In-depth football guides and original World Cup 2026 coverage — written, not scraped. See also our daily What to Watch Today picks.
Everything you actually need to know about the first 48-team World Cup — three host nations, 104 matches, and a brand-new format explained in plain language.
A brutal, grinding semifinal at MetLife Stadium ended with Spain's Ferran Torres converting in the 106th minute — and Argentina finishing with ten men.
Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick and England led 4-0 at halftime before France made it a game — and then Jude Bellingham had the last word.
England held firm for 84 minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Then Lionel Messi reminded everyone why he's still here.
A penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro sent Spain to the top of the world at AT&T Stadium.
Breel Embolo's red card changed everything, but Switzerland still made the defending champions work deep into extra time at Arrowhead Stadium.
Norway led at halftime and had England rattled, but Jude Bellingham had other ideas — scoring either side of the break to send England through 2-1 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Spain controlled nearly every minute at SoFi Stadium, but it took a late header to finally put Belgium away in a nervy 2-1 World Cup win.
A scoreless first half gave way to a six-minute burst at Gillette Stadium that ended Morocco's remarkable run.
Colombia had the chances. Switzerland had the discipline. Neither had enough to win.
Egypt led twice and looked set to pull off the upset of the tournament. Then the last quarter-hour happened.
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and set up a third as Belgium turned a competitive first half into a rout, ending the United States' World Cup run on home soil.
A grinding, tense quarterfinal at AT&T Stadium was decided by the cruelest of margins — one late header, one gutted nation.
Jude Bellingham's two-goal burst before halftime gave England the cushion they needed — and they needed every bit of it.
Erling Haaland scored twice in the final eleven minutes to knock out the five-time champions, with a late Neymar penalty doing nothing but trimming the margin.
A single spot kick in the 70th minute was all France needed, though Paraguay made them work far harder than the scoreline suggests.
Azzedine Ounahi scored twice and Soufiane Rahimi added a late third as Morocco dismantled Canada in a match that was never as close as the first half suggested.
A 14th-minute goal and 60 minutes of damage control — Colombia did just enough at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on July 4th.
Messi opened the scoring, Cape Verde refused to die, and it took an own goal in the 111th minute to finally settle things at Hard Rock Stadium.
An early Egyptian header and a second-half own goal produced a result neither side will be thrilled about — but Egypt, the pre-match favorite, will feel it more.
Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye scored either side of halftime as the Swiss controlled what mattered most — the scoreboard.
Croatia led at BMO Field and looked like they might pull off a genuine upset. Then the final half-hour happened.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and the Spaniards never looked threatened, putting on a masterclass in controlled football before 70,000 in Los Angeles.
Folarin Balogun had the strangest night of anyone on the field — a goal before halftime, a red card after it — and the United States found a way to win anyway.
Senegal led for 35 minutes of extra time before two late goals and a penalty sent Belgium through in a match that had no business being that dramatic.
England trailed for 68 minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Harry Kane, twice, made it look inevitable.
Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez struck in a nine-minute first-half burst at Estadio Banorte, and Ecuador never found a way back.
A first-half strike before the break set the tone, and France never looked back — Kylian Mbappé's brace and a Bradley Barcola finish did the damage in New Jersey.
A Nusa opener, a Diallo equalizer, and then Erling Haaland with four minutes left — Norway are through, and Ivory Coast are left to wonder what might have been.
The Dutch held on for 90 minutes with six shots and a prayer. Then the 91st arrived.
The Germans had 75% of the ball, 21 shots, and 16 corners. They still couldn't find a winner.
Japan led for over an hour at NRG Stadium before Brazil's depth finally told — Casemiro leveled, then Martinelli won it in the fifth minute of added time.
Stephen Eustáquio's 92nd-minute goal at SoFi Stadium sent Canada through on the right side of a match they controlled without ever making it comfortable.
Riyad Mahrez put Algeria ahead twice in the final minutes, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to head Austria level in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Lo Celso and Lautaro put the game away early, Jordan briefly threatened, then Messi reminded everyone who this tournament belongs to.
Yoane Wissa scored twice, including a stoppage-time clincher, as the Leopards overturned a first-half deficit to move through at the World Cup.
Colombia dominated possession and created the better chances, but Portugal's goalkeeper stood firm to keep the pre-match favorite's World Cup hopes alive.
A Nikola Vlasic header ten minutes from time settled nerves and sealed the points after Ghana had pulled level in Philadelphia.
A patient first half gave way to a five-minute burst at MetLife Stadium that settled this one well before the final whistle.
Leandro Trossard scored twice and Kevin De Bruyne added a third as Belgium turned a World Cup group-stage match into a statement.
Both sides scored inside 14 minutes, then spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to lose — and mostly succeeding.
A controlled, if never comfortable, performance at Estadio Akron sends Spain through on the right side of a tense World Cup group-stage night.
Sixty-eight thousand fans in Houston watched two teams cancel each other out for ninety-plus minutes, and nobody left with anything to show for it.
A hat-trick in 25 minutes from Ousmane Dembélé, all three set up by Kylian Mbappé, settled this World Cup group stage match before halftime.
A red card nine minutes in turned a difficult night for Iraq into an impossible one. Senegal didn't waste the invitation.
Fifty-five percent of the ball and five shots on target weren't enough for the Socceroos, who leave Santa Clara with a point but plenty of questions.
A late Kaan Ayhan header in the eighth minute of stoppage time broke American hearts in front of 70,000 at SoFi Stadium, completing one of the tournament's bigger upsets.
Six minutes separated two goals and a result that left both sides with something to rue in Arlington.
Two goals in the opening seven minutes put the Dutch in control before Tunisia briefly threatened — then Jan Paul van Hecke's header closed it out.
Germany led inside two minutes and controlled the ball all night. None of it mattered.
Nicolas Pépé scored either side of halftime to give the Elephants a comfortable World Cup win at Lincoln Financial Field.
Three second-half goals at Estadio Banorte told the story of a Mexican side that never looked like losing — and a Czech team that had the ball and did almost nothing with it.
Thapelo Maseko's second-half goal was all Bafana Bafana needed — even with barely a third of the ball.
An own goal gave Haiti an early shock, but Morocco's class told quickly — and by the end it wasn't close.
A brace from Vinícius Júnior and a Matheus Cunha finish gave Brazil a comfortable World Cup win that was never really in doubt.
A five-minute burst before halftime did most of the damage, and Qatar never found a way back.
Two goals in eleven second-half minutes from Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi gave Switzerland a lead Canada couldn't claw back, despite outshooting their opponents more than two to one.
Colombia dominated possession and territory for 75 minutes without reward, then Juan Fernando Quintero found the right moment — and Daniel Muñoz did the rest.
Ante Budimir's second-half header was all Croatia needed. Panama had the corners and the fouls but never the real chances.
England dominated every corner of this World Cup group stage match at Gillette Stadium — and still couldn't find a way through.