Key events
I was very taken with this picture on the wires of thousands of Jordanians gathering in the 6,000-seat, 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre in Amman to watch Jordan v Austria. It isn’t quite loads of beers going up in the air at a Boxpark is it?
As is my wont I was having a look around at Croatian online media to see if there was some interesting coverage, but mostly what I discovered is that their leading tabloid website crashes my browser, and that another paper has covered a chimpanzee from Kent predicting that England will win. A cynic would say these “psychic” animals are just a way of drumming up publicity for your wildlife park, but I’ll make an exception in this case because Jane, who lives at Wingham Wildlife Park near Canterbury, was abandoned by her mother, is only four months old, and is beyond adorable.
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Lionel Messi, in his 200th cap, scored three goals and tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the leading all-time World Cup goalscorer with 16. “It’s just a statistic,” he said, while also name-checking Kylian Mbappé, who moved on to 14 World Cup goals yesterday.
In non-World Cup news, the opening rounds of the Intertoto Cup Champions League actually take place before the World Cup finishes, and somebody in Nyon has been shuffling balls around to work out who is playing whom. Hearts will face Austrian side Sturm Graz in the second qualifying round, and if they get through that will face one of Lyon, Bodø/Glimt, Olympiacos, Fenerbahçe or Górnik Zabrze to try and reach the league stage.
In the first qualifying round, which was drawn yesterday, readers may have interest in The New Saints facing Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK, Shamrock Rovers have drawn Floriana of Malta, Larne have landed Tre Fiori from San Marino, and Gibraltar’s perennial champions Lincoln Red Imps have got Inter Club d’Escaldes from Andorra.
My plans for today include listening to Portugal v DRC on a train to Brighton, seeing Maxïmo Park and then watching England v Croatia at Chalk, then listening to Ghana v Panama on the train back up to London. I may give Uzbekistan v Colombia a miss in the interests of actually getting to work tomorrow with my eyes open. You, probably, have other plans, and here is Graham Ruthven with the details of the what, where, when and how to watch of today’s matches.
Starmer says England can ‘dare to dream’ at World Cup
The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer says England can “dare to dream” but he does not want to jinx the team’s chance of success at the World Cup by dangling the carrot of a Bank Holiday if they win the tournament.
Starmer will watch England’s opening match Croatia at Downing Street on Wednesday night after returning from the G7 in Evian les-Bains.
“I’m not gonna jinx the World Cup but, you know, the last time we won the World Cup it was a Labour government,” Starmer said after being asked if he would call a Bank Holiday should England bring the trophy home. “And so it’s absolutely clear that we only win World Cups under a Labour government. So let’s hope that this is the next opportunity. He’s got a great squad. This is going to be a good game tonight, probably the hardest in the group games this evening.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the starting lineup what it’s going to be. And don’t take it that the lineups in the friendlies are going to be the starting lineup for tonight.”
Arsenal supporter Starmer attended the 2024 European Championship final defeat to Spain. “Tonight we can dare to dream again, because we have a brilliant three lions squad, packed with all the talent and experience to get that second star on the shirt,” Starmer said. “Like every England fan, I’ll be roaring on Thomas Tuchel, Harry Kane, and the entire England squad. Come on England!”
Thank you very much for joining for this first stint of the day. The incomparable Martin Belam is heading your way for further buildup, then I will be back a bit later.
Turkish state broadcaster TRT has removed a commentator from its World Cup roster after he mixed up Iran and New Zealand teams.
TRT said in a statement late on Tuesday that the commentator, identified by Turkish media as Murat Ekrem Çimen, had been withdrawn from the World Cup broadcast team in the U.S. pending investigation. It added that he would not continue to comment on matches during the tournament.
According to reports in Turkish media, Cimen referred to Iran’s attacks as New Zealand’s and described New Zealand’s moves as Iran’s during the opening minutes of the broadcast. The teams shared a 2-2 draw on Monday night in Group G.
TRT said the mistake was “unacceptable” under its broadcasting standards. “We apologize to our viewers and the public for this error,” it said. “It is unacceptable for TRT that someone with over 30 years of experience in sports broadcasting would make such a mistake.” AP
Rohl leaves Rangers for Red Bull Salzburg
Rangers have confirmed the departure of head coach Danny Rohl to Red Bull Salzburg “by mutual agreement”.
The 37-year-old German, who replaced Russell Martin last October, will take charge of the Austrian Bundesliga outfit after a seven-figure compensation package was agreed between the clubs.
Performance manager Sascha Lense and first-team analyst Tristan Steiner will also depart Ibrox.
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh told Rangers’ website: “I’d like to thank Danny for his service and commitment to Rangers. He and his staff put in a significant amount of hard work during his time in charge, which we are greatly appreciative of. We wish them the best of luck moving forward.”
Rohl looks set to be succeeded by Hearts boss Derek McInnes. “A further update from the club on the vacant position will follow in due course,” a statement read. PA Media
World Cup single-day attendance record broken
The four World Cup matches on Tuesday set a record for the most attended day in the history of the tournament.
A new mark of 281,223 eclipsed the previous record of 277,070 set at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, which also featured four matches.
The combined figure came from matches between France and Senegal (80,545), Argentina and Algeria (69,045), Austria and Jordan (68,527) and Iraq and Norway (63,106).
Fifa say the current average attendance at the 2026 World Cup is 65,483 and is on track to surpass the tournament’s best cumulative record of 3.5 million in 1994.
Replica World Cup shirts of several German players were temporarily unavailable due to a shortage of the letter “V” following high demand from fans, Adidas said Wednesday.
The sportswear giant, which supplies kits for the German team, said supporters flocking to snap up shirts of Kai Havertz, Deniz Undav and Aleksandar Pavlovic had drained supplies of the letter.
“There were short-term shortages in the availability of the letter ’V’,” a spokesman told AFP. But he added that “these were quickly resolved” and that football tops with the “letter ’V’ will soon be available to order online again”.
Earlier Wednesday, an attempt to buy a Havertz shirt on Adidas’s online store was unsuccessful, and produced the message: “Sorry, we’re currently out of stock of the following characters: V.” But they were available again later in the day, at a cost of 170 euros ($198).
Adidas supplies kits for 14 of the 48 teams competing at this year’s World Cup, and makes huge profits from selling merchandise related to the tournament.
But the German national team is dropping Adidas as its kit supplier from 2027, ending a partnership that spanned more than 70 years and four World Cup triumphs, and switching to US sportswear giant Nike. AFP
Will Harry Kane follow in the footsteps of Mbappe, Haaland and Messi later? He certainly has the pedigree.
My early memories are watching World Cup matches in the school hall. Unfortunately, the time zones have ruined this for the current generation of British kids. There was nothing like being allowed to change up the timetable and have two hours of England v Tunisia.
Sid Lowe
The mourning after isn’t always easy, Mikel Merino says – and yes that is mourning with a “u”. “No one died, it’s not a mourning exactly, but at times defeats can feel like that,” the Arsenal midfielder admitted and, although it wasn’t actually a defeat at all, this was one of those times. A 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in their World Cup opener was not the way Spain dreamed it; now, Merino insisted as the selección returned to their Tennessee training camp six long days before they get the chance to make amends, they must deal with it. Each in their own way, but as a family.
Sid Lowe on Spain’s need to bounce back from drawing with Cape Verde.
A huge day for English sport … the men’s cricket team is taking on New Zealand in the second Test.
You can follow it here …
Just in case any England fans are not feeling particularly patriotic yet …
Bernardo Silva joins Real Madrid
The Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva will join Real Madrid on a two-year deal after the expiration of his Manchester City deal later this month.
Silva, who spent nine years at City, will team up with compatriot Jose Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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Are we going to predict the England lineup later?
Pickford; James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Tottenham sign forward Hanson from Aston Villa
Tom Garry
Tottenham Hotspur have signed the Scotland forward Kirsty Hanson from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, after a strong 2025-26 season saw her finish as the Women’s Super League’s third-highest goalscorer.
The Guardian understands the north London club triggered a release clause in the 28-year-old’s contract and fought off competition for her signature. The chance for Hanson to work again with the Tottenham head coach Martin Ho – who coached her while he was on the backroom staff at her former club Manchester United – is understood to have been a key factor in her signing a long-term deal.
“I’m absolutely delighted, it’s an exciting time to be a part of this club,” Hanson told Spurs’ media channels. “I’m ready for a new challenge, and I’m always wanting to be better every single day. Martin (Ho), the club, the staff, the players, are at such an exciting point – and I want to be a part of that.”
Ho, whose side finished fifth in the WSL last term, added: “We want players in the front line who can rotate, threaten different spaces, press with intensity and give us different solutions during games. Kirsty can stretch teams in behind, attack one v one, arrive in goal-scoring areas and also help connect the game when playing more centrally. That flexibility gives us more ways to hurt teams.”
How do you think the World Cup will pan out? You can predict the future with our interactive Bracketology tool.
Need to know more about the England team? We’ve got you covered.
The same goes for Croatia.
The Everton midfielder Aurora Galli spoke to Sophie Downey about the anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered in September 2024. With Italy due to play in the 2025 European Championship, Galli aimed for a swift return to the pitch, seeking to be back playing in six months. ‘I think it was like seven-and-a-half,’ she remembers, ‘I pushed it.’ She returned for Everton on the last day of the 2024-25 season but was not named in Andrea Soncin’s final squad. However, she was invited to meet up with the Italy squad as they reached a historic semi-final.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick saluted the quality of the World Cup’s debutants after his team rode their luck in a 3-1 win over Jordan on Tuesday.
Austria were at times exposed by a bold Jordan side playing their first World Cup game and, despite going into the contest as favourites, only wrapped up victory with substitute Marko Arnautovic’s penalty in the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time.
Expectations for Austria had been raised by an impressive performance at Euro 2024 but they may be tempered by Tuesday’s display, especially ahead of a game against Group J leaders Argentina, who beat Algeria 3-0.
Rangnick, however, credited Jordan for keeping his side in check. “I think it’s due to the opponent,” the coach said when asked why Austria struggled. Jordan did a fantastic job throughout the match. We expected a difficult opponent, we knew that they were going to be anything but easy, but today they displayed a very brave kind of football. They exceeded my expectations. I know that some of you thought that we would be the favourite in this match, but we were definitely not.”
Rangnick said he welcomed the fact that the World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams gave more countries a chance to participate, calling it “an enriching experience”.
But he also said the so-called smaller nations were not just making up the numbers, referring to Spain’s shock draw with Cape Verde, Australia’s surprise win over Turkey and Haiti’s gritty performance against Scotland.
“It’s not that easy to win during this tournament – we have 48 teams and there is not going to be one easy opponent,” he said. “The teams now have really caught up in the last 15 years or so, so there are really no easy teams.” Reuters
In Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, João Neves, Bernardo Silva, Rúben Neves and Samú Costa, Portugal may have the best group of midfielders at the tournament. Fernandes is fresh off his most productive Premier League campaign for Manchester United (nine goals, 21 assists), leading the top flight for chances created (136) and breaking the Premier League record for most assists in a single campaign, edging past Thierry Henry (20 in 2002-03) and Kevin de Bruyne (20 in 2019-20).
I have some exclusive World Cup transfer news to bring to the party.
Australia’s Connor Metcalfe, who was in his country’s victory over Turkey, scoring a fine second goal, is attracting interest from MLS and the UK. Sporting Kansas are very keen on the St Pauli midfielder, I am told.
From Vonzinha to Tim Payne. All you TikTokers, Snapchatters and Bebo users will know a thing or two about this lot.
I am not breaking any confidences here but I watched the France v Senegal match in a pub with the great Tom Garry. We – like Darren Cann – were absolutely flabbergasted that Mbappe was not awarded a penalty having been fouled in the box. Is anyone here backing the ref? He saw plenty of replays on the monitor and someone came up with the wrong decision.
A rather shameful rating of 9 for Messi last night. A cruel blow to his ego.
It is Wednesday, so you can feast upon your weekly dose of The Knowledge.
Socceroos forward Awer Mabil on that viral video.
The reason why it went viral is because it was raw. It was not edited. It was just purely what the players wanted to say and all put together. It had an effect because individually Australians can feel and relate with it.”
Max Rushden and friends are coming in your ears with all the latest from the tournament.
Thomas Partey will not be part of the Ghana team that faces Panama, after he was denied access to Canada.
What Ghana do have is the likes of Antoine Semenyo after putting greater emphasis of attracting players from the diaspora.
Some lad called Messi is top of the Golden Boot list already. Who will hunt him down? Check out the top scorers, thus far.
Portugal open up against DR Congo as the Hors d’oeuvre for England v Croatia, not that anyone in those two countries will see it like that.
It is the sixth time Cristiano Ronaldo has been at a World Cup, which is a rather silly statistics. At 41, does he still have the powers to make a difference?
Ronaldo could wield a huge influence over the trophy’s ultimate destination. It remains to be seen whether that is channelled positively. Portugal can field arguably the best first-choice midfield in this summer’s competition, an experienced defence and an admirable array of wide forwards. At the heart of their attack stands, depending on your perspective, either a free-scoring icon primed to fire them all the way or a 41-year-old passenger whose presence sucks an otherwise fluent team into an inescapable void.
Nick Ames takes a look at the legend.
That is more than enough England material for the timing being, but do not fear, there will plenty throughout the day.
Opponents Croatia have impressed in recent times at the World Cup, reaching a final and semi-final in their past two outings. A key reason for their successes come in the form of 40-year-old Luka Modric, who is still going in the middle of the park and will be plotting England’s downfall.
Aleksandar Holiga on the the great man’s last dance.
There is plenty to get your teeth and eyes into as we prepare for England’s entrance in Dallas.
David Hytner has been listening to Harry Kane’s thoughts on the Three Lions’ chances and his own form.
I’m coming into this tournament in the best way possible; the best place physically and mentally. Throughout a career, there aren’t loads of times when all the pieces of the puzzle will come together at the right moment. Talking now, I feel like I’m in that place.
Thomas Tuchel is about to learn what managing at a major tournament is all about, writes Jacob Steinberg.
After an impressive qualifying campaign, Tuchel is backing England to thrive under the microscope in the US.
Barney Ronay on England shifting the focus from fun to business.
You can sit there playing with your silly little machines as much as you like. I’ll show you a World Cup. Close to a week in, with almost an entire round of cloudless group games in the bag, the coffin lid is starting to creak. By late Monday morning the first little knots of Three Lions shirts could be seen wandering the blank, baking streets of Dallas, blinking in the light. England are at the door. And it’s time for a vibe shift.
We should start with the latest set of results on what was a fascinating day.
Paul MacInnes was in New York/Jersey to see Mbappe lay down the first marker of the day. The Frenchman’s goals mean we will not have to spend our time discussing VAR too much but we certainly will.
The Ewan Murray witnessed Erling Haaland doing what he does best as Norway returned to the biggest stage by pummelling Iraq into submission.
Pablo Iglesias Maurer was on hand to see Lionel Messi’s 200th Argentina appearance, which he celebrated with a hat-trick against Algeria. He will be 39 next week but no one seems to have told him.
Austria required an own goal and late penalty against newcomers Jordan to get their competition up and running.
Preamble
After the tedium of four draws the day before, Tuesday felt like a moment within the context of this World Cup. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi all made their marks with goals in big wind for their respective countries. Tournaments need their stars to step up, often it is individuals rather than teams that are remembered for their successes in the history books and three of the globe’s best are threatening to do that again.
The hotly-anticipated England opener comes our way later, as Thomas Tuchel et al aim to end *checks notes* 60 years of hurt. Croatia provide the opponents, having previously caused plenty of harm to wallies with brollies and inflicting a semi-final defeat in Russia eight years ago. Will Harry Kane join his fellow figure heads by proving his class on the biggest stage? One nation certainly hope so.
We will be bringing you all the latest from the World Cup with plenty to look back on but even more to look forward to.
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