2026 Fifa World Cup

With Uzbekistan pushing for an equaliser, Wissa produced the final flourish in stoppage time, curling a superb effort into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area to seal a memorable 3-1 victory

Croatia secured second place with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ghana in a day filled with milestones, records and knockout qualification.

Although the draw benefited Senegal, Iran remains in contention to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.

Messi, who turned 39 on Wednesday, has scored all five of Argentina's goals this tournament and has shown no sign of a hamstring strain he suffered while playing for Inter Miami in May.

Jubilant celebrations erupted when Álex Baena's winner confirmed Uruguay's elimination and Cape Verde's historic passage into the Round of 32.

Knowing only a convincing victory would realistically preserve their chances after defeats to France and Norway, the Lions of Teranga made the perfect start.

With four places already secured by Ecuador, Bosnia, Sweden and Paraguay, only four of the best third-place tickets remain available. Every goal in the remaining group matches could prove decisive as teams fight to extend their World Cup dream into the Round of 32.

The victory lifted Ecuador to four points in Group E, enough to guarantee qualification among the best eight third-placed teams while simultaneously denting Scotland's hopes of progressing.

By reaching the Round of 32 in North America after their famous run in Qatar in 2022, Morocco has become only the third African nation to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage in consecutive tournaments. The other two are Nigeria and Ghana.

South Africa found the decisive moment just after the hour mark. Teshpang Moremi burst down the left and fizzed a pass across the edge of the box for Maseko, who controlled neatly before steering his finish in at the near post.

It was a result Colombia deserved on the balance of chances, but one that owed plenty to the resilience of DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who produced a string of fine saves to keep the Leopards in the contest for long periods.

Asare has helped Ghana move to the brink of the knockouts. Vozinha turned Cabo Verde from debutants into believers. Mpasi gave DR Congo a chance in a game they spent most of the night defending. Room made history, leading Curaçao to their first-ever World Cup point.

In a goalless draw at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Ghana did more than take a point off England. They strengthened the feeling that they may be building something dangerous at this World Cup.

Soccer’s language is unique and provides fans, coaches and players with a collective understanding of what is happening on the pitch. It may be a casual description of a player’s tactic or technique, or team strategy.

Rice, who helped Arsenal win its first league title in 22 years this season, said he is not worried about tiredness after coming off in the second half in Dallas.

Spain bounced back from their opening draw in style, with Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal inspiring a dominant 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group H.

The win means Germany now sit in a strong position to qualify for the next round, while the Ivory Coast will be left to rue missed opportunities after a spirited display ultimately ended in defeat.

The regulation, introduced earlier this year, was designed to prevent players from hiding potentially abusive, discriminatory or offensive language by covering their mouths while speaking during matches.

The victory gave the Americans six points from their opening two matches, ensuring qualification for the round of 32 with one group fixture remaining.

According to FIFA, the milestone illustrates the growth of both the World Cup and international football. The first tournament in 1930 featured 13 teams, while the current edition has expanded to 48.

The World Cup does not resolve the world's quarrels. It briefly suspends them, and in that suspension, we glimpse what we so easily forget: that the things dividing us are smaller than the game we all agreed to love.

Football opportunities in West African domestic leagues are limited, uncertain, and often not very well paid. Dreaming of professional football almost always means dreaming of migrating overseas.

The match was overseen by Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, one of FIFA’s most experienced referees, who also officiated the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France in Qatar. He was supported by a video assistant refereeing team led by fellow Pole Tomasz Kwiatkowski.

The restriction, the federation says, leaves little room for training, recovery, and match preparation between fixtures and raises concerns about fairness compared with other teams at the tournament.

At 34 years old, he became the first Somali referee ever chosen to officiate at football's greatest tournament. It was a landmark achievement not only for him personally but also for Somalia and African football.

Having already defeated South Africa 2-0 in their opening fixture, Javier Aguirre's side knew another victory would secure qualification, but they were made to work hard by a disciplined South Korean team.

The development comes amid an ongoing investigation in France into alleged match-fixing and suspicious betting activity involving Wahi.

The match offers a rare meeting between the two nations. Their only previous encounter came at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia, where they shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Bafana Bafana looked destined for a second successive defeat after conceding an early goal, but captain Teboho Mokoena held his nerve from the penalty spot late in the second half to rescue a valuable point

Thursday, June 18, will see Czechia face South Africa at Atlanta Stadium before Switzerland takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina at Los Angeles Stadium.

Ronaldo, 41, played the full 90 minutes but delivered a relatively subdued performance and was unable to make a decisive impact in front of goal.

The late breakthrough capped a frustrating evening for Ghana, who struggled to break down a resilient Panama side that came within seconds of claiming their first-ever World Cup point.

While Croatia showed flashes of quality and twice fought back from behind in the first half, they were unable to match England's intensity after the interval as the Three Lions took firm control of proceedings.

The Leopards produced a disciplined and spirited display to claim their first-ever point at a World Cup finals tournament, marking a memorable return to football's biggest stage after a 52-year absence.

The strong attendance, FIFA added, has pushed the total number of fans at the tournament to 1,309,652 so far, with an average of 65,483 per match.

With four fascinating contests featuring former finalists, continental champions, African hopefuls and ambitious newcomers, Wednesday promises another compelling chapter in what is already shaping up to be the biggest and most expansive FIFA World Cup in history.

The case centres on criminal proceedings facing the former Arsenal midfielder in the United Kingdom (UK), where he has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Whether they lift the trophy or not, one thing is clear: this French team has all the ingredients to make this their tournament.

The match remained goalless until the 66th minute when Mbappe finally made the breakthrough.

Haaland opened his World Cup scoring account in the 29th minute by tapping in a low cross at the far post with his left foot. Iraq leveled 10 minutes later as Aymen Hussein headed home from an Amir Alammari cross.

The victory was significant for Argentina beyond the scoreline. It marked the first time the South Americans have won their opening match at a World Cup while entering the tournament as defending champions, having suffered shock defeats in their previous title defences in 1982 and 1990.

The decision, announced by the Tunisia Football Federation, came after a difficult start to the campaign, as the Eagles of Carthage were beaten 5–1 by Sweden on Sunday at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

After starring in Cape Verde's draw with Spain, goalkeeper Vozinha shared his sadness that an expensive travel bond stopped his mother from attending. On the same day, Iran's coach said his team were being "oppressed".

Curacao briefly stunned its more illustrious opponent by drawing level at 1-1 midway through the first half after Livano Comenencia scored the team's first-ever goal at a World Cup finals.

Amad Diallo scored a 90th-minute winner to give Cote d'Ivoire a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in a FIFA World Cup Group E match on Sunday.

The Iran squad arrived after a short flight from Tijuana, Mexico, where they left their base camp earlier, to a rousing sendoff ahead of their opening game against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on Monday.

The result leaves both teams with a point from their opening fixture and everything to play for in Group C.

This year’s World Cup is expected to trigger a surge in global betting volumes, estimated to exceed $50 billion (Sh6.48 trillion), up from around $35 billion (Sh4.54 trillion) in 2022, with growth particularly pronounced in emerging markets.

England's Football Association (FA) has launched an assessment to determine the full extent of the losses as authorities continue their investigation.

Under the temporary arrangement, all business establishments, including hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and other hospitality venues, will be allowed to operate until 3 a.m. from Monday to Thursday.