Jessica Afuye
The FIFA World Cup 2026 continued on Friday with a series of exciting group-stage matches, producing crucial victories, solid defensive performances and dramatic moments as teams battled for places in the knockout rounds.
USA 2-0 Australia
The United States strengthened their position in Group D with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Australia. The hosts took the lead through an own goal by Cameron Burgess before Alex Freeman added a second to seal the win.
The result keeps the Americans firmly on course for qualification to the next round.
Scotland 0-1 Morocco
Morocco maintained their impressive World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Scotland.
Ismaël Saibari scored the decisive goal just seconds after kick-off, giving the North Africans an early advantage. Scotland responded strongly but were unable to break through Morocco’s disciplined defence as the Atlas Lions secured another valuable three points.
Brazil 3-0 Haiti
Brazil returned to winning ways with a dominant 3-0 victory over Haiti in Group C.
Matheus Cunha starred with two goals, while Vinícius Júnior added another as the five-time world champions delivered one of their most convincing performances of the tournament.
Brazil were forced into an early change after Raphinha suffered an injury in the first half. The winger had the ball in the net before being substituted, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
The victory leaves Brazil in a strong position heading into the final stages of the group phase.
Türkiye 0-1 Paraguay
Paraguay produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far, defeating Türkiye 1-0 in a dramatic Group D encounter despite playing much of the match with ten men.
The South Americans made a dream start when Matías Galarza scored within seconds of kick-off, netting one of the fastest goals of the tournament to hand Paraguay an early lead.
The match took a dramatic turn before half-time when Paraguay captain Miguel Almirón was shown a straight red card following a confrontation with Türkiye defender Mert Müldür. The decision was upheld after a VAR review, leaving Paraguay with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the game.
Türkiye dominated possession and created several scoring opportunities in the second half but were repeatedly frustrated by Paraguay’s resilient defence and disciplined organisation.
The defeat ended Türkiye’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage, while Paraguay kept their qualification hopes alive with a memorable victory.
As the group stage continues, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already delivering surprises, dramatic moments and standout performances that continue to captivate football fans around the world.