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The Liverpool icon has little left to prove but will be key for his country as they look to end a near-century wait for a victory in a World Cup matchLast week Orange, one of Egypt’s leading mobile network operators, released a series of humorous adverts starring Egypt’s Ahmed Fatouh, Rami Rabia and Hossam Abdelmaguid, where the trio’s optimism is met with scepticism as partners and family members struggle to take them seriously. Their crime? Daring to suggest Egypt might finally progress beyond the group stage of a World Cup.If there is one thing Egyptians do particularly well, it is self-deprecation. Perhaps that comes from history. Despite winning the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, Egypt are still waiting for their first World Cup victory. The Pharaohs will kick off their fourth appearance at the tournament against Belgium on Monday knowing they failed to win any of their seven matches so far. That is the contradiction at the heart of Egyptian football. No African nation has won more continental titles, yet Egypt remain one of the continent’s World Cup underachievers. While other African nations aim to replicate Morocco’s 2022 semi-final success, many Egyptians would happily settle for something far more modest: a single group stage victory.Qualification for the World Cup was remarkably straightforward by Egyptian standards. The Pharaohs topped their qualifying group unbeaten and – like many African nations – they benefited greatly from Fifa’s 48-team tournament expansion; the country’s golden generation of the 2000s never managed to reach the World Cup despite dominating the continent. This time, Mohamed Salah was Egypt’s main man during qualifying, scoring nine, assisting three goals and playing virtually every minute of the campaign.However, the Egypt captain arrives at this World Cup in very different circumstances to the player at the 2018 edition. In Russia, Salah was still establishing himself after coming off a sensational first season at Liverpool; he had yet to build the trophy-laden résumé that would make him one of the greatest Premier League players. Egyptians adored him for ending the country’s 28-year World Cup exile with a dramatic stoppage-time penalty, while the wider football world was still unsure whether his 2017-18 form was just a flash in the pan.Now, at 34, there is little left for Salah to prove. He won every major honour available at Liverpool and whether Egypt exit in the group stage or make the round of 32, few non-Egyptians will fundamentally alter their assessment of his career.In Egypt, however, the stakes are different. If Salah manages to guide the nation to an elusive World Cup win, his international legacy in his country will soar. Salah remains the undisputed focal point of the national side and delivering an inaugural win – and perhaps even guiding Egypt into the knockout rounds – would surpass the feats of every Egyptian player who came before him. Salah is also closing in on Hossam Hassan’s record as Egypt’s all-time leading scorer, needing just two more goals to draw level despite having played 61 fewer matches than the man now patrolling the touchline.“We have great players – I am very happy with my squad – but, of course, we depend on Salah in big moments,” said Hassan. “He scores goals, he creates chances. We need him to be at his best and he will be. I am confident he can guide us to victories.”For the second World Cup running, Salah arrives carrying an injury. In 2018, it was the shoulder injury from the Champions League final that impeded him throughout the tournament. This time it is a hamstring problem that disrupted the closing weeks of his Liverpool career. It is frustrating for Egypt that Salah has maintained such a remarkable record of fitness throughout his club career only to arrive hampered at the World Cup again.Encouragingly though, the situation appears less serious than eight years ago, when Salah was spotted before Egypt’s decisive match against Russia needing the help of three teammates to put on his shirt during a training session. When asked about his fitness after Egypt arrived in the United States, Salah sidestepped the question, simply saying: “We need to focus on our camp and just train hard and we will see. We want to make the people proud and we will do our best. It is a tough group. Everyone has a chance so we will give it our best and we will see. Hopefully we can go far.”There is a reason Egyptians approach World Cups with equal parts hope and humour. History has taught them to expect disappointment. But history has never given them a player quite like Salah. The irony is Egypt’s captain arrives at what may be the most important World Cup of his career with the least left to prove. Long before Salah, Egypt were the first African nation to play at a World Cup in 1934. The self-deprecating jokes, the adverts and the gallows humour are all part of the national character, but even the best punchlines wear thin. And most Egyptians would agree that after 92 years, one World Cup win would do just fine.

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220 Comments"We care way more about the Knicks than the World Cup right now."New York is witnessing a moment of sports history - and it has nothing to do with football.On Saturday night the New York Knicks clinched their first NBA championship in 53 years with a 4-1 series win over the San Antonio Spurs, and the long-awaited victory sent fans into a frenzy.Fewer than 10 miles away, Brazil faced Morocco in the sixth game of the football World Cup, but it was at Madison Square Garden where scenes were electric.Thousands of fans gathered - around the home of the Knicks that is often referred to as 'the mecca of basketball' - for an outdoor watch party, despite the game being played in Texas.Nearby bars were overflowing with anxious New Yorkers who hung on every shot and call during the incredibly close game five in the best-of-seven series.It is an interesting position for a city in the middle of co-hosting the World Cup."People live and shed tears here for basketball," Knicks fan Raymond Yu told the BBC."We care way more about the Knicks than the World Cup right now."While Americans were never considered the biggest football fans in the world, New York in particular - with its diverse communities - always had a stronger tie to the game. But the Knicks' win has overshadowed the World Cup for now.At the Molly Wee Pub, when a win seemed likely a young college student remarked to his friends: "Oh my god, I'm going to see the Knicks win the Finals. I can't believe it."Once it was official, he and everyone else in the bar rushed into the streets screaming at the top of their lungs and embracing complete strangers.The celebrations swelled and lasted well into the early hours of the morning, with people climbing light poles and setting off fireworks, while police on foot and even horseback tried to make sure the chaos was controlled.Among them was Matthew Sorbonne, who told BBC Sport what the win meant to him."I watched them since I was a kid. This means everything to me. For 25 straight years they've been garbage. Finally we have a win," he said.Knicks end 53-year wait for NBA ChampionshipNew York's mayor Zohran Mamdani very quickly announced that a ticker tape parade down the canyon of heroes would be held on Thursday for the Knicks. City Hall and municipal buildings across the city will also be illuminated in blue and orange on that day to celebrate the victory.Mamdani said: "New Yorkers have cheered for our team from packed living rooms in the Bronx to watch parties in Brooklyn, from bars in Queens to Staten Island to Manhattan, and Madison Square Garden itself. Now it's time for our city to celebrate together. Bing bong."That, along with the Knicks players' return from San Antonio, will preoccupy this city with basketball for a few more days.Even those wearing football jerseys on the streets of Manhattan admitted the World Cup could never match this excitement in the US.Wearing a Lionel Messi jersey, Jeff, who did not give his surname, said that, while he liked the Argentina legend, the Knicks were more important at the moment than the World Cup. "Messi has a championship. I want the Knicks to get one," he said.New Yorkers have also been waiting longer for a Knicks win than the opportunity to host another World Cup, which was last hosted by the US in 1994.But with the city riding on good vibes from the Knicks, that could easily spill into upcoming World Cup matches.In fact, the end of the series means avoiding a nightmare scenario where game six of the NBA Finals would have clashed with the France-Senegal game in the city on Tuesday.One fan said he would try to watch some World Cup matches, given he has enjoyed seeing fans from other countries in New York showing their pride and seeing their love of the sport.Those international fans probably did not realise they would also get to experience New York's true passion.

World Cup News

Nestory Irankunda and Patrick Beach shone for the Socceroos as Turkey’s star attackers were kept at bay by a resolute Australian defencePatrick Beach Tipped a ballistic Bardakci shot onto the post to maintain Australia’s lead in the first half, and made two crucial saves from free-kicks in the second. A dream World Cup debut for the 22-year-old. 8Alessandro Circati Calm beyond his years, strong in his individual challenges, powerful in the air. Nothing got past him. 7Harry Souttar Captained the side in the absence of Mat Ryan, and thumped away any ball that entered the penalty area with his head or boot. 8Cameron Burgess Muscled away every attacker who came down his channel. A brick wall on the left side of a solid defence. 7Jacob Italiano Kept Yilmaz quiet on the left, threw himself in front of every cross and shot. Received a standing ovation when he was substituted. 8Jordan Bos Defensively disciplined in the first half; kept Arda Guler quiet for 45 minutes. Could have offered more going forward, though. 7Aiden O’Neill A tidy circuit-breaker in midfield, kept the team ticking along, but could have been more positive in his passing. 6Paul Okon-Engstler Grew braver as the game progressed. Delivered the long ball in behind for Irankunda’s opener. 7Connor Metcalfe Great energy and pressing from the opening whistle. Tore through Turkey’s midfield to score Australia’s second. 8Nestory Irankunda Scored a stunning solo goal with his first proper service of the game. Lightning pace that few can compete with, and looked dangerous every time he used it. 8Mohamed Touré Chased shadows for most of the game. Sprinted in behind Turkey’s defenders on a handful of occasions, but tripped over himself before doing anything dangerous. 6Aziz Behich (Bos 80) Was beaten to a late header, which thankfully flew over the crossbar. 6; Jason Geria (Italiano 74) Stayed calm when defending Yildiz, didn’t make any rash decisions. 6; Jackson Irvine (Okon-Engstler 83) Gave away a dangerous free-kick a minute after coming on, but otherwise shored up Australia’s defensive midfield shape. 6; Nishan Velupillay (Irankunda 60) Sat deep and stayed disciplined to help Australia defend their 2-0 lead. 6; Tete Yengi (Toure 74) Used his huge frame to wrestle with Turkey’s centre-backs, but hardly touched the ball. 6Urgurcan Cakir Commanding in the box, especially against some mountainous Australian centre-backs. Aside from the goal, barely put a foot wrong. 7Zeki Celik Made some threatening forward runs from right-back to provide a transitional outlet, but got beaten by Irankunda for the opening goal. 6Merih Demiral Did everything asked of him, but not much more. 6Abdulkerim Bardakci Calm under pressure, released a few cross-field attacking passes. Turkey’s best defender. 7Ferdi Kadioglu Was beaten a few times at left-back but gradually made his way up the pitch to contribute to attacking phases. 6Hakan Calhanoglu Main ball-carrier, controlled the tempo and connected lines. Kept Turkey moving forward. 7Orkun Kokcu Spun a great chance wide after the half-hour. Ever-present but lacked creativity. 6Arda Guler Turkey’s most creative attacking player but struggled to find clear openings. 8Ismail Yuksek Couldn’t find space in Australia’s tightly-packed midfield. Had one or two carries, but little impact. 6Baris Alper Yilmaz Was suffocated by Italiano for most of the first half, limiting his attacking impact. 5Kerem Akterkoglu Barely touched the ball across the 90 minutes. Tried to contest a comical header against Souttar out of desperation. 5Mert Muldur (Celik 81) Added fresh legs, but didn’t really use them. 6; Salih Ozcan (Yuksek 81) Struggled to crack through Australia’s midfield. 6; Deniz Gul (Akturkoglu 85) N/A; Kenan Yildız (Yilmaz 45) Immediately elevated Turkey’s attack down the left, sliding past Italiano on multiple occasions. 7; Yunus Akgun (Kokcu 62) Brought more attacking energy to Turkey’s right wing. Received a late yellow card out of frustration. 6

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Senior football correspondent in Kansas CityPublished13 minutes agoEngland had $18,000 (£13,500) of property stolen in a theft from a vehicle that was carrying equipment, according to Jackson County's prosecution office.Two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, have been charged in connection with the incident, which happened as the vehicle was taking equipment from England's pre-tournament camp in Florida to Kansas City.Despite the incident the Football Association have been clear that nothing was taken that would impact their preparations for Wednesday's opener against Croatia (21:00 BST).Of the property taken, listed in court documents seen by BBC Sport, four pairs of football boots, one football, a pair of goalkeeper gloves and training kit were stolen.Three signed jerseys - valued at a total of $15,000 - were also listed as items taken.It is understood the majority of what was stolen has now been recovered.England's first World Cup training session: What did we learn?Four pairs of boots valued at $1,340.60 in totalFive pairs of shoes valued at $1,139.50 in totalTwo white signed jerseys valued at $5,000 eachA pair of goalkeeper gloves valued at $160.87Four pairs of navy shorts (no value given)Four light blue long sleeve shirts (no value given)Four light blue short sleeve shirts (no value given)Multifunctional power strips valued at $40A Lego set of a Nike Air shoe valued at $99.99Salik and Kamal each face one count of receiving stolen property, a class D felony under Missouri law, which carries between one and seven years in prison upon conviction.England defender Dan Burn said: "I've not lost anything personally, we found out from you guys [the media]."It's with the police now so not sure how much I can comment. It's not really been spoken about, so that just shows for us that they aren't too worried about it - it's not really disrupted our preparations."Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said: "Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have travelled here to compete."We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable."Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas added: "I am grateful for the quick work of the Kansas City Police Department and the Prosecutor's Office in resolving an investigation across several states, helping crime victims recover goods stolen in transit, and ensuring the accused will face prosecution."Kansas City's public safety leadership will continue to ensure all are safe and offenders will be held accountable swiftly for any misconduct."Everything you need to know about the World Cup

World Cup News

Scotland's first World Cup game since 1998 - which you can follow here - is under way.You can rate both sets of players out of 10 below and come back 30 minutes after full-time to see the final ratings.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

World Cup News

Tony Popovic knows most people expect Turkey to beat Australia in their World Cup opener, but says his side ‘deserve to be respected’The Socceroos midfielder Aiden O’Neill walked purposefully on to the podium for Australia’s final pre-tournament press conference in Vancouver with clear eyes, declaring he has been sleeping nine and a half hours a night in the lead-up to his side’s daunting World Cup opener against Turkey.“They’ve been checking out the pillows, the sheets, everything, so every detail has been gone over,” he said of Australia’s preparation. “Yeah, I think we’re all ready.”Next to him, the eyes of coach Tony Popovic were tinted red, evidence of the effort he and his coaching staff have invested in recent weeks, as the Socceroos tune up for a tilt at this tournament.“Not quite that,” he said, when asked to compare his sleep tally to O’Neill’s. “But enough. Definitely enough.”For Popovic, it may be difficult to sleep knowing what lies ahead. Australia’s first opponents Turkey boast a squad of seasoned professionals and two of the world’s hottest young attacking talents.Though they have not reached a World Cup in 24 years, they are ranked higher than the Socceroos and are clear favourites ahead of the Saturday evening clash in Vancouver, the first fixture of the tournament in a city that – far more than the San Francisco Bay Area where Australia are based – has come alive for the World Cup.Turkey’s supposed superiority became a key theme of the match eve. Captain Hakan Calhanoglu described his side as “more talented” than Australia in an afternoon press conference, and predicted his side would “dominate” the game.Coach Vincenzo Montella was more diplomatic in his evening media engagement, declining to expand on the words of his captain, and instead praising the Socceroos. “Australia is actually a team that has a very strong mentally, they’re very resilient and they know what to do on the pitch,” he said. “It is a very balanced team, very well disciplined, they are not ashamed to defend to the last 30 metres in a line of five or four.”By then, however, Popovic had already picked up the slight from Calhanoglu – perceived or actual – and ran with it. “I respect his comment. You ask a question and he has the right to answer it any way he likes,” he said.“They expect to win, but so do most people expect Turkey to beat Australia tomorrow, so that’s no different. What we can do is try and spoil the party, and that’s our challenge tomorrow, and that’s what we aim to do.”While Australia has a solid side tinged with promising young talent such as defender Alessandro Circati, fullback Jordy Bos and striker Mo Touré, none have the reputation of Turkey’s brilliant young duo.Playmaker Arda Güler is already established at Real Madrid at 21. Winger Kenan Yildiz is the same age and has been linked to Arsenal after another fine season at Juventus.The latter enters the tournament under an injury cloud. Montella declined to address Yildiz’s fitness directly one day out from the match, though he admitted he had “a few doubts” about whether some in the squad could play 100 minutes.Australia’s main injury concern this week has been around Touré. The 22-year-old missed a training session on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) – even though he was present at the facility for a team photo – before he rejoined the team on the paddock the following day. “He just had a runny nose and just couldn’t train,” Popovic said, without elaborating about a player who is vital to Australia’s chances.Popovic has adopted a consistent structure in the Socceroos’ two warm-up games, using three central defenders, two wing-backs, two defensive midfielders, two inverted wingers and one striker. The lineup appears largely settled, though questions remain over whether Popovic will choose to hand 18-year-old Lucas Herrington a place in the XI, which would make him Australia’s youngest starter at a World Cup.The make-up of the front three is also a mystery, given the fitness of Touré, the absence of Middlesbrough player Riley McGree – who was tragically injured in the final match of the Championship in England last month – and the promising form of Nestory Irankunda, the player of the match against Switzerland last week.Perhaps more important than the formation and selection will be the instructions Popovic gives his players. How high will they press and how long can they sustain it, whether they can win transition moments, and whether the side can show enough composure and invention to ensure possession does not skew the way of Turkey.Then there is the issue of Australia’s slow starts. Against both Mexico and Switzerland in the warm-up matches, the Socceroos took much of the first half to find their way into each contest. “It’s obviously something we’ve spoken about, improving from the start,” O’Neill said. “I need to take more charge of that in terms of dominating the ball from the get go.”After the USA’s 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay, the path for the Socceroos through the group appears clear. For Popovic, however, this World Cup is about more than permutations and progression.“That’s our aim … to be extremely competitive,” he said. “To show that we are a strong nation and that we deserve to be respected.”

World Cup News

We’re almost a 25th of the way through the Geopolitics World Cup – four games down, 100 to go – so it’s the perfect time to reflect on what we’ve learned and noticed so far.1 The emergence of a peculiar cultural phenomenon: football supporters paying top dollar for the privilege of farting around on a concourse. That was Fifa’s explanation for all the empty seats at South Korea v Czechia in Guadalajara. The stadium holds 46,000 and the official attendance was 44,985, but there were a lot more than 1,015 empty seats. “Please note,” pleaded a Fifa suit, “that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”2 USA USA USA might be the most exciting host team since Germany in 2006. They walloped Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles, with the Arsenal alumnus Folarin Balogun scoring twice. By half-time in his first GWC game, Balogun had scored as many World Cup goals as Marco van Basten, Wayne Rooney, Hugo Sánchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steve Bloomer combined. Let’s just call it the Balogun d’Or and be done with it.3 Drinks breaks, though essential, are major passion-killers if a team is on top. Don’t be surprised if coaches start to shape their tactics accordingly; let’s make a really fast start to the fourth quarter, eh lads?4 The Chloe Kelly Paradox – that being left out can enhance your chances of individual glory – is playing out as expected. Four of the 12 goals have been scored by substitutes, including Oh Hyeon-gyu’s winner for South Korea against Czechia and Cyle Larin’s equaliser for Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That match turned on an earlier triple substitution by Jesse Marsch in the 61st minute. With most games played in punishing heat, the World Cup is likely to be won by the best squad, not the best team.5 Refcam is the future. So are Claude, populism and eejit trillionaires, so this isn’t necessarily a good thing, but the GWC version is a vast improvement on the Premier League’s attempt last season. It should still come with a hangover warning, mind, and there is a whiff of the refs being directed thus: “Keep looking at the goal to get the money shot – don’t worry about fouls, we’ll let you know if there’s a penalty.”6 The USA USA USA kit is the best in the tournament, a future cult classic, and we’ll be taking no further questions.7 Yaya Sithole is one of the finest footballers in a country of 65 million people. Yet whatever he achieves in his career, he is doomed to be remembered for the most untimely of shockers. Another South African, poor Pierre Issa, knows how he feels: Issa scored one-and-a-half own-goals against the hosts in South Africa’s opening match of France 98.8 Gianni Infantino may have discovered the concept of humility.9 During Qatar 2022, Adam Hurrey of Football Cliches fame wrote that the TV aesthetic of a World Cup – once unique to each tournament – has been the same at every competition since the turn of the century. His point stands (was that really the Azteca?), but the blood-red backdrop to Canada’s match gave it a unique flavour.10 4-4-2, often dismissed as the unreconstructed oaf of football formations, might be making a comeback. According to your friends and mine, Fifa, three of the eight teams in action so far have played 4-4-2. Then again, one of them was Paraguay and they had their clock cleaned by USA USA USA so we’re not entirely sure what point we’re trying to make here. Let’s all calm down. We’re only four games into the tournament!Will Unwin will take the GWC news blog through to 6pm BST (1pm EDT). John Brewin is then due to helm minute-by-minute coverage of Qatar 0-3 Switzerland from 8pm BST (3pm EDT). Then Jeff Rueter will be all over Brazil 2-2 Morocco at 11pm BST (6pm EDT), with Tom Bassam on duty for Haiti 0-2 Scotland on Sunday at 2am BST (9pm EDT) and Jonathan Howcroft on for Australia 0-2 Turkey at 5am BST (midnight EDT).double quotation markI’ve always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honour like this would come to a working-class English soccer player like me. How fitting then that I am here today as we prepare to celebrate the opening here in the US of the 2026 World Cup. It’s a powerful moment to recognise how the sport I love so much has grown in this country over the past three decades. To stand here in front of my friend Tom Cruise, the greatest movie star of our time, is quite frankly mind-blowing” – David Beckham, there, makes us feel just a little bit queasy as he gets his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Everything you need to know (and more) about every squad member at the GWC. All 1,248 of them, in our essential interactive guide.double quotation markThe year was 1966. Summertime in hot suburban Washington DC and a little boy, with nothing else to do, happens to turn on the TV and there’s this football game on. It looks like a big deal and a big stadium. Oh look, it’s England playing West Germany. Two countries playing each other, wow. And oh my, the Queen is even there. The little boy is entranced and watches with great excitement as England win. Geoff Hurst becomes an instant hero. The next day, the importance of the game is certified by headlines in the New York Times. The little boy is hooked and becomes a dedicated football fan for life, with a strong bias in favour of England (sorry Barry!)” – David Beyda.double quotation markIn 1970, having left my first teaching job (in anthropology) at UCLA, I arranged to meet a university friend from Oxford (he was teaching economics in Cuba at the time) in Mexico City for the World Cup. We got tickets for the Soviet Union v Belgium match at the Azteca Stadium, the Soviets winning 4-1. The next day, Mexico beat El Salvador and I was driving in our rented VW through the city when the crowds came out, the millions that is. No problem. Hit the horn ‘ba ba bababa’, yelled ‘Viva Mexico!’ as we crawled along and we made it through easily, grinning all the way. My friend, who wanted to see pyramids and old towns but had no interest whatever in football and came along out of comradeship or indulgence, found the moment exasperating and shouted irritably at me: ‘Do you have to make that bloody row?!’ He had to suffer again because we got tickets to the Brazil v England game, the best international that I have ever seen. The crowd was totally for Brazil, chanting ‘ladrona, ladrona’ whenever Bobby Moore had the ball (because of an accusation that he had stolen something in a jewellery store in Colombia as I recall) but when the game ended a lad in the seat just below us turned round and said: ‘Many chances’. True. I was still in tears over the Pelé-Bobby Moore shirt exchange, the Gordon Banks save and the sheer thrill of the whole game. Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive but to be in Mexico City was very heaven” – Michael C Gilsenan.double quotation markWhen I was a child my parents subscribed me to a weekly (I think) part-work publication called Football Handbook, one of those things you see advertised on television even now - only now they encourage people to spend all of their Tin money on building a model of a famous building one matchstick at a time, rather than on encouraging nippers to be better footballers. One of the features of Football Handbook was that it followed the careers of two apprentices for a season, one of whom was Kenny Jackett (I forget who the other was. Possibly Paul Allen). I am not sure what it was about Kenny, but he made enough of an impression on me for me to follow his career more closely than perhaps any other player ever, even though he never played for the team that I support. It was a sad day when he retired from football, and of course an even sadder one now. I know that this email isn’t funny, but then things like this prove that growing older isn’t funny, either. RIP, Kenny. You will always be a part of my childhood” – Richard O’Hagan.If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Richard O’Hagan. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.Listen up! It’s the second World Cup Daily podcast. And you can watch it here if video is your thing.In a pleasingly surreal twist to their Geopolitics World Cup campaign, England were the victims of a security breakdown after the team’s match boots were stolen before their first training session in Kansas City. The theft was understood to have taken place while equipment was being transported from the squad’s pre-tournament base in Florida to their training camp at Swope Soccer Village in Missouri. Boots belonging to the players were understood to be among the stolen items, along with official tournament balls and training equipment. It appears the team have now recovered the majority of the missing items. Had those efforts failed, we may have had to watch Harry Kane and co take on Croatia in Crocs, slippers, novelty socks, or perhaps barefoot.This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

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Beckham enjoys ‘surreal’ occasion with Tom CruiseCelebrities cheer on USA at their opening matchDavid Beckham has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Beckham called the ceremony “surreal” as his wife, Victoria, and his friend Tom Cruise praised him at the ceremony.Cruise lauded Beckham’s journey, saying it was “a Hollywood story” of hard work, determination and global influence on sport and culture.Rather than a traditional red carpet, the ceremony featured a green soccer-themed one to commemorate the occasion.“I’ve always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honor like this would come to a working-class English soccer player like me,” Beckham said. “How fitting then that I am here today as we prepare to celebrate the opening here in the US of the 2026 World Cup. It’s a powerful moment to recognize how the sport I love so much has grown in this country over the past three decades.”Beckham , who spent six seasons with LA Galaxy from 2007 and is the co-owner of Inter Miami, said: “To stand here in front of my friend Tom Cruise, the greatest movie star of our time, is quite frankly mind-blowing.”He told the actor: “You welcomed us to LA 20 years ago and you have been a loyal friend and an inspiration to me ever since.”Beckham and Cruise joined other celebrities at the Los Angeles Stadium, where a Hollywood-style opening ceremony preceded the United States’s opening game with Paraguay, which they won 4-1. Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Owen Wilson and Paris Hilton were among those looking on as performers danced around a giant World Cup trophy in the middle of the pitch.Donald Trump did not attend, instead speaking to the US team via phone, telling them: “I think you’ve a really good chance of going all the way. I just want to wish you a lot of luck.”“Welcome to the USA” announced a booming voiceover, as a closeup of the city’s Hollywood sign flashed on giant screens at the stadium.A marching band struck up the music before being joined by singers including Future, Tyla, Anitta and K-pop star Lisa. Costumes and props were designed to evoke Los Angeles street art and the city’s creative industries.Katy Perry, who also performed in the opening ceremony, then went to watch the action with her partner, the former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.Earlier, as Canada began their campaign in Toronto with a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canadian film stars Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers were in the crowd. It was the first World Cup game on Canadian soil.The singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette closed an upbeat opening ceremony with a compelling rendition of O Canada, the national anthem.

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For the first time in the history of the men’s World Cup, Les Rouges have a point. It lifted pressure on a team scarred by disappointment on the biggest stageIsmaël Koné almost passed out. Cyle Larin was almost deafened.Seventy-eight minutes into a Friday lunchtime where “almost” looked like becoming a Canadian curse, perhaps it was the jarringly definitive nature of that one single, swivelling moment that sparked such an uproarious outpouring of, well, everything.Until last week Toronto Stadium was BMO Field. In his post-match press conference Jesse Marsch’s head was still scrambled enough from the afternoon’s events that he tripped over the names of the stadium: “It doesn’t feel like the same BMO … I guess … you guys didn’t hear that,” Canada’s coach said.No one has heard the home of Canadian football sound like it did when Larin lashed in his late equaliser to grab a first-ever men’s World Cup point for the tournament’s co-hosts in their 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The wild joy, the depth-of-the-chest relief of it all, the vocal cords still stretched as brains began some Group B mathematics and permutations. It all came out.“Honestly, I felt like I was going to faint. It was crazy,” said Koné, the man whose slaloming run in off the left had sparked the breakthrough. “I felt like we did everything to give ourselves the chance to score. We were on top of them, we were pushing the game, we had momentum, we hit the bar. We deserved it. It was just a relief.”Larin had been dropped to the bench for this long-awaited home opener, and he took just two minutes to prove his point after coming off the bench. The decibels soaring, he wheeled away to the southwest corner and put an index finger into each ear. Protecting the cochleae? Not quite.“That’s for the fans, the reporters, and the journalists who say I shouldn’t have been where I’m supposed to be,” said Larin after the game. His first international goal in 18 months had arrived when his country needed it most. “But I’ve always proved them wrong. And I did it again. Hopefully now they can shut up.”In one sense, perhaps. But maybe not definitively. Marsch had originally reshuffled his attack after two insipid displays in warm-up games against Uzbekistan and Ireland. Larin and Jonathan David, Canada’s record scorer, hadn’t clicked and the lack of finishing was causing the coach to even get a little cranky in the week leading in here. “We’re going to score more goals,” Marsch insisted on Monday. “So I don’t have to put up with any more stupid questions from you guys.”Marsch was just 12 minutes away from a full press conference worth of questions he’d find stupid. Larin helped him avoid feeling foolish. So now what?David’s glaring early miss and otherwise ineffective performance was probably the biggest negative from an afternoon that ended with such positivity. Tani Oluwaseyi, who’d replaced Larin in the starting XI, blazed an equally great opportunity over too. On the hour when Marsch called one David ashore to replace him with another, Union-SG’s Promise David, he was chasing the game and those scoring demons. That lasted only 16 minutes until Larin was unleashed and did the business, thanks in large part to a delicious flick from Promise David in the buildup.Marsch was asked if he hoped this would be the dam-buster, not for Larin but for his entire attack. “On one level you can say the subs we made [had] a big impact so they were some good decisions,” he said. “But I gotta figure a way to get more out of the starters too.”Next, his team jet across the country to Vancouver, where they will play Qatar on Thursday. One luxury afforded the co-hosts is an extra day’s break between games. Marsch could do with it as he weighs up his options. He admitted Jonathan David “didn’t have his best day” but reached for an intriguing example when he argued that Larin’s goal could spark a wider release.“A home World Cup is a different occasion. It’s a different feel,” the American added. “I do think we’ll learn from this and if you look at World Cups historically, doesn’t matter if it’s Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia last World Cup or different scenarios where it starts a little bit tense in the beginning stages. Then the games come more to life and you see truer versions of teams.”In the second-half when Canada were building that momentum which Koné referenced – and the Sassuolo midfielder was most responsible for that – Alphonso Davies sat on a cooler on the edge of the home dugout, his chin perched in the palm of one hand. The captain needs time to recover from injury. So too does defender Moïse Bombito.Perhaps the greatest gift that Larin delivered was time. The equaliser also helped give Canada its moment of belonging at its own World Cup. That’s significant.“I haven’t scored in a while, but I knew it was coming,” he said. “I’ve always come up [big] when Canada needed me.”