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England will not win World Cup GFX

Six reasons why England will NOT win the World Cup

After 'thirty years of hurt' for the England national team, football was meant to come 'home' in 1996. And yet 30 years on, the Three Lions still haven't won a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Might the most infamous title drought in international football be about to come to an end, though? England qualified for this summer's World Cup by winning all of their matches and without conceding a single goal, meaning there's a legitimate sense of optimism surrounding Thomas Tuchel's team.

OpinionEngland
World Cup Golden Boot GFX

World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings

The 2026 World Cup is underway and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. There's a long road ahead as 48 nations battle for the top prize, but which star will take home the illustrious award? Here are GOAL's predicted candidates for the prize as we keep track of the tournament's most prolific stars

EnglandArgentina
Florian Wirtz Germany World Cup GFX

Don't write Wirtz off! World Cup ideal stage to silence doubters

During Liverpool's historically poor run of results last autumn, Florian Wirtz's form became the subject of much debate. Gary Lineker was among those that felt that the No.10 might benefit from being taken out of Arne Slot’s starting line-up, and thus the spotlight. "Don’t think he isn’t suffering at the moment with this," the former England international said on 'The Rest is Football' podcast.

AnalysisGermany
World Cup debutants GFX

Can any of the four World Cup debutants cause a shock in '26?

Four nations will debut at the World Cup this summer, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan all set to grace the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It's 16 years since a newcomer made it into the knockout stages of the tournament, when Slovakia stunned holders Italy to eliminate them in South Africa. So do any of this year's debutants have the potential to replicate such heroics?

AnalysisCuracao
USA v Paraguay: Group D - FIFA World Cup 2026

'Hoping that it's nothing' - Pulisic revealed kick was behind sub

Christian Pulisic revealed he suffered a kick, which ultimately led to his substitution ahead of the second half of the USMNT's 4-1 thrashing over Paraguay in their World Cup home opener. Despite the star winger missing the second half, Mauricio Pochettino's side padded their lead and scored the most World Cup goals in team history.

USA vs ParaguayUSA

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USA vs Paraguay Predictions, Lineups, Odds & Tips: USMNT to start strongly in LA
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Canada Ratings GFX 16x9

Larin bails out dire David to earn Canada first World Cup point

Cyle Larin came off the bench to spare Jonathan David's blushes by earning Canada a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in their 2026 World Cup opener on Friday. The Canucks were the better side for the majority of the match but looked set to slump to a seventh consecutive finals defeat after Lovo Jukic headed in a near-post flick from Sead Kolasinac midway through the first half.

Player ratingsCanada
Rayan Cherki Zinedine Zidane France

Zidane-esque? Why Cherki deserves comparison with French GOAT

Rayan Cherki has been earning plenty of plaudits at Manchester City, with Frank Leboeuf telling GOAL why the mercurial playmaker deserves to be compared with Zinedine Zidane - the GOAT of French football. That is some billing, but two magical midfielders are considered to share a number of traits - including on-field skill sets and off-pitch ticket-selling qualities.

R. CherkiExclusive
Harry Kane England 2026

‘Phenomenal’ Kane urged to ignore familiar England debate

Harry Kane has been urged to ignore the familiar debate that his role in England’s team continues to generate, with Chris Waddle telling GOAL why the record-shattering striker should be granted complete freedom to do whatever he wants. The Three Lions’ talismanic captain does pose their greatest goal threat, but there is no pressure on him to operate in and around the penalty area at all times.

H. KaneExclusive
Vini Jr Brazil GFX

Vini running out of time to make this Brazil team his

Vinicius Jr promised that he would do it "10x" if he had to. Those were his words after he did not win the 2024 Ballon d'Or despite a stellar individual season. In fairness, the Brazilian had a fair claim to the trophy - Rodri may have deserved it, but few would have complained if Vinicius got his hands on the Golden Ball.

AnalysisBrazil
Lamine Yamal Michael Olise Spain France 2026

‘Simply the best’ - Real-linked Olise ranked above Yamal

Michael Olise is considered to be “simply the best” right winger in world football at the moment, with Frank Leboeuf telling GOAL why the Bayern Munich star can currently be ranked above Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal. A French World Cup winner from 1998 is hoping to see a talismanic performer in the present inspire Les Bleus to global glory in 2026.

M. OliseExclusive
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