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Australia upset Turkey in their World Cup opener Nestory Irankunda became Australia's youngest World Cup goalscorer as a youthful Socceroos side stunned Turkey. Author | Josh T Stadium | BC Place Vancouver The Watford forward struck a superb first-half goal before Connor Metcalfe added a second to hand Tony Popovic's team the ideal start to their Group D campaign in Vancouver. At 20 years and 125 days old, Irankunda eclipsed the record previously held by Brett Holman, who scored against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup aged 26 years and 84 days. The former Bayern Munich player was one of 10 World Cup debutants named by Popovic in Australia's starting XI, making it the country's youngest side at a World Cup since their meeting with France in 2018. Irankunda's finish was of the highest quality. A deft touch after collecting a pass from Paul Okon-Engstler created the space he needed before he drove a low effort beyond the goalkeeper. Turkey are appearing at a World Cup for ...

A memorable night for Scotland They held out to beat Haiti and get their first World Cup win in a generation, but will they regret not scoring more goals? Author | Sean M Stadium | Boston Stadium John McGinn repaid head coach Steve Clarke's faith by firing Scotland to their first World Cup victory in 36 years as they edged past Haiti on their return to the men's tournament after a 28-year absence. Clarke said before the match that selecting the Aston Villa captain ahead of Ryan Christie was "probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make" and challenged the 31-year-old to justify his choice. It is fair to say McGinn did exactly that, sending his country to the top of Group C and taking a significant step towards reaching the knockout stage for the first time, even if it came on a tense and nerve-racking night. A difficult selection decision for the Scotland boss Usually among the first names on the teamsheet, McGinn's place had come under scrutiny after C...

A poor Brazil performance means Carlo Ancelotti has a lot to think about  Vinicius Jr spared them the embarrassment of an opening World Cup defeat for the first time since 1934 as his brilliant solo effort earned the five-time champions a draw against Morocco Author | James Y Stadium | New York New Jersey Stadium Brazil fell behind in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari lofted the ball over the advancing Alisson Becker from outside the penalty area following a breakdown in communication between the Liverpool goalkeeper and his defenders, Gabriel and Marquinhos. It was the first time the African champions had scored against South American opposition at a World Cup, having previously drawn blanks against Peru in 1970 and Brazil in 1998. READ MORE |  Qatar 1 - 1 Switzerland Morocco continued to dictate proceedings and, by the half-hour mark, had registered 12 shots, the most Brazil have faced in a World Cup match since their meeting with Mexico in 2018. Watch | Pre...

Historic moment for Qatar They claimed the first World Cup point in their history with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser against Switzerland. Author | Peter Grainger Stadium | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium Boualem Khoukhi rose to head home Homam El Amin's cross in the fourth minute of added time, sparking jubilant celebrations among Julen Lopetegui's players. A closer analysis of what happened It was a remarkable finale to a contest largely controlled by Switzerland, who had looked set to secure victory through Breel Embolo's first-half penalty. The striker converted from the spot after Remo Freuler was brought down by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, although television replays suggested the Bologna midfielder may have been marginally offside in the build-up. At that point, Murat Yakın's side appeared on course to move to the top of Group B ahead of more demanding fixtures against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada. How costly could these two dropped points be for Switze...

United States start World Cup with a fantastic performance They opened their World Cup campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory against Paraguay Author | Sophie T Stadium | Los Angeles Stadium It was the United States' joint-largest victory at a World Cup, matching the 3-0 wins over Paraguay and Belgium in 1930, when they went on to finish third. A closer look at what happened The hosts needed only seven minutes to take the lead in their Group D opener, much to the delight of a vocal home crowd, thanks to an own goal from Paraguay's Damian Bobadilla. Christian Pulisic was at the heart of the move, bursting between two defenders before finding Weston McKennie, whose cut-back was inadvertently turned into his own net by Bobadilla. Mauricio Pochettino's side believed they had doubled their advantage in the 28th minute when Folarin Balogun found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. The Monaco forward was not to be denied for long, however, drilling home from...

Co-hosts Canada start campaign with a draw Canada substitute Cyle Larin made an immediate impact as his late goal earned the co-hosts a point against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup. Author | Liam C Stadium | Toronto Stadium Larin had been on the pitch for little more than two minutes when he spun brilliantly away from Tarik Muharemovic before drilling a shot beyond Nikola Vasilj, with the ball taking a slight deflection on its way in. It marked the first time Canada had avoided defeat at a World Cup finals, having lost all three matches in 1986 and then again in 2022. A closer look at what happened Before the match, both sets of fans marched to the stadium and created a fantastic (and more importantly friendly) atmosphere.  Bosnia, who reached the tournament after winning penalty shootouts against Wales and Italy in the qualifying play-offs, took the lead in the 21st minute in Toronto. Jovo Lukic scored his first international goal when he h...

South Korea came from behind to beat the Czech Republic in their World Cup opener Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring the winner 10 minutes from time. Author | Ajay  Stadium | Estadio Guadalajara Son Heung-min and his team-mates dominated much of the contest against a Czech side that failed to register a shot on target until the 59th minute. Their captain, Ladislav Krejci, broke the deadlock when he rose highest to head in a long throw from Vladimir Coufal. Former Tottenham forward Son, captaining his country, was at the heart of South Korea's attacking play. He accounted for five of their eight first-half attempts, although his best opportunity was denied by goalkeeper Matej Kovar. South Korea responded swiftly  They were level just eight minutes later through Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom. Picked out inside the area by the impressive Lee Kang-in, Hwang wrong-footed Kovar, who had rushed from his line, with a clever dummy before delicately lifting the ball into the empt...