Football

FIFA World Cup 2026, Day 3: Irankunda, Metcalfe give Australia a winning start

Earlier, Scotland marked their World Cup return after 28 years with a 1-0 win over Haiti, Qatar earned their maiden World Cup point, and Brazil were held to a draw by Morocco in a shaky start to the five-time champions' campaign.
Australia's Connor Metcalfe (center) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group D soccer match between Australia and Turkey in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, June 13, 2026.
Australia's Connor Metcalfe (center) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group D soccer match between Australia and Turkey in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, June 13, 2026.(Photo | AP)
TNIE online desk
Summary

Day 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup saw Qatar put the disappointment of their home World Cup four years ago behind them with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to secure a surprise 1-1 draw against Group B favourites Switzerland.

Qatar celebrated a landmark moment as they picked up the first World Cup point in their history

In another key clash, Vinicius Junior's brilliant strike rescued Brazil in a 1-1 draw with Morocco, as the five-time champions endured a shaky start to their campaign.

In the third game of the day, Scotland marked their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Haiti. John McGinn's first-half strike proved decisive as the Scots overcame a nervy outing to begin their campaign with all three points.

The final game of Day 3 saw Australia score a stunning 2-0 upset over Turkey in their World Cup Group D opener. Nestory Irankunda becomes the youngest Socceroos player to score at a FIFA World Cup.

Turkey -- playing in the World Cup for the first time since finishing third at the 2002 tournament -- arrived in North America dreaming of making a serious run in the knockout rounds.

Australia stun Turkey 2-0 in World Cup group phase

Australia produced an inspired peformance to beat Turkey 2-0 in the group phase of the World Cup on Saturday.

Nestory Irankunda opened the scoring with a superb 27th-minute goal and Connor Metcalfe doubled Australia's lead in the second half in Vancouver.

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Connor Metcalfe puts the Socceroos 2-0 up against Turkey

Nestory Irankunda gives Australia the lead 

Two men charged over England World Cup 'heist'

Two men were charged Saturday over the theft of $18,000-worth of kit and equipment from the England team at the World Cup, a US prosecutor said.

Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of receiving stolen property, according to a statement from the office of Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

The equipment was stolen from vehicles as it was transferred from England's training camp in Florida to their World Cup base in Kansas City.

Earlier, England reserve goalkeeper Dean Henderson said he had his boots back after it was reported that most of the items had been recovered.

"I got them back, so it's all good," the Crystal Palace goalkeeper said after England's first training session at Swope Soccer Village.

"I think they got everything back, so it's all good."

Arda Güler with a big chance for Turkey… but he smashes it high into the air

Scotland mark World Cup return after 28 years with narrow win over Haiti

A scrappy finish by John McGinn allowed Scotland to mark their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a nervy 1-0 win over outsiders Haiti on Saturday.

Aston Villa captain McGinn fired in with the aid of a deflection just before the half-hour mark at the Gillette Stadium just outside Boston, which was filled to its 64,000 capacity with a majority of Scottish fans.

They have travelled to the United States in large numbers to follow Scotland's first World Cup campaign since 1998, and were able to celebrate a rare victory at the tournament as they go top of Group C.

It is Scotland's first win at a World Cup since a 2-1 defeat of Sweden in Italy in 1990, and a first victory at any major tournament in 30 years, since Euro 96.

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John McGinn’s goal gives Scotland a 1-0 lead over Haiti at halftime in their Group C clash in Boston.

Brazil rallies for 1-1 draw against Morocco

Vinícius Júnior scored an equalizing goal in the 32nd minute, giving five-time champion Brazil a 1-1 draw against Morocco on Saturday in a pulsating, high-profile group match at the World Cup.

A semifinalist four years ago, Morocco dominated early, and Ismael Saibari put the African champions ahead in the 21st minute.

Brazil evened the score 11 minutes later. Vinícius exchanged passes with Bruno Guimarães on the left flank, took touches to make space and rifled a right-footed shot past the outstretched arm of Yassine Bounou for his 10th international goal.

No. 6 Brazil and seventh-ranked Morocco are the only top 10 teams to meet in the first round of the expanded 48-nation World Cup tournament.

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Qatar earn first ever World Cup point with late goal

Qatar earned the first World Cup point in their history when they stunned Switzerland with a late equaliser to grab a 1-1 draw in both sides' opener on Saturday.

A Breel Embolo penalty had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in Santa Clara, before the Swiss were made to pay by a Miro Muheim own goal.

Qatar, appearing in just their second finals after hosting the 2022 World Cup, looked rusty after their preparations were disrupted by the Middle East war, meaning their meeting with Switzerland was just their third match since December last year.

"I am very proud of the team," said Qatar's Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui.

"I told them that even if we hadn't scored the goal and didn't draw I would have been proud of the mentality and discipline that they showed today.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Qatar vs Switzerland kick off at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Ghana slams Canada's decision to deny World Cup visa for Partey, who faces rape charges

Ghana's government has criticized Canada's “extremely unfair” decision to deny midfielder Thomas Partey a visa for his team’s World Cup opener while he awaits trial on rape charges, and it threatened legal action in a bid to overturn the refusal.

The 32-year-old Partey, who is scheduled to stand trial in London later this year, returned to Ghana’s base camp in Rhode Island after Canada denied his visa application to enter the country for Wednesday's match against Panama in Toronto.

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday issued a statement criticizing what it called “the high-handed and extremely unfair decision by Canada to refuse a temporary residence application” for Partey.

Partey faces allegations from several women dating to his time with English club Arsenal from 2020-25. Partey, who played in Spain for Villarreal this past season, has pleaded not guilty.

Ghana’s government said it “reaffirms the fundamental legal principle of the presumption of innocence, a cornerstone of justice and due process in democratic societies.”

“While respecting Canada’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws, Ghana considers that reliance on unproven charges in the absence of a judicial determination raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality," the statement read. "Accordingly, Ghana is pursuing active diplomatic engagements with the relevant Canadian authorities on this matter.”

Police investigate theft of England equipment at World Cup, two people in custody

Two people have been detained in connection with the theft of equipment from the England national team's vehicles during their move from a pre-training base in Florida to Kansas City, where the Three Lions will have their permanent World Cup base camp.

Authorities said the incident took place at some point Friday night.

Sgt. Phil DiMartino of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department confirmed that two people had been taken into custody.

“Yesterday, officials in Kansas City learned at some point between their over-the-road transport from Florida to their arrival at the training facility in Kansas City, goods belonging to the English national team were stolen,” said Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, who has become the city's de facto spokesperson for World Cup activities.

“Public safety officials at the local, state and federal levels are working to trace where in the United States the items were seized and all the individuals who may have been involved," Lucas said.

Brazil national team turns to data tracking, shifting focus from running distance to tactical efficiency

The Brazilian national football team has overhauled its approach to player evaluation ahead of its opening World Cup match, moving away from traditional physical metrics to prioritize spatial efficiency, according to a report by BBC.

The squad is heavily utilizing advanced data tracking via sensor-packed "smart vests" worn beneath their jerseys during training and live matches. While electronic performance tracking systems (EPTS) are now common in modern football, Brazil’s technical staff is using high-frequency GPS, magnetometers, and accelerometers to challenge long-held assumptions about work rate and player output.

According to Guilherme Passos, Brazil’s sports science chief, standard data can often misrepresent a player's actual contribution. In one specific instance cited by the BBC, tracking data revealed that a player had covered only 6 kilometers over the course of a match—roughly half the distance logged by his teammates.

While such a low number would traditionally flag a lack of effort or fitness, a deeper cross-reference of the spatial data with tactical video showed that the player’s positioning was nearly flawless. By reading the opposition's passing lanes early, the player remained hyper-efficient, rarely needing to sprint to recover his position.

The tracking technology allows analysts to mathematically map out "spatial dominance," measuring how effectively a player occupies key zones and maintains the squad's geometric shape relative to the ball. The objective is to break down intuitive positioning into quantifiable data that can be taught across the roster.

Beyond tactical positioning, the technology serves as a critical tool for workload management in the newly expanded 48-team tournament, which requires teams to navigate massive travel distances across North America and a grueling potential eight-match path to the final. By matching real-time biometric outputs against baseline data synced from the players' respective European club teams, the medical staff can identify precise thresholds where a player faces an increased risk of soft-tissue injury.

With FIFA regulations permitting live data transmissions directly to the bench, Brazil's backroom analysts will monitor these real-time metrics during tonight's Group C opener against Morocco. Any significant drop in spatial positioning or recovery speeds will likely trigger preemptive tactical substitutions before physical breakdowns or structural defensive gaps occur.

Brazil headline packed World Cup Saturday as Scotland return

Five-time champions Brazil begin their World Cup campaign on Saturday, taking on surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in one of the standout group-stage clashes.

The first day featuring four matches at the expanded 48-team tournament also sees Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, facing debutants Haiti in Boston.

Elsewhere, 2022 hosts Qatar meet Switzerland in Santa Clara, while Australia face Turkey in Vancouver in the day's final fixture.

The action follows a statement opening from co-hosts the United States, who crushed Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles on Friday in front of a crowd of more than 70,000 that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and David Beckham.

Scotland back on the big stage

Scotland and their travelling Tartan Army return to football's biggest tournament after a 28-year absence.

Much will be expected of Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, whose spectacular overhead kick against Denmark last November sealed qualification and further enhanced his status among Scotland supporters.

Haiti, making their World Cup debut, will be aiming to give their crisis-hit nation something to celebrate.

Australia coach Tony Popovic, meanwhile, believes his side can "punch above our weight" at the tournament, although Turkey provide a challenging opening assignment.

The expanded World Cup runs through to the final in New Jersey on July 19.

Summary

Sunday June 14 (IST)

  • Qatar vs Switzerland — 12:30 am IST (Santa Clara, California)

  • Brazil vs Morocco — 3:30 am IST (East Rutherford, New Jersey)

  • Haiti vs Scotland — 6:30 am IST (Foxborough, Massachusetts)

  • Australia vs Turkey — 9:30 am IST (Vancouver, British Columbia)

2026 FIFA World Cup

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