Month: June 2026

From hat tricks to even more hat tricks, the superstars we’ve come to expect every day brilliance delivered in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, and then some.But this tournament is also where new stars are born, and that was especially true in the first-ever group stage with 48 teams all competing for a spot in the knockout stage.To commemorate a historic — and a just outright fun — group stage, here are my First and Second All-Group Stage starting lineups: JUMP TO: First-Team Group Stage XI | Second-Team Group Stage XI GOALKEEPER Three games, three clean sheets — Spain marched out of its Group without conceding a single goal, and the star keeper barely had to break a sweat doing it. DEFENDERS Led Japan’s back line for the full 90 minutes against the Netherlands and Tunisia and doubled as the build-up engine, leading the Samurai Blue in line-breaking passes on the way to the knockouts. He anchored the defense of Germany’s nine-goal flying start before an ankle injury ended his tournament—a half of group stage dominance too good to leave out. The calm, ball-playing head at the heart of the defense that won Switzerland’s group as he helped stymie Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina following a steady opening draw with Qatar. The right-back and Atlas Lions captain scored a goal and helped set one up in the 4-2 comeback over Haiti in a pivotal performance, and coming down the flank all tournament as Morocco banked seven points. MIDFIELDERS The midfield maestro pulled the strings for Group C winners Brazil and saved his best for last, laying on two assists in the 3-0 win of Scotland. Senegal’s brightest spark with three goals, including the tap-in that sealed the day in a must-win 5-0 performance over Iraq. England’s most creative player—ten chances created in the Three Lions’ first two games—the metronome of Group L winners England before earning a breather against Panama. FORWARDS With back-to-back braces against Senegal and Iraq — four goals so far — the Real Madrid man spearheaded France’s perfect nine-point sweep of its group. Messi scored every single one of Argentina’s goals in the opening two matches—a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. Oh, and he became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. The PSG star reminded everyone he’s the reigning Ballon d’Or winner with a stunning video game-esque first-half hat-trick against Norway, one of the fastest in World Cup history, totaling four goals in the group. GOALKEEPER The 40-year-old Instagram sensation stole the show with a Man-of-the-Match wall in the goalless stand against Spain, keeping Cape Verde’s debut fairytale alive across three draws and into the last 32. DEFENDERS The breakout fullback of the group stage — his towering header sealed a 2-0 win over Australia, the first World Cup goal by a U.S. defender in over a decade, as the Americans topped Group D. Steady at center-back and a threat from set pieces, heading home in the win over Tunisia as the Dutch cruised to the top of Group F. Nineteen years old and completely unbothered — the kid anchored a Spain back line that didn’t concede a single goal across the entire group stage. A right-back who scored like a winger, netting in back-to-back wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo as Colombia stormed through the Group K unbeaten. MIDFIELDERS The 20-year-old announced himself with a super-sub brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then a goal and an assist on his first start to beat Canada — three goals and Switzerland’s top scorer, all from a kid who began the tournament on the bench. Scored in all three games — opener against Brazil, winner against Scotland, and an equalizer against Haiti — becoming the first player on an African squad to find the net in every group match. One of the tournament’s top ball winners, he ran the show in Ecuador’s stunning 2-1 upset of Germany, stealing the ball to tee up the equalizer before delivering the pass for the winner that sent his country through. FORWARDS Scored in every game — four goals, including a brace against Scotland — the relentless engine that carried Brazil to the top of Group C. The towering striker arrived on the World Cup stage with back-to-back braces against Iraq and Senegal — four goals — before being wrapped in cotton wool for the France game. The super sub had five goal involvements (three goals, two assists) off the bench, repeatedly rescued Germany when the starters couldn’t.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The United States men’s national team now knows its path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it’s not going to be easy — far from it. Although the U.S. won Group D by winning two group-stage matches for the first time since 1930, it is expected to play just one team ranked lower than it in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings through the knockout stage due to some surprises on the final days of group play. Additionally, the United States is already a long-shot to win the World Cup even after its strong start to the tournament with +3500 odds, the ninth-best odds in the tournament. Still, the Americans’ performance in the group stage has dared their fans — and themselves — to dream. Here’s everything you need to know about the United States’ path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final: This simulation of the United States’ path to the World Cup final assumes two things: This creates the hardest — and maybe most realistic — path for the U.S. to make the final. Date: July 1Location: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium Date: July 6Location: Seattle Stadium Date: July 10Location: Los Angeles Stadium Date: July 15Location: Dallas Stadium Date: July 19Location: New York New Jersey Stadium​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup reaching the knockout rounds, fans will soon see 90-minute draws turn into extra time and penalty shootouts. At each of the last three World Cups, there were at least four matches decided by penalty shootouts, but in 2026, with 32 teams advancing to the knockout rounds instead of 16, that number could increase. So what is the approach for goalkeepers defending against penalty-takers in these shootouts? And what is the approach for those who take penalty kicks? We asked former U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Brad Guzan and former Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel how they approached stopping penalty kicks. And on the flipside, we asked former U.S. men’s national team star forward Clint Dempsey what goes into making a penalty kick in a high-pressure moment. Here’s how they break down penalty kicks in a step-by-step process. Preparation Well before any penalty kicks are taken, several hours of preparation are put into stopping or converting them. However, Guzan admitted that he always felt “the pressure was on the penalty-taker.” Still, Guzan, who was on America’s roster at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and spent nine seasons with MLS club Atlanta United after a nine-year career in England, always felt supremely prepared for penalty shootouts. Before the start of a penalty shootout, he’d meet with the goalkeeper’s coach, study his opponents and put himself in a position to succeed. “You’ve done your research, you’ve done your homework leading up to the game,” Guzan said. “You’ve got a list, a piece of paper with their names and their tendencies. That gives you that little reminder, and then, go for it.” Defending a penalty shootout is similar to being an infielder or outfielder in baseball and reading your positioning card before each batter steps onto the plate. A hitter can beat a shift, similar to how a penalty-taker can stray from their normal strategy, but following the history, the film, the research best prepares a goalkeeper. “At that point, you trust in your gut, you trust in what you’ve seen. And if you go the right way, you hope that you’ve put yourself in a position to make a save,” Guzan said. Trusting the preparation is key, Guzan explained, emphasizing that once a goalkeeper chooses a side to dive to, they have to commit. Mind Games When it actually comes time for penalty kicks, there’s another advantage that goalkeepers have, according to Guzan: playing mind games. Guzan said he wouldn’t trash-talk penalty kickers, but he would certainly ice them. “I was a delay guy. Talking to the referee, getting a sip of water. I’m touching the post over there, I’m touching the post over here.” That strategy, however, is much harder to implement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where there are rules to ensure the game flows smoothly, where officials have awarded corner kicks when goalkeepers take too long to take a goal kick, and issued cards for wasting time. So, that’s why some other goalkeepers take their preparation and mind games to an extra level. Former Denmark and Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel shared that the teams he was a part of would seek the help of a mentalist to try and get an extra advantage in penalty kick situations. “For me, it was always about control,” Schmeichel said. “We actually used a mentalist, a guy that guesses things that you’re thinking, but they’re putting it in your head. So, we actually asked one of those to see what we can actually do to influence a taker, and it would be things like overemphasizing certain words. “In a VAR situation, when the referee is out checking, I had a chance to talk to the taker. I’d overemphasize words like over or right or left, or try to do different things that they kind of taught us to look for. Can I get some kind of influence?” Another challenge for goalkeepers is the introduction of late-game substitutes, or a penalty shootout going longer than five attempts. That can lead to penalty-takers who have few attempts on their record, and therefore, no concrete tendencies. In the end, Guzan said, it’s important to “trust in what you’ve already done,” and “commit and go.” The Run-Up Now, the ref has blown the whistle and it’s time for the taker to step up to the ball for the kick. When Dempsey would take his first steps toward the ball, there was one move he would make that he thought gave the penalty kick taker an advantage. “To me, you stutter step to see if the keeper is going to go early,” Dempsey said. “If the keeper doesn’t go early, then you have to be precise. And you know in your mind where you like to go in those scenarios. There are times when you see the keeper bite, and then you’re able to change it up. I think different strokes for different folks.” With penalty takers like Dempsey admitting that they tried to get the goalkeeper to move early, Guzan admitted that stopping penalty shots was “all about timing.” “The timing to explode and the timing to go with whatever side you decide, left or right,” Guzan said. “You want to go with everything you have. When you stutter, that timing becomes really difficult to make sure you don’t go early.” The Attempt Ultimately, the vast majority of penalty kicks are determined by how the ball comes off the taker’s foot. Will the taker aim for the far posts? Will he or she aim for the middle of the net? Do you put some umph on the shot to power it past the goalkeeper or do you bounce it in? Dempsey said that the best takers have to weigh everything and be able to make penalty kicks in form or fashion. “You have to mix up how you do your penalty kicks. You have to be willing to chip down the middle and not do the stutter step,” Dempsey said, adding, “If you’re going to be the most complete penalty taker, you have to have an array of ways in which you take it.” And on the keeper’s end, Guzan continued to emphasize the importance of timing, believing that the slightest difference in reaction time could determine if the ball goes in or is saved. “The timing then has to be so precise,” Guzan said. “Even then, if the ball is far enough in the corner, it becomes really difficult to save, knowing that you’ve got to be at full extension to get even the slightest fingertip to get it on the post or around the post.” The Result Hours of preparation and studying are behind every penalty kick. Moments of intense thinking precede each try, too. All of those little things helped Dempsey make 16 penalty kicks on 21 attempts in his club and international career (excluding penalty kick shootouts). For Guzan, he saved 17 of the 71 penalty kicks he faced in his club and international career (also excluding penalty kick shootouts). But all of that time and thinking might not matter in the end, at least on the goalkeeper’s side. “We had faced a penalty against Peru in the World Cup 2018. I kept overemphasizing the word over, ‘Don’t hit this over,’ all these kinds of things, emphasizing the word over,” said Schmeichel, who saved 26 of 99 penalty shots he faced over his career (excluding penalty kick shootouts). “Whether it made a difference, I don’t know.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports