The last time four World Cup matches ended in a draw on the same day, Pele was the 17-year-old breakout star and Frenchman Juste Fontaine scored a tournament-record 13 goals. That was in 1958. Iran did not play in that tournament, but one of those draws, a 2-2 win against New Zealand, kicked off a difficult 2026 World Cup season. Iran’s coach said the team was ordered to leave the United States and return to its training base in Mexico just hours after the game.
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Looking to the future, if there is a modern-day equivalent to Fontaine, it may be the prolific Kylian Mbappé. The Real Madrid star, who scored a hat-trick in the last final, opens his season against France and Senegal today.
World Cup Summary
Despite the focus on geopolitics ahead of Iran vs. New Zealand, the Group G encounter was a roller coaster of ups and downs on the pitch, with Team Melli showing their mettle to come from behind twice in front of the enthusiastic support of Los Angeles. Despite this, coach Amir Galenoei will be disappointed with the tie against a team ranked 65th below the FIFA rankings. Elijah Just, who plays for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, scored twice, becoming the first New Zealand player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match.
If Iran’s opener was the most newsworthy game of the World Cup so far, Cape Verde vs. Spain was the most surprising. Cape Verde, playing in the World Cup for the first time, is a nation of just over 500,000 people and is made up of 10 volcanic islands off the coast of Africa, and they expressed their gratitude to 40-year-old goalkeeper Vosinha, who kept the reigning European champions, which includes Pedri, Rodri and Ferran Torres, at bay. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who came on as a substitute in the 70th minute, also failed to break the deadlock.
Elsewhere, a lackluster Belgium side drew 1-1 with Egypt. Saudi Arabia and Uruguay also had the same scoreline.
world cup preview
When Senegal defeated reigning champions France 1-0 in the opening game of 2002, it was one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history. The two sides will face each other again this afternoon, with France boasting arguably the strongest team in the competition and a formidable front line that includes Michael Oliseh, Ousmane Dembele, Desiree Douayt and Mbappé. Les Bleus enter Senegal, second in the world rankings behind Argentina, and face Algeria tonight, with many pundits suggesting they will do one better this year than their runners-up finish four years ago.
Norway is returning to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and will be hoping that goal scorer Erling Haaland can lead to victory against Iraq. Argentina will begin their title defense with Lionel Messi and others taking on Algeria.
At midnight, Austria, managed by former Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick, will face Jordan in their first World Cup appearance.
man wearing a blazer
As an apology to the ancient Greeks, the term “Hard Effort” was officially replaced with “Cape Verde Effort.” Cape Verde goaltender Vosinha had a particularly busy afternoon in Atlanta, making seven big saves and gaining more than 6 million Instagram followers during the game. Men in Blazers founder Roger Bennett spoke to Bosinha, 40, who has now become world famous after the historic result, what this means for Cape Verde and the journey to the World Cup stage. Check it here.
Today is certainly full of intrigue as the two recent World Cup champions begin their journey to lift the trophy once again. First, 2018 champion France will take on Senegal at 3 p.m. ET at New York/New Jersey Stadium in a rematch for the first time in 24 years. Reigning title holders Argentina, led by Lionel Messi and appearing in the tournament for the sixth time, will take on Algeria in Kansas City, Missouri at 9 p.m. ET. Click here for the full game schedule.
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what we see
World cup! All games will be played on Telemundo and Peacock, and all times are Eastern Time.
3pm: France vs Senegal 6pm: Norway vs Iraq 9pm: Argentina vs Algeria 12am: Austria vs Jordan
That’s all for now! I’ll be back tomorrow.
