SEATTLE — Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei lamented both the conditions his team have had to face in this tournament, but also the bad luck they encountered in the dying minutes of their 1-1 draw with Egypt, as they had a goal disallowed for a tight offside and saw Saeid Ezatolahi‘s header rocket off the crossbar in injury time. Iran, who had their base camp moved from Arizona to Tijuana,…
SANTA CLARA, California — Jackson Irvine is confident that if the Socceroos can mesh the best bits of their group stage into a full 90-minute performance, they’ll be a “problem for any team” in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup. Easing to a 0-0 draw against Paraguay on Thursday, Australia earned progression through to a Round of 32 game in Dallas, on July 3. They’ll face the second-placed…
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia has hit back at the “ugly” criticism of his team after Friday’s 5-1 victory over New Zealand, insisting their World Cup campaign is starting to gain momentum. The Red Devils clinched their first victory of this summer’s tournament in Vancouver, having drawn their first two games against Egypt and Iran. The result is enough to see Belgium progress to the round of 32 as Group…
The Socceroos will face Egypt in the round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup, after Belgium‘s 5-1 win over New Zealand and the Pharaohs’ dramatic 1-1 draw with Iran saw them fall to second-place in Group G on goal difference. Securing second-place in Group D and a place in the knockout stages after their 0-0 draw with Paraguay the day prior, the Socceroos sat down on Friday not knowing…
Marcelo Bielsa was blunt when discussing his legacy with Uruguay following their group stage exit from the 2026 World Cup, conceding that he has “left nothing” after failing to secure a single victory in the tournament. “What I gave Uruguayan football is nothing, because any contribution a coach makes to a national team over three years is futile without positive outcomes,” Bielsa said following Friday’s 1-0 loss to Spain, which…
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed that the team’s qualification for the World Cup knockout stage — topping Group H after a 1-0 win over Uruguay — came at a cost, with injury concerns over wingers Nico Williams and Yéremy Pino. Williams and Pino were both introduced as second-half substitutes in the match in Guadalajara, Mexico, after Álex Baena had put Spain ahead before the…
England have clinched a spot in the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup ahead of their final match of the group stage against Panama on Saturday. Results in the final games of Group H on Friday meant that England’s four points is guaranteed to be enough to at least advance as one of the eight best third-placed teams. – James to miss England-Panama; Rice, Anderson fit – Panama players…
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Socceroos will play the remainder of their FIFA World Cup campaign with 24 players, after attacker Mathew Leckie and defender Jacob Italiano were ruled out of the tournament through injury. Both absent from the 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Thursday that secured Australia second-place in Group D and a place in the knockout stages, Leckie and Italiano departed camp on Friday, with the former returning…
Cape Verde‘s memorable journey at their first ever World Cup is not over yet. The island nation off the western coast of Africa became the smallest nation by population to ever make the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup after a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia in their group-stage finale on Friday. The tournament debutants pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest surprises by playing pre-tournament favorites Spain…
Uruguay pulled goalkeeper Fernando Muslera at halftime of their FIFA World Cup group-stage final after his blunder in the first half gifted Spain the lead at Estadio Akron on Friday. Muslera went down and to his right to stop Álex Baena‘s shot in the 42nd minute, but despite getting both hands on the ball only managed to swat it into his own net. At halftime, Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa elected…