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The first three days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are done, with the U.S. and Mexico each winning their group stage openers. However, most of the World Cup field is still looking to hit the competitive pitch for the first time.

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

Sunday’s Group E games:

Germany vs. Curacao

Germany’s Antonio Rudiger and Deniz Undav walk on the field before a friendly against the U.S. in Chicago on June 6.

(Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images)

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

The buzz: This is David vs. Goliath. Germany, a four-time champion ranked 10th in the world, against Curaçao, the smallest country to qualify for a World Cup. But remember David won that first battle, and Curaçao, with a roster full of Dutch-born-and-bred players and an experienced coach in Dick Advocaat, at 78 the oldest manager in the tournament, won’t be a pushover.

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador

Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie controls the ball during a World Cup qualifier against Argentina in September 2025.

(Franklin Jacome / Getty Images)

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Ecuador hasn’t lost since September 2024, a run that’s been fueled by the European-based back line of Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain), Piero Hincapié (Arsenal), Pervis Estupiñán (AC Milan) and holding midfielder Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea). Ivory Coast is the youngest team in the World Cup, with an average age of 25.4 years, but it beat France in its final tournament tuneup. In three previous World Cups, the Elephants failed to advance out of the group stage.

Sunday’s Group F games:

Netherlands vs. Japan

Netherlands standout Frenkie de Jong looks on during an international friendly against Algeria on June 3.

(Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images)

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: The eighth-ranked Dutch, arguably the best team never to win a World Cup, come into this tournament with a golden generation led by defenders Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake, midfielder Frenkie de Jong and coach Ronald Koeman. Japan’s only loss in the last 12 months came to the U.S. in a friendly last September; after that it beat fellow World Cup qualifiers England, Scotland, Ghana and Brazil and played Paraguay to a draw. The Dutch have lost just twice, to Algeria and Germany, in the last 23 months.

Sweden vs. Tunisia

Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri warms up before an international friendly against Belgium on June 6.

(Omar Havana / Associated Press)

Where: Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Tunisia played in five of the last seven World Cups without getting out of group play, but this time it brings a roster that blends international veterans such as midfielders Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley) and Elias Achouri (Copenhagen) and young talent, including teenager Rayan Elloumi of the Vancouver Whitecaps, the ninth-youngest player in the tournament. Sweden beat Ukraine and Poland in a pair of UEFA playoff games this spring to grab a place in this tournament. Aston Villa defender Victor Lidelof is the most experienced player with 76 caps, including four World Cup appearances.

Monday’s Group G games:

Belgium vs. Egypt

Belgium’s Joaquin Seys, left, and Axel Witsel celebrate after defeating the U.S. in an international friendly on March 28.

(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)

Where: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: noon
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Belgium hasn’t lost in more than a year, but it also hasn’t played a top-10 team since 2024. It has a veteran core of four players — midfielders Axel Witsel and Kevin De Bruyne, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Romelu Lukaka — with more than 100 international caps. Egypt, Africa’s oldest national team, is playing in a World Cup for the fourth time and is still looking for its first win. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, the team’s active leading scorer, is the only player on the roster with a World Cup goal.

Iran vs. New Zealand

Iran’s Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh plays the ball during an international friendly against Gambia on May 29.

(Khalil Hamra / Associated Press)

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: For the first time in World Cup history a tournament qualifier, Iran, will play in a country with which it is at war, the U.S. The Iranians, with the second-oldest roster in the tournament, are playing in their fourth straight World Cup. Only a 1-0 loss to the U.S. kept them from advancing out of group play in 2022. New Zealand, playing in its third World Cup, was winless the first two times — although it didn’t lose in its last visit in 2010, playing Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay to draws. The Kiwis are the only team this century not to lose in group play while also failing to advance.

Monday’s Group H games:

Spain vs. Cape Verde

Spain’s Ferran Torres scores during an international friendly against Iraq on June 4.

(Manu Fernandez / Associated Press)

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

The buzz: Cape Verde is one of four nations making its World Cup debut and it will open against second-ranked Spain, a tournament favorite which has lost just once since March 2024. Every player on Spain’s roster plays for a top European team; four of them played in last month’s Champions League final.

Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay

Uruguay’s Federico Valverde heads the ball past Brazil’s Joao Gomes during a Copa America quarterfinal match in 2024.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

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

The buzz: Saudi Arabia, playing in its third straight World Cup, began its last visit by beating eventual champion Argentina in one of the most stunning upsets in tournament history. And the last time the World Cup was held in the U.S., in 1994, the Arabian Falcons became the first Arab-Asian team to reach the round of 16. Uruguay, a quarterfinalist in 2018, comes into this World Cup with an experienced roster led by Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and Atlético Madrid defender José María Giménez.

Tuesday’s Group I games:

France vs. Senegal

France’s Kylian Mbappe works out with teammates in Waltham, Mass., on Friday.

(Martin Meissner / Associated Press)

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: noon
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: France, ranked third in the world by FIFA, played in the last two World Cup finals and is favored to make it back again this year. Its best player, captain Kylian Mbappe, holds the tournament record with four goals in World Cup finals, including a hat trick in Qatar four years ago. Senegal is led by former African player of the year Sadio Mane, the country’s all-time leader in goals. Senegal made the quarterfinals in 2002 and the round of 16 in Qatar.

Iraq vs. Norway

Norway’s Erling Haaland controls the ball during a World Cup qualifier against Moldova in March 2025.

(Aurel Obreja / Associated Press)

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

The buzz: Norway is playing in the World Cup for the first time this century which means Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland will finally make his tournament debut. A three-time Premier League scoring champion, Erling has more goals for club at country at 25 than either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo had at that age. Iraq has gone even longer between World Cups, making its only appearance in 1986 when it lost all three games. Iraq won its way back with a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in an inter-confederation playoff last March. The winning goal came from forward Aymen Hussein, the team’s active leader in goals and appearances among outfield players.

Tuesday’s Group J games:

Argentina vs. Algeria

Argentina’s Lionel Messi, fourth from left, practices with teammates in Kansas City, Kan., on Thursday.

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Top-ranked Argentina was upset by lowly Saudi Arabia in its World Cup opener four years ago, then ran the table to give Lionel Messi the one title he was missing. Argentina returns 17 players from its world championship team, among them Messi, the golden ball winner; goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, the golden glove winner; and midfielder Enzo Fernández, the 2022 tournament’s best young player. Algeria is ranked 28th in the world, it best ranking in more than a decade, and has lost just twice in the last two years. Its roster features 16 players from first-division clubs in Europe.

Austria vs. Jordan

Mousa Al-Tamari of Jordan controls the ball during the international friendly match against Switzerland on May 31.

(Sona Maleterova / Getty Images)

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 9 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Jordan played its first international match in 1953 but it hasn’t played in World Cup until now, finally qualifying by finishing second to South Korea in its Asian group. Its best player is captain Musa Al-Taamari, a dynamic winger known as the “Jordanian Messi” who leads active players with 91 international caps. Austria is playing in the World Cup for the first time this century and it hasn’t won a game here since 1990. Its best player in Real Madrid defender David Alaba, a four-time Champions League winner and 10-time Austrian footballer of the year.

It was a game eight years in the making. The first World Cup match on American soil in more than a generation and the start of a tournament that has the potential to alter the direction of soccer in this country for the next generation.

And the U.S. seized on every bit of that opportunity Friday, with Christian Pulisic setting up two goals and Folarin Balogun scoring twice in his World Cup debut, sparking an impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay in a game that was far more one-sided than the score indicated.

The U.S., which needed a big effort to start the tournament, was on the front foot from the start, going in front to stay in the seventh minute — although it was Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla who got credit for the goal after stepping in front of Balogun and deflecting in a cross from Weston McKennie.

Pulisic, the American star who is under intense pressure to perform in this tournament, set up the goal, pushing the ball between a pair of defenders before poking it on for McKennie in the center of the box. Bobadilla then did the rest, inadvertently sticking his right foot in front of the ball and bouncing it by Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gil.

Balogun appeared to double the lead coming out of the hydration break midway through the opening half, but the goal was negated by an offside call. That only delayed the second goal, however, with Balogun making it 2-0 by one-timing in a perfect feed from Pulisic from the penalty spot in the 31st minute.

Balogun added to the U.S. advantage just before the intermission, running on to a perfectly weighted through ball from Malik Tillman, stepping through a challenge from Omar Alderete entering the penalty area and turning around Paraguayan captain Gustavo Gómez before left-footing a shot into the top left corner to complete his first brace for the national team.

Gil was just a spectator on the play, with no chance to best the save. The goal marked the first time Paraguay had given up three scores in a World Cup game — much less one half — since 2002 and it came at the end of what was arguably the best opening 45 minutes a U.S. team has played in the tournament in decades.

Gio Reyna scored the fourth U.S. goal on the final play of the game.

Pulisic left in favor of Sebastian Berhalter to start the second but the U.S. continued to dominate in every way it was possible to dominate, controlling the ball for nearly 60 of the 90 minutes and completing more than twice as many passes. Paraguay’s first shot on goal didn’t come until the 73rd minute when Mauricio, a halftime substitute, took advantage of a slow-reacting U.S. defense to pull a goal back.

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino also got a solid game out of center back Chris Richards, playing for the first time since tearing two ligaments in his left ankle a month ago.

The Americans will face Australia in the second of three group-stage games next Friday in Seattle, where a draw will all but guarantee them a spot in the round-of-32, something Pulisic said should be just the first objective for this team.

This World Cup is the largest and most ambitious sporting event in history, with three host countries — Canada and Mexico, in addition to the U.S. — and a record 48 teams playing 104 games in 16 cities spread across four time zones. A long run by the American team, playing on home soil, could excite a nation and give soccer the kind of boost it hasn’t seen since 1994, the last time a World Cup was played here.

It could also change the narrative of a tournament whose run-up was clouded by outrageously high ticket prices, travel bans, the threat of ICE raids at tournament venues and the war in the Middle East, the first to pit a World Cup host against a World Cup qualifier.

And the U.S. portion of that tournament opened with pomp despite those circumstances, with Thai pop star Lisa, Nigerian recording artist Rema and Brazilian singer Anitta headlining a 10-minute mini concert staged before a massive replica of the World Cup trophy set over a blue map of the U.S. Katy Perry mounted a stage of her own an hour later to debut her song “Wonder” as the flags of the 48 participating countries circled around her.

President Trump did not attend the game, just as Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum skipped her country’s opener Thursday in Mexico City and prime minister Mark Carney missed Canada’s first game Friday in Toronto. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took Trump’s place in the Hollywood-heavy crowd of 70,492 that packed SoFi Stadium, one which included Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Becky G, Jaime Foxx, Paris Hilton, Bill Gates, Justin Trudeau and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

That crowd was a sea of blue and red — the U.S. and Paraguay share the same colors — but the cheering was primarily for the Americans since Paraguay rarely mounted a threat.

When Kings’ new head coach Peter Laviolette took a tour around the Los Angeles area, he thought he was only going to get a one-bedroom home with a view of the water. His children, though, piped in: “Make sure you get a four-bedroom,” Laviolette remembered his three children saying.

During Laviolette’s time away from the sport, the 61-year-old traveled to Scotland and watched his son play in the East Coast Hockey League. The time away has given Laviolette time to rethink his coaching, and after 30 years of coaching, including 23 as a head coach in the NHL, he’s bringing a trident approach to reshape culture and win games. Centering a hockey family is one part.

“For me, there’s three real important pieces,” Laviolette said. “First, build a family inside the locker room, inside the organization. Secondly, to really work to try and build the culture to get players and organizations to think about the choices they make and how that can affect the culture. And then the third part is the actual game on the ice, just making sure that every day from the start of training camp we work at the game.”

Los Angeles hired Laviolette to a three-year contract after he spent a year away from the sport. Laviolette’s coaching experience stretches 1,594 games, the ninth-highest career total, with six teams: the Capitals, Flyers, Islanders, Hurricanes and Predators. Most recently, he was fired by the Rangers in 2025 after two years with the team.

His postseason success might be the biggest draw for the Kings, who have seen middling success in the years since their second Stanley Cup title in 2014. Los Angeles made the playoffs each year since the 2021-22 season, but the team did not advance past the first round.

Meanwhile, Laviolette is only the fourth coach in hockey to lead three teams to the Stanley Cup Final. He last won with Carolina in 2006, but he earned two President’s Trophies in 2017-18 and 2023-24 with the Predators and the Rangers.

Kings general manager Ken Holland, left, and Peter Laviolette pose for a photo during the new coach’s introductory news conference Wednesday at the team’s training facility in El Segundo.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Still, Laviolette, despite his track record of first-year turnarounds, is joining a team in flux. The Kings fired coach Jim Hiller after the Olympic break. Interim coach D.J Smith helped guide the team to an 11-6-6 finish, aided in part by a trade for Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, whom Laviolette has also coached.

“I had a really good relationship with Artemi in New York,” Laviolette said. “He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever coached, and I’m really happy to get to work with him again. He’s an amazing talent.”

Using the winger to go on the prowl is one of the small changes Laviolette plans to bring. The Kings have historically prioritized defense in a league that has shifted to attacking. Los Angeles fell to 30th in goals per game last season (2.68), the first time the Kings averaged fewer than three goals since the 2021-22 season. The team was also 28th in power-play percentage at 17%. Laviolette acknowledged that Los Angeles needed to change, highlighting that an attack-forward mindset has been a keystone of his coaching.

“I don’t think it should be irresponsible to defense,” he said. “But through my experiences, and even just watching the playoffs right now, this is an attack-oriented game, and you have to be willing to move.”

Where does Panarin fit?

“He has the ability to be a game-breaker and a difference-maker,” Laviolette said. “He’s not just a goal scorer. He’s not just a playmaker. He’s elusive. He’s shifty.”

The goal for next season is to score 250 times, according to Kings’ vice president and general manager Ken Holland. The team scored 220 last season.

“We’ve got to get back to scoring more goals,” Holland said. “Part of that’s going to be personnel driven, part of that’s going to be probably style‑of‑play driven, mentality, and certainly the head coach has a lot to do with it.”

As Laviolette meets current staffers and decides whom to bring in, Holland is managing the phones to reach out to assistant coaches and players. Smith has definitively moved on. Phil Housley, whom Laviolette described as an “excellent coach,” could be another potential candidate. Housley worked with Laviolette as one of the Rangers’ assistant coaches between 2023 and 2025.

Still, it’s hard to say the Kings will be a Cup contender with Laviolette. His teams tend to dramatically decline two or three seasons after his hiring. He struggles to develop younger players, instead relying on veterans to carry the weight. Laviolette will have to amplify players like Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke, each a talented 23-year-old with high ceilings.

The Kings’ success will rest in how well Los Angeles adapts to Laviolette’s coaching trident. The veteran coach, to his credit, projected confidence.

“When you put those three things together,” he said. “You can really become an unstoppable force.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to start Thursday with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City and South Korea taking on Czechia in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The tournament then heads north on Friday, with Canada facing Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto before the United States opens Group D play against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matches through the opening days of the 39-day, 48-team tournament across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s matchups (all times Pacific):

Mexico vs. South Africa

Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez, left, celebrates after scoring during an international friendly against Serbia on June 4.

(Agustin Cuevas / Getty Images)

Where: Azteca Stadium | Mexico City

Time: Noon

TV | Streaming: Fox, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: Although the World Cup will be shared by three countries for the first time, Mexico gets the honor of playing the opening game. No country has played host to more World Cups than Mexico, which also staged the tournament in 1970 and 1986. Both times the first game was played in the iconic Azteca Stadium, where the World Cup kicks off again. The first two times the World Cup was played in Mexico, the home team made the quarterfinals and El Tri, playing under coach Javier Aguirre, a midfielder on the 1986 team, seems poised for another long run. Mexico is unbeaten in eight games this year, including wins over World Cup qualifiers Panama, Ghana and Australia and draws with Belgium and Portugal. Mexico has given up just one goal in the past eight months. South Africa, which played Mexico to a draw in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, is winless in 2026.

South Korea vs. Czechia

South Korea’s Son Heung-min controls the ball in front of El Salvador’s Brayan Landaverde during an international friendly match on June 3.

(Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)

Where: Estadio Akron | Guadalajara, Mexico

Time: 7 p.m.

TV | Streaming: FS1, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: South Korea is one of five countries to have played in the past 11 World Cups — and it’s the only one of the five never to have won the tournament. And the only two times South Korea played in a North American World Cup, in 1986 and 1994, it failed to win a game. Still, with an offense led by LAFC’s Son Heung-min, the MLS leader in assists, and a defense anchored by Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae (aka The Monster), the Taegeuk Warriors are a formidable foe. Czechia, playing in the World Cup for just the second time as an independent nation, has been unimpressive in its tournament warm-ups; its last win over a World Cup qualifier was a 2-1 win over Norway 27 months ago.

Here’s a look at Friday’s matchups:

Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko heads the ball during a World Cup qualifying match against Italy on March 31.

(Armin Durgut / Associated Press)

Where: BMO Field | Toronto

Time: Noon

TV | Streaming: Fox, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: Alphonso Davies has been ruled out of Canada’s World Cup opener in the hope that he will be available for the rest of the tournament. And his absence will be felt since Davies, sidelined since May 6 with a hamstring injury, is not only the team’s best player but also its captain. The injuries are piling up for Canada, which lost center back Moïse Bombito and forward Marcelo Flores to injuries after the World Cup roster had been determined. Under American coach Jesse Marsch, the team entered the top 30 in the FIFA world rankings for the first time, losing just five times in 29 matches, but still looking for its first victory in a World Cup match.

Bosnia, playing in the World Cup for the second time since gaining independence, is led by 40-year-old Edin Dzeko, the country’s all-time leader in caps and goals. It qualified for the World Cup by drawing Wales, then Italy, and beating both on penalty kicks in a pair of UEFA playoffs in March.

United States vs. Paraguay

U.S. forward Christian Pulisic controls the ball in front of Senegal’s Krepin Diatta during an international friendly on May 31.

(Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

Where: SoFi Stadium | Inglewood
Time: 6 p.m.
TV | Streaming: Fox, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: With a goal and an assist in the Americans’ penultimate warm-up with Senegal, Christian Pulisic broke out of a career-long scoring drought and proved himself ready for the World Cup. But he’ll need help from his supporting cast if the U.S. is to get out of group play and this game could be key to that goal. Paraguay’s schedule over the past year featured several games with World Cup qualifiers, including wins over Mexico and Uruguay, draws with Japan and Ecuador and one-score losses to Brazil, Morocco and the U.S. Its leading scorer is midfielder Miguel Almirón, who plays in MLS with Atlanta United.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s matchups:

Qatar vs. Switzerland

Qatar’s Akram Afif plays during an international friendly against El Salvador on June 6.

(Luiza Moraes / Getty Images)

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
Time: noon
TV | Streaming: Fox, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: Qatar made its World Cup debut four years ago and became the first host to exit the tournament without a point, losing all three group-play games by two goals each. The team has improved dramatically since then, beating Mexico to reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. But its World Cup preparations were disrupted by war in the Middle East, which forced the cancellation of scheduled friendlies with Serbia and Argentina. As a result, the team has played just twice in the last seven months and hasn’t scored a goal since last December.

Switzerland, meanwhile, is ranked in the top 20 in the world by FIFA, has lost just twice — to No. 2 Spain and No. 10 Germany — in its past 17 tries and made the quarterfinals of the past two Euros.

Brazil vs. Morocco

Brazil’s Casemiro, right, celebrates with teammate Vinicius Junior after scoring against Panama during an international friendly match on May 31.

(Bruna Prado / Associated Press)

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 3 p.m.
TV | Streaming: FS1, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: Group C gets off to a compelling start with sixth-ranked Brazil, the tournament’s only five-time champion, facing No. 7 Morocco, the surprise team of 2022. And both come in hot: Morocco has lost just one of its past 45 games, dating to January 2024, while Brazil has beaten World Cup qualifiers Egypt, Panama, Croatia, Senegal, South Korea, Paraguay, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico over the past 24 months.

Barring a major stumble, both will make it out of group play but this game will likely determine which will go through as a group champion, giving it a much easier path through the knockout rounds.

Haiti vs. Scotland

Haiti’s Frantzdy Pierrot controls the ball in front of Tunisia’s Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida during an international friendly on March 28.

(Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Time: 6 p.m.
TV | Streaming: FS1, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: Though lacking the sizzle of Brazil-Morocco, Group C’s other first-day matchup is no less important. With eight third-place teams advancing out of group play, a win here would give either Scotland or Haiti a solid shot at going through while a draw could doom both.

Haiti, participating in the World Cup for just the second time — and the first time since 1974 — hasn’t played at home in five years because of violence and instability in Haiti. But it thumped New Zealand 4-0 in one of its final World Cup tuneups and lost to three other World Cup qualifiers — the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Tunisia — by just a goal in the past year. All but three of the players on Haiti’s roster play for first- or second-division teams in Europe or the U.S.

Scotland had an easier time in qualifying and won its past two World Cup tuneups, beating Curacao and Bolivia by a combined score of 8-1. Its top player is Liverpool defender Andy Robertson but its oldest is goalkeeper Craig Gordon, at 43 the most senior player in the tournament.

Australia vs. Turkey

Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan warms up before an international friendly match against Mexico at the Rose Bowl on May 30.

(Luiza Moraes / Getty Images)

Where: BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Time: 9 p.m.
TV | Streaming: FS1, Telemundo | Fox One, Peacock

The buzz: Turkey could be one of the surprise teams in the tournament after qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 2002 with a pair of 1-0 wins over Romania and Kosovo. Turkey has risen five spots, to No. 22, in the FIFA world rankings in the past ninth months, its best showing in a decade. And in the last year it has beaten the U.S. and tied No. 2 Spain. Its best player is Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, Turkey’s active leader in caps and goals.

Australia had its best-ever World Cup four years ago in Qatar, winning twice and advancing to the round of 16 for the first time since 2006. But it has struggled of late, losing four of its past six games to fellow World Cup qualifiers.

LAS VEGAS — Jordan Staal scored his second goal of the game while stretched out on his stomach at 6:32 of the third period to put the Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their 5-3 victory on Tuesday night over the Vegas Golden Knights and even the Stanley Cup Final after four games.

Game 5 is Thursday night at Carolina, which will potentially have two games on home ice to win its first Cup in two decades. The Golden Knights are searching for their second in four years.

This was the first game not decided by one goal.

A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment’s notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.

Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the final and the ninth overall. Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player to score in the first four games of a final.

Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist, and Logan Stankoven scored a goal.

Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and made 18 saves. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour told ABC that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.

“Let [Andersen] rest,” Brind’Amour said. “Give him as many days here as we can.”

Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored goals for the Golden Knights, and Carter Hart made 23 saves. Karlsson also had an assist.

The Hurricanes outplayed the Golden Knights in the period, outshooting Vegas 14-6. But the Golden Knights, according to Natural Stat Trick, had four high-danger chances to three for Carolina.

The difference was the Hurricanes took advantage of their chances.

Brind’Amour replaced Andersen with Bussi trailing 4-0 after two periods in Game 2 on Saturday, and he saved the first 18 shots he faced as the Hurricanes mounted a furious rally. Bussi failed to save the 19th shot when Shea Theodore knocked the puck off the boards and it bounced off Bussi’s skate for a Golden Knights victory.

LAS VEGAS — Shea Theodore scored at 5:38 of the second overtime, avoiding what could have been a potentially devastating loss for the Golden Knights after they blew a four-goal lead, and Vegas beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2-1 series lead.

Theodore’s goal went in off goalie Brandon Bussi’s skate. It came long after teammate Mitch Marner had the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history.

The teams take two days off before meeting in Game 4 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%.

Carolina had been 6-0 in overtime this postseason. The Hurricanes were trying to become the first team to win after trailing by at least four goals in the third period, but now clubs in that situation are 0-109.

“We just left our foot off the gas,” Theodore said on the ABC broadcast. “I think we have to be sharper in the third, but I liked the resiliency out of our group. I liked the way we started that second overtime, and I felt like we were more on our toes.”

This was the 10th time the first three games of a Cup Final were decided by a point. The last time was in 2016 between Pittsburgh and San Jose.

The Golden Knights seemed to have it in hand after scoring four times in the second, including a natural hat trick by Marner.

But Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal scored goals for the Hurricanes. Their goals, occurring 39 seconds apart, are the fastest in a Cup Final game.

Andrei Svechnikov jammed in a puck on a six-on-four power play with 1:42 left to force overtime.

Marner’s scoring outburst came over a 6:10 stretch of the second period, and he had four points in the period. He had the secondary assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal midway through the period.

The last time a player had four points in a period of the Cup final was in 1919 when Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans pulled off that feat.

Marner nearly added to the total in the third period, but failed to capitalize on a breakaway and a penalty shot. Those missed chances came back to bite the Golden Knights.

The Hurricanes made the comeback after changing goalies to open the third, going with Bussi, who made 18 saves. Frederik Andersen had given up those four goals on 16 shots.

Carolina also rallied without forward and former Golden Knight William Carrier, who had an upper-body injury in the second period.

Vegas’ Carter Hart stopped 29 shots.

Vegas twice thought it took the lead early in the second period, but the Hurricanes successfully challenged both goals to keep the game scoreless.

Mark Stone’s goal from the slot 36 seconds into the period was overturned when Brett Howden was determined to be offside after a video review. Another review wiped off Jack Eichel’s rebound goal four minutes in when Rasmus Andersson was called for goalie interference.

It’s not the first time this series went against the Golden Knights.

An unsuccessful video challenge by Vegas coach John Tortorella in Game 2 on Thursday night led to a power-play goal by Staal, whose goal helped the Hurricanes rally to win 4-3 in overtime.

The Golden Knights received a major boost when defenseman Brayden McNabb took the ice. He took a puck in the face in the first period Thursday night at Carolina and didn’t return to the game. McNabb, who had on a cage to protect his face, is Vegas’ best defensive defenseman. He was on the first defensive pair with Theodore.

This series has been, if anything, unpredictable.

Each team blew two-goal leads in the first two games, with the Golden Knights rallying in the opener and Hurricanes responding with a Game 2 victory in overtime.

Anderson writes for the Associated Press.

CHICAGO — Leroy Sané scored a tiebreaking goal in the 57th minute, giving Germany a 2-1 win over the United States in a friendly on Saturday and a nine-game winning streak heading into the World Cup.

Kai Havertz put the four-time champions in front with a header from a free kick in the second minute but Antonee Robinson tied the score in the 37th with a left-foot volley from the top of the arc following Christian Pulisic’s corner kick.

Sané scored off a short pass from Havertz, a diagonal shot between the legs of Miles Robinson that appeared to take a slight deflection off the defender and beat goalkeeper Matt Freese to the far post.

The 16th-ranked United States has lost nine straight games to European opponents dating to 2022.

Hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994, the Americans open against Paraguay on Friday, then play Australia and Turkey. The U.S. hadn’t lost its last match heading into a World Cup since 2002.

No. 10 Germany starts against Curaçao on June 14 in a group that includes Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

The match drew a sellout crowd of 63,636 to Soldier Field, site of the 1994 World Cup opener. Chicago refused to bid to host 2026 World Cup matches, citing what it said was a lack of financial assurances by FIFA.

The U.S. played without top defender Chris Richards, sidelined since tearing a pair of left ankle ligaments on May 17.

Germany was missing 18-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl, ruled out for the World Cup after injuring a thigh in training. Oliver Baumann started in goal as Manuel Neuer rested while recovering from a calf muscle issue.

Freese started in goal for the 15th time in 18 matches.

Die Mannschaft went ahead after Tyler Adams’ foul just outside the penalty area. Joshua Kimmich’s free kick was headed in by Havertz at the top of the 6-yard box for his 22nd international goal,

Robinson scored his fifth international goal after Jonathan Tah’s headed clearance attempt on Pulisic’s corner kick went just outside the area. Robinson celebrated with a cartwheel and a backflip.

Manaka Matsukubo finished with a goal and an assist to lead the North Carolina Courage to a 2-1 win over Angel City at BMO Stadium on Sunday.

Matsukubo slipped a ball through to Evelyn Ijeh, who calmly finished to give the Courage a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute. With the goal, Ijeh has landed on the scoresheet in three straight matches.

Three minutes later, Evelyn Shores’ pinpoint cross into the box found the head of Maiara Niehues for the equalizer.

North Carolina retook the lead for good in the 79th with Riley Jackson’s perfectly weighted pass to Matsukubo, who scored her fifth goal of the season.

CARSON, Calif. — Houston’s Guilherme Santos matched a first-half goal by the Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil and the Dynamo and Galaxy played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Paintsil staked the Galaxy to a 1-0 lead with an unassisted score in the 30th minute and Santos answered in the 41st with assists from Jack McGlynn — his fourth — and defender Antônio Carlos — his first.

It was the third goal this season for Paintsil after he found the net 10 times in each of his first two seasons.

Santos has eight goals in his first 14 appearances in the league.

Jonathan Bond finished with five saves for Houston (7-6-1). Bond made 89 starts with the Galaxy from 2021 to 2023.

JT Marcinkowski saved three shots for the Galaxy (5-5-5).

Houston had played a club-record 13 straight matches without a draw to begin a season.

The league takes a break for the World Cup and will return to action on July 16.

May 22 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s leading defense and public-sector technology institutions agreed Thursday to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence strategy as the government seeks to position the country among the world’s top three AI powers.

The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, or KIDA, and the National Information Society Agency, or NIA, held a joint seminar in Seoul under the theme “Strategic linkage between public AI transformation and defense AI transformation for a national AI G3.”

The two organizations also signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation between the public and defense sectors on AI policy and infrastructure.

The agreement reflects growing recognition within South Korea that strategic use of AI technology is becoming a key factor in national competitiveness and future security.

The institutions said the partnership aims to create a nationwide AI ecosystem linking the private sector, government and military by integrating AI transformation efforts that had previously been pursued separately in the public and defense sectors.

As part of the initiative, KIDA plans to expand its Defense Artificial Intelligence Policy Research Office into a larger body tentatively named the Defense AI Policy Center.

The planned center would oversee tasks ranging from defense AI strategy to data planning and verification while maintaining a permanent cooperation system with NIA’s AI policy division.

Officials said the center is expected to support both the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Science and ICT while serving as a bridge between ministries on AI policy and technology.

During the seminar, Shim Seung-bae, a senior researcher at KIDA, presented what he described as a “public-defense hybrid AI transformation strategy” aimed at strengthening South Korea’s defense industry competitiveness.

Lee Yong-jin, head of NIA’s AI policy office, said advanced public-sector AI infrastructure and methodologies should be rapidly integrated into defense applications.

Participants from government, industry and the military also discussed the need for stronger AI governance and closer cooperation between defense companies and civilian AI firms.

Lee Seung-young, chief technology officer at LIG D&A, said open collaboration between defense contractors and private AI companies is urgently needed to upgrade advanced weapons systems.

Kim Dong-hwan, CEO of FortyTwoMaru, said successful AI transformation cases and data experience from civilian and public sectors should be quickly applied to defense programs.

KIDA President Kim Jung-soo said AI has become “a core game changer” determining the success of national competitiveness and defense innovation.

NIA President Kim Hyung-chul said the agency would focus on maximizing synergy between public and defense AI transformation to help South Korea become a global “AI G3” nation.

Officials said the partnership could accelerate South Korea’s broader “Defense Innovation 4.0” initiative and its goal of becoming one of the world’s top four defense exporters.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260522010006708

Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry needs hip surgery that could endanger his availability at the start of next season.

Terry has a chronic hip impingement, the Ducks revealed Thursday in their postseason injury report. Anaheim’s first postseason since 2018 ended last week in the second round with a six-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Ducks haven’t finalized a date for Terry’s hip surgery or a definite time frame for his recovery.

Terry has been Anaheim’s most consistent offensive player for the past half-decade, scoring at least 19 goals and 50 points each year. He scored 57 points last season before adding three goals and eight assists in 12 playoff games — the first postseason contests of his career.

The team also confirmed that goal-scoring forward Cutter Gauthier played with two fractured vertebrae in his back during the postseason. Gauthier was hurt in late March, but only missed five games before returning and eventually scoring 12 points in the postseason.

Captain Radko Gudas sprained his ankle in the Ducks’ playoff opener and didn’t return to the lineup, but he would have been available if Anaheim had advanced to another round. So would forward Ryan Poehling, who has been cleared after incurring a concussion from an illegal hit by Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb, who was suspended for a game.

Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov sprained a ligament in his knee, but he will be ready for training camp.

NASHVILLE — Hany Mukhtar scored three goals, his first hat trick since 2023, and Nashville SC beat LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.

Mukhtar, the 2022 MLS MVP, became the seventh player in MLS history with at least five regular-season hat tricks.

Nashville (9-1-3) leads MLS with 30 points this season and is unbeaten, with five wins, in its past seven games. San José and Vancouver are tied atop the Western Conference with 29 points apiece.

LAFC (6-5-3) has lost three consecutive games and is winless in four straight.

Mukhtar tapped a pass to Warren Madrigal at the top of the penalty box. Madrigal flicked a slick pass back to a charging Mukhtar for the finish from the right corner of the six-yard box in the 13th minute. The 21-year-old Madrigal has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) in the past five games.

Mukhtar also scored on free kicks in the 21st and 59th minutes. The 31-year-old has 101 goals across all competitions in 229 appearances for Nashville.

David Martinez scored a goal for the second consecutive game in the 22nd minute and Denis Bouanga added a goal in the 68th for LAFC.

Brian Schwake had seven saves for Nashville.

Thomas Hasal made his second start this season in place of Hugo Lloris (thigh) and finished with one save. Lloris was injured in training Wednesday and is out indefinitely.

LAFC outshot Nashville 21-8, 9-4 on target.

Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Andy Nájar did not play. Surridge missed his fourth consecutive game because of what the club is calling a “middle body” injury. The 27-year-old forward, who was injured late in a 4-2 loss to Charlotte on April 25, has nine goals in seven appearances (four starts) this season. Nájar suffered a muscle injury in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at New England.

BBC Sport pundits Mark Schwarzer and Dion Dublin believe Bryan Mbeumo using his arm to trap the ball to his side to help better control Diego Dalot’s cross in the build-up to Matheus Cunha’s goal, gave Manchester United an “completely unfair advantage” in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest

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There’s no denying that Loyola’s lacrosse program is best in Southern California and could be that way for years to come with the number of elite young players participating.

On Saturday night, the Cubs (16-3) won their latest Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 14-6 win over Santa Margarita. The Cubs have won three title since the sport was adopted as a championship event in the Southern Section. Defense has been Loyola’s strength all season.

Senior defenders Chase Hellie and Everett Rolph and junior goalkeeper William Russo led one of the best defenses in program history under coach Jimmy Borell.

Senior Cash Ginsberg finished with five goals and junior North Carolina commit Tripp King finished with two goals.

Orange Lutheran won Division 2 boys over Edison and Windward won Division 3.

In girls Division 1, Mira Costa upset top-seeded Santa Margarita 12-6.

SEATTLE — Gabriel Pec had a goal and an assist to back goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski and the Galaxy beat Seattle 2-0 on Saturday night, ending the Sounders’ 22-match unbeaten streak at home as well as a nine-match unbeaten run this season.

Greg Vanney led Los Angeles to its first victory in Seattle since July 9, 2016 — Bruce Arena’s final season as the Galaxy’s coach.

Pec used assists from Marco Reus and defender Miki Yamane in the 23rd minute to score his fifth goal of the season, giving the Galaxy a 1-0 lead that stood through halftime. It was his fourth goal in the last three matches and his 27th in 75 career appearances.

Reus’ assist was his fifth this season, while Yamane collected his first.

Pec and Edwin Cerrillo set up Matheus Nascimento’s first goal this season two minutes into stoppage time to clinch the victory. Cerrillo entered in the 89th minute before snagging his first assist and Pec’s helper was his fourth.

Marcinkowski stopped six shots for the Galaxy (5-5-4). It was his first clean sheet in his 10th start this season.

Andrew Thomas finished without a save for Seattle (7-2-3), whose only other loss came in its road opener at Real Salt Lake on Feb. 28.

The Galaxy extended the league’s longest current streak with at least one goal scored to 23.

Seattle was the last team to shut out the Galaxy, doing so with a 4-0 road win on Aug. 10 last season.

The Sounders were coming off a 3-2 victory over Arena’s San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, while the Galaxy lost to Sporting Kansas City — whose only other victory to that point came against the Galaxy on the road.

The Galaxy lead the all-time series with the Sounders 16-11-15, including a 5-8-8 record in Seattle.

The Sounders fall to 4-1-1 at home and the Galaxy improve to 3-3-2 on the road.

Up next

Galaxy: Host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

Seattle: Visits LAFC on May 24.

The carriage has turned back into a pumpkin, the ballgown is once again just tattered clothing and all the horses have gone back to being mice.

The Ducks’ Cinderella run through the NHL playoffs came to an end Thursday in a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series. And the end came well before midnight, with goals by Mitch Marner and Brett Howden in the first 8½ minutes giving Vegas a commanding lead before many in the late-arriving weeknight crowd had made it to their seats at the Honda Center.

The Golden Knights will move on to the Western Conference final with the Colorado Avalanche next week while the Ducks will move on to summer. But it’s the team’s latest start on the offseason since 2017, the last time the Ducks made it to the second round of the playoffs. So even if the glass slipper didn’t fit this time, the Ducks have reason to celebrate.

“I think our team, we learned, myself included, just how to play in those games,” said winger Troy Terry, the only remaining link to the Ducks’ last playoff team. “That’s kind of the difference in some of these games, a team like Vegas, learning how to manage those close games. It stings right now, but I think I speak for everyone that we’ll be hungry going into the summer.

“It was fun to play in this. It’s been a long time.”

Ducks center Leo Carlsson passes the puck as Vegas’ Shea Theodore defends during the second period.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

This team, after all, wasn’t supposed to be at the ball this long. Fourteen players on its roster had never been to the postseason before; most of them had never even played for a winning team in the NHL before. But the team’s youth and inexperience proved to be a strength, not a weakness.

They didn’t know they weren’t supposed to win in the playoffs, so they did, dispatching the Edmonton Oilers — who made the last two Stanley Cup finals — in the first round and outplaying the veteran Golden Knights, a playoff team in eight of the franchise’s nine seasons, throughout much of the second round.

Rookie Beckett Sennecke, just 20, had four goals and an assist in the six games with Vegas. Winger Cutter Gauthier, just 22, led the team with 12 points in his first trip to the playoffs. Defenseman Olen Zellwenger, also 22, had a goal and assist in his first two playoff games and Olympic gold medalist Jackson LaCombe, 25, led the team in ice time — and was third in points with 10 — in his first postseason.

That’s the core of the team going forward and the playoff experience they got this spring will be invaluable.

“We’ve got a super young core here,” Sennecke said. “We’re a fast team and we play with a lot of skill, a lot of pace. … The next few years are exciting.”

Ducks left wing Alex Killorn moves the puck ahead of Vegas right wing Keegan Kolesar in the first period.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“It doesn’t make this any easier,” added center Mikael Granlund, at 34 the second-oldest Duck to play Thursday. “Tonight was kind of the story of the season. In the first period we’re down three goals. In the regular season, we were able to come back. But in playoffs, it’s not easy.

“So yeah, there’s a lot of good signs in this team, but at the same time, it’s never easy.”

However, the fairy godmother’s spell wore off early in Game 6, which was just 62 seconds old when Vegas went ahead to stay.

Marner opened the scoring with a spectacular breakaway goal, skating on to William Karlssson’s two-line pass as he entered the offensive zone and beating LaCombe up the center of the ice to the crease. When he got there, he pulled up, turned his back to goalie Lukas Dostal, then shoved the puck just inside the right post for his seventh goal of the playoffs.

Howden doubled the lead with a shorthanded goal 7½ minutes later, finding miles of space just to the right of the goal and banging in a pass from Marner that split LaCombe and Alex Killorn. The goal was Howden’s eighth of the playoffs, temporarily giving him the NHL postseason lead, while the assist gave Marner 18 postseason points, also best in the league.

“I thought we had a really good vibe going in and felt good about guys being excited,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Couple of quick goals, and we certainly lost a lot of our excitement. That was tough.”

When Shea Theodore scored off a faceoff seconds into a power play late in the period, it gave the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead at the intermission with the goals coming on a power play, the penalty kill and with the teams at even strength.

The Ducks led the NHL with 26 comeback wins during the regular season, but against the poised and patient Golden Knights the deficit was too big. The Ducks left the ice to a chorus of boos after the period, though they came back to dominate the second period, getting the only score at 12:46 when Mikael Granlund notched his fifth goal of the playoffs on a power play, lining a snap shot into the side netting from the middle the left circle.

But the Ducks would get no closer, with Vegas icing the game on two third-period goals from Pavel Dorofeyev, who had four goals in the final two games. The first came off a turnover from the Ducks’ John Carlson deep in his defensive end 2:52 into the final period and the second on a shot from a difficult angle to the right of the goal that ricocheted in off Dostal with 6:28 left in the Ducks’ season.

The two goals gave Dorofeyev nine for the playoffs, passing Howden for the league lead.

“They worked for what they got,” Quenneville said of the Golden Knights. “They deserve to move on.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Calvin Harris had a goal and two assists and Dejan Joveljić scored against his former team, leading Sporting Kansas City to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Galaxy on Wednesday night.

Sporting KC (2-8-2) snapped an eight-match winless streak under first-year manager Raphaël Wicky and an eight-match winless skid at home dating to last year. The club’s only other victory came against the Galaxy (4-5-4) — a 2-1 road win on March 14 in which Joveljić also scored.

Sporting KC grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute on Capita Capemba’s first career goal in his sixth appearance. Harris and Lasse Berg Johnsen had assists.

Joveljić made it 2-0 at halftime when he scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time with assists from Harris and defender Zorhan Bassong. It was his sixth goal this season and his 24th in 44 appearances with his new club. Joveljić scored 34 goals for the Galaxy from 2021-24. He scored the winner in the final against the New York Red Bulls in 2024 for L.A.’s sixth MLS Cup before being traded in the offseason.

Harris found the net in the 70th minute for a 3-0 lead with helpers from Manu García and Jacob Bartlett, who entered in the 61st. It was Harris’ first goal this season and his 12th in 113 career matches.

Stefan Cleveland totaled six saves for Sporting KC in his third start this season and the 15th of his career.

J.T. Marcinkowski saved six shots for Los Angeles.

The Galaxy extended their current scoring streak to a league-best 22 straight matches when Gabriel Pec scored in the 89th minute for his 10th goal of the season. Justin Haak and former Sporting KC member Erik Thommy had assists.

Pec scored two late goals in a 2-1 road win over Atlanta United last time out. It was his 10th goal of the campaign.

Sporting KC ties the all-time series at 29-29-18 while improving to 20-10-9 at home against the Galaxy.

Joveljić has scored in three straight matches against his former teammates.

Up next

Galaxy: Visit the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

Kansas City: Visits Austin FC on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Bento’s bizarre injury-time own goal denies Al-Nassr a title-crowning 1-0 win over rivals Al Hilal at home.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates were left frustrated when their goalkeeper Bento scored an injury-time own goal, denying the club their first Saudi Pro League title in seven years.

Riyadh-based club Al-Nassr were leading 1-0 and seconds away from defeating local rivals Al Hilal, who are second in the league, when Bento fumbled an overhead save that sent the ball into his own net in a highly anticipated match on Tuesday.

A win would have sealed the 11th league title for Al-Nassr and the first for the Portuguese superstar since he famously joined the club in January 2023.

Al-Nassr top the league table with 83 points from 33 games, while Al Hilal are second on 78 points from 32 games. Ronaldo, who captains Al-Nassr, cut a picture of frustration on the bench when the equaliser was scored by the Brazilian goalkeeper.

The 41-year-old football icon has not won a domestic title with Al-Nassr since his then-record-breaking move from Manchester United after the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Al-Nassr’s last league title came in 2019, while Al Hilal won the league in 2024.

Fans of the home team were given free team shirts at the beginning of the match, making the stands a sea of yellow in anticipation of the title win.

Barring a shock result against 15th-place Damac in their final league game, Al-Nassr are favourites to win the league on May 21 .

“The dream is close,” Ronaldo said in his post-match social media posts to his 770 million-plus followers.

The Ducks’ second-round playoff showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights has become a best-of-three series.

With a 4-3 victory Sunday before a raucous sold-out crowd at the Honda Center, the Ducks evened the series 2-2 as it heads back to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday. But it wasn’t easy, with the Golden Knights twice rallying from one-goal deficits, only to see the Ducks answer each time.

And the Ducks’ power play, so lethal in the team’s first-round win over Edmonton and so ineffective in the first three games of this series, finally found a spark, scoring goals in each of the first two periods.

The Ducks’ goals came from Beckett Sennecke, Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn and Ian Moore. Pavel Dorofeyev, Brett Howden and Tomas Hertl scored for Vegas.

The Ducks were fast and physical in the early going, playing with an urgency they lacked in their Game 3 loss. They also did a better job protecting the puck and that paid off with the team’s first power-play goal of the series 8:43 into the first period.

Vegas had killed 11 penalties against the Ducks and 21 in a row dating back to Game 3 in their first-round series against Utah. But after Dylan Coghlan went off for interference, Sennecke teed up a slap shot from the top of the right circle for his fourth goal of the playoffs, putting the Ducks up 1-0.

The lead didn’t last long, however, with Dorofeyev evening things with a power-play goal of his own about a minute and half later. The goal, on a tip-in, was Dorofeyev’s fifth of the postseason.

Ducks defenseman Ian Moore celebrates with teammates after scoring in the third period of a 4-3 win over the Golden Knights in Game 4 on Sunday at Honda Center.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Granlund put the Ducks back on top less than five minutes before the first intermission, taking a pass from Jeffrey Viel along the left-side boards and getting off a shot as he battled Vegas forward Cole Smith. The puck appeared to strike the blade of Smith’s stick as Viel let it go and that proved fortunate for the Ducks since the deflection fooled defenseman Noah Hanifin and goalie Carter Hart, who both let the bouncing puck tumble through them and into the goal.

That lead didn’t last long, either, with Howden tying things again for Vegas 4:04 into the second period. The goal, on the Golden Knights’ ninth shot, was Howden’s seventh of the playoffs, giving him a share of the NHL lead. Mitch Marner assisted on the first two Vegas goals, giving him a league-best 15 points in 10 postseason games.

However, Killorn scored the Ducks’ second power-play less than two minutes before the second intermission, putting the Ducks in front to stay. Moore doubled the lead 3:43 into the third, lining in a slap shot from well above the right circle.

The two-goal lead matched the largest of the series for the Ducks. Hertl cut that in half with 64 seconds to play after Vegas pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. But the Golden Knights got no closer.

Both teams have split their two games at home. The Golden Knights will have the home-ice advantage — if there is one — over the last three games since two are scheduled in Las Vegas.

Sunday’s win marked the sixth consecutive time the Ducks evened a playoff series it trailed 2-1 after three games.

Vegas played without winger Mark Stone, whose 28 goals were second-most on the team during the regular season. Stone, who had a goal and an assist in the first three games against the Ducks, is the team’s all-time playoff scoring leader with 79 points (39 goals, 40 assists) in 94 games. He sustained an undisclosed injury in the first period of Game 3 and his status for the rest of the series is unclear.

Jack McGlynn scored a goal in each half and the Houston Dynamo thumped LAFC 4-1 on Sunday night at BMO Stadium.

McGlynn used an assist from Lawrence Ennali in the 25th minute to score on a shot from well outside the box, giving Houston a 1-0 lead. It was McGlynn’s first goal after scoring a career-high six times last season.

Guilherme Santos scored off a free kick in the 34th minute for a two-goal lead. The first-year midfielder has six goals in 11 matches.

McGlynn had a shot from nearly the same spot hit the far post, also in the 42nd, and Nathan Ordaz answered for LAFC three minutes later to cut it to 2-1 at halftime. McGlynn was booked for a yellow card in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Stephen Eustáquio notched his third assist in seven appearances on Ordaz’s second goal, and Jacob Shaffelburg picked up his second in five outings this season and his 15th in 134 appearances. Ordaz has found the net eight times in 67 matches.

Mateusz Bogusz got a second chance to score in the 51st minute, using his left foot to find the net for the second time for a 3-1 lead. Bogusz scored 18 goals in 60 appearances with LAFC from 2023-24.

McGlynn gave the Dynamo a three-goal lead in the 55th with assists from Ennali and Santos, who already has five helpers. Ennali collected his first two assists of the campaign.

Jonathan Bond finished with five saves for Houston (6-5-0), which improved to 2-3-1 on the road.

Hugo Lloris saved two shots for LAFC (6-3-3), which drops to 4-2-1 at home. Lloris entered with eight shutouts through his first 10 starts, posting three more clean sheets than any other keeper in the league.

The Dynamo have gone 5-2-1 in the last eight matchups, holding LAFC scoreless in five of them.

LAFC beat the Dynamo 2-0 in Houston to close out February.

LAFC’s Sergi Palencia left with an apparent injury in the 42nd minute.

Up next for LAFC: visits St. Louis City on Wednesday.