World Cup 2026: Every result and the top goalscorers

News

FT Desk

The 2026 World Cup has finally come to a close, with Spain emerging victorious after beating Argentina 1-0 in the final.

In the first showpiece to feature the reigning European and South American champions, Ferran Torres scored the all-important winner in extra time at MetLife Stadium.

And in a remarkable bronze final, England beat France 6-4 to secure their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through every result at the 2026 World Cup, with all matches listed as per the local date of each fixture, and the top goalscorers at the tournament.

WORLD CUP 2026 RESULTS

Thursday, 11 June

Mexico 2-0 South Africa (Group A)

South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic (Group A)

Friday, 12 June

Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)

USA 4-1 Paraguay (Group D)

Saturday, 13 June

Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Group B)

Brazil 1-1 Morocco (Group C)

Haiti 0-1 Scotland (Group C)

Australia 2-0 Turkey (Group D)

Sunday, 14 June

Germany 7-1 Curacao (Group E)

Netherlands 2-2 Japan (Group F)

Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador (Group E)

Sweden 5-1 Tunisia (Group F)

Monday, 15 June

Spain 0-0 Cape Verde (Group H)

Belgium 1-1 Egypt (Group G)

Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay (Group H)

Iran 2-2 New Zealand (Group G)

Tuesday, 16 June

France 3-1 Senegal (Group I)

Iraq 1-4 Norway (Group I)

Argentina 3-0 Algeria (Group J)

Austria 3-1 Jordan (Group J)

Wednesday, 17 June

Portugal 1-1 DR Congo (Group K)

England 4-2 Croatia (Group L)

Ghana 1-0 Panama (Group L)

Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia (Group K)

Thursday, 18 June

Czech Republic 1-1 South Africa (Group A)

Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)

Canada 6-0 Qatar (Group B)

Mexico 1-0 South Korea (Group A)

Friday, 19 June

USA 2-0 Australia (Group D)

Scotland 0-1 Morocco (Group C)

Brazil 3-0 Haiti (Group C)

Turkey 0-1 Paraguay (Group D)

Saturday, 20 June

Netherlands 5-1 Sweden (Group F)

Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast (Group E)

Ecuador 0-0 Curacao (Group E)

Tunisia 0-4 Japan (Group F)

Sunday, 21 June

Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia (Group H)

Belgium 0-0 Iran (Group G)

Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde (Group H)

New Zealand 1-3 Egypt (Group G)

Monday, 22 June

Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group J)

France 3-0 Iraq (Group I)

Norway 3-2 Senegal (Group I)

Jordan 1-2 Algeria (Group J)

Tuesday, 23 June

Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan (Group K)

England 0-0 Ghana (Group L)

Panama 0-1 Croatia (Group L)

Colombia 1-0 DR Congo (Group K)

Wednesday, 24 June

Switzerland 2-1 Canada (Group B)

Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar (Group B)

Scotland 0-3 Brazil (Group C)

Morocco 4-2 Haiti (Group C)

Czech Republic 0-3 Mexico (Group A)

South Africa 1-0 South Korea (Group A)

Thursday, 25 June

Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast (Group E)

Ecuador 2-1 Germany (Group E)

Japan 1-1 Sweden (Group F)

Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands (Group F)

Turkey 3-2 USA (Group D)

Paraguay 0-0 Australia (Group D)

Friday, 26 June

Norway 1-4 France (Group I)

Senegal 5-0 Iraq (Group I)

Egypt 1-1 Iran (Group G)

New Zealand 1-5 Belgium (Group G)

Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia (Group H)

Uruguay 0-1 Spain (Group H)

Saturday, 27 June

Panama 0-2 England (Group L)

Croatia 2-1 Ghana (Group L)

Algeria 3-3 Austria (Group J)

Jordan 1-3 Argentina (Group J)

Colombia 0-0 Portugal (Group K)

DR Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan (Group K)

Sunday, 28 June

South Africa 0-1 Canada (Round of 32)

Monday, 29 June

Brazil 2-1 Japan (Round of 32)

Germany 1-1 Paraguay (3-4 on penalties, Round of 32)

Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (2-3 on penalties, Round of 32)

Tuesday, 30 June

Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway (Round of 32)

France 3-0 Sweden (Round of 32)

Mexico 2-0 Ecuador (Round of 32)

Wednesday, 1 July

England 2-1 DR Congo (Round of 32)

Belgium 3-2 Senegal (AET, Round of 32)

USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Round of 32)

Thursday, 2 July

Spain 3-0 Austria (Round of 32)

Portugal 2-1 Croatia (Round of 32)

Switzerland 2-0 Algeria (Round of 32)

Friday, 3 July

Australia 1-1 Egypt (2-4 on penalties, Round of 32)

Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde (Round of 32)

Colombia 1-0 Ghana (Round of 32)

Saturday, 4 July

Canada 0-3 Morocco (Round of 16)

Paraguay 0-1 France (Round of 16)

Sunday, 5 July

Brazil 1-2 Norway (Round of 16)

Mexico 2-3 England (Round of 16)

Monday, 6 July

Portugal 0-1 Spain (Round of 16)

United States 1-4 Belgium (Round of 16)

Tuesday, 7 July

Argentina 3-2 Egypt (Round of 16)

Switzerland 0-0 Colombia (4-3 on penalties, Round of 16)

Thursday, 9 July

France 2-0 Morocco (Quarter-Final)

Friday, 10 July

Spain 2-1 Belgium (Quarter-Final)

Saturday, 11 July

Norway 1-2 (AET) England (Quarter-Final)

Sunday, 12 July

Argentina 3-1 (AET) Switzerland (Quarter-Final)

Tuesday, 14 July

France 0-2 Spain (Semi-Final)

Wednesday, 15 July

England 1-2 Argentina (Semi-Final)

Saturday, 18 July

France 4-6 England (Third-place play-off)

Sunday, 19 July

Spain 1-0 (AET) Argentina (Final)

WORLD CUP 2026 TOP GOALSCORERS

What's happened at the 2026 World Cup?

Following Mexico's opening victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday and South Korea's win over the Czech Republic, Canada played out the competition's first draw as they came from a goal down to secure a point. Cyle Larin struck with 12 minutes left after they had fallen behind midway through the opening half.

Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT then produced an emphatic performance as they swept away Paraguay in a one-sided victory. The match was over by half-time as an early own goal plus a double from Folarin Balogun gave the Stars and Stripes a three-goal lead. Paraguay midfielder Mauricio pulled one back, but Gio Reyna's late effort added some flourish to an easy win.

Day three began with a shock result as Qatar salvaged a late draw against a Switzerland side that simply could not convert their chances. A first-half penalty was scored by Breel Embolo, but Murat Yakin's men were unable to put the game to bed despite having 25 shots. And their profligacy came back to bite them when Boualem Khoukhi's stoppage-time header deflected in off Muro Muheim as Qatar collected their first-ever World Cup point.

In the opening matches in Group C, Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in their mouth-watering clash, while Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 for their first World Cup win since 1990. Ismael Saibari gave Morocco the lead with a beautiful dinked finish in the first half, before Vinicius Junior equalised just 11 minutes later in New Jersey. Meanwhile, Scotland surged into top spot after John McGinn's deflected effort put Haiti to the sword in Boston.

Group D also got underway on day three as Australia earned an impressive 2-0 victory over Turkey in Vancouver. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored either side of the interval as Tony Popovic's men defeated a Turkey side who boast Arda Guler, Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz within their ranks.

On matchday four, Germany began their campaign with a resounding 7-1 win over debutants Curacao, with Kai Havertz scoring twice. The four-time winners were given an early scare, however, when Livano Comenencia equalised after 21 minutes as the smallest nation by both population celebrated their first-ever World Cup goal. The other match in Group E saw Amad Diallo score a late winner as Ivory Coast edged Ecuador 1-0 in Philadelphia.

And in the opening match in Group F, Japan and the Netherlands played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in Arlington. Daichi Kamada scored an 89th-minute equaliser for Hajime Moriyasu's side after Virgil van Dijk and Cryscencio Summerville scored for Oranje either side of a strike from Keito Nakamura.

Wrapping up matchday four, Sweden crushed Tunisia 5-1 thanks to a brace from Yasin Ayari, while Mattias Svanberg scored the quickest goal as a substitute in World Cup history after netting just 12 seconds after replacing Jesper Karlstrom.

European champions Spain were held to a historic 0-0 draw by debutants Cape Verde in the opening game of Group H. Despite overwhelming dominance, Luis de la Fuente's team were unable to beat 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who earned the third smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup a first ever point. Elsewhere in Group H, Uruguay had to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Saudi Arabia after Maximiliano Araujo's 80th-minute goal cancelled out Abdulelah Al-Amri's opener.

Another upset came in the opening game of Group G, with Egypt winning a point against Belgium. Emam Ashour opened the scoring for the Pharaohs with a lovely finish, but the Red Devils made their growing pressure tell in the second half when Mohamed Hany, in a tussle with Romelu Lukaku, put through his own net as the score ended 1-1. And in the final fixture on matchday five, Iran twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with New Zealand in Group G. Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi both found the back of the net for Iran in Los Angeles after Elijah Just had twice put New Zealand in front.

Lionel Messi roared into the history books on Tuesday, 16 June with a hat-trick for Argentina in a 3-0 win over Algeria, which left him tied with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in World Cup finals history.

The Inter Miami ace scored from range with his opener before pouncing on a fumble from Luca Zidane to net his second after the break. His third, meanwhile, was a low shot into the corner from the edge of the area as the world champions made an impressive start to the defence of their title.

It was a strong response to France's Kylian Mbappe, who had earlier closed to within two of the record as Les Bleus defeated Senegal 3-1, thanks in part to a double from the Real Madrid striker. Mbappe's second is a strong contender for the goal of the tournament, as he lashed home from range mere seconds after Ibrahim Mbaye had given Senegal hope.

And another one of football's superstars, meanwhile, got his World Cup career off and running impressively, with Erling Haaland scoring two as Norway beat Iraq 4-1.

England's introduction at the 2026 World Cup was a strong one as Thomas Tuchel's side recorded a commanding 4-2 win over Croatia. Harry Kane scored twice for the Three Lions in the first half before goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford after the break secured the victory.

In the other game in Group L, Ghana overcame Panama 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Caleb Yirenkyi.

Wednesday's action had begun with a major surprise as Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Roberto Martinez's men appeared to be cruising when Joao Neves gave them an early lead in the sixth minute, but the Portuguese found it increasingly difficult to maintain their dominance. Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa scored DR Congo's first-ever World Cup goal in first-half stoppage time to level the score.

Portugal, and Al-Nassr superstar Ronaldo in particular, continued to disappoint in the second 45. Despite creating some chances, they never really looked like the overwhelming favourites that they had been made out to be, and they ultimately had to make do with just one point.

In the final fixture on Wednesday, meanwhile, Colombia beat debutants Uzbekistan 3-1, with Daniel Munoz and Luis Diaz among the scorers for the South Americans.

The second round of group stage fixtures began with Czechia and South Africa playing out a 1-1 draw with goals in either half from Michal Sadilek and Teboho Mokoena's penalty.

Switzerland then went top of Group B after a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, with all five goals being scored in the final 16 minutes of action. Substitutes Johan Manzambi (2) and Ruben Vargas put Switzerland three goals up before Ermin Mahmic's stunner for Bosnia and Herzegovina and a penalty from Granit Xhaka. Tarek Muharemovic was also sent off for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Canada then thumped Qatar 6-0, in part thanks to two red cards for their opposition, with Jonathan David netting a memorable hat-trick.

Mexico edged a tight clash with South Korea by a 1-0 scoreline, with Luis Romo scoring what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 50th minute.

After beating Paraguay 4-1, the USA also triumphed over Australia. A good first half with an own goal from Cameron Burgess and a header from Alex Freeman was enough for the USMNT to see off the Socceroos in Seattle and qualify for the knockout stage.

Morocco claimed a 1-0 victory over Scotland thanks to a quick-fire goal from Ismael Saibari, while they were joined on four points by Brazil. Carlo Ancelotti's side scored all their goals in the first half of a 3-0 win over Haiti, with Matheus Cunha netting two before Vinicius Junior scored.

In the final match of 19 June action, Turkey had 32 shots and 79% possession against Paraguay but suffered a 1-0 defeat that ended their World Cup hopes. Matias Galarza scored in the second minute while the South Americans clung on with 10 men after Miguel Almiron was sent off.

Sweden suffered a damaging reversal of their opening day 5-1 beatdown of Tunisia when they were on the receiving end of a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands on 20 June. Anthony Elanga pulled a goal back for the Scandinavians after braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo, but Crysencio Summerville put the final nail in their coffin in the 89th minute.

Germany then secured a late 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast thanks to a brace from substitute Deniz Undav, including a last-gasp stoppage time winner, after Franck Kessie had put the West African side ahead.

Meanwhile, Curacao kept their hopes of progressing to the knockouts alive after a heroic 0-0 draw versus Ecuador, with goalkeeper Eloy Room making 15 saves.

Japan then thrashed Tunisia 4-0 to send their opponents home. Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda (2) and Junya Ito were all on the scoresheet as Japan all but secured their place in the round of 32.

On matchday 11, Spain bounced back from their disappointing stalemate with Cape Verde by thrashing Saudi Arabia 4-0 on Sunday, 21 June. Lamine Yamal scored his first ever goal at a World Cup while Mikel Oyarzabal bagged a first-half brace in Atlanta.

Elsewhere on matchday 11, Belgium's struggles continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw with Iran - their second successive draw in Group G. The Red Devils were reduced to 10 men in the second half when young defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for hauling down Iran striker Mehdi Taremi following a terrible pass.

Cape Verde then secured their second point of the group stage after a 2-2 draw versus Uruguay, with Marcelo Bielsa's side scoring with their only two shots on target. Meanwhile, Egypt ran out 3-1 winners over New Zealand, with Mohamed Salah among those on the scoresheet.

Lionel Messi made history on Monday 22 June by storming two clear of Miroslav Klose at the summit of the all-time World Cup scoring charts, thanks to a brace in a 2-0 win over Austria, which sealed qualification to the round of 32 for Argentina. Messi could have had his second hat-trick in as many games had he not missed an early penalty.

Two goals from Kylian Mbappe and a strike from Ousmane Dembele helped France overcome Iraq in a match marred by delays due to stormy conditions, before Erling Haaland scored twice, along with a goal from Marcus Holgrem Pedersen to give Norway a narrow 3-2 win over Senegal, who scored through Ismaila Sarr's brace.

Portugal responded to their disappointing opening-day draw with DR Congo by easily dispatching Uzbekistan 5-0. Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo saw him become his country's World Cup record goalscorer, the oldest player to score a brace in the tournament and the first-ever player to net in six editions. Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao were also on the scoresheet, while goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov was credited with an own goal.

England played out a goalless draw with Ghana before Croatia narrowly beat Panama thanks to Ante Budimir's strike. Colombia then defeated DR Congo 1-0 after Daniel Munoz scored to send the South Americans into the knockouts.

The third round of group stage fixtures kicked off with Bosnia and Herzegovina comfortably beating Qatar 3-1, while co-hosts Canada fell to a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to Switzerland, thus finishing behind the Swiss in the group standings but nevertheless qualifying for the round of 32. Qatar were eliminated as the last-placed team in the group.

Brazil then brushed Scotland aside 3-0 to top Group C, while Morocco finished second after a 4-2 victory over Haiti - coming back from behind twice. South Africa then stunned South Africa with a surprise 1-0 win, with Mexico securing a 3-0 victory against Czech Republic to end the group stage with nine points.

On Thursday 25 June, Ivory Coast swatted Curacao aside with a 2-0 thanks to a Nicolas Pepe brace, while Ecuador secured a vital 2-1 win over Germany to book their place in the round of 32 as one of the best third-place teams.

Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 and claimed top spot in Group F thanks to Japan's 1-1 draw versus Sweden, while already eliminated Turkey beat co-hosts USA 3-2. Paraguay and Australia played out a 0-0 draw.

On Friday, 26 June, Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick and Desire Doue bagged his first World Cup goal as France thrashed a much-changed Norway 4-1. Elsewhere in Group I, Senegal walloped Iraq 5-0 thanks to a brace from Pape Gueye and goals from Habib Diarra, Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye.

On the same day, Cape Verde - the third-smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup - booked their place in the knockout phase following a 0-0 with Saudi Arabia. The tournament debutants joined Spain in the last 32 after the European champions beat Uruguay 1-0 to finish as Group H winners.

And rounding off a bumper matchday, Leandro Trossard scored twice as Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 to seal their place in the knockout phase. The Red Devils clinched top spot in Group G ahead of Egypt, who finished second after playing out a 1-1 draw with Iran.

On the final day of the group phase, Harry Kane became England's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup by firing his side past Panama. Elsewhere in Group L, Ghana were beaten for the first time as a late goal from Nikola Vlasic handed Croatia all three points.

In Group K, Colombia pipped Portugal to top spot after both sides played out a 0-0 draw. They have been joined in the last 32 by DR Congo after they beat Uzbekistan 3-1 thanks to a Yoane Wissa double.

And in Group J, Algeria and Austria contested arguably the best match of the group stage as both countries progressed to the knockouts following a 3-3 draw. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi took his goal tally to six for the tournament as he helped Argentina beat Jordan 3-1.

In the first round of 32 fixture, Canada prevailed thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Stephen Eustaquio after a cagey affair with South Africa.

The following day, Brazil overturned a half-time deficit to defeat Japan. Kaishu Sano opened the scoring for Samurai Blue, who were looking to win a World Cup knockout match for the first time, but the Selecao prevailed thanks to goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli.

Then it was a tale of two shootouts as Germany lost on penalties for the first time at the World Cup against Paraguay on Monday, 29 June. Kai Havertz cancelled out Julio Enciso's opener for his third goal of the tournament, only for Julian Nagelsmann's side to lose 4-3 on spot-kicks in Foxborough, United States.

And then it was Morocco's turn to clinch shootout glory as Mohamed Ouahbi's men downed the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties in Guadalupe, Mexico. Cody Gakpo was in tears after putting Oranje in front after 72 minutes, after he and his wife Noa van der Bij announced the heartbreaking loss of their second unborn child three days earlier, before Issa Diop scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Morocco.

Norway booked their place in the round of 16 with a late 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. Antonio Nusa had opened the scoring with a perfectly placed strike into the top corner before Amad Diallo equalised in similarly spectacular fashion after a brilliant dribble. But then unstoppable goal machine Erling Haaland ensured Norway's progression with an 86th-minute winner.

France advanced to the last 16 in some style after downing Sweden 3-0 in New Jersey. Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace to become the top European goalscorer in World Cup history, while Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net.

Mexico also moved through to the last 16 after beating 10-man Ecuador at the Estadio Azteca. Javier Aguirre's side recorded a fourth successive clean sheet at the World Cup as goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez did the damage for the co-hosts.

DR Congo stormed into an early lead against England in their round of 32 clash, courtesy of a goal from Brian Cipenga, but a brace from Harry Kane saw England run out 2-1 victors.

Belgium then came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Senegal in normal time, before booking their place in the last-16 thanks to a last-minute penalty from Youri Tielemans in extra-time.

USA beat Bosnia 2-0 thanks to goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, although the former was sent off in the 64th minute after a VAR review.

Spain earned a safe passage into the round of 16 after the European champions defeated Austria 3-0 in Los Angeles. Mikel Oyarzabal took his World Cup goal tally to four with a superb brace, while Pedro Porro also found the back of the net for Luis de la Fuente's side.

They will play Portugal in the next round after their dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia. After Ivan Perisic fired Croatia in front after 53 minutes, Portugal were awarded a penalty after Nikola Vlasic was adjudged to have fouled Renato Veiga from a corner. Cristiano Ronaldo was handed the responsibility of converting the spot-kick and the forward made no mistake from 12 yards out - his first-ever goal in the World Cup knockout phase.

However, manager Roberto Martinez then made the brave decision to withdraw Ronaldo as Portugal searched for a winner, which they found in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Goncalo Ramos headed home from Rafael Leao's deep cross. There was a final twist in the tale, however, as Croatia were denied a dramatic equaliser in the 13th minute of added time. Josko Gvardiol thought he was the hero for Zlatko Dalic's side when poking home from close range, only for VAR to rule the defender was in an offside position when Igor Matanovic ever-so-slightly flicked the ball in his direction. And therefore the goal was chalked off.

Switzerland joined Portugal and Spain in the last 16 after downing Algeria 2-0 in Vancouver. Johan Manzambi enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a driving run which brought about Breel Embolo's opener, before Dan Ndoye's early second-half strike saw the Swiss get the better of their former manager, Vladimir Petkovic.

Egypt became the second African side to book their place in the round of 16 after beating Australia on penalties. Emam Ashour had opened the scoring in the 13th minute, but an own goal from Mohamed Hany meant that the game was tied after 90 and 120 minutes. Socceroos boss Tony Popovic pulled a Louis van Gaal by bringing on goalkeeper Maty Ryan for Patrick Beach before the shootout, but the gamble did not pay off. Ryan did not save a single penalty, while defenders Harry Souttar and 18-year-old Lucas Herrington missed their spot-kicks.

Reigning champions Argentina were forced into extra time by an incredible Cape Verde side that simply refused to quit. A brilliantly taken Lionel Messi goal had given the Albiceleste the lead in the first half. However, they took their foot off the gas in the second, which allowed Deroy Duarte to equalise. Lisandro Martinez reestablished Argentina's advantage two minutes into extra time, only for Sydney Lopes Cabral to produce arguably the goal of the tournament. The left-back, who was playing in the fourth division in Germany as recently as two years ago, cut inside onto his right foot and curled the ball into the top corner. Unfortunately for the African minnows, a Cristian Romero header deflected off Diney's hand past goalkeeper Vozinha in the 111th minute to send Argentina through. Cape Verde exited the tournament without losing a game in 90 minutes. A remarkable feat.

Colombia prevailed over Ghana in the final match of the round of 32 thanks to an early goal from Jhon Arias. The 1-0 scoreline ultimately flattered the Black Stars as Colombia were in complete control of the match and could have scored a few more.

In the first last-16 clash, Morocco secured a 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring a brace before Soufiane Rahimi rounded out the scoring in stoppage time.

Meanwhile, France then beat Paraguay 1-0 thanks to a Kylian Mbappe penalty, with Didier Deschamps' side overcoming several nasty challenges to progress to the quarter-finals.

Brazil were knocked out after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Norway. Bruno Guimaraes missed a first half penalty for Brazil before Erling Haaland scored a brace late on to put Norway in control. Neymar scored a penalty in injury time to half the deficit but it wasn't enough to avoid defeat.

Ten-man England overcame Mexico in a 3-2 thriller at the Azteca Stadium, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice in the first half to put England up only for Julian Quinones to score before the break. Jarrell Quansah was given a straight red card in the second half but Harry Kane's penalty sealed the win for England despite Raul Jimenez also scoring from the spot.

Reigning European champions Spain continued their World Cup run at the expense of Iberian rivals Portugal thanks to a tight 1-0 win. Mikel Oyarzabal squandered a golden opportunity early on, but it didn't matter as namesake Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in the 91st minute after Portugal were caught napping on a quickly-taken free kick. Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup journey has now come to an end, with the 41-year-old the only player to score in six different editions.

Elsewhere on 6 June, Belgium served up revenge as they beat the United States 4-1 in a match which saw Folarin Balogun represent the co-hosts after FIFA controversially suspended his one-match ban. The 25-year-old received a straight red card in the USA's last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he was cleared to play after president Donald Trump confirmed he asked FIFA to reconsider the automatic one-match ban. While Belgium publicly denounced the decision before facing the USA, Rudi Garcia's side were able to turn their sense of injustice into fuel as they ran out comprehensive winners in Seattle. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku also found the back of the net for Belgium, who will face Spain in the last eight.

The final matchday of the round of 16 kicked off with a bang as Egypt took a 2-0 lead against overwhelming favourites Argentina thanks to Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko. However, the reigning champions staged a late comeback. Lionel Messi set up Cristian Romero for a header in the 79th minute before he himself levelled the score in the 83rd minute. Enzo Fernandez put the game to bed three minutes into stoppage time to keep Argentina's title defence alive.

Switzerland completed the round of 16 action with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Colombia after a fairly dull 0-0 and a slightly more spectacular 30 minutes of extra time. Colombia had several chances to win the game, but their lack of a clinical finisher came back to bite them.

France won the first quarter-final of the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Morocco. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored in the second-half after Mbappe missed a penalty in the opening 45 minutes in Foxborough.

In the second quarter-final, Spain overcame Belgium 2-1 in a match that was far from a classic. Fabian Ruiz had a first-half goal cancelled out by Charles de Ketelaere before Senne Lammens endured the worst possible World Cup debut after coming on as a substitute for Thibaut Courtois. The Man Utd goalkeeper was unable to keep hold of a Pau Cubarsi shot, which allowed Mikel Merino to slot home the loose ball and secure the win for Spain in the 88th minute.

England also booked their place in the semi-finals after edging Norway 2-1 in Miami. Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring in fortuitous circumstances - the Benfica winger firing Norway in front after a cross flew past Jordan Pickford and into the top corner. However, Jude Bellingham was England's hero once again as he levelled the tie on the stroke of half-time, before showing excellent instincts inside the penalty area to tap home the winner in extra time.

Argentina will take on England for a place in the World Cup final after they beat Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City. After Dan Ndoye cancelled out Alexis Mac Allister's opener, the Swiss were reduced to 10 men when Breel Embolo received a second yellow card for simulation. Switzerland were able to drag Argentina into extra time despite being a man light, but late goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez send the defending champions into the last four.

Billed as one of the biggest and most exciting games in recent history, Spain's semi-final clash with fellow powerhouse France did not quite live up to the hype because the French failed to hit their stride. La Roja, who went into the game with confidence bordering on arrogance, put their money where their mouth was and controlled the match. A Mikel Oyarzabal penalty in the 22nd minute and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro saw Spain reach their first World Cup final since winning the tournament in 2010.

With bad blood between England and Argentina, the second semi-final produced a dull but hard-fought first half with few highlights. But the game really kicked into gear in the second when Anthony Gordon converted a cross to put the Three Lions ahead in the 55th minute. Instead of going for the jugular, England increasingly dropped back and were made to pay when Argentina staged a stunning seven-minute comeback late on, courtesy of goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, both of which were set up by Lionel Messi.

In the bronze final on 19 July, England edged a 10-goal thriller against France to achieve their best World Cup finish since 1966. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for the Three Lions, while Kylian Mbappe netted twice - becoming the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup in the process.

And in the final 24 hours later, Ferran Torres came off the bench to score the decisive winner in extra time as Spain got the better of Argentina in New Jersey. The defending champions were reduced to 10 men in the second half when Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card for a ridiculous tackle on Pau Cubarsi. And Luis de la Fuente's side were able to make their numerical advantage count when Torres found the back of the net after 106 minutes.

Written by

FT Desk

FootballTransfers' desk

View full bio