2026 — The Tournament Of A Lifetime

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18-year-old defender and Harry Souttar miss penalties against Egypt Coach Tony Popovic says manner of defeat in Dallas is ‘tough to take’ Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine walked up to Lucas Herrington, the teenager whose penalty miss all but eliminated Australia from the World Cup. It was the end of the shootout that just ended the team’s involvement in the tournament in North America, and the veteran wanted to share something, even if he did not know quite how to put it. “There’s not many words you can say to a player in that moment,” Irvine said after the match, the emotion of the defeat still raw. “Just so that he knows we’re there, just to look him in the eye and embrace [him] and know that that’s what this team is about – it’s a team first, and it’s not about any one player in any moment. For him to step up in that moment, this takes incredible steel, [I went up to him] just so he knows that we’re all here for him.” The last-32 clash in Dallas against Egypt had gone all the way through 120 minutes, forcing the first penalty shootout the Socceroos have contested at a World Cup finals. Ultimately it was Egypt who progressed, winning their first World Cup knockout in an achievement that would have been Australia’s had the shootout gone the other way. Coach Tony Popovic said it was a “tough” way to lose but this campaign showed the strength of Australian football. “At this moment right now everything is a little bit tough to take, but I’m sure every Australian is proud of the group and what they did, the growth in the tournament and tonight the effort they put in,” he said. “I’m sure their families and friends and every Australian back home who has watched will be very proud tonight.” Irvine congratulated Egypt after the match, but said it was up to the Australian players to use the pain of this disappointment to improve. “You’ve got to allow yourself to feel it. It’s the hardest part,” he said. “To feel it all, the hurt, the disappointment, the heartbreak, all the effort and and hope that goes into today because that’s what’ll drive you forward not wanting to feel the same way again.” Tears welling in his eyes in the post-match press conference, Irvine at 33 is unlikely to appear at another World Cup. “We’re all obviously very devastated, it’s the toughest way to lose a game, the boys put in so much hard work, it’s been unbelievable camp,” he said. “We gave ourselves the best possible opportunity to do something an Australian [men’s] team’s not done before, but ultimately, we’ve fallen short at a penalty shootout.” Aziz Behich, who at 35 is one of the few players more experienced than Irvine, was another whose eyes were red at full-time. The defender said it was too soon to decide whether this World Cup campaign was a success or failure. “It just hurts. As a competitor, as a footballer, I’ll always be selfish and say ‘I want more’, so I look at it in that aspect,” he said. “But I think once all the dust settles, I think there’s a lot to be proud of. There’s always going to be that ‘what if’ because we’re just so close yet again.” The Socceroos had their chances in an even match, and managed to equalise for the first time in the tournament. When the match went to penalties, Irvine said the Australians felt confident, even if Harry Souttar and Herrington both missed the target and goalkeeper Maty Ryan – brought on in the dying stages with the shootout in mind – was left helpless by Egypt’s composure from the spot. Irvine said the preparations for the shootout went as planned, and every player expected to take a penalty put up their hand. “We did practice shootouts in training and the staff gave us our numbers. I wasn’t aware maybe if other players were having conversations about that, but it was all very calm,” he said. Behich said the knockouts must now be the benchmark for the Socceroos at future World Cups. “Now we’ve set the bar, two World Cups in a row we’ve reached the knockout stages,” he said. “That’s got to be the standard from now on, getting out of the group and hopefully, next World Cup, we’ll be knocking on the door.”

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Hossam Abdelmaguid puffed out his cheeks, steadied himself, began his run up with exaggerated slowness, checked and then sent Mat Ryan the wrong way. He ran off to the corner, ripping off his shirt, and was soon joined by an ecstatic posse of Egyptian players. Don’t worry about the scrappy, largely formless game from which their joy stemmed. For the first time since 1934 when there were only 16 teams, Egypt are in the last 16 of the World Cup. At some level, football is always about the outcome; the process is just a footnote. Penalties had seemed probable from the moment 10 minutes into the second half when Mohamed Hany headed into his own goal to level the scores. Emam Ashour has had a remarkable year. Playing in a central role behind the front two, he was arguably Egypt’s best player at the Cup of Nations. Deployed on the right in this tournament, he scored his first international goal in the draw against Belgium, and then he put his country ahead here. When his shot from a cleverly worked free-kick on the left was blocked after 13 minutes, he lingered at the back post and, played onside by Lucas Herrington, was unmarked to head in when the left-back Karim Hafez returned the ball to the middle. There was a time when Egypt would have tried to sit on their lead and kill the game, but Hossam Hassan is no Hassan Shehata or Carlos Queiroz. There was remarkably little spoiling or time-wasting, in part down to the admirably no-nonsense approach of the Uruguayan referee, Gustavo Tejera, who seemed able to diagnose (non-)injuries from a distance of 20 yards while jogging backwards. The paucity of Australian chances was more about Australia’s lack of creative spark than anything Egypt did, whether in terms of organisation or gamesmanship. Cristian Volpato had flicked the top of the bar early on, but that aside what half-opportunities did arise for Australia before half-time tended to be from half-cleared set-plays. Sure enough, it was a set-play that brought the equaliser 10 minutes into the second half, Mohamed Hany heading an Aiden O’Neill free-kick into his own net. For the Al-Ahly full-back this has been a difficult few months: he was sent off just before half-time against South Africa at the Cup of Nations, and was involved in an ugly clash of heads a few minutes before the own goal. Mohamed Salah has often been criticised for his lack of effectiveness for Egypt but often that’s been because he has been the sole attacking figure in a team that doesn’t do much attacking. The emergence of Omar Marmoush has eased the dependency to an extent but he too has struggled to produce his best form for his country. He had squandered a golden chance to double Egypt’s lead in the first minute of the second half, shooting wide with just the keeper to beat. For much of the second period so little happened the temptation was to wonder whether 11-a-side might be a couple too many; there was no space anywhere. But when Hafez overstretched and was forced off, Hossam Hassan switched to a back three, bringing on Trezeguet to play as a left wing-back. Suddenly, Egypt – and Salah in particular, had renewed life. First, in injury time, he arced in a cross for Ramy Rabia, whose header was tipped over spectacularly by Patrick Beach, and then early in extra-time he blasted a decent chance over. Egypt’s build-up had been overshadowed by a clash between the team director Ibrahim Hassan, the twin brother of the coach, and a Dallas police officer at the team hotel the day before the game. Video footage appears to show the officer intervening with needless aggression to prevent a player posing for a photograph with a child. Hassan, though, is not somebody to take a backward step. He once grabbed a rifle from a Lebanese army officer to prevent him striking his brother when a game got out of hand, missed the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations after raising a middle finger at Moroccan fans and habitually sits at the back of national team press conferences taking issue with questions he feels tonally inappropriate. After the officer had shoved Hassan in the chest, the former defender squared up to him, two huge bald men going nose to nose. The officer appeared to be reaching for his handcuffs when the forward Trezeguet intervened and both eventually backed down. Although a federation source dismissed the incident as “a minor altercation”, he also criticised local security’s “poor handling” of the arrival and the “harsh demeanour” of police officers. Dallas Police later acknowledged an incident had occurred, blaming “individuals” for not “displaying credentials properly”. But Egypt can forget about that for now. They are still in this, going on to Atlanta to face either Cape Verde or the world champions Argentina.

World Cup News

Close13Switzerland end their 88-year wait for a win in the knockout stage of a World Cup as they beat Algeria 2-0 in Vancouver. Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated topicsFootballFollow Football close panelYou are now following FootballUpdates from your Sport topics will appear in My Sport and in a collection on the Sport homepage.FIFA World Cup 2026Follow FIFA World Cup 2026 close panelYou are now following FIFA World Cup 2026Updates from your Sport topics will appear in My Sport and in a collection on the Sport homepage.SwitzerlandFollow Switzerland close panelYou are now following SwitzerlandUpdates from your Sport topics will appear in My Sport and in a collection on the Sport homepage.AlgeriaFollow Algeria

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World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico has reached the knockout stage. Here are the forthcoming games and where you can watch and listen to them in the UK. During the tournament, 54 matches will be shown live on the BBC, including the final on 19 July, with 92 games on BBC Sounds and every single match covered on the BBC Sport website and app. Everything you need to know about the World Cup

World Cup News

Education minister Jacqui Smith suggests ‘disco nap’ on Sunday so everyone is fresh as a daisy on Monday Keir Starmer wants children up and ready for school on Monday morning regardless of the England game being played at 1am UK time. After England qualified for the next round of the World Cup on Wednesday evening after their win against the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the head coach, Thomas Tuchel, urged parents to let their children bunk off school so they could stay up to watch the match against Mexico. Play could last until at least 3am. Tuchel said: “Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. They have so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch, there will be a big, big match in four days and we need the support of everyone and especially of the children.” But Starmer disagrees. When asked if children should stay up to watch the game, his spokesperson said: “It is up to parents to make their own decisions. We want everyone to enjoy the game but children should be at school on Monday.” The spokesperson added: “The education minister Jacqui Smith put it very well. She is having a disco nap on Sunday and then back at work next day … the prime minister is facing the same dilemma as everyone else on whether to stay up.” England will travel to the Azteca stadium in Mexico City – where the Argentinian player Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” goal against England 40 years ago in the 1986 World Cup. The babysitting app Bubble said there had been a 50% rise in Monday morning bookings as parents appeared to be opting for late-night football over the school run. Smith suggested young people would miss out on important learning if they followed Tuchel’s lead and wrote excuses to schools. She told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “I don’t want to be a killjoy, but I’ll tell you what the biggest killjoy is – young people who don’t have the learning to be able to go on and do what they need to do in life. “I quite understand if people want to watch the match, including young people – I will be. I’ll be having a little disco nap in the afternoon and I’ll be celebrating our victory the next morning when I go into work, looking obviously as fresh as a daisy.” England fans have been campaigning for an emergency bank holiday on Monday so people can watch the game without having to worry about going to work. But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that while they were “backing the England team all the way … the current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established”. There could, however, be a bank holiday if England wins the World Cup. Starmer previously teased that an extra bank holiday could happen on 20 July, but said he didn’t want to “jinx” the tournament by announcing one ahead of time. If Andy Burnham is confirmed as the next Labour leader, as is widely expected, he is likely to take office on 20 July.

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“For us now, it’s absolutely not a time to panic,” Anthony Barry urged in his now customary half-time debrief, with England 1-0 down to a Democratic Republic of Congo side playing with serious confidence. Thomas Tuchel’s No 2 coldly broke down what was required in the second half – “not a time to play gung-ho football” – but was done dirty by the stat that flashed up on the BBC’s coverage as he spoke. The last time England went on to win a World Cup match in which they conceded first? West Germany in the 1966 final. Yes, you may panic. Dear England, were you ready to accept defeat, to scrape hard for excuses? This was a Lionel M exhibition, of course – even if it was Mpasi in goal rather than Messi up top. And you can forget about England’s right-back problem: how about that display from the Croydon-born Aaron Wan-Bissaka, even if he was playing for the opposition? Maybe it was time to pack up and accept that a home Euros in two years is the more realistic shout, bursting with that third-time-lucky narrative. The last decade has been a good run. We move. Harry Kane wasn’t having it. With his late double he turned a potential re-run of Iceland 2016 into Slovakia 2024, and served up a reminder too: England are, believe it or not, quite good at this nowadays. This was their 10th knockout victory at a major tournament in the last eight years; the previous 40 years produced just six. They haven’t imploded in quite some time and Kane is a major reason with 11 knockout goals in five tournaments. “They’re all sharks,” proclaimed Tuchel when discussing Kane and fellow Ballon d’Or! Ballon d’Or! Ballon d’Or! contenders Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. “If they smell blood, they come and score.” That all sounds a little too intense for the kids, but Tuchel wants them to stay up in the UK and watch England take on Mexico in the early hours of Monday BST. “Let them watch,” tooted Tuchel. “There will be a big, big match in four days and we need the support of everyone and especially of the children,” he added, stopping just short of breaking into a rendition of Greatest Love of All. With the tournament co-hosts unbeaten in 10 World Cup games at altitude inside the gargantuan Azteca, England could do with help from all corners. Last-32 week continues apace. Join Rob Smyth at 8pm BST/3pm EDT for Spain 3-0 Austria then our US counterparts will be on hand at midnight BST/7pm EDT for Portugal 1-0 Croatia (aet). To round things off, we’ll also bring you Switzerland 3-2 Algeria at 4am BST/11pm EDT. If you’re not already doing so, check out Big Website’s Instachat account, now featuring Barney Ronay’s latest GWC diary, DR Congo and England fans taking in their last-32 meeting, plus a snazzy visualisation of Harry Kane’s winner. “I don’t know why they were arguing but I like that – we need that kind of grit on the pitch. When I took the team over 18 months ago, I thought they were very good when in control of the ball, but I thought they were not aggressive enough and that’s not how you get a result – you need to be solid, you need to battle to be there. We’re a better team if we keep this up” – Rudi Garcia is happy to see more set-tos between his Belgium players if it fires them up like it did in the wild 3-2 comeback win after extra time against Senegal. double quotation markAs an ex-pat Sassenach now living in Edinburgh, capital of the Democratic Republic of Scongo, I can only express my frustration at Harry Kane for depriving the locals of what would inevitably have been an extra bank holiday today. Oh well, all attention now turns to the wee small hours of Monday, when Edinburgh becomes the capital of MexiSco” – John Collins. double quotation markThat was a statement win. I think we deserve to get one of our exclamation points back. Can we please at least be USA USA USA! now?” – Pat Condreay [thoughts? – Football Daily Ed]. double quotation markAt the risk of turning this newsletter into the Chocolate Daily (Football Daily letters passim), as a French expat in Canada, I’d like to point out that chocolate is one of those foods with a pretty long shelf-life at room temperature, meaning that, in most civilised countries, it really is not that hard to purchase and enjoy very fine chocolate indeed. That said, if England and the USA USA USA really want to duke it out for the title of Worst Chocolate, maybe ask Fifa to organise an alternate GWC?” – Pierre Igot. double quotation markWhile I agree that American artisan chocolate is very good, I want to say that Hershey is the Fifa of chocolatiers. Don’t believe me? I’ll refer you to the upcoming biopic of its eponymous founder, which seems, at least judging by its trailer, to be the United Passions of confectionary films” – Kári Tulinius. double quotation markMarcelo Bielsa laments that no one cares what he knows. Has he not met Jonathan Wilson?” – Steve Mintz. If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Steve Mintz. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here . The latest World Cup Daily podcast is freshly baked – with an added flavour of Harry Kane. Listen to it here, or watch it here. 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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"I still talk to him," Ruben Neves says about Diogo Jota, his close friend and former Porto, Wolves and Portugal team-mate. It is a year since Jota, while a Liverpool player, died in a car accident in Spain, 11 days after marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso. His brother Andre Silva was also killed in the accident on 3 July 2025. "Few people know this," Neves, who is wearing Jota's number 21 national shirt at the World Cup, told Portuguese TV show, external Alta Definicao. "We have a WhatsApp group with Rute and Diogo, and it's still there, and we continue to talk there. "Whenever something special happens, I have the conversations archived on my WhatsApp so I can continue to send him messages." Jota, 28, was on his way back to Liverpool for pre-season when the car, a Lamborghini, left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle. He was making the journey to England by car and ferry as doctors had advised the forward, who celebrated winning the Premier League title two months earlier, against flying because he had undergone minor surgery. One year on from his passing, Portugal play Croatia in Toronto on Thursday evening (00:00 BST on Friday morning) for a place in the last 16 at the World Cup. It promises to be a highly emotional occasion for head coach Roberto Martinez, his players and staff, and the thousands of Portugal fans who have flooded into the Canadian city for the match. "Diogo is our sun and our light," says Martinez, who named Jota as an honorary 'plus-one' player when he announced his squad in May. "We want to win the World Cup for him." 'A symbol of hope & inspiration - Jota was a Portuguese hero' He became a symbol of hope and inspiration back home after going from his hometown club Gondomar to Pacos de Ferreira, then to Porto, Wolverhampton and finally Liverpool. Jota's path to stardom was highlighted as a rare case of an elite Portuguese footballer who never spent time at any of the big three academies - Benfica, Sporting and Porto. Just like at Liverpool though, his death has had a profound effect on the national team, for whom he scored 14 times in 49 appearances. As well as carrying the weight of expectation on their shoulders at this tournament, Portugal's players also carry the weight of grief for a team-mate who would have been among them this summer. While his ​absence has been felt deeply, Jota's memory lives on and his presence has been felt at this World Cup, from Houston to Miami. A black and white picture of Jota celebrating a goal for his country has been displayed on big screens as the Portuguese national anthem has rung out before matches. "Diogo was a player deeply loved by the Portuguese people," Miguel de Silva, the Portuguese-Canadian owner of the Amigos da Dundas sports bar, located in Toronto's Little Portugal neighbourhood, says. "I think what he brings to the Portuguese players will be something special. Just one more reason for them to win the match [against Croatia]." While fans have turned up for Portugal's matches wearing shirts with Jota's name on the back, players including captain Cristiano Ronaldo are wearing special wristbands during matches in tribute. The wristbands in Portugal's green and red colours are a gift from Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and carry the names of all squad members alongside that of Jota. "The story of the wristband ⁠is, when we went to meet with the prime minister, he offered us this wristband," says midfielder Vitinha. "They made ​sure that it was a wristband that we could wear on the pitch. It has all the specifics for us ​to be able to enter the pitch with it, with the name of all the players plus the special name of Diogo Jota." Vitinha appeared in the opening group game against DR Congo in Houston on 17 June, where Jota's parents Joaquim and Isabel were guests, and wiped away tears in the stands during an emotional tribute to their sons. "Representing Portugal at this tournament was a dream Diogo nurtured with everyone who loved him," Fifa president Gianni Infantino wrote on social media, external after meeting the couple. "While celebrating these moments of togetherness, we continue to keep Diogo and Andre in our thoughts." The funeral of Jota and his brother was held in Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, on 5 July 2025. Neves helped carry Jota's coffin into the church, just hours after competing with Al Hilal at the Club World Cup in the United States. The midfielder has since had a tattoo on his left calf of him embracing Jota, who is wearing his 'Diogo J' Portugal 21 shirt. "I and the entire national team team will do everything we can to keep Diogo here with us, on our team," Neves added. "The day after the news, for me, is the most difficult day of my life. The most important aspect for me to be able to play was wanting to play for Diogo first." While Liverpool have revealed images of the new permanent memorial, external at Anfield in tribute to Jota and his brother, Portugal unveiled a bronze tribute, external at their training centre close to Lisbon. Martinez says Jota's death "hurts beyond football" but his spirit is a driving force at the World Cup. Portugal have struggled to fire at the tournament, winning just one of their three group games. However, the 2016 European champions will book a last-16 showdown with Spain or Austria if they defeat Croatia. "Diogo's dream is still with us and he sets the standards, he sets the light for the direction of this group," adds former Belgium boss Martinez. "Every day is difficult. When we are training, there are always moments when Diogo comes back into our memory. "I think the anniversary is just a moment that makes this game [Croatia], Diogo Jota's game. "Diogo will always be with us." England were 15 minutes from humiliation - the issues Tuchel must solve

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Results with the greatest rankings difference at the tournament in North America Ghana and Cape Verde were ranked 73rd and 67th in the world respectively heading into the World Cup. However, defying the odds, both teams have managed to push through the group stage and into the last 32, winning and drawing against opponents with far higher Fifa rankings. This chart shows the biggest upsets of the tournament so far, and the difference in ranking for every team. This only shows results with a rankings difference greater than 30, so some matches, like Australia’s win against Turkey, don’t make the cut. The Cape Verde head coach, Bubista, said his team had “shown that nothing is impossible” after his side secured a historic meeting with Argentina in the last 32.

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Captain played in deep horror of Iceland defeat and he rescued an England team who were sliding towards disaster Well maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me. On a wild, boisterous, often agonising afternoon under the giant Victorian railway dome of the Atlanta Stadium, the Democratic Republic of Harry Kane progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup. With England playing like a team terrified of their own feet and 1-0 down to an excellent DR Congo, Kane decided something else was going to happen, scoring two goals in 11 minutes towards the end to turn disastrous defeat into joyful relief. In the process he also saved Thomas Tuchel’s job and perhaps the jobs of his bosses at the Football Association. Because England really had gone at points in this game. The first hydration break was one of the more extraordinarily strange moments in their footballing history. England had been horrible to that point, not just tactically unbalanced but confused and unhappy, clanging the ball about between them like men punting an empty paint pot along a motorway verge. Even the faces of the England players seemed to crumple, to look sad and tearful, already off on a shared trip down the time tunnel through the pain of Iceland, Croatia, Norway, Graham Taylor wandering down a touchline in Rotterdam saying sorry, I’m sorry. So the players gathered on the touchline, just as the stadium PA boomed out Heyyy Baby, I wanna know, as the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders writhed on the massive screen, as Reece James took Jude Bellingham to one side, whispering urgently in his ear, soothing his humours. At this moment Tuchel called for, of all things, calm. Tuchel was here in black summer shirt, black slacks and white trainers, strolling sombrely, like an undertaker on a cruise holiday. He bent into his players’ faces, talking relentlessly, conveying system tweaks, process advice, the need for certain key collective movements to be regeared. Nobody was calm. This was not calm. Fast forward to the final hydration break and the scenario was almost exactly the same. England had created chances, had drawn some wonderful saves from Lionel Mpasi. They’d surged, then re-faded and re-shrunk. They were still 1-0 down. Country Roads, take me home, the PA blared this time. You said it, John Denver. That final break really was a reckoning up. This was heads-on-pikes territory. It was a parade of heads on pikes. Everything is bigger, brasher, more pulsating in America, and England were facing surely the worst tournament defeat since their first significant one, the USA, 1950 Belo Horizonte, and all that. Iceland in Nice was bad. But England were a terrible team then too. This iteration has reached two major finals. Even the basic setup of Tuchel’s appointment was facing a hilarious punchline. Thanks, Gareth. You were fine. But we’re going to get a proper manager now. The goal, we were told, was to win the World Cup or die trying. Well, RIP to that. Again Tuchel spoke to his players, firing out his words, machine-gunning that semicircle of bowed heads with ideas, thoughts, restructurings. Maybe footballers at this level really can absorb that level of detail under this level of stress. They certainly didn’t look like it. At which point Kane produced perhaps his best moment as an England player, saving not just a knockout game, but a moment of generational trauma in waiting. As they trotted back out England had a front five, with only Elliot Anderson behind and Declan Rice at right-back. But they were driving forward too, right to left, Rice reaching the byline, crossing long, the ball picked up by Anthony Gordon. He put it back in for Kane to head across goal, powerfully enough to beat Mpasi’s flailing hand and bounce into the net. Atlanta Stadium erupted with a rolling wave, not of joy but of relief. And England pressed on as the DRC tired so close to the line. It was Kane again, from Gordon’s pass again, whirling and twisting and shunting the ball on to his right foot inside the box. The shot was brutal, righteous, blazed into just the right spot below the bar, the net still billowing out in a lovely loose ripple as England’s bench emptied on to the pitch. And this was a moment for Harry. Kane played in that Iceland game in 2016, the deep horror of Nice and the heart of darkness, the abuse of Raheem Sterling, fans jeering about the Euro currency in the stands, Roy Hodgson appearing like a pickled vampire the next day. Ten years on he did the other thing here, took England from 1-0 down to 2-1 up, saved another day in another time. It seems deeply odd now there was talk that Tuchel might kick things off 18 months ago by looking beyond Kane. In Atlanta he saved not just Tuchel’s job but reputation. Kane has five goals at this World Cup and 84 for England en route to the inevitable hundred. His career is utterly remarkable given the sheer depth of will required to reach these levels from his early days. Even the strike to win it told a story, the sweetness of that connection 85 minutes into a game of frustration, dead ends, running hard. England will now play Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16. Nobody really knows if they’re any good. They looked like a team of loose connections from the start here. The Atlanta Stadium is perhaps the best at this World Cup given it is actually in the city, surrounded by streets and walkways as opposed to that feeling of visiting a vast and deathly Bladerunner-style out-of-town shopping mall. Atlanta is brutally, sappingly hot, the kind of heat where just walking across a double lane highway is a full body assault. Under the dome the air is cool, breezy, light, shifting around in pleasant little micro gusts. But there were issues even before the start. England kicked off with a Spence-Madueke right side. Is this good? Noni Madueke in particular is a one-footed work in progress for such a key role on such a vital stage. They did almost nothing for six minutes. At which point the DRC scored a lovely goal made by some strange defending. Spence followed Noah Sadiki’s run, leaving an unchecked acreage of space behind him. This was where England feel the lack of a career defensive midfielder, the kind of player who tracks these runs with a genuine mania. A diagonal pass found Brian Cipenga, who shot low inside Jordan Pickford’s near post. A goalkeeper at this level would expect to save it. Otherwise England looked like what they are, a chucked-together collective. How have they looked to build a team in the past 18 months? Some buzzwords, a little gimmickry, a great deal of turnover in players and combinations. For long periods ragged English naivety was exposed by DRC tactical discipline. Bellingham ran around a lot, leaving the DRC an extra man in midfield. Pickford pumped his arms up and down wildly, like Jerry Lee Lewis hammering at a piano keyboard, which, surprisingly enough, didn’t have the effect of calming everyone down. The relief at the final whistle was profound for England’s players and fans as they sang together at the far end. All the roads we have to walk are winding. The lights are blinding. England made chances here, and they will cling to that. They showed real spirit to turn the game around. Above all they have Kane, a temporary fix for a great deal of wrong, but on days like this a one-man national team.

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Hundreds watched England in first round of knockout stages at Prospect Building in Bristol Sisters Angela and Christine hugged, danced and shed a tear or two at the final whistle as England squeezed past the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “That was brilliant,” said Christine, a 51-year-old lifeguard. “Watching England is exhausting, emotional, often heart-breaking but we love it. You’ve got to relish the ups and downs.” Angela, 53, who used to coach a girls’ team, said it was “sort of fun”. “I knew Harry Kane would come good in the end,” she said. “Wonderful.” Her daughter, Jodie, 29, wearing a Wayne Rooney shirt, said a treasured family memory was her standing on a pub bench when she was a toddler yelling “Shearer! Shearer!” “Football is just great. We love nights like this,” she said. The trio were among the hundreds who watched England in the first round of the knockout stages of the World Cup on big screens at the Prospect Building in Bristol, said to be a former torpedo testing site, now a cavernous event space behind Temple Meads station. Shanika, 21, a flight attendant, said she thought England could go to the final. “It’s us v France,” I reckon, she said. But she admitted she had been impressed by England’s opponents. “My heart dropped when the DRC scored,” she said. “But when Kane got the winner, it was just: ‘Oh my God!’” Her friend Gracie, 20, also an airline worker, said she wished England had brought along other creative players such as Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. “But we’ve had a great night. There’s always something with England – it’s never easy.” Dave Wooldridge, the event host, said the World Cup excitement had grown in Bristol with the start of the knockout stage. There are a growing number of England flags on pubs, houses and cars and there was certainly an early rush hour as people left work to catch the game. Wooldridge said his main job was to cheerlead for England but also to be respectful towards the DRC, whose country is coping with war and Ebola. “Yes, it’s about England and I don’t want to sound corny but it’s also about the world, different cultures coming together. The DRC team is a beacon of hope for the country,” he said. England’s bright start was greeted with excitement – the seventh minute DR Congo goal was met with a shocked silence. Howls of frustration followed when England gave away a string of fouls and were guilty of a series of sloppy passes. The first hydration break for the players prompted many of the Prospect Building fans to slip out in search of a stronger drink. Some lingered in the sunshine outside when the game restarted. “We’ve got better players than them,” said Stan, a 50-year-old builder who said he had given himself the day off to focus on the match. “But they’ve got the spirit, the heart.” The England shirts worn by fans at the Prospect Building reflected decades of joy and despair. Some wore replicas of the 1966 shirt England won the World Cup in but there were also quite a few examples of the greyish kit Gareth Southgate was in when he missed his penalty at Euro 96. There seemed to be more vintage names on the backs of the shirt – Gary Lineker, David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Paul Scholes – than current players. Halfway through the second half, shoulders had slumped. A mum put a comforting arm around her young son in an England bucket hat. He still believed: “Kane will get us some goals in the end.” And the England striker duly delivered. The England captain’s goals were greeted with joy and relief and led raucous renditions of “Don’t Take Me Home”, a song that became synonymous with Welsh fans at Euro 2016. Fans poured out of the Prospect Building full of beer, joy and hope. Peter, 34, a taxi driver, said he’d be back to watch England’s next game against Mexico. “I reckon we could get a result there. And then we’ll see.”

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Despite a softening of his cutting edge and an international career defined by near misses, the forward is expected to cause problems for Australia It was fitting that it was Mo Salah who scored to put Egypt ahead in their World Cup match against New Zealand a little over a week ago. The Pharaohs, for all their achievements in Africa, had never won a World Cup match. Fighting back from 1-0 down to the All Whites, Salah helped engineer a long-awaited victory, at the same time moving to within one of Egypt’s record goalscorer Hossam Hassan, also the team’s coach at this tournament. “In years to come, we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history,” Salah said after the match, which finished 3-1 and all but secured the nation’s progression to the last 32. As Hassan, Salah and the players were celebrating in Vancouver, swarming fans brought honking traffic to a standstill in Cairo to recognise the achievement. “Egyptians always knew that in past World Cups, whether that be in 1990 or in 2018, we always had the idea that the team has what it takes to get through the group stage,” says Saher Ahmed, a journalist with Egyptian football website KingFut. “But somehow we never do.” Salah has been a stalwart for Egypt across 119 appearances, including reaching the 2018 World Cup, but his international career has been defined by near misses. He has never won the African Cup of Nations, making his debut for the Pharaohs a year after their most recent success in 2010 – their third win in succession. “People still look at certain players who played for the 2006, 2008 and 2010 teams, and they’re confused as to why some players were able to be stars at that time and Salah – who has had a much better club career – hasn’t been able to do half of what they did,” Ahmed says. “Salah is obviously the best player ever to play for this national team, but not with this national team.” This World Cup campaign – likely Salah’s last – therefore carries extra weight. Apart from his goal, he assisted Emam Ashour’s opener in the 1-1 draw with Belgium in Seattle and his corner was headed in by Trezeguet for the sealer in the victory over New Zealand. According to Ahmed, a deep run at this World Cup would enhance the standing of Salah, but without an Afcon title he would still struggle to usurp former Al Ahly forward and Egypt teammate of Hossan, Mohamed Aboutrika, as the greatest Egyptian player of all time. “Even though people acknowledge he’s achieved much more than Aboutrika, they still see Aboutrika as a much more useful player for the national team and a much more skilful player.” Traditionally a forward playing off the right wing, Salah is known for cutting in on to his preferred left foot. But in this tournament he has adopted a more central starting position, playing off Omar Marmoush in the first two games, although Trezeguet replaced the Manchester City forward in the starting side for the match against Iran. “I think it’s a new version of Mo Salah at the moment,” Hassan said before the Iran match. “He plays in a new position, he ​plays very freely in a very creative way.” Any optimism around the team, however, was tempered by the sight of Salah coming off against Iran and icing his hamstring. The longtime Liverpool striker left Anfield on the eve of the tournament after a season marred by a feud with now-departed manager Arne Slot and a slow softening of his legendary cutting edge. For fans of Egypt however, the season ended with more pressing concerns. Salah limped off against Crystal Palace in April, and there were fears his World Cup might be in jeopardy. What appeared to be a hamstring injury was subsequently described by Liverpool as a “minor muscle injury”, and he returned to farewell fans in a final appearance in May. There was some consternation therefore when, against Iran, Salah asked to be substituted with half an hour remaining, and he was seen icing his hamstring on the bench. It looked like he might have aggravated that injury, and that his World Cup was again at risk. “Hardcore fans who watch the sport a lot were worried, but [other] people don’t have that much anticipation that Egypt is going to go through,” Ahmed says. After jogging in trainers at Egypt training on Monday, Salah was pictured in the main group on Tuesday wearing boots. A post on the Egyptian Football Association’s ​social media said he participated in a portion of the session. For Salah, not only is there a place in the last 16 on the line – and a likely clash against holders Argentina – Egypt’s talisman is just one goal from equalling Hassan as the country’s record goalscorer with his tally of 69. The controversial manager won the African Cup of Nations as a player three times across a 20-year career, lifting the trophy at home in 2006 as captain at 40. “The most important thing is that we win,” Hassan said before the tournament. “If [Salah] scores those goals, it’s good for Egypt, and good for me personally … because it will make a difference to me as a manager, and it means our generations complete one another.” Ahmed believes Egypt’s campaign is already a success, whatever happens from here. “We already made history,” he said. “[The Socceroos match] is more than a bonus game, but it’s also a bit, ‘at least we finally did that.’”

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The Socceroos have never gone to spot kicks in a men’s World Cup but can turn to strategies as they prepare for the last-32 clash with Egypt Germany know it. So do the Netherlands. The pain of the penalty shootout is the cruellest fate in football, the individual spotlight on the kickers serving only to embarrass those who fail the sport’s most basic test. Australians understand the stakes well too. Though the Socceroos have never faced a shootout in a World Cup, the most replayed moment in the history of men’s football in Australia is John Aloisi’s penalty to defeat Uruguay in the World Cup playoff in 2005. The memory of Cortnee Vine’s 2023 winner for the Matildas against France perhaps exceeds even Aloisi’s spot kick. The double-sized World Cup knockout rounds started this week and after two shootouts in the first four matches, their significance appears to have doubled as well. Ahead of the showdown on Friday against Egypt in Dallas (Saturday AEST), the Socceroos have already started thinking about who will step up in case penalties are needed. Midfielder Connor Metcalfe says spot kicks will be part of their preparations. “We’ll probably practise it towards the end of the week because it’s always a possibility,” he says. Some will need the practice. Socceroos full-back Jordy Bos says he has never stepped up to the spot before. “I haven’t actually taken a penalty professionally, but maybe that gives the keeper nothing to go off, so [it could be] a little secret,” he says. “I’ve practised penalties in the past and yeah, they’re not bad, so we’ll see what happens.” They are answers that make Prof Robbie Wilson, a University of Queensland academic and Socceroos fan, nervous. “No one bloody listens to me at the moment, because – despite what everyone thinks – football is a very, very conservative industry,” he says. Wilson is an ecologist, but has also turned his mind to the science and probability of football, most recently in a paper he co-authored on the optimal strategies for penalty shootouts. Using hundreds of thousands of simulated shootouts, they found that if a team kicks first they should order their penalty-takers from best to worst. It’s simple confirmation that teams should not risk having their most reliable scorer be unable to take a kick, if a shootout ends before the allotted five attempts each. Wilson’s work also measured the increase in the win probability of a team that follows this strategy, against one that uses a random order. “That increases your probability of winning a penalty shootout by about 5% to 10%,” he says. “Now, that might not seem a lot, but that’s a massive amount when the status quo is 50%.” (The success rate of the team going first, and especially winning the toss, is higher than 50% in recorded elite shootouts.) One problem, however, is that high-pressure penalties – let alone full-blown shootouts – rarely come around and are impossible to practise, and the actual effectiveness of a penalty-taker can be difficult to measure. Wilson argues that’s no excuse, however, and players should put in the work with coaching staff diligently recording their best strategies for placement, power and degree to deceive the goalkeeper. “We’re talking hundreds of penalties to get this information and replicate it well, even before we put on the psychological issues and measuring that as well,” he says. Players stepping up to the spot under the most pressure fare the worst. The paper looked at World Cup and European Championship shootouts and found that attempts in which a miss would immediately eliminate the kicking team were converted at a rate of 60%, about 15 percentage points lower than early, low-pressure penalties. It also found players are most likely to face “shoot to win” or “miss and lose” moments earlier if they are the second team taking penalties. As a result, coaches should identify the most mentally resilient players and tap them for not only the fourth and fifth kicks, but also the third if they are kicking second. The research concluded that if the best penalty-takers on the team are also the players with the coolest heads, it could be worth saving them for the positions that are often high leverage, especially fourth and fifth, complicating a coach’s temptation to order his takers best to worst. “Having knowledge about the psychological robustness of each individual player adds another level of being able to be in control of your destiny,” Wilson says. “The lesson from all of the millions of simulations that we ran, is that you are better off in a penalty shootout knowing something about the probability of your player scoring under certain circumstances.” The paper acknowledges there are limitations to the analysis, including the complexity about pressure factors and how individual players respond. There are also hurdles to overcome in quantifying players’ penalty effectiveness. How can a coach measure in advance how a player responds, for example, to a must-win kick in a World Cup final? But Wilson says by creating some incentives or punishments in training can help replicate at least some of the pressure. In the secretive Socceroos camp, no one can be sure exactly how much emphasis Tony Popovic is putting on penalties, or how much scientific literature he has been reading at night at the Claremont Resort in Berkeley. But after watching even early kickers struggle in the two shootouts on Monday (Tuesday AEST), Wilson’s arguments may carry weight. Of course, the Socceroos last-32 match against Egypt may not go to penalties, if Bos’s confidence is anything to go by. Socceroos fans can expect the team to score, he says, even if they have not found the net in the past two matches. “We’ve had a couple of chances and on a different day I think we will score,” Bos says. “I think the goals will come.”