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This Morning's World Cup

USA edge Australia 2-0 to reach the last 32; today Brazil's second game and Turkey-Paraguay

Co-host United States beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle overnight to make it two wins from two and top Group D, securing a place in the knockout stage even without the injured Christian Pulisic. Japan, on one point, are now about 31 hours from facing Tunisia in Monterrey, with Takefusa Kubo's knee still in doubt. Later today Brazil play their second match against Haiti, and Turkey meet Paraguay to complete Group D's second round.

Jun 19, 2026 17:522 min readComments open
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While you slept

Co-host United States beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle to make it two wins from two and move top of Group D. Folarin Balogun's low cross from the left was turned into his own net by Australia's Cameron Burgess on 11 minutes, and just before half-time Alex Freeman headed in a loose ball for the second. It was a controlled win even without the injured Christian Pulisic, and it sends the U.S. through to the knockout stage with a group game to spare. For the second match running the Americans were handed the lead by an own goal — the first time that has happened to a side in men's World Cup history.

A day earlier in Group A, Mexico beat South Korea 1-0 to become the first team to reach the round of 32 at this World Cup. The early qualifiers are starting to take shape.

Japan today

Japan sit on one point after their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands. A scan confirmed an injury to Takefusa Kubo's left knee; he has stayed with the squad and is being treated, but no recovery timeline has been announced, and there is no fresh news this morning. Japan's next match is against Tunisia in Monterrey on Sunday 21 June at 1pm (JST) — about 31 hours away — and Kubo's availability is still uncertain.

Tonight into tomorrow morning (JST)

Groups C and D fill the daytime: Scotland vs Morocco at 7am, then Brazil's second game against Haiti at 9:30am — Ancelotti's side looking to recover after a 1-1 draw with Morocco. Turkey vs Paraguay at noon completes the second round of Group D. Then, in the early hours of the 21st at 2am, the Netherlands face Sweden in Group F — Japan's own group — sharpening the picture before Japan meet Tunisia later that afternoon.

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