FIFA World Cup 2026 - players.bio

Haaland scores winner to send Norway into last-16 Brazil clash

ARLINGTON, United States: Erling Haaland scored a late winner as Norway set up a last-16 showdown with Brazil at the World Cup after taming the Ivory Coast 2-1 in Texas on Tuesday. The Manchester City striker prodded in from close range, the ball dribbling in on 86 minutes for his fifth goal of the tournament. It was the first time that Norway had won a knockout game in the history of the competition. After an even first half that was slow to get going, Antonio Nusa fired Norway into the lead six minutes before the break with one of the goals of the tournament. Manchester United’s Amad Diallo was sent on for the Ivory Coast after an hour and was immediately in the thick of it, stopping a certain second Norway goal and then grabbing a terrific equalizer on 74 minutes. With extra time looming, predator supreme Haaland got on the end of a cross by Patrick Berg to make some Norwegian history. They face five-time champions Brazil on Sunday in New Jersey with the quarter-finals at stake. A match between two physical teams was tepid to begin with at the impressive air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys. Ivory Coast had a sight of goal after 20 minutes, defender Ghislain Konan bursting into the Norway box from the left but finding the side netting. The Ivory Coast players and fans were irate just before the drinks break when the livewire Yan Diomande was brought down on the break just inside his own half. Referee Jesus Valenzuela surprisingly did not even book defender David Moller Wolfe. The 19-year-old winger Diomande, who appears set to join European champions Paris Saint-Germain from RB Leipzig, was growing into the game. The African side, one of the youngest at the tournament, were on top and particularly threatening

In football stronghold California, World Cup is a seismic event

SAN JOSE, California: Flying high in their best-ever start to a season, the San Jose Earthquakes rule football in these parts of California, but they’re making way for new kings as the US prepare for a World Cup knockout match against Bosnia on Thursday.

False hope and schadenfreude: Familiar feelings for Germany after another World Cup flop

BERLIN: Another World Cup, another early exit. Germany should be getting used to disappointment, but they don’t make it any less painful for a traditional soccer heavyweight that had been tentatively hoping for a fifth World Cup title to restore lost pride. Germany did manage to survive the group stage for the first time since winning the trophy in 2014, but their little consolation after Monday’s loss to unheralded Paraguay on penalties sent the team home after the first knockout game. “We messed it up,” Joshua Kimmich told reporters after the match in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It was a familiar feeling for the Germany captain who also struggled for explanations after the team’s group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “As a child, when you watched the national team during tournaments, it was always semifinals, finals, or world champions. There was always lots of success.

Soccer fans clash with police in The Hague after Morocco stuns the Netherlands at the World Cup

THE HAGUE: Soccer fans clashed with police in The Hague and celebrated in Casablanca after Morocco sent the Netherlands to their earliest World Cup exit, eliminating the Dutch on penalties on Monday night. The Netherlands has a sizable Moroccan community and fans of the Morocco soccer team were in a festive mood after the win, though sporadic clashes also erupted. Police in The Hague said “heavy fireworks were set off” in the Schilderswijk district, and that police officers were pelted with fireworks and stones. Riot squads charged the crowd and used a water cannon to break up the gathering. “A few individuals have been arrested for committing open violence,” police said. As the penalty shootout reached its climax, the tense silence inside a coffee shop popular with fans in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, gave way to a deafening roar when Ismael Saibari buried the decisive spot kick, sending his team into the Round of 16. The celebrations soon poured into the streets, with flares and fireworks cracking overhead, horns blaring and engines revving as fans celebrated deep into the night. Despite the late kickoff and the workday ahead, dozens of jubilant fans gathered on a main boulevard in Casablanca around 5 a.m.

Altitude unlikely to affect Ecuador when they face Mexico at the Azteca

MEXICO CITY: Altitude may have helped Mexico achieve a perfect record in the group stage of this World Cup, but they aren’t likely to provide the same edge against Ecuador in the Round of 32. Mexico swept through the group stage matches at the tournament for the first time in their history, but the unbeaten run came with a caveat. All three victories took place at venues more than 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) above sea level. El Tri often capitalized late, scoring five of its six goals after halftime, perhaps as fatigue began to take its toll. “We have a massive advantage as the host country because we’re playing at the Estadio Azteca with our fans and the altitude,” Mexican football commissioner Mikel Arriola said before the tournament.

Sweden face France’s attacking firepower at the World Cup

LOS ANGELES: France unleash their devastating forward line on Sweden in a last-32 tie at the World Cup on Tuesday, while Erling Haaland will try to fire Norway past the Ivory Coast into the next round. Co-hosts Mexico meanwhile bid to continue their journey in front of a fervent crowd at the Estadio Azteca when they take on Ecuador. The Swedish defense is bracing to face not only Kylian Mbappe, who has scored four times already in this tournament, but also Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who notched a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Norway in the group stage. Completing the French trio is Michael Olize, whose runs at defenders have been creating havoc. With attacking swagger and midfield flair, Les Bleus appear well-placed to reach their third final in as many World Cups. The only question mark might be their defense — and Sweden have their own high-profile forward line who will try to unlock it, although Premier League duo Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres have not fully fired yet at this tournament. If France get past Sweden, they will face not Germany — who were beaten in a penalty shootout for the first time in World Cup history on Monday — but their conquerors Paraguay. France coach Didier Deschamps said Sweden had “nothing to lose.” “Sweden are playing for their survival. Obviously they will do everything to win the game,” Deschamps said on Monday. “We need to stay humble, maintain our determination and concentration.

Is the Sports Minister responsible for World Cup failure?

Al Arabiya sports presenter Battal Algoos has asked experts if Saudi Sports Minister Yasser Al-Misehal, who resigned as president of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, was responsible for the national football team’s early exit in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Morocco ‘unstoppable’ says coach after Netherlands thriller

MONTERREY, Mexico: Morocco coach Mohamed Ouabhi believes his team is primed to make a deep run at the World Cup, declaring that the Atlas Lions could be “unstoppable” if they play to their potential. The Moroccans, beaten semifinalists at the 2022 World Cup, advanced to the last 16 on Monday after winning a thrilling battle with the Netherlands on penalties in Monterrey. It was another stylish display by the African champions, who dominated for long periods in a match that finished 1-1 after extra-time. Ouabhi said Moroccan football is now reaping the benefits of the 2022 team’s groundbreaking exploits in becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals. “The World Cup in Qatar changed the mentality of the Morocco team, and I’m well placed to speak about this,” said Ouabhi, who last year coached Morocco to a momentous victory at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile. “Moroccan players in Morocco believe in themselves, the supporters, the fans believe in us as well. It’s so important.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Sport News

Haaland scores winner to send Norway into last-16 Brazil clash

In football stronghold California, World Cup is a seismic event

False hope and schadenfreude: Familiar feelings for Germany after another World Cup flop

Soccer fans clash with police in The Hague after Morocco stuns the Netherlands at the World Cup

Altitude unlikely to affect Ecuador when they face Mexico at the Azteca

Sweden face France’s attacking firepower at the World Cup

Is the Sports Minister responsible for World Cup failure?

Morocco ‘unstoppable’ says coach after Netherlands thriller