Sunday is the highly-anticipated finals of the FIFA World Cup between Spain and the defending World Cup champions, Argentina. Ahead of the big game, The Young and the Restless star Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) sat down on the Rich Eisen Show for a guest appearance on Friday, July 17.

Braeden, who has played competitive soccer, weighed-in on who he thinks will be taking home the FIFA World Cup when all is said and done. Will it be Spain with their young star Lamine Yamal, or Argentina with the GOAT, Lionel Messi, who at 39, this will mark his final game in World Cup competition.

Earlier this week, Braeden received the news he received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Eric had previously won once in the category back in 1998.

Photo: FIFA

Here’s what the Y&R icon shared below as his prediction for the Word Cup Finals, what he thought of the U.S. Men’s Soccer team’s loss to Belgium after the controversy surrounding the red card given to U.S. star Folarin Balogun where instead of Balogun sitting out the Belgium game, he was reinstated seemingly after United States President, Donald Trump asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to look into the referee’s call.

FIFA WORLD CUP FINALS PREDICTION

Braeden made his bold prediction in the hotly-contested finals: “I respect both teams enormously, and part of me wishes that Messi will win it one more time, because it’s the last time we see him in a World Cup. On the other hand, Spain is a fantastic team. Spain is the most disciplined team I’ve seen play. The point is that Spain is a team. They attack as a team. They defend as a team. When one of their players lose the ball, three or four, come right away. I think Spain will win. But with Messi, you don’t know.”

Clarifying the threat Lionel Messi can be to the opposing team, Braeden shared how England lost in the semi-finals to Argentina: “You don’t leave a guy like Messi alone ever. When I coached and played, you always made sure that the best player on the other team, you covered him with one of your worst players, but who was well-conditioned. You stay with him for the entire 90 minutes or 115 minutes or whatever. But you stay with him and nothing but that. It drives those players nuts. The brilliant players, even Messi, doesn’t like it at all. You stay with him. Wherever he goes, stay with him. They didn’t do that.  I must say for the first time, I kind of felt for the Brits and I’m from Germany. We have a known, not very warm feelings for each other. But, in this case, I felt for them.”

Courtesy/Disney

ERIC BRAEDEN’S SOCCER PLAYING PAST

Eisen pulled out a photo of Braeden with the soccer championship, where Eric explained, “I’ve been here in the United States for over 60 years and have been involved in soccer, and won the U.S. National Soccer Championship (the National Challenge Cup Open) in 1973. I played for a team called the Maccabees and I was the token German on a Jewish team. I was a right fullback. ”

Sadly, Eric explained that he no longer had the soccer trophy in his possession, due to the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fire. Braeden explained, “I only have it in the picture, everything burned down in the Palisades Fire when I lost home.”

Photo: USMST

U.S. SOCCER TEAM AND FOLARIN BALOGUN CONTROVERSIAL RED CARD

Eric gave his thoughts on how well the United States Men’s National Soccer team played in the FIFA World Cup tournament until the Folorin Balogun red card controversy took hold and they eventually faced Belgium in the knockout round and lost and were out of the competition.

“I thought they were very good this year. I thought they had a chance. And I personally will tell you, as a player, they’re all very bright. They knew when that call came in from a certain gentleman to another gentleman to reverse the red card for Folarin Balogun. The players knew had they won that game, they would have forever been attached to the moniker of having rigged the game. The leader of the country rigged the game for them.  I swear to you, they may not have said anything, but that influenced them very negatively.”

Braeden continued that the referee’s call on Balogun was wrong in the first place. “It would have been a different result, by the way, that was not a red card. Under no circumstances was that a red card,” insisted the Y&R star to Rich Eisen.

“Any player knows that immediately. There was no intentionality. It happened. But then the call (referring to President Trump) afterwards, I mean, obviously that smacks of interference on the highest level. Every player knows that. So you go into the game and say, ‘Oh, man, why am I doing this?’ As far as I’m concerned that is the reason that the American team lost as they lost.”

HOW TO WATCH THE FIFA WORLD CUP FINALS

The FIFA World Cup Finals air Sunday, July 19 on FOX beginning at 3pm ET/noon PT. EGOT winner and daytime talk show host, Jennifer Hudson is set to sing the U.S. National Anthem, with Justin Bieber, Madonna, Sharika and BTS performing at the halftime show. The finals will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

You can tune-in to the Emmy-nominated Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from Noon to 3PM ET on Disney+, ESPN+, ESPN Radio, and streaming on SiriusXM channel 80.

So, do you agree with Eric Braeden’s prediction? Will Spain win the FIFA World Cup, or will Argentina repeat as the champions? Make your picks and let us know via the comment section below. For the full enlightening conversation with Eric on the Rich Eisen Show, you can check it out his segment in full below.

Earlier this week, The Young and the Restless three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Michelle Stafford learned she was once again a Daytime Emmy nominee for her portrayal of  Phyllis Summer, when on Monday on Entertainment Tonight, her name was announced in the Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

This marks the 14th nomination for Michelle, who previously won as Lead Actress in 2024 and Supporting Actress in both 1997 and 2004. This year, Michelle finds herself in great company alongside Beyond the Gates stars, Tamara Tunie (Anita) and Karla Mosley (Dani), Days of Our Lives’, Stacy Haiduk (Kristen) and The Bold and the Beautiful’s Heather Tom (Katie).

Michelle appeared on the Michael Fairman Channel’s 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nomination special on Tuesday night, July 14 where she shared her thoughts on her nominated reel, the complexity of playing an intense character such as Phyllis, and being thrilled for several of her co-stars who also landed nominations including, Eric Braeden (Victor), Christian LeBlanc (Michael) and Michael Graziadei (Daniel).

Photo: JPI

MICHELLE STAFFORD’S CHOICE OF SCENES

Choosing a reel can often be a daunting task, but over the last few years, Michele has gotten to play an array of emotions and major scenes. She revealed what she chose this time for the Emmy contest.

“I really like that Phyllis is all over the place and wild and wooly. So, the scenes I submitted were the aftermath of being abducted with Sharon (Sharon Case) in the abandoned psychiatric hospital, where Phyllis is kind of losing her mind and when she was having panic attacks. I always love it when you can see into the character’s soul. I love those shows. I also had one show like that this year with Michael Damian (Danny), where after she crashes Christine’s (Lauralee Bell) bachelorette party and Danny’s bachelor party. She has a conversation with him and it’s really lovely. It’s at the GCAC bar and Phyllis walks up to Danny.”

Photo: JPI

PARTY CRASHER

“I thought it was funny that she crashes both parties and in one of them she walks in and says, ‘What kind of party is this?’ Bryton James (Devon) and Sean Dominic (Nate) and Michael Damian are there and she’s talking to Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) and says, ‘What kind of party is this?’ And I added in, ‘There aren’t even strippers!’  I didn’t include that line in the reel, but that’s why I was laughing,” explained Stafford.

As to how on earth she plays such a raw and complex character day in and day out, Michelle explained it really is a team effort. “Phyllis is very complex and it’s not me, it’s a collaborative endeavor,” says Michelle. “It’s the way the director directs it, and it’s definitely the writing. It’s definitely the viewpoint of Josh Griffith (head writer) that he had had of the character in the last four years that has been really, and I’ve said this before, like Phyllis is hanging from a cliff every day.”

SHARING THE SCREEN WITH ERIC BRAEDEN

In 2026, (which is not eligible till the 2027 Daytime Emmys), Phyllis had been going toe to toe with the might Victor Newman since she acquired his company much to his chagrin, when she initially outsmarted everybody.  Stafford says the story had a specific point to her. “The whole taking over the company, I did that for the women out there. A lot of those speeches Phyllis gave, I was like, ‘You know what? I am doing it for the ladies who are watching’. The Newmans and especially Victor (Eric Braeden) have been just a tyrant in business. Why can’t Phyllis be one too? That is a very profound statement, and something that women in business can relate to.”

While getting an Emmy nomination might feel like old hat so some, not Michelle, who shares she never takes the acknowledgment for granted. “I am always surprised by the nomination. I kind of find it to be enjoyable to put a reel together, even though, like most of the time I’m going, ‘Oh, God. I missed that beat, I should have prepared.’  So, I’m criticizing my work. But in the grand scheme, it’s a fun time. I love helping other people with their reels, too.”

Photo: JPI

HAPPY FOR HER EMMY-NOMINATED CO-STARS

Michelle’s scene partners also scored Daytime Emmy nominations with Eric Braeden and Christian LeBlanc scoring Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor nods, while her TV son, Michael Graziadei (Daniel) landed a nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category.

“I’m so happy that both Eric Braeden and Christian LeBlanc were nominated for Lead Actor. Eric is very good and working with him so closely this year has been a really fun experience. As for Michael Graziadei, I love the thing that we created (as mother and son). I just love it. I love that she’s so inappropriate with her son.  love that she thinks his playing guitar is the most ridiculous thing to want to do. I love all the little nuances in our on-screen relationship.”

53rd ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY CEREMONY INFO

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmys will be handed out in ceremonies on October 30 at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California and current plans are it to stream on watch.theemmys.tv and its associated apps.

Now below, you can catch the replay of the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special where you can scroll to the interview with Michelle at the 2:01:15 mark during the live broadcast.

Then, let us know. What do you think of the scenes Michelle chose that landed her a Lead Actress nomination? Did you enjoy the story where Phyllis took over Victor’s company? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

The race for the number one show on CBS daytime and overall across all broadcast networks became more intriguing after the latest ratings for the week of June 29-July 3 were released.

According to Soap Opera Network, The Bold and the Beautiful while adding +49,000 total viewers for the week is actually up over +566,000 in comparison to last year at this time. That is over a half million viewers. Additionally, B&B was once clocked in with over 3 million viewers for the week at 3,010,000 tuning in. The week marked its second largest viewership of the current TV season.

In comparison, The Young and the Restless which consistently holds at number #1 came in at 3,217,000 with a net gain of +32,000 and also up + 300,000 from 2025 at this time. This makes 23 weeks in a row that the soap has come in with over 3 million tuning-in.

However, there is now only 200,000 plus lead by Y&R shortening the gap between the two soaps. Additionally, The Bold and the Beautiful once again topped the key demo of women 18-49 besting The Young and the Restless with a 0.22 ratings share of the audience compared to 0.20 share.

Courtesy/CBS

HOPE AND BROOKE’S MOTHER/DAUGHTER SHOWDOWN

On The Bold and the Beautiful, the ratings week featured the fallout of Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) being revealed as the new creative director and lead designer of Logan.

Hope’s decision to keep it a secret from her mother, Brooke Logan Forrester (Katherine Kelly Lang) then showcased major confrontations and showdowns between Brooke and her sister, Katie (Heather Tom), and then Brooke and her daughter, Hope, which ultimately left viewers on the Friday, July 3 cliffhanger with Hope passing out in anguish over betraying her mother.

Photo: JPI

PATTY MAKES HER DEADLY MOVE AGAINST JACK

Over at The Young and the Restless, the week featured the aftermath of Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) surgery to save her eyesight, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) being stabbed by a vengeful Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk), Kyle (Michael Mealor) rushing to save his mother, Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters), and Billy (Jason Thompson) and Jill (Lauren Koslow filling-in for Jess Walton) trying to settle old grievances.

As for General Hospital, the ABC soap opera came in with just under 2 million viewers adding +27,000 for the week and up +140,000 at this time. Meanwhile, Beyond the Gates had a week of repeats, so it was down to 1,354,000 total viewers but still up +282,000 from last year.

*ratings are derived from Nielsen’s Live+Same Day Big Data+Panel viewing and DVR playback.

So, what do you think of the ratings performance of The Bold and the Beautiful? Was it one of their best week’s in a long time on-screen? Do you think they will soon be able to top The Young and the Restless as number #1 in total viewers, or do you think Y&R will continue to remain the kingpin for some time to come? Weigh-in via the comment section below.