Australia

'I rejected Man Utd to go to university – now I'm my country's No.1 at the World Cup'

United States goalkeeper Matt Freese has revealed he once turned down the opportunity to sign for Manchester United in order to concentrate on his education. The Pennsylvania-born shot-stopper only made his senior debut for the US last year, yet is his nation's first-choice keeper at World Cup 2026. The 27-year-old, who plies his trade for MLS outfit New York City FC, has been a composed and assured presence between the posts throughout the tournament so far. He has conceded just once in convincing victories over Paraguay and Australia . Under the guidance of former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino , the US have made an impressive start on home turf and are guaranteed to advance to the round of 32 as Group D winners, regardless of the result of their final group stage fixture against Türkiye. Freese's career path could have looked very different while coming through the Philadelphia Union academy, after he received a tempting apprenticeship offer from United. However, with his parents eager for him to prioritise his studies over football, a switch to Old Trafford never came to fruition. Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now! "It was largely a family decision," Freese told Hudson River Blue . "There were some tough conversations between me and my parents about this one. "There was a clear path that I wanted to go on, but I had to respect what they wanted. They sacrificed so much for me, so I had to repay that and honour what they wanted and then, when the time was right, make my decision for myself." Rather than heading across the Atlantic to sign for United, Freese enrolled at Harvard University, one of the globe's most esteemed academic institutions. During his spell in Massachusetts, he studied economics while developing his abilities on the pitch, turning out regularly for the Harvard Crimson football team. Freese eventually departed university a year early to join boyhood club Philadelphia Union as a homegrown player ahead of the 2019 MLS season. He made his professional bow just months later and acknowledges that the decision to put his studies on hold temporarily was straightforward. "It was very clear to me that in order to have the career I wanted to have on the field and to achieve things that I wanted to achieve on the field, the earlier my career could start, the better," he said. "It was a pretty natural decision – everyone was on the same page." Freese, who continued his studies remotely and graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard in 2022, found regular minutes hard to come by in Pennsylvania behind Jamaican international Andre Blake and was traded to New York City FC in 2023 for a $350,000 (£264,000) fee. The switch proved game-changing, with Freese crowned New York City's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024 campaign before earning his maiden international call-up a month later.

2026-06-27

Australia’s Jackson Irvine has no sympathy for Paraguay after historic World Cup red card

Socceroo Jackson Irvine has backed the decision by Fifa to send players off for covering their mouths when they speak, after Paraguay winger Miguel Almirón was given a historic red card against Turkey. The Socceroos and Paraguay face a showdown for second place in the group at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Thursday (Friday AEST). If either team lose they will face a torturous wait to find out if they will progress as one of the eight third-placed teams across the 12 groups. Almirón was the first player sent off under a rule introduced by Fifa for this tournament to address the trend of footballers covering their mouth when confronting opponents. In a boost for the Socceroos, he will be suspended for his team’s final Group D clash. Irvine, a member of Fifpro’s global player council, said the players had been given fair warning, and the rule was justified. “I know it’s going to be controversial in some ways because we don’t know the nature of what [the comment] was, but when you look at what’s happened in the past, especially around what happened with Vinícius Júnior, I think it takes everything out of the equation.” The highest profile example of the controversial conduct was earlier this year when Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni made comments to Real Madrid’s Júnior while covering his mouth with his shirt. The referee did not send Prestianni off in the Champions League clash, and the on-field behaviour could not be assessed using video evidence, but he was subsequently banned for six matches for using homophobic language. The body responsible for the laws of the game, the International Football Association Board, approved the introduction of a red card for such conduct in April. Irvine said Almirón can have no complaints. “If you’re saying something to someone that you don’t want to be seen, then I think it’s safe to say that if you can’t be seen saying it, then it shouldn’t be said,” he said. “For me, it’s a clear line on the rule, and we were all told about it, so it is what it is.” Despite the absence of Almirón, Paraguay enter the fixture with momentum after their 1-0 victory over Turkey. But they will need to defeat the Socceroos to leapfrog them into second place in Group D. Third place may also scrape into the knockouts depending on results in other groups. Australia has never beaten a South American side at a World Cup, and Irvine is expecting their opponents to be physical, skilful and unpredictable. He said it will be “just a totally different type of game” compared with their matches against Turkey and the USA, and the Paraguay players have “incredible individual quality”. “Watching Paraguay against Turkey last night, there was a sequence towards the end of the game that sums up their style of football,” he said. “It was with about five minutes to go, and they had won the ball back high up the pitch, and they had a chance to go to the corner. The guy just whips the cross into the back stick with three guys, and they try and score again with 10 men and they’re 1-0 up. Expect the unexpected. I guess that’s probably the best way to put it.” Irvine said the Socceroos need to start better against Paraguay than they did against the USA. “The main thing that we have to get better from the first half is just being able to come into the duels and arrive – in the physical side of the game – a little bit better, and ride through those difficult moments,” he said. “We’re playing against top teams at the highest level, but they’re going to have moments where you’re going to have to defend and we’re going to have to suffer and you’ve got to find ways to get through that.”

2026-06-21

Australia’s Jackson Irvine has no sympathy for Paraguay after historic World Cup red card

Socceroo Jackson Irvine has backed the decision by Fifa to send players off for covering their mouths when they speak, after Paraguay winger Miguel Almirón was given a historic red card against Turkey. The Socceroos and Paraguay face a showdown for second place in the group at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Thursday (Friday AEST). If either team lose they will face a torturous wait to find out if they will progress as one of the eight third-placed teams across the 12 groups. Almirón was the first player sent off under a rule introduced by Fifa for this tournament to address the trend of footballers covering their mouth when confronting opponents. In a boost for the Socceroos, he will be suspended for his team’s final Group D clash. Irvine, a member of Fifpro’s global player council, said the players had been given fair warning, and the rule was justified. “I know it’s going to be controversial in some ways because we don’t know the nature of what [the comment] was, but when you look at what’s happened in the past, especially around what happened with Vinícius Júnior, I think it takes everything out of the equation.” The highest profile example of the controversial conduct was earlier this year when Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni made comments to Real Madrid’s Júnior while covering his mouth with his shirt. The referee did not send Prestianni off in the Champions League clash, and the on-field behaviour could not be assessed using video evidence, but he was subsequently banned for six matches for using homophobic language. The body responsible for the laws of the game, the International Football Association Board, approved the introduction of a red card for such conduct in April. Irvine said Almirón can have no complaints. “If you’re saying something to someone that you don’t want to be seen, then I think it’s safe to say that if you can’t be seen saying it, then it shouldn’t be said,” he said. “For me, it’s a clear line on the rule, and we were all told about it, so it is what it is.” Despite the absence of Almirón, Paraguay enter the fixture with momentum after their 1-0 victory over Turkey. But they will need to defeat the Socceroos to leapfrog them into second place in Group D. Third place may also scrape into the knockouts depending on results in other groups. Australia has never beaten a South American side at a World Cup, and Irvine is expecting their opponents to be physical, skilful and unpredictable. He said it will be “just a totally different type of game” compared with their matches against Turkey and the USA, and the Paraguay players have “incredible individual quality”. “Watching Paraguay against Turkey last night, there was a sequence towards the end of the game that sums up their style of football,” he said. “It was with about five minutes to go, and they had won the ball back high up the pitch, and they had a chance to go to the corner. The guy just whips the cross into the back stick with three guys, and they try and score again with 10 men and they’re 1-0 up. Expect the unexpected. I guess that’s probably the best way to put it.” Irvine said the Socceroos need to start better against Paraguay than they did against the USA. “The main thing that we have to get better from the first half is just being able to come into the duels and arrive – in the physical side of the game – a little bit better, and ride through those difficult moments,” he said. “We’re playing against top teams at the highest level, but they’re going to have moments where you’re going to have to defend and we’re going to have to suffer and you’ve got to find ways to get through that.”

2026-06-21

Take me home: why Country Roads has struck a chord at the World Cup

Lumen Field was designed for a moment like Friday’s. Under a blue sky dotted with clouds, the US men’s national team celebrated their victory over Australia with a lap around the stadium to thank their fans for creating a worthy atmosphere. I’ve reported from four matches so far at this World Cup and the set list remains largely the same, no matter the venue. You’ll hear Dai Dai and Seven Nation Army. The growing boos that accompany the onset of a hydration break will be drowned out by Livin’ On A Prayer. After the game is where the venues can play their own favorites. In Vancouver, that meant Freed From Desire. On Friday, Seattle opened the Great American Songbook and turned to one of its most weathered pages: Take Me Home, Country Roads. The song has, of course, been belted out by soccer fans around the world before. We can’t say for certain that Seattle was trying to reclaim the song for the co-hosts, but the reaction from fans, who sang along in unison, and players, who soaked in the moment, has driven home that it ought to be a staple at US games. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better artist to use for this purpose than John Denver. He’s a familiar figure across these 50 states, one of the first musicians schoolchildren are introduced to, a smiling soul flanked by mountains and the Muppets. My grandparents knew the song well. So, I’ve been told since Friday’s game, do my niece and nephews. It has endured since Denver’s tragic death in 1997. There are credible covers of Country Roads. Olivia Newton-John helped the song stick in the UK: her version did better in the charts there than Denver’s had. Lana Del Rey’s recent cover pushes the concept of dirt roads to the brink of eroticism. But none have ever outshone the original, for good reason: nobody can match Denver’s heart. Denver was a fierce advocate for hunger relief, nature conservation, and global peace. For many, there’s a sense of relief that the songs you know by heart were written by someone with such a worldview. Utopian, yet quintessentially American. These concepts weren’t always at odds. A World Cup has the rare power to get people of diverse backgrounds to unite – “Of all the unimportant things, football is the most important” as the expression goes. In the hours before the US kicked off their games against Paraguay and Australia, it wasn’t hard to spot handshakes and toasts of ludicrously overpriced lager between opposing fans. Which is where the simplicity of Country Roads becomes quite clever, distilling that complex and cosmopolitan worldview to its briefest mission statement in unapologetic crescendo: Take me home to the place I belong. The same promise that pulled all of our immigrant ancestors stateside, that my colleagues from abroad are relieved to still recognize as they go about their coverage, soundtracked and sung at the height of the chorus. That dovetails nicely with how this US team has comported itself when asked about the real-world stuff; situations in which US national teams in other sports have become polarizing . The US won men’s hockey gold at the Winter Olympics, unleashing a wave of joy. But it was quickly tarnished when some of the players laughed at Donald Trump’s joke about the women’s team. Meanwhile, at this year’s World Baseball Classic the US team based their campaign around a joyless militarism while other teams danced, drummed and sipped espressos in the dugout. This World Cup team seems different though. An hour after making his World Cup debut, Auston Trusty was asked about the importance of a successful tournament at “a divisive time in this country.” After taking a beat to check his words, the Celtic defender leaned into a mantra the team has repeated over the last few years. “Obviously, we can only control what we do on the pitch, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Trusty said. “Our mindset is to inspire the next generation, and that’s the main goal. That’s what we’re trying to do, and strive to do, and hopefully we can achieve that.” Some may dismiss the philosophy as apolitical cowardice. Yes, there’s an appetite and need for athlete advocates, but not everyone has the charisma and eloquence of Muhammad Ali, Megan Rapinoe or Jackie Robinson. Sometimes it’s better to concentrate on bringing joy and uniting fans – making them feel they belong – than talking about topics you may not fully grasp. And this US team are a group who seem to be fueled by vibes, a couple of dozen aura farmers who are enjoying stable careers and budding star status. As Country Roads blared throughout “Seattle Stadium” on Friday, players took their time leaving the field. Many joined in the song, singing and clapping every time the chorus came around. For a team that’s rallying a fanbase that grows by the day, it was a fitting sendoff before returning to California for their next match. The vibes were immaculate. There are few more positive experiences than belting Take me home/to the place I belooooooong with tens of thousands of others. May the emcees at the US’s future matches at this World Cup - there will be at least two more – take note.

2026-06-20

No Pulisic, no problem: how the USA learned to win without their star player | Jeff Rueter

Once it was clear that Christian Pulisic’s calf could keep him out of Friday’s match against Australia, Mauricio Pochettino had a lot of options to consider. There is no like-for-like alternative to Pulisic, still the United States’ most important player. Australia entered this game with a point to prove, wanting to build off of their opening win over Turkey with a statement result against the tournament co-hosts. As was the case when the teams met for a friendly in October, the Socceroos were set up to operate in a low defensive block, with five along the backline and a swarming, zonal marking scheme in front of them. That system can be quite effective against a team who play with just one striker, as the US have for most of the 21st century. When the lineups dropped, there was just one change from the US side who bulldozed Paraguay 4-1. There was no Pulisic. In his stead was Ricardo Pepi, who would play alongside his fellow center-forward Folarin Balogun. It seemed like a risk for the US to forego their usual numbers in midfield, but it proved to be a gambit rather than a gamble as the US strolled to a 2-0 half-time lead they maintained until the final whistle. “I feel like it opens up some spaces, of course, but you know it’s always good to be able to have two strikers,” Pepi said after his first World Cup start. “If the defenders are marking me, then the other [striker] is always free. So it’s a good thing that we were able to play like this, and it just shows what the team has.” What the team have is chemistry, after years playing alongside each other at youth and senior levels. Coupled with a few weeks to train together, the US look far better rehearsed with their movement patterns, and it’s putting even the sturdiest of opponents’ low-blocks in two minds. The first time the US truly tested the Socceroos on Friday they scored. It was the second straight match in which they had forced their opponents into an early own-goal. In the 11th minute, after the US had already tested Australia from each side, Antonee Robinson collected a pass from Tim Ream as he has countless times during his career. When Pochettino’s US play with two attacking midfielders, as they do when Pulisic is on the field, Robinson’s instinct has been to look for either his holding or attacking midfielder to get the ball back into the half-space. Against Paraguay, sequences like these kept the South Americans on their toes and allowed the US to put together dizzying patterns of play. Adding a second striker makes the more direct route even more advisable as any downhill sprint can be supplemented with adequate support. Robinson gave Australia a test with a ball up the line, having already drawn wing-back Jacob Italiano too far upfield to nullify the threat. Balogun recognized the space and made a run to create an opportunity. The US found themselves with a similar sequence in their recent friendly against Senegal. In that match, Sergiño Dest popped up to offer Pulisic a crossing option after Pepi had dropped deep to help with build-up. On Friday, with all three Australian center-backs still stationed at the edge of their defensive third, this ball left the US with an advantage of pace as the midfielders and wing-backs scrambled to support. “I mean, credit to [Balogun],” Robinson said after the match. “I could see that he was looking to run the space in behind, so I just kind of played it down the channel for him, and then he’s done a lot of work to get towards the goal and create a chance.” Despite seldom operating as a winger in his career to date, Balogun attacked the space presented to him, confident that he could stay a step ahead of Alessandro Circati. Pepi kept doing center-forward stuff as the sequence progressed and made a run up the heart of the pitch. Although Balogun had scored a brace against Paraguay, Australia would have been reckless to ignore Pepi, who bagged 16 goals in 26 league games for PSV this past season. Balogun bypassed Circati and was running out of room. But he had ideal options available to him in the heart of the box. Cameron Burgess had done just enough to get between Balogun and his teammates and desperately tried to prod the ball out for a corner kick. But under pressure, Burgess instead put the ball past his own keeper to reward Balogun’s industry. The gambit had paid off quickly. Australia’s defense were in two minds from the opening whistle, with their center-backs occupied and unable to lock down on Balogun as intended. “I want to be dangerous,” Balogun said after the win. “I want to create opportunities, and it might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it’s like a goal as well.” Pepi’s presence in the box also helped on the second goal. As Robinson prepared to take a free-kick at the end of the first half, Australia had to contend with the threat of three US center-backs and two strikers, including Pepi – prime targets for deliveries like these. Dest loitered around the edge of the area, and Australia’s panicked defenders ran to mark him as he received Robinson’s free-kick. That left the Socceroos’ defensive block unsettled, meaning Alex Freeman was open when Dest’s shot took a deflection and the ball headed towards the Villarreal defender. From there, the second half was far easier for the US to control. Australia had committed to being difficult to break down in the hope of nicking a goal or two, as they had against Turkey. The Socceroos made three substitutions at half-time but the changes did little to boost their attacking threat. Pepi kept doing what he was asked to do as he occupied defenders and found space. That, coupled with his pressing, made him a valuable alternative to Pulisic, despite having a very disparate job description. For Pepi, who was harshly left off the last World Cup roster, it was a memorable start that should earn him more playing time moving forward. No matter who is in the lineup, this group is confident they can adapt on the fly and keep the initiative. “Whether it’s coming to feet, running off the ball, we’re all trying to create options for each other,” Robinson said. “It feels fluid. Everyone feels like they’re linking up really well, and hopefully we keep going with it.”

2026-06-20

Football Daily | Turkey need another rebrand after failing to take flight at World Cup

WHAT’S IN A NAME? When Turkey changed to Türkiye in 2022, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced it was because the new name was “the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation, and values.” The rebrand, though, also had a less lofty reason. “The association with the bird genuinely annoys Erdoğan and the people around him,” explained Selim Koru of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, while even state broadcaster TRT conceded that the loose-necked Christmas bird was at least a factor in the revamp. And although getting names right is important – just ask the good folk at Starbucks – some things never change. Save for the 2002 tournament in which the country finished a remarkable third, Turkey/Türkiye have an absolutely dreadful record when it comes to the World Cup – with 2026 being just their third appearance at a finals – and now they are out again after two miserable defeats to the flamin’ Socceroos and Paraguay. The latter was made all the more painful by the fact that the South American side played for more than a half with 10 men, after former Newcastle scuttler Miguel Almirón became the first player to be shown a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent. “We should have won these games … everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying,” sobbed umlaut enthusiast/Turkish wonderkid Arda Güler, who alongside Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz, it had been hoped might inspire his nation to come good on their “dark horses” tag. “We tried very hard ‌but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals.” Paraguay’s Matías Galarza struck the GWC’s fastest goal with a stunning ping after just 65 seconds, before Turkey/Türkiye laid siege to their opponents. But La Albirroja survived despite enduring more shots than a busy vaccination centre. In all there were 32 Turkish attempts on Paraguay’s goal, adding to their 30 fruitless shots against Australia in their opening match – the 62 shots combined are the most without a goal in any two-match span in the World Cup on record. “Somehow the ball didn’t go in,” ⁠wailed Vincenzo Montella, Turkey/Türkiye’s Italian manager. “It’s really shocking to say goodbye ‌to the [Geopolitics] World Cup ‌after only two matches. Perhaps, even unconsciously, the pressure of playing in a major tournament after such a long absence affected us.” The fallout to elimination is yet to be established. Heads will surely roll, but does the rebrand now need a rebrand? Not everyone can enjoy the same generational reboot as Football Daily. But then our name isn’t also a domesticated flightless bird as well as being a Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of both “something that fails badly” and a “silly person”. Hard luck, Turkey/Türkiye. See you again in four years. Maybe. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE John Brewin blasts off our minute-by-minute coverage with the Netherlands 2-2 Sweden at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) before Will Unwin relishes the thrills of Germany 1-0 Côte d’Ivoire from 11pm (6pm EDT). Alexander Abnos will then deliver updates from Ecuador 3-0 Curaçao (8pm EDT, Sun 1am BST) before Jonathan Howcroft is your party host for Tunisia 1-3 Japan (midnight EDT, Sun 5am BST). QUOTE OF THE DAY “I am deeply ashamed ⁠to have been the vehicle for this pain. I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted ‌it. Even so, I take responsibility for ‌being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation. I apologise again ‌from the heart; I was wrong” – Argentinian host Florencia Peña resigns and issues an apology, blaming the crew for feeding incorrect ⁠information via her earpiece, after announcing on air that Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, had died and that the player would not play any further matches at the tournament. RECOMMENDED BOOKMARKING If our shiny GWC Golden Boot page wasn’t enough for you, we’ve now only gone and built an all-time World Cup top goalscorers page too. FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS When did it become a thing for the refereeing team to have their names on the backs of their shirts? I’m amazed that Fifa isn’t looking to cash in by selling replicas” – Phil Taverner. Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. Please, up your game! Australian rules football and American football do not play with anything egg-shaped. It’s a prolate spheroid. How different the game would be (could it even exist?) if it were” – Kate Clements. Re: Trevor Wastell and US commentary (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). I am lucky to speak Spanish but, even if I did not, anyone who would watch football in the USA USA USA (or anywhere else) in any other language is off their rocker. Also, one needs only the barest anglicised Spanglish to get the gist. Luckily for United Statesians, Peacock TV are showing my home nation’s characteristic enthusiasm for multilingual audiences, with the basic subscription having thrown in streaming of every GWC partido en Español, much like they would reruns of ‘Betty la Fea’ or ‘María la del Barrio’. I almost hear NBC suits saying: ‘Who would be watching this? I can’t even understand it!’ Highly recommended” – Thad Brown. If you have any, please send letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Thad Brown. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.  RECOMMENDED LISTENING It’s day nine in the Big Brother Football Weekly house – Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the rest of the pod squad for their latest offering from LA. RECOMMENDED WATCHING Soccer and fandom. Jack Snape checks out the flamin’ experiences for supporters on different sides of the Pacific. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

2026-06-20

Football Daily | Turkey need another rebrand after failing to take flight at World Cup

WHAT’S IN A NAME? When Turkey changed to Türkiye in 2022, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced it was because the new name was “the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation, and values.” The rebrand, though, also had a less lofty reason. “The association with the bird genuinely annoys Erdoğan and the people around him,” explained Selim Koru of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, while even state broadcaster TRT conceded that the loose-necked Christmas bird was at least a factor in the revamp. And although getting names right is important – just ask the good folk at Starbucks – some things never change. Save for the 2002 tournament in which the country finished a remarkable third, Turkey/Türkiye have an absolutely dreadful record when it comes to the World Cup – with 2026 being just their third appearance at a finals – and now they are out again after two miserable defeats to the flamin’ Socceroos and Paraguay. The latter was made all the more painful by the fact that the South American side played for more than a half with 10 men, after former Newcastle scuttler Miguel Almirón became the first player to be shown a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent. “We should have won these games … everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying,” sobbed umlaut enthusiast/Turkish wonderkid Arda Güler, who alongside Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz, it had been hoped might inspire his nation to come good on their “dark horses” tag. “We tried very hard ‌but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals.” Paraguay’s Matías Galarza struck the GWC’s fastest goal with a stunning ping after just 65 seconds, before Turkey/Türkiye laid siege to their opponents. But La Albirroja survived despite enduring more shots than a busy vaccination centre. In all there were 32 Turkish attempts on Paraguay’s goal, adding to their 30 fruitless shots against Australia in their opening match – the 62 shots combined are the most without a goal in any two-match span in the World Cup on record. “Somehow the ball didn’t go in,” ⁠wailed Vincenzo Montella, Turkey/Türkiye’s Italian manager. “It’s really shocking to say goodbye ‌to the [Geopolitics] World Cup ‌after only two matches. Perhaps, even unconsciously, the pressure of playing in a major tournament after such a long absence affected us.” The fallout to elimination is yet to be established. Heads will surely roll, but does the rebrand now need a rebrand? Not everyone can enjoy the same generational reboot as Football Daily. But then our name isn’t also a domesticated flightless bird as well as being a Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of both “something that fails badly” and a “silly person”. Hard luck, Turkey/Türkiye. See you again in four years. Maybe. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE John Brewin blasts off our minute-by-minute coverage with the Netherlands 2-2 Sweden at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) before Will Unwin relishes the thrills of Germany 1-0 Côte d’Ivoire from 11pm (6pm EDT). Alexander Abnos will then deliver updates from Ecuador 3-0 Curaçao (8pm EDT, Sun 1am BST) before Jonathan Howcroft is your party host for Tunisia 1-3 Japan (midnight EDT, Sun 5am BST). QUOTE OF THE DAY “I am deeply ashamed ⁠to have been the vehicle for this pain. I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted ‌it. Even so, I take responsibility for ‌being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation. I apologise again ‌from the heart; I was wrong” – Argentinian host Florencia Peña resigns and issues an apology, blaming the crew for feeding incorrect ⁠information via her earpiece, after announcing on air that Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, had died and that the player would not play any further matches at the tournament. RECOMMENDED BOOKMARKING If our shiny GWC Golden Boot page wasn’t enough for you, we’ve now only gone and built an all-time World Cup top goalscorers page too. FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS When did it become a thing for the refereeing team to have their names on the backs of their shirts? I’m amazed that Fifa isn’t looking to cash in by selling replicas” – Phil Taverner. Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. Please, up your game! Australian rules football and American football do not play with anything egg-shaped. It’s a prolate spheroid. How different the game would be (could it even exist?) if it were” – Kate Clements. Re: Trevor Wastell and US commentary (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). I am lucky to speak Spanish but, even if I did not, anyone who would watch football in the USA USA USA (or anywhere else) in any other language is off their rocker. Also, one needs only the barest anglicised Spanglish to get the gist. Luckily for United Statesians, Peacock TV are showing my home nation’s characteristic enthusiasm for multilingual audiences, with the basic subscription having thrown in streaming of every GWC partido en Español, much like they would reruns of ‘Betty la Fea’ or ‘María la del Barrio’. I almost hear NBC suits saying: ‘Who would be watching this? I can’t even understand it!’ Highly recommended” – Thad Brown. If you have any, please send letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Thad Brown. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.  RECOMMENDED LISTENING It’s day nine in the Big Brother Football Weekly house – Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the rest of the pod squad for their latest offering from LA. RECOMMENDED WATCHING Soccer and fandom. Jack Snape checks out the flamin’ experiences for supporters on different sides of the Pacific. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

2026-06-20

Football Daily | Turkey need another rebrand after failing to take flight at World Cup

WHAT’S IN A NAME? When Turkey changed to Türkiye in 2022, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced it was because the new name was “the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation, and values.” The rebrand, though, also had a less lofty reason. “The association with the bird genuinely annoys Erdoğan and the people around him,” explained Selim Koru of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, while even state broadcaster TRT conceded that the loose-necked Christmas bird was at least a factor in the revamp. And although getting names right is important – just ask the good folk at Starbucks – some things never change. Save for the 2002 tournament in which the country finished a remarkable third, Turkey/Türkiye have an absolutely dreadful record when it comes to the World Cup – with 2026 being just their third appearance at a finals – and now they are out again after two miserable defeats to the flamin’ Socceroos and Paraguay. The latter was made all the more painful by the fact that the South American side played for more than a half with 10 men, after former Newcastle scuttler Miguel Almirón became the first player to be shown a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent. “We should have won these games … everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying,” sobbed umlaut enthusiast/Turkish wonderkid Arda Güler, who alongside Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz, it had been hoped might inspire his nation to come good on their “dark horses” tag. “We tried very hard ‌but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals.” Paraguay’s Matías Galarza struck the GWC’s fastest goal with a stunning ping after just 65 seconds, before Turkey/Türkiye laid siege to their opponents. But La Albirroja survived despite enduring more shots than a busy vaccination centre. In all there were 32 Turkish attempts on Paraguay’s goal, adding to their 30 fruitless shots against Australia in their opening match – the 62 shots combined are the most without a goal in any two-match span in the World Cup on record. “Somehow the ball didn’t go in,” ⁠wailed Vincenzo Montella, Turkey/Türkiye’s Italian manager. “It’s really shocking to say goodbye ‌to the [Geopolitics] World Cup ‌after only two matches. Perhaps, even unconsciously, the pressure of playing in a major tournament after such a long absence affected us.” The fallout to elimination is yet to be established. Heads will surely roll, but does the rebrand now need a rebrand? Not everyone can enjoy the same generational reboot as Football Daily. But then our name isn’t also a domesticated flightless bird as well as being a Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of both “something that fails badly” and a “silly person”. Hard luck, Turkey/Türkiye. See you again in four years. Maybe. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE John Brewin blasts off our minute-by-minute coverage with the Netherlands 2-2 Sweden at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) before Will Unwin relishes the thrills of Germany 1-0 Côte d’Ivoire from 11pm (6pm EDT). Alexander Abnos will then deliver updates from Ecuador 3-0 Curaçao (8pm EDT, Sun 1am BST) before Jonathan Howcroft is your party host for Tunisia 1-3 Japan (midnight EDT, Sun 5am BST). QUOTE OF THE DAY “I am deeply ashamed ⁠to have been the vehicle for this pain. I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted ‌it. Even so, I take responsibility for ‌being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation. I apologise again ‌from the heart; I was wrong” – Argentinian host Florencia Peña resigns and issues an apology, blaming the crew for feeding incorrect ⁠information via her earpiece, after announcing on air that Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, had died and that the player would not play any further matches at the tournament. RECOMMENDED BOOKMARKING If our shiny GWC Golden Boot page wasn’t enough for you, we’ve now only gone and built an all-time World Cup top goalscorers page too. FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS When did it become a thing for the refereeing team to have their names on the backs of their shirts? I’m amazed that Fifa isn’t looking to cash in by selling replicas” – Phil Taverner. Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. Please, up your game! Australian rules football and American football do not play with anything egg-shaped. It’s a prolate spheroid. How different the game would be (could it even exist?) if it were” – Kate Clements. Re: Trevor Wastell and US commentary (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). I am lucky to speak Spanish but, even if I did not, anyone who would watch football in the USA USA USA (or anywhere else) in any other language is off their rocker. Also, one needs only the barest anglicised Spanglish to get the gist. Luckily for United Statesians, Peacock TV are showing my home nation’s characteristic enthusiasm for multilingual audiences, with the basic subscription having thrown in streaming of every GWC partido en Español, much like they would reruns of ‘Betty la Fea’ or ‘María la del Barrio’. I almost hear NBC suits saying: ‘Who would be watching this? I can’t even understand it!’ Highly recommended” – Thad Brown. If you have any, please send letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Thad Brown. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.  RECOMMENDED LISTENING It’s day nine in the Big Brother Football Weekly house – Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the rest of the pod squad for their latest offering from LA. RECOMMENDED WATCHING Soccer and fandom. Jack Snape checks out the flamin’ experiences for supporters on different sides of the Pacific. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

2026-06-20

Zlatan Ibrahimović leaves Thierry Henry stunned again after savage Alexi Lalas dig on Fox's World Cup coverage

Former Sweden striker delivers another viral moment as Fox Sports studio rivalry becomes one of the unexpected stories of FIFA World Cup 2026Zlatan Ibrahimović has once again become one of the most talked-about figures of FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage after delivering another brutal on-air putdown that left fellow pundit Thierry Henry stunned during Fox Sports' broadcast of the United States' Group D clash against Australia.The former Sweden captain has quickly emerged as one of the standout personalities of the tournament away from the pitch. Since joining Fox Sports' World Cup coverage team alongside Thierry Henry, Alexi Lalas and host Rebecca Lowe, Ibrahimović has brought the same confidence, sharp wit and uncompromising personality that defined his playing career at clubs including Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Inter Milan.His latest viral moment arrived before kick-off in Seattle as Fox began its coverage of the United States against Australia, a match that carried significant Round of 32 implications in Group D.Zlatan's one-word response steals the showThe exchange came during the opening segment of Fox's pre-match coverage.Unlike previous broadcasts, former United States captain Alexi Lalas was not in the main studio alongside Ibrahimović, Henry and presenter Rebecca Lowe. Instead, Lalas was stationed in Seattle alongside Carli Lloyd, Clint Dempsey and Rob Stone for on-site coverage of the match.Lalas has long been one of the most recognisable, and divisive, figures in American football media, with some fans regularly criticising his outspoken punditry style.While introducing the panel, Lowe casually referenced his absence."Chaps, Alexi left us!" she said.Without missing a beat, Ibrahimović immediately responded with a single word."Who?"The remark instantly triggered laughter in the studio and left Henry visibly amused. Lowe clarified that Lalas would eventually return to the main broadcast team, prompting Henry to jokingly suggest that the presenter may have orchestrated the move herself."Your plan worked," Henry replied.Lowe quickly dismissed the suggestion, but Ibrahimović was not finished.Looking directly into the camera, the former striker delivered another line that quickly spread across social media."America, you're welcome!"The moment immediately became one of the most shared clips from the day's coverage and further fuelled the growing fascination with the chemistry between Fox's World Cup pundits.Growing tension between Zlatan and LalasThe latest exchange follows another highly publicised studio debate earlier in the tournament involving Ibrahimović, Lalas and Landon Donovan, the former United States captain and all-time USMNT great who is also working as a pundit during the World Cup.The discussion centred around France's 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I, during which Donovan criticised France's first-half display as "arrogant" and "casual."When the topic resurfaced on Fox's coverage, Lalas referenced Donovan's comments and suggested that highly talented teams can sometimes be perceived as arrogant because of the confidence they display on the pitch.Ibrahimović strongly disagreed."It's not arrogance, it's confidence," he said."Ignorant people will say it's arrogance, intelligent people will say it's confidence."3The remark immediately caught Henry's attention, with the former Arsenal and France striker visibly stunned by the directness of Ibrahimović's response. The exchange quickly went viral across social media.Why viewers have embraced Zlatan's punditryPart of Ibrahimović's popularity has stemmed from his willingness to challenge opinions directly rather than relying on conventional television analysis.Many viewers have also contrasted his style with that of Lalas, whose outspoken takes have frequently divided opinion among supporters.Lalas recently found himself involved in another debate on social media regarding whether Americans should refer to the sport as "soccer" or "football."One supporter urged him to abandon the term soccer."Alexi we need to talk about you continuing to call the sport 'soccer' cmon man."You could bridge the gap. Even the US players call it 'football' in overseas interviews out of respect."Lalas was unmoved by the criticism."Yeah…that's not gonna happen," he replied."I call it soccer. I own it proudly. I never apologize for it. If you grew up calling it soccer and changed out of insecurity or some misguided belief it makes you more authentic/credible…it doesn't."It's cringe. It makes you look like a weak poser."The on-air dynamic between Ibrahimović, Henry and Lalas has become one of the more entertaining side stories of the tournament. While the United States secured a place in the Round of 32 with victory over Australia, much of the post-match discussion online focused on Ibrahimović's latest one-liner, and fans will likely be hoping for more of the same as the World Cup continues.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.

2026-06-20

Socceroos aggrieved by referee’s ‘stinker’ in World Cup defeat to USA

Referee Felix Zwayer has come in for criticism from the Socceroos, who labelled the German’s performance a “stinker” after what they believed was a series of injustices in their 2-0 defeat to the USA in the World Cup match in Seattle. The co-hosts’ second goal was awarded by the video referee, and it was contentious given what appeared to be an offside player in the proximity of goalkeeper Patrick Beach when he tried to recover from a misdirected shot. The main grievance, however, was what they believed to be a string of non-calls during the match. Connor Metcalfe appeared to be tripped in the area and forward Nestory Irankunda was taken out off the ball by American defender Chris Richards. Several more players’ pleas to the referee during the match were ignored. Irankunda said the team was unlucky. “If you look at how the referee was today, [there’s] not much I can say about that,” he said. Asked to elaborate, the forward’s criticism was more pointed. “The ref was having a stinker today, but I mean it is what it is,” he said. “He was giving every call to the USA. I get it, but at the same time, we know there’s two teams on the field, so you have to give the calls both ways and he didn’t do that today.” Coach Tony Popovic said the contest was not overly physical, but the whistle was inconsistent. “I thought the referee gave too many fouls away, in all honesty, he said. “Sometimes you didn’t have to do much to win a foul, and on the other occasions you you had to do a fair bit to get one.” Despite the result, the Socceroos believe they can quickly correct their listing World Cup campaign. Australia found themselves down 2-0 at half-time after being outplayed in the opening half. The result at the 68,000-capacity Seattle Stadium secured a berth in the knockout rounds for the US, who later found out they had won Group D following Paraguay’s victory over Turkey. But it leaves Australia’s campaign on the bubble ahead of their final group-stage match against the South Americans in San Francisco next week; a win or draw will be enough for them to qualify in second place, but it remains to be seen whether a defeat will end their hopes of progressing to the last 32. Captain Harry Souttar was downcast after the match and admitted it was a frustrating afternoon, but said the Socceroos know they can still progress to the last 32. “[The reaction] has got to be a positive one tomorrow,” he said. “We can look back at the game properly and take bits that we did well and that we didn’t do well – there’s a lot of them.” “We’re in that position where we know we can go through, if we get a result. So yeah, full focus and positivity has got to be [there] for that last game,” Souttar said. The Socceroos worked their way into the contest in the second half, but were unable to find a way back into the match against an opposition who were hungry and composed. “We didn’t start well enough,” Souttar said. “They were in our faces, we couldn’t keep the ball down, we were always trying to get in behind early, we just didn’t really show that composure that I think you think you needed. But the reaction was good.” Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe – goalscorers against Turkey last week – came on during the break and were impressive, alongside Cristian Volpato who made his World Cup debut. Midfielder Aiden O’Neill said the Socceroos “still believe”, and they can take positives into the clash against Paraguay after the second half performance. He said Volpato had a “massive impact”, as did the other substitutes, which helped turn around the match. “The boss always talks about the belief in the squad and I think maybe in the second half we really truly believed that we would get back into it,” he said. “Maybe you could see that on the field, and we gave everything. I think everyone can see that.” Popovic could not fully explain the first-half performance. “I don’t know if it’s the occasion, but we looked sluggish, heavy legged, dull,” he said. “They won every duel, they won every second ball and when you do that, it makes it very difficult to get any, gain any momentum.” He said the second half response was “outstanding” and gives a platform to take into the next match. “We’ve got to accept what happened today, and I’m really delighted with the second half, to be honest, with all the players that came on, and the players that didn’t have a good first half,” he said. “It’s a World Cup. We move on to Paraguay and we’ll work hard to be ready for that.”

2026-06-20