Following a hectic 17-day schedule featuring 72 group-stage matches, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is finally entering its business end, as hosts Canada take on South Africa in the opening Round of 32 match at Los Angeles Stadium tonight. 

Democratic Republic of Congo superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga will miss their key World Cup clash against Uzbekistan on Saturday because he was not granted a United States visa.

Iran left a note in their locker room following a 1-1 draw with Egypt on Friday, thanking Seattle for its hospitality during the World Cup, and appeared to express disappointment over the result that left their place in the knockout stage in limbo.

North America has already delivered a tournament full of extremes. From established contenders dismantling underdogs, to emerging sides punching above their weight, the 2026 World Cup has already written its share of shock narratives.

The first round ended as a story of Argentine success across the world, with one painful exception for Bielsa.

Australia full back Jacob Italiano and veteran attacker Mathew Leckie are out of the World Cup with injuries, the Socceroos confirmed on Friday.

The expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup has introduced a brand-new brand of tournament cruelty: the third-place wildcard tracker. With 12 groups in play, only the eight best third-placed teams, alongside the usual top two sides from each group, will punch their ticket to the newly minted Round of 32.

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei criticised travel restrictions imposed on the team by the United States after their 1-1 draw with Egypt at the World Cup in Seattle on Saturday.

England and Portugal will aim to finish on a high as the World Cup group stages draw to a close on Saturday with the final places in the knockout rounds up for grabs.

The exit brings a chaotic end to Bielsa’s three-year tenure, which was clouded by reports of squad disharmony and structural tension. Facing a room of heavy media scrutiny, the 70-year-old manager refused to deflect the responsibility.

In a tournament that began with the public questioning the wisdom of expanding to 48 teams, Cape Verde's success will leave many wondering what took so long.

Under FIFA's Law 11, because an offside player gained an unfair advantage by initiating that secondary goal-line chaos, the phase of play was corrupted from its very inception. Consequently, the referee had no choice but to disallow Khalilzadeh's subsequent low finish.

Belgium finished above Egypt on goal difference after they both finished with five points from three matches, followed by Iran on three points and New Zealand on one.

Iran's Mehdi Taremi – who had a penalty saved in the first half – hit the crossbar with a late header before Shoja Khalilzadeh thought he had scored a dramatic 93rd-minute winner, but it was ruled out for offside.

Cape Verde have written one of the most remarkable stories of the FIFA World Cup, becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stage in their tournament debut.

Only Paraguay have already played all three of their group matches -- the other four countries still have a group game to play but are already assured of playing in the knockout round of this 48-team World Cup.

Spain's 1-0 victory over Uruguay earned them top spot in the pool with seven points, while three draws were enough for Cape Verde to earn second place. Uruguay and the Saudis were both eliminated with two points.

Alex Baena's 42nd-minute strike settled an attritional battle in Spain's favour in Guadalajara that condemned the Uruguayans to an early exit.

Widely regarded as a pioneer of Japanese football, Zico admits the fixture carries special significance for him, but says there is no doubt where his loyalties lie.

Lionel Messi starts on the bench as Argentina take on Jordan in their final Group J match at Dallas Stadium on Saturday with coach Lionel Scaloni making nine changes to the side that defeated Austria in their previous match.