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While many of the countries participating in the World Cup are plagued by social divisions, some teams offer surprisingly positive examples of how players from different backgrounds and religions can work closely together in pursuit of common goals.This phenomenon is particularly evident in Western European teams, which for most of soccer’s history were overwhelmingly white and Christian. As these societies have become increasingly diverse, national team rosters have also come to include openly Christian and Muslim players of their faith.England’s national team includes Muslim players for the first time. France national team roster There are multiple players from Protestant, Catholic,…

England 4-2 Croatia: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were at the forefront to give the Three Lions a winning start, but there were concerns at the other end of the pitch.June 17, 2026 23:00Updated June 18, 2026 00:23England won the match by the scruff of Kane and Bellingham (Image: Francois Nel/Getty Images)Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham dominated by the scruff of their necks, ensuring England got off to a winning start in their opening World Cup game despite some shaky defending.Kane scored two goals, including a dramatic penalty recovery, Bellingham produced a fine individual effort just after half-time and Mars…

TORONTO (AP) — They are non-Messi, they are non-Mbappe. They are not Haaland or Kane.While the biggest names in soccer are attracting the most attention, world cup, The expanded tournament also gave unprecedented players their moments to shine. Here are some of their accomplishments from the season opener that ended on Wednesday.Spoiler alert: Vosinya He should have been on this list, but the 40-year-old Cape Verdean goalkeeper, who has more than 13 million followers on Instagram and counting, has become too famous. Libano Comencia, CuracaoConencia became the first World Cup scorer for the smallest country in history to qualify for…

England’s stars were in action on the big stage as Thomas Tuchel’s side sealed their early success in the World Cup with a thrilling game against arch-rivals Croatia.Harry Kane twice gave them the lead for the team that beat England in the World Cup semi-final eight years ago, before Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford powered through to seal a memorable victory.Despite a nervy start, it was England who took the lead, with Kane converting his second penalty kick after Dominik Livakovic was caught narrowly off his line. Kane’s goal restored England’s composure, but Croatia hit back with Martin Baturina’s excellent…

MEXICO CITY (AP) — After contributing with a goal and an assist. world cup During his debut, Colombia’s Luis Diaz walked to the sideline to look for his father. They found each other and realized a dream they had spent years in the making.“It brought back a lot of things from the past,” Diaz said after the game. Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1 on Wednesday night. “I’ve worked for this. I fought to be here at this moment.”First, Colombia missed out on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Then his parents were kidnapped.In late 2023, Luis Manuel “Mane” Diaz and his…

England and Croatia begin their respective World Cup opening matches in Dallas, with Zlatko Dalic issuing a strong warning to England ahead of the matchJune 17, 2026, 07:36Updated June 17, 2026 08:14Coach Zlatko Dalic speaks ahead of Croatia vs England (Image: Getty Images)Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has warned England that they will not be “just defending” in their opening World Cup match. Both teams will meet in Dallas on Wednesday night to begin their group campaign.Although England go into the match as favorites, both teams are expected to advance to the knockout stages, with some suggesting they will go all…

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) – Mexican military intercepted and shot down a drone that was flying near the South Korean national soccer team ahead of their training camp. world cup against Mexico, a federal official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.Mexican federal officials said the military used specialized equipment to detect “unregistered drones” near South Korean military camps, prompting them to “neutralize” them.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the incident.Co-host Mexico wins first match in Group A Thursday’s World Cup Korea defeats Czech Republic within the same day. It is unclear whether…

Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in Kansas City, tying Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.June 17, 2026, 04:01Updated June 17, 2026 08:15Lionel Messi scores his first World Cup hat-trick (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)America is now all too familiar with Lionel Messi, with the playmaker approaching his third year at Inter Miami, but there was still something special about this occasion in Kansas City.Messi is celebrating his 39th birthday and there is no doubt that this will be his sixth and final World Cup. The eight-time Ballon d’Or…

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Hey Jude, you and Harry didn’t let England down.Harry Kane scored twice to match the British record for world cup Goal and Jude Bellingham bring England forward It came about two minutes into the second half of Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Croatia.In a rematch of the 2018 semi-final, won by Croatia, Martin Baturina and Petar Musa each responded to Kane’s first-half goal. Moussa’s goal came on the final play before the final whistle of the first half.Even when the match resumed, the tie did not last long.Bellingham received a long pass from Elliott Anderson and continued…

Chelsea and Xabi Alonso are eyeing a move for Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who has long been a transfer target for Manchester United.Xabi Alonso eyes Chelsea reinforcements (Image: Getty Images)Chelsea are monitoring Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa as they consider a move for the £51m shot-stopper.Xabi Alonso has just arrived at Stamford Bridge and will need to strengthen a team that finished 10th last season. He has a number of areas he would like to improve on and Costa has been named as a target.Portugal’s No. 1 player will be playing in the World Cup, but his price could rise even…