Football/Soccer 3 Days

Last updated: June 22, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

FIFA World Cup 2026 Drama Unfolds

Mohamed Salah delivered a vintage performance to lead Egypt to their first-ever World Cup win, a 3-1 victory over New Zealand on Sunday night. The talismanic forward scored the go-ahead goal and assisted another, ending years of World Cup disappointment for Egypt, whose tournament debut was 92 years ago Salah's World Cup pain ends. This tournament continues to be a proving ground for seasoned stars, with Salah winding back the clock Salah stepped up, while it has also signaled the end of the World Cup road for some of the game's older generation. Meanwhile, Cape Verde continued their unexpected surge, securing a draw against two-time winners Uruguay to remain unbeaten in their maiden World Cup appearance.

Iran, despite facing significant pre-tournament disruption, has achieved an unbeaten start to the World Cup, holding a 10-man Belgium to a goalless draw. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was instrumental, making seven crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet and secure a point that propelled Iran to the top of Group G. Coach Amir Ghalenoei asserted his team played a "beautiful game" under challenging circumstances, believing their resilient performance will be remembered for years to come Iran played 'beautiful game'. The team's resilience was also noted by the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, who commented on an alleged attempt by an individual with ties to the IRGC to board the Iran team's flight to Los Angeles, though Iran has denied these claims Iran deny militant tried to board team plane.

Spain, after a somewhat hesitant start, finally announced their arrival at the World Cup with a dominant 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia. The emergence of 18-year-old Lamine Yamal has been a revelation, with the youngster scoring his first World Cup goal and providing a spark that transformed Spain's attack Yamal nets 1st World Cup goal. Coach Luis de la Fuente acknowledged Yamal's impact but cautioned against premature comparisons to Lionel Messi Spain coach: A mistake to compare Yamal to Messi. Elsewhere, Japan produced their biggest ever World Cup victory, a 4-0 thrashing of Tunisia, as they reiterated their ambition to win the tournament Japan set sights on WCup glory.

The United States men's national team is showing a new confidence at the 2026 World Cup, with players like Alex Freeman, whose father was a Super Bowl winner, stepping into the spotlight. Freeman celebrated a "full circle family moment" by scoring against Australia on a field reminiscent of where his father played Freeman goal for U.S. 'full circle family moment'. The team secured a spot in the knockout rounds with a 2-0 win over Australia, a victory achieved without the injured Christian Pulisic U.S. sees off Australia, advances to WC knockouts. Zlatan Ibrahimović and Chris Richards both believe the USMNT has a genuine chance to win the tournament U.S. winning the WC not 'ridiculous'.

Scotland faces a critical juncture in their World Cup campaign, with a "dilemma" for manager Steve Clarke ahead of their clash with Brazil Clarke's Scotland 'dilemma'. Despite facing intense pressure and controversial refereeing decisions, including a denied penalty against Morocco Penalty controversy as Scotland punished, the team has shown resilience and substance Flawed but relentless Scotland show themselves. Questions linger over Scott McTominay's impact, though some argue he has not received the expected support What is behind McTominay's understated World Cup?.

Cricket and Rugby Updates

In cricket, England's struggles against New Zealand were starkly highlighted by a 253-run defeat at The Oval, leveling the series England's unsurprising defeat sets up tantalising decider. The absence of captain Ben Stokes was keenly felt, with Stuart Broad lamenting the team's dependence on his leadership Broad: England's Oval hammering shows how much they need Stokes. Stokes is now set to return to captain the side for the series-deciding third Test at Trent Bridge, alongside Gus Atkinson Stokes to captain England. Meanwhile, in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, England secured a victory over Scotland Stand-in skipper Dean guides England, and defending champions New Zealand edged Ireland in a thriller to keep their own tournament hopes alive New Zealand edge Ireland in thriller.

On the rugby union front, Leinster demolished the Bulls 36-7 to retain their United Rugby Championship title. However, the victory was marred by injuries to key Ireland players Caelan Doris and Tommy O'Brien, who have been ruled out of the upcoming Nations Championship Ireland captain Doris ruled out. In the Premiership Rugby final, Northampton Saints came from behind to beat Exeter Chiefs 26-17 to clinch the title, with George Hendy scoring two crucial tries in the final minutes.

Tennis and Golf

The US Open saw Wyndham Clark secure his second major championship, holding off a strong challenge from Scottie Scheffler. Clark built a commanding lead and survived a scare in the final round to win by one shot at Shinnecock Hills. Scheffler, despite falling short in his bid to complete the career Grand Slam, expressed optimism about his chances after a strong third-round fightback. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, was left frustrated by a disappointing weekend display that ended his major aspirations ‘Shinnecock won the battle!’. Serena Williams has received the final wild card for the women's singles at Wimbledon Serena Williams receives final Wimbledon singles wild card, as she prepares for her Grand Slam comeback.

In other tennis news, Francisco Cerundolo claimed the Queen's title after a marathon final against Tommy Paul, which lasted three hours and three minutes, setting a new record for the championship's longest final Cerundolo beats Paul to win Queen's title. Aryna Sabalenka's Wimbledon preparations suffered a setback with a semi-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the Berlin Open Sabalenka's Wimbledon preparations take a knock.

Motorsport and Other Sports

Mercedes is reportedly set to discuss internal team battles between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as Toto Wolff seeks to manage potential championship threats, including to Lewis Hamilton. The team believes they have identified the reasons behind their "very painful" reliability issues this season and are working on implementing fixes Mercedes find reasons for ‘very painful’ failures.

In horse racing, Almeraq won the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in a thrilling international sprint. The event featured a strong international field competing for top honors Almeraq bounces back to win Royal Ascot sprint spectacular.

Transfer Rumors and Club News

Transfer speculation continues to swirl, with reports suggesting that Marcus Rashford might still make a move to Barcelona Rashford might still join Barca. Liverpool has reportedly rejected a €25 million (£21.7 offer from Inter Milan for midfielder Curtis Jones Liverpool reject £21.7m Inter Milan offer. Tottenham Hotspur is facing uncertainty regarding midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who has expressed a desire to leave the club. In Dutch football, Ajax has parted ways with coach Oscar Garcia following a turbulent season Garcia out as Ajax coach.