World Cup

As it is now, Spain will play Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday as Belgium beat the US 4-1 in the round of 16 of the FIFA world tournament on Monday night.

The first half gave US hope as Malik Tillman equalized a 9th-minute goal from C.D. Ketelaere,deflecting a shot from a Belgian player who was jumping as part of a wall on 31 minutes.

The Americans kept showing some game standards, until Charles. D. Ketelaere scored with a header on a cross into the box just two minutes after their goal made the first period end 2-1 in favor of Belgium.

In the second half, things only got worse for the Americans. In the 57th minute, Freeze made a critical error. He came way out of the goal to play a ball, only to lose possession and allow Belgium’s Hans Vanaken to score. Shortly after, the Americans’ leader, Christian Pulisic, was subbed out of the game with an apparent injury.

In stoppage time, 90+3, Romulus Lukaku tacked on the final goal to seal the Americans’ fate.

The game finally ended 4-1 in favor of Belgium 🇧🇪.

Who will win Friday’s game ?
Let’s look into their past encounters.
In normal games played, both have been able to meet seven times, although none of them are the FIFA World Cup but qualifiers and international games where Spain won six and drew one in all encounters with Belgium. I can judge the results on Friday. No one can really say, because the recent form of both countries is commendable which show below
Belgium form
3–2 vs Senegal (H)
1 Jul 2026
FIFA World Cup Round of 32
5–1 vs New Zealand (A)
27 Jun 2026
FIFA World Cup Group G
0–0 vs Iran (H)
21 Jun 2026
FIFA World Cup Group G 1–1 vs Egypt (H)
15 Jun 2026
FIFA World Cup Group G
5–0 vs Tunisia (H)
6 Jun 2026
International Match
2 – 0vs Croatia (A)
2 Jun 2026
International Match

Spain form
3–0 vs Austria (H)
2 Jul 2026
FIFA World Cup Round of 32
1–0 vs Uruguay (A)
27 Jun 2026
FIFA World Cup Group H
4–0 vs Saudi Arabia (H)
21 Jun 2026
FIFA World Cup Group H
0–0 vs Cape Verde (H)
15 Jun 2026
FIFA World Cup Group H
3–1 vs Peru (A)
9 Jun 2026
International Match
1–1 vs Iraq (H)
4 Jun 2026

Belgium have played 15 FIFA World Cups and the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 which their best finish in the World Cup is third at the 2018 tournament in Russia and fourth in the 1986 edition in Mexico.

Spain had 17 appearances in the FIFA World Cup out of the 23 editions of the tournaments. They only won it once, which was in the year 2010, and their best World Cup result was a fourth-place finish in 1950.

Portugal lost 1-0 in the match against Spain in FIFA World Round 16 magnifying the statement by 41 years plus Portugal’s goals machine before the game ‘ This will now be my last World Cup ‘. I think it will not only be the World Cup but international football because Ronaldo will be 43 by the time the next major tournament comes around — the 2028 European Championships hosted in the UK & Ireland.
I think cr7 should remember his performance at the World Cup will not define his career — but it will follow him around. The fact he never got past the quarter-final stage of a competition Messi won will be the stick that many will beat him with in the biggest modern era debate there is.

He is not the only generational player in the modern era to not guide his country to World Cup glory. But he will likely go down as the best player to have ever won the main international prize, and he could be Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. (also known as Cristiano), who is 16 years old now born on June 17, 2010, in La Mesa, California, USA, who will win the world in the next World Cup for Portugal.

Cristiano Ronaldo Record in World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo made his FIFA World Cup debut during the 2006 tournament in Germany. The then-21-year-old Portuguese forward made six appearances, scored a goal, netted a penalty and helped Portugal to a fourth-place finish.

Since they reached the semi-finals in 2006, Portugal have not really done well.

2010: Round of 16
2014: Group stage
2018: Round of 16
2022: Quarter-finals
2026: Round of 16
But the 41-year-old is the first man to score in six separate World Cups during this tournament.

If that is the end of his international, then let’s take a look at his impressive stats for Portugal:

Games: 233
Goals: 146
Assists: 46
European Championships: 1 (2016)
Nations League: 2 (2019, 2025)

Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer in the competition.

The first player to score 25+ goals in the Men’s World Cup and European Championships.

The oldest player to score in the knockout rounds of the competition.
All this contribution should wave away this brutal static
In 9 knockout matches at the World Cup from the Round of 16 onwards, Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored or assisted.

Last 16 vs. Spain (2026)
Last 16 vs. Morocco (2022)
Quarter-final vs. Morocco (2022)
Last 16 vs. Uruguay (2018)
Last 16 vs. Spain (2010)
Third-place playoff vs. Germany (2006)
Semi-final vs. France (2006)
Quarter-final vs. England (2006)
Last 16 vs. Netherlands (2006)

It shows this football legend had no luck at the FIFA World Cup.

Remember that the game against Spain on July 6th 2026 had extra time and penalties written all over it, until Merino came off the bench and changed the game with a breakthrough goal in the 91st minute.
It was a tough watch at times, with both sides canceling each other out, but Spain got the job done, and they marched into the quarterfinals.
To repeat a 16-year history

16 years ago, Spain knocked Portugal out of the World Cup in the round of 16 before going on to win the whole tournament 🇪🇸🏆 good one for Spain, who is Yet to concede a goal at this FIFA World Cup 2026.

Mon, 6 Jul 1-0 win vs. Portugal 🇵🇹
Thu, 2 Jul 3-0 win vs. Austria 🇦🇹
Sat, 27 Jun 1-0 win vs. Uruguay 🇺🇾
Sun, 21jun 4-0 win vs. Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Mon, 15 Jun 0-0 draw vs. Cape Verde 🇨🇻

On Sunday night of 5ft July 2026 in the FIFA World Cup, stars dropped and mountains were crawled as Norway put a stop to the five-time world title winners Brazil. The results made Brazil have their earliest World Cup exit since 1990, while Norway reached the last eight for the first time by 2-1 and England secured one of their greatest FIFA World Cup victories over Mexico at 3-2 having Bellingham produced two goals.

Norway has reached the last eight of the FIFA World Cup for the first time with Erling Haaland’s brave and brilliant display by scoring two goals.

The first half of the game ended in a 0-0 draw having both sides displaying good technique but no single record.

The second half saw a bit of an increase in tempo, with both teams getting to 74 minutes. Andreas Schjelderup, the man who came on for Nus, broke free down the left after a slick seven-pass sequence and stood up the perfect cross for Harland to smash a downward header past Alison secured leading for Norway 1-0.
The game looks more interesting. Everybody keeps doing what they think is right till regulation time.
Haaland then grabbed a second goal as he steered a shot through the legs of Danilo and past a diving Alison to spark jubilant scenes among the throng of Norway supporters. A late Neymar penalty, coming in the tenth minute of stoppage time, was nothing more than a consolation goal.

England vs Mexico

With kick-off being delayed by an hour due to a storm, this game was England’s big performance, delivering Jarel Quantum’s red card.

England got two goals inside two minutes, although Mexico dominated possession in the game’s opening stages until 36 minutes. Bukayo Saka’s inviting cross was well-connected by Bellingham with his head to open the scoring for England. A minute after the first goal, Mexico was with the ball, but pressure from Elliot Anderson and Gordon saw England gain possession, with Bellingham playing wide to Kane and meeting the skipper’s low ball from close range and square pass for Bellingham to a quick-fire them double swung the game in England’s favor. On the 42nd, Mexico hit back as Quinones smashed in at a soft free-kick to
Making the game 2-1 in favor of England , England goalkeeper Pickford made a wonderful save by flying high to his right to tip over Jimenez’s header at the first end.
England made a fast start in the second half, but they couldn’t score goals and in the 54th minute this is moment England were reduced to ten men when Jarell Quansah the England right-back, recklessly slid and was sent off for a challenge on Jesus Gallardo with a straight red. The game went on balance till when Gordon was brought down by the goalkeeper and the penalty was awarded to England by Harry Kane in the 60th minute for his sixth goal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The game continued for 68 minutes. Nicolas Gallo sent referee Faghani to the monitor for a penalty review was given and Kane was penalized by VAR for a foul.
This makes Raul Jimenez pull one back with a penalty. The result was 3-2 for England.

At 90+11, Mexico City Stadium was spell-checked as the referee ended the game and England heroically held on in 11 minutes of added time to earn a famous victory.

As the match finished in a heated, physical battle between the two teams. France beat Paraguay 1-0 with Kylian Mbappé’s 70th minute penalty.

The first half of the match ended 0-0. It has billions of dollars’ worth of talent. France on the field had no success with goal scoring but created five goal attempts with 75 % ball possession, while counterpart Paraguay had just 24% ball possession with two goal attempts.
In two minutes of added time in the first, Mbps made very poor decisions, faced with having two defenders in front of him, and he had several passing options around him, but decided to place the ball between the two defenders.

Starting from the beginning of the second half, Paraguay were an aggressive, managed attacking force of France. Although they didn’t even have any good attack against France, they still balance on 0-0 until the quality of movement of the Desire Doue of France penetration into Paraguay’s defense made Diego Gomez of Paraguay concede a foul which led to penalty taking by Kalian Mbappé’s which making him second in 2026 golden race as haven Messi in first. Below is the comprehensive list of golden boot races.

7 goals: Lionel Messi, Argentina
7 goals: Kalian Mbps, France
5 goals: Erling Haaland, Norway
5 goals: Harry Kane, England
4 goals: Vinícius Junior Brazil
4 goals:Mikel Oyarzabal , Spain
4 goals: Ousmane Dembélé, France
4 goals: Ismail Sarr , Senegal.

How many goals will he end up with during this year’s campaign ? He’s the second Lionel Messi’s top goalscorer in world history. Here is a chart of the top goalscorers in World Cup History.

Top goalscorers in World Cup history:

🇦🇷 Lionel Messi — 20 goals
🇫🇷 Kylin Mbps — 19 goals
🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose — 16 goals
🇧🇷 Ronaldo — 15 goals
🇩🇪 Gerd Müller — 14 goals
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane — 13 goals
🇫🇷 Just Fontaine — 13 goals

Apart from the fact that France won today’s game. I still see Paraguay as a very competitive team who lost a game without no yellow card.

Co-host Canada’s World Cup 2026 dream ended as they lost 3-0 against Morocco to exit the competition in the round of 16 after two goals scored by Azzedine Ounahi.

However, Morocco is the first African nation ever to reach the quarter-finals of two World Cup tournaments in 2022 and 2026.

Although the damage had already done to Canada’s ambition, how did the whole thing happen?

Canada was the better team during the first half and failed to use opportunities against Morocco, creating any clear-cut chances, which it appeared the Morocco team came out slow.

The first half ended with both teams engaging on momentum swinging the float of the football, but neither side was able to impact the scoreboard.

Morocco had a strong chance after the break while three of them were converted to goals.

The first goal was scored by Ounahi as a result of received a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and fired a right-footed shot through traffic from outside the box into the bottom right corner.

Momentum of the game still continued till the 82nd minute when Ounahi receive a pass from Brahim Diaz through a quick counterattack using his right foot to shoot the ball from the middle of the box and Soufiane Rahimi added the third in the 90+ 8 minute of stoppage time, assisted by Brahim Diaz again.

Morocco have now beaten Canada in back-to-back World Cups — having defeated them in the 2022 group stage — and are unbeaten in five meetings.

Substitute player from both sides.

Morocco have brought on Soufiane Rahimi ,Marwane Saadane and Samir El Mourabet to replace Ismael Saibari due to Potential InjuryIssa, Diop and goalscorer Azzedine Onehunga.

Canada, meanwhile, have brought on Jonathan Osorio and Jayden Nelson in place of Niko Sig and Tajon Buchanan.

Can history made by the Atlas Lions as the first African country to enter semi-finalists at Qatar 2022 improve to title winners ?

Let’s see if Morocco face the winner of France vs Paraguay in the World Cup quarter-finals on July 9th in Boston and if Morocco reaches the Semifinals, the next opponent could be one of the following teams: Portugal, Spain,Belgium or the United States.

Morocco progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands after the sides drew 1-1 in Guadalupe, Mexico.

Morocco edged past the Dutch 3-2 on penalties.
Remember Morocco has qualified for the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions, which were in 1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022 and 2026 when they finished in fourth place in 2022 to become both the first African and Arab nation to reach a semi-final at a World Cup.

Three African countries teams crashed out at ongoing FIFA World Cup from 80th minute above goal after two of them have been taking leading

In the match between the Ivory Coast and Norway, Erling Haaland scored the deciding goal in the 86th minute as Norway won their first ever World Cup knockout match, advancing to the round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast on Tuesday.

Although in this game it was Norway who first scored goals and later equalized in the 74th.

How the leading goal was scored

The goal was scored when three defenders converged on Patrick Berg as he moved into the penalty box with the ball, and he kicked it over to a wide-open Harland for him to score the winning goal.

England came from behind to beat Congo DR after a 7th minute goal from Brian Cipenga to be the first time they had won a World Cup match after conceding their first since 1966. England looked paralyzed until Gordon lifted over a cross from the left and Kane’s header just had too much for MPasi , setting up a box office conclusion at 75 minutes. It was a magical moment in the 86th minute when Kane received the ball on the edge of the box and smartly made space to unleash a fierce drive into the roof of the net.this is how DR Congo crashed out in Atlanta at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In the game between Belgium and Senegal

Belgium were 2-0 down and ended up winning 3-2!

Senegal converted their pressure into a lead after Sarr once again hit the woodwork. Mane served a beautiful inswinging cross and Sarr outjumped the Belgium centrobaric, before Diarra was the quickest to the rebound 24 minutes and got their second shortly after the break with Senegal Centre-back Moussa Niakhate fired a precise long ball to locate Sarr and Sarr was able to bring down with his chest as he broke past the Belgium centrobaric, before firing past Courtois.

Belgium appeared to be down, but Thomas Meunier and Romulus Lukaku combined moments to give Lukaku their 86th goal and a fantastic cross from Leandro Trossard , well collected by Tie lemans in the 89th minute, a draw beckoned Belgium to extra time. The game drama continued before Tielemans was brought down in the box and, following a VAR review, awarded a penalty to Belgium at 125 minutes, which marked an end for the third African country at the round 32 in FIFA World Cup 2026.

This particular loss sends a lot of signs to the African continent in their tactical awareness of both players and technical crew .

WHY CONGO LOST:
!Could not maintain the early intensity
!Lost defensive shape under pressure
!Missed the chance to close the game out

For instances Congo might have snatched a second goal when Yoane Wissa turned Wan Bissaka’s low centre against the post.

Look at the second goal of Norway three defenders converged on Patrick while the other side of the field was a bit free.

Harry Kane rescued England from a shock World Cup dream that ended with two late goals to beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 in Atlanta and secure a place in the last 16.

From the beginning of the game, Dr Congo stood their ground against a star-studded England team with a goal scored by Brian Cipenga in 7 minutes. It was an impressive game for the Dr Congo hold team who paraded super footballers like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, just to mention a few.
They have a very solid defense ably led by Danceable, who is blessed to have a very good goalkeeper who has very good reflexes.
England failed to use their quality till the 75th minute. Here are the game statistics

Statistics for the first half

The statistics are not bad for a debutante team in the World Cup.
58% to Congo DR 48%.
England had 8 with only 4 shots on target to Congo DR 3 to 1.
Congo DR is 1 goal ahead of the England team. A very balanced team from defense, midfield to attack.
As the first half was very, very exciting, and expecting an exhilarating outcome for the African team in the second half, just towards the end of the game, England showed a classic display. Possession reads 59 to 41 for England, while passes are 277 to 198 and accurate passes 253 to 170. England’s final‑third entries are 41 to 20, and their final‑third phase completion sits at 82% against DR Congo’s 75%. Long balls are even in volume at 9 completed apiece, with England a touch cleaner at 53% to 45%. Crosses underline the pattern too, with England completing five and DR Congo yet to hit one of their six at 75 minutes to crowd their contribution: a goal from Harry Kane for them to make their equalizer. England continued pushing until the same pair combined once again with four minutes left on the clock as Gordon recycled the ball after Bellingham had yet another shot saved by MP’s and Kane unleashed an unstoppable finish from the edge of the penalty area to secure victory for England at 86 minutes from Harry Kane, which makes him surpass Pelé with 13 World Cup goals. Both goals were assisted by Anthony Gordon. Congratulations to the England team who won by 2-1.

Players with wonderful performances at today’s games

England’s central defenders only misplaced two passes vs DR Congo:

◉ 70/72 — Ezra Konya
◉ 68/68 – Marc Guéhi

The Dr Congo goalkeeper made more saves in today’s game.

England had plenty of chances to score against DR Congo but Lionel Mpasi came up heavy.
From Harry Kane to Mpasi : “Congo goalkeeper… congrats. Credits to him. He made some great saves”.

Anthony Gordon, after a summer of criticism of poor displays, delivered when it mattered most, coming in to have two assists for Harry Kane to help England turn the game around.

Harry Kane keeps scoring goals to keep his statement

“I spoke before the tournament about the World Cup being the biggest competition we play as professional footballers, so to get to 11 goals is a proud feeling.

Two against Panama.
Two against Dr Congo

Too great for England’s all-time leading scorer.

The FIFA World Cup saw another record-breaking day by day, as this time when many stepped up their game and made their own following.

Hakimi has now created 21 chances in the World Cup, trailing only Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure (23) among African players since 1966.

This is the first time South Africa have reached the Knockout stage of a World Cup.

Vinícius Junior’s header score against Scotland was his first Vinícius Junior header score in his international career.

Carlo Ancelotti is the first Italian manager to reach the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup since Fabio Capello did so in 2010 for England, 16 years ago.

Ismael Saibari is the first ever Moroccan player to score in all three group games at a single World Cup tournament.

⚽ vs. Brazil
⚽ vs. Scotland
⚽ vs. Haiti

Cr 7, at 41 years, 138 days, becomes the second-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history — behind only Cameroon’s Roger Milla, a goalscorer in 1994 against Russia at the age of 42yrs.

Cristiano Ronaldo: The first man to score at six FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Haiti’s have their first FIFA World Cup goal since 1974! Against Morocco.

There are still FOUR teams yet to concede a single goal at the World Cup

🇲🇽 Mexico
🇪🇸 Spain
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇬🇭 Ghana

Apart from the fact that the World Cup produces iconic moments that fans will remember forever, this is the ultimate event which brings people together, even at work or in the streets people are talking about.
As 195 recognized countries in the world today which just 48 countries are competing in the current FIFA World Cup has expanded from the previous 32 countries, making this year’s edition of special events more interesting.
As of today 12, teams have booked their spot in the round of 32.
Remember the top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.

Who has qualified for the World Cup 2026 knockout stage round of 32?

Mexico 🇲🇽

Mexico from Group A who happened to be the hosts of this year’s World Cup, were the first to qualify for the knockouts by topping Group A with 9 points. The 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. The Mexicans started their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic tournament opener.

USA 🇺🇸

The United States from Group D
Were the second team to secure a spot in the knockouts with a 2-0 win over Australia and their 4-1 win over Paraguay in their opening campaign really helped them be the champions of group D.

Germany 🇩🇪

The 7-1 win against Curacao and 2-1 win on Saturday, June 20 over Ivory Coast give them chances to proceed to the next stage of Group E .
Remember this is a country that failed to get out of the group stage in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2026.

Argentina 🇦🇷

Argentina got their ticket to the knockouts with a Lionel Messi hat-trick goal which gave them a 3-0 win over Algeria in the opening game and a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday, June 22 to
Top Group J, although they still have one game to play at the group stage.

France 🇫🇷

France was amazing, beating Senegal 3-1 in their kick-off game and Iraq 3-0 on Monday to secure a place in the round of 32.

Norway 🇳🇴

Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in their second game of the tournament and Iraq 4-1 to get their place in the knockout stage since the last campaign at the FIFA World Cup.

Colombia 🇨🇴

Colombia have booked their spot in round 32 with 6 points by beating Uzbekistan 3-1 in the opening game and DR Congo on Tuesday, June 23, 1-0.

Switzerland 🇨🇭

Switzerland finished top of Group B with seven points, unbeaten with a 2-1 victory against co-host Canada on Wednesday, June 24 in Vancouver.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s case for a place in the last 32 was confirmed with a commanding 3-1 win over Qatar. The team finished third in Group B as one of the best third-place qualifiers.

Brazil 🇧🇷

Yesterday, June 24, Brazil advanced to ⁠the knockout stages of the World Cup with seven points and a +6 goal difference after a 3-0 win over Scotland in their final group stage game.

South Africa 🇿🇦

Banana’s unexpected 1-0 win against South Korea on Wednesday, June 24, officially advanced the African nation to the Round of 32. It’s the first time South Africa will take part in the knockout rounds.

Morocco 🇲🇦
Morocco came second to qualify in the same group as Brazil on goal difference after beating Haiti 4-2.

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a statement performance at the FIFA World Cup, marking his display with a defiant message to his doubters and a set of fresh records. At 41 years old, the Portugal forward made clear he had no intention of fading quietly from the game’s biggest stage.

The World Cup Numbers: Messi Still Out in Front

For all Ronaldo’s heroics, the overall World Cup records still show Lionel Messi leading the way in goals, assists and games played. The comparison, as reported, reads:

• Lionel Messi: 28 games, 18 goals, 8 assists
• Cristiano Ronaldo: 24 games, 10 goals, 2 assists

The gap reflects two extraordinary careers measured against each other at the highest level. Messi’s tallies keep him ahead across the board, but Ronaldo’s latest contribution added meaningfully to his own World Cup legacy.

“They Said I Should Retire… But I Am Here”

What stood out most was Ronaldo’s determination. Even with his side holding a four-goal lead, he could not be substituted off, and his words afterwards captured his mindset. “They said I should retire… but I am here,” he declared — a pointed response to the outside voices questioning his future.

He also spoke about handling criticism as a team. “The noise from outside is always like this, but we can’t control it. We keep going and we are united,” Ronaldo said. Asked directly by a reporter whether he had said “I’m back” to the camera during the game, his answer was simple and defiant: “Yes, so that they do NOT forget.”

(General football context) For a player of Ronaldo’s stature and longevity, motivation of this kind is nothing new. Throughout his career he has often used external doubt as fuel, and his response here fit a familiar pattern — turning criticism into a driving force on the pitch.

The Records Set on the Day

Ronaldo’s performance brought a cluster of notable milestones. According to the details reported, he:

• Ended a 10-match goal drought for Portugal at major tournaments
• Became the first player ever to score 10 goals at both the World Cup and the European Championship
• Confirmed his place as Portugal’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer
• Set the record as the oldest player ever to score a World Cup brace

(General football context) Records that combine longevity with production are among the hardest to achieve in football. Scoring at the very top level well into a player’s forties requires not only enduring quality but years of dedication to fitness and preparation. Milestones like the “oldest to score a World Cup brace” speak to a career sustained far beyond the norm.

Conclusion

Ronaldo’s outing was about far more than a single scoreline. Ending a tournament goal drought, breaking new ground across the World Cup and European Championship, and setting an age record for a World Cup brace, he answered his critics in the most direct way possible. Messi may still lead the all-time charts, but on this day Ronaldo’s message was unmistakable — and, in his own words, delivered “so that they do NOT forget.”