Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha (1) kicks the ball during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP Debutants Cape Verde prolonged their World Cup fairytale on Friday as they secured a place in the World Cup round of 32 following … Read more
It was just another group match in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Mexico, where Colombia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were fighting out to be better poised to come out of their groups. Stakes were low, and the atmosphere normal for a World Cup match. But one man stood … Read more
Giant replicas of the FIFA 2026 World Cup trophy and ball. | Photo Credit: Henry Romero FIFA World Cup 2026 is being played across Canada, Mexico, and the USA, with stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappe keeping the high-octane football matches nail-biting. The event began on June 11, 2026, at the Estadio … Read more
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. Belgium: Courtois; De Cuyper, Theate, Mechele, Castagne; Doku, Tielemans, De Bruyne, Vanaken, Trossard; De Ketelaere New Zealand: Max Crocombe; Tim Payne, Finn Surman, Tyler Bindon, Liberato Cacace; Joe Bell, Marko Stamenic; Ryan Thomas, Sarpreet Singh, Elijah Just; Chris Wood (c).
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. Iran: Beiranvand (goalkeeper); Rezaeian, Kanaani, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi; Ghoddos, Ghorbani, Ezatolahi, Mohebbi; Taremi Egypt: Shobeir (goalkeeper); Hany, Abdelmonem, Rabia, Fatouh; Lasheen, Ashour; Ziko, Saber, Trezeguet; Salah
Giant replicas of the FIFA 2026 World Cup trophy and ball. | Photo Credit: Henry Romero FIFA World Cup 2026 is being played across Canada, Mexico, and the USA, with stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappe keeping the high-octane football matches nail-biting. The event began on June 11, 2026, at the Estadio … Read more
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 26: Mohamed Kanno #23 of Saudi Arabia and Kevin Pina #6 of Cabo Verde compete for the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia at Houston Stadium on on June 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP … Read more
Spain’s midfielder #20 Pedri and Uruguay’s midfielder #08 Federico Valverde fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup Group H football match between Uruguay and Spain at the Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: AFP Spain have gone 33 matches unbeaten and faced opponents of every kind along the … Read more
France’s Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring their third goal, completing his hat-trick on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick as France made sure of top spot in World Cup Group I with a ruthless 4-1 win on Friday (June 26, 2026) over a second-string Norway who like the French … Read more
Senegal’s Abdoulaye Seck celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Senegal kept their World Cup knockout hopes alive in dominant fashion on Friday (June 26, 2026) with a 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq, who were eliminated from the tournament. Survival was on the line as both sides … Read more
Iraq’s Ibrahim Bayesh in action with Senegal’s Lamine Camara and Ismail Jakobs on June 26, 2026. Photo: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters | Photo Credit: JOHN E SOKOLOWSKI This live blog is now closed. Senegal crushed 10-man Iraq 5-0 on Friday to remain in the running for a place in the round of 32 and end … Read more
Shortly after his team beat Senegal, Norway star Erling Haaland said he didn’t care all that much about its next game against France. The rest of the soccer world sure does. One of the marquee matchups of the World Cup takes place in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday (June 26, 2026), when Haaland and the Norwegians … Read more
Argentina’s forward Nico Paz takes part in a training session at the Sporting KC Training Centre in Kansas City on June 23, 2026, during the 2026 World Cup football tournament. | Photo Credit: AFP Lionel Scaloni has changed little so far at this World Cup. Between Argentina’s first two matches, the coach made only one … Read more
Lineups are announced and players are warming up Norway: Egil Selvik; Leo Ostigard, Fredrik Bjorkan, Henrik Falchener, Patrick Berg; Kristian Thorstvedt, Thelo Aasgaard, Andreas Schjelderup, Oscar Bobb, Fredrik Aursnes; Jorgen Strand Larsen France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Maxence Lacroix, Theo Hernandez; Manu Kone, Aurelien Tchouameni; Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe, Desire Doue; Ousmane Dembele
Lionel Messi has spent nearly two decades rewriting football’s record books. Yet, four years after finally lifting the World Cup with Argentina, the 39-year-old is once again captivating fans on football’s biggest stage and adding new milestones to his extraordinary career. In this episode of In Focus, we look at Messi’s evolution from the Barcelona … Read more
Jordan Bos of Australia celebrates after a 0-0 draw during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between Paraguay and Australia at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on June 25, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. | Photo Credit: AFP Australia booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Thursday after … Read more
Turkiye’s forward Can Uzun and US midfielder Sebastian Berhalter fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between Turkiye and the USA at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 25, 2026. | Photo Credit: AFP Turkiye beat a second-string United States side 3-2 with a last-gasp goal from … Read more
Sweden’s Alexander Isak celebrates after Anthony Elanga scores their first goal past Japan’s Zion. | Photo Credit: Reuters Sweden salvaged a 1-1 draw with Japan as both sides confirmed their progress to the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday (June 25, 2026) after Anthony Elanga curled in a 62nd-minute equaliser to earn Graham Potter’s team … Read more
Arda Guler of Turkiye warms up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between Türkiye and USA at Los Angeles Stadium on June 25, 2026 in Inglewood, California. | Photo Credit: AFP Turkey beat a second-string United States side 3-2 with a last-gasp goal from Kaan Ayhan at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday … Read more
Paraguay’s Omar Alderete (3) kicks the ball during the World Cup Group D soccer match between Paraguay and Australia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Thursday, June 25, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP Australia booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Thursday (June 25, 2026) after a cagey and … Read more
Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri in action with Netherlands’ Teun Koopmeiners and Justin Kluivert. | Photo Credit: Reuters The Netherlands surged into the World Cup round of 32 as Group F winners with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Tunisia on a rain-soaked Thursday, setting up a first knockout-stage clash with Morocco in Monterrey on Monday (June 29, … Read more
Players of Japan pose for a team photo before during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Japan and Sweden at Dallas Stadium on June 25, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP Sweden salvaged a 1-1 draw with Japan as both sides confirmed their progress to the World … Read more
Players line up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Tunisia and Netherlands at Kansas City Stadium on June 25, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP The Netherlands overcame sorry Tunisia 3-1 on Thursday to top World Cup Group F, avoiding a tricky encounter with Brazil … Read more
Ivory Coast’s Nicolas Pepe in action with Curacao’s Leandro Bacuna Photo: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Nicolas Pepe’s double sealed Ivory Coast’s first trip to the World Cup elimination rounds with a 2-0 victory over Curacao on Thursday (June 25, 2026) to finish second in Group E. For manager Emerse Fae, the feat ends a wait … Read more
Germany’s Joshua Kimmich in action with Ecuador’s Nilson Angulo on June 25, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters An increasingly desperate Ecuador stunned Germany 2-1 in their final Group E game on Thursday (June 25, 2026) to drag their World Cup campaign out of the flames and qualify for a place in the last 32. Needing … Read more
General view inside the stadium as both teams line up during the national anthems before the match on June 25, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters This live blog is now closed Nicolas Pepe scored twice as Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 on Thursday to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time ever … Read more
A Mexican fan carries Merlin the duck in Mexico City on June 18, 2026. Merlin is a two-year-old duck that captured the country’s attention when it appeared on the street wearing the national team’s jersey alongside its owner, a street vendor. | Photo Credit: AFP One of the biggest folk heroes of this World Cup, … Read more
The technology’s value was evident when the France-Iraq clash was delayed due to rain. | Photo Credit: Reuters For nearly 90 minutes, Cape Verde frustrated Spain. Spain, one of the tournament favourites, unleashed 27 shots and dominated possession, yet the scoreboard at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta read 0-0 at full-time. It was one of … Read more
General view inside the stadium as Ecuador and Germany players line up during the national anthems before the match on June 25, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters This live blog is now closed. Ecuador beat Germany 2-1 on Thursday to reach the World Cup knockout phase for the second time, while Ivory Coast saw off … Read more
The strangest journeys are not made by people but by affections. They cross oceans without passports, survive languages they do not speak and arrive in places they were never expected to reach. Somewhere along that improbable route, Lionel Messi travelled from Rosario to a narrow lane in Ichhapur, where a tea seller painted his house … Read more