Updated: 1 Jul 2026 05:18 BST |
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The knockout phase of the 2026 World Cup is now underway, with co-hosts Canada becoming the first nation to book their place in the last 16 thanks to a 1-0 win over South Africa.
Jesse Marsch’s side claimed a last-gasp win thanks to a 92nd-minute strike from Stephen Eustaquio, securing their first-ever knockout victory at the World Cup.
Canada will face Morocco in the round of 16 after they overcame the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Morocco’s win came after Paraguay earned a stunning shootout victory of their own by defeating Germany 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Paraguay will lock horns with France in the next round after Didier Deschamps’ men underlined their status as World Cup favourites with an ominous 3-0 win over Sweden.
Elsewhere in the round of 32, Gabriel Martinelli scored a stoppage-time winner as Brazil came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in Houston.
And Brazil will face Norway next after they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast thanks to a late winner from Erling Haaland.
Elsewhere in the round of 32, co-hosts Mexico sealed a last-16 berth after goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez saw off Ecuador.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through every result at the 2026 World Cup, with all matches listed as per the local date of each fixture, and the top goalscorers so far at the tournament.
WORLD CUP 2026 RESULTS
Thursday, 11 June
Mexico 2-0 South Africa (Group A)
South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic (Group A)
Friday, 12 June
Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)
USA 4-1 Paraguay (Group D)
Saturday, 13 June
Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Group B)
Brazil 1-1 Morocco (Group C)
Haiti 0-1 Scotland (Group C)
Australia 2-0 Turkey (Group D)
Sunday, 14 June
Germany 7-1 Curacao (Group E)
Netherlands 2-2 Japan (Group F)
Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador (Group E)
Sweden 5-1 Tunisia (Group F)
Monday, 15 June
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde (Group H)
Belgium 1-1 Egypt (Group G)
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay (Group H)
Iran 2-2 New Zealand (Group G)
Tuesday, 16 June
France 3-1 Senegal (Group I)
Iraq 1-4 Norway (Group I)
Argentina 3-0 Algeria (Group J)
Austria 3-1 Jordan (Group J)
Wednesday, 17 June
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo (Group K)
England 4-2 Croatia (Group L)
Ghana 1-0 Panama (Group L)
Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia (Group K)
Thursday, 18 June
Czech Republic 1-1 South Africa (Group A)
Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)
Canada 6-0 Qatar (Group B)
Mexico 1-0 South Korea (Group A)
The goal that helped Mexico become the first nation to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup 💥 pic.twitter.com/So5mDQA3H8
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 19, 2026
Friday, 19 June
USA 2-0 Australia (Group D)
Scotland 0-1 Morocco (Group C)
Brazil 3-0 Haiti (Group C)
Turkey 0-1 Paraguay (Group D)
Saturday, 20 June
Netherlands 5-1 Sweden (Group F)
Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast (Group E)
Ecuador 0-0 Curacao (Group E)
Tunisia 0-4 Japan (Group F)
Sunday, 21 June
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia (Group H)
Belgium 0-0 Iran (Group G)
Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde (Group H)
New Zealand 1-3 Egypt (Group G)
Monday, 22 June
Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group J)
France 3-0 Iraq (Group I)
Norway 3-2 Senegal (Group I)
Jordan 1-2 Algeria (Group J)
Tuesday, 23 June
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan (Group K)
England 0-0 Ghana (Group L)
Panama 0-1 Croatia (Group L)
Colombia 1-0 DR Congo (Group K)
Wednesday, 24 June
Switzerland 2-1 Canada (Group B)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar (Group B)
Scotland 0-3 Brazil (Group C)
Morocco 4-2 Haiti (Group C)
Czech Republic 0-3 Mexico (Group A)
South Africa 1-0 South Korea (Group A)
Thursday, 25 June
Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast (Group E)
Ecuador 2-1 Germany (Group E)
Japan 1-1 Sweden (Group F)
Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands (Group F)
Turkey 3-2 USA (Group D)
Paraguay 0-0 Australia (Group D)
Friday, 26 June
Norway 1-4 France (Group I)
Senegal 5-0 Iraq (Group I)
Egypt 1-1 Iran (Group G)
New Zealand 1-5 Belgium (Group G)
Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia (Group H)
Uruguay 0-1 Spain (Group H)
Saturday, 27 June
Panama 0-2 England (Group L)
Croatia 2-1 Ghana (Group L)
Algeria 3-3 Austria (Group J)
Jordan 1-3 Argentina (Group J)
Colombia 0-0 Portugal (Group K)
DR Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan (Group K)
Sunday, 28 June
South Africa 0-1 Canada (Round of 32)
Monday, 29 June
Brazil 2-1 Japan (Round of 32)
Germany 1-1 Paraguay (3-4 on penalties, Round of 32)
Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (2-3 on penalties, Round of 32)
Tuesday, 30 June
Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway (Round of 32)
France 3-0 Sweden (Round of 32)
Mexico 2-0 Ecuador (Round of 32)
WORLD CUP 2026 TOP GOALSCORERS
| Player | Nation | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lionel Messi | Argentina | 6 |
| = Kylian Mbappe | France | 6 |
| 3. Erling Haaland | Norway | 5 |
| = Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 |
| = Ousmane Dembele | France | 4 |
| 6. Jonathan David | Canada | 3 |
| = Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 |
| = Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | 3 |
| = Ismael Saibari | Morocco | 3 |
| = Brian Brobbey | Netherlands | 3 |
| = Ismaila Sarr | Senegal | 3 |
| = Elijah Just | New Zealand | 3 |
| = Harry Kane | England | 3 |
| = Yoane Wissa | DR Congo | 3 |
| = Kai Havertz | Germany | 3 |
| = Cody Gakpo | Netherlands | 3 |
| = Julian Quinones | Mexico | 3 |
| 18. Folarin Balogun | USA | 2 |
| = Yasin Ayari | Sweden | 2 |
| = Cyle Larin | Canada | 2 |
| = Matheus Cunha | Brazil | 2 |
| = Daniel Munoz | Colombia | 2 |
| = Crysencio Summerville | Netherlands | 2 |
| = Daichi Kamada | Japan | 2 |
| = Ayase Ueda | Japan | 2 |
| = Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 2 |
| = Maximiliano Araujo | Uruguay | 2 |
| = Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2 |
| = Ermin Mahmic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2 |
| = Ruben Vargas | Switzerland | 2 |
| = Nicolas Pepe | Ivory Coast | 2 |
| = Anthony Elanga | Sweden | 2 |
| = Pape Gueye | Senegal | 2 |
| = Leandro Trossard | Belgium | 2 |
| = Ramin Rezaeian | Iran | 2 |
| = Jude Bellingham | England | 2 |
| = Marko Arnautovic | Austria | 2 |
| = Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 2 |
| = Marcel Sabitzer | Austria | 2 |
| = Amad Diallo | Ivory Coast | 2 |
| = Bradley Barcola | France | 2 |
| = Raul Jimenez | Mexico | 2 |
| 43. Nizar Al-Rashdan | Jordan | 1 |
| = Nadir Benbouhali | Algeria | 1 |
| = Amine Gouiri | Algeria | 1 |
| = Ladislav Krejci | Czechia | 1 |
| = Hwang In-Beom | South Korea | 1 |
| = Oh Hyeon-Gyu | South Korea | 1 |
| = Jovo Lukic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 |
| = Michal Sadilek | Czechia | 1 |
| = Teboho Mokoena | South Africa | 1 |
| = Mauricio | Paraguay | 1 |
| = Gio Reyna | USA | 1 |
| = Breel Embolo | Switzerland | 1 |
| = Granit Xhaka | Switzerland | 1 |
| = John McGinn | Scotland | 1 |
| = Nestory Irankunda | Australia | 1 |
| = Connor Metcalfe | Australia | 1 |
| = Felix Nmecha | Germany | 1 |
| = Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | 1 |
| = Keito Nakamura | Japan | 1 |
| = Nico Schlotterbeck | Germany | 1 |
| = Nathaniel Brown | Germany | 1 |
| = Jamal Musiala | Germany | 1 |
| = Livano Comenencia | Curacao | 1 |
| = Alexander Isak | Sweden | 1 |
| = Viktor Gyokeres | Sweden | 1 |
| = Mattias Svanberg | Sweden | 1 |
| = Emam Ashour | Egypt | 1 |
| = Abdulelah Al-Amri | Saudi Arabia | 1 |
| = Mohammad Mohebi | Iran | 1 |
| = Ibrahim Mbaye | Senegal | 1 |
| = Aymen Hussein | Iraq | 1 |
| = Leo Ostigard | Norway | 1 |
| = Romano Schmid | Austria | 1 |
| = Ali Olwan | Jordan | 1 |
| = Ante Budimir | Croatia | 1 |
| = Joao Neves | Portugal | 1 |
| = Martin Baturina | Croatia | 1 |
| = Petar Musa | Croatia | 1 |
| = Marcus Rashford | England | 1 |
| = Caleb Yirenkyi | Ghana | 1 |
| = Abbosbeck Fayzullaev | Uzbekistan | 1 |
| = Jaminton Campas | Colombia | 1 |
| = Nathan Saliba | Canada | 1 |
| = Luis Romo | Mexico | 1 |
| = Alex Freeman | USA | 1 |
| = Matias Galarza | Paraguay | 1 |
| = Marcus Holmgren Pedersen | Norway | 1 |
| = Franck Kessie | Ivory Coast | 1 |
| = Junya Ito | Japan | 1 |
| = Lamine Yamal | Spain | 1 |
| = Agustin Canobbio | Uruguay | 1 |
| = Kevin Pina | Cape Verde | 1 |
| = Helio Varela | Cape Verde | 1 |
| = Finn Surman | New Zealand | 1 |
| = Mostafa Ziko | Egypt | 1 |
| = Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 1 |
| = Trezeguet | Egypt | 1 |
| = Nuno Mendes | Portugal | 1 |
| = Rafael Leao | Portugal | 1 |
| = Kerim Alajbegovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 |
| = Hasan Al-Haydos | Qatar | 1 |
| = Promise David | Canada | 1 |
| = Achraf Hakimi | Morocco | 1 |
| = Soufiane Rahimi | Morocco | 1 |
| = Gessime Yassine | Morocco | 1 |
| = Wilson Isidor | Haiti | 1 |
| = Thapelo Maseko | South Africa | 1 |
| = Mateo Chavez | Mexico | 1 |
| = Alvaro Fidalgo | Mexico | 1 |
| = Leroy Sane | Germany | 1 |
| = Nilson Angulo | Ecuador | 1 |
| = Gonzalo Plata | Ecuador | 1 |
| = Hazem Mastouri | Tunisia | 1 |
| = Jan Paul van Hecke | Netherlands | 1 |
| = Daizen Maeda | Japan | 1 |
| = Arda Guler | Turkey | 1 |
| = Baris Alper Yilmaz | Turkey | 1 |
| = Kaan Ayhan | Turkey | 1 |
| = Auston Trusty | USA | 1 |
| = Sebastian Berhalter | USA | 1 |
| = Desire Doue | France | 1 |
| = Habib Diarra | Senegal | 1 |
| = Iliman Ndiaye | Senegal | 1 |
| = Alex Baena | Spain | 1 |
| = Kevin de Bruyne | Belgium | 1 |
| = Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 1 |
| = Alexis Saelemaekers | Belgium | 1 |
| = Mahmoud Saber | Egypt | 1 |
| = Petar Sucic | Croatia | 1 |
| = Nikola Vlasic | Croatia | 1 |
| = Derrick Luckassen | Ghana | 1 |
| = Fiston Mayele | DR Congo | 1 |
| = Eldor Shomurodov | Uzbekistan | 1 |
| = Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | 1 |
| = Giovani Lo Celso | Argentina | 1 |
| = Musa Al-Taamari | Jordan | 1 |
| = Sasa Kalajdzic | Austria | 1 |
| = Rafik Belghali | Algeria | 1 |
| = Stephen Eustaquio | Canada | 1 |
| = Kaishu Sano | Japan | 1 |
| = Casemiro | Brazil | 1 |
| = Gabriel Martinelli | Brazil | 1 |
| = Julio Enciso | Paraguay | 1 |
| = Issa Diop | Morocco | 1 |
| = Antonio Nusa | Norway | 1 |
WORLD CUP 2026 FIXTURES
Wednesday, 1 July
England vs DR Congo (Round of 32)
Belgium vs Senegal (Round of 32)
USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Round of 32)
Thursday, 2 July
Spain vs Austria (Round of 32)
Portugal vs Croatia (Round of 32)
Switzerland vs Algeria (Round of 32)
Friday, 3 July
Argentina vs Cape Verde (Round of 32)
Colombia vs Ghana (Round of 32)
Australia vs Egypt (Round of 32)
What’s happened at the 2026 World Cup?
Following Mexico’s opening victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday and South Korea’s win over the Czech Republic, Canada played out the competition’s first draw as they came from a goal down to secure a point. Cyle Larin struck with 12 minutes left after they had fallen behind midway through the opening half.
Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT then produced an emphatic performance as they swept away Paraguay in a one-sided victory. The match was over by half-time as an early own goal plus a double from Folarin Balogun gave the Stars and Stripes a three-goal lead. Paraguay midfielder Mauricio pulled one back, but Gio Reyna’s late effort added some flourish to an easy win.
FOLARIN BALOGUN! WOW 🤩🤩
A sensational strike for his second goal of the game, as the USA run riot against Paraguay! 🔥🇺🇸#FifaWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KI959q37Ee
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 13, 2026
Day three began with a shock result as Qatar salvaged a late draw against a Switzerland side that simply could not convert their chances. A first-half penalty was scored by Breel Embolo, but Murat Yakin’s men were unable to put the game to bed despite having 25 shots. And their profligacy came back to bite them when Boualem Khoukhi’s stoppage-time header deflected in off Muro Muheim as Qatar collected their first-ever World Cup point.
In the opening matches in Group C, Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in their mouth-watering clash, while Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 for their first World Cup win since 1990. Ismael Saibari gave Morocco the lead with a beautiful dinked finish in the first half, before Vinicius Junior equalised just 11 minutes later in New Jersey. Meanwhile, Scotland surged into top spot after John McGinn’s deflected effort put Haiti to the sword in Boston.
Group D also got underway on day three as Australia earned an impressive 2-0 victory over Turkey in Vancouver. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored either side of the interval as Tony Popovic’s men defeated a Turkey side who boast Arda Guler, Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz within their ranks.
On matchday four, Germany began their campaign with a resounding 7-1 win over debutants Curacao, with Kai Havertz scoring twice. The four-time winners were given an early scare, however, when Livano Comenencia equalised after 21 minutes as the smallest nation by both population celebrated their first-ever World Cup goal. The other match in Group E saw Amad Diallo score a late winner as Ivory Coast edged Ecuador 1-0 in Philadelphia.
And in the opening match in Group F, Japan and the Netherlands played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in Arlington. Daichi Kamada scored an 89th-minute equaliser for Hajime Moriyasu’s side after Virgil van Dijk and Cryscencio Summerville scored for Oranje either side of a strike from Keito Nakamura.
Wrapping up matchday four, Sweden crushed Tunisia 5-1 thanks to a brace from Yasin Ayari, while Mattias Svanberg scored the quickest goal as a substitute in World Cup history after netting just 12 seconds after replacing Jesper Karlstrom.
European champions Spain were held to a historic 0-0 draw by debutants Cape Verde in the opening game of Group H. Despite overwhelming dominance, Luis de la Fuente’s team were unable to beat 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who earned the third smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup a first ever point. Elsewhere in Group H, Uruguay had to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Saudi Arabia after Maximiliano Araujo’s 80th-minute goal cancelled out Abdulelah Al-Amri’s opener.
Another upset came in the opening game of Group G, with Egypt winning a point against Belgium. Emam Ashour opened the scoring for the Pharaohs with a lovely finish, but the Red Devils made their growing pressure tell in the second half when Mohamed Hany, in a tussle with Romelu Lukaku, put through his own net as the score ended 1-1. And in the final fixture on matchday five, Iran twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with New Zealand in Group G. Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi both found the back of the net for Iran in Los Angeles after Elijah Just had twice put New Zealand in front.
Lionel Messi roared into the history books on Tuesday, 16 June with a hat-trick for Argentina in a 3-0 win over Algeria, which left him tied with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in World Cup finals history.
The Inter Miami ace scored from range with his opener before pouncing on a fumble from Luca Zidane to net his second after the break. His third, meanwhile, was a low shot into the corner from the edge of the area as the world champions made an impressive start to the defence of their title.
It was a strong response to France’s Kylian Mbappe, who had earlier closed to within two of the record as Les Bleus defeated Senegal 3-1, thanks in part to a double from the Real Madrid striker. Mbappe’s second is a strong contender for the goal of the tournament, as he lashed home from range mere seconds after Ibrahim Mbaye had given Senegal hope.
And another one of football’s superstars, meanwhile, got his World Cup career off and running impressively, with Erling Haaland scoring two as Norway beat Iraq 4-1.
Just 14 minutes after he got his first… Erling Haaland grabs his second World Cup goal ⚽
He might never score an easier one!#FifaWorldCup pic.twitter.com/s3dwQF8ujx
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 16, 2026
England’s introduction at the 2026 World Cup was a strong one as Thomas Tuchel’s side recorded a commanding 4-2 win over Croatia. Harry Kane scored twice for the Three Lions in the first half before goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford after the break secured the victory.
In the other game in Group L, Ghana overcame Panama 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Caleb Yirenkyi.
Wednesday’s action had begun with a major surprise as Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Roberto Martinez’s men appeared to be cruising when Joao Neves gave them an early lead in the sixth minute, but the Portuguese found it increasingly difficult to maintain their dominance. Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa scored DR Congo’s first-ever World Cup goal in first-half stoppage time to level the score.
Portugal, and Al-Nassr superstar Ronaldo in particular, continued to disappoint in the second 45. Despite creating some chances, they never really looked like the overwhelming favourites that they had been made out to be, and they ultimately had to make do with just one point.
In the final fixture on Wednesday, meanwhile, Colombia beat debutants Uzbekistan 3-1, with Daniel Munoz and Luis Diaz among the scorers for the South Americans.
The second round of group stage fixtures began with Czechia and South Africa playing out a 1-1 draw with goals in either half from Michal Sadilek and Teboho Mokoena’s penalty.
Switzerland then went top of Group B after a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, with all five goals being scored in the final 16 minutes of action. Substitutes Johan Manzambi (2) and Ruben Vargas put Switzerland three goals up before Ermin Mahmic’s stunner for Bosnia and Herzegovina and a penalty from Granit Xhaka. Tarek Muharemovic was also sent off for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canada then thumped Qatar 6-0, in part thanks to two red cards for their opposition, with Jonathan David netting a memorable hat-trick.
AND THAT’S THE 6️⃣TH!
A World Cup hat-trick for David and what a way to do it in front of a home crowd 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/EDOtNcgYvf
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 18, 2026
Mexico edged a tight clash with South Korea by a 1-0 scoreline, with Luis Romo scoring what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 50th minute.
After beating Paraguay 4-1, the USA also triumphed over Australia. A good first half with an own goal from Cameron Burgess and a header from Alex Freeman was enough for the USMNT to see off the Socceroos in Seattle and qualify for the knockout stage.
Morocco claimed a 1-0 victory over Scotland thanks to a quick-fire goal from Ismael Saibari, while they were joined on four points by Brazil. Carlo Ancelotti’s side scored all their goals in the first half of a 3-0 win over Haiti, with Matheus Cunha netting two before Vinicius Junior scored.
In the final match of 19 June action, Turkey had 32 shots and 79% possession against Paraguay but suffered a 1-0 defeat that ended their World Cup hopes. Matias Galarza scored in the second minute while the South Americans clung on with 10 men after Miguel Almiron was sent off.
Sweden suffered a damaging reversal of their opening day 5-1 beatdown of Tunisia when they were on the receiving end of a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands on 20 June. Anthony Elanga pulled a goal back for the Scandinavians after braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo, but Crysencio Summerville put the final nail in their coffin in the 89th minute.
Germany then secured a late 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast thanks to a brace from substitute Deniz Undav, including a last-gasp stoppage time winner, after Franck Kessie had put the West African side ahead.
Deniz Undav gets his second of the game and secures the win for Germany 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/IRQRTbrTNH
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Curacao kept their hopes of progressing to the knockouts alive after a heroic 0-0 draw versus Ecuador, with goalkeeper Eloy Room making 15 saves.
Japan then thrashed Tunisia 4-0 to send their opponents home. Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda (2) and Junya Ito were all on the scoresheet as Japan all but secured their place in the round of 32.
On matchday 11, Spain bounced back from their disappointing stalemate with Cape Verde by thrashing Saudi Arabia 4-0 on Sunday, 21 June. Lamine Yamal scored his first ever goal at a World Cup while Mikel Oyarzabal bagged a first-half brace in Atlanta.
Elsewhere on matchday 11, Belgium’s struggles continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw with Iran – their second successive draw in Group G. The Red Devils were reduced to 10 men in the second half when young defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for hauling down Iran striker Mehdi Taremi following a terrible pass.
Cape Verde then secured their second point of the group stage after a 2-2 draw versus Uruguay, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side scoring with their only two shots on target. Meanwhile, Egypt ran out 3-1 winners over New Zealand, with Mohamed Salah among those on the scoresheet.
Lionel Messi made history on Monday 22 June by storming two clear of Miroslav Klose at the summit of the all-time World Cup scoring charts, thanks to a brace in a 2-0 win over Austria, which sealed qualification to the round of 32 for Argentina. Messi could have had his second hat-trick in as many games had he not missed an early penalty.
Two goals from Kylian Mbappe and a strike from Ousmane Dembele helped France overcome Iraq in a match marred by delays due to stormy conditions, before Erling Haaland scored twice, along with a goal from Marcus Holgrem Pedersen to give Norway a narrow 3-2 win over Senegal, who scored through Ismaila Sarr’s brace.
Portugal responded to their disappointing opening-day draw with DR Congo by easily dispatching Uzbekistan 5-0. Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo saw him become his country’s World Cup record goalscorer, the oldest player to score a brace in the tournament and the first-ever player to net in six editions. Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao were also on the scoresheet, while goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov was credited with an own goal.
LISTEN TO THAT NOISE 🔊
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score at 6⃣ different World Cups! pic.twitter.com/Ujv8hS0510
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 23, 2026
England played out a goalless draw with Ghana before Croatia narrowly beat Panama thanks to Ante Budimir’s strike. Colombia then defeated DR Congo 1-0 after Daniel Munoz scored to send the South Americans into the knockouts.
The third round of group stage fixtures kicked off with Bosnia and Herzegovina comfortably beating Qatar 3-1, while co-hosts Canada fell to a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to Switzerland, thus finishing behind the Swiss in the group standings but nevertheless qualifying for the round of 32. Qatar were eliminated as the last-placed team in the group.
Brazil then brushed Scotland aside 3-0 to top Group C, while Morocco finished second after a 4-2 victory over Haiti – coming back from behind twice. South Africa then stunned South Africa with a surprise 1-0 win, with Mexico securing a 3-0 victory against Czech Republic to end the group stage with nine points.
On Thursday 25 June, Ivory Coast swatted Curacao aside with a 2-0 thanks to a Nicolas Pepe brace, while Ecuador secured a vital 2-1 win over Germany to book their place in the round of 32 as one of the best third-place teams.
Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 and claimed top spot in Group F thanks to Japan’s 1-1 draw versus Sweden, while already eliminated Turkey beat co-hosts USA 3-2. Paraguay and Australia played out a 0-0 draw.
On Friday, 26 June, Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick and Desire Doue bagged his first World Cup goal as France thrashed a much-changed Norway 4-1. Elsewhere in Group I, Senegal walloped Iraq 5-0 thanks to a brace from Pape Gueye and goals from Habib Diarra, Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye.
On the same day, Cape Verde – the third-smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup – booked their place in the knockout phase following a 0-0 with Saudi Arabia. The tournament debutants joined Spain in the last 32 after the European champions beat Uruguay 1-0 to finish as Group H winners.
The moment Cape Verde secured their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup 😍🇨🇻 pic.twitter.com/nsUcOCtSRX
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026
And rounding off a bumper matchday, Leandro Trossard scored twice as Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 to seal their place in the knockout phase. The Red Devils clinched top spot in Group G ahead of Egypt, who finished second after playing out a 1-1 draw with Iran.
On the final day of the group phase, Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup by firing his side past Panama. Elsewhere in Group L, Ghana were beaten for the first time as a late goal from Nikola Vlasic handed Croatia all three points.
In Group K, Colombia pipped Portugal to top spot after both sides played out a 0-0 draw. They have been joined in the last 32 by DR Congo after they beat Uzbekistan 3-1 thanks to a Yoane Wissa double.
And in Group J, Algeria and Austria contested arguably the best match of the group stage as both countries progressed to the knockouts following a 3-3 draw. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi took his goal tally to six for the tournament as he helped Argentina beat Jordan 3-1.
In the first round of 32 fixture, Canada prevailed thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Stephen Eustaquio after a cagey affair with South Africa.
The following day, Brazil overturned a half-time deficit to defeat Japan. Kaishu Sano opened the scoring for Samurai Blue, who were looking to win a World Cup knockout match for the first time, but the Selecao prevailed thanks to goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli.
Brazil steal it right at the death 🇧🇷
Gabriel Martinelli surely wins for his country in the 96th minute… pic.twitter.com/Ptly6foaIL
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 29, 2026
Then it was a tale of two shootouts as Germany lost on penalties for the first time at the World Cup against Paraguay on Monday, 29 June. Kai Havertz cancelled out Julio Enciso’s opener for his third goal of the tournament, only for Julian Nagelsmann’s side to lose 4-3 on spot-kicks in Foxborough, United States.
And then it was Morocco’s turn to clinch shootout glory as Mohamed Ouahbi’s men downed the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties in Guadalupe, Mexico. Cody Gakpo was in tears after putting Oranje in front after 72 minutes, after he and his wife Noa van der Bij announced the heartbreaking loss of their second unborn child three days earlier, before Issa Diop scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Morocco.
Norway booked their place in the round of 16 with a late 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. Antonio Nusa had opened the scoring with a perfectly placed strike into the top corner before Amad Diallo equalised in similarly spectacular fashion after a brilliant dribble. But then unstoppable goal machine Erling Haaland ensured Norway’s progression with an 86th-minute winner.
France advanced to the last 16 in some style after downing Sweden 3-0 in New Jersey. Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace to become the top European goalscorer in World Cup history, while Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net.
Mexico also moved through to the last 16 after beating 10-man Ecuador at the Estadio Azteca. Javier Aguirre’s side recorded a fourth successive clean sheet at the World Cup as goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez did the damage for the co-hosts.
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