World Cup schedule, live updates: England, Portugal and Argentina back in action as group play ends

The 2026 World Cup bracket shall be finalized after Saturday’s six matches wrap up group stage play. The United States men’s national team has known its Round of 32 opponent for a couple of days, however the remainder of its potential path to the ultimate is coming into focus.

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England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Reilly, Konsa, Guéhi, Quansah; Anderson, Bellingham, Rogers; Saka, Rashford, Kane

Panama (5-4-1): Mosquera; Córdoba, Escobar, Harvey, Andrade, Murillo, Gutiérrez; Martínez, Rodríguez, Bárcenas

Croatia (4-2-3-1): Livaković; Stanišić, Pongračić, Šutalo; Kovačić, Modrić, Vlašić, Baturina, Sučić; Budimir, Perišić

Ghana (4-3-3): Asare; Adjetey, Mensah, Luckassen, Senaya; Partey, Sibo, Semenyo, Owusu; Ayew, Sulemana

1. England – 4 factors (+2 GD)
2. Ghana – 4 factors (+1 GD)
3. Croatia – 3 factors (-1 GD)
4. Panama – 0 factors (-2 GD)

Qualified: None
Eliminated: Panama

The prime two spots in Group L stays up for grabs heading into the ultimate matchday.

England enters the finale atop the standings on purpose differential, however Ghana and Croatia are shut behind. England can safe the group with a win over Panama, whereas Ghana and Croatia will meet with a spot in the Round of 32 and doubtlessly first place on the road. Even the loser might stay alive in the race for one of many eight third-place berths.

Panama has been eradicated, however might nonetheless play spoiler towards England.

So far, the pre-tournament favourite to win the primary 10 teams at sportsbooks has come via, with the United States profitable Group D at +150 the longest shot of any group.

Will England and Portugal make it an ideal 12-for-12?

France will have its manager back in time for the spherical of 32 matchup towards Sweden on Tuesday in New Jersey. Deschamps left before the staff’s 5-1 win over Norway on Friday to finish an ideal group stage.

Assistant Guy Stéphan took cost of the Norway match.

The 57-year-old Deschamps has led France’s males’s nationwide staff since 2012, guiding the staff to the 2018 World Cup title and a follow-up look in the 2022 closing, as nicely as to the ultimate of the 2016 Euros and 2024 semifinals. As a participant, he helped the staff win the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros.

Spain supervisor Luis de la Fuente mentioned after Friday’s 1-0 win over Uruguay that the winger might not return to the aspect, whereas Nico Williams might play once more in the event.

“[Williams] felt discomfort,” De la Fuente said afterward. “It could be a strain, or it might be fatigue. But the worst thing is the huge pain we feel with Yéremy, who could miss the rest of the World Cup.”

Pino entered the match in the second half, however would injure his collar bone throughout a fall. He would end out the sport and was seen carrying a sling after the sport.

“[Pino’s] could be a collar bone injury,” he added. “We’ll see, he’ll undergo tests tomorrow. He’s suffering a lot. He made a huge effort to hold on until the end of the game. It was heroic.”

James is coping with a hamstring damage and didn’t journey with the squad from their base camp in Kansas City to New Jersey for Saturday’s group-stage finale.

England supervisor Thomas Tuchel mentioned they’re hopeful James can return for his or her spherical of 32 match

“Reece has a minor hamstring injury. He was not able to train the last two days. He is now in an accelerated rehabilitation program,” Tuchel said Friday. “We take it game by game, but we strongly believe that he will be available for us in the tournament.”

Only eight of the perfect third-place groups will advance. Scotland are at the moment tenth in the third-place desk on three factors. In order to achieve the spherical of 32, they may want the next to occur on the ultimate day of group play:

The World Cup’s group stage wraps up on Saturday as groups in Groups J, Ok and L vie for previous few spots and extra favorable knockout-round matchups.

The stars shall be out once more with England and Portugal back on the sphere as Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo attempt to add to their purpose tallies. Lionel Messi will begin on the bench, however may even see action on Saturday.

Read about the matchups here.

Lionel Messi will start Argentina’s World Cup 2026 group stage match towards Jordan on the bench, head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed to reporters on Friday.

Messi, 39, has scored all 5 of Argentina’s objectives in the 2026 World Cup. With his two versus Austria, he became the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer with 18. He’s the present favourite to win the Golden Boot.

Argentina has already received Group J. That offers La Albiceleste a possibility to relaxation a few of their gamers and rotate in others who haven’t but performed. Messi just isn’t coping with an damage, Scaloni clarified.

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The Round of 32 is sort of full and we already know a number of matchups that’ll be performed subsequent week.

With that in thoughts, here are some odds and early picks for the knockout round, together with a wager to make on the Canada-South Africa and USA-Bosnia and Herzegovina matches.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has supplied males’s nationwide staff head coach Mauricio Pochettino an extension that will maintain him beneath contract for one more World Cup cycle, via 2030, in accordance with a Friday report from The Athletic.

The proposal was made to Pochettino earlier than this yr’s event, per the report, which additionally acknowledged {that a} resolution will not be made till after the 2026 World Cup. Pochettino’s present deal is ready to run out following this yr’s event, throughout which the USMNT assured its spot in the Round of 32 as the winner of Group D.

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Seconds after tying Saudi Arabia 0-0 on Friday evening, gamers from Cape Verde, the third-smallest nation to ever play in the World Cup, huddled round a telephone and waited for the top of Spain’s win over Uruguay to go closing for the dream to be actual.

Would the most important underdog story of the 2026 World Cup proceed for no less than another recreation? The answer was yes. And, in some way, Cape Verde is now an excellent greater underdog.

Up subsequent for the Blue Sharks: Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Round of 32.

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Whether from exhaustion or disappointment, the Iranians had nothing left after the sport ended. Many have been collapsed or crying on the sphere nonetheless in disbelief.