The first weekend of the World Cup brought about drama, intrigue and games full of goals, as the tournament progresses in North America. Co-hosts Canada got off the mark with a point on Friday night, salvaging a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina after a lovely strike from Cyle Larin twelve minutes from time. On the same night, the United States, led by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino swept aside Paraguay, winning 4-1 in a terrific attacking display, potentially showcasing their reputation as dark horses for the tournament. Elsewhere this weekend, Scotland top Group C after a nervy performance against Haiti, a goal from Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn proving to be the decisive moment for Steve Clarke’s men, who go into their second game against Morocco this Friday only needing a point to essentially create a pathway through to the Round of 32. The other game in Group C ended all square, with Brazil and Morocco sharing the spoils of an energetic turned lethargic match in New Jersey. Morocco took a deserved lead as PSV Eindhoven forward Ismael Saibari lobbed Liverpool keeper Alisson 21 minutes in, before Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr restored parity 11 minutes later. Sunday saw four time champions of the world Germany put Curacao to the sword as the small island nation were defeated by a familiar scoreline for the Germans; 7-1, but the game was close at one point as Curacao equalised via a lovely strike from Livano Comenecia, before Germany turned on the style, romping to a comfortable victory. Also last night, it was a result that seemed like it would’ve been made in the red half of Merseyside as Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch played key roles for the Netherlands, before their opponents Japan snatched a point in a thrilling 2-2 draw, Daichi Kamada headinh home in the 88th minute.
It’s set to be a busy Monday as European champions Spain take on minnows Cape Verde from 5pm in Atlanta. Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has confirmed to the media that star player Lamine Yamal is in “perfect condition” after suffering a hamstring injury in April. Also tonight, Belgium enter their first World Cup in the absence of their golden generation, as ex Napoli gaffer Rudi Garcia puts his faith on youth. They face an Egypt side led by Mo Salah from 8pm in Seattle, and that game is followed by Saudi Arabia V Uruguay, and Iran V New Zealand, from 11pm and 2am respectively, from Miami and Los Angeles
Luke Watson will be keeping us up to date on World Cup 2026
