Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks like he’s enjoying life a little too much without Alexi Lalas around.
The Swedish soccer icon had social media cracking up Friday (June 19) after taking a playful jab at his FOX Sports colleague, who was noticeably absent from the studio desk ahead of the United States' Group D match against Australia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"Chaps, Alexi left us," host Rebecca Lowe told the panel during the pregame show.
Without missing a beat, Ibrahimovic responded with a deadpan: "Who?"
The studio immediately burst into laughter, after which Zlatan twisted the knife, adding: "Your plan worked Rebecca [...] America, you're welcome."
For anyone wondering where Lalas had gone, the former U.S. defender had been moved from FOX's main studio desk to an on-site role outside Seattle Stadium, where he joined Carli Lloyd and Clint Dempsey for the day's coverage.
The playful exchange is just the latest chapter in one of the World Cup's most entertaining side stories. Since joining FOX's coverage, Ibrahimovic and Lalas have repeatedly clashed over everything from player legacies to tactics.
Earlier in the tournament, Lalas boldly argued that Erling Haaland could surpass Ibrahimovic in soccer history if he put together a strong World Cup.
"If this man has a big World Cup, boom, right to the top," Lalas said. "Even over this guy. I love you Z, but I will take Haaland over you in terms of legendary status."
Ibrahimovic wasn't exactly convinced, replying: "I'm not sure about that."
Then came France's opening match against Senegal. After Lalas criticized French team's first-half performance and labeled them "arrogant," Ibrahimovic immediately shot back.
"It's not arrogance, it's confidence," he said. "Ignorant people will say it's arrogance. Intelligent people will say it's confidence."
The comment instantly went viral, as did Thierry Henry's wide-eyed reaction sitting beside the two.
Even when the trio isn't debating soccer, the jokes keep flying. Earlier on Friday, Ibrahimovic posted a video on X of himself and Henry casually passing a soccer ball around the studio while intentionally keeping it away from Lalas.
"The studio will never forget," he captioned the clip.
Their chemistry, or lack thereof, has become such a talking point that media critics have weighed in as well. Some have argued the tension makes for compelling television, while others think the friction is becoming the main event. Ibrahimovic, for his part, insists there's no bad blood despite a recent lie detector test result.
During a recent appearance on After Hours with James Corden, he was hooked up to a lie detector machine and asked if he respected all of his FOX Sports colleagues, to which he answered: "Yes."
However, the machine immediately signaled he was lying. Ibrahimovic with a smiled, said: "Trust me. All love."
