World Cup news

Wayne Rooney has compared Harry Kane’s “incredible evolution” into England’s GOAT with the development that Cristiano Ronaldo once enjoyed at Manchester United. Kane is already his country’s all-time leading goalscorer and appears set to smash records on the appearance front as well. If he could win an international trophy, then it would be difficult to argue against him being the greatest.

Mauricio Pochettino was left fuming after being quizzed on his apparent penchant for rotating the USMNT, with the angry Argentine suggesting that said press conference should be restarted as he is “not the janitor” in North America and stands by every decision that he makes. The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach was stunned by the line of questioning after a statement win over Uruguay.

Italy block the qualification path for Wales and Northern Ireland when it comes to reaching the 2026 World Cup, while the Republic of Ireland will face Czechia in the play-off semi-finals. There are four more places at FIFA’s flagship event up for grabs in the UEFA section, with routes to the United States, Canada and Mexico being mapped out for all of the hopefuls.

There are a few surprises in the mix for the European play-offs, with a total of 16 teams set to battle it out for just four spots.

FIFA Play-Off Tournament — how it works, who qualifies, seeding, format, schedule and other key points you should know.

Arsenal star Eberechi Eze has revealed that Marcus Rashford was the one player who stood out most to him during his first England training session. Speaking exclusively with Adebayo Akinfenwa on the latest episode of the Beast Mode On Podcast, Eze praised the way the versatile forward strikes and runs with the ball and explained how Thomas Tuchel has England set up to "achieve something incredible" at the World Cup.

Dietmar Hamann says Germany's 6–0 rout of Slovakia on Monday – which secured their place at next year’s World Cup – should not mask the team’s shortcomings. The former Germany, Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder argued that Julian Nagelsmann’s side still fall short of their strongest European rivals and therefore should not be considered among the favourites for next year's tournament.

All you need to know about the various World Cup ticketing options that are available

Cristiano Ronaldo put out a message on social media after attending a White House dinner with Donald Trump. The event was attended by influential figures from global business, technology and sport, and it marked Ronaldo’s first public appearance in the United States since 2016. The black-tie gathering was arranged as part of efforts to strengthen the expanding political and economic relationship between Washington and Riyadh. Ronaldo’s presence alongside the Saudi delegation once again highlighted how prominently the Al-Nassr forward now features in the kingdom’s soft-power and sporting strategies.

Eberechi Eze opens up on his journey to becoming an Arsenal and England star with former team-mate Adebayo Akinfenwa on the latest episode of GOAL’s Beast Mode On podcast.

Mexico closed 2025 with another setback - and another chorus of boos - after a 2–1 loss to Paraguay in San Antonio. Following the defeat, Javier Aguirre delivered one of his bluntest critiques yet, questioning both the individual and collective level of his squad. Winless in six straight, the coach acknowledged that Mexico remain well short of where they need to be ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Toni Kroos admits he understands the criticism over his former Real Madrid team-mate Vinicius Jr’s behaviour on the pitch, saying the forward’s hot-headed antics can be “annoying”. The Germany icon has weighed in on the conversation surrounding the winger, who issued an apology to Los Blancos’ supporters after reacting angrily to being substituted in last month’s El Clasico with Barcelona.

Curacao have become the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica in their final qualifying game. Curacao finished the third round qualifying stage at the top of Group B with 12 points from six games, one more than Jamaica. Ex-England boss Steve McClaren resigned from his post with Jamaica immediately after the final whistle. The other teams that sealed direct qualification from CONCACAF are Haiti and Panama.

We are now less than seven months out from the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the group-stage draw set to take place in Washington DC on December 5. Forty-two participating nations are locked in, with four teams from the UEFA play-offs and two intercontinental winners set to complete the line up in March. All of the so-called elite countries will be there, from holders Argentina and arch-rivals Brazil, to Euro 2024 winners Spain and France.

GOAL breaks down all the confirmed qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, plus the teams who could soon be on their way.

Scotland are heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean all scored incredible goals to inspire the Tartan Army to a 4-2 victory over Denmark in Tuesday's do-or-die qualifier. The hosts needed all three points, whereas the Danes would have qualified with a draw. And in a frantic see-saw battle until stoppage time, Scotlan emerged triumphant.

All you need to know about the Scotland national team's qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.