Welcome to TNIE’s live coverage of Day 7 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The seventh day of the tournament will see Portugal begin their Group K campaign against DR Congo, with all eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo as he makes his sixth World Cup appearance. This will be followed by a mouthwatering Group L clash between England and Croatia. Ghana will face Panama in the second Group L fixture, while Uzbekistan will round off the day against Colombia in the other Group K game.
Below are Day 7's fixtures, with all times in IST:
Portugal vs DR Congo – (10:30 pm)
England vs Croatia – (1:30 am)
Ghana vs Panama – (4:30 am)
Uzbekistan vs Colombia – (7:30 am)
Day 6 served up plenty of excitement, headlined by Lionel Messi's first World Cup hat-trick that saw him equal Miroslav Klose's record tally of 16 goals. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland also bagged braces, with the Frenchman moving to within two goals of the all-time mark.
Jude Bellingham was preferred to Morgan Rogers in the England number 10 role for their World Cup opener against Croatia in Texas on Wednesday.
There had been uncertainty over who coach Thomas Tuchel would select to offer support to captain Harry Kane up front.
The 22-year-old Real Madrid star Bellingham has been given the nod over Aston Villa's Rogers to start the Group L encounter, which will take place under a roof with air conditioning.
Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday as Cristiano Ronaldo played in a record-equalling sixth World Cup.
Joao Neves opened the scoring in the first half in Houston but Yoane Wissa equalized in first-half injury time to give the Congolese their first ever World Cup point.
João Neves gave Portugal an early lead, but DR Congo struck back to level the scores just before half-time.
The mother of Cape Verde star goalkeeper Vozinha has been granted a visa to enter the United States in time for her 40-year-old son's next World Cup match, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Wednesday.
Vozinha became an early sensation of the World Cup after making key saves in a 0-0 draw with Spain, one of the tournament favorites that was expected to rout tiny Cape Verde.
After the match, Vozinha said his mother had not been able to secure a visa to enter the U.S. to see him play.
Jeffries said he spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “asked the State Department to do everything in their power to ensure that his mother can attend Cabo Verde’s next match.”
Jeffries said all fees have been waived and travel arrangements are being made to get her to Cape Verde's next game Sunday against Uruguay in Miami.
Egypt and Iran are two of the most repressive places in the world for gays and lesbians. But by sheer coincidence they will square off in a World Cup “Pride Match” in Seattle coinciding with the city's annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
It has already gotten awkward, with both countries asking for the celebrations to be canceled.
Iran, where same-sex relations are illegal and gay men have been executed on sodomy charges, had separately asked that its games be moved out of the United States because of the war in the Middle East, a request denied by FIFA.
Egypt has arrested and prosecuted gays and lesbians on the basis of vague indecency laws, and has cracked down on any outward expressions of Pride, especially the waving of rainbow flags. Those will be out in abundance during the June 26 match and the typically boisterous parades just outside the stadium.
Replica World Cup shirts of several German players were temporarily unavailable due to a shortage of the letter "V" following high demand from fans, Adidas said Wednesday.
The sportswear giant, which supplies kits for the German team, said supporters flocking to snap up shirts of Kai Havertz, Deniz Undav and Aleksandar Pavlovic had drained supplies of the letter.
"There were short-term shortages in the availability of the letter 'V'," a spokesman told AFP.
But he added that "these were quickly resolved" and that football tops with the "letter 'V' will soon be available to order online again".
Turkish state broadcaster TRT has removed a commentator from its World Cup roster after he mixed up Iran and New Zealand teams.
TRT said in a statement late on Tuesday that the commentator, identified by Turkish media as Murat Ekrem Çimen, had been withdrawn from the World Cup broadcast team in the U.S. pending investigation. It added that he would not continue to comment on matches during the tournament.
According to reports in Turkish media, Cimen referred to Iran’s attacks as New Zealand’s and described New Zealand’s moves as Iran’s during the opening minutes of the broadcast. The teams shared a 2-2 draw on Monday night in Group G.
TRT said the mistake was “unacceptable” under its broadcasting standards.
“We apologize to our viewers and the public for this error,” it said. “It is unacceptable for TRT that someone with over 30 years of experience in sports broadcasting would make such a mistake.”
FIFA’s new hydration breaks midway through each half — a novelty for this World Cup — were introduced to help players deal with the summer heat in the United States, Canada and Mexico. But critics say they’re having unintended consequences, ruining the flow of the game and giving coaches a chance to tactically shift momentum in their team’s favor.
While player welfare is a real concern with temperatures expected to exceed 90 F (32 C) in the hottest World Cup venues, some say the hydration breaks are just an excuse for broadcasters to go to commercials in the middle of the game.
“We’re in America, right? So, it’s like it is it’s like it’s a timeout,” former Ireland international Roy Keane said on The Overlap, a podcast that he co-hosts with long-time Manchester United teammate Gary Neville. “We love football because of the pace of the game ... what it’s doing is stopping the flow of the game, the momentum.”
Captain Harry Kane told his England team-mates to "go for it" and be "free in the mind" when they launch their World Cup title charge Wednesday against Croatia in Texas.
England are among the favourites for the tournament in North America after a string of near-misses at recent European Championships and World Cups.
But history weighs heavy on Thomas Tuchel's talented side as they chase their first major trophy for 60 years.
Bayern Munich striker Kane, who will be expected to provide England's goals, said: "For sure it's one of the best opportunities we will have as a team to win it.
"I think everyone is eager to just start well tomorrow and prove that we have the capabilities of going far in this tournament."
Midfield great Luka Modric said Tuesday he was determined to enjoy every second of his last World Cup and had been "rejuvenated" by being with Croatia for a fifth time on football's biggest stage.
Croatia face England on Wednesday in Texas in one of the most attractive fixtures of the group stage in North America.
The 40-year-old Modric will lead out Croatia, who beat England in the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, and will pull the strings once more in midfield.
Along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, this will be the last dance for one of the most acclaimed players in the world over the past 20 years.
"Every game, every tournament is special at 40 with the national team," Modric said on the eve of the England clash.
"My aim in this tournament is to enjoy it, to do my best, but enjoy it," he added.
"I want to enjoy each match, every training with these guys."
Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for his sixth World Cup as if it was his first, said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez as he hailed the 41-year-old as "an example and a reference for football."
Armed with a richly talented generation, Portugal are among the favourites to win the World Cup for the first time.
No one can match the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's 143 international goals. But he has failed to net in his last nine matches at major tournaments and offers little in a defensive role when the opposition are in possession.
Martinez, though, has no doubt he remains Portugal's best option up front.
"He is an example and a reference for football. For all those children on the street who begin to feel the love for sport, following the example of Cristiano Ronaldo is wonderful," Martinez told a press conference ahead of Portugal's World Cup opener against DR Congo.
"It is his sixth World Cup, but I can say that internally it seems to be his first World Cup in terms of intensity, in terms of emotional output, of how important it is for him to be prepared to lead the group.