3 hours ago
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Key events
Turkey: As for everyone’s favourite hipster dark horse (though will this loss turn the tide?), the head coach, Vincenzo Montella, rued his side’s slow start but said they still have time to recover from the humbling defeat.
Returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2002, Turkey dominated possession and camped out around the Australian box but were unable to break down the resolute green and gold wall.
“We are extremely saddened,” Montella said. “We know there is still time to recover in the group stage. We know that in the beginning, the team has been a little bit slow. They’re very tall, so it’s very difficult sometimes.”
Turkey are above their next opponents Paraguay on goal difference only, and need to win in San Francisco on 19 June to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout phase alive.
While the captain Hakan Calhanoglu’s pre-match comments that Turkey were more talented than Australia ruffled some feathers, Montella was gracious in defeat. “They have been very good.”
Australia: Someone inform Nestory Irankunda that he has had a lifetime offer. Rafqa Touma was in Melbourne to soak up all the joy and heartbreak from Australia and Turkey fans.
Plus Jack Snape, Martin Pegan and Sam Lewis analyse the win and predict what may be next for the Soceroos.
Thanks Daniel and hello all. It is just past 11pm in Sydney, which in my view means the party should just be getting started. Especially since, with their win over Turkey, Australia are now the unofficial football world champions – the informal way of calculating the world’s best team, using a knockout format.
How have Australia won it? Let me break it down.
Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They held the title for just under a year before losing to Uruguay during World Cup qualifications. From there it went – Cot D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone (Fifa raking of 125, lowest UFWC ever at the time), Liberia (Fifa ranking of 149th, new record for lowest UFWC), Algeria, Sweden, Kosovo, Turkey.
Australia’s title defence comes in their next group game against the United States on 19 June.
Righto, my watch is over; Yara El-Shaboury is here to hang for the next bit. So I’ll leave you in her capable hands and see you shortly for Germany v Curaçao.
Back to our next game, I’m sad to say that we’ll not be seeing Curaçao’s delightful away kit in the group stages, as none of Germany, Ecuador and Côte d’Ivoire play in blue. But a delight it remains.
“Aussies really did park the bus,” says my Scottish, naturalised Aussie mate. “Was like a training exercise but they were decent on the break. Scotland were dismal.”
Are these two sporting cultures diametric opposites?
What a result this is for Australia. Like Scotland, they lost on every metric bar the one that counts, and will now fully expect to qualify for the last 32 – also in Group D are Paraguay and USA.
We’re bringing you a banger from Edgbaston this afternoon:
Talking of Scotland, the headline on Sky earlier was “Magical McGinn”. Er, did you see the goal, lads?
One for Scotland fans: if they were to lose their second and third games, what are the chances they still qualify for the last 32? With a goal difference of:
-1: 87.5%
-2: 69.4%
-3: 47.3%
-4: 29.2%
-5: 20.5%
I do wonder if they’ll come to regret not beating Haiti more convincingly, but ultimately they lost the shots, possession and xG, so any kind of win is acceptable. If they do lose to Morocco and Brazil, though, they’ll probably need at least of the games to be close.
Jacob Steinberg
Hello from Kansas City, where those of us following England are dealing with the wild mid-west weather. We went to England training yesterday afternoon and had our World Cup fever replaced by heatstroke. It was incredibly hot and humid at Swope Soccer Village – and in the evening the sun was replaced by an astonishing storm.
The sirens warning residents to stay inside were going off for over an hour. I was in a local bar watching the Scotland game and the NBA but both feeds were taken over by non-stop weather updates. Turns out the weather guy is a big celebrity here. We had to hunker down as the wind and rain raged outside. A tornado eventually touched ground 20 miles from where we were. Apparently they don’t actually get into Kansas City, which explains why it’s still standing after all these years.
I can’t lie, I’m a little envious of this – I’d love to experience some outrageous weather. I’ll have to find some for our next date night…
Our first game today – depending on where in the world you are – is Germany v Curaćao. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Julian Nagelsmann’s team do – he’s got some lovely players, especially in midfield, but I wonder if his method of management, quite heavy on instructions, is what international football requires given how relatively little time there is to inculcate them. I also fear there’s a lack of goals up front – I don’t see them as potential winners – but they’re good enough to beat anyone on a good day.
As luck would have it, Black Sherif has a song called YAYA, “yaya” meaning to chill in Twi.
My wife and I were lucky enough to interview Blacko for the Guardian not that long ago. I fear that with the date night I set a standard I can’t maintain, but what can you do.
Not strictly World Cup-related, but Yaya Touré is the new head coach of … Slovan Bratislava, not words I expected to type when I woke up this morning. Top of the Morning matter!
Now on to my favourite player footage so far: Black Sherif, my the my the greatest recording artist in the world, has been to visit the Ghana team. It’s fair to say they’re fans, and even more excited than he is.
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The track they’re singing is called Top of the Morning:
And it’s from Iron Boy, Blacko’s sophomore album – for my money, the best 2025 has to offer, and by far.
First of all, check out what else we’ve got going on:
Thanks Emilia and safe everyone. I trust there’s a spring in all our steps? I’m here to hang for the next hour so let’s see what’s what we start considering our next set of games.
Right, time to hand this blog over to Daniel Harris now as he continues the countdown to kick-off.
Amazing reference. Love it!
"Harry I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!".
I’m keen to know, what is something that has stood out to you at the World Cup so far?
I stumbled across the profile of a Boston resident on social media yesterday. His name is Mike and he has fully embraced Scottish football and the fans staying in his neighbourhood. He even made them sausage sandwiches before the game yesterday! Fans have grown to love him and one even offered him a ticket to a game. That is what the World Cup is all about!
The match between Netherlands and Japan later today has potential to be the game of the tournament so far. I’ll definitely be watching that one.
I’m also really looking forward to Germany v Curaçao – and not just because it’s a nice early evening match for us here in the UK. Curaçao fans will create an incredible atmosphere in Houston. What a moment it will be for them against the four-time champions.
I can only imagine what the atmosphere was like in New York last night. Not only is football fever sweeping the nation, but thousands were out on the streets after the Knicks won the NBA Finals. What a time to be in the city!
Thanks Billy!
On that Qatar v Switzerland game, I thought Qatar absolutely deserved the point. Switzerland wasted far too many chances and paid the price for it in the end. I’ll admit, when watching the match I thought Remo Freuler was marginally offside. Obviously, the officials thought otherwise.
Who knows what could’ve happened if Switzerland did not convert that penalty…
Emillia Hawkins is back on deck, so I’ll hand over to her. Keep your comments coming.
Another of yesterday’s talking points was (apologies in advance) the use of VAR in the Switzerland v Qatar game. Fifa said a “technical outage” prevented VAR graphics from being shown during the 1-1 draw.
There was confusion for supporters inside the stadium in California and watching on TV after no images or animations were made available to show that Switzerland’s Remo Freuler was onside moments before winning a penalty in the first half.
ITV pundit Gary Neville described the governing body as a “dictatorship” and suggested that failing to demonstrate to viewers why play had been allowed to continue undermined trust in the process.
Fifa said: “During the Qatar vs Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved.
“The workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue and followed the normal procedure in checking the on-field decision. The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision.” PA Media
It’s Curaçao’s big day today. A first World Cup game for the tournament’s smallest ever nation by land and population – against Germany, no less.
Arthur Renard has been speaking to members of the playing squad and backroom staff in this rather fun and often moving piece.
Curaçao’s openness became clear when Fifa asked them what requirements they had for their World Cup stay. “We don’t have any,” replied team coordinator Wouter Jansen. He was told a separate entrance could be arranged at the hotel and room keys prepared in advance. “I said: ‘All of that isn’t necessary,’” Jansen says. “We’re just used to walking in through the reception in the lobby and if we have to wait a bit, that’s no problem. We’re used to hotels where the rooms still need to be prepared. And nobody complains. That took them a bit by surprise.”
But what about security, Fifa then asked. “Security?” Jansen responded. “We really don’t need security; we’re more than happy to give out an autograph.”
Curaçao sprung another surprise when Fifa inquired about when open training sessions for media and fans should be planned. “Honestly, everyone is welcome with us,” Jansen replied. “And the public can even come on to the pitch after training.”
Kick-off in Houston, Texas is midday local time, 6pm BST and 3am on Australia’s east coast.
Brazil got off to a slow start, shall we say, against Morocco.
How ponderous were Brazil. That midfield has all the dynamism of treacle.
The starting midfield pairing of Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães was not great … but swapping Casemiro and Fabinho at half-time didn’t seem to make much difference. Carlo Ancelotti looks very short of options in that area – Atalanta’s Ederson was left on the bench.
Morocco meanwhile are pretty blessed in midfield – I thought Ayyoub Bouaddi was excellent alongside Neil El Aynaoui. The 18-year-old is currently studying for a maths and physics degree.
Quite delighted at the success of the Australian youngsters. Full credit to Tony Popovic for backing youth, especially replacing his captain and goalkeeper with young Patrick Beach (8 saves) and picking 20 year old Nestory Irankunda to score the first goal.
The win will have given them some confidence, which they'll need playing the
US next week in Seattle.
Australia has many beautiful beaches and one was on the pitch today!
Well played Australia!
Tony Popovic’s gambles on youth paid off for the Socceroos against Turkey but he wasn’t surprised:
They may be shocks for a lot of people, but not shocks within our playing group or staff because we’re all working together every day and we can see the quality of these young boys.
Their ceiling, they’re nowhere near it because they’re a young group with no experience at a World Cup, very limited experience playing for their national team.
Their ceiling should come in four or eight years really, most of these boys.
Australia fans – have your expectations for the tournament changed after game one?
Thanks Emillia. A word on Haiti, I think. They impressed me, like the rest of the North American nations so far, with plenty of attacking dynamism. Never mind Scotland’s 28-year absence, that was their first World Cup match for 52 years. Their fans had a real presence too.
Here’s what their manager, Sebastian Migne, had to say:
We are definitely disappointed, we were trying to win. I am very proud, we played good football and put up a good showing.
In the last 30 yards we lacked spontaneity and there were also some poor decision-making at times.
We rose to the challenge, which is why we are frustrated that we came up slightly short. We hope we can use that to continue to play well.
They almost certainly won’t make it out of the group now but it’s going to be a fun ride – it’s Brazil next in Philadelphia.
And with that, I’m going to grab a quick break now. Billy Munday is here to take over.
Given that three teams in most groups will qualify for the knockouts, Scotland are in a great position already. They will take plenty of confidence from that win and, as Steve Clarke has already suggested, it should take some pressure off going into the next two group stage games. Anything can happen!
Scotland are bagpiping their way into the knockout stages. When you get to that stage, as my brother likes to say, anything can happen. Brazil are not looking so hot. Scotland could win this group, which would mean a kind draw in the knockouts. There can be only one.
Jonathan Wilson
“In the past two decades Japanese and South Korean players have become increasingly familiar in European leagues, but Japan are still to make it beyond the last 16 of a World Cup, something their manager, Hajime Moriyasu, has admitted has become a mental block. In 2010, after outplaying Cameroon and Denmark in the group, they allowed themselves to be dragged into a stalemate of ferocious tedium by Paraguay, losing on penalties. They tossed away a two-goal lead against Belgium at that stage in 2018 and then, in 2022, having beaten Spain and Germany in the group, ran into Croatia with predictable consequences.
“But this year, perhaps, is different. As Japan start their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands in Arlington on Sunday, it feels genuinely possible that they are not merely the best Japan side in history, but the best Asian side to play at a World Cup. Moriyasu has been in the job since 2018 and, as such, is the longest-serving Japan national manager ever. He has been bullish about Japan’s chances, talking openly of winning the competition…”
So, what’s happening today? We have four games to look forward to on matchday four, with Germany and the Netherlands among the teams involved.
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Germany v Curaçao (6pm BST)
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Netherlands v Japan (9pm BST)
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Ivory Coast v Ecuador (12am BST)
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Sweden v Tunisia (3am BST)
Thousands of Scotland fans gathered at the Ovo Hydro arena in Glasgow in the middle of the night to watch the match live. Incredible scenes!
I imagine there will be thousands of very tired Scotland fans today… At least there is an extra bank holiday to look forward to!
That was a lot, lot tougher than we thought it would be. But we have won a match at a world cup for the first time since I was 6, so who cares!
We do need to play a hell of a lot better in the next two games though. Oddly enough the counter-attack might suit us; we will likely go back to 4-5-1, we never seem to do well when expected to be on the front foot. We are at the world cup, we have won a game, this is the time for unbridled optimism and complicated calculations.
Enjoy a very tired sunday!
Saw the australia highlights. Very, very well done to them.
It may have only been a 1-0 win, but it was still huge for the nation. That 2am wake-up for Scotland fans was surely worth it!
We won. It was 1-0. Wouldn't it have been nice had it been 2-0? Or 3-0? Of course. But 1-0 is there to be enjoyed, a hex put to sleep & the next game to look forward to.
England stars arrived in Kansas City yesterday to begin final preparations for their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday. They were welcomed with a huge reception from hundreds of fans.
England camp hit by tornado warning
Meanwhile, the England camp was hit with a tornado warning on Saturday evening. Players and staff were instructed to take shelter with fears of 80mph winds. The England hotel and training ground were unaffected by the strong winds and heavy rain.
It has been reported that Thomas Tuchel and his squad will train as normal today.
The latest episode of World Cup Daily has just dropped. Be sure to give it a listen as Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Alex Abnos, Jeff Rueter, Jack Snape and Ewan Murray discuss the latest action from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
How Group D stands after the opening games…
Group D also continued today, with Australia earning a 2-0 win over Turkey in Vancouver. You can recap the action below.
How things stand in Group C…
Also in Group C, Morocco held Brazil to a 1-1 draw at New York New Jersey Stadium.
As always, feel free to leave a comment below the line with any reaction from the latest games. You can also throw in some predictions for today’s fixtures.
Or, you can email in at [email protected]
Scotland fans, you might want to take a look at this…
Steve Clarke suggested the pressure on Scotland has eased following their win over Haiti. The manager said: “I am absolutely delighted with my players. Resilience, character had to be on the pitch tonight. There is no relief. Everyone told us it was a must-win game and we won. When you win a must-win game, you have to be happy with yourselves.”
On the upcoming group stage fixtures against Morocco and Brazil, he added: “We go into them with less pressure than everybody put on to us going into this game. If we defend as well as we did here, hopefully play a little bit better with the ball and create more, we will be OK. It’s not about raising the performance, it is about a different approach against a different opponent.
“Towards the end, you know you are 1-0 up and have something to hang on to so that is what you do. The players deserve a lot of credit. I thought Haiti were terrific at denying us time and space, which made it difficult. So the other characteristics that get you three points come out. That is why we are sitting here with three points and Haiti are empty handed.”
Scotland kicked off their World Cup campaign with a crucial 1-0 win over Haiti thanks to a first-half goal from John McGinn. Ewan Murray was at Boston Stadium to watch the action unfold…
Latest results
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Brazil 1-1 Morocco
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Haiti 0-1 Scotland
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Australia 2-0 Turkey
Preamble
Hello and welcome to World Cup matchday four! There has been plenty of action over the last 24 hours or so as Morocco held Brazil to a 1-1 draw, Scotland won their first World Cup game in 36 years and Australia cruised to a 2-0 win over Turkey.
Meanwhile, England had some of their training equipment stolen while travelling to their base in Kansas City.
As always, we’ll be bringing you the latest reaction and updates throughout the day and look ahead to every matchday four fixture. Join us!
