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FIFA WC 2026: England, Ghana lead RO32 qualification race in Group L | FIFA World Cup 2026

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The Matchday 2 action of the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage concludes with two crucial Group L fixtures on Wednesday, June 24. England take on Ghana in a battle between the group’s two winning sides, while Croatia face Panama in a must-win clash for both teams.

 


Group L has unfolded largely as expected, with England and Ghana occupying the top two spots after opening-match victories. England defeated Croatia 4-2 in an entertaining contest, while Ghana edged Panama 1-0 to move level on three points.

 

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A victory for either England or Ghana in their second match would all but secure a place in the Round of 32. However, a draw would leave qualification unresolved heading into the final round of fixtures.

 
 


For Croatia and Panama, the equation is straightforward. Having lost their opening matches, both sides desperately need three points to keep their knockout hopes alive. Defeat would leave them on the brink of elimination and dependent on results elsewhere.


FIFA World Cup 2026: Group L points table


Rank

Team

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

Pts

1

England

2

1

1

0

4

2

2

4

2

Ghana

2

1

1

0

1

0

1

4

3

Croatia

2

1

0

1

1

4

-1

3

4

Panama

2

0

0

2

2

5

-2

0


England need one more win to qualify

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England made a strong start to their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, with captain Harry Kane leading from the front in an impressive attacking display.

 


A win over Ghana would take England to six points and guarantee a top-two finish if Croatia and Panama draw in the group’s other match. Even if Panama or Croatia win, England would still be in a commanding position heading into the final matchday.

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A draw against Ghana would move England to four points and leave qualification in their own hands ahead of their final group game against Panama.

 


Ghana keep fate in their own hands

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Ghana began their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama and now have the opportunity to take a major step towards the knockout stage.

 


A win against England would move Ghana on to six points and potentially secure qualification depending on the result of Croatia versus Panama. Even a draw would leave the Black Stars in a strong position heading into their final group match against Croatia.

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Having already collected three points, Ghana remain masters of their own destiny.

 


Panama look for fightback

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Panama’s narrow defeat to Ghana means they cannot afford another setback.

 


Victory over Croatia would revive their qualification hopes and move them level on three points before a difficult final-day clash against England. A draw would leave Panama with just one point from two games and facing an uphill battle to progress.

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A defeat, meanwhile, would leave them needing a miracle to reach the Round of 32.

 


Battle of survival for Croatia

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Croatia conceded four goals in their opening defeat to England and now face a virtual must-win encounter against Panama.

 


Three points would put Croatia back in contention for automatic qualification and potentially set up a decisive final-day clash against Ghana. However, anything less than a victory would severely damage their chances.

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Another defeat would almost certainly leave the 2018 finalists relying on a best third-placed finish scenario.


FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 qualification format


The top two teams from each of the 12 groups automatically qualify for the Round of 32, while the eight best third-placed teams also advance, completing the 32-team knockout field.

 

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If teams finish level on points in the group stage, FIFA will apply the following tiebreakers:

 


Step 1: Head-to-head criteria


  • Points obtained in matches between the tied teams

  • Goal difference in matches between the tied teams

  • Goals scored in matches between the tied teams


Step 2: Overall group performance


  • Goal difference in all group matches

  • Goals scored in all group matches

  • Fair-play record


Step 3

Under the 2026 rules, head-to-head results take precedence over overall goal difference, giving direct encounters greater importance in determining qualification. 
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FIFA World Cup 2026: Group L upcoming fixtures


Date

Match

Time (IST)

 

 

 

 

June 24

Panama vs Croatia

4:30 AM (June 25)

June 27

Panama vs England

2:30 AM (June 28)

June 27

Croatia vs Ghana

2:30 AM (June 28)

 

 

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Commonwealth Games 2026: Michaela Walsh and Kaci Rock take silver after final defeats

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Team Northern Ireland boxers Michaela Walsh and Kaci Rock both had to settle for Commonwealth Games silver medals as they lost their respective finals by unanimous decision.

Holy Family fighter Walsh, who has earned a medal in each of her four successive Games appearances, has claimed a third silver after also coming second in 2014 and 2018.

But she missed out on the chance to add a second gold to the one she won in Birmingham four years ago after being outclassed by Jaismine.

The decorated 33-year-old also won gold in 2022, and joins bowler Neil Booth, shooter Martin Millar plus Mike Bull and Lady Mary Peters from athletics on four medals.

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Only shooter David Calvert has won more medals with eight, four of which were gold.

Three of the five judges scored the fight 29-28 while the other two gave it 30-27 with all in favour of Jaismine.

Walsh made a slow start and had an uphill battle after a cagey first round which she lost 3-2.

The second was a much closer affair and while she went all out for the stoppage in the third, her efforts were in vain as Jaismine did enough to win and claim the gold.

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Rock comes away from her first Games with NI’s fourth silver after falling short against England’s Sacha Hickey.

Hickey just had too much for 23-year-old Rock in an entertaining encounter, with four judges scoring it 30-27 and one 29-28 for the English fighter.

She edged the first two rounds and pushed on in the third to comfortably take victory.

Jon McConnell has the chance to add boxing’s first gold of these Games when he fights Wales’ Orlando Holley-Sotomi in the men’s light-middleweight final at 13:15 BST.

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Astros crush Rangers, leap into first place in AL West

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HOUSTON — Yainer Diaz homered and tied a career high with four hits and Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker also went deep to lead the Houston Astros to an 11-2 rout of the Texas Rangers Friday night that put them in first place in the AL West.

Jeremy Peña had three RBIs and Yordan Alvarez added two as the Astros tied a season high with 18 hits for their ninth win in 10 games to move a half-game ahead of Texas atop the division.

There were runners on first and third with one out in the second when LaMonte Wade Jr. doubled to make it 1-0. Nathan Eovaldi (10-9) plunked Peña on the arm to load the bases with two outs.

Alvarez followed with a single on a grounder to left field to score two and push the lead to 3-0.

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Cam Smith tripled with two outs in the fourth before Peña extended his hit streak to 12 games with a single that made it 4-0.

Paredes and Walker hit back-to-back home runs off Eovaldi to open the fifth inning and leave Houston up 6-0.

Joc Pederson homered and Corey Seager doubled and had two hits for the Rangers in his return after missing 23 games with inflammation in his lower back as they dropped a third straight.

Pederson’s home run to right-center field cut the lead to 6-1 in the sixth. Evan Carter hit an RBI single with two outs in the sixth to make it 6-2.

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Diaz’s solo homer was the first of four runs Houston scored with two outs in the seventh that pushed the lead to 10-2.

Houston starter Hunter Brown (3-1) yielded six hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Eovaldi allowed 10 hits and tied a season high with six runs in five innings.

Texas RHP Jacob deGrom (7-6, 3.67 ERA) opposes RHP Ronel Blanco (0-1, 8.10) when the series continues Saturday night.

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2026 AIG Women’s Open Saturday tee times: Round 3

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The 2026 AIG Women’s Open continues on Saturday, August 1, with the third round at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. You can find full AIG Women’s Open tee times for Saturday’s third round at the bottom of this post.

AIG Women’s Open Saturday tee times: What to know

At the halfway point of the 2026 AIG Women’s Open, Haeran Ryu has an eye on her third major championship win of the season.

Already the winner of the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2026 Evian Championship, Ryu shot a two-under 69 on Friday in tough conditions at Royal Lytham and St. Annes to improve to seven under. That was good enough for a one-shot lead.

But Ryu has plenty of challengers with 36 holes to play, including World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul (five under), home country favorite Charley Hull (two under) and Nelly Korda (one under).

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Ryu will tee off for Round 3 on Saturday morning at 9:40 a.m. ET alongside Shiho Kuwaki.

You can watch Saturday’s third round of the AIG Women’s Open from 7 a.m.-12 p.m. ET on USA and then 12-2 p.m. ET on NBC. Additional Saturday streaming coverage will be provided by Golfchannel.com, the Golf Channel App and the NBC Sports App.

You can check out the complete Round 3 tee times for the 2026 AIG Women’s Open below.

2026 AIG Women’s Open tee times for Saturday: Round 3 (ET)

Tee No. 1

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3:50 a.m. – Pia Babnik, Sara Kouskova
4:00 a.m. – Manon De Roey, Cara Gainer
4:10 a.m. – Nastasia Nadaud, Ayaka Furue
4:20 a.m. – Hyo Joo Kim, Yunseo Yang (a)
4:30 a.m. – Alison Lee, Amelia Garvey
4:40 a.m. – Carla Tejedo Mulet, Patty Tavatanakit
4:50 a.m. – Maja Stark, Casandra Alexander
5:05 a.m. – Annabell Fuller, Alexandra Forsterling
5:15 a.m. – Yuka Saso, Amy Yang
5:25 a.m. – Jin Young Ko, Wei-Ling Hsu
5:35 a.m. – Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Mi Hyang Lee
5:45 a.m. – Ashleigh Buhai, Chizzy Iwai
5:55 a.m. – Arpichaya Yubol, Jenny Shin
6:05 a.m. – Lindy Duncan, Aki Iwai
6:20 a.m. – Yuna Araki, Sei Young Kim
6:30 a.m. – Amanda Doherty, Alice Hewson
6:40 a.m. – Dewi Weber, Brooke M. Henderson
6:50 a.m. – Hannah Green, Nasa Hataoka
7:00 a.m. – Ariya Jutanugarn, Rose Zhang
7:10 a.m. – Minji Kang, Shannon Tan
7:20 a.m. – Julia Lopez Ramirez, Mao Saigo
7:35 a.m. – Auston Kim, Anna Nordqvist
7:45 a.m. – Esther Henseleit, Rio Takeda
7:55 a.m. – Aunchisa Utama, Yana Wilson
8:05 a.m. – Kajsa Arwefjall, Mimi Rhodes
8:15 a.m. – Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko
8:25 a.m. – Robyn Choi, Jin Hee Im
8:35 a.m. – Celine Boutier, Lottie Woad
8:50 a.m. – Minami Katsu, Chanettee Wannasaen
9:00 a.m. – Charley Hull, Lauren Coughlin
9:10 a.m. – Paula Martin Sampedro (a), Lucy Li
9:20 a.m. – Jing Yan, Soo Bin Joo
9:30 a.m. – Yealimi Noh, Jeeno Thitikul
9:40 a.m. – Shiho Kuwaki, Haeran Ryu

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5 Things WWE subtly told us on the go-home episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam 2026

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The ultimate episode of WWE SmackDown before SummerSlam concluded with CM Punk and Cody Rhodes engaging in a massive brawl. Besides this, the show also witnessed Haku’s return to the sports entertainment juggernaut.

Additionally, several notable developments occurred heading into SummerSlam 2026. In this article, let’s take a look at five things WWE subtly told us in the final edition of the blue brand before the Biggest Party of the Summer.


#5. WWE may have lost faith in Giulia

Lash Legend defeats Giulia in two minutes She earns the final spot in the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match on Sunday #SmackDown

Giulia and Lash Legend locked horns in an Interim Women’s Championship qualifying match on the blue brand. Though fans were rooting for the Japanese star, Legend dominated and defeated her in barely two minutes.

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The WWE Universe was largely disappointed with the outcome and expressed frustration over Giulia’s booking. However, suffering such a loss subtly suggests that WWE may have lost faith in Giulia, making it unlikely that she will receive a major singles push on the blue brand anytime soon.


#4. CM Punk vs. Trick Williams teased

“SOONER OR LATER IM COMING FOR THAT WWE CHAMPIONSHIP” – TRICK WILLIAMS TO CM PUNK 👀 #Smackdown

When CM Punk was being interviewed backstage, Trick Williams confronted him. The United States champion asserted that sooner or later, he was coming for the Undisputed Title.

In response, the Second City Saint claimed that he needed challengers and would be ready to face Trick Williams in the near future. Before leaving, Punk promised to knock Trick down when he reached the top of the mountain.

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This interesting conversation subtly teases a potential feud between Punk and Williams in World Wrestling Entertainment. If the Voice of the Voiceless retains the title at SummerSlam, a match between the two could likely unfold in the coming months.


#3. Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga could dethrone Damian Priest and R-Truth

Haku appears to be the new manager of Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga on SmackDown. The veteran star returned to the blue brand this week and motivated the former MFT members. Later in the night, Tama and Talla stood tall by destroying Damian Priest, R-Truth, and The War Raiders.

The return of Haku and Tama & Talla’s destruction could be a hint that WWE is planning to push them as a major tag team. This subtly suggests that they could eventually dethrone Damian Priest and R-Truth to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions.


#2. Charlotte Flair losing at SummerSlam

Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill were involved in a brawl on SmackDown. Additionally, Adam Pearce has announced a match between them for next week’s episode of the blue brand.

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For those unaware, Flair and Cargill will compete in the Interim Women’s Title Ladder Match at SummerSlam. Traditionally, the superstar who stands tall on the go-home episode before a premium live event often ends up losing at the event itself.

With the Queen standing tall over the Storm on SmackDown, it could be a subtle hint that she might fall short in the Interim Women’s title ladder match at the Biggest Party of the Summer.


#1. Cody Rhodes foreshadowing heel turn

Night 1 of SummerSlam will feature Cody Rhodes and CM Punk facing off for the Undisputed Title. During their final confrontation before the two-night PLE, fans noticed an interesting detail.

During SmackDown, the American Nightmare wore a black suit, something he rarely does on WWE television. This quickly drew comparisons to his AEW heel run, where he wore a black suit.

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As a result, many fans believe the SmackDown segment subtly foreshadowed a potential heel turn for Cody. At the Biggest Party of the Summer, the Prodigal Son could finally show his true colors by turning on The Best in the World.