🇸🇳SenegalWest Africa
Saíd Martínez to officiate Belgium vs. Senegal 2026 World Cup match
via SeneNews1 min read
FIFA has appointed Honduran referee Saíd Martínez to officiate the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between Belgium and Senegal. The game is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:00 PM GMT in Seattle. Martínez will be assisted by his compatriots Walter López and Christian Ramírez. Colombian Andrés Rojas will serve as the fourth official, with fellow Colombian Alexander Guzmán handling Video Assistant Referee VAR duties. This will be the 34-year-old Martínez's third match of the tournament, having previously officiated Qatar vs. Switzerland 0-0 and England vs. Ghana 1-1. It marks his first official international competition match involving Senegal.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has commented on the upcoming World Cup 2026 round of 16 match between Belgium and Senegal, describing it as a balanced encounter. Lukaku highlighted the overall quality of the Senegalese team, noting their technical, tactical, and physical strengths, and predicted a 50-50 contest. He also addressed the situation of his teammate Amadou Onana, who has personal ties to Senegal, emphasizing that players must remain focused on their sporting objectives for Belgium. Lukaku discussed his own role within the national team, stating his commitment to the collective effort despite debates about his playing status. He dismissed notions of decline in his career and reaffirmed his dedication to the Belgian selection. Furthermore, Lukaku mentioned his long-standing relationship with former Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyaté, whom he hopes to meet after the match. The highly anticipated game is expected to be an intense duel for a spot in the quarter-finals.
SeneNews will provide live coverage of the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match between Germany and Paraguay, scheduled for Monday, June 29, 2026, at 8:30 PM Dakar time. The game will take place at Gillette Stadium. Live updates will include the score, goals, substitutions, cards, and key highlights. The article also lists the starting lineups and coaches for both teams. Germany's coach is Julian Nagelsmann, and their starting eleven includes Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rüdiger, Jonathan Tah, Nathaniel Brown, Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlović, Leroy Sané, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz, and Deniz Undav. Paraguay's coach is Gustavo Alfaro, with a starting lineup featuring Orlando Gill, Juan Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez, José Canale, Junior Alonso, Miguel Almirón, Damián Bobadilla, Andrés Cubas, Matías Galarza, Julio Enciso, and Gabriel Ávalos. Substitutes for both teams are also provided.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, announced it will soon allow users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers by introducing usernames in an upcoming update. This change means phone numbers will no longer be automatically shared when adding users to group chats or sending a first message to an individual or business. WhatsApp stated this is a "privacy feature," and to contact someone, their username will be required. Due to WhatsApp's large user base of over 3 billion people, many users may not get their first choice of username. The company indicated it would gradually roll out username reservations starting Monday, informing users in each affected country as the feature becomes available, though no specific timeline was provided. Creators, small businesses, and organizations will be able to request to use the same username they have on other Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram.