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FIFA WC: How Lionel Scaloni turned Argentina into the masters of comebacks | FIFA World Cup 2026
Defending champions Argentina are all set to take on Lamine Yamal-starrer Spain in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at MetLife Stadium in New York shortly after Sunday midnight (12:30 AM IST).
Behind their run to the championship face-off are the two Lionels that have crafted each meticulous victory. The first, of course, is the face of the team – Lionel Messi, who enjoys an cult-like fanbase worldwide. The other, behind the scenes and on the bench, is Lionel Scaloni, the head coach of the blue-and-white jerseyed 2022 world champions, and who has strategised the team’s way through the draw to the final.
And while Argentina’s journey to the final might look like a dominant run on the scoresheet, given that they remain the only team in the tournament with a 100 per cent win rate, their road to a second successive FIFA World Cup final has been anything but straightforward. From the Round of 32 clash against Cabo Verde to the semi-final victory over England, the defending champions have seemingly made a habit of striking when opponents least expect it.
Unlike their dominant title-winning campaign in Qatar four years ago, Scaloni’s men have repeatedly found themselves under pressure before producing stunning late turnarounds to keep their title defence alive.
While Messi has once again delivered defining moments, Argentina’s remarkable resilience has been driven by head coach Scaloni’s tactical flexibility, perfectly timed substitutions, and an unwavering belief that games are often won in the final quarter.
Slow starts, strong finishes
Argentina’s route to the FIFA World Cup final has followed an unusual pattern. Unlike Spain, who have often put games to bed early with their possession-heavy approach, Scaloni’s side has repeatedly needed time to settle before taking control.
The Round of 32 clash against Cabo Verde was the first sign of this come-from-behind revival. Argentina eventually prevailed 3-2, but the underdogs remained in the contest until the closing stages. The Round of 16 against Egypt was even more dramatic, with the defending champions staring at elimination after falling 2-0 behind before mounting a sensational comeback in the final 11 minutes of regulation time.
The quarter-final against Switzerland followed a similar trend. Argentina found themselves locked in a tense battle before eventually breaking through in extra time, while the semi-final against England once again saw Scaloni’s men recover from behind with two late goals to secure a place in the final.
Rather than forcing the issue from the opening whistle, Argentina have shown remarkable patience. They remain compact, continue recycling possession and wait for the right moments to increase the tempo.
As opponents begin to tire, the defending champions become more aggressive with their pressing, stretch the pitch through their wide players and commit greater numbers forward. It has become the defining feature of Argentina’s title defence.
Argentina’s scoring pattern:
|
Match period |
Goals |
Percentage |
|
First half |
6 |
31.6% |
|
Second half |
9 |
47.4% |
|
Extra time |
4 |
21.0% |
|
After the 75th minute |
12 |
63.2% |
Scaloni’s tactical masterstrokes
If Argentina have become comeback specialists, much of the credit belongs to Scaloni.
The 48-year-old has consistently shown an ability to recognise tactical problems before they become decisive. Rather than waiting for extra time or hoping individual brilliance changes the game, he has repeatedly altered Argentina’s shape in the final 30 minutes.
The semi-final against England offered perhaps the clearest example. With Argentina struggling to break through England’s defensive structure, Scaloni introduced Nico González shortly after the hour mark. The substitution immediately widened Argentina’s attack, forcing England’s backline to defend larger spaces and allowing Alexis Mac Allister greater freedom in the midfield.
England attempted to counter by assigning Anthony Gordon to track González, but Scaloni responded almost instantly. Messi drifted across the pitch, González tucked inside and Argentina began overloading England’s right flank.
Lautaro Martínez scoring the winning goal vs England (PIC: Reuters)
Against Switzerland, Scaloni’s introduction of Julián Álvarez added pace and directness against tiring defenders before he scored the second goal of the game in extra time to put Argentina ahead. They eventually triumphed 3-1.
These were not reactive substitutions. They were tactical interventions designed to change the flow of matches.
The bench has become Argentina’s biggest weapon, and few teams in the tournament have benefited from their substitutes as much as Argentina.
Scaloni has built a squad where every player understands his role, regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench.
Álvarez brings relentless running behind opposition defences. Martínez offers physical presence inside the box. González stretches the pitch and forces defenders into uncomfortable positions.
Rather than simply replacing tired legs, each substitution changes the way Argentina attack.
That depth has become increasingly valuable as knockout matches have grown more physical. While opponents begin protecting narrow leads or preparing for extra time, Argentina continue introducing players capable of maintaining the same intensity. It is a luxury few managers possess.
Why Argentina become stronger after 75 minutes
The statistics reveal a clear trend, but the tactical reasons are equally significant. During the opening hour, Argentina are content controlling possession without taking unnecessary risks. They rarely abandon their shape even when trailing.
Once the final quarter begins, however, everything changes. The full-backs push higher. The midfield compresses space more aggressively. Messi begins drifting into central pockets rather than remaining fixed in attacking positions. Fresh forwards attack spaces created by tiring defenders.
The collective intensity rises at precisely the moment when opponents begin conserving energy. It is why Argentina have become one of the tournament’s most dangerous teams in the closing stages.
Argentina’s goals by minute:
|
Time |
Goals |
|
10′ |
1 |
|
17′ |
1 |
|
19′ |
1 |
|
29′ |
1 |
|
31′ |
1 |
|
38′ |
1 |
|
60′ |
1 |
|
76′ |
1 |
|
79′ |
1 |
|
80′ |
1 |
|
83′ |
1 |
|
85′ |
1 |
|
90+2′ |
2 |
|
90+5′ |
1 |
|
92′ |
1 |
|
111′ |
1 |
|
112′ |
1 |
|
120+1′ |
1 |
Spain’s biggest challenge
Spain have been the tournament’s most consistent side, controlling matches through possession and relentless pressing. But Argentina pose a very different test.
The defending champions have shown they do not need to dominate for 90 minutes to win football matches. Instead, they rely on reading the flow of the contest better than their opponents.
That responsibility has fallen largely on Scaloni. Whether it has been tweaking formations, introducing attacking substitutes, or changing Messi’s position between the lines, the Argentina coach has repeatedly found answers when his side have looked vulnerable.
Spain may enjoy more possession in Monday’s final, but recent results suggest that will not necessarily concern Argentina. If anything, Scaloni’s men have made a habit of waiting for the decisive moment before striking.
And that is precisely what has turned Argentina into the undisputed masters of comebacks at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Connections of Midnight Dynamite are keen to offer the horse an opportunity to compete for a $3 million prize purse following his dominant victory in the Winter Challenge at Rosehill.
This latest black-type success, following his win in the Listed Civic Stakes (1400m) last month, sets him on a path towards the Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m) on August 7. A win in that race would qualify him for the prestigious $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick, scheduled for Melbourne Cup Day.
“We’re mindful he’s had a long ‘prep’ so we’ll see how he comes through, but the initial plan is Coffs,” trainer Bjorn Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, said.
“We’d like to get him into the Big Dance if he can run a mile which, off that, it looks like he might.
“He has come to a new level this preparation. Even looking at him, I still don’t think we’ve gotten to the bottom of him. He’s going to be a better horse next preparation.
“He’s one of those Bjorn has been patient with. He’s got better and better each preparation. He’s reaping the benefits now and more to come hopefully.”
The Winter Challenge (1500m) represented Midnight Dynamite’s ($3.20 fav) fourth win from six starts this campaign. The four-year-old colt had the race under control well before the finish line, justifying his favouritism according to leading betting apps Australia.
Responding to the solid tempo set by Whinchat, he accelerated powerfully halfway up the straight to defeat his rivals by three lengths. Just Folk ($14) finished second, with General Salute ($6) a further neck behind in third.
Hilton acknowledged that the stable harboured doubts about the horse’s condition after his placing in the recent Winter Stakes (1400m), but his midweek trackwork allayed those concerns.
“Bjorn was a little bit concerned that maybe he’d come to the end of it, but his work on Tuesday was fantastic. He’s just thriving, this horse,” Hilton said.
“It was hard to even get a little bit of a cheer up there because he had them shot to pieces very early. Tommy (Berry) rode him really well, put him to sleep, and he was able to quicken up really well.”
This victory in the Winter Challenge was Baker’s second in succession, having won the event last year with Robusto.
Check out the latest betting markets for the race at betting markets for the race.
In the first 15 innings of their series with the San Francisco Giants, the Seattle Mariners had only three hits and hadn’t scored a single run. Then a man dressed as a short-spined raccoon beat four people dressed in salmon costumes during the seventh-inning stretch, and everything fell apart for the Giants in a 4-3 extra-inning loss.
The unexpected raccoon victory inspired the Mariners to a three-run rally in the 7th inning, which started when Logan Webb hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch with one out. It was only the Mariners’ third base runner of the game and their second hit batsman. Webb proceeded to issue his first walk of the game to Josh Naylor, on four pitches, before 22-year-old Cole Young hit a three-run homer to tie the game.
Yes the announcer says “unexplicably” in that clip.
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Should the Mariners be allowed to start a second baseman named Cole and a shortstop named Colt? Not if I was the commissioner, but until there’s some common sense in the league office, the home run stands. Webb was pulled one batter later when Luis Arraez committed an error, then Sam Hentges got out of the inning with one pitch when Daniel Susac threw out Luke Raley as he tried to steal second.
Why is there a hunched-over raccoon running during a baseball game? First, you have to understand that the Mariners have a race between four different varieties of salmon during the 7th inning of home games. According to the official Salmon Run page, “four unsuspecting salmon, infused with the caffeinated chemicals of a spilled triple-shot espresso, grew to monstrous size to fulfill their destiny – race for the delight of baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest.”
The biggest salmon is named King, the Sockeye is a grunge salmon who wears flannel and loves Alice In Chains, the Silver salmon is a tech nerd, and Humpy wears an inner tube and usually loses the race.
Then there’s “Jimothy,” a new addition to the race thanks to a video of a young raccoon with an unnaturally short spine went viral this week. The original videographer named the raccoon, and he entered his first Salmon Run Saturday night, much to the dismay of Webb and the Giants.
Things were looking promising before Jimothy showed up. The Giants got home runs from Rafael Devers and Willy Adames in the 6th inning, with Devers’ opposite-field blast confusing everyone on the field, including the umpiring crew, who didn’t realize the ball was pretty clearly a fair ball. Thankfully, some Giants fans in left field began signaling for an official review, and Devers followed suit.
Adames followed two batters later with his own opposite-field shot off Mariners starter Bryan Woo (6 IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 7K, 2BB) to make it 3-0. It was Adames second homer in two games and gave the Mariners an upstream battle to catch up.
The Giants offense clocked out after the Adames homer. Their only base runners afterward came on a Heliot Ramos infield single that should have been ruled an error, a free courtesy runner, and an intentional walk to Casey Schmitt so winning pitcher Jose Ferrer (3-1) could strike out Devers in the 10th, his third whiff of the game.
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Dylan Smith (0-2) was the hard-luck loser in the 10th inning after a pretty decent performance from the Giants bullpen. Keaton Winn rescued Hentges in the 8th after Seattle got runners on first and third, hitting Arozarena again along the way. Erik Miller struck out two in a perfect 9th.
But with defensive replacement Victor Robles on second, who scored the winning run without getting an official at-bat, Colt Emerson bunted him to third. After a walk to J.P. Crawford, Rodriguez rebounded from an 0-for-4 start with two strikeouts by delivering a deep fly to left field that walked off the Giants.
It was Rodriguez’s first game back from the injured list, but he decided to wait until the most painful moment possible to get his first RBI.
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The Giants scored their first run thanks to some sloppy Mariners defense. Drew Gilbert grounded a leadoff single into right field, then Luis Arraez hit one in nearly the same place, only to have Young throw the ball away. Somehow, this was also ruled a hit, and now Arraez’s batting title will have an asterisk.
Bryce Eldridge singled to center on a play where Gilbert was going to be held at third before Raley bobbled the ball, giving the Giants their first run and depriving the rookie of an RBI. They couldn’t capitalize further when Schmitt popped out and Devers swung through a 98 MPH fastball.
The Giants broke their three-game win streak, which ties for their longest of the season. Three games! It’s the first time in franchise history that they’ve played 98 games without putting four wins together in a row, going 0-for-6 in their attempts at extending a three-game win streak. This also means that they will become, at the very least, the first Giants team to go 101 games without a four-game winning streak as well.
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The raccoon shook the Giants because they recognized themselves in Jimothy. They’re a desperate, malformed beast of a team, a squad that’s constantly sniffing around in dumpsters, trying to scrounge up a way to save their season. Once, they had Kung Fu Panda. Now, the Giants are simply trash pandas.
Messi’s Argentina faces Spain in World Cup Final
Sports analyst Dan Dakich previews the FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain, highlighting Lionel Messi’s leadership. Dakich predicts Argentina will win, praising Messi’s consistent greatness. The discussion then shifts to WNBA star Caitlin Clark, whom NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called a ‘political football’ amid physical play controversies. Dakich attributes some issues to WNBA players’ jealousy and envy.
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And just like that, it all comes down to Spain and Argentina.
The two soccer powerhouses will look to etch their names in the history books and become World Cup champions when they play at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
For Argentina, they have the opportunity to become the first back-to-back World Cup winner since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962, and just the third country to win back-to-back titles overall. Italy first won consecutive World Cups in 1934 and 1938.
(Left) Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) reacts during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 15, 2026. (Right) Spain’s Lamine Yamal (19) reacts during warm-up ahead of the World Cup Round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, on July 6, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo; Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
However, for a long time in Argentina’s semifinal matchup against England, it did not look like they were going to have a chance to make history. The Three Lions held Argentina off the scoresheet for 85 minutes, but Lionel Messi sparked another electrifying come-from-behind win.
Anthony Gordon got the scoring started when he buried a cross from Morgan Rogers to put England on the board first in the 55th minute with an acrobatic finish. Harry Kane sparked the counter with a long pass that left the Argentina defense flummoxed for the first time all game.
However, that would end up being the lone true scoring opportunity of the game for the Three Lions. After England got on the board, Argentina’s pressure was relentless, but England was able to stave off the Argentine attack for about 30 minutes.
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Enzo Fernandez of Argentina celebrates his goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
They finally broke through when Messi set up Enzo Fernandez just outside of the penalty box, and the 25-year-old hooked a shot around England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into the back of the net to knot it at 1-1.
Lautaro Martinez then played the hero as he came off the bench and into Argentine soccer lore by scoring the winning goal in stoppage. In the 92nd minute, Messi recorded his second assist after he gathered a loose ball and played a beautiful pass into the penalty area, where Martinez was waiting unmarked. Martinez headed the ball past Pickford to send the Argentine fans into a frenzy as they completed the comeback.
It was not the first remarkable comeback of Argentina’s run to the title game. In the Round of 16, they scored three goals in 13 minutes to erase a 2-0 second-half deficit against Egypt to keep their World Cup hopes alive .
How to watch France vs Spain: Live stream the 2026 FIFA World Cup Semifinals
For Spain, their run have not been quite as dramatic, but it still has been remarkably dominant.
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Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates after converting a penalty to score his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal match between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
They have shut out their opponents in six of their seven matches, and has allowed just one goal all tournament. Belgium was the lone country to break through against Spain , but the Spaniards beat Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
Against France in the semifinal, Spain capitalized on an early mistake and never looked back.
Veteran French defender Lucas Digne misread the ball and challenged a ball on a cross, but kicked Lamine Yamal instead, committing a foul and giving Spain a penalty kick in the 22nd minute.
Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up for Spain and buried the penalty kick, giving the Spaniards a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Pedro Porro doubled the lead for Spain in the 58th minute, when he broke through the French defense and found the back of net after beating France goalkeeper Mike Maignan on a crisp pass from Dani Olmo.
The French desperately tried to get back into the game, but the Spanish defense was too sound for them to break through , and held on for the win.
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Pedro Porro of Spain celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal match between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 14, 2026. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
When: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Where: New York/New Jersey Stadium , East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: FOX
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Sports
India vs England Live Score, 3rd ODI: All eyes on Rohit Sharma as India, England gear up for Lord’s series decider
Speculation over Rohit’s future has dominated the build-up to the match. However, the BCCI has made it clear that the Lord’s ODI will not be the veteran opener’s final international appearance.
Even so, Rohit will be eager to silence his critics after struggling in the first two matches of the series.
Rohit looks to rediscover his touch
At his best, Rohit is known for his effortless pull shots against pace and his ability to dominate spin. But the 39-year-old has looked far from his fluent self so far, leading to fresh debates over whether he can continue until the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
The two-paced surface in Cardiff did not help his cause as he played nine consecutive dot balls before getting out.
A better batting wicket at the “Home of Cricket” could give Rohit the ideal opportunity to produce a trademark innings.
As India’s former captain, Rohit has often set the tone by attacking in the powerplay. His biggest challenge on Sunday will be handling the pace and bounce of Jofra Archer in the opening overs.
Gill, Kohli key to India’s batting
Current captain Shubman Gill has looked in fine touch with the bat and will be hoping to convert his start into a big hundred after throwing away his wicket in Cardiff.
While Rohit has struggled, Virat Kohli has continued to dominate the ODI format. He looked set for another century in the second ODI before falling to Archer, triggering a middle-order collapse that proved costly for India.
India will hope to avoid repeating those mistakes in the series decider.
KL Rahul’s availability also remains a talking point after Ishan Kishan replaced him in the previous game due to illness. Kishan, like several other Indian batters, found it difficult against England’s short-ball tactics.
Shreyas Iyer has been one of India’s positives in the middle order, especially with his confident batting against leg-spinner Adil Rashid.
Squads
England: Harry Brook (captain), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, James Coles, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Harsh Dubey.
Sports
“Medals Very Important For Country To Glorify Its Name”: Swimmer Sajan Prakash Ahead Of CWG 2026
India’s senior swimmer Sajan Prakash said striking a balance between chasing personal best timings and winning medals is essential, stressing that while personal milestones reflect an athlete’s progress, medals bring glory to the country on the world stage. The 2026 Commonwealth Games will get underway with the Opening Ceremony on July 23 in Glasgow. The multi-sport event will be held over 11 days across four existing venues before concluding on August 2. The swimming events will be held from July 24 to July 29.
Ahead of the multi-sport event, Sajan, speaking in an interview, lauded the Sports Authority of India (SAI), saying personal best performances and medals complement each other.
“Personal best is always knowing that you have progressed. In training, a lot of times, that will replicate in the competition. And medals are very important for the country to glorify its name on the world stage. So both go hand in hand,” Sajan told reporters.
The 32-year-old Olympian also spoke about the responsibility of representing India as one of the country’s senior swimmers ahead of the Commonwealth Games, saying the responsibility remains the same irrespective of seniority, though experience brings added accountability.
“I’ve always been responsible when representing the country, irrespective of whether I’m a senior or not. But definitely, yes, I should know what to talk about, when to talk and how to talk to the media and everyone else. That is one. And my performance needs to be on point on the day of the race because there are many things that can spoil that, but I need to be much more prepared months before and days before. So definitely, yes, I have the weight on my shoulders to take it forward,” he told reporters.
For those unversed, Prakash scripted history for Indian swimming by becoming the country’s first swimmer to earn direct qualification for the Olympic Games through the qualifying standard, according to Olympics.com.
Sajan secured his place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after producing a historic performance in the men’s 200m butterfly at the 2021 Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. He clocked 1:56.38, setting a new national record and going below the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) of 1:56.48 to seal a direct Olympic berth.
The achievement marked a watershed moment for Indian swimming, as no Indian swimmer had previously qualified for the Olympics by meeting the OQT, according to Olympics.com.
Tokyo 2020 was Sajan’s second Olympic appearance after making his debut at the Rio 2016 Games. While his Rio participation came through the universality quota, his qualification for Tokyo was earned on merit through the Olympic qualifying standard, making him the first Indian swimmer to achieve the feat.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Sajan also became the first Indian swimmer to compete in two editions of the Olympic Games, further cementing his place in Indian swimming history.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Topics mentioned in this article
The end of the 2026 World Cup is nigh, with Sunday’s final unmissable.
Every single game from the competition has been available to watch on free-to-air TV for UK viewers., with the BBC and ITV sharing coverage right through to the decider.
The time difference has provided a challenge for European audiences, with some games kicking off in the early hours – though their were kinder start times for the semi-finals, and it will be the same for the final.
Here’s how you can watch the final game of the 2026 World Cup:
World Cup 2026 TV schedule, UK
Finals
Saturday 18 July
Third-place play-off: France 4-6 England
Sunday 19 July
Final: Spain vs Argentina – 8pm BST – BBC and ITV / STV
Semi-finals
Tuesday 14 July
Wednesday 15 July
England 1-2 Argentina (Semi-final)
Quarter-finals
Thursday 9 July
France 2-0 Morocco (Quarter-final)
Friday 10 July
Spain 2-1 Belgium (Quarter-final)
Saturday 11 July
Norway 1-2 England A.E.T. (Quarter-final)
Sunday 12 July
Argentina 3-1 Switzerland A.E.T. (Quarter-final)
Last-16
Saturday 4 July
Canada 0-3 Morocco (Round of 16)
Paraguay 0-1 France (Round of 16)
Sunday 5 July
Brazil 1-2 Norway (Round of 16)
Monday 6 July
Mexico 2-3 England (Round of 16)
Portugal 0-1 Spain (Round of 16)
Tuesday 7 July
Argentina 3-2 Egypt (Round of 16)
Switzerland 0-0 (4-3 pens) Colombia (Round of 16)
Round-of-32
Sunday 28 June
South Africa 0-1 Canada (Round of 32)
Monday 29 June
Brazil 2-1 Japan (Round of 32)
Germany 1-1 (3-4 pens) Paraguay (Round of 32)
Tuesday 30 June
Netherlands 1-1 (2-3 pens) Morocco (Round of 32)
Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway (Round of 32)
France 3-0 Sweden (Round of 32)
Wednesday 1 July
Mexico 2-0 Ecuador (Round of 32)
England 2-1 DR Congo (Round of 32)
Belgium 3-2 Senegal A.E.T. (Round of 32)
Thursday 2 July
USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Round of 32)
Spain 3-0 Austria (Round of 32)
Friday 3 July
Portugal 2-1 Croatia (Round of 32)
Switzerland 2-0 Algeria (Round of 32)
Australia 1-1 (2-4 pens) Egypt (Round of 32)
Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde A.E.T. (Round of 32)
Saturday 4 July
Colombia 1-0 Ghana (Round of 32)
Group stage results
Thursday 11 June
Mexico 2-0 South Africa (Group A)
Friday 12 June
South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic (Group A)
Canada 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B)
Saturday 13 June
Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Group B)
Sunday 14 June
Australia 2-0 Turkey (Group D)
Netherlands 2-2 Japan (Group F)
Monday 15 June
Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador (Group E)
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde (Group H)
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay (Group H)
Tuesday 16 June
Iran 2-2 New Zealand (Group G)
Wednesday 17 June
Argentina 3-0 Algeria (Group J)
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo (Group K)
Thursday 18 June
Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia (Group K)
Czech Republic 1-1 South Africa (Group A)
Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B)
Friday 19 June
Mexico 1-0 South Korea (Group A)
Scotland 0-1 Morocco (Group C)
Saturday 20 June
Netherlands 5-1 Sweden (Group F)
Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast (Group E)
Sunday 21 June
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia (Group H)
Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde (Group H)
Monday 22 June
New Zealand 1-3 Egypt (Group G)
Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group J)
Tuesday 23 June
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan (Group K)
Wednesday 24 June
Colombia 1-0 DR Congo (Group K)
Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar (Group B)
Switzerland 2-1 Canada (Group B)
Thursday 25 June
Czech Republic 0-3 Mexico (Group A)
South Africa 1-0 South Korea (Group A)
Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast (Group E)
Friday 26 June
Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands (Group F)
Paraguay 0-0 Australia (Group D)
Saturday 27 June
Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia (Group H)
New Zealand 1-5 Belgium (Group G)
Sunday 28 June
Colombia 0-0 Portugal (Group K)
Yamal or Messi? With just a few hours to go before kick-off in the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, we took to the streets of New York to ask fans which of the two players they prefer
July 18, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.; France’s Kylian Mbappe in action with England’s Marc Guehi. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images France didn’t get the win but Kylian Mbappe got the record on Saturday. For now.
The French star became the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup history with 22 after his second goal of his club’s third-place match against England in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Despite Mbappe’s efforts, France lost 6-4 as their attempted comeback from a 4-0 halftime deficit fell short.
Mbappe scored goals in the 48th and 66th minutes to move one ahead of Argentina great Lionel Messi.
“I’m just trying to help my team score every time,” Mbappe said after the match. “It’s for sure that when you score that many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels but I would have liked to not be the top scorer in history and play tomorrow’s (championship) match.
“So, I think it’s good for legacy and when we stop (playing) to say that I was one of those players. But today, it’s not the first thing crossing my mind.”
Mbappe also has 10 goals in this World Cup, two ahead of Messi in the competition for the Golden Boot. Messi’s squad meets Spain in Sunday’s final in East Rutherford, N.J., meaning the Argentine star has a chance to surpass both marks Mbappe set.
Mbappe is the first player with 10 goals in a World Cup since West Germany’s Gerd Muller in 1970.
–Field Level Media
Welcome to our Who am I? game.
The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.
After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points.
Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.
So take part and return for more tomorrow.
Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Adam Millington.
After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.
Politics Home Article | The Green Party Is Rethinking Its Strategy For The Burnham Era
Midnight Dynamite Targeting $3 Million Big Dance in 2026 After Winter Challenge Win
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