USA v Australia kicks off in an hour, in Seattle …

And that concludes our World Cup build-up blog for today. We’ll leave you in the capable hands of our live bloggers, with Jeff Rueter on duty for USA v Australia (noon local/3pm ET/8pm BST/5am AEST) and John Brewin taking on Scotland v Morocco later (6pm local time/11pm BST/8am AEST).

Thanks for reading, commenting and emailing, and everything else. Bye!

Members of a news crew in Argentina have lost their jobs after falsely reporting the death of Lionel Messi’s father.

Florencia Peña announced on Luzu ⁠TV that Jorge Messi had died and went on to suggest that Messi would not play any further matches in the World Cup. In the aftermath of the report, the ⁠Messi family issued ⁠a statement on Thursday announcing that Messi Sr. was in hospital with an undisclosed medical issue, but was “progressing favourably”.

Algeria have lodged a ⁠complaint about alleged poor refereeing in their 3-0 ⁠World Cup ⁠defeat ​by Argentina this week, it was reported on Friday.

Algeria sent ⁠a letter to Fifa’s refereeing ​commission, with ‌particular reference ‌to the first-half incident when ‌Argentina’s Lionel Messi stood on the calf of Algeria captain Aissa Mandi.

Algeria supporters screamed for Messi to be sent off ‌– but the forward was not punished and went ​on to score a hat-trick.

The match in Kansas City was refereed by Szymon Marciniak of Poland, ⁠who was in charge of the ​2022 ​World Cup final ​in Qatar, when ​Argentina ‌beat France ​on ​penalties. Reuters

If you’ve not read Barney Ronay on England 4-2 Croatia, why not read Barney Ronay on England 4-2 Croatia?

England played like a Premier League team, but they were more like a Premier League team of the 2000s, all galloping adrenaline, running power, the can’t‑live‑with-it thrusts. This is not in itself a recipe for victory against elite opponents. But the key is that this team has that in its chamber.

Pickford and Kane were posed the following question from fans:

What are you having on your chips? Mushy peas, baked beans, gravy, or curry sauce?

Kane: “To be fair, if it was me, I’m just going salt and a bit vinegar. No sauce. The vinegar is kind of the sauce, no?”

Pickford: “I get all three. I don’t get baked beans. I get mushy peas, curry sauce and gravy. And just have a little bit of each.

Kane: “That’s next-level.”

Pickford: “I just have a little mix. I get loads of scraps as well. Salt and vinegar. Bosh.”

This is great banter, it really is.

Shall we dip back into that premium England content with Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane? OK.

Greetings from Los Angeles – from your own podcasting correspondent. England aside, it’s been 20 years since I was in the host country for a major tournament. Professional commitments make this a marginally different experience from driving around Germany with Ian, Matt and Oli in 2006 just wondering when the next stein was going to be thrust into my hands – dancing with Trinidad and Tobago fans, feeling lucky to miss out on Brazil v Australia tickets because my hangover was too much for the sun.

The question you are asked most by people back home is along the lines of: “Is there World Cup fever in the States?” I am reminded of a local TV crew who walked around central Cambridge on the eve of our FA Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace in 1990 asking people how they felt about the game, and being rewarded with lots of nice middle-class people who didn’t even know there was a football team in Cambridge.

I know you’d like to read a bit more Harry Kane on singing Wonderwall with the England fans after the opening win against Croatia … so here goes.

“We love that stuff,” Kane said. “Me and Picks [Jordan Pickford], and all of the squad, we’re fans, we’ve grown up watching England in those environments.

“To be on the other side now doesn’t mean that we’re disconnected, it means we’re trying to give the fans special moments like yesterday.

“Hopefully we can give the fans more of those moments.”

The full, unredacted episode of the Lions’ Den is here on England’s YouTube channel.

Spain entered the World Cup as one of the favourites but after an underwhelming display against Cape Verde, the European champions need a sharper attacking edge ⁠against Saudi Arabia in Group ​H on Sunday.

Luis de la Fuente’s side were held to a shock 0-0 draw by the World Cup debutants in Atlanta on Monday and return to the same stadium to face Saudi Arabia, who also drew their opener 1-1, against Uruguay.

Spain and Uruguay were expected to take the top two places in the group, with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde left to battle for one of ​the best third-placed spots.

Instead, all four have ‌a point each, and De la Fuente ‌may opt to start the winger Lamine Yamal to inject some pace in attack. Before the Cape Verde game, the Spanish manager said ‌the introduction of Yamal from the bench would depend on how the match was progressing, with the 18-year-old returning from injury.

He can hardly have expected the need to turn to Yamal in an effort to win the game, and while the teenager did spark life into Spain for the final 20 minutes, it was not enough.

Nico Williams also came off the bench late, and both he and Yamal may get the nod this time, with ‌the ineffectual Gavi and misfiring Ferran Torres poised to make way.

Yamal, however, is not ready to play a full match, so the manager must decide whether to start him, ​and hope to get the job done, or keep him in reserve again.

The striker Mikel Oyarzabal failed to touch the ball in the opening half an hour against Cape Verde. Those behind him enjoyed plenty of possession but did very little with it.

Spain may not be overly concerned with the opening ⁠result: but it is the performance which was worrying.

“There was a stir over a draw ​and in the end many teams have ​drawn, it means nothing,” Yamal said. “For me, ​winning the first game 6-0 doesn’t help you at all, then you have to win the ​knockout rounds.“

Saudi Arabia caused an ‌upset four years ago ​when they beat the eventual winners ​Argentina in their opening game, and after frustrating another South American side, they will be buoyed with confidence.

The only time the Saudis advanced past the group stage was in 1994, the last time the US hosted the World Cup.

The anager Georgios Donis is expected to field a mostly unchanged side to the one which earned a valuable point against Uruguay. Reuters

Can Spain lift themselves out of a Cape Verde-induced attacking quagmire? Let’s turn to a piece from the nice people at Reuters.

The phrase “A paediatrician’s appointment cost me Portugal v Congo” has surely never been written in the English language before, so we can probably all just go home now.

Yesterday, meanwhile, we were talking about people mad committed enough to try and watch every World Cup game.

On that note Sid emailed this:

“My nipper was born just before the tournament started and we live in Brazil. So being on paternity leave with a convenient time zone means that I’ve made a great crack of it so far! A paediatrician’s appointment cost me Portugal v Congo yesterday and I fell asleep during a hydration break of Sweden v Tunisia, meaning I only saw one of the goals. But other than that, I’m 22 from 24. [Correct at the time of writing yesterday.]

“Having the whole family and even the dog on the sofa for Iran v New Zealand was a great memory. Though with the baby becoming more aware of his surroundings, my ratio looks set to drop!”

“Am I the only one who is annoyed that kick off times vary from day to day?” emails John.

I mean, the overwhelming chances are, no – you are not.

“Usually World Cup kickoff times are the same from day to day but this year they are changing,” adds John. “I’m in the States so it’s great for me but it’s also a pain that games begin at midday, 1pm or 3pm on the Eastern Coast depending on the day. Must be even weirder back home?”

Thanks Dominic. Hello everyone. What’s the vibe at the World Cup today? Let’s take a look. Feel free to Mail us.

Right, that’s the end of my stint and Luke McLaughlin is in the chair. Enjoy, Luke.

Lots of Scotland chat, both fun and serious, in the comments:

lancaster43

19 June 2026 4:35pm

Dunno why the Scots are fussing about Brazil and Morocco?

It's 28 years since Brazil or Morocco beat Scotland in a competitive fixture.

Who else can boast a record like that especially against Brazil?

CraigThePaig

19 June 2026 3:52pm

Scotland will need to defend for their lives tonight. I'd go a 4-5-1 though and try get into their midfield. If we can hit them on the breaks, we have the players who can punish them. I'm looking at you McSauce and McGinn.

You cannot really argue with Marsch’s hubris after that 6-0 victory, which virtually assures Canada of a place in the knockout rounds:

“To create an identity for what Canadian soccer could be, you can say and do all the right things, but you need moments like today, where everybody remembers what happened,” Marsch said after the victory, the joint-largest by any World Cup host.

“No Canadian will forget this day. There’ll be 40 million people that said they were here. It’s an incredibly seminal moment for everyone to understand that there’s talent in this country, that there’s mentality, desire, a lot of things that make this country special, even though it’s a hockey country. I’m very proud that we’ve accomplished a moment everybody can remember.”

Despite Canada’s demolition job of Qatar, it seems the jury is still out on maanager Jesse Marsch. Hmmm.

An email from John Brennan on probably the second most unpopular aspect of this World Cup (after hydration breaks, of course)… kickoff times!

Am I the only one who is annoyed that kickoff times vary from day to day? Usually World Cup kickoff times are the same from day to day but this year they are changing. I’m in the States so it’s great for me but it’s also a pain that games begin at midday, 1pm or 3pm on the Eastern Coast depending on the day. Must be even weirder back home?

It’s definitely strange, John, but then this is a World Cup being held across three very big nations, so timezones will vary.

Some interesting thoughts below the line re: the John Stones v Marc Guéhi debate at centre-back. Why not have both, Mr Tuchel?

maccamacmac

19 June 2026 3:38pm

All Manchester City fans know John Stones is a much better CB than Guehi.

Stones has not been played because injury earlier in season pissed of Guardiola. He has been fit to play and frankly should have been playing ahead.

There is a reason we got to FA Cup final (Stones) and did not win PL or progress in CL (no Stones)

Tuchel knows this and Stones will rightly play. He needed some matches - the next games will be more match ready.

Time for a shameless self-plug. I wrote today’s Football Daily newsletter.

Please do sign up to get it slammed straight into your important inbox on every week day, or simply read via the link below. Your choice.

Some things I learned from today’s Guardian sports quiz: I know nothing about horse racing; basically all the boots at this World Cup are pink – if you hadn’t noticed already – and Lionel Messi just loves breaking records that Cristiano Ronaldo initially set.

Back. These days without 5pm or 6pm (UK time) games really do drag, don’t they? My YouTube algorithm has just thrown up this gem from the BBC’s World Cup studio at Brazil 2014.

Forgive me, some dark south Manchester clouds are gathering (yes, really) and I need to fetch the washing inside. My email inbox is still open to discuss all things Scotland v Morocco.

BRB.

Turkey’s interior ministry has told governors not to permit the installation of giant public screens for the national team’s World Cup match against Paraguay, citing the need to minimise noise and traffic disruption during the country’s university entrance examinations.

Local authorities had previously planned to broadcast Turkey’s Group D match against Paraguay on Saturday (which kicks off at 6am TST – Turkish time) on large outdoor screens in a number of cities.

The ministry directive, issued ahead of the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) due this weekend, has prompted local municipalities to cancel giant-screen broadcasts.

If you live in one of the 16 World Cup host cities in Mexico, Canada and the USA we would be delighted to hear from you …

England: I’m seeing a fair bit of selection chat after that opening win over Croatia, with much of the debate surrounding Marcus Rashford and Marc Guéhi and whether they should be starters under Thomas Tuchel. Presumably the England boss will continue to manage Bukayo Saka’s game-time over the group stage games, plus Noni Madueke did well so he probably deserves to stay in.

Rashford was able to have much more impact than Anthony Gordon in a shorter space of time on Wednesday, so he seems a shoo-in to come into the lineup for the Ghana game this coming Tuesday. Guéhi? Well it seems Tuchel is pretty set on a centre-back pairing of Ezri Konsa and John Stones, not that either was a particular shning light against Croatia. It’s odd, given Guéhi is/was way ahead of Stones in the Manchester City pecking order. The defence is a bigger worry than the atack for the Three Lions right now.

Tell you what, there’s no shortage of live sport being covered on the website right now. All the below, plus World Cup live blogs aplenty to come later.

Former Senegal striker Demba Ba has been named as the new sporting director of French Ligue 1 club Le Havre.

The 41-year-old, whose playing career included stints in the Premier League with West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea, arrives from Ligue 2 side Dunkerque where he served for the past three years as deputy president.

He succeeds Mathieu Bodmer, who walked out of the club on the eve of the final matchday of the just-completed season with Le Havre finishing 14th. Bodmer has moved to third division side Caen, which is owned by France captain Kylian Mbappé.

A couple of emails from Scotland fans have landed in my inbox, as per request.

“I don’t think the narrowness of the Haiti win makes any odds. It would always have been a suicidal policy to hope to get through on three points and, dare I say, a team that aims that low doesn’t really deserve to go through (Portugal 2016). We always needed another point. A tough call, but not impossible. Morocco are very reliant on speed. They have a number of fine sprinters and are at their most dangerous when using that pace to attack from deep. We have to stop them doing that – sit deep, two holding midfielders, McTominay ready to slip back into the centre of a five-man defence when necessary, with Gannon-Doak as the escape route to barely deserved counter-attack glory. Would be nice.” Craig Ward

“Scotland sneak a win; Haiti hold Brazil to a draw. Scotland win the group before a ball’s kicked in the Brazil game. Easy.” Derek

Here’s some more info from that article Will shared about two World Cup being played in ‘severe heat’, according to experts:

Saudi Arabia’s game against Uruguay in Miami had the most severe heat conditions in the analysis of the first 24 matches of the World Cup, ie each team’s first game, in the tournament being held across the US, Mexico and Canada. The second most severe heat conditions of the first 24 matches in stadiums without AC were in Sweden v Tunisia in Monterrey.

These games, despite being evening kick-offs, were played amid wet-bulb temperatures of 28C (82F) or above, according to temperature and humidity data for the place and time of the games.

Scotland fans in Boston = in good spirits / bringing the vibes / making friends. Delete as appropriate, or keep all three.

As Scotland fans descend on Boston, what do we think to their chances against Morocco, the reigning Afcon champions (of sorts) and World Cup semi-finalists from 2022? The win over Haiti was necessary in a tough group, but another point would be like gold dust in almost assuring Steve Clarke of a historic place in the knockout stages, leaving the Brazil game as a complete free hit.

Even a narrow defeat to Morocco may be enough, but finishing third in a group on three points seems like a dicey place to be. Scotland fans, feel free to drop us an email and we’ll get the pre-match chatter properly going.

Cheers Will. When he told me he’d posted an article about fans the one below wasn’t what I had in mind … it is quite warm today, in fairness.

Thank you very much for joining me on this fine day. Dominic Booth will run you the next few hours of fun.

Get your quiz on as you desperately look at the clock in the hope the weekend has arrived.

Ed Aarons has been speaking to England fans about their costly devotion to the national team.

The cost is astronomical – I’ve been scared to look at my bank balance in the mornings. We bought a round of six beers last night and it cost north of $100. But the vibe has been great and the Americans have really bought into the whole thing. The atmosphere was unbelievable in Los Angeles. I’m going home to work to pay off what I’ve spent out here.

A lot of talk will be about Brazil going into their game against Haiti later but this is a huge occasion for the Haitians. They only lost by a single goal against Scotland and are growing as a group, so will embrace the challenge of facing one of the World Cups most historic nations.

Can Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor help cause a shock?

It is very muggy today, so I am off to read this article to cool me down.

If the lifestyle department are reading this, I am very happy to do some review articles on fans, wines, cars and … well … anything.

Two of the first round of matches at the World Cup were played at a level of severe heat that a football players’ union has previously said should trigger the delay or postponement of games, a Guardian analysis has found.

I bumped into my former neighbour during a lunchtime sojourn. A proud Scot, he is driving back home from Manchester to Scotland tonight to watch the match. You have to applaud the commitment.

Going back to Craig Bellamy … it is understandable that Burnley are keen on appointing their former assistant. Last I heard, he was eager to see his contract through with Wales and take them to a major tournament. It would surprise me if he were to leave for a Championship job at this stage but stranger things have happened in football.

Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti is set to resist the temptation to start Endrick in Saturday’s World Cup Group C match with Haiti in Philadelphia.

The five-time winners were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in their tournament opener last Saturday and a lack of creativity has sparked a wave of support for Real Madrid attacker Endrick, who was an unused substitute in the fixture.

Endrick, 19, featured under Ancelotti at Real Madrid and has scored four goals already for his nation, but is not in line to start against Haiti.

Ancelotti told a press conference: “l’ll bring Endrick on at the right moment. We’ll have to wait a little while. He’ll be important in this World Cup. For me personally, Endrick is an extraordinary talent. Brazil will make the most of his qualities in this World Cup and in the next one too.”

Ancelotti has been calmness personified since criticism was aimed in his direction after the 1-1 draw with Morocco, where Brentford forward Igor Thiago fired a blank and fellow attackers Raphinha, Lucas Paqueta and Matheus Cunha failed to shine.

“The result against Morocco wasn’t good but we need to offer constructive criticism,” Ancelotti said. “You don’t win the World Cup in the first match. We have to find a solution. The players’ self-criticism was positive. We’ve been working over the last few days to sort this out and I think we will. Whether sooner or later, we’ll sort it out. I remain confident that the team will be competitive in this World Cup.” PA Media

Thanks Martin. This will be a huge hour for everyone!

That is the end of my stint for the week, I will be back on Monday. And now, as promised, the triumphant return of Will Unwin.

In non-World Cup news, chiefly because of that play-off penalty heartbreak against Bosnia and Herzegovina, PA reports it understands that Championship club Burnley have contacted the Football Association of Wales to discuss the possibility of appointing Craig Bellamy as their manager. He previously worked at Turf Moor as assistant boss to Vincent Kompany.

As scorching temperatures beat down on World Cup soccer games across North America, climate activists – including former and current professional athletes – are calling for Fifa and other professional sporting organizations to cut ties with the oil and gas industry.

“Sport, especially football, has the power to influence and inspire billions of people,” said David Wheeler, an English former professional footballer, who supports the campaign. “Fifa should be harnessing that power to do good.”

This coming Sunday, protesters will demonstrate at or near four 2026 World Cup stadiums and seven other major sporting arenas, chanting and holding signs calling for an end to fossil fuel sponsorships. The protesters’ key target is Saudi Aramco, the exclusive energy sponsor for this year’s tournament, which is also the world’s largest corporate carbon emitter.

It is not as good as a duck, admittedly, but this is a superb bit of football cosplay from a Mexican fan.

Good afternoon/morning/evening etc, always a bit weird to take over a live blog and realise that anything I write has already been upstaged by a duck. Also being upstaged in this World Cup so far – the BBC, by ITV. In terms of ratings anyway.

Viewing figures obtained by the Guardian from Barb, which measures audience numbers, show the commercial channel had four of the five highest TV audiences, topped by England’s 4-2 win over Croatia. The BBC will likely catch up at some point, as it gambled in pre-tournament negotiations by opting to have more first-pick games in the knockout stages. There is more number crunching here …

Thank you for joining me for this glorious first stint. Martin Belam will fill in for the next hour before my triumphant return.

What has happened thus far today?

• The Scotland love affair with Boston continues tonight

• Ismael Kone’s horrific leg break

• Rodrygo writes about how social media comments impact players

• Iran to lodge complaint with Fifa over ‘restrictions imposed’

Igor Thiago did not have the best of times in Brazil’s draw with Morocco first time out. Will Carlo Ancelotti keep faith with the Brentford striker?

There was plenty of uncertainty over the availability of Côte d’Ivoire’s Elye Wahi for the match against Germany on Saturday but he has been allowed to travel, despite being at the centre of a spot-fixing scandal.

After a double in USA’s opening match, Folarin Balogun will be desperate to add to his tally and get back to the top of the scoring chart.

The Socceroos have their barista travelling with them. It sounds like an April Fools to be but the lad looks convincing.

A photo of Vinícius Júnior celebrating a goal with one fist in the air was mounted near the entrance of the art exhibition, right next to an acrylic piece of a woman’s dreadlocks suspended in air as she heads a soccer ball.

A replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy was encased in glass nearby, surrounded by images, paintings and flags that document generations of African soccer dreams and stories. All of it is part of an exhibition celebrating Africa’s deep connection to soccer during the World Cup.

“This is what art is about,” said Alfonso D. Brooks, founder of AfriKin, a foundation showcasing African and diaspora art. “Art has always been a platform to foster peace and understanding and give voice to those that can’t speak for themselves. “This is the necessary part we feel the need to do with AfriKin.”

Brooks — a longtime sound engineer turned art curator — spent about six months putting together the exhibition, titled “Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage,” which opened in Miami ahead of the start of the World Cup . The collection by more than 50 artists from 25 nations traces soccer’s role in the continent’s history, while celebrating some of the game’s most influential figures from the late Pelé to French star Kylian Mbappé. AP

If you would like a look behind the curtain here at the Guardian, I will be carrying on here for another hour due to illness. And they say nurses have it tough.

Former Leipzig coach Ole Werner is unhappy he wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye to staff after his surprise dismissal from the club.

Leipzig fired Werner and his assistant coaches Tom Cichon and Patrick Kohlmann on Wednesday after what many would consider a successful debut season – third place in the Bundesliga for Champions League.

“Ole did a great job, he led us to the Champions League, but we also have to look forward,” said Red Bull head of soccer Jürgen Klopp , who made the decision with Leipzig supervisory board chairman Oliver Mintzlaff.

Werner responded with a letter to the players, staff and fans of Leipzig on LinkedIn, saying “unfortunately the timing of this decision makes it impossible for me to say goodbye to all of you in person.”

The 38-year-old coach looked back on what he called a “very positive” time in which he’d been asked to “give the team a new look in terms of its demeanor and style of play, while establishing a new, sustainable hierarchy within the dressing room.” He said he made many changes and thinks “together we succeeded in fulfilling this mandate.”

With 20 wins and five draws from 34 rounds of the Bundesliga, Werner gained more points than any other coach at Leipzig. Werner thanked Leipzig’s sporting director Marcel Schäfer in his letter, but made no mention of Klopp or Mintzlaff.

Leipzig has been linked with a move for Mallorca coach Martin Demichelis as Werner’s successor. Werner was also fired from his previous job at Werder Bremen after he refused to extend his contract with the club. AP

Lionel Messi’s father is undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness and his family asked the media for “humanity” on Thursday amid rumours about Jorge Messi’s health while his son competes at the World Cup. “Jorge is going through a health situation,” the Messi family said in a statement.

The Tartan Army has taken over Providence, Rhode Island, and with it have secured an unofficial mascot in the form of Dawn the Duck.

Dawn has joint bagpipes and marching on the streets, resplendent in a gold chain and Scottish flag.

A big day for Connor Metcalfe after his fine performance in Australia’s win over Turkey. The St Pauli midfielder is wanted in MLS, with Sporting Kansas especially keen, and a good performance against USA will not do him any harm.

Krishnamoorthy emails: “Round one is over and could we now say the score is Rest of the lauded players 1-0 CR7.

“If one of the most gifted players is not able to shrug off thoughts of his own achievements and focus on such a talented team, it would be a pity.”

Poor old Ronaldo. Will he bounce back?

Lionel Messi has company at the top of the Golden Boot list. Check out the latest scoring charts …

It was horrible for Ismaël Koné’s teammates to witness his injury against Qatar.

“I saw that something wasn’t right, and I just wanted for the medical staff to get in as quick as possible,” Stephen Eustáquio said.

The welcome extended to Scottish fans has been warm across the board, according to Adam Robb from Aberdeenshire. “The locals are just incredible, they’re so happy to see us,” he said. “Surprised to see us, I think, in these kind of numbers, but the reception has been unbelievable.”

After Abdukodir Khusanov took out a cameraman in Uzbekistan’s defeat to Colombia, the Manchester City defender made a lovely gesture of offering his match shirt to his unwitting victim.

Mexican photographers do things differently.

A draw for Scotland later would almost certainly be enough to get them into the knockout stages but playing for a point is a dangerous game. If they do get out of the group, it will be the first time in their history that Scotland have made it that far at a World Cup.

“I don’t think any of the lads or the coaching staff and backroom staff have shied away from it,” Andy Robertson said. “We want to be the first team to be able to do that for our country. And it’s obviously a nice feeling to try and do that.

“We know how difficult it’s going to be. We’re now playing against one of the best teams in the world. But we also believe that if we perform to our maximum, then we can make it difficult for anyone. I think we’ve proven that over the years.”

How closely have you followed the sporting week? Test yourself with our quiz.

Tony Hughes emails to say: “Now that each team has played once, I can look at Scotland’s 1-0 win over Haiti and see it was a good result. Maybe even better than good. I’m from the era of ‘how many will we win by?’ when anticipating Scotland performances at major tournaments, however even I can see that many teams better than Scotland struggled against lower-ranked opposition, so the three points is the key and we - Scotland - move on.”

My close colleague Rodrygo has written another column for us on the impact of social media on players.

Over the course of two afternoons in New York I ran into true legends, icons, and friends I’ve made through football. They were precious moments where I could listen, exchange ideas and receive support from stars such as Marcelo, Kaká, Paul Pogba and Zinedine Zidane. What started as a scheduled appearance for a shared sponsor turned into a casual, friendly chat from different generations united by the passion football ignites. We were right there, close to the fans. Five guys representing Brazil and France, greeted by hundreds of fans from all over the globe, all hoping for a brief moment of proximity, a photo, or a wave. And yes, I have idols too; I managed to get an autographed shirt from Zidane, my former coach and a giant in the history of the sport.

Declan Rice, as Jacob Steinberg points out, looked rather weary against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel needs to manage the Arsenal man carefully throughout this tournament but he has had a relentless past six years.

Get your podcast listening in your ears right now! Max and Baz are here with the latest World Cup daily, including Ben Fisher and Nicky Bandini.

Frankly, anything other than Sweet Caroline would suit me.

Harry Kane hopes ‘Wonderwall’ can become the soundtrack of the summer as England plot their way to World Cup glory.

Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a great start with an impressive 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening Group L game in Dallas on Wednesday, where Kane scored twice to equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals.

England’s victorious players celebrated in front of their fans while Oasis hit ‘Wonderwall’ blared out around the AT+T Stadium.

Kane, who appeared emotional during the singalong, will savour the moment and wants fans to keep rolling with it as they aim to achieve their masterplan of winning the World Cup.

“That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament,” he said on the Lions Den. “I know it’s just the first game, and we’re not getting carried away, but just that emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them. I think they see how much it means to us.

“We have that connection right now, but just that moment, singing ‘Wonderwall’ in the stadium, everyone knew the words, and that was a really special moment, I thought. As first games go, to have that kind of support from everyone, and we know back home is the same.

“We know there would be plenty of beer getting thrown around, with it being a night game, so we love that stuff. All the squad are fans, we’ve grown up watching England. We’ve grown up in those environments, and to be on the other side now doesn’t mean that we’re disconnected. It just means that we’re trying to give the fans now special moments, like Wednesday. So, hopefully, we can have a few more.” PA Media

A bit more from the England camp …

David Hytner on England’s super subs:

Thomas Tuchel’s pub chat.

The later games will see Brazil take on Haiti in Philadelphia at 1.30am BST/8.30pm local time.

And after that it is Turkey v Paraguay at 4am BST/8pm local time.

Then we move to Boston where Scotland fans have been having the time of their lives but that will be punctuated with a second match of the tournament. Morocco should provide more stern opposition that Haiti.

Steve Clarke knows it will be difficult, that’s for sure.

Ewan Murray on Scott McTominay’s importance to the side.

Kick off is at 11pm BST/6pm local time

Let’s begin our look at what will happen later today.

First up is USA v Australia in Seattle at 8pm BST/12pm local time.

Jack Snape on the rivalry between the two.

How the game will be won and lost.

The latest from the Socceroos camp.

A little bit of history.

It would be wrong to describe that second half as a shedding of the Gareth-shaped homunculus on this team’s back. But sometimes you do have to stop trusting the process, change the patterns, and just run forward with a great deal more aggression. England burned an effigy of everything they used to be in the second half in Dallas. Is it real? And where will it lead them across the next two games and five weeks beyond that?

Barney Ronay on England’s bright start and what they need to do going forward at this World Cup.

I wonder if Rodri will be the next Spain player to head to pastures new for a decent chunk of change. With plenty of changes happening at Manchester City and Real Madrid clearly willing to invest in new players, including his former teammate Bernardo Silva, it could be the right time.

The Spain squad are moving for some hefty price tags while away with the national team. Victor Muñoz’s £34.5m move to Liverpool was confirmed yesterday, while Marc Cucurella is now a Real Madrid player, costing the Spanish side £52m.

Cucurella said:

I got a phone call one morning. My people told me the two clubs had the terms mostly agreed and that I had to decide if I wanted to go there. I had no doubts. It is a big step for me, very important in my career. It all happened in roughly a day and a half. For me, that was the best thing, so it could be all done and I could keep my focus on the World Cup.”

Iran are further pointing out how dreadful this World Cup is politically. Will Fifa do anything about it …?

Thomas Tuchel swapped the dugout for the mound as the England boss threw the first pitch for the Kansas City Royals the night after opening the World Cup with an impressive win.

Just over 24 hours after watching his side open their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, Tuchel went to Kauffman Stadium to perform the ceremonial act.

Captain Harry Kane and defenders Dan Burn and Djed Spence were watching their boss throw the ball to Royals manager Matt Quatraro ahead of the MLB clash with the St Louis Cardinals. Kane is no stranger to finding the strike zone, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals with a double against Croatia, and as a keen fan of American sports, he would like to do it with a bat in hand.

“Great recovery day with the boys at the baseball,” he said on social media. “Would love to give batting a go one day! Thanks for having us @Royals.”

Kane, who was pictured leaving the AT+T Stadium in Dallas with his left leg bandaged, had a low-key recovery day. “He got a strike, so fair play to him,” Kane, who has thrown out a first pitch at Yankees and Cubs games, told KansasCity.com “It’s not easy. It’s actually… that was the first time I’ve been up mound in 12 years, so you forget how far away it actually is.

“So, watching the professionals do it, and they’re launching that ball at 90, 100 miles per hour, it’s pretty impressive. So the boss has done pretty well. I’ll give him that. He was a little nervous before.”

He added: “We really appreciate it. I can say, for us to come here and get the treatment that we have already is obviously great. And I’m not sure where we’re sitting, but I’m sure the seats will be great, as well. So, yeah, all we can say is thank you to them.” PA Media

Because I am really cool, I was speaking to someone about Johan Manzambi before the match yesterday. Freiburg are open to selling him this summer but it would cost any buyer around €60m, maybe even more after last night’s goals.

Granit Xhaka pulled no punches after capping Switzerland’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirming his pointed “blah-blah” celebration was in response to accusations that he stoked negativity within the Swiss camp.

Xhaka made a talking gesture with his right hand after scoring a stoppage-time penalty and afterwards said: “They know why I did it,” said the 33-year-old Sunderland captain. “I received thousands of messages. But I don’t read them anymore. I think I’m past that age. It doesn’t bother me at all. As mentioned, it’s something that can’t be influenced by me. That’s all I can say.”
Swiss media reported Xhaka’s critical comments of the team’s performance in their opening Group B draw with Qatar went down badly inside the squad.

“What I can influence is my performance on the pitch. And as mentioned before, if there is something to praise, then I am the first one who praises someone,” he said. “And if there is criticism, then I am also the first one who criticises someone.

“When I criticise, it doesn’t mean that I criticise others and not myself. And I start with myself first. And I think now, I’ve played almost 150 games for the national team now. And by now, you should know me too. If some can’t deal with criticism, then that’s a pity. And if someone has something to say, they should come to me about it.”

Johan Manzambi scored twice in the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina but Xhaka said he had no intention of presenting the 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder with the chance to complete his hat-trick.

“It’s not about the individual thing. We have rules,” Xhaka said. “He’s young, he has a big future in front of him, so let’s take the experienced players first for penalty takers. His time will come.”

On paper, yesterday’s fixtures promised little but it was a fun day across the tournament in the end.

Admittedly, Czechia v South Africa did not offer a great amount of quality but Hugo Broos did very angry about a few things. Sid Lowe was in Atlanta to watch and listen.

Ben Fisher was pondering what to write about with 20 minutes to go in Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina until the goals came flowing in.

Jeff Rueter was on hand to witness World Cup history as Canada won their first match at the tournament. Nine-man Qatar were hit for six but at the cost of a terrible leg break for Ismaël Koné.

Last but not least, Jonathan Wilson saw Mexico see off South Korea.