While You Were Sleeping: All the World Cup action you missed on Friday night
Roberto 'Pico' Lopes celebrates after Cape Verde qualify for the knockout stages. Picture: Richard Callis/Sportsfile
Debutants Cape Verde prolonged their World Cup fairytale on Friday as they secured a place in the World Cup round of 32 following a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia to set up an unexpected clash with defending champions Argentina in Miami.
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.
After the final whistle, Cape Verde's players and staff huddled over their phones and broke out in celebration when the other match in the group ended, generating a roar from their supporters who banged on drums having cheered their team on all night.
The moment Cape Verde secured their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup 😍🇨🇻 pic.twitter.com/nsUcOCtSRX
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026
Read the full match report here.
Vozinha; W Pina (S Moreira 90'), R Lopes, D Borges, J Paulo; K Pina; R Mendes (G Rodrigues 71'), D Duarte, J Monteiro (L Duarte 71', W Semedo (H Varela 61'); D Livramento (N da Costa 61').
W Pina.
M Al-Owais; S Abdulhamid, A Al-Amri, H Al-Tombakti (A Lajami 33'), N Boushal Washl (M Al-Harbi 82'); S Al-Mandash, A Al-Khaibari (M Al-Juwayr 45'), N Al-Dawsari, S Al-Dawsari (S Al-Shamat 66'), M Kanno, F Albrikan.
S Abdulhamid, N Al-Dawsari, F Albrikan.
Francois Letexier (France).
D Duarte (Cape Verde).
"First, let’s celebrate. We’re so happy. Let’s hope all Cape Verdeans are happy too. From tomorrow, we’ll focus on the next match. It’s against Argentina, isn’t it? A tough match, but let’s believe. Anything is possible."
"We were very poor in creating actions. One cannot win a game this way. Our line of attack was not doing well. Our greatest problem today was creation and this was self evident."
Cape Verde (W0 D3 L0) is the first debutant to go unbeaten in their three group-stage matches at the FIFA World Cup since Senegal in 2002 (W1 D2 L0).
Every World Cup has a fairytale narrative: this year it's Cape Verde. A small archipelago nation of 10 volcanic islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 350 miles off the western coast of West Africa and with a population of roughly half a million people, Cape Verde were up against it coming into the 2026 finals.
And boy did they accept the challenge. A spirit-filled draw against Spain in their first game may have been dismissed as a fluke were it not for solid performances in their following two games that earned them three valuable points in the group stage, unbeaten status and coveted qualification to the knockout stages on their first go-round. Truly extraordinary.
The dream may end very soon when Verde face reigning World champions Argentina in the round of 32, but it was a hell of a ride. The players, understandably, will return heroes.
Spain will finish at the top of Group H after outlasting Uruguay 1-0 in a fiery encounter at Guadalajara.
With Uruguay desperate to avoid a second-straight group-stage exit, Spain looked much more comfortable in the early stages, though neither side were able to quickly get off the mark.
That all changed in the 42nd minute however, when Spanish midfielder Alex Baena received a clean cross in the box and was able to get just enough touch on it to guide it towards the bottom right of the goal.
An error from Fernando Muslera 😬
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026
Alex Baena puts Spain in front after the Uruguyan keeper fails to get hold of the ball pic.twitter.com/HUWn98QoXt
Uruguay’s goalkeeper Fernando Muslera appeared to do enough to save the shot, but he was unable to take control of the ball and it dribbled into the back of the net.
Straight red card for Agustin Canobbio!
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026
The Uruguay sees red for this late tackle on Pau Cubarsi 🔴 pic.twitter.com/nRBkp1XL4G
Read the full match report here.
F Muslera (S Rochet 45'); G Varela, M Olivera, S Caceres, J Sanabria (B Rodriguez 70'); R Bentancur, M Ugarte (N de la Cruz 45'), F Valverde (F Vinas 57'); A Canobbio, D Nunez, M Araujo.
G Varela, J Sanabria, N de la Cruz; A Canobbio.
U Simon; M Llorente, P Cubarsi, A Laporte, M Cucurella; Pedri (F Ruiz 60'), Rodri; L Yamal (N Williams 76'), M Merino (D Olmo 60'), A Baena (Y Pino 66'); M Oyarzabal (F Torres 76').
A Baena.
Ismail Elfath (Morocco).
A Baena (Spain).
"I have total confidence in this group. It is a team that wants to keep growing. We are on the right path, but every match from now on will be even more difficult."
Spain are the second team to finish their 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage without conceding a single goal, following Mexico. Argentina and Ghana could also join this list this weekend - OptaAnalyst.
You'd have bet good money at the beginning of the tournament that Marcelo Bielsa's side would qualify for the knockout stages.
Uruguay - who managed a paltry two draws to Saudi Arabi and Cape Verde and a loss to Spain - leave North America with their tail between their legs and little in the way accomplishment. Losing to European champions Spain could happen to anyone. Where the South American's World Cup came apart at the seams was failing to beat teams ranked 58th (Saudi Arabia) and 67th (Cape Verde) in the world.
Things just never ignited for them and without the services of forward Maxi Araujo it could have been even more embarrassing. Some will look to Turkey as being tournament flop but even they secured a win over hosts USA on Thursday.
Spain finish as Group H winners! 🔝#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 27, 2026
Leandro Trossard scored twice as Belgium thrashed New Zealand 5-1 to seal top spot in Group G and a place in the round of 32, while the Kiwis bowed out of the tournament.
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. In the other match in the group, Egypt drew 1-1 with Iran.
Read the full match report here.
M Crocombe; T Payne (M Boxall 64'), F Surman, T Bindon, L Cacace (F De Vries 79'); M Stamenic, J Bell (C McCowatt 64'); R Thomas (B Old 45'), S Singh (J Randall 45'), E Just; C Wood.
M Stamenic, E Just.
T Courtois; T Castagne, B Mechele, A Theate, M De Cuyper; H Vanaken, Y Tielemans (N Raskin 85'), L Trossard (A. Saelemaekers 72'), K De Bruyne (A Onana 72'), J Doku (M Fernandez 56'); C De Ketelaere (R Lukaku 85').
Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan).
L Trossard (Belgium).
Romelu Lukaku scored his sixth FIFA World Cup goal today, becoming Belgium’s all-time top scorer in the tournament, surpassing Marc Wilmots (5); in addition, he became the second player to score in three different FIFA World Cups for Belgium (2014, 2018, 2026) – behind Kevin De Bruyne also achieved the feat in this game (2014, 2018, 2026) - OptaAnalyst.
A demolition job. That is all the Belgian encounter with the Kiwis can be described as, and how it was needed for the Red Devils. Belgium were going through the motions in their opening two fixtures - with two draws and only one goal scored - but they hit the ground running against New Zealand and showed their true quality with their big names displaying some serious moments of quality. Is it finally all coming together for Rudi Garcia's men before the KO phase?
Iran face an anxious wait to see if they will progress to the World Cupknockout stage after they came from behind to hold Egypt to a 1-1 draw, which ended in dramatic fashion with an apparent last-ditch winner ruled out for offside.
Egypt, whose qualification for the last-32 was already guaranteed, took the lead inside five minutes through Mahmoud Saber, before Ramin Rezaeian equalised from a tight angle in the 14th minute of a frantic start.
Read the full match report here.
M Shoubir; M Hany, M Abdelmonem (Y Ibrahim 14'), R Rabia, A Fatouh; M Saber (M Attia 45'), M Lasheen; M Zico (Abdelkarim 76'), M Salah (Zizo 57'), E Ashour (O Marmoush 45'); M Trezeguet.
M Saber, Y Ibrahim, M Lasheen.
A Beiranvand; R Rezaeian, H Kanani (S Hardani 45'), A Nemati, S Khalilzadeh, M Mohammadi; M Ghorbani, S Ghoddos (S Shahriar 67'), S Ezatolahi; M Mohebbi (A. Jahanbakhsh 90'), M Taremi.
H Kanani, A Nemati, S Ezatolahi, S Khalilzadeh.
Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
M Shoubir (Egypt).
Ramin Rezaeian scored his third goal in FIFA World Cup play, moving past Mehdi Taremi (two) for most ever scored by an Iranian player. Rezaeian’s four goal involvements (3G 1A) are also the most in IR Iran’s FIFA World Cup history - OptaAnalyst.
A final look at Group G 🔎#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 27, 2026
Ousmane Dembele scored a stunning first-half hat-trick as France secured top spot in their World Cup group with a convincing 4-1 win over much-changed Norway.
The Paris St Germain star struck three times in the opening 32 minutes in Boston as France maintained their 100% record in Group I in the absence of coach Didier Deschamps.
A first-half hat-trick, four goals in five days and a place in French World Cup history for Ousmane Dembele 🇫🇷🎩 pic.twitter.com/P3UirOloV6
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 26, 2026
Kylian Mbappe failed to register for the first time in the tournament but still crafted two assists in a sparkling performance that was capped by a late header from Desire Doue.
Read the full match report here.
Senegal kept their World Cup knockout hopes alive in dominant fashion on Friday with a 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq, who were eliminated from the tournament.
Survival was on the line as both sides entered the match needing to win, preferably by a large margin, to stay in the hunt for one of the last eight spots in the round of 32.
Senegal struck in the fourth minute after Lamine Camara hooked a corner into the box and Abdoulaye Seck’s downward header grazed off the boot of teammate Habib Diarra to send the ball up and over Iraq keeper Ahmed Basil.
Read the full match report here.
A final look at Group I as France and Norway head to the knockouts 🔜#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 26, 2026
Paris St Germain defender and Morocco international Achraf Hakimi will appeal to France's highest court after a ruling confirming that he should stand trial on a rape charge, his lawyer Fanny Colin told Reuters on Friday.
Hakimi's referral for trial was confirmed by the Versailles Court of Appeal on June 19 after it upheld an investigating magistrate's order sending the 27-year-old before a criminal court over the alleged rape of a woman in 2023.
Hakimi has denied the allegation since the start of the proceedings.
The Morocco captain is with his national team at the World Cup in the United States. No trial date has been set.
World Cup winner and TV pundit Bastian Schweinsteiger on Friday rejected claims his comments on African football were racist, saying he was merely delivering an analysis of a playing style, with Germany's state broadcaster backing him.
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae had said on Thursday that Schweinsteiger's comments in which he had called African football "wild" and "unorthodox" could be labelled racist.
"I was talking about football, not people," Schweinsteiger said in a statement through broadcaster ARD to Reuters. "This is a football analysis—nothing more, nothing less. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone."
Schweinsteiger, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, is a pundit at the World Cup for ARD. Last week, before Germany beat the Ivorians in their second Group E fixture in Toronto, he said that Germany needed to be "prepared for it to be unpredictable at times".
He said Ivorians played "African football", which he characterised as "a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical".
"Bastian Schweinsteiger commented on his expectations regarding the Ivory Coast team's style of play, summarising his experiences and observations from recent matches," said ARD Sports coordinator Axel Balkausky in the statement.
"The discussion was about a footballing assessment, not the people themselves. I cannot detect any form of racism in his remarks or his choice of words."
"If the Ivory Coast coach, Emerse Fae, were to speak directly with Bastian, I am certain his suspicions would be dispelled in no time. Perhaps such an opportunity will arise later in the tournament," he said.
Thomas Tuchel switched up his left-back for England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana as Djed Spence came in for Nico O’Reilly. Ghana were always going to seek to hit England on the counter, so Spence’s defensive capability came in handy.
The issue, though, was that Ghana were set up to frustrate the Three Lions. Space was at a premium, especially in the final third. And an imbalanced left side didn’t help matter. Anthony Gordon’s inclination is to cut in from the left flank. Spence, a right- back by trade, prefers to cut onto his stronger right foot when operating down the left. It’s an issue Tuchel needs to rectify.
England were left frustrated by Ghana in Boston on Tuesday night. The Black Stars played for a point, remained compact and sought to hit the Three Lions on the counter. It was the ‘must not lose’ approach that head coach Carlos Queiroz is renowned for.
And the 73-year-old is unlikely to stray the course when Ghana face Croatia on Saturday night. The Black Stars rank second bottom for possession (29.6%) at the World Cup. They’re also second bottom for shots per 90 (4.5). They won’t go all out to blitz opponents, and that’s likely to ring true against the Vetrini. Expect another resolute showing in the Group L finale.
Portugal followed up their 1-1 draw with DR Congo with a resounding 5-0 win over tournament debutants Uzbekistan. It was the game where Cristiano Ronaldo made history as he became the first player to score at six different World Cups.
And now, Roberto Martinez may take the chance to unleash Rafael Leao down the left flank. The AC Milan star scored off the bench against the White Wolves and has completed two dribbles across 26 minutes of World Cup action, the fourth most of all Portugal players. Pedro Neto and Joao Felix have both featured down the left for Portugal this summer, and have flattered to deceive. Time for Leao to be handed a chance?
2026 marked DR Congo’s second ever World Cup appearance. Victory over Jamaica in the inter-continental playoff saw the African nation book their spot stateside. While they were not handed a favourable draw on paper, they still held their own against Portugal and Colombia.
Now, a win against Uzbekistan would see the Leopards book a round-of-32 spot. In the process, they’d be able to finally put the 1974 showing to rest. Then known as Zaire, they lost all three games and conceded 14 goals. The shot of Mwepu Ilunga charging out of the wall to hoof a Brazil free-kick away is synonymous with the first ever appearance. “After 52 years to have an opportunity to wipe out the bad image of 1974 must be seen as a massive success,” former minister of sport Kabulo Mwana Kabulo said. Victory and progression will do just that.
With two wins from two and no goals conceded, Argentina are guaranteed to finish top of Group J. That does mean that the defending champions are afforded a rest ahead of the round-of-32.
As such, head coach Lionel Scaloni is free to change up his first choice XI. Captain Lionel Messi is expected to drop out of the side, while Marcos Senesi, Exequiel Palacios and Giuliano Simeone may feature from the outset. Either way, this will be a good test for Argentina to determine how they fare without squad leader Messi.
Jordan won’t be the toughest opponent for the defending champions but it’ll be one to keep an eye on.
Algeria and Austria sit level on three points in Group J having both beaten Jordan. It means that neither side will drop below the tournament debutants as head-to-head comes into effect.
Additionally, this is a group stage match that neither side will want to win. A point will be enough for Austria to finish second. However, Ralf Rangnick’s men may even prefer to lose in order to finish third. That’s because the runner-up from Group J is set to play Spain in the next round. The team that finishes third takes on Switzerland.
It’s in Austria’s best interest to not win. It’s highly unlikely that Rangnick’s side will throw the game, yet we could be in for a monotonous end the 2026 group stage campaign.
Ben McAleer
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