The 2026 World Cup is storming towards the knockout stages after this year’s bumper 48-team tournament had its first culling.
After a build-up that centred on controversy, greed and conflict, fans have been captivated by some enthralling performances and disappointed by others, with the likes of France and holders Argentina stamping their marks as rightful favourites, while England, Portugal and Brazil have all made slight missteps.
But the group stage is only the beginning – history will be written on the road to the final, with 32 remaining teams now raring to sink their teeth into the drama of knockouts football.
Here’s how every team in the knockout stages stacks up in The Independent’s World Cup 2026 power rankings, delving deeper into the top 10:
Rankings are based on a combination of performance and potential at the 2026 World Cup, as well as how teams are faring relative to pre-tournament expectations:
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1. France 🇫🇷 ↔️
Kylian Mbappe is starring for France at this World Cup (Getty)
There was a slightly slow start for France (emphasis on slightly) as they failed to impress in their first half against Senegal. However, they sparked into life in the second half, showing off the depth of attacking talent that made them one of the pre-tournament favourites. Kylian Mbappe was a big part of that improved spell, scoring twice en route to a 3-1 win, and he did the same again in the 3-0 victory over Iraq.
That saw him surpass Miroslav Klose’s 16 all-time World Cup goals, but unfortunately for the France forward, someone else had done the same a few hours earlier – and by a greater margin…
Mbappe failed to add to his tally in their group finale against Norway, with qualification already in the bag. Instead, his compatriot stole the show, with Ousmane Dembele bagging a hat-trick in a 4-1 win. Didier Deschamps’ side are firing on all cylinders at the moment – no team will want to face them.
2. Argentina 🇦🇷 ↔️
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Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick for Argentina in their opener against Algeria (Getty)
This World Cup has been the Lionel Messi show so far. Turning 39 this week, he faced questions about whether he could be as influential as he was during Argentina’s 2022 title-winning run; he has answered those questions emphatically. He scored all three goals in the opening 3-0 win over Algeria, then he scored both of his side’s goals in the 2-0 dismissal of Austria and came off the bench to net his sixth of the tournament in a 3-1 triumph over Jordan – becoming the first man to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. Although he missed a penalty before that double against Austria, he should be commended for his resilience in finding the net thereafter to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer (19 goals).
Now, you could suggest that Argentina’s one flaw so far is looking a little bit reliant on their ageing captain, but the team has played well in general to serve him as best as possible, and we know how much quality the defending champions have. It might just show, beyond Messi’s individual magic, as the tournament progresses.
3. Spain 🇪🇸 ↔️
Spain topped the group with victory over Uruguay (Getty)
It took Lamine Yamal just 10 minutes of his first World Cup start against Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of the other global superstars at this tournament and join the goalscoring party, getting the ball rolling for a 4-0 win that properly got La Roja off the mark. They then ensured they topped the group with a spicy win over a collapsing Uruguay side.
Yet to concede a goal as they head into the knockouts, there is no reason to remove the favourites tag bestowed upon Spain before the World Cup began, despite that early shock. They slipped up in their opening match of the 2010 World Cup (losing 1-0 to Switzerland) as well before recovering and going on to win it, remember.
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4. England 🏴 ↔️
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham ensured England came through a tricky encounter with Panama (Getty)
England haven’t exactly set the world ablaze since stoking expectation in their impressive opening win against Croatia. Their drab goalless draw versus Ghana was the exact sort of game that led to the phrase “reality check” being used in a footballing sense, and while they bounced back from that result with a 2-0 win against Panama to top the group, it was hardly the most inspiring performance.
Nevertheless, Thomas Tuchel’s side are through as group winners and have done enough to avoid a side of the draw that could have pitted them against Portugal and then Spain in their first two knockout matches. Jude Bellingham is performing while Harry Kane’s three goals very much puts him in golden boot contention, so don’t go burning your “It’s Coming Home” t-shirts just yet.
5. Brazil 🇧🇷 ⬆️
Vinicius Jr has four goals so far this World Cup (Reuters)
After their sluggish opening performance against Morocco, things have begun to click for Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil. A delightful outing against an easier opponent in Haiti saw them get their first win of the tournament, but it was Scotland where that fear factor really kicked in.
Vinicius Jr bagged a brace while Matheus Cunha kept up his goalscoring form at this World Cup, dismantling the Scots in a 3-0 win to basically send them packing. The result completed their group-stage recovery as they topped Group C.
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There is work to do defensively heading into the knockouts and the injury to Raphinha is concerning, but Brazil are definitely growing into this World Cup, with Ancelotti’s dangermen up and firing.
6. Portugal 🇵🇹 ⬆️
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring Portugal’s third goal against Uzbekistan (Reuters)
Caveat it all with the quality of opposition – and boy were Uzbekistan poor – but that 5-0 win in their second group game is the levels Roberto Martinez will want his Portugal side to hit from here. They were more fluid and showed some depth behind Cristiano Ronaldo with the way they kept pushing for more even once the substitutes arrived. That was much better than their uninspiring opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, while they finished the gorup with one of the most entertaining 0-0s you could wish to see against Colombians. It wasn’t perfect, and they would have lost but for Davinson Sanchez’s late goal being ruled out, but that spark was still present for the Portuguese. Croatia in the last 32 presents an intriguing test before a potentially monumental last-16 clash against Iberian rivals Spain.
7. Netherlands 🇳🇱 ⬆️
Brian Brobbey is flying for the Netherlands (PA)
Few doubted the quality of their defence and midfield pre-tournament but now Brian Brobbey seems to be the answer to Ronald Koeman’s centre-forward puzzle. The Sunderland striker has struck three times in the last two group games, powering them to the top of Group F. Heading into the knockouts, the most renowned nation to have never become world champions may be more than just a dark horse in this tournament.
8. Morocco 🇲🇦 ⬇️
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Morocco are into the knockout stages despite a nervy outing against Haiti (Reuters)
The Afcon (sort of) champions impressed with their draw against Brazil and if nothing else they will remember this World Cup for Ismael Saibari’s goal just 70 seconds into a hard-fought 1-0 win over a gritty Scotland. But the world’s seventh-ranked side showed their first real jitters against already-eliminated Haiti, falling behind twice in the first half before recovering to win 4-2.
Failing to score big against the Caribbean minnows has proved costly, with their second-place finish in Group C meaning they face a very tough round of 32 test against the Netherlands to begin their knockouts campaign. The Atlas Lions have looked dangerous so far this tournament but in their bid to prove that their run to the semi-finals in 2022 wasn’t a fluke, the Dutch will seriously test their credentials.
9. Germany 🇩🇪 ⬇️
Germany saw out their group campaign with defeat to Ecuador (Reuters)
Germany are into the knockouts for the first time since winning the tournament in 2014, and they’re through as group winners which should signal the end of an era of failure on the global stage. However, they’re yet to properly prove they are once again real contenders.
Their opening 7-1 win over debutants Curacao was impressive but had to be taken with a pinch of salt given the level of opposition. Ivory Coast were tricky opponents and Julian Nagelsmann’s side found it difficult to finish clear chances, at least until Deniz Undav’s arrival, who snatched a last-gasp winner. But against Ecuador, they showed their fallibility, beaten by a team who simply wanted it more despite taking an early (and controversial) lead.
There are still a lot of questions to be asked surrounding their depth, team choices and whether goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 40, is still up to the task. Those will be answered in the knockouts.
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10. Mexico 🇲🇽 ⬆️
Raul Jimenez celebrates his goal for Mexico at the World Cup (Getty)
Taking the spot of their noisy upstairs neighbours in the top 10 heading into the knockouts, Mexico have hardly put a foot wrong in the early stages of their home World Cup. They’ve recorded three wins on the trot to top their group but their credentials as “dark horses” will be tested against Ecuador in the round of 32, who come into the match off the stunning high of a win over Germany. Get through that and England could await them at the Azteca… what an occasion that would be.
This week, Oleksandr Usyk announced that he has vacated his WBC, WBA and IBF world titles, while also confirming that he will have one final fight before retiring.
The Ukrainian cemented himself as this generation’s leading heavyweight by beating Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury twice. With his first victory over Fury, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
After vacating his WBO belt last year, he has now decided to relinquish his remaining three titles following a WBC order to face mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel. The German has since been upgraded to full champion.
Speaking on the DAZN broadcast of the Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis card in Brooklyn, Hearn said Deontay Wilder will be the man standing in the opposite corner.
“As I understand it, Usyk will fight Wilder next. He wants to do what he wants to do, I guess, and have one more in the sun, and now the contenders are going to get their shots… If you know you know.”
Usyk and Wilder had been in early talks over a fight back in January, but the hard-hitting American grew impatient and instead booked a bout with Derek Chisora, which he won over the distance.
The former WBC champion faced questions over his future after successive defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang following his trilogy with Tyson Fury. Despite the 43 knockouts on his record, Wilder would enter a fight with Usyk as a sizeable underdog, with many viewing the contest as the Ukrainian’s chance to add one final marquee name from his era before hanging up the gloves.
The knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup have arrived, starting with co-hosts Canada facing taking on South Africa on Sunday. The Canadians advanced through a tumultuous group stage despite losing to Switzerland in their last game, while South Africa advanced thanks to a dramatic 1-0 victory over South Korea. Both teams are in the knockouts for the first time. Kickoff in Inglewood, Calif. is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
The latest Canada vs. South Africa odds from FanDuel list Canada as -140 favorites on the 90-minute money line while South Africa are +460 underdogs and a draw is priced at +240. Meanwhile, the Over/Under for total goals scored is 2.5. There’s no shortage of other soccer betting options at FanDuel, where you can use the latest FanDuel promo code to get $350 in bonus bets if your bet $5 for seven days.
Canada’s path through the group stage was chaotic. A Jonathan David performance to forget contributed to a 1-1 draw with Bosnia, followed by a 6-0 thrashing of Qatar that saw David score a hat trick, but midfielder Ismael Kone suffered a gruesome leg injury in the process. Canada then lost 2-1 to Switzerland but still had enough points to advance.
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Led by fiery coach Jesse Marsch, Canada is a capable side that can sometimes lack the cohesion to push through. When David is at his best, as he was against Qatar, he can be deadly. But there are also games — like the Bosnia match — when it seems he can’t hit the broad side of a barn. Which version of the star striker shows up against South Africa will be key. Also important will be the status of defender Alphonso Davies. The Bayern Munich man hasn’t played at this World Cup yet as he recovers from a long series of injuries. Marsch has said he may be available against South Africa, but he also said the same before the Switzerland match before revealing he had used Davies as a “decoy” to make the Swiss waste time in their preparations.
For South Africa, a disastrous start against Mexico improved with a 1-1 draw against Czechia and the win over South Korea. Most of the team plays in the domestic South African league and few expected South Africa to get to this stage, let alone as a second place team. A date with the Canadians will be tough, but the South Korea match showed Bofana Bofana can handle pressure. This has been a World Cup of underdogs and it would be foolish to completely count South Africa out.
A tight match is likely in store with both sides not exactly overflowing with attacking talent. Expect this one to stay close.
Canada vs. South Africa picks, prediction
Both teams to score (+104)
South Africa slowly progressed as the tournament went on. They haven’t scored more than one goal in a match in this tournament yet, but a one-goal showing from Bofana Bofana gets us where we need to go if Canada also finds the back of the net, as they should.
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Cyle Larin anytime goalscorer including extra time (+170)
A longtime fixture of the Canadian team, Larin has already scored twice at this World Cup and always seems to pop up when Canada needs a goal. It would hardly be a surprise if he bags a goal in Canada’s first-ever game in the knockouts.
A year ago, Viktor Hovland left the U.S. Open at Oakmont after a third-place finish with a pledge. The Norwegian star had been grinding hard, as he does, to find it. His swing had felt wrong and he hadn’t been able to fix it, despite a win at the Valspar earlier in the season.
Hovland’s pledge? Go easy on himself. Play golf and trust everything will fall into place.
“I’ve been tearing myself down a little too much,” Hovland said that evening in western Pennsylvania. “Even though I do know I need to work on some stuff and get back to where I used to be in a way mechanically, but in the interim, I can still perform at a really high level, and there’s a lot of good stuff. Just got to take that with me and be a little bit kinder to myself.”
Hovland’s search continued throughout the remainder of the season, where he had just one top-10 finish in his final six starts of the season. There was a “Band-Aid fix” that helped him finish T7 at the BMW Championship and a swing ephihany he thought he found at the Ryder Cup before he was scratched from Sunday singles due to a neck injury. Hovland has spent 2026 still trying to capture and recreate a swing that he’s comfortable with. He split with coach Grant Waite and reunited with T.J. Yeaton ahead of this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. The changes, the tweaks, the poking and prodding continued.
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“It’s a complicated puzzle and sometimes it’s just a matter of a different perspective, just looking at it from a couple of different ways or just saying things a little bit differently,” Hovland said of his process ahead of the API.
The results haven’t come. The 2023 FedEx Cup champion entered this week at the Travelers Championship with just two top 10s on the season. A third-place finish at the Canadian Open had him feeling like he was trending in the right direction, but then the pendulum swung the other way, and he missed the cut at the U.S. Open. But despite that MC at Shinnecock, Viktor Hovland left Long Island feeling good about his swing progression. The result wasn’t there, but he remained encouraged about where he was in his never-ending quest.
“I’ve obviously been working a lot on my swing to try to get back technically to where I can, you know, not think about the swing as much and just step over the ball and expect to see a certain shot shape. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot closer to that in even recent weeks,” Hovland said on Friday at the Travelers Championship. “I thought in Canada it was a lot of promise, and even U.S. Open I drove it a lot better. I just had one OB ball at the worst time possible. I hit one bad shot in the left-to-right wind, and it was gone to the right.
“It’s just been I’m seeing the good shots are really good. It’s just the bad ones have been punishing me a lot. I feel like what my feel was in my swing and what I’ve been working on is starting to kind of get the shot dispersion a little bit tighter.”
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Viktor Hovland has been fighting to be Viktor Hovland again, seemingly ever since he won the 2023 FedEx Cup.
On Friday at TPC River Highlands, Viktor Hovland won another round in his duel with himself and his golf swing, firing a second-round 61 to put himself into Saturday’s final group alongside World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 60 on Friday.
“It was awesome stuff today. Obviously, been kind of battling some stuff,” Hovland said on Friday. “You know, my golf swing had not felt all that comfortable. But, you know, I felt like things stabilized a lot more today, and I was able to put the ball in the fairway, hit some great iron shots, and putter finally cooperated a little bit more today.”
The next step for Hovland was to back it up with another good round, while battling the best player on the planet. Would his swing, which is still being technically rebuilt, hold up under the kind of pressure he hasn’t faced much this season?
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The answer on Saturday was a resounding yes. Hovland hit 11 of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens and picked up over a stroke on the greens on Saturday. Even as Scheffler went on a back-nine birdie run, Hovland didn’t flinch, didn’t press. He just answered good shot with good shot, and then, on 18, when Scheffler made a sloppy bogey, Hovland rolled in a six-footer for birdie to go from one shot down to one shot ahead heading into Sunday.
“It was really fun. Just had a great time,” Hovland said on Saturday after shooting a six-under 64 to head into Sunday at 20 under. “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. You know, to go head-to-head against the best player in the world and pull off some great shots, it was just a lot of fun.”
Viktor Hovland has been in a long battle with himself. On Sunday in Cromwell, Connecticut, Hovland will have to battle both his rebuilt swing and the No. 1 player in the world to leave as a victor. That’s the natural endpoint for such a search. If you want to test your work, your process, your belief, it has to hold up against golf’s measuring stick.
But as Viktor Hovland told us one year ago at Oakmont, the trophy isn’t what he most hunts, it’s just the byproduct of what he’s chasing.
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“We would all like to win, that’s why we practice so hard,” Hovland said at Oakmont. “But there’s also like a deep passion in me that I want to hit the shots. Like I want to stand up on the tee and hit the shots that I’m envisioning. When the ball’s not doing that, it bothers me.”
On Saturday, as he exited the course after being serenaded by a throng of Norwegians over for the World Cup, Viktor Hovland echoed what he hopes Sunday brings — not a title but further proof that he has found what only he can discover.
“The score is nice to shoot a good score, but I’m very process-driven,” Hovland said. “As soon as I find a certain feel that I can trust and it produces a pretty reliable shot shape, I know that I’m going to be able to score pretty well from there. So if I happen to shoot two-under or six-under or nine-under, it’s like that’s not the most important thing, in a way. It’s like as soon as I see the shots that I’m trying to hit and execute, that’s what gives me the confidence.”
Viktor Hovland is a wanderer by nature. He’s a forever tinkerer who will continue to mold his swing until he finds the feeling he wants. Then, he’ll go in search of something different.
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All of that — varying swing thoughts, coach changes, an unlikely Valspar win, a major near-miss, a journey into the wilderness and back — has brought Viktor Hovland to Sunday, to a duel with the best player in the world. One where no matter the result, he can leave with what he has been searching for.
Believing Viktor Hovland has finally found Viktor Hovland again.
India vs Ireland Live Streaming 2nd T20I: India will take on Ireland in the second T20I of the two-match series on Sunday in Belfast. The reigning T20 World Cup champions were outplayed in all three departments on Friday, as Ireland recovered from 36/3 to post 182/9 before dismissing India for 148, registering their first-ever T20I victory over the Men in Blue. The result not only handed Ireland a 1-0 lead in the series but also put them one win away from what would arguably be the biggest bilateral T20I series triumph in their history.
For India, Sunday’s contest is about far more than just levelling the series. It is an opportunity to respond after a performance that exposed flaws in both planning and execution. The focus will also be on India’s playing XI, especially after 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not feature in the opening match.
When will the India vs Ireland, 2ndT20I match be played?
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The India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match will be played on Sunday, June 28.
Where will the India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match be played?
The India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match will be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
What time will the India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match start?
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The India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match will start at 6 PM IST. The toss will take place 30 minutes before.
Which TV channels will telecast the India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match?
The India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network.
Where to follow the live streaming of the India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match?
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The India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I match will be streamed live on SonyLiv app and website.
(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)
Featured Video Of The Day
Delhi vs Mumbai IPL 2026: Fans Flood Arun Jaitley Stadium for High-Voltage Clash
Roy Jones Jr has urged Errol Spence Jr to adapt his approach, and rediscover elements of his amateur style, ahead of his comeback fight against Tim Tszyu.
As a result, Spence was relieved of his WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles before stepping away from the sport and giving no indication as to whether he would return.
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Now, though, the 36-year-old is gearing up to face fellow former world champion Tszyu, who will boast a home advantage when they collide in Australia on July 25.
The pair have reportedly agreed to a limit of 158lbs, with Spence looking to reinvent himself at a new weight and with a new trainer.
Now training with Ronnie Shields, this feels like an opportunity for the American to right the wrongs and perhaps even gain inspiration from his old amateur style.
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Speaking with ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT, Hall of Famer Jones said he would like to see Spence focus more on being an all-round boxer, rather than an all-out pressure fighter.
“Shout out to [Spence] for taking a fight of this magnitude right away, after being [out the ring] for three years.
“He’s taking on a guy who’s been active. [Tszyu’s] not been at the top – not had the best outcomes [in recent fights] – but he’s been highly active and he’s highly dangerous.
“When [Spence] was an amateur fighter, he was an all-round boxer. He just chose to use pressure in the pros but, to get where he wants to get, he’s got to go back to being that [fighter he was as an amateur].”
Spence was a vastly accomplished amateur who became a three-time national champion and entered the 2012 Olympics, only to lose his quarter-final bout against Russia’s Andrey Zamkovoy.
WWE Night of Champions 2026 is in the books, and Sami Zayn managed to do the unthinkable and become the new Undisputed Champion. His former colleague Karrion Kross had a heartwarming reaction to Zayn’s feat.
The PLE took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 27, and Cody Rhodes was defending his gold against Gunther and Sami Zayn. In a hellacious 19-minute bout where any of the three stars could have picked up the win, it was finally The Underdog From The Underground who emerged victorious in his 11th attempt. Now, former WWE Superstar Karrion Kross‘ reaction to the outcome has gone viral.
Thanks for the submission!
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Kross was captured during a live watch-along stream with fans when he was told that Zayn had won the Undisputed WWE Championship. Pleasantly surprised, he stood up. threw his arms in the air and had a smile on his face. The heartfelt video was shared by Instagram user @trainwrecksports.
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“Finally!” Kross said.
Watch his reaction in the video below:
Now going by the ring name Killer Kross in the independent circuit, the former Karrion Kross has been on a roll. He currently holds the MLW World Heavyweight, RPW Heavyweight, ACW Heavyweight, and WSW World Heavyweight Championships, and is looking to add to his tally.
Karrion Kross Feels Triple H Does Not Have A Free Hand In WWE
Killer Kross appeared recently on The Ariel Helwani Show and chatted about several topics.
When discussing the current Chief Content Officer’s role, Kross felt that Triple H does not entirely have a free hand in all matters. Despite the Hall of Famer getting a lot of heat from the fans for his recent decision-making, the former WWE star said that when he was still with the company, it felt as if the CCO couldn’t call all the shots the way he’d have liked to.
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“ I don’t think that’s him [Triple H]. He has his own patterns that I think were aligned with what the audience wanted to see, and that’s speaking as a person who used to work for him. And I knew when he could call all of his shots, and I had an idea of when he couldn’t. To me, this looks like a situation where he can’t call all of the shots. And I don’t mean that disrespectfully at all,” Kross said.
Karrion Kross’ final opponent in WWE was Sami Zayn at last year’s SummerSlam. He left the Stamford-based promotion after the defeat but still talks fondly about the company where he’s had two stints already.
Only time will tell if he ever returns to the promotion in the future.
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When Marsch kept Leeds in the Premier League on the final day of the 2022-23 season, he could hardly have envisaged he would be sacked a few months later.
But that is what happened after a run of seven games without a win, with Marsch later describing the decision as “foolish”.
It was a significant setback for the 52-year-old, who had long held an ambition to coach at the highest level. But another chance came in 2024, with the USA job.
The chance to manage his home country would have been a dream come true but, despite believing the job was his, the USA hierarchy decided instead to go with Mauricio Pochettino.
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Then came Canada.
Marsch was offered the position in May 2024 and he took it with the promise he would “unite the Canadian soccer community”, with the goal of having them ready to be competitive for the 2026 World Cup.
“I think what happened with the USA role burns with him, but it burns with him in a way that helps him now,” Soccer America’s Scott French, who has previously worked with Marsch, told BBC Sport.
“He has a chip on his shoulder.”
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Marsch threw himself fully into the role, travelling to nine cities in 10 days, holding meetings with fans and taking in as much Canadian culture as he could.
He also worked on developing deep personal connections with members of the Canada squad, making individual visits or inviting the players and their families to his home in Italy for holidays.
There is little doubt that the hard yards he put in during those early days has paid off, with a close bond between him, the players and the fans having developed.
One example of his influence on the players involves Liam Miller, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in late 2024.
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At times the midfielder questioned whether he would be able to return to anything like the player he was before, but Marsch – as he does with anyone who has suffered a bad injury – spent a significant amount of time visiting him and checking in on him.
When Miller was undergoing rehabilitation in Italy, Marsch invited the midfielder to spend time with him and his family at their home there.
Miller not only returned to full fitness but helped Hull City secure promotion back to the Premier League at the end of last season, and is now an important player for Canada at this World Cup.
“I’ve got to know all the players but Liam I have got to know really well and I think our relationship has become something that he has come to rely on,” Marsch said.
Alexander Rae is currently experiencing a remarkable period of success, which extended into Saturday at Caulfield when I’m Foxing outpaced her competitors in the MRC Membership Made Of Moments Handicap (1000m).
Despite securing victories in her last three starts, the I Am Immortal filly was listed at $21 by leading Aussie betting sites under the guidance of Luke Cartwright. She proved far too quick for a competitive field of three-year-old sprinters.
Cartwright immediately took the lead and recorded a commanding 4-1/4 length victory over Street Artist ($6), with Farcited ($12) finishing a further 3/4 of a length behind in third.
Rae has been in fine form recently, achieving nine wins from 29 runners in the past two months, and described having a filly with such significant potential as a thrilling prospect.
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“It’s really exciting and a great learning curve from my perspective,” Rae said.
“I did everything in my power to try and get this filly to switch off and I thought the key to her is going to be holding her up and having her strong late but over the last couple of months, we’ve just learnt to embrace her speed.
“She’s a fast horse. I understand that there’s not many of them that can burn the candle at both ends, but she’s an extreme talent and her speed is very effective this time of year and it looks like the world’s her oyster.”
Rae indicated that they would allow things to settle before potentially considering the Listed Lightning Stakes in Adelaide next month.
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“We’ve got the Lightning Stakes in Adelaide at the end of July, but she’s just done a remarkable job. We’re not going to commit to anything, but off the back of today’s performance, she looks like a potential spring filly.”
Luke Cartwright has extended his lead in the Melbourne Apprentice Jockey Premiership with his 38th metropolitan success this season, now holding a four-win advantage over Logan Bates, who has 34 wins. Cartwright expressed his admiration for I’m Foxing.
“She’s got talent and she knows how to use it,” Cartwright said.
“She’s got a nice, high cruising speed… from about the 400 (metres) I just let her quicken and when she sprinted, she sprinted very well.
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“A very good effort from her and a dominant display.”
With the Lightning Stakes on the horizon, explore the available betting markets for the race at Australian betting sites.
Irish jockey Adam Farragher has marked a significant career achievement, securing his first stakes race victory aboard the Ciaron Maher-trained Glory Daze in the Listed W J McKell Cup at Rosehill.
Farragher had previously ridden in seven black-type races for placings, including a Group 2 event in the UK, but expressed his jubilation at finally achieving a Listed win on Saturday.
“I didn’t get too many chances back home in these sort of races. They were few and far between,” Farragher stated. “I’m really delighted. It has been a long time coming.”
A former rider for William Haggas overseas, Farragher accompanied Dubai Honour during one of that horse’s Sydney carnival campaigns. He connected with Maher through a mutual friend and accepted the champion trainer’s offer to move to Australia late last year.
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Jo Gerard-Dubord, Ciaron Maher’s assistant trainer, was delighted to witness Farragher’s career-defining win from the trackside and highlighted it as a just reward for his persistent efforts.
“It’s good for Adam. He’s a hard worker, and he doesn’t get many opportunities,” Gerard-Dubord commented. “He has been here for a bit now and he has ridden a few good winners for us, and he rode him perfectly.”
Gerard-Dubord revealed that the W J McKell Cup was a pivotal race for Glory Daze, who had been struggling for form this campaign and was facing potential retirement if he did not perform at Rosehill.
“He’s had a bit of racing and he’s not getting any younger,” Gerard-Dubord explained. “He’s had his issues in the past, so when they lose form like that it’s usually hard to get them back. But off the back of that, there are a few more runs left in him.”
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Glory Daze ($31, as reported by leading Aussie betting sites) was steered to victory from the front by Farragher, showing great determination when challenged in the straight. The horse held off Tavros ($12) by a length, with the favourite God’s Window ($2.70) finishing a further half-neck behind in third.
Compare the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.
At the time of Clarke’s appointment in May 2019, Scotland were looking for someone who could do one principal thing – get the country back to a major men’s tournament for the first time since 1998.
That has been achieved, multiple times. So the remit for his successor will be to build on that success in qualifying for three finals by reaching the knockout phase.
Clearly that is easier said than done. Clarke has done a magnificent job in galvanising the squad and the country, developing a much-lauded club-like spirit, which has certainly played a role in qualification success.
That is something that must be fostered while evolving the make-up of a squad that was one of the oldest at the World Cup.
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But something else is required. Clarke was a pragmatist at heart and, although he set the team up in a more attacking formation in the win over Haiti, in particular, it never truly felt like the shackles were off.
Should the next manager be someone with a more attacking ethos? You feel that would be welcomed by fans, many of whom have despaired at exiting consecutive Euros and now a World Cup without really laying a glove on the opposition.
“This has been a special, special group. And he’s got the best out of them,” said former Scotland winger Pat Nevin, a close friend of Clarke.
“But a lot of them are not going to last. I know these days 40 seems young for a World Cup player. In reality, that’s not the way it is, though.
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“It’s not obvious who the next group of players are. So whoever comes in, it’s actually a bit of a monster job to do.”
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