Charlie Kirk treatment in "martyrdom". This is at least the third murder of a sitting or former member of parliament in the last ten years, which has current and former MPs worried about their own security.
Confessions II	831	Before playing at the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, Madonna released an album that serves as a sequel to 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Title

Revisions

About

Deaths in 2026

2547

Along with the people listed above, the deceased of the period included Alan Greenspan, Brenda Fricker, Garry Sobers and many musical people (Victor Willis, Clive Davis, Peppino di Capri, Jennifer Finch, S. Janaki).

2026 Venezuela earthquakes

1492

For all that was hoped that starting the year forcibly removing their president would ease the Crisis in Venezuela, the country got in even worse chaos once two strong earthquakes hit, causing thousands of deaths and injuries along with billions in damages.

Map

1319

Noleander's next project on improving a Vital Article.

2026 Pacific typhoon season

1218

Climate got worse as the northern hemisphere's summer rolled on, with tropical storms and cyclones in the Pacific and record high temperatures near the Atlantic.

2026 European heatwaves

1131

Wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

1053

In July 2023, Travis Kelce tried to meet Taylor Swift while she performed for two nights at the Arrowhead Stadium where he played as part of the Kansas City Chiefs; he was denied, but left her a bracelet with his number. It worked and only two months later, it was Swift who attended Kelce's match and later held hands with him, causing so much frenzy that even led to him topping our weekly report. On the same day Arrowhead received one of #1's games (Colombia 1-0 Ghana), the couple was getting married at Madison Square Garden, in a ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler!

2026 Iran war

1020

During the below, the Iranian team was understandably headquartered in Mexico, but to cross the border and play games in front of the "Tehrangeles" community in the country attacking theirs, faced many complications due to travel restrictions. But things seem to be improving, as the American and Iranian governments signed the Islamabad Memorandum agreeing to end the conflict, and the blockade on the Iranian ports was removed. And just when everyone was hoping things wouldn't flare up again, three weeks later the ceasefire deal collapsed after attacks by both sides.

2026 FIFA World Cup

999

The biggest iteration of association football's premier event, with 48 teams spread across 16 cities in three countries. Spain came out on top, marking the first time the male and female world champion teams are from the same country!

2026 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles

967

While Italy shamefully missed its third straight World Cup, across the pond one of their own, Jannik Sinner, was winning Wimbledon, beating Alexander Zverev in the decision.

Trump v. Barbara

910

Trump signed an executive order trying to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, a class action contesting this was started (the plaintiff "Barbara" being an Honduran trying to hide her identity), and the Supreme Court eventually struck down the order.

List of 2026 FIFA World Cup controversies

881

Already a big article before kickoff, given the union of the controversy magnets that are FIFA and the Trump administration, once the tournament was rolling more things had to be added, such as unruly fan behavior, Trump asking for a red card to be overturned, and the possibility that the referees were helping Argentina get to the final.

2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

865

32 out of the 48 teams moved onto the playoffs. The new round of 32 had upsets in both Germany and Netherlands falling on penalties, the round of 16 was the endpoint for all three hosts and Brazil (and should've been to Argentina as well!), the quarterfinals had only past winners advancing, the semifinal had suffocation (Spain's tactics guaranteed France barely performed) and choking (England couldn't keep or increase its lead and collapsed on two late goals), and eventually the final where Spain showed they were not willing to let Argentina attempt scoring, let alone get another comeback.

Ann Widdecombe

860

The investigation into the murder of the grande-dame of British social conservatism continues. A man in South Yorkshire was arrested on July 11 in connection with the murder and has been held since. A divisive figure while alive, expect Widdecombe to receive the Charlie Kirk treatment in "martyrdom". This is at least the third murder of a sitting or former member of parliament in the last ten years, which has current and former MPs worried about their own security.

Confessions II

831

Before playing at the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, Madonna released an album that serves as a sequel to 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Odyssey and Oyarzabal

Tipe, tipe, zangalewa (World Cup! World Cup!) (July 5 to 11)

Lalalalala Ulysses, I'll find a new way, well I'll find a new way, baby (July 12 to 18)

Don't cry for me, Argentina (July 19 to 25)

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