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World Cup News
- News2026-07-09
Egypt demand FIFA remove their referee — as an all-Argentine crew takes charge of France v Morocco
Egypt led Argentina 2-0 with the biggest win in their history in sight before a disallowed goal and two waved-away penalties turned the tie. Now the Egyptian FA has formally asked FIFA to remove referee Francois Letexier — and this morning JST, an all-Argentine crew, the first single-nation team of the tournament, took charge of France against Morocco.
NewsKnockoutEgyptArgentina - News2026-07-09
Switzerland break their World Cup shootout curse, reach the last eight for the first time since 1954 — Messi's Argentina next
Gregor Kobel saved from Cucho Hernandez, Davinson Sanchez smashed his kick against the bar, and Switzerland won a shootout 4-3 to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. With Japan already out, the last eight holds a quiet side barely discussed back home — and their next opponent is defending champion Argentina.
NewsKnockoutSwitzerlandQuarterfinal - News2026-07-09
World Cup last eight are set: France v Morocco, a 2022 rematch, opens the quarterfinals
Forty teams have gone home and eight remain. The 2026 World Cup reaches the quarterfinals, and it opens on Friday at 5am Japan time in Foxborough, near Boston, with France against Morocco — the side France knocked out of the 2022 semifinal four years ago.
NewsKnockoutFranceMorocco - News2026-07-06
Ronaldo's last World Cup ends in tears — Spain's late goal knocks Portugal out
When the whistle went in Arlington, Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears — and being consoled by 18-year-old Lamine Yamal. Mikel Merino's 91st-minute goal sent Spain past Portugal 1-0 and into the quarterfinals, ending the 41-year-old's sixth and final World Cup.
NewsKnockoutPortugalSpain - News2026-07-06
Ten-man England win an Azteca classic — Bellingham's brace beats Mexico 3-2, Norway await in the last eight
Jude Bellingham scored twice inside the first half and England beat Mexico 3-2 to reach the World Cup quarterfinals — holding on for the last 40 minutes with ten men after a red card. The co-hosts went out at a packed Estadio Azteca, and England's next opponent is Norway, the side that knocked out Brazil.
NewsKnockoutEnglandMexico - News2026-07-06
Brazil, the team that beat Japan, are out — Haaland's Norway win 2-1 to reach the last eight
Erling Haaland scored in the 79th and 90th minutes as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time. The five-time champions who ended Japan's run on June 30 are now gone one round later.
NewsKnockoutBrazilNorway - News2026-07-05
France edge Paraguay 1-0 to set up a quarterfinal with Morocco - a rematch of the 2022 semifinal
France beat Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia on a Kylian Mbappe penalty in the 70th minute, awarded after a VAR review on a chaotic, foul-heavy night. It sends them to the quarterfinals against Morocco - the same pairing as the 2022 semifinal in Qatar, which France won 2-0. The rematch is set for Thursday, July 9 in Boston.
NewsKnockout stageFranceMorocco - News2026-07-04
Co-host Canada out of its home World Cup; Morocco win 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals first
Canada pushed the game in the first half and had nothing to show for it. Then Azzedine Ounahi scored twice after the break and Soufiane Rahimi added a third in stoppage time, and Morocco beat the co-hosts 3-0 in Houston to become the first team into the 2026 quarterfinals.
NewsKnockout stageMoroccoCanada - News2026-07-04
Egypt reach the last 16 for the first time, beating Australia on penalties; Messi awaits
Still level at 1-1 after 120 minutes, Egypt turned to spot kicks. Mohamed Salah chipped his down the middle as the goalkeeper dived away, Australia missed twice, and Egypt won 4-2 to claim the first World Cup knockout victory in the country's history. Next in the last 16: Lionel Messi's Argentina.
NewsKnockout stageEgyptAustralia - News2026-07-03
Portugal edge Croatia 2-1 on a 94th-minute goal; Spain awaits in the last 16
At the final whistle in Toronto, Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo held each other for a long moment. One is going home; the other plays on. Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal in front in the 94th minute to beat Croatia 2-1, ending Modric's World Cup at 40 and sending Portugal to a Round of 16 meeting with Spain.
NewsKnockout stagePortugalCroatia - News2026-07-02
Canada reach the last 16 for the first time on a 92nd-minute goal, and all three hosts are through
Stephen Eustaquio scored in the 92nd minute to beat South Africa 1-0, sending Canada into a World Cup Round of 16 for the first time in its history. With that, all three co-hosts — Canada, the United States and Mexico — are in the last 16.
NewsKnockout stageHost nationsCanada - News2026-07-01
Kane's late double rescues England; the last-16 tie is Mexico at the Azteca
England trailed DR Congo from the seventh minute in Atlanta. Then Harry Kane scored twice in the last 15 minutes to win it 2-1, and the round-of-16 opponent came into focus: Mexico, at the Estadio Azteca.
NewsKnockout stageBracketEngland - News2026-07-01
Germany lose their first World Cup shootout, and the Netherlands who drew Japan go out too
On June 30 Japan time, Japan were not the only side to leave. Within the same day, Germany lost a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time ever, beaten by Paraguay, and the Netherlands — the team Japan drew 2-2 in the group — went out to Morocco on spot-kicks. The round of 32 has thinned the field of favourites.
NewsKnockout stageUpsetGermany - News2026-07-01
Brazil, the side that knocked Japan out, will meet Haaland's Norway in the last 16
Erling Haaland scuffed his shot in front of the Ivory Coast goal, but it crept over the line and Norway won 2-1. That settled Brazil's round-of-16 opponent: Haaland's Norway, the same Brazil side that knocked Japan out.
NewsKnockout stageBracketNorway - News2026-06-30
Who are World Cup hydration breaks really for? The three minutes quietly reshaping the tournament
Introduced to protect players from North American heat, the mandatory three-minute hydration break in all 104 matches is also reshaping broadcasts and tactics. As the knockouts head into July's hottest weeks, the question of who benefits matters more, not less.
NewsTournament runningHeatHydration breaks - News2026-06-29
Uruguay crash out in the group stage as Bielsa says he 'leaves nothing'
Spain's only goal came off a Fernando Muslera error, and a 1-0 defeat left Uruguay third in Group H on two points — beaten to second place by debutants Cape Verde. At 19th in the FIFA ranking, Uruguay are the highest-ranked side eliminated so far, and Marcelo Bielsa is leaving after three winless tournament games.
NewsGroup stageUruguayMarcelo Bielsa - News2026-06-29
Ranking every Round-of-32 tie by FIFA rank: the strongest matchup is Netherlands vs Morocco, Japan vs Brazil sits third
Which Round-of-32 tie is the strongest on paper, and which one opens the door for a surprise run? Add the two teams' FIFA ranking positions, and the bracket starts to tell a different story. Netherlands vs Morocco comes out as the strongest matchup at 15, Portugal vs Croatia follows at 16, and Brazil vs Japan is tied for third at 24.
NewsJapanRound of 32FIFA ranking - News2026-06-27
Dembélé's first-half hat trick wins Group I for France — and Norway leave Haaland on the bench
Ousmane Dembélé scored three times before half-time — in the 7th, 20th and 32nd minutes — as France beat Norway 4-1 in Foxborough on Friday to top Group I. Norway could have won the group themselves, but had already left their star striker Erling Haaland out of the starting line-up, choosing to keep him fresh for the knockout rounds.
NewsFranceNorwayRound of 32 - News2026-06-27
Population 500,000, three draws, no defeats: Cape Verde reach the last 32 on debut — next up, Argentina
Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on June 27 and went through to the Round of 32 as Group H runners-up, unbeaten in their first-ever World Cup. The Atlantic archipelago of about 500,000 people held Spain and Uruguay to draws on the way, and now face the reigning world champions, Lionel Messi's Argentina, in Miami on July 3.
NewsCape VerdeArgentinaRound of 32 - News2026-06-26
The U.S. lost to Turkey and still won Group D — and now all three hosts are in the Round of 32
Already certain of topping Group D, the United States lost its final group game 3-2 to an eliminated Turkey in Los Angeles on Thursday, beaten by Kaan Ayhan's stoppage-time winner. The result changed nothing: the U.S. advances as group winner. With that, Mexico, the United States and Canada — all three co-hosts — are through to the Round of 32.
NewsHost nationsUSARound of 32 - News2026-06-26
Germany lose to Ecuador but still top Group E; Ivory Coast reach the knockouts for the first time
Germany were beaten 2-1 by Ecuador in their final group match, Gonzalo Plata striking the winner in the 77th minute. It made no difference to first place — Germany still topped Group E — but it reshaped everything below them: Ivory Coast reached a World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history, Ecuador survived as the leading third-placed team, and Curaçao, the smallest nation ever at a men's World Cup, went out.
NewsGermanyIvory CoastEcuador - News2026-06-25
South Korea benched Son and slipped to third — where Asia's record nine stand on the eve of Japan's decider
South Korea dropped captain Son Heung-Min for its Group A decider, lost 1-0 to South Africa and finished third, its fate now in other groups' hands. With a record nine Asian teams at the first 48-team World Cup, none has yet clinched a knockout spot — and Japan's own decider is next.
NewsSouth KoreaAsia / AFC48-team format - News2026-06-24
Japan still sits on zero cards, and in the final round discipline could decide who goes through
Heading into the final round of group games, Japan is one of only about a dozen of the 48 teams that have yet to pick up a single disciplinary point. In an expanded format where eight of the twelve third-placed teams advance, that clean sheet of cards is not a detail. After points, goal difference and goals, the next thing separating teams is the 'team conduct score' — and a single yellow card can be the difference between playing on and flying home.
NewsJapanFair play / conduct score48-team format - News2026-06-24
Ronaldo scores twice at 41, the first to find the net at six World Cups, as Portugal close on the last 32
Cristiano Ronaldo broke a goal drought stretching back to November 2022 with a near-post finish in the sixth minute, then added another before halftime as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0. The brace made him the first player to score in six different World Cups — and, at 41, the second-oldest scorer in the tournament's history.
NewsPortugalCristiano RonaldoRecords - News2026-06-23
Lightning halts France-Iraq for 2 hours 11 minutes — Japan's group finale sits inside a climate-controlled dome
France's 3-0 win over Iraq in Philadelphia was halted for 2 hours and 11 minutes by lightning, the first weather stoppage of the 2026 World Cup. At the open-air Lincoln Financial Field, fans had to leave their seats and shelter before play resumed. Heat has dominated the pre-tournament worry list; this was a different kind of weather risk, and it arrived suddenly.
NewsTournament operationsWeatherVenues - News2026-06-22
Messi misses a penalty, then breaks the record: 18 World Cup goals, the most of any player
Argentina beat Austria 2-0 in Dallas on Monday, and Lionel Messi turned it into history. After missing an early penalty that would have given him the record on the spot, he scored in the 39th minute for his 17th World Cup goal — passing Germany's Miroslav Klose, who had held the men's record on 16. A second goal in stoppage time took him to 18, more than any player has scored at a World Cup, men's or women's.
NewsLionel MessiArgentinaKylian Mbappé - News2026-06-22
Egypt win at a World Cup for the first time, 92 years on — a transformed second half, and Salah decided it
Egypt trailed New Zealand at halftime in Vancouver, then scored three times after the break to win 3-1 — their first victory at a World Cup, 92 years and 25 days after their debut. Mohamed Salah, at 34, scored the go-ahead goal and set up another; he is now the oldest scorer for Egypt at a World Cup and, on record, the oldest African player to both score and assist in a World Cup match.
NewsEgyptMohamed SalahNew Zealand - News2026-06-21
Undav's 94th-minute winner off the bench sends Germany into the last 32
Germany were losing to Ivory Coast in Toronto until Julian Nagelsmann sent on Deniz Undav, who scored twice off the bench, the second in the 94th minute, to win it 2-1 and become the third team into the 2026 World Cup round of 32. Undav now has five goal involvements as a substitute at this tournament, a tally no player has matched in a single edition since the 1960s.
NewsGermanyIvory CoastGroup E - News2026-06-19
Three minutes or six? The World Cup's heat-break fight, as Japan heads into a Monterrey night
This World Cup is the first to make a three-minute hydration break mandatory in each half of every match. A group of scientists — including Waseda University's Yuri Hosokawa — wrote to FIFA in May arguing three minutes is too short. Japan's next stop sits inside that argument: a night match in Monterrey.
NewsTournament operationsHeat & player welfareGroup F - News2026-06-18
Korea and Mexico both on 3 points: Group A's top spot is decided this morning in Guadalajara
A late penalty earned South Africa a 1-1 draw with Czechia overnight, leaving all four Group A teams alive. Now Korea and host Mexico, both perfect from Matchday 1, meet this morning JST to take control of the group.
NewsGroup AStandingsKorea Republic
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