10 articles
On their debut, Cape Verde went unbeaten in the group stage and became the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout round before falling to Argentina in a run that redefined what expansion could mean.
France remain the team to beat at the 2026 World Cup according to ESPN's post-Round-of-32 panel, with Argentina, Spain and Brazil close behind as the bracket narrows.
Kylian Mbappe has matched Lionel Messi's tournament-leading goal tally at the 2026 World Cup while breaking Ronaldo's all-time record and Haaland hunts from behind.
The United States face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a high-stakes World Cup Round of 32 clash with the host nation hoping to ride home support into the last 16.
Three people died and several were injured in Mexico during street celebrations after El Tri advanced at the 2026 World Cup, with crowds flooding thoroughfares across the country.
Cape Verde reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time and now face Lionel Messi's Argentina in a Round of 32 David vs Goliath showdown.
Germany are out, Morocco dumped the Netherlands, and a fixed bracket means Brazil vs Norway and Paraguay vs France are locked into the road to the MetLife final on July 19.
Lionel Messi scored six times in Group J, including a hat-trick against Algeria, to reach 19 career World Cup goals and lift defending champions Argentina to second in the post-group-stage power rankings.
ESPN's post-group-stage panel rank France No. 1 with 16 of 20 first-place votes after a perfect group and a 3-0 win over Sweden, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise driving the favourites.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 6th-minute opener in Portugal's 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan made him the first player ever to score at six different World Cups, breaking clear of Lionel Messi.
