The wait is over. Just over 20 years after making his FIFA World Cup debut, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first-ever knockout stage goal for Portugal at the tournament. Portugal was awarded a penalty kick after VAR review in the 68th minute of Portugal’s round of 32 match against Croatia on Thursday at Toronto Stadium and…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s inclusion in Portugal’s starting lineup for its round-of-32 match against Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup allowed him to make more history. At 41 years and 147 days old, the Portugal star became the oldest player to ever play in a World Cup knockout-stage match on Thursday. It’s also Ronaldo’s 26th World…
It’s become one of the enduring scenes of the U.S. team during this World Cup: jubilant U.S. players joining tens of thousands of fans in singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” at the end of their matches. Even coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was born in Argentina and lives in Spain, got in on…
Folarin Balogun entered an exclusive club with his goal for the United States against Bosnia and Herzegovina — but only because he also got a red card. In FIFA World Cup history, there have only been four players to score and be sent off in the same game during the knockout stage. Here are the…
In previous years, the Round of 16 was the first knockout stage match, but with an expanded field of 48 teams— it is now the second. Let’s check out the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 2 for which countries are favored to make the Round of 16 and emerge from it. This page…
“Bear Bets” are real wagers that Chris “The Bear” Fallica is actually making. We’re moving right along after a week that’s been filled with some of the most intense matches we’ve seen on the World Cup stage. Will Friday bring even more drama? Here’s how I’m wagering on Match Day 23. This page may contain…
While this World Cup has been a lot of fun to follow for the USA, this journey is about this group. It’s a thing of beauty, and it’s not even finished. So many more people are hopping on this train right now. It was incredible to see these players being serenaded with the love they…
Switzerland will face Algeria in a 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 showdown on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at BC Place Vancouver on FS1. Switzerland is one of four teams in the field to make the knockout stage in four consecutive World Cups. However, it is the only one of those four that did…
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann met with his bosses to answer questions about his team’s disappointing World Cup performance at a special crisis meeting at the headquarters of the German soccer federation on Thursday. Nagelsmann is in the firing line, and his future is uncertain after Germany’s loss to Paraguay on penalties in the country’s round…
Two goals, a red card and a 24-year-old streak broken — and that was just in the United States’ first knockout stage match of the tournament. Between that and two more unforgettable comeback wins from England and Belgium, it was a day at the World Cup to remember. Here’s the best of Match Day 21…
