Fox Sports launches 'Miracle' World Cup ad campaign featuring USMNT

TheU.S. men's national teammight need a miracle to win theWorld Cupon home soil this summer.

In its new ad campaign for the tournament, Fox Sports imagines a world where it actually happens.

With just over a month until the World Cup kicks off, Fox launched its campaign around the 2026 World Cup, starting with a spot called "Miracle."

The ad envisions the USMNT and Brazil facing off in the final on July 19 in New Jersey. Christian Pulisic takes a last-second corner kick, leading to the tournament-clinching goal.

With the Elvis Presley song “The Impossible Dream" playing in the background, the country erupts.

The ad features cameos from several USMNT players including Pulisic, Tim Ream and Diego Luna, as well as former U.S. coach Bruce Arena. Fox Sports analysts Tom Brady and Zlatan Ibrahimović also make an appearance.

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The last cameo comes from Mike Eruzione, captain of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Eruzione, as you'd expect, has some opinions about miracles.

Watch the full ad below:

“We really wanted the tone of this spot to evolve as you watch it, beginning with something that feels like it’s grounded, but quickly grows to be more and more improbable until finally reality can’t resist calling,” said Matthew Woodhams Roberts, chief creative officer of Special US, which made the ad along with FOX Sports Marketing.

“Of course, then we have Mike Eruzione and a living reminder that no dream is too big. So, we’re saying there’s a chance…maybe.”

Spain – 17th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Brazil – 23rd appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> United States of America – 12th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mexico – 18th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> England – 17th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Portugal – ninth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> France – 17th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Iran – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Switzerland – 13th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Croatia – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Australia – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Morocco – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Austria – eighth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ecuador – fifth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Senegal – fourth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> South Korea – 12th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Japan – eighth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Colombia – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Netherlands – 12th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Germany – 21st appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Belgium – 15th appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Canada – third appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Saudi Arabia – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Uzbekistan – first appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jordan – first appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tunisia – seventh appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> South Africa – fourth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ivory Coast – fourth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Scotland – ninth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Algeria – fifth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> New Zealand – third appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paraguay – ninth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Egypt – fourth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Cape Verde – first appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Qatar – second appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Norway – fourth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Panama – second appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Curacao – first appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ghana – fifth appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Haiti – second appearance

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Who qualified for 2026 World Cup? See every country in the tournament

Spain– 17th appearance

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Fox Sports launches 'Miracle' World Cup commercial featuring USMNT

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 05, 2026

Fox Sports launches 'Miracle' World Cup ad campaign featuring USMNT

TheU.S. men's national teammight need a miracle to win theWorld Cupon home soil this summer. In its new ad campaign for the t...

Read More

Jimmy Kimmel reacts to 'bozos' blaming Rudy Giuliani's hospitalization on him

Jimmy Kimmel is addressing recent backlash after a joke he previously made about Rudy Giuliani resurfaced following news of the politician's hospitalization.

Key Points

• "When I read this, I thought — I really thought — I said, I wonder if they'll try to blame this on me," Kimmel said during Monday night's monologue. "And then sure enough..."

• A spokesperson for Giuliani told The New York Times that the former NYC mayor is in "critical but stable condition."

Jimmy Kimmelis not a psychic, despite what recent backlash over the comedian and late-night TV host's jokes might have some people believing.

During Monday night'sJimmy Kimmel Live,the host dedicated half of his monologue to addressingthe backlash he's receiving onlineafter a joke he made aboutRudy Giulianiresurfaced following news of the politician's hospitalization. The former New York City mayor was hospitalized with pneumonia over the weekend. A spokesperson for Giuliani toldThe New York Timeson Sunday that the disbarred lawyer was in a Florida hospital in "critical but stable condition."

"When I read this [about Giuliani], I really thought, 'I wonder if they'll try to blame this on me,'" Kimmel told his audience on Monday. "And then sure enough, one of these podcast bozos points to a joke I made about Rudy on Thursday, about him being a vampire, and then suggests I might actually have some inside knowledge of what's going on in Trumptown there, and then that becomes a thing."

The comedian poked fun at Giuliani during hisJimmy Kimmel Livemonologue last week, teasing at the time that the former NYC mayor “rose from the grave” to react to the latest developments in the ongoing Trump-Kimmel feud.

Kimmel showed a clip of conservative media figures discussing the resurfaced joke during a panel on Newsmax, questioning its timing. One panelist asked, "Is this supposed to be comedy?" while another declared, "He's really not funny," calling the bit "abhorrent" and accusing the late-night host of operating under the "gauze of comedy."

The host took the statement as an opening, of course.

"Right. In fact, I'm under the gauze of comedy right now," he said, as the camera pulled back to reveal him literally standing beneath a large piece of gauze held aloft by four men donning Groucho glasses. Kimmel went on to claim the "gauze" gave him psychic powers to predict future events. "Every day in the morning, I wake up, I make coffee, and then I look into the future to see which events have yet to occur, and then we write jokes we know are going to make trouble," he said.

On a more serious note, Kimmel said he hopes Giuliani "lives another 100 years."

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"He earned that outside the dildo shop. That was the funniest thing any person has done this century," he added, referring toGiuliani leading a conference for the Trump campaignoutside a Philadelphia landscaping business next to an adult store in 2020.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Kimmel also brought up Giuliani in his monologue last Tuesday, after the ex-mayor dragged him fora joke about Melania Trump having the glow of an “expectant widow”days beforethe White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.

He showed a clip from Giuliani'sAmerica's Mayor Livebroadcast in which the politician called Kimmel "maybe one of the most distasteful human beings in this country" and, later, "an incompetent jacka--."

In response, Kimmel said, "I have to say, it's confusing to be called an incompetent jacka-- by a man who accidentally held a press conference outside a dildo store, who doesn't seem to have any understanding of when videos are running and when they aren't, and has a gallon of squid ink dribbling off the top of his head."

He added, "Does this man have any family members who can come get him already?"

Watch Kimmel's monologue from Monday night above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 05, 2026

Jimmy Kimmel reacts to 'bozos' blaming Rudy Giuliani's hospitalization on him

Jimmy Kimmel is addressing recent backlash after a joke he previously made about Rudy Giuliani resurfaced following news of the politic...

Read More

Benavidez KOs Ramirez in the 6th to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles

LAS VEGAS (AP) — David Benavidez hasn't given up the dream of facing Canelo Alvarez — and now he might have leverage.

Benavidez Ramirez Boxing

Benavidez put on a show with Alvarez sitting ringside on Saturday night, moving up 25 pounds in weight and dominating former sparring partner Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

He twice sent Ramirez to the canvas, including knocking him out at 2:59 of the sixth round to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles and become the first boxer to win championships at 168, 175 and 200 pounds.

Benavidez (32-0, 26 knockouts) not only remained undefeated, but showed why he was a -600 favorite over Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs).

In the co-main event, WBA super middleweight championship fight, Jaime Munguía (46-2, 35 KOs) upset title holder Armando Reséndiz (16-3, 11 KOs) by winning a resounding unanimous decision. Reséndiz was a -200 favorite, but Munguía — the former WBO junior middleweight champ — was the aggressor from the start and won by scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 120-108.

“It feels great to have this championship belt with me, but this is just the beginning," Munguía said. "I’m excited for what comes next. We are ready for big challenges and great fights.”

Benavidez has chased Canelo with hopes of setting up a showdown, but Alvarez never agreed to it and it has been looking unlikely to happen.

Maybe now it's different, and Benavidez didn't waste the opportunity to make the case yet again.

“I see Canelo in the building. Let me just ask the fans this. Do you guys want to see Canelo versus David Benavidez?" the man known as “The Mexican Monster” asked, drawing a roar from the crowd.

“Enough said. That means we can’t leave that fight on the table. I have respect for Canelo. He’s a great champion. I’m a great champion, too. Let’s do it.”

Benavidez said he would be willing go back down in weight to make it happen.

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“I’m still champion at 175," Benavidez said. “I’m champion at 175 and 200. So if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175.”

Boxing fans, or least those who support Benavidez, haven't forgotten how Canelo has yet to take on the match. Alvarez, wearing a black Munguía T-shirt, was booed all three times he was shown on the large video board. Benavidez, who was born in Phoenix and lives in Miami, later was cheered while shown going through prefight preparations.

He then gave his fans plenty more to cheer about and they reciprocated by regularly chanting his nickname “Monstruo” in the Cinco de Mayo weekend showcase fight.

Benavidez, even when being backed down by Ramirez, delivered his signature rapid-fire combinations, usually pelting his opponent's head. A right hand to Ramirez's head in the fourth staggered him, and Benavidez went for the knockout but settled for the knockdown at the end of the round when Zurdo went down to his left knee.

Then two rounds later, Ramirez again went to a knee. This time, the fight was over.

“We came up together," Benavidez said. "We came up sparring together. I got him ready for his world championship fights. He got me ready for my world championship fights. I just want to say I love Zurdo Ramirez, but, you know, it is what it is in here. There’s only one ‘Monster.’”

And now the 29-year-old Benavidez can make a credible argument after dominating the 34-year-old Mexican that he one of the sport's best pound-for-pound boxers if not right at the top.

The statistics underscored how much Benavidez owned the fight.

According to Compubox, he landed 151 punches at a 46.2% to 89 for Ramirez, who reached his target on 19.8% of attempts. The power punches were 137-64 and the percentage 56.8-27.7.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to overpower him because it was my first time coming up to 200 pounds," Benavidez said. “So I knew I had to use the gifts that God gave me: speed, power, movement, punch selection and IQ. That’s exactly what I did.”

AP boxing:https://apnews.com/boxing

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 05, 2026

Benavidez KOs Ramirez in the 6th to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles

LAS VEGAS (AP) — David Benavidez hasn't given up the dream of facing Canelo Alvarez — and now he might have leverage. Ben...

Read More