The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already reached another level of drama, with knockout places being secured and several nations facing defining moments. Some teams have taken a giant step toward the next round, while others are already running out of room for error.
Canada find World Cup breakthrough in dominant fashion
Canada had to wait eight matches for their first World Cup victory, but Jesse Marsch's side made the wait worthwhile last night.
After being held to a 1-1 draw by Bosnia and Herzegovina on matchday one, the Canucks cruised to a 6-0 win over Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver.
Juventus striker Jonathan David inspired his country to a long-awaited triumph over the lowest-ranked nation in Group B, scoring a hat-trick against Julen Lopetegui's ill-disciplined side. In doing so, he became the second player at this World Cup to score three goals in one game after Argentina icon Lionel Messi. He has also entered the race for the Golden Boot, just like his teammate Cyle Larin.
After scoring an equaliser against Bosnia, the Southampton centre-forward returned to the scoresheet with a simple tap-in to open the scoring.
Meanwhile, Qatar could not replicate their heroics from round one, when they held Switzerland to a late draw, as they received two red cards. Chilean referee Cristian Garay sent off Homam Al-Amin and Assim Omer Madibo on either side of half-time, with both players receiving straight reds for cynical fouls on Tajon Buchanan and Ismael Kone, respectively.
Despite a heavy loss, Qatar's hopes of progressing as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams are not entirely gone, though they would have to pull off an epic win over Bosnia, who slumped to a 4-1 defeat to the Swiss yesterday.
Mexico book knockout place
Co-hosts Mexico squeezed past South Korea in Group A's top-table six-pointer to secure a place in the round of 16, avenging a heartbreaking group-stage exit in Qatar four years ago.
Buoyed by a 2-0 win over South Africa on the opening day, Javier Aguirre's side knew they were in for a much more complicated contest this time around, with the Taegeuk Warriors standing on the other side.
Following a disappointing first half that produced just a single shot on target, El Tri drew first blood early in the second half as Chivas Guadalajara midfielder Luis Romo scored the winning goal at his home stadium.
With 40 minutes left on the clock, Mexico had to dig deep to protect their slender lead and uphold their 100% win rate over Asian opposition at World Cups, having now all six such matches. Most importantly, they have secured a knockout berth with a game to spare.
As for South Korea, they will have to avoid defeat against South Africa in their final group-stage outing to lock in second place, provided the Czech Republic fail to beat Mexico in the other fixture.
USMNT and Australia both seeking history in Seattle
After a 4-1 rout of Paraguay on day one, the United States are in pole position to join Mexico in the knockouts, as they face Asian qualifiers Australia in Seattle later in the evening.
Mauricio Pochettino oversaw the USMNT's joint-largest World Cup victory last time out, with the co-hosts also finding the net four times in a single World Cup match for the first time. On that basis, confidence should be sky-high for the home team as they seek back-to-back World Cup victories for the first time since 1930.
Achieving that feat would also see them register multiple triumphs at one World Cup for the first time since going all the way to the quarter-finals in 2002.
Seattle may provide a perfect backdrop, given that they have seven consecutive games in this city, yet there is no room for complacency as they face a high-flying Australia side. The Socceroos defied the odds to beat Turkey 2-0 in their Group D opener, marking their first day-one win at World Cups since 2006.
