Cup

Ismael Saibari scored the fastest goal of the World Cup 2026 so far after just 71 seconds as Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 to close in on a place in the knockout rounds.

Saibari scored in Morocco’s opening 1-1 draw with Brazil last weekend, and his clinical finish with just over a minute gone settled a hard-fought, physical contest at Boston Stadium on Friday.

A crowd of 64,146 fans turned up at the venue in Massachusetts, United States.

The 25-year-old, who was born in Spain and raised in Belgium, is reportedly on the brink of a $63m transfer from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich.

The quality of his strike past goalkeeper Angus Gunn showed why he is attracting such interest, and it was telling that Scotland lacked the same quality in the opposition box — that helps explain why Morocco are ranked fifth in the world, and Scotland 40th.

With four points from two games, Morocco are now primed to advance to the last 32 as they aim to at least match their historic run to the semifinals in Qatar in 2022.

However, it was a sobering evening for Scotland and their army of fans who have taken over Boston during this World Cup, as their team never really tested Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

The laboured 1-0 win over Haiti in their opening game at the same stadium last weekend — which was their first victory at a World Cup since 1990 — gave them a platform to build on and reason to believe they can progress beyond the group stage at a World Cup for the very first time.

Another win here would have secured progress from Group C, but their chances of going further remain up in the air going into their next match against Brazil in Miami next Wednesday.

Moroccan coach Mohamed Ouahbi went with an unchanged starting lineup here following the Brazil clash, but opposite number Steve Clarke made three changes.

Clarke sought to reinforce his defence, meaning striker Lawrence Shankland dropped out as defender Kieran Tierney came into the side to make a back five.

But that was of little use as Morocco went ahead practically from kickoff.

The assist came from Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, and Grant Hanley played Saibari onside as the latter latched onto the ball over the top, controlled it and rifled high into the net.

Morocco, who defeated Scotland 3-0 when the teams met at the 1998 World Cup, threatened to overrun their opponents every time they got forward but were wasteful, with Bilal El Khannouss squandering a good chance on 36 minutes.

Scotland were as stodgy in attack as they have been for a long time, and it took until first-half stoppage time for them to create anything dangerous.

That was a cross whipped in from the left by skipper Andy Robertson that John McGinn was unable to make anything of, and the opening period ended without Bounou needing to make a save.

Morocco hit the woodwork five minutes into the second half as Saibari met a cutback by El Khannouss, and his attempt was deflected onto the bar by Jack Hendry.

Moments later, Gunn made a fine stop to keep out an El Khannouss header from a corner taken by Hakimi, who was regularly booed by the crowd.

Morocco nevertheless seemed content to see the game out and soak up what Scotland could throw at them.

Ryan Christie fired over on 64 minutes after being teed up by Scott McTominay, who hit the side-netting late on, but a Scotland goal proved elusive.

Morocco face Haiti in Atlanta on Wednesday, while Scotland face Brazil in Miami.

Why was Achraf Hakimi booed?

Morocco’s captain Achraf Hakimi was named in the starting lineup hours after it was confirmed he must stand trial in France on rape charges.

Loud boos rang out from the Scottish fans when Hakimi’s name was read out and every time he touched the ball during the game.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender said in a statement earlier in the day that he faced trial on a rape charge and welcomed the opportunity to put across his point of view.

Hakimi had appealed his referral to a criminal court.

French media reported earlier that the Versailles appeals court had rejected the appeal, paving the way for his trial in a criminal court at some point in the future.

“Today, a story that isn’t mine is being told at the expense of my family, my life, and above all, ⁠⁠the truth. Sometimes I feel like ⁠⁠I’ve become an easy target,” Hakimi wrote in a post on the social media platform X.

“I’ve been waiting for this trial since day one. And now I’m looking forward to it. Finally, I’ll be able to speak out.”

Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha scores Brazil’s first two goals in 3-0 win against Haiti as FIFA event progress nears.

Vinícius Junior scored and assisted on one of Matheus Cunha’s two goals as five-time champion Brazil eliminated Haiti from the World Cup with a 3-0 victory.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation that qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, became the first team guaranteed not to reach the knockout round. Meanwhile, the Selecao got the decisive performance they needed on Friday.

Cunha, the Manchester United standout, got the start and showed with every surf-and-slide goal celebration why he should have been in the starting lineup in Brazil’s listless 1-1 draw against Morocco. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti made the surprising decision in the opener to instead insert Cunha as a late substitute.

Cunha thrilled the Brazilian fans who made up the bulk of the 68,324 spectators at Philadelphia Stadium when he tapped in a rebound for his first career World Cup goal. He then sent a left-footed strike into the upper left corner for a 2-0 lead in the first half against the overmatched Haitians.

Brazil forward Raphinha, who was subbed out with an injury in the first half, had an early goal disallowed on an offside call that only temporarily muted the yellow-clad Seleção fans in an otherwise festive atmosphere at the home of the two-time Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles — whose cheerleaders did their part to rally the crowd.

Haitian fans danced and sang “Grenadye Alaso” (“Grenadiers to the Attack”), the traditional battle cry of the national team. Brazilians chanted back, reminding them their country is the five-time World Cup champion and the home of the king of soccer: “A thousand goals, a thousand goals, a thousand goals, a thousand goals, a thousand goals! Only Pele, only Pele!”

Cunha added to the frivolity in Philadelphia, home to nearly 6,000 Brazilian immigrants, when he flashed his familiar surfing celebration.

Vinícius, whose 32nd-minute goal helped Brazil earn the tie against Morocco, helped Brazil get on the board when his shot was stopped by goalkeeper Johny Placide and Cunha was there to slam home the rebound to make it 1-0. Cunha extended both arms as if trying to catch some tasty waves and was mobbed his teammates.

Vinícius slid a pass through the defense to find Cunha and he powered one high into the net that Placide never had a chance to stop to make it 2-0. Cunha slid on his stomach and mimicked a swimming motion that all but put Haiti in the drink — and validate the Brazilians’ fans decision not to tempt fate and dress the Rocky statue in team gear for bad luck.

Vinícius closed the half with a goal and that was enough to keep Brazil — seeking its first World Cup title since 2002 — happy before it closes Group C play against Scotland on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Neymar was ruled out of Brazil’s second straight match because of a lingering calf injury.

As Israel’s war on Lebanon rages, hundreds gather in Rmeileh by Sidon Gate to watch the 2026 World Cup. Organised by influencer Bilal Haddad, the fan zone offers food trucks, shisha and family activities, giving people a rare chance to relax. Al Jazeera’s Justin Salhani went to check it out.

Scotland concede after 71 seconds and fall to a World Cup defeat against a classy Morocco, but their hopes of a historic knock-out place remain in their own hands with one group game to go.

MATCH REPORT: Scotland 0-1 Morocco

Available to UK users only.

An Argentine television presenter has resigned after falsely reporting that the father of Lionel Messi had died during Argentina’s first World Cup game.

Florencia Pena made the claim during a live broadcast on Argentine streaming channel Luzu TV following Argentina’s opening group game win over Algeria.

“I don’t want to bring bad news, but Messi’s father has just passed away. It was sudden. In the middle of the World Cup,” Pena said while hosting the show.

The report quickly spread on social media before Pena clarified that the information had not been confirmed.

The Messi family later issued a statement confirming that the player’s father, Jorge Messi, is receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed health condition.

The statement said the 68-year-old is under medical supervision and recovering, while criticising speculation surrounding his health and calling for privacy during a difficult period.

Pena apologised publicly and said the information had been passed to her during the programme as if it was verified news.

“I apologise to the Messi family,” she said in a statement. “I am deeply ashamed to have been involved in this mistake.”

The 51-year-old television personality and actress now says she was given unverified information.

“I have to clarify that this false information was given to me live on air as if it had been checked by the show’s production team, and I trusted it,” Pena wrote on social media on Thursday.

“Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake and that is why I decided to step aside and end my participation in Luzu.

“I apologise again from the heart; I was wrong.”

Luzu TV also apologised and announced disciplinary action following the incident, saying the dissemination of sensitive information without proper verification was unacceptable.

Nicolas Occhiato, the show’s host and producer, said: “We at Luzu TV deeply regret what happened on the air during the program El Show de Verano. For our channel, the broadcast of sensitive information without proper prior verification is unacceptable.

“For this reason, Luzu TV management has decided to terminate the employment of all those responsible, and Florencia Pena has decided to step down.

“We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful, and rigorous journalism.”

The controversy came after Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. The 38-year-old appeared emotional during the match and later said he had experienced “difficult days” for personal reasons unrelated to football.

The false report triggered widespread criticism across Argentina, with many supporters condemning the failure to verify the information before it was broadcast.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei called it “Trash talk” on X, saying that Pena’s “outrageous and unscrupulous, unverified statements on a streaming channel, which would still be outrageous even if the information had been true, since they concern a citizen’s private life, remind us of the impunity with which some individuals believe they can operate simply because they have a microphone or a pen in their hand”.

Argentina continue their World Cup campaign against Austria on Monday (18:00 BST).

SEATTLE — The World Cup is only a little more than a week old, but it’s already a historic one for the U.S.

With Friday’s 2-0 win over Australia, the U.S. matched its best World Cup performance ever with two victories. Their six goals match the most the U.S. has ever scored in the group stage and its goal differential of plus-five is also its best ever in the tournament. The U.S. also clinched a spot in the round of 32.

Most impressive of all, however, is how the U.S. achieved most of that without their best player, Christian Pulisic, who had an electric first half in the U.S. opener against Paraguay but hasn’t seen the field since. And while Pulisic, who is nursing a calf injury, was missed Friday, he wasn’t needed, with the U.S. outpossessing, outpassing and outshooting Australia by wide margins.

The Americans hardly needed any help, but Australia gifted the U.S. its first goal anyway when defender Cameron Burgess deflected in a cross from Folarin Balogun in the 11th minute. The sequence started with Antonee Robinson pushing the ball forward for Balogun from just inside the halfway line. Balogun ran onto the ball then turned on the jets, making a dash up the left wing before turning toward the penalty area and bending a pass toward Sergiño Dest in the six-yard box.

Australian goalie Patrick Beach, guarding the post, reached out his left hand but missed the ball, allowing it to strike Burgess’ left foot and carom into the roof of the net igniting a red, white and blue-clad crowd of 66,925 inside Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) and tens of thousands more who gathered outside the stadium and at viewing parties spread throughout the city.

The first U.S. score in its opener with Paraguay came on an almost identical own goal, with Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla getting his right foot on a pass Weston McKennie had aimed at Balogun.

Australia tried to deal with the Americans’ superior speed and technical abilities by getting physical, rough play that German referee Felix Zwayer largely allowed. But Australia paid dearly for that just before the intermission when Alex Freeman, who was leveled by Australia’s Paul Okon-Engstler moments earlier, climbed off the turf to head in a loose ball to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead at the break.

A look at how the U.S. scored its goals in a 2-0 win over Australia.

That sequence started with a free kick following a foul by Burgess. Robinson left-footed the ball to an unmarked Dest at the top of the box, a shot that was blocked in the wall, then arced toward the goal. Freeman and Balogun raced Beach to the ball, with Freeman getting there just ahead of the Australian goalie to nod it in.

The goal was originally negated by an offside that was quickly overturned by the VAR official.

Australia tried to make a game of it in a second half that turned increasingly chippy, but the U.S. defense held firm.

The U.S. — and Pulisic — have five days to prepare for their group-stage finale with Turkey on Thursday at SoFi Stadium, where the potential for even more history awaits.

U.S. fans react after a 2-0 win over Australia at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) on Friday in World Cup Group D play.

(Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

Kone is expected to make full recovery after breaking his left leg, with multiple fractures, in the match against Qatar.

Canada midfielder Ismael Kone underwent surgery to repair severe fractures in his lower left leg that occurred in Thursday’s match against Qatar.

“Last night, Ismael Kone underwent successful surgery to repair a lower limb fracture,” Canada Soccer said in a statement on Friday. “He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of FIFA World Cup 2026.”

Kone underwent surgery to repair the tibia and fibula bones in Vancouver, the site of Canada’s 6-0 victory.

Kone was injured in the 51st minute of the Group B match. Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo attempted a tackle, but his right foot brought Kone to the ground. Trainers were immediately called onto the pitch as Kone was in visible discomfort before being stretchered off moments later.

Sitting up on the stretcher, Kone gave a thumbs-up sign to the fans while taking oxygen.

After the match, Canada coach Jesse Marsch said he “could hear the bone snap.”

On Friday, Marsch described the scene at the hospital.

“By the time we got to him, he’d already had some drugs to help sedate him a little bit,” Marsch said at a news conference. “He was being prepared to go into the operating room. But he was in really good spirits and he was adamant that he’s going to be fine.

“[The surgery] took about an hour and a half and they had three surgeons. I think what happened is the surgeons watched it on TV and they saw what happened and they knew right away. And so they brought their top three surgeons to the hospital immediately to take care of him.

“So by the time he got there, the surgeons were there and they were ready. And then we just had to communicate with our medical team and make sure that the surgery was the best option that we thought. But I could see by meeting them and hearing what they had to say about the situation that they he was in really good hands. So the surgery they said went really well.”

A video review of the play resulted in Madibo being shown a red card, Qatar’s second of the game, leaving the team with nine players to finish the match. Madibo later apologised to Kone.

Canada meet Switzerland in Vancouver on Wednesday, with both teams having four points apiece after their first two fixtures. Their third match will determine the winner of Group B.

Nathan Saliba, who replaced the injured Kone and scored Canada’s fourth goal, celebrated by racing to the sideline to hold up a replica of the stricken Kone’s Canadian shirt and pointing to his shirt number, eight.

ATLANTA — Bina Ramroop broke down in tears when she realized she wasn’t going to get the World Cup tickets she had bought for her grandson’s 13th birthday.

As thousands poured into Atlanta Stadium on Monday to see Spain face Cape Verde in what turned out to be a remarkable scoreless draw, Ramroop stood outside, increasingly stressed as she went back and forth for hours between StubHub representatives on the phone and FIFA representatives in the ticket booth. Each blamed the other.

No one could figure out why the tickets Ramroop bought months ago on StubHub for $485 apiece couldn’t be transferred from the original seller to the FIFA ticketing app. StubHub offered her a refund and, as Ramroop heard the crowd roar for the start of the match, she knew she had no choice but to give up and take the offer.

“I didn’t want a refund, I didn’t want my money back,” Ramroop said. “I wanted to go to the game.”

The World Cup has delivered thrills on the pitch, but fans have flooded social media with complaints about tickets that never arrived, orders that were canceled at the last minute and hours they spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms.

The vast majority seem to be about industry titan StubHub, but people who bought through competitors such as SeatGeek and Vivid Seats have also reported issues. Interviews with fans and industry experts show that some cases stem from technical glitches in the transfer process, while others could involve sellers who never had tickets to deliver in the first place, though StubHub denies such sales happen on its platform.

A grandmother’s disappointment

FIFA has urged fans to buy resale tickets through its own marketplace, where it slaps a 30% surcharge on every resold ticket — 15% each from the buyer and seller. But many fans bought through other resale sites, either out of habit or because those sites have lower prices or are easier to navigate.

Ramroop didn’t realize she was taking a risk when she bought through StubHub, which she had used in the past without issues.

As she and her grandson Elijah Gomes took the long, lonely train ride back to the Atlanta suburbs, Elijah followed the score on his phone. The match had ended scoreless, and he tried to cheer up his devastated grandmother by telling her they hadn’t missed much after all (Cape Verdeans would beg to differ ).

“He’s telling me, ‘Grandma, it’s OK, Grandma.’ And he’s trying to console me,” Ramroop said the next day.

She was hardly alone. An Associated Press journalist witnessed more than a dozen frustrated fans at the match who said they were stuck in similar situations.

StubHub blamed FIFA for the transfer problems that buyers like Ramroop have experienced. In a statement, it said FIFA has “poor technology infrastructure,” enacted last-minute transfer restrictions and didn’t launch its new ticketing app until a few weeks before the tournament. The company also called out organizers that “take anti-competitive actions” that limit where fans can buy and sell tickets.

Asked about the technical issues, FIFA on Wednesday reiterated that sales through its official site are guaranteed to go through.

An industry’s longstanding problem

Industry observers say the problems appear to stem from more than one cause. For some, it may indeed be technical glitches — an issue that StubHub says is “very, very rare” and one that it is hard at work to solve. For others, they say it’s likely a more longstanding scourge: speculative sellers.

Scott Friedman, an industry veteran and co-founder of a consultancy called the Ticket Talk Network, said some sellers list tickets before they actually have them, betting that prices will fall closer to the event so they can buy the tickets at a better price later. But because World Cup ticket prices have surged since the tournament began, those sellers have been forced to either buy expensive tickets to fulfill their orders or cancel and accept penalties from resale platforms. StubHub’s penalties are typically 200% of the ticket price, Friedman said.

“This is not new at all,” said Friedman, pointing to other high-profile events where frustrated fans were left empty-handed, including Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. “This has been going on, but it’s making global news because it’s the World Cup.”

StubHub says it requires sellers to prove they have tickets before they list them.

But regardless of the reason for the canceled sales, Friedman said “StubHub should fill every single order to make sure fans get in the biggest global sporting event that happens every four years.”

That’s what many fans say they expected when they purchased through StubHub.

StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund if tickets fail to arrive. But the policy repeatedly says those remedies are provided at StubHub’s “sole discretion,” meaning the company can choose a refund instead of securing replacement seats.

“That is pretty explicit language,” said Michael McCann, a sports law expert at the University of New Hampshire. McCann noted that a buyer could try to challenge the language under state consumer protection laws, but it would be an uphill battle.

A father’s regrets

Pape Ndaw is crestfallen that the high school graduation gift he got for his son — tickets for them to see the Netherlands and Japan near their home city of Dallas — never arrived.

He bought the tickets for about $550 apiece in December. Then, two days before the June 14 match, he received an email from StubHub telling him, “The seller can’t deliver your original tickets.”

Ndaw accepted store credit rather than a refund, thinking he would use the funds to quickly get replacements, only to then realize that the cheapest last-minute tickets were going for more than $1,500 each. Not only were they not going to get to go to the game, but Ndaw said StubHub rejected his belated request for a refund instead of store credit.

Breaking the news to his soccer-obsessed son was brutal, Ndaw said.

“It was a disastrous thing,” he said. “He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried. I mean, he is a 17-year-old kid, but he cried.”

A family’s attempt to make the best of it

Others fared somewhat better.

Patrick O’Neil of Pittsboro, North Carolina, traveled to Atlanta with his wife, son and relatives after purchasing five tickets through StubHub for the Spain-Cape Verde match. Two tickets transferred successfully, but three never arrived.

O’Neil’s 15-year-old son and his uncle ended up using the two tickets, while O’Neil, his wife and another relative watched from a nearby bar.

After local media caught wind of their ordeal, O’Neil said StubHub contacted the family and offered tickets to another game. Since the family had already bought tickets to one, though, he and his wife asked the company to instead give the seats to local nonprofit Soccer in the Streets so they could go to people who otherwise might not be able to attend a match.

“StubHub is not evil, but they’re part of the whole system that makes it really hard for just normal kids and people who might want to see a match get to go,” O’Neil said.

On Thursday, a StubHub representative confirmed to the AP that the company would honor the O’Neils’ request and send tickets to the nonprofit.

Rico and Megnien write for the Associated Press.

SEATTLE — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is well into the second run of group play, with every team still eager to post wins as they look to secure a place in the knockout stage.

Here’s everything you need to know about matches being played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the 48-team tournament across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).

Friday’s Group C matchups:

Scotland vs. Morocco

Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi controls the ball during a World Cup match against Brazil on June 13.

(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Time: 3 p.m. PDT
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Scotland opened its World Cup with a win over Haiti — its first in 10 tournament games against teams from the Americas — on John McGinn’s goal midway through the first half. A win or draw here will probably be enough to send the Scots on to the knockout stage for the first time. Morocco came away from its first match with a well-earned point in a 1-1 draw with Brazil. That game was nearly as equal statistically as it was on the scoreboard. Morocco’s score came from Ismael Saibari in the 21st minute.

Brazil vs. Haiti

Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring against Morocco in the World Cup on June 13.

(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Time: 5:30 p.m. PDT
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Haiti outpossessed and outshot Scotland in its opening loss but it couldn’t score, leaving it needing at least a point here to keep its hopes of advancing alive. Brazil got a 32nd-minute goal from Vinícius Júnior in its opener.

Friday’s Group D matchups:

United States vs. Australia

U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna celebrates with defender Chris Richards after a 4-1 win over Paraguay at the World Cup on June 12.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Where: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: Noon PDT
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: The only time the U.S. won two games in the group stage was 1930; the Americans can equal that with a win here after thrashing Paraguay in its opener. Folarin Balogun’s two goals in that game equaled another record from 1930, which was the last time a U.S. player had multiple goals in a World Cup game. Australia opened with a 2-0 win over Turkey. A win or draw here will likely send the Socceroos to the next round for a second straight World Cup.

Paraguay vs. Turkey

Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro talks with his players during a training session on Thursday.

(Eugene Hoshiko / Associated Press)

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 8 p.m. PDT
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Neither team can afford a loss if they hope to advance. Turkey dominated its opener, outshooting Australia 30-9, taking 51 touches in the penalty area and completing 90% of its 635 passes. But it had nothing to show for it in a 2-0 loss. Paraguay was never in its opener, falling behind the U.S. 3-0 in the first half of a 4-1 loss.

Saturday’s Group E matches:

Germany vs. Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande celebrates a goal against Ecuador in the World Cup on June 14.

(Petr David Josek / Associated Press)

Where: BMO Field, Toronto
Time: 1 p.m. PDT
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Germany pounded tiny Curaçao 7-1 in its opener. The last time Germany won 7-1 in a World Cup was in 2014 when it routed Brazil en route to its fourth title. The Ivory Coast started its tournament with a 1-0 upset of Ecuador on substitute Amad Diallo’s goal in the 90th minute. Ivory Coast limited the South Americans to just one shot on goal.

Ecuador vs. Curaçao

Curaçao’s Livano Comenencia shoots against Germany during a World Cup match on June 14.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Time: 5 p.m. PDT
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Neither team can afford another loss after falling in their openers, but Curaçao has the bigger hill to climb after surrendering 26 shots — 12 on target — in a one-sided loss to Germany. The only bright spot was Livano Comenencia scoring Curaçao’s first-ever World Cup goal. Ecuador had few scoring changes in its loss to Ivory Coast. It will need to do better if it hopes to get out of the group stage for just the second time.

Saturday’s Group F matchups:

Netherlands vs. Sweden

Sweden’s Yasin Ayari (18) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Tunisia in the World Cup on June 14.

(Matias Delacroix / Associated Press)

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
Time: 10 a.m. PDT
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Yasin Ayari scored the first and last of Sweden’s goals in the 5-1 win over Tunisia last week. The Netherlands twice lost leads in its 2-2 draw with Japan. The Dutch haven’t been eliminated in the first round of a World Cup since 1938, but a loss here could put that streak in jeopardy.

Tunisia vs. Japan

Japan’s Daichi Kamada controls the ball in front of the Netherlands’ Teun Koopmeiners during a World Cup match on June 14.

(Jessica Tobias / Associated Press)

Where: Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico
Time: 9 p.m. PDT
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Tunisia will play its first game under interim coach Hervé Renard, who managed the team from 2019-22. He replaces Sabri Lamouchi, who was fired after Tunisia’s listless loss to Sweden. Japan earned a point in its opener, twice rallying from deficits to draw the Netherlands on Daichi Kamada’s goal in the 88th minute.

Sunday’s Group G matchups:

Belgium vs. Iran

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, right, is challenged by Egypt’s Ramy Rabia during a World Cup Group G match on June 15.

(Alex Grimm / Getty Images)

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

Time: noon PDT

TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Iran twice rallied from deficits to draw New Zealand in its first game while Belgium, outplayed by Egypt in its opener, was lucky to escape with a point on an own goal early in the second half. Belgium’s aging golden generation of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin DeBruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier and Axel Witsel are going to need to do much better if they hope to avoid another early World Cup exit.

New Zealand vs. Egypt

New Zealand’s Callan Elliot, left, and Iran’s Mehdi Ghayedi battle for the ball during a World Cup Group G match on June 15.

(Andre Penner / Associated Press)

Where: BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Time: 6 p.m. PDT
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: One of these teams could make history since neither has ever won a World Cup game. New Zealand earned its first point in three World Cup appearances with a draw against Iran. Egypt’s tie with Belgium was its third draw in eight games. And there could be an added bonus to that history since a victory likely sends the winner on to the next round.

Sunday’s Group H matchups:

Spain vs. Saudi Arabia

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, top, challenges for the ball during a draw with Cape Verde on June 15.

(Mattia Ozbot / Getty Images)

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Time: 9 a.m. PDT
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Both teams opened the World Cup with surprising results. Third-ranked Spain was unable to score against No. 64 Cape Verde in a game that ended in a draw. Saudi Arabia was 10 minutes away from upsetting Uruguay, only to settle for a tie. Spain desperately needs a win to get its World Cup back on track while another good performance from Saudi Arabia — unbeaten in its last three games — would have the Arabian Falcons dreaming of a spot in the knockout stage.

Uruguay vs. Cape Verde

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha holds the nation’s flag after a draw with Spain on June 15.

(Buda Mendes / Getty Images)

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 3 p.m. PDT
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: With all four teams playing to draws in their openers, the group is wide open. That creates a rare opportunity for tournament debutante Cape Verde, the second-smallest country to qualify for a World Cup. Vozinha, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, made seven saves to shut out Spain. If he can frustrate Uruguay the same way, Cape Verde could be through to the round of 32.

World Cup: Mexico defeats South Korea

From Eduard Cauich: Three and a half years after its biggest failure on the World Cup stage in half a century, the Mexican national team needed only two games to advance to the knockout round of this year’s tournament as winner of Group A.

Mexico’s defense held off a spirited final push by South Korea, earning a 1-0 win on Thursday night at Guadalajara Stadium in front of a fiery announced sellout crowd of 45,522.

Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made a mistake in the 50th minute, failing to stop what appeared to be a simple cross and bobbling the ball. That allowed Mexico’s Luis Romo to easily tap the ball into the net and claim a 1-0 lead.

South Korea put pressure on the Mexican team throughout the game. Late in the scoreless first half, Jae-sung Lee came close to giving South Korea the lead. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre hoped his team would shake off nerves following the emotional opener at Azteca Stadium and show more bite in its second game against South Korea, but his team didn’t have much power behind its attack during the game’s first 45 minutes.

The crowd in Guadalajara grew frustrated and began booing the Mexican national team’s performance at the end of the first half.

Mexico, however, won back their cheers when it capitalized on South Korea’s costly mistake and converted it into a goal.

El Tri earned a win without any other goals thanks, in part, to a great night by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, who stopped a header by Cho Gue-sung in the 87th minute. Captain Edson Álvarez helped turn away South Korea’s attack late, holding up relatively well despite having left ankle surgery during the past year.

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Why this World Cup could do for Canada what 1994 did for soccer in the U.S.

Swanson: From poker pro to World Cup coach: Sergej Barbarez all in with Bosnia-Herzegovina

Click here for complete TV schedule, groups and players to watch

Christian Pulisic uncertain for today’s game

From Kevin Baxter: Christian Pulisic’s status for the United States’ second World Cup match Friday in Seattle is uncertain a week after he aggravated a left calf injury.

“Tonight, we have a meeting with our medical staff. We will assess the whole group,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters Thursday. “He’s evolving and much better from Friday. We will see.

“If [he’s] not available tomorrow, he’ll be back for Turkey.”

The U.S. faces Australia with a chance to lock down first in Group D with a win coupled with a loss or draw by Turkey in its game Friday with Paraguay. But that task will be much more difficult without Pulisic, who set up the first two goals in the Americans’ tournament-opening win over Paraguay last week.

Pulisic left that game at halftime after being kicked in his left calf. He said he had been hit in that same spot in training before the World Cup began. When Pulisic spoke with reporters after that game, he was walking without a limp and said he didn’t believe the injury was serious.

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Wednesday’s World Cup results

Group A
Mexico 1, South Korea 0
Czechia 1, South Africa 1

Group B
Switzerland 4, Bosnia-Herzegovina 1
Canada 6, Qatar 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
Noon, U.S. vs. Australia, Fox, Telemundo
3 p.m., Scotland vs. Morocco, Fox, Telemundo
5:30 p.m., Brazil vs. Haiti, Fox, Telemundo
8 p.m., Turkiye vs. Paraguay, FS1, Telemundo

World Cup Group standings

Group A
Country, W-D-L, Goal Differential, Points
Mexico, 2-0-0, +3, 6
South Korea, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Czechia, 0-1-1, -1, 1
South Africa, 0-1-1, -2, 1

Group B
Canada, 1-1-0, +6, 4
Switzerland, 1-1-0, +3, 4
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0-1-1, -3, 1
Qatar, 0-1-1, -6, 1

Group C
Scotland, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Morocco, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Brazil, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Haiti, 0-0-1, -1, 0

Group D
United States, 1-0-0, +3, 3
Australia, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Turkiye, 0-0-1, -2, 0
Paraguay, 0-0-1, -3, 0

Group E
Germany, 1-0-0, +6, 3
Ivory Coast, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Ecuador, 0-0-1, -1, 0
Curacao, 0-0-1, -6, 0

Group F
Sweden, 1-0-0. +4, 3
Japan, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Netherlands, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Tunisia, 0-0-1, -4, 0

Group G
Belgium, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Egypt, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Iran, 0-1-0, 0, 1
New Zealand, 0-1-0, 0, 1

Group H
Spain, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Cape Verde, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Saudi Arabia, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Uruguay, 0-1-0, 0, 1

Group I
Norway, 1-0-0, +3, 3
France, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Senegal, 0-0-1, -2, 0
Iraq, 0-0-1, -3, 0

Group J
Argentina, 1-0-0, +3, 3
Austria, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Jordan, 0-0-1, -2, 0
Algeria, 0-0-1, -3, 0

Group K
Colombia, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Portugal, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Congo DR, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Uzbekistan, 0-0-1, -2, 0

Group L
England, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Ghana, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Panama, 0-0-1, -1, 0
Croatia, 0-0-1, -2, 0

The top two teams in each group plus the next eight best third-place teams advance to the next round.

Angels put Mike Trout on IL, then lose

Angels outfielder Mike Trout is back on the injured list.

The team announced before Thursday night’s 5-0 loss to the Athletics that the 11-time All-Star was put on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain. The Angels recalled infielder Christian Moore from Triple-A Salt Lake among a flurry of moves.

Injuries have hindered Trout for much of this decade. Since winning his third AL MVP award in 2019, Trout has played more than 82 games in a season just twice — 119 in 2022 and 130 in 2025.

The 34-year-old Trout had played in 74 of 75 games this year in a resurgent season. He’s batting .234 with an .866 OPS, 17 homers, 36 RBIs and seven steals.

He entered Thursday with an AL-leading 54 runs, a total that was tied for second in the majors behind Washington’s James Wood. Trout’s 66 walks also ranked second in the big leagues, behind the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz.

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Shaikin: An Anaheim vision: The Anaheim Angels in a new stadium, next to a youth sports complex

Angels box score

MLB standings

Ducks’ Troy Terry has hip surgery

Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry is expected to recover from hip surgery in five to six months, the team announced Thursday.

Terry had surgery on June 9 “to address hip impingement and a labral tear,” the Ducks said in a statement, and he has begun the rehabilitation process.

The 28-year-old Terry had 19 goals and 38 assists during the regular season before getting the first playoff experience of his nine-year NHL career last spring. He had three goals and eight assists in 12 games while Anaheim reached the second round, but the team announced after the season ended that Terry needed surgery for a chronic hip impingement.

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Angel City fires coach

Angel City FC fired coach Alex Straus on Wednesday after a little more than a year on the job.

Angel City opened the season 4-6-1 and is in 12th place in the National Women’s Soccer League standings. The NWSL is on a summer break for the men’s World Cup and resumes regular-season play July 3.

Angel City assistant coach Leif Gunnar Smerud will lead the club in the interim while a search is conducted for a new head coach.

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Sam Stevens has a bewitching first round to lead U.S. Open

Shinnecock Hills has never looked like this for a U.S. Open, not with such receptive greens and putting surfaces slow enough to keep shots from rolling off the edges and down the slopes.

About the only familiarity Thursday was the scoring, kept in check by a strong wind that finally shooed away the fog and gave Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the rest all they could handle.

Sam Stevens overcame a double bogey to start his round — a hole that took him over two hours to play because of the fog — and strung together six birdies that carried him to a two-under-par 68, making him one of only six players from the early starters to beat par.

McIlroy saved par on a wild ride along the fourth hole, hit a pitching wedge within 12 feet of the pin on the downwind par-five fifth hole for eagle, closed with two bogeys and was more than happy with a 69, particularly considering it was 11 shots better than the start he had at Shinnecock in 2018.

Also at 69 were Ludvig Aberg, 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman, Max Greyserman and Ben James, the college star in his second week as a pro.

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U.S. Open leaderboard

This day in sports history

1867 — Ruthless, ridden by J. Gilpatrick, wins the inaugural Belmont Stakes at Jerome Park in the Bronx. The filly earns $1,850 for her victory.

1914 — Harry Vardon wins his sixth and final British Open by shooting a 306, three strokes ahead of J.H. Taylor at Prestwick Club.

1936 — German heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling knocks out previously unbeaten Joe Louis in the 12th round. Schmeling’s victory sets off a propaganda war between the Nazi regime and the United States on the eve of World War II.

1938 — FIFA World Cup Final, Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris, France: Luigi Colausig & Silvio Piola each score 2 goals as Italy beats Hungary, 4-1.

1954 — Ed Furgol edges Gene Littler by one stroke to win the U.S. Open, the first golf tournament to be televised nationally.

1955 — Jack Fleck beats Ben Hogan by three strokes in a playoff round to win the U.S. Open.

1977 — Hubert Green wins the U.S. Open by one stroke over Lou Graham.

1986 — Len Bias, the second pick in the NBA draft made by the Boston Celtics two days before, dies of a heart attack induced by cocaine use.

1992 — Evander Holyfield wins a unanimous decision over Larry Holmes to remain unbeaten and retain the undisputed heavyweight title.

1992 — Charlie Whittingham becomes the second trainer in history, behind D. Wayne Lukas, to top $100 million in purse earnings when Little by Little finishes second in the sixth race at Hollywood Park.

1999 — Dallas wins its first Stanley Cup, as Brett Hull’s controversial goal at 14:51 of the third overtime gives the Stars a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6.

2000 — NBA Finals: Lakers beat Indiana Pacers, 116-111 in Game 6 to win the franchise’s first title in 12 years; MVP: Shaquille O’Neal.

2005 — Michael Campbell answers every challenge Tiger Woods throws his way for a two-shot victory in the U.S. Open. Retief Goosen, the two-time U.S. Open champion, turns in a collapse that ranks among the greatest in major championship history. He loses his three-shot lead in three holes and closes with an 81 to tie for 11th at 8 over.

2006 — Cam Ward stops nearly everything giving the Carolina Hurricanes their first Stanley Cup title with a 3-1 victory over Edmonton in Game 7.

2011 — Rory McIlroy runs away with the U.S. Open title, winning by eight shots and breaking the tournament scoring record by a whopping four strokes. McIlroy shoots a 2-under 69 to close the four days at Congressional in Bethesda, Md., at 16-under 268.

2016 — Dustin Johnson atones for his past mishaps in the majors winning the U.S. Open by three shots. Shane Lowry, who began the final round with a four-shot lead, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy finish tied for second.

2016 — LeBron James and his relentless Cavaliers pulls off an improbable NBA Finals comeback to give the city of Cleveland its first title since 1964. James delivers on a promise from two years ago to bring a championship to his native northeast Ohio, and he and the Cavs become the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit by beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors 93-89.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1927 — Jack Scott of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched two complete games in a doubleheader. Scott beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 and lost 3-0 in the second game. Scott was the last pitcher in major league history to complete two games on the same day.

1938 — Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer coming off two straight no-hitters, extended his string of hitless innings to 21 2/3 against the Boston Bees. Vander Meer gave up a single to Debs Garms in the fourth inning. The Reds won 14-1 behind Vander Meer’s four-hitter.

1941 — En route to 56, Joe DiMaggio hit in his 32nd consecutive game, going 3-for-3, including a home run, against the Chicago White Sox.

1942 — Paul Waner got hit number 3,000 — a single off Rip Sewell — but the Boston Braves lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6.

1952 — Brooklyn Dodger Carl Erskine pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field.

1961 — Roger Maris’ ninth-inning homer off Kansas City’s Jim Archer was his 25th of the year, putting him seven games ahead of Babe Ruth’s pace in 1927.

1973 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds and Willie Davis of the Dodgers both collect their 2,000th hits. It is a single for Rose against the San Francisco Giants and a home run for Davis against the Atlanta Braves.

1974 — Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals hurled his second no-hitter in 14 months and gave up just one walk in beating the Brewers 2-0 at Milwaukee.

1977 — The Boston Red Sox hit five home runs in an 11-1 triumph over the New York Yankees. The five homers gave the Red Sox a major league record 16 in three games. Boston hit six homers on the 17th and five on the 18th, also against the Yankees. In the series the Yankees had no homers.

1990 — Gary Carter plays in his 1,862nd career game as a catcher to break the National League mark set by Al Lopez.

1994 — John Smoltz became the 14th major league pitcher to give up four homers in an inning when he was tagged by Cincinnati. The Reds set a team record for home runs in an inning, connecting four times in the first inning. Hal Morris, Kevin Mitchell, Jeff Branson and Eddie Taubensee homered. Smoltz allowed 20 total bases in the first inning, the most given up in the NL since 1900.

2015 — Alex Rodriguez homered for his 3,000th career hit as the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 7-2.

2017 — Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger launched two more home runs, setting a major league record with his powerful start, and Clayton Kershaw became the first 10-game winner in the National League despite giving up a career-high four long balls as Los Angeles held on for a 10-6 victory over the New York Mets. Bellinger reached 21 homers in 51 career games — faster than any other player in big league history.

2019 — One day after fouling a bunted ball in his face during batting practice and breaking his nose, Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Nationals against the Phillies sporting a prominent black eye. He still stymies the opposition with 7 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. “Trust me, this thing looks a lot worse than it actually feels,” he explains to journalists.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Daiki Kaneko had only 24 hours before his World Cup journey took him to Dallas, where his home country’s squad will take on Sweden.

The Japanese soccer fan was making the most of it on Tuesday in Inglewood, snapping pictures of SoFi Stadium before taking in a different kind of monument: a space-age, two-story branch of the chicken chain Raising Cane’s, complete with a 308-square-foot screen, a mirrored dog sculpture and a massive halo hovering around the exterior.

For Kaneko, 25, who lives in the Tokyo suburbs, it was the perfect encapsulation of American grandeur.

“All this for chicken,” he said. “I love America.”

Inglewood is already diverse — most residents are Latino or Black, and nearly a third are immigrants. But during the World Cup, it’s looking more like the United Nations. English, Japanese, Swiss, Iranians, Paraguayans, Bosnians, Belgians and others are flocking to the city of about 102,000, where eight matches are being played at SoFi Stadium.

Though visitors from abroad may not have heard of Inglewood until now, they’re soaking up the vibes of a city that has long been a major sports and entertainment hub, home to venues such as the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome, and a crucible of Black culture, immortalized in hip-hop songs by artists such as Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre.

“We’re an international city now,” Mayor James Butts said.

Butts said locals were already proud of what the city has become, but the World Cup has put the celebratory feelings over the top.

“We have people from so many different countries migrating to Inglewood, and there’s an explosive sense of community pride,” he said.

Bartender Elijah Gonzalez, left, mixes a drink at the Nile Bar in Inglewood while customers watch a World Cup soccer preview.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

City officials are doing everything they can to embrace the spirit of the tournament, including speeding up permits so small businesses and neighborhoods can hold World Cup gatherings and watch parties, Butts said. During the U.S.’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12, the city hosted the Wood Cup, a block party on Market Street that brought in more than 5,000 people.

Businesses across the city are embracing the tournament as well, vying for a piece of the roughly $17 million the city expects to haul in. For a few weeks, concerns about skyrocketing housing costs and gentrification, brought on by the city’s increasing popularity as a place to settle down, are taking a back seat to the sheer fun of international soccer.

The supersized Raising Cane’s had its grand opening on June 11, the first day of the tournament. During the USMNT’s opening match, Cinepolis, a luxury movie theater down the road from SoFi Stadium, turned into a global sports hub, according to CEO Luis Olloqui.

Maddy Daversa, a bartender at the Meeting Spot, a restaurant near the stadium, said 2,000 people poured in when the Americans played Paraguay.

“I was selling beers for five hours straight,” she said. “It was crazy.”

Daversa said the restaurant is usually closed on Mondays but opened in hopes of getting some spillover fans from the Iran-New Zealand game at SoFi.

“Every table was full,” she said. “We’re taking advantage.”

Tuesday was an off day for Inglewood, with no games at SoFi. But the energy was still palpable, with locals sporting soccer jerseys and tourists popping up across the city.

“I just want to be where the fans are,” said David Meier, a Swiss fan in town for his home country’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday.

Meier, 45, plans to explore L.A. via bars, restaurants and watch parties, taking in every game that his schedule will allow before heading north of the border to Vancouver, where Switzerland will face Canada on June 24.

“Everyone has been so kind,” he said. “Soccer and beer turns strangers into friends.”

Flags from countries competing in the World Cup are on display at Manchester Boulevard and South Market Street in Inglewood.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The energy carried over to Market Street, a historic shopping district about a mile from SoFi Stadium. Businesses set up signs, posters and international flags to lure locals and tourists alike, while the Miracle Theater hosted a watch party for the match between France and Senegal.

Owen Smith, who co-owns the theater with his wife, Mariana, said a Senegalese friend who grew up in France asked if he would be willing to show the game on the big screen. A day later, fans of both teams assembled inside, snapping photos in front of a giant inflatable World Cup trophy in the lobby.

“The Miracle is a cultural event theater. It’s about accommodating the community,” Smith said.

Benyam Woldegiorgis, who co-owns the Nile Bar on Market Street, is showing every single World Cup match — all 104 of them.

“It brings in business,” he said. “Usually it’s just football, basketball and baseball, but now we’re adding soccer to the mix.”

Dionte Johnson, owner of the streetwear store Kingsrowe, partnered with Adidas to hold a watch party for the U.S. team’s opener and said the turnout was massive, bringing in loads of Mexico fans who are local residents, even though their team had already won their opener the day before.

“The downside of the World Cup is that tickets are so expensive, so a lot of locals can’t go check out the games themselves. That’s why we’re hosting events,” Johnson said. “The games are in our backyard, so this is something people have had on their calendar for a long time.”

Homeowners are cashing in as well, with some renting out their places on Airbnb for a small fortune, figuring that crashing on a friend’s couch or booking a hotel room elsewhere is well worth the lofty payouts brought by World Cup demand.

Across L.A., hotel demand lagged compared with initial expectations, but short-term rental prices still jumped 56% compared with typical rates, and more than 70% of rentals were booked by December 2025.

In Inglewood — especially for rentals walkable to SoFi Stadium — prices became dizzying.

David Orenstein and his wife, Peggy, run an Airbnb across the street from SoFi Stadium. It usually rents for $400 per night, but for the U.S. team’s opening game, it went for $3,000.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Peggy Orenstein and her husband, David, own a home steps from the stadium that typically rents for $400 a night on Airbnb. For the U.S. team’s opener, the nightly rate shot up to $3,000.

For other matches, the four-bedroom house is going for $1,200 to $1,500 a night. Orenstein said the high demand and international crowds are a teaser for what’s to come.

“Next up is the Olympics,” she said. “This is a great learning lesson for what we can expect.”

The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.

Who: Brazil vs Haiti
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
When: Friday, 6:30pm local time (00:30 GMT Saturday)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 21:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Brazil’s draw with Morocco in their opening match left fans with more doubts than belief, with millions wondering if the record five-time champions are still among the world’s best teams.

Having slipped to third in a group that they were expected to dominate, Brazil now face minnows Haiti in their second group game, needing a World Cup reset.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti will need to address several shortcomings with his team if he wants to avoid another disappointing performance during the group stage.

Here is all to know before Brazil vs Haiti kicks off:

No need to panic yet, suggests Brazil

While Brazil’s weak showing in the first game has raised questions about the team’s odds of a deep run, Ancelotti believes it is no cause for concern just yet.

Against Morocco, Brazil showed signs of nerves during the early stages and struggled to cope with the AFCON champions’ attack. Some players also struggled to cope with the intensity of the encounter.

The Italian coach, who has been in charge for just over a year, said the upcoming match with Haiti offers his side an opportunity to address their weak points.

“You don’t win the World ‌Cup in the first match,” Ancelotti told reporters in Philadelphia on Thursday.

“The players’ self-criticism was very positive. I think we’ll sort out the problems; I remain confident that we’ll be competitive.”

Critics have argued that Brazil lacks an identity under Ancelotti, but the 67-year-old – nicknamed “Don Carlo” – believes adapting his tactics according to gametime situations is more important.

“I don’t want a single identity,” he said. “I want my team to have multiple identities.”

Haiti want to make their people proud

It took Haiti more than half a century to return to the World Cup, and the Caribbean underdogs have somewhat of a cruel challenge at hand, being grouped alongside world-class Brazil, African giants Morocco, and Scotland.

While their 1-0 defeat to Scotland in the opening game did not dampen their spirit, Haiti know they face a far more difficult task against Brazil, who have no shortage of talent in their squad.

The odds are stacked against Haiti, but in a tournament where upsets have not been uncommon, their fans are daring to dream.

“Tomorrow [Friday], we’ve got everything to gain in a match like this. It’s been 52 years since we last featured in a World Cup, and now we’re up against Brazil – we’ve got to live up to ⁠our fans’ expectations,” coach Sebastien Migne said.

“It’s a privilege to be here, ⁠and I hope we can make the Haitian people proud of us.

“It would ‌be absolute madness in Haiti if we won this match,” he added.

World No 85 Haiti, still looking for their first goal of this World Cup campaign, enter the match 80 spots below Brazil on the FIFA rankings.

Brazil vs Haiti prediction

Stats provider Opta’s supercomputer has handed Brazil a whopping 87.3 percent probability of winning against Haiti, who have a mere 4.3 percent chance of winning. There is an 8.4 percent probability of a draw.

Overall, Brazil are seventh in the list of title favourites – with a 5.2 percent probability – behind a bunch of teams including France, Argentina and England, who make up the top three.

Brazil vs Haiti: Kickoff time, how to watch

• Brazil: GETV, SBT, Globoplay, Caze TV, TV Globo, sportv, NSPORTS (7:30pm Brasilia time)
• Haiti: TNH, Tele Haiti (8:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time)
• United Kingdom: STV, STV Player ITV1, ITVX (01:30 Saturday, British Summer Time)
• United States: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (7:30pm Eastern Daylight Time)

To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

How does the group stage work?

Brazil, Haiti, Morocco and Scotland are in Group C.

Scotland lead the group with three points, followed by Morocco in second spot with one point. Brazil is in third place, also on a point, while Haiti is at the bottom with no points so far.

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.

Form guide

(Last five games, latest first)

Brazil: D-W-W-W-L

Haiti: L-L-W-D-L

Brazil have performed significantly better than Haiti in their last five matches.

They started their campaign in North America with a 1-1 draw with Morocco. Before the World Cup, Brazil registered victories over Egypt and Panama in friendlies and beat Croatia in March. But they lost to France in March.

Haiti suffered a defeat to Scotland in their opening World Cup game. They lost to Peru and beat New Zealand in pre-World Cup friendlies earlier this month, while they drew with Iceland and lost to Tunisia in friendlies in March.

Brazil vs Haiti: Head-to-head

Brazil have faced Haiti three times, winning on all occasions. Their last meeting dates back to a 2016 Copa America group game, in which Brazil thrashed Haiti 7-1.

Friday’s meeting between Brazil and Haiti will be their first at a World Cup.

Brazil vs Haiti: Team news

Just as in their opening match, Brazil’s oft-injured star Neymar Jr has been ruled out of the Haiti game.

A lingering calf strain will keep the veteran forward – Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals – sidelined with the team hoping he recovers in time to feature in their final group game on June 24 against Scotland. He has not played for Brazil since October 2023.

Neymar was diagnosed in late May with the injury and has featured in just half of the games for his club side Santos this year due to various fitness issues.

For Haiti, striker Nazon – who was on the bench last time – is doubtful.

Brazil predicted XI

Ancelotti is expected to make changes following criticism over his decision to start striker Igor Thiago and right-back Roger Ibanez against Morocco. Danilo and Cunha are widely tipped to replace them in the lineup against Haiti.

(4-2-3-1): Alisson (Goalkeeper); Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Santos; Guimaraes, Casemiro; Raphinha, Paqueta, Vinicius Jr; Cunha

Haiti predicted XI

(4-4-2): Placide (goalkeeper); Acrus, Ade, Delcroix, Experience; Casimir, Jacques, Bellegarde, Providence; Isidor, Pierrot

VANCOUVER, Canada — When the first men’s World Cup game played in Canada kicked off last week, Anthony Totera sat in the stands and wept.

“It was a dream come true,” said Totera, who has spent most of his 57 years on earth promoting Canadian soccer. “I can’t describe the emotions. It was something surreal.”

If the 1994 World Cup, the first held in the U.S., forever altered the direction of American soccer, this summer’s tournament, which Canada is sharing with the U.S. and Mexico, has the potential to do the same for that country.

“This is going to be something monumental,” Totera said. “We’re going to get to another level, another point, where we’re going to say this was when it all turned.”

With an opening draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week in Toronto and Thursday’s 6-0 blowout victory over Qatar in Vancouver, this tournament is already the most successful on the field for Canada, which had lost all six previous World Cup games it had played. Now it’s poised to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time ever.

Jonathan David’s three goals were more than Canada had scored in its previous World Cup seven games combined. And former LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who lost his chance to play in the last World Cup when he broke his leg in the MLS Cup final, had no trouble making them stand up, recording Canada’s first-ever World Cup clean sheet.

The hosts outshoot Qatar 32-2 and had 97 touches in the box in one of the most dominant performances in recent World Cup history.

“I really think that we’re a soccer country,” LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustaquio said. “It’s a very special group.”

But the win was a costly one since Canada, which entered the tournament missing three starters to injury, lost another early in the second half when midfielder Ismael Kone was carted off on a stretcher with an apparent broken leg after Qatar’s Assim Madibo clipped him from behind.

And while that success on the field — costly or not — is significant, Steve Reed, the former Canadian Soccer Assn. president who was instrumental in bringing the World Cup to Canada, said the real goal wasn’t to win games as much as it was to win over the public.

“Each time we have hosted major tournaments, we have seen a significant increase in participation and general public interest,” said Reed, who was part of the group that organized the 2015 women’s World Cup in Canada. That tournament produced nearly a half-billion dollars in economic activity, double the original projections. It also boosted investment of soccer infrastructure, including the construction or upgrading of 21 “FIFA-quality” pitches, and surged youth participation numbers. The quarterfinal game between the host country and England drew a record TV audience of 20.8 million Canadians.

“I would say that we have proved that we excel at hosting major events. This will just be reinforced in 2026,” Reed said.

“In terms of expectations,” he continued, “one would be the continued growth of the game, particularly on the men’s side. We have always been great at the grassroots level. But we need to be better at the top end of the game, creating more professional opportunities for players in our domestic leagues and creating a pipeline to bigger clubs in major leagues.”

Canada fans celebrate after a 6-0 win over Qatar at the World Cup on Thursday.

(Kaleb Tatum / Associated Press)

That’s exactly the kind of legacy the 1994 World Cup created in the U.S., where it gave birth to Major League Soccer, a deep lower-tier professional infrastructure and an academy system that has sent players to major teams all over the world. Canada has also benefited from that, with MLS placing teams in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Nine players from the league — including three from LAFC — are on Canada’s World Cup team.

In the last decade, Canada has begun building its own youth development system. It also launched the Canadian Premier League, an eight-team professional league that has already sent 15 players to the national team. Those initiatives had a good foundation to build on since soccer is Canada’s most popular sport in terms of registration and participation and ranks behind only hockey as a spectator sport.

Still, when Victor Montagliani, a former Canadian Soccer Assn. president, first publicly floated the idea of bidding to host the men’s World Cup in 2013, he was lampooned.

“People absolutely laughed at him, all across this country,” said Totera, who is now the grassroots ambassador for the Premier League. “But his closest friends and people that knew him knew he didn’t lie when he said, ‘I want to bring the World Cup to Canada.’ And he brought it.”

Canada had to pair with the U.S. and Mexico to make that happen, with the so-called United Bid beating back a proposal from Morocco thanks in part to some steady diplomacy from Reed, who took over as president when Montagliani was chosen to lead CONCACAF, the governing body that oversees soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Canada’s reward was 13 World Cup games — seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto. Mexico gets the same number, while 78 of the record 104 matches will be played in the U.S.

That same year, 2018, Reed and Canada Soccer put the final piece of its World Cup preparations in place when it hired John Herdman to rebuild its men’s team.

In seven years with the country’s women, Herdman had taken a team that finished last in the 2011 World Cup to the quarterfinals of the next tournament, sandwiched between two bronze-medal performances in the Olympic Games. His impact on the men’s team was equally as stunning.

When Herdman took over, it had been 32 years since Canada played in its only World Cup. The country not only returned in its first cycle under the new coach, but it won the CONCACAF qualifying tournament to earn its place in the 2022 tournament.

“Being a Canadian football supporter, the roller-coaster ride has been downward for most of the years,” said Totera, who pulled on his first Canada soccer shirt the year he entered first grade. “But for the last few years, it’s been on on the upswing.”

Herdman found success in part by making the recruitment of dual nationals a priority, starting four of them — including Alphonso Davies, who immigrated to Canada from a refugee camp in Ghana — in Qatar.

Nearly a quarter of Canada’s population was born somewhere else and Herdman leaned into that diversity.

Jesse Marsch, the U.S.-born coach who took over the national team in 2024, followed Herdman’s lead, recruiting six dual nationals to his World Cup team. As a result the 26 players on Canada’s roster, or their parents, come from more than 17 countries — from Iran, Croatia, Jamaica and Barbados to Haiti, Lebanon, Nigeria and the Philippines.

“We’re a melting pot. We embrace it,” said Totera, whose family moved to Canada from Italy. “I look at that team, our team, and they’re from all parts of the world. Not one from one section of the world or the other section. No, all over.

“Amazing.”

Now, with a win and draw in two games, that diverse Canadian team is almost certain to advance out of a World Cup group stage for the first time — just as the U.S. did when it first hosted a men’s World Cup in 1994.

“After ‘94, after the World Cup was there, they took off to bigger and better things,” Totera said. “I believe once we get into the knockout route, we won’t look back.

“We’re on the cusp of something really special in this country right now. And we need to grab it and run with it.”

Ivan Toney and Morgan Rogers were among the scorers as England recorded a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City in a practice match on Thursday.

The game, played behind closed doors at England’s Swope Soccer Village training facility, featured the players not used in Wednesday’s World Cup 4-2 win over Croatia and the squad members who did not play significant minutes in Dallas.

Toney scored a hat-trick while Aston Villa duo Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins were also on target as England ran out comfortable winners.

Jordan Henderson, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Kobbie Mainoo, Djed Spence and Jarell Quansah were among the players also involved in the training game.

The game was broken up into two halves of around 25 minutes each.

BBC Sport revealed on Tuesday that the Football Association had arranged the friendly to get minutes into certain players’ legs.

Having arrived back from Dallas at around 10.30pm local time on Wednesday, England players were afforded most of Thursday off.

Players were allowed to see family and friends immediately after the Group L game against Croatia, and loved ones were given access into the camp on Thursday to spend time with the team before they start preparations for next Tuesday’s game against Ghana in Boston (21:00 BST).

Captain Harry Kane and manager Thomas Tuchel were among a group of players and staff that attended a baseball game between Kansas City Royals and St Louis Cardinals later on Thursday.

BC Place Vancouver was a battlefield as Kone was stretchered off, Qatar got 2 red cards, and both teams brawled after full time.

Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to clinch their first-ever World Cup victory in a Group B match, marred by a horrific injury to the home team’s midfielder Ismael Kone, and disciplinary issues both during and after the match.

A Jonathan David hat-trick, one goal apiece from Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba, as well as a Qatar own goal, sealed a momentous victory for the Canadians at the BC Place Vancouver stadium on Thursday.

Canada now need only a draw against Switzerland in their final match to finish top of the group, while Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina will aim to finish third when they meet on Wednesday.

But the celebratory atmosphere in Vancouver, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cheering on Les Rouges, was soured by a serious injury to Kone in the 51st minute.

Qatar’s Assim Madibo upended Kone with a clumsy challenge from behind, leaving the Italy-based midfielder writhing in agony and clutching his left leg.

The seriousness of the injury was immediately apparent as teammates frantically called for help from the Canadian medical staff on the sidelines.

Kone was eventually stretchered off the pitch, waving to the crowd as he inhaled from an oxygen pipe.

Madibo, who had initially been given a yellow card for the tackle, was sent off after it was upgraded to red following a VAR review, the second Qatari dismissal after Homam Ahmed was given his marching orders in the first half.

With Qatar down to nine men, Canada took full advantage to score three more goals.

Saliba, who had replaced the injured Kone, curled in a free kick to make it 4-0 in the 64th minute.

The substitute celebrated his goal by racing to the sideline to hold up a replica of the stricken Kone’s Canadian jersey and pointing to his jersey number, eight.

Another substitute, Jacob Shaffelburg, then helped make it 5-0, his fierce shot turned into the Qatar goal by defender Mohamed Manai.

David, who had scored twice in the first half after Cyle Larin’s 16th-minute opener, then completed his hat-trick in the second minute of stoppage time to end the rout.

‘Tough to focus’

David’s was the 56th hat-trick scored at a men’s World Cup and the second of the 2026 edition.

Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi earned his first of the tournament when he led his side to a 3-0 victory over Algeria and steamrolled several records in the process.

David is also the first Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) men’s player to score a hat-trick since 1930 and the first Canadian man to record a multi-goal game at the World Cup.

Embers of carnage during the match were reignited after full-time when both sides brawled on the halfway line and had to be pushed apart by FIFA volunteers and team personnel.

“It was a great game even before [Kone] got hurt, but I think after he got hurt, it was tough to focus on the game, even finishing the game… We just wanted the game to end so we could all be together,” David said after the match.

“It will take a few days to sink in, but obviously we know that what we’ve done today is historical for the country, our first win in the World Cup, and to do it in that fashion is really amazing.”

Imagine it. A neophyte coach, leading a team for the first time at any competitive level, and it being a high-profile assignment on the biggest of big stages.

A self-assured broadcaster, critical and competitive, having his bluff called, being invited to not just talk about it, but to be about it: Walk the walk, why don’t you?

A former player — scorer, shooter — being challenged to step up and right a listing ship while navigating politics and the push and pull of history and high hopes.

Imagine that guy going: “Bet.”

As in, you betcha. As in, I’d bet on me.

Lakers fans, you’ve seen JJ Redick run this play in the NBA.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s faithful — who comprised the vocal majority amidst the full house for Thursday’s 4-1 Group B loss to Switzerland at SoFi Stadium — are seeing manager Sergej Barbarez pull the same improbable stunt.

The 54-year-old Barbarez is Bosnia’s national soccer team’s fifth manager since 2022. He’s also a former national team captain turned professional poker player turned broadcaster whose turn coaching this team came as a complete shock.

He might be the most interesting man amidst a mass of most interesting men at the World Cup, and he has Bosnia back on two feet.

And he had them on equal footing Thursday until Switzerland scored the match’s first goal in the 74th minute.

“Maybe our start wasn’t that good,” Barbarez said through an interpreter. “But from the first cooling break until the goal, we were the better players, the better team.

“I don’t like self-pity,” he added. “I entered the dressing room and told them all that they have one hour to cheer up to lift their heads up.”

The loss to the 19th-ranked Swiss was the first in six matches for 64th-ranked Bosnia, following six consecutive 1-1 or 0-0 draws, including their 1-1 World Cup opener against host Canada.

They know they’ll have to win their next match Wednesday against Qatar for an opportunity to reach the knockout stage: “It seemed,” Barbarez said, “from the very beginning that the last game would be the most important one, and it turns out it is.”

And they’ll be ready, he said.

“It’s hurtful; it’s quite painful,” he said. “But this is my job, and trust me, I’ll make sure they will be fine ahead of the next game. We will try to remedy what happened.”

We’d expect to hear something similar from Redick — whose poker face isn’t as good as Barbarez’s, whose small sigh and slight smile betrayed his only emotions during his postgame news conference Thursday.

(As for who wore it better: Barbarez pumping up Bosnian fans in all-black business attire beats Redick’s all-black athleisure.)

Ahead of schedule and happy to be here, Bosnia is playing in the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. Playing hard with house money.

Barbarez spent most of his 14-year professional playing career in the Bundesliga, scoring 105 goals for Borussia Dortmund, Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen. When he retired, he got his coaching license but didn’t use it until 2024, taking a gamble on a different competitive calling.

He played poker professionally in Europe for a decade, made at least $143,000, according to Cardplayer.com, and reached two final tables in the World Series of Poker.

He also became an unabashed critic of the Football Assn. of Bosnia, which was churning through managers; three of them were hired and fired within months. Beyond failing to qualify for the 2024 Euros, Barbarez admonished the association’s leadership for its 2022 decision to schedule friendlies with Russia soon after it was banned by FIFA and UEFA for invading Ukraine.

And then, in April 2024, he was introduced as the national team manager.

“His energy and authority can be crucial factors in getting the national team back on track for success,” the president of the Football Federation Vico Zeljkovic told reporters.

Also key: “Personality,” Zeljkovic said.

Barbarez maintained from the outset that his goal was to qualify for the Euros in 2028 — and for his players to feel proud wearing Bosnia’s blue, yellow and white.

On Thursday, his players felt it and so did thousands of fans who showed up at SoFi Stadium wearing those colors for a World Cup match. All of them, all in.

“They support us all over the world,” said Ermin Mahmić, who scored his side’s only goal in the 93rd minute. “It’s not normal to be honest, and we’re very thankful for them.”

And surely for Barbarez, who took a path rarely traveled, willing to bet big on Bosnian football.

But the love affair here has gone way beyond baseball, this has been a glorious embracing of two cultures. A point underlined by the news Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a sister city application with Glasgow.

Fittingly, she did so in a Scottish pub wearing a Scotland football jersey.

Tens of thousands of football fans swarming to a city for a major tournament is nothing new, but it is the manner of the revelry here that has set it apart.

At the time of writing, there has not been one arrest of a Scotland fan either in Boston or Providence, another nearby stronghold of the Tartan Army.

The ground work for this Boston bash was laid two years ago in Bavaria. At the last European Championships, Marienplatz felt like it held more Scots within it than Motherwell.

Again, Scotland fans were lauded for their behaviour, generosity and patter.

Alas, the football did its best to ruin the party.

That is perhaps one key difference to this shindig, apart from the obvious step up in excitement from a Euros to their first World Cup in 28 years.

What mood the Tartan Army would have been in if the opener against Haiti had turned into a disaster we will never know. Although, I would say it would not have made a dent.

The team on the pitch have done their bit to keep the party in full swing and a point against Morocco on Friday could trigger a tidal wave of celebration flooding back into Boston that night the likes they have never seen.

The best way to describe it is this has been the trip of a lifetime for people who are still in their 20s. There is a genuine appreciation from Scotland fans that they have waited this long to see their team at a World Cup, that it may be another three decades before it happens again.

And, even if it did, nothing could rival the week in Boston they’ve just had, regardless of what Miami holds.

For near enough a week, Scotland had the city to itself. Now it has become a tapestry of nations settling into one of the warmest, most welcoming place on the Charles River they could have hoped to visit.

Who knows, they may be back here if they are one of the best third-placed teams.

What will be the Tartan Army’s Boston legacy as the sporrans are soon to get packed away and the online check-ins start for flights to Miami?

Their generosity? Their good spirit? Their ability to alert some locals to the fact the World Cup is even happening?

Perhaps all of the above. Just not a haggis supper.

All five goals were scored in the final 30 minutes as the match in Los Angeles erupted to life in closing stages.

Johan Manzambi scored a late brace after coming on in the 71st minute, following goals from Ruben Vargas and Granit Xhaka as Switzerland erupted late for a 4-1 victory over 10-man Bosnia and Herzegovina to top Group B at the World Cup.

The last three Swiss goals at the Los Angeles Stadium followed the 80th-minute dismissal of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic, who was sent off for hauling down Breel Embolo to deny an obvious goalscoring opportunity, in a dramatic finish to the match on Thursday.

When it was all finished, Switzerland, with one win and a draw, were in command of the group despite an unexpected 1-1 draw against Qatar in their tournament opener.

Qatar and Canada play in Thursday’s later Group B clash in Vancouver, where the winner will draw level on points with the Swiss side that’s looking to progress to the knockout phase for a fourth consecutive World Cup.

Bosnian substitute Ermin Mahmic scored with a thunderous volley in second-half stoppage time for Bosnia and Herzegovina, who remain on one point.

But the Balkan side will need to be more adventurous in their group finale against Qatar to have any chance of progressing after offering little against the Swiss.

All five goals they have conceded have come after the 70th minute, including the equaliser in their 1-1 tournament-opening draw against Canada.

Yet it looked for long stretches like Bosnia’s cagey approach would work until Switzerland coach Murat Yakin sent on Manzambi.

Shortly after his own introduction, Vargas got free on the left and curled in an outswinging cross towards the back post.

Amar Memic tried to head clear, but Manzambi instinctively met the second ball near the penalty spot and thumped a vicious side volley that had too much power for Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

Any realistic hopes of a positive Bosnian result ended six minutes later when referee Joao Pinheiro had no choice but to produce a red card for Muharemovic’s late challenge from behind.

Four minutes later, Vargas found the bottom right corner after Embolo held the ball up near the spot and then played it to his open teammate to his left.

Vargas was the provider when Manzambi completed his brace in the 90th minute, and after Mahmic pulled a goal back, the veteran Xhaka converted from the penalty spot seven minutes into second-half stoppage time.

Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has apologised after saying that Japan players “all look alike” during their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.

Van der Vaart, 43, was working as a pundit for Dutch broadcaster NOS TV when he made the remark after Micky van de Ven lost Koki Ogawa’s run for Japan’s late equaliser.

“They all look alike, of course, maybe he thought that,” the former Netherlands international said when analysing Van de Ven’s defending.

Van der Vaart, who was capped 109 times and was part of the Dutch team that lost in the 2010 World Cup final, has apologised for causing any offence.

He said: “It was never my intention to offend, hurt, or discriminate against anyone. I oppose racism in all its forms and have respect for people of every background, ethnicity, and culture.

“I understand that some people may have found my words offensive or hurtful. I sincerely regret that.

“If my comment has caused pain or upset, I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies. That was never my intention.”

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out criticised Van der Vaart and called for broadcasters to be more careful.

A joint statement from Kick It Out and the Frank Soo Foundation, external, a charity that supports East and South East Asian communities, said: “It’s hugely disappointing to hear former players peddling racist slurs about Japan’s team and then double down by trying to defend the comments as a joke.

“Even if he claims there was no racist intent in what he said, the comments can still have an impact on those involved, and the wider East and South East Asian community, as we have seen with previous examples directed towards players.

“The World Cup attracts massive global TV audiences, so it’s always important that guests are careful with their language and that broadcasters take responsibility for those appearing on their shows, whether that is through additional education or training.”

Argentina’s Lionel Messi isn’t the only one scoring in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Fox and Telemundo are off to a blazing start in the TV ratings for the quadrennial soccer tournament, delivering big increases over the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar.

Through the first 16 group stage matches, an average of 6 million viewers have watched on Fox and cable network FS1 cable network, a 128% increase over the 2022 FIFA World Cup according to Nielsen data.

The first 12 group stage matches of the tournament drew an average of 7.5 million viewers on the Comcast-owned Spanish language network Telemundo, a 234% increase from four years ago. The Telemundo telecasts are also streamed on Peacock.

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team’s opening match against Paraguay held Friday at SoFi Stadium set a record for the most-watched World Cup game on both and English and Spanish language television. The match scored 18 million viewers on Fox and its streaming platforms, while Telemundo’s telecast averaged 9.5 million.

The early ratings show the enduring power of live sporting events and their ability to draw mass audiences at a time when streaming video has splintered viewership . Scripted hit prime time TV shows need seven days or more of viewing on demand to reach the audience levels the World Cup is attracting in real time.

“Having this World Cup in North America clearly has a huge impact on ratings,” said Patrick Rishe, director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis.

World Cup matches held in the U.S. for the first time since 1994 helps — and a competitive USNMT playing in front of home crowds could turbocharge the ratings to even bigger heights. Fox is expecting another record when the team plays its third group stage match in prime time on June 25.

Some sports media pundits have been citing the addition of out-of-home viewing and internet-connected televisions to Nielsen data as the reason sports ratings have been on the rise. But Mike Mulvihill, president of insights and analytics for Fox Sports, asserts that the viewers have been there all along.

“For many years, the numbers were under-counted and what we’re seeing now is a truer representation of the sports audience,” Mulvihill said in a recent interview. “You just cannot overstate what it means to us to be able to capture all that viewing that’s happening at fan fests, in bars and at smaller watch parties.”

Out-of-home viewing boosted the audience levels for Mexico’s inaugural World Cup match on June 11 by 50%, and contributed several million viewers to the total for the USMNT opener.

Mulvihill projects that by the end of the tournament, 150 million people will have watched some portion of Fox’s 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage. The figure approaches the 170 million people Fox reaches with a slate of regular season NFL games.

“For us, it’s like having two NFL seasons in a single year,” Mulvihill said.

Fox will be able to capitalize on the strong numbers for the early matches. Networks typically hold back some commercial inventory for big events in case audience levels fall short of what advertisers are guaranteed. Fox has surpassed those expectations and can now go back into the marketplace to sell available commercials for the later rounds, most likely for more than what was paid before the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup may also be benefiting from a viewing public that wants a distraction from the ongoing political discord in the U.S. and war in the Middle East.

“Sports still remains the one thing we can all kind of talk about and disagree about without it being divisive,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, director of the sports management program at the George Washington University School of Business.

Delphy Neirotti believes the World Cup has some momentum from the NBA Finals, which averaged 20.6 million viewers on ABC for the New York Knicks’ triumph over the San Antonio Spurs, The feel-good story of the Knicks winning their first championship in 53 years delivered the most-watched Finals since 1998 and put fans in the mood for more action.

“Fans were already primed up, meeting with friends, watching sports and now they can continue that camaraderie and that collective experience,” Delphy Neirotti said. “They want to be with community.”

The combined numbers for Fox and Telemundo are highest in Los Angeles, which in addition to a large Latino population has 500,000 Iranians. An average audience of 4.7 million viewers watched the Iranian national team play to a 2-2 tie against New Zealand on Monday, the second most-watched match ever on Fox Sports 1.

But there are plenty of World Cup fans in the heartland. Kansas City had the highest local rating for Fox’s coverage of the USMNT’s match, with more than 9% of the market’s homes tuning in.

Kansas City hosted its first World Cup match Tuesday at Arrowhead Stadium, where Argentina’s Messi set a tournament record with three goals in his team’s 3-0 victory over Algeria. The city has cultivated soccer fans with well-attended watch parties held in its Power and Light District.

“The watch parties that they’ve planned out throughout their cities to give people an opportunity to be part of the event, even though they’re not going to the event,” Rishe said. “Whether you’re watching or just walking by, it’s exciting.”

Wilkinson says Wales have learned from their experience at Euro 2025, when they stuggled to make an impact against three of the world’s best teams – Netherlands, France and England.

“I think we all learned a lot through the Euros – myself, my staff, the players,” she said.

“Do I wish I’d coached differently? Parts of it, absolutely. I’m sure they (the players) look back on it and think like ‘what if, what if we could have…’

“But you don’t know until you’ve been to a major event what it’s going to be like, what the pressure feels like, what the stress feels like.

“We talked about it, we prepared for it, and it still blew us away, but there’s confidence that comes from having done it.

“I also look at our last Nations League A campaign – two draws against Sweden, but also keeping the scores really competitive against some top nations.”

Wales will have to improve their away form if they are to get through the play-offs and make it to Brazil.

Wilkinson’s side sailed through their home qualifiers, with a 6-1 mauling of Montenegro, a 4-0 romp past Albania and a 3-1 win over Czech Republic to wrap up the group.

On the road, however, they were fortunate to salvage a draw in the Czech Republic in their opening qualifier in March, then scraped a 1-0 victory in Albania before a shock 1-1 draw in Montenegro in the penultimate match.

“We were a bit frustrated when we played Albania away (in April), but this is a good opportunity to improve our performance against a challenging opposition,” said Wilkinson.

“I thought (Albania) played really well in that second leg, so they’ll be tough. It’ll be a good tactical battle between them and us, and who’s learnt the most.

“It was obvious from our campaign that our away form wasn’t what we wanted it to be. There’s definitely some work to be done away from home.

“It’s about showing up with the best version of ourselves.”

From viral fan moments to on-field controversies, as well as the biggest stars, best performances, upsets and more.

A first-ever hat-trick for Lionel Messi, heavyweights Spain stunned by tiny Cape Verde, and DR Congo silencing Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal.

What more could you ask from the opening week of a FIFA World Cup?

After the first round of group matches, here are our top 10 takeaways:

Last dance? Perhaps not, Lionel Messi has more in store

Before the tournament kicked off in North America, many thought Lionel Messi would be gearing himself up for his final act. But after his first-ever World Cup hat-trick – one that also matched the record for most World Cup goals – Messi has reminded us his story is not over just yet.

Where is Cristiano Ronaldo? Portugal star goes missing

While the Messi mania dominated headlines over recent days, his longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, also made the news, albeit for the wrong reasons. “Is he past his prime?” was the collective question of viewers after his mostly anonymous display in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Wednesday.

There is no stopping Kylian Mbappe

Becoming France’s all-time leading scorer always seemed a matter of when, not if, for Kylian Mbappe, and achieving the feat in their opening World Cup match was further proof of his extraordinary talent. The 27-year-old, now just two shy of matching the all-time haul for most World Cup goals, is making a habit of chasing records.

The Golden Boot race is taking shape

Long-range rockets, tap-ins, headers and more. There was no shortage of goals, and Argentinian legend Messi is the outright leader with three strikes. As many as seven players – including England’s Harry Kane, Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Mbappe – are tied for the second spot with two goals each.

The title favourites are having a hard time

This is, by far, the upset of the tournament. Spain – the absolute frontrunners for the World Cup – stumbled at their first hurdle, being held to a shock goalless draw by Cape Verde, the archipelago west of the African continent of about half a million people, and whose team sits 65 places below the World No 2 in the FIFA world rankings.

Do not write off DR Congo

Yoane Wissa‘s first-ever goal, DR Congo’s first at a World Cup, sparked joy among millions from Kinshasa to Niangara. And for the other teams competing in the tournament, the 1-1 draw with No 5-ranked Portugal sent a warning that the underdogs are out to challenge some of football’s best sides, especially when the world is watching.

Dear Curacao, welcome to the World Cup

The 7-1 thrashing by Germany did little to dampen the spirit of Curacao fans, many of whom made the journey to the United States. For the Caribbean tiny island – the smallest-ever country to play at a World Cup – defeat meant nothing in comparison to the happiness of seeing one of their own score at the sport’s biggest stage. Livano Comenencia is a hero for all of Curacao.

Pink boots are everywhere

Pink seems to be the colour of the month, well, at least at the World Cup. Several players were seen wearing the vibrant, monochromatic boots – or cleats, as Americans would say – regardless of the manufacturer. Be it Nike, Adidas or Puma, sportswear giants have joined this trend of making their boots “electric fuchsia”.

From beats to booze, fans bring the party to the World Cup

It’s safe to say a World Cup is the biggest celebration of football. And some countries just do it better than others.

With their green-and-yellow shirts, flags and pounding drums, Brazil fans brought a slice of Rio to New York, while Moroccans later joined the party, the red smoke from the flares lighting up the World Cup mood. In Boston, Scotland’s famous Tartan Army chugged pint after pint, nearly ⁠draining some pubs of all their beer in the first weekend during their World Cup occupation of the city.

Meet Mexico’s unofficial mascot: Merlin the duck

To best sum up the football craze in tournament co-host Mexico, the fandom is not limited to humans.  A ‌domesticated duck named Merlin, sporting a miniature Mexico shirt and custom ⁠duck socks, has ⁠waddled his way into the hearts of many, becoming an unlikely unofficial mascot for the country’s World Cup campaign.