Month: June 2026

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup takes yet another turn as group stage finales get underway with several teams aiming to earn spots in the knockout round. Group B begins the day with co-hosts Canada taking on Switzerland facing off to decide the group winner. Meanwhile, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina are both coming off bad losses but still have a path forward in Seattle. Then Group C will take center stage. In Miami, Scotland’s path to the knockouts likely requires digging deep to find a result against heavily favored five-time champions Brazil, who look to claim the group with a win. Semifinalists in Qatar, Morocco is also in contention to win the group, but that will probably require a lopsided win in Atlanta against an already-eliminated Haiti team. Finally, the focus shifts to Group A. Co-hosts Mexico already won the group but on Wednesday night in Mexico City, El Tri takes on a desperate Czechia team in need of a win for a realistic chance of advancing. Then there is South Korea, who can claim second place in the group with a win over South Africa, who – like Czechia – are in search of a win to have a chance of making the knockouts. When: Wednesday, June 24, 3 p.m. ET Where: Vancouver TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Coming into this game, each team knows what it must do. The winner of this game in Vancouver wins the group. If there is a draw, Canada wins the group and Switzerland finishes second because Canada holds a goal differential tiebreaker on the Swiss. While it is not guaranteed, a loser in this game will almost certainly finish second. If Canada loses, only Bosnia and Herzegovina can overtake it with a win over Qatar, but that would also require overcoming Canada’s nine-goal advantage in differential. If Switzerland loses to Canada, only Qatar can surpass it with a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that would also require overcoming Switzerland’s nine-goal advantage over Qatar. Both Canada and Switzerland come into this game with momentum. Canada played Bosnia and Herzegovina to a dull 1-1 draw in its opener but pounded Qatar 6-0 in an emotional game that was marred when midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a broken leg. That incident could serve as an emotional rallying cry for the Canadian players, who were visibly shaken when Koné was stretchered off the field. The good news for Canada is that head coach Jesse Marsch opted to go with a two-striker formation against Qatar to get Cyle Larin and Jonathan David on the field together. That move showed a lot of promise as David broke out of his slump with a hat trick and Marsch might continue to use it. After a very disappointing 1-1 draw with Qatar in its opener, Switzerland looked headed for another bad result against Bosnia and Herzegovina but finally found its footing in the second half, scoring four goals after the 74th minute to pull away in a 4-1 victory. That win was fueled by second half substitutes Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi, who both scored, while Vargas also notched an assist. For over 70 minutes, it was not a convincing performance from Switzerland. It remains to be seen if the Swiss, predicted by many to be a potential dark horse team for a run, have completely found their footing at the tournament. Player To Watch The Villarreal winger from Ontario was Canada’s best player against Qatar in terms of getting the ball into dangerous areas for its strikers. Buchanan has been uneven with his performances for Canada since the start of 2025. This Swiss team is talented, but if Buchanan can continue to be effective from the right wing to set up Larin or David, it could be a key to a Canadian victory. When: Wednesday, June 24, 3 p.m. ET Where: Seattle TV: FS1 Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Bosnia and Herzegovina meets Qatar on Wednesday at Seattle Stadium with each team hoping a win will lead to a spot in the round of 32 at this World Cup. Second place in Group B is mathematically possible for the winner of this game, but the realistic hope for each team is a win to move to four points and other results to break in a way that ensures that it is enough to finish among the top eight third-place teams. A draw would leave both teams on two points, with Bosnia and Herzegovina finishing third. But that would surely not be enough. Despite its struggles over the first two games, Bosnia and Herzegovina is the favorite in this game given that it managed to qualify out of UEFA, including a playoff win over Italy. Whether a win is enough to advance is a different question, but the odds increase with a larger margin of victory. The same is true for Qatar. The key for Bosnia and Herzegovina is to score early to ease pressure. If that happens, Qatar will need to come out of its typical deep-sitting, defensive formation because it also needs to win. That could open more space for Bosnia and Herzegovina to create more chances, which would be important given that goal differential will likely be important in ranking third-place teams sitting on four points. Player To Watch With 73 goals from 149 caps, Džeko is the all-time leading goalscorer and most capped player in the history of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Now 40 years old, the forward boasts impressive experience at both the club and international levels. A game such as this is full of pressure and experienced players can often help in these situations. Look for Džeko to get the start and be a focal point of an attack that needs to score goals against an opponent which should be over-matched. When: Wednesday, June 24, 6 p.m. ET Where: Miami TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Scotland is participating in its ninth World Cup but has never advanced out of the group stage. Could 2026 be the year the Scots will reach the World Cup knockouts by escaping Group C? It is not going to be easy as Scotland needs a result against the heavily favored, five-time champion Brazil at Miami Stadium to have a good chance. A close loss might also be enough, but that would depend on the point totals and goal differentials of the other third-place teams. After a difficult and hard-fought 1-0 win over Haiti in its opener, Scotland had a poor start in a 1-0 loss to Morocco in its second game. Scotland had its chances with 20 touches inside Morocco’s box, but it could not get any of its six shots on target. Against Brazil, Scotland’s attack will be driven by Scott McTominay. He is Scotland’s best player and if Scotland is to achieve an unexpected result, McTominay will have to play well. Meanwhile, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted afterward that its opening draw to Morocco was disappointing and even went so far as to apologize to fans for the result. In the second game, Brazil got its first win of this World Cup when it coasted past Haiti 3-0 on Friday night. The performance wasn’t great and Brazil never turned the game into a rout, but the multi-goal win was important. The best news for Brazil is that its best player, Vinícius Júnior, is living up to his billing, and the Real Madrid winger has goals in each of his first two games. This game promises to be intense, and both teams will have plenty of passionate supporters. Brazil is one of the world’s most popular teams and Miami is a favorite city to play among many South American teams. On the other hand, Scotland’s Tartan Army is large and travels extremely well. Player To Watch The Bologna defensive midfielder is another player key to Scotland’s plans and when going up against a team such as Brazil, Ferguson will be important to shielding Scotland’s backline and trying to contain Brazil’s attack in transition. If that’s not a big enough assignment, Ferguson will also be key to leading Scottish counterattacks and leading the transition from defense into offense. While Ferguson likes to sit deep, he has been known to get into the attack and score important goals. If Scotland is to get a result out of this one, Ferguson will have to turn in a good outing. When: Wednesday, June 24, 6 p.m. ET Where: Atlanta TV: FS1 Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Having already earned four points at the World Cup, Morocco will be looking to finish atop Group C when it takes on Haiti at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday. To win the group, Morocco needs to win and do so with a scoreline that overtakes Brazil in goal differential. Entering this game, Brazil has a two-goal edge on Morocco. With the talent Morocco has, a comfortable win over Haiti is not only possible, but it is likely. What is needed is for its top players to continue to step up. PSV Eindhoven forward Ismael Saibari has scored both of Morocco’s goals in this tournament, and he will be difficult for Haiti to stop. The central midfield duo of Neil El Aynaoui and Ayyoub Bouaddi need to not only control possession but also ensure that Morocco are regularly in the attacking third of the field. Morocco will have its chances as Haiti has been determined to play with a high line and go at its opponents. Even against Brazil in a 3-0 loss, Haiti did not want to sit deep in a bunker. Despite being overmatched in talent, Haiti admirably came into this tournament looking to play. With the loss to Brazil, Haiti has already been eliminated. It is always difficult to predict the mindset of a team that still has games to play after elimination, but unlike a team like Türkiye, Haiti was never expected to advance. The team was proud to be at the World Cup in the face of adversity when it hadn’t played a home game in Haiti in five years due to civil unrest. Haiti has nothing to gain by sitting deep and will likely want to continue to play the same way. That might make Haiti more dangerous, but it will give Morocco space and chances to score. Player To Watch Born in Spain to Moroccan parents but raised in Belgium, Saibari has been in terrific form for Morocco at this World Cup where he spearheads the team’s attack. Against Brazil, he put Morocco up 1-0 with an impressive chip over Alisson. Against Scotland, it was his rocket of a strike that put Morocco up early. Since debuting for Morocco in 2023, Saibari has 11 goals in 32 caps and is now one of the players to watch at this World Cup. In addition to the World Cup, Saibari is nearing the completion of a move from PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich, with him having reportedly undergone a medical this past week to complete the move to the Bundesliga champions. When: Wednesday, June 24, 9 p.m. ET Where: Mexico City TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Mexico and Czechia have completely different objectives heading into their clash on Wednesday night at Mexico City Stadium. Co-host Mexico notched an impressive six points from two games and already clinched the Group A title and a spot in the round of 32. Meanwhile, for Czechia, its tournament life hangs entirely in the balance as the only way to have a realistic chance of advancing to the knockouts is a win. Miroslav Koubek’s team enters into this game with just one point from its recent 1-1 draw with South Africa. It opened the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to South Korea. A draw might still be enough for Czechia to advance, but it would require a lot of results in other groups to break in its favor. Of course, winning in Mexico’s capital city is not an easy task as the last time Mexico lost a competitive game at Mexico City Stadium was in 2013. Czechia’s offense is centered on set pieces as half of its World Cup qualifying goals and its first goal against South Korea were from set pieces. To beat Mexico, however, Czechia will need to be dangerous in other areas too. That starts with forward Patrik Schick, who is typically the team’s best goalscorer, but who hasn’t been effective in the team’s first two games. With Mexico having already clinched Group A, head coach Javier Aguirre is expected to rotate his squad to begin plans for the round of 32. But even with resting key players and experimenting with tactics, Mexico is the favorite in this game. Czechia’s defense does not inspire a lot of confidence, having failed to keep a clean sheet in six matches, with the team squandering second-half leads in each of its first two games at this World Cup. Player To Watch Czechia’s left midfielder has played well in his team’s first two games at this World Cup and will need to continue that in this game. Czechia will be without the ball most of the time against Mexico, but when it does take possession, it will have to get the ball quickly into the attack. For Sojka, he will be one of the players most responsible for getting the ball into the attacking half to find top scoring options in Schick and Adam Hložek. When: Wednesday, June 24, 9 p.m. ET Where: Monterrey TV: FS1 Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Second place in Group A and advancement to the Round of 32 is likely on the line on Thursday when South Africa and South Korea meet on Thursday night in Monterrey, Mexico. While a draw is enough to send the Taegeuk Warriors through to the knockouts, Bafana Bafana finds itself in a must-win scenario to keep its World Cup ambitions alive. South Korea is favored in this game given its high-powered offense that features Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, LeeJae-sung, and Hwang In-beom, who all have experience in top leagues in Europe. The concern for South Korea is Son, as the team’s all-time leading scorer is not having a great year. Now with Los Angeles FC, Son did not score for his club in its first 13 league games. In the first two games at the World Cup, Son did not have a goal contribution. South Korea is likely to advance regardless, but to be a threat in the knockouts, Son needs to do more. Through its first two games, South Africa has struggled offensively at the World Cup. The team’s only goal came from a penalty against Czechia that originated with a handball. South Africa was also helped in that game by Czechia reverting to an overly defensive approach after it took a 1-0 lead. South Korea will try to control this game from the opening whistle and is unlikely to let up. To get the needed win, South Africa needs a big performance from its defense, and it will need to be remarkably efficient with the limited chances Bafana Bafana will likely have. The danger for Hugo Broos’ team is that it will need to come out of its defensive shape at times and that could give South Korea spaces to create chances. Player To Watch The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder will be key to running South Korea’s possessions. He has a lot of chemistry with the team’s attackers, and he knows how to get the ball into the final third. In this game, the Taegeuk Warriors need to be patient as South Africa must win this game to advance. There will be plenty of times when South Africa must take risks, and that will give Lee chances to pick Bafana Bafana apart.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

We’re not even two-thirds of the way into the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the early verdict is in. The stadiums are as electric as they are packed. The goals are flying in. Fans from every corner of the globe are mingling, partying together, transforming the downtown areas of cities across the continent into street parties. Superstars are scoring at will, seemingly trying to out-do one another with each passing match. The USA won its first two matches and its group with a game to spare. Same for Mexico, with Canada — the third co-host — cruising to its first World Cup victory. Some of the smallest nations on earth are holding their own against former champions. This has been a spellbinding tournament by any measure possible. And for my money, it might already be the greatest World Cup ever staged. Recency bias is real, to be sure. The sheer quality of play was probably higher four years ago in Qatar, where the planet’s biggest sporting event took place in the middle of the European season as opposed to after it. The players were fresher. They didn’t travel between matches, with all 64 taking place in or on the outskirts of Doha. That World Cup was also capped by easily the best final of all time, with the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi, finally hoisting the only trophy that had eluded him to cement his GOAT status forever. There’s still a long way to go at this World Cup. It hasn’t been perfect. Tickets remain unaffordable for many soccer lovers. The mid-half hydration breaks, although necessary either because of blazing temperatures or for the sake of competitive consistency, can disrupt the flow of the game. There have been transportation issues and inconsistent messaging. Yet for all the negativity that surrounded the lead up to the first 48-team World Cup ever played, even the most cynical observers — if they have eyes — must know in their hearts that it has been an outstanding event so far. Most of the critics are awfully quiet now. The numbers to date are staggering. The group stage this summer has averaged 65,000 fans — more than 10,000 more than the entirety of Qatar 2022. That figure will only increase when the knockout stage contests begin and bigger venues get the bulk of them, putting the all-time mark of almost 69,000 (set the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994) in jeopardy. Through the first 32 matches at this World Cup, the 16 venues across all three host countries have been filled to more than 99.5 percent of capacity. Despite fears, players have lauded the pristine grass fields, if they’ve mentioned the surfaces at all. Three goals per game have been scored on average, the most in 23 men’s World Cups. Some of that no doubt has to do with inviting 16 more participating nations than took part at any previous World Cup — another of the purists’ favorite pre-tourney beefs. They were wrong about that, too. Is there a better on-field story than Cape Verde, the tiny West African island nation with a population of about 500,000 and World Cup debutant that remains undefeated despite facing title-favorite Spain and former two-time champ Uruguay in its first two outings? Is there a better off-field story than Scotland’s fans? The Tartan Army took over Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, and, despite literally drinking the former dry, so endeared themselves to the normally parochial locals — in part by donating $10,000 to Hasbro Children’s Hospital — that Massachusetts Senator Paul Feeney proposed that the Scots return to Foxborough for an annual exhibition. Meanwhile, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has petitioned the NFL to play a regular season game at Glasgow’s Hampden Park. The game’s brightest lights have balled out at every turn. Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland each scored twice on Monday; Messi’s second in a 2-0 victory over Austria made him the top goalscorer, men’s or women’s, in World Cup history. On Tuesday, 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo had a brace of his own, becoming the first man or woman to find the net at six World Cups. On a purely human level, in an increasingly divided world, this World Cup has been a display of shared joy and a reminder that we’re all more similar than different, wherever we happen to come from. A German tourist’s warm welcome in the American South went viral before the first ball had even been kicked. The people of Lawrence, Kansas, were so honored that Algeria decided to base its squad in their small city that they immediately adopted the Fennecs as their own. I could go on. It all makes you wonder, what’s next? Can the U.S. squad keep winning and creating millions of new supporters in real time? Can Messi lead Argentina to back-to-back titles, something no country has done since Pelé managed it with Brazil more than 60 years ago? Or might Portugal become the first new champion in nearly two decades, completing Ronaldo’s trophy case in the process? Lamine Yamal got his first World Cup goal on Sunday; how many more are in store for the 18-year-old before the competition wraps up in the New York area next month? Come to think of it, it would probably be harder to argue that this isn’t the most incredible World Cup ever. Here’s the best part: With almost four weeks left until billions tune in for that grand finale on July 19, it’s still just getting started.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports