FIFA World Cup 2026 - players.bio

Arab teams at 2026 World Cup: Canada, Switzerland score wins against Qatar, Bosnia

LOS ANGELES: Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to secure their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday as Switzerland reignited their campaign with a resounding defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tournament co-hosts Canada had lost all six of their previous matches at the World Cup, at the 1986 and 2022 finals, but brought that run of losses to a halt in spectacular fashion at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium. With Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — wearing a replica Canada shirt — among a fired-up crowd, Jesse Marsch’s side ran riot to secure a win that leaves them needing only a point against Switzerland to finish top of Group B. A hat-trick from Juventus striker Jonathan David, one goal apiece from Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba, and a Mohammad Manai own goal sealed Canada’s win. The victory was marred though by a serious left leg injury to midfielder Ismael Kone, who was stretchered off after being clumsily upended by Qatar’s Assim Madibo in the 51st minute. Madibo was initially shown a yellow card for the challenge which was subsequently upgraded to red. The stricken Kone was given oxygen as he was carried off the field, waving to fans. Canada coach Jesse Marsch revealed afterwards Kone was being treated in hospital for a suspected broken leg, adding that his staff had understood the severity of the injury immediately. “It was right in front of us, and everyone could hear the bone snap,” Marsch said.

Canada thrash 9-man Qatar for first-ever World Cup win

DUBAI: It took them two matches on home soil to get the result, but for the thousands of home fans packed into the BC Place stadium in Vancouver, Canada’s first-ever win at the World Cup was well worth the wait.

After draw vs. Brazil, Morocco face Scotland as favorites

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Scotland have hit ‌the ground running in the World Cup with an opening 1-0 victory over Haiti in Group C and with their Tartan Army of fans winning hearts in Boston, but their return to the city on Saturday to face Morocco could dampen their spirits.

A look at how World Cup stars young and old are faring after first week

NEW YORK: Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper has become a star at this World Cup, and a Senegal teenager scored in his tournament debut.

World Cup formations, explained: A look at how coaches are setting up their squads

GUADALAJARA, Mexico: It’s number-crunching time when it comes to formations at the World Cup. Every team start with a goalkeeper in front of the net, but then it’s up to the 48 coaches to try to arrange their lineups to optimize their players and match up effectively with opponents. On paper, the lists may look more like area codes, phone numbers or lottery combinations: 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 4-2-3-1 and so on. But it’s all about how coaches set up their 10 field players, with some of them focusing more on attacking, others on containing a tough opponent or maybe trying to capitalize on the talent of a star player. Coaches tend to have preferred formations, but it’s not unusual for them to change them depending on opponents or even during matches to secure a lead or reverse a deficit. Coaches frequently start a match with one scheme and finish it with another. Here’s a look at the nine formations used in the opening matches of World Cup group play, according to FIFA’s match reports, and what they mean: The traditional (4-4-2) Four defenders, four midfielders and two forward. That was used by 12 of the 48 teams involved in the first 24 matches at the World Cup.

Mexico, Korea eye World Cup knockout berths

LOS ANGELES: Mexico and South Korea will aim to punch their ticket to the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday when they meet in Guadalajara knowing a win would guarantee a last 32 berth. The Group A rivals head into the fixture at the Estadio Akron fresh from respective victories over South Africa and the Czech Republic in their opening games last week. The expanded 48-team format for this year’s World Cup — and the fact that the eight best-ranked third-placed teams will advance from the group stage — means that a win for either Mexico or South Korea would see them advance. Co-hosts Mexico eased past a poor South Africa in their opening game last week but are bracing for a significantly tougher test against a South Korean side studded with quality. “We have to be very wary of the opponents’ attacking transitions,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “When we are attacking, we can’t let our guard down; if there are two Koreans up front, there need to be three Mexicans.” The build-up to Thursday’s game has seen shrouded with intrigue, with a mystery drone spotted over South Korea’s training ground on Tuesday. Yonhap news agency reported that a South Korea team security officer spotted the device, and a Mexican military drone-interdiction specialist stationed at the training camp brought it down by emitting radio signals. Two men who were suspected to be the drone operators retrieved the crashed device and fled the scene in an incident which South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo described as “unfortunate” but insisted “did not impact us significantly.”

Egypt’s Emam Ashour tops Mbappe and Kane in World Cup shot-speed rankings

TORONTO: Egypt midfielder Emam Ashour scored the fastest goal in the first round of group-stage games at 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Wahi denied Canadian visa for Ivory Coast World Cup clash with Germany

ABIDJAN: Forward Elye Wahi will miss Ivory Coast’s second World Cup match against Germany after he was denied a visa to enter Canada, the Ivorian federation said on Thursday. “The administrative authorizations necessary for his entry into Canadian territory have not been obtained at this stage,” the Ivorian federation (FIF) said, adding that he would not be able to “travel with the delegation to Canada” for Saturday’s match in Toronto. The FIF gave no reason for his visa refusal. Wahi is the second World Cup player to be denied entry into Canada after Ghana’s Thomas Partey, who is facing rape charges in Britain. Several media reported on Thursday that Wahi had been questioned by French police over suspicions of spot-fixing in a Ligue 1 match while he was playing for Nice. The case revolves around a yellow card which Wahi picked up in a 0-0 draw with Metz in mid-May, after betting authorities had noticed an unusual volume of bets being placed on the 23-year-old being booked. The French football league (LFP) announced on Wednesday that it had lodged a complaint to police for “facts which could constitute sporting fraud and organized corruption.” Born in France, Wahi switched allegiances to the African nation in March and started in the Ivory Coast’s opening 1-0 Group E victory over Ecuador on Sunday. The Elephants final group stage match is against Curacao in the United States on June 25.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Sport News

Arab teams at 2026 World Cup: Canada, Switzerland score wins against Qatar, Bosnia

Canada thrash 9-man Qatar for first-ever World Cup win

After draw vs. Brazil, Morocco face Scotland as favorites

A look at how World Cup stars young and old are faring after first week

World Cup formations, explained: A look at how coaches are setting up their squads

Mexico, Korea eye World Cup knockout berths

Egypt’s Emam Ashour tops Mbappe and Kane in World Cup shot-speed rankings

Wahi denied Canadian visa for Ivory Coast World Cup clash with Germany