Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sent a blunt message to the Argentina squad, insisting that Lionel Messi cannot continue to carry the national team alone despite his superhuman performances at the World Cup. The Inter Miami superstar was at his talismanic best during a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt, but Ibrahimovic believes the supporting cast must do more to alleviate the burden on their captain.
We're in the end game now! With only eight teams remaining, the 2026 World Cup is about to reach boiling point, with the stakes unspeakably high for each of the quarter-finalists. The next round has a lot to live up, too, after this thrilling tournament continued to deliver moments of magic on an almost daily basis.
The 2026 World Cup has been a non-stop festival of football across North America, but fans looking for their daily fix on Wednesday will find the schedule surprisingly empty. After a breathless round of 16 that saw the world's heavyweights battle for survival, FIFA has implemented a tactical pause in the proceedings.
Ruben Vargas slotted home the decisive spot-kick as Switzerland defeated Colombia 4-3 on penalties to progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. After one of the worst games of the tournament so far had unsurprisingly finished scoreless, Davinson Sanchez and Manuel Akanji both failed to convert from 12 yards out before Gregor Kobel saved from Cucho Hernandez to hand the advantage back to the Swiss. Vargas then stepped up to score to send the outnumbered Swiss fans in Vancouver into ecstasy and leave their Colombian counterparts devastated.
The 2026 World Cup is well underway and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. There's a long and winding road to be navigated as 48 nations battle for the top prize, but which star will take home the illustrious award? Here, GOAL tracks the tournament's most prolific stars.
Comprehensive match preview of Switzerland vs Colombia at World Cup 2026. We talk tactics, team news and more ahead of this Round of 16 clash in Vancouver.
Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It is the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde have achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, with the African nation to face Lionel Messi's Argentina on Friday.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has admitted that captain Alphonso Davies was never truly ready to play in the crucial 2-1 World Cup defeat to Switzerland, revealing he used the superstar as a "decoy" to disrupt the opposition's preparations. Despite the pre-match comments, the Bayern Munich man remained an unused substitute as the Canucks fell to second place in Group B.
Canada are headed to the knockouts, but a costly loss to Switzerland closed their home World Cup run as Promise David impressed and Alphonso Davies worries grew.
Canada are one result from topping Group B and staying home for the knockouts as they face Switzerland with momentum, belief and Ismaël Koné’s injury looming large.
Thomas Muller has tipped Bayern Munich to monitor Switzerland youngster Johan Manzambi after the Freiburg midfielder starred in a World Cup win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 20-year-old scored twice off the bench and collected the Man of the Match award, further enhancing his growing reputation following an impressive Bundesliga campaign.
Freiburg starlet Johan Manzambi came off the bench to score a sensational late brace, inspiring Switzerland to an emphatic 4-1 World Cup victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina at SoFi Stadium. The 20-year-old completely transformed the tense affair, keeping the Swiss firmly in the qualification hunt.
Gary Neville has launched a blistering attack on FIFA, labeling the governing body a "dictatorship" following a night of officiating drama at the World Cup. The Manchester United legend was left incensed during Switzerland's 1-1 draw with Qatar after a controversial penalty was awarded despite strong suspicions of offside.
Switzerland’s World Cup campaign began with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Qatar as a stoppage-time equaliser from Boualem Khoukhi cancelled out Breel Embolo's early penalty. Despite dominating much of the proceedings at Levi’s Stadium, Murat Yakin's side failed to kill the game off and were left reeling by a late lapse in concentration.
It's so close you can almost touch it. After years of build-up, the 2026 World Cup will kick-off on Thursday when co-hosts Mexico face off against South Africa in a repeat of the opening game from 2010. Over the next five-and-a-half weeks, records will be broken and legacies rewritten as a number of modern greats do battle to win the most recognisable trophy in all of sport.