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U.S. advances to round of 16 with thrilling win over Bosnia-Herzegovina despite red card
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Folarin Balogun was still learning to walk the last time the U.S. won a knockout round game in a World Cup. On Wednesday, he helped lead the Americans to another with his goal in the waning seconds of the first half, sparking a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina that sends the team on to the round of 16 of this summer’s tournament.
The other goal came from Malik Tillman in the 82nd minute. The Americans have scored multiple goals in every game of the tournament for the first time ever, also setting a national record with 10 goals overall in the tournament.
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World Cup live updates: U.S. leads Bosnia-Herzegovina
Folarin Balogun scored in the first half, giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead over Bosnia-Herzegovina at halftime.
Click on this link to follow our U.S.-Bosnia-Herzegovina live match updates.
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Belgium converts late penalty to beat Senegal and reach round of 16
SEATTLE — Youri Tielemans scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time of extra time, and Belgium came back from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 Wednesday in the round of 32 at the World Cup.
Tielemans was fouled just before the end of the 30 minutes of extra time were finished and the referee awarded the penalty after a video review.
Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr gave the Senegalese a 2-0 lead, but Belgium substitute Romelu Lukaku got one back in the 86th minute and Tielemans equalized in the 89th.
Belgium will play in a round of 16 match on Monday in Seattle against the winner of Wednesday night’s U.S.-Bosnia and Herzegovina game.
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Belgium takes lead late in extra time on penalty kick after lengthy VAR review
Belgium 3, Senegal 2 120th minute (+5)
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans scored his second goal of the match on a penalty kick that was awarded after a lengthy VAR review revealed a foul in the box by Lamine Camara on Tielemans, who had scored in the 89th minute to force extra time after Senegal seemingly was closing in on a berth in the round of 16.
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Senegal and Belgium remained deadlocked in extra time
Belgium 2, Senegal 2, 105th minute
The two teams have completed the first half of extra time in Seattle. After a brief break, they’ll play the final 15 minutes and if it remains tied, the match will go to penalty kicks.
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Belgium and Senegal will go to extra time in Seattle
Belgium 2, Senegal 2, end of regulation
This round of 32 match in Seattle will require at least 30 more minutes after Belgium rallied to score twice within three minutes to erase a two-goal deficit.
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Belgium draws even on a header that was missed by Senegal’s goalkeeper
Senegal 2, Belgium 2, 89th minute
Belgium has gotten off the mat and tied things up in Seattle. Belgium looped a cross in that Youri Tielemans headed into goal after Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw whiffed on his punchout attempt.
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Belgium finally pulls one back, still trails Senegal by one
Senegal 2, Belgium 1, 86th minute
Romelu Lukaku, who came on at halftime for Belgium, got on the board late in the second half in Seattle. Senegal is trying to hang on and reach the round of 16 but Belgium has a flicker of hope now.
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Belgium still searching for any spark against Senegal
Senegal 2, Belgium 0, 65th minute
Time is running out for Belgium and it is trying to find any change of momentum as it works in more subs in Seattle.
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Ismaïla Sarr doubles Senegal’s lead, puts Belgium in deep hole
Senegal 2, Belgium 0, 51st minute
Ismaïla Sarr’s spectacular gather and shot has put Senegal up by two in Seattle. That’s three straight matches in which Sarr has scored.
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Belgium and Senegal about to start second half in Seattle
Senegal 1, Belgium 0, 46th minute
They’re off and running for the second half in Seattle and Belgium has already made a substation in hopes of sparking a comeback, bringing in forward Romelu Lukaku to replace an ineffective Charles De Ketelaere.
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Senegal carries one-goal lead over Belgium into halftime
Senegal 1, Belgium 0, halftime
Senegal maintained its advantage for the rest of the first half in Seattle. The winner of this match will stay in Seattle to face the winner of the U.S.-Bosnia and Herzegovina game on Monday in the round of 16.
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Senegal takes the lead over Belgium on goal by Habib Diarra
Senegal 1, Belgium 0, 25th minute
Habib Diarra scored on a rebound to stake Senegal to a lead over Belgium in Seattle heading into the hydration break.
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Senegal nearly breaks through against Belgium
Belgium 0, Senegal 0, 19th minute
Senegal came close to taking the lead in the 14th minute when Ismaila Sarr’s sliding shot glanced off the post.
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Belgium and Senegal are off and running in Seattle
Unbeaten Belgium didn’t score a goal of its own until routing New Zealand 5-1 in its group-play finale. That allowed it to finish atop of its group and advance to the knockout stages, something it failed to do four years ago. Senegal started with consecutive losses, but routed Iraq 5-0, giving it the best goal differential of all third-place teams and allowing it to advance.
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Harry Kane sends England into the round of 16 with two goals against Congo
ATLANTA — Harry Kane scored two second-half goals to help England rally for a 2-1 victory over Congo and a spot in the round of 16 at the World Cup on Wednesday.
England’s all-time leading scorer evened the score with a header after Brian Cipenga had given Congo a surprising halftime lead. Kane then scored the decisive goal into the top corner in the 86th minute at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
For much of the game, England looked to be headed for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
The 1966 World Cup champions will next play co-host Mexico in the round of 16 in Mexico City on Sunday.
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It’s Harry Kane again as England takes the lead
England 2, DR of the Congo 1, 86th minute
Harry Kane did not waste time scoring his 13th career World Cup goal to surpass Pele. His shot from just inside the box has put England in front and on the cusp of moving to the round of 16 to face Mexico on Sunday.
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Harry Kane’s header ties things up with Congo
DR of the Congo 1, England 1, 75th minute
Of course it had to be Harry Kane. His header in the 75th minute allowed England to finally break through and tie things up in Atlanta. For the England captain, it was his 12th goal in World Cup play, tying him with Brazil’s Pele.
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Congo remains ahead as England makes substitutions
DR of the Congo 1, England 0, 62nd minute
After an initial flurry by England to find the tying goal, Congo has started to assert itself on offense in an effort to put the match out of reach in Atlanta. England for its part has substituted in forwards Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon as the minutes continue to tick away.
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Second half underway in Atlanta as England looks to rally vs. Congo
DR of the Congo 1, England 0, 46th minute
The second half has begun in Atlanta with England looking to rally after falling behind early in this round of 32 match. Winner will face Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday at Azteca Stadium.
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An action-packed end of the first half as Congo stays in front
DR of the Congo 1, England 0, halftime
England pressed for the tying goal but stout defense by Congo and Harry Kane not getting the benefit of the doubt in the box from the referee has kept it a one-goal match. Congo also missed a golden opportunity to double its lead in the 42nd minute when Yoane Wissa’s shot off a cross glanced off the right post.
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Jude Bellingham’s header turned away, Congo maintains lead
DR of the Congo 1, England 0, 30th minute
England came out of the hydration break energized and playing much better. Jude Bellingham nearly tied it with a header but Congo’s Lionel Mpasi turned it away.
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Congo stays in the lead, England looking out of sorts early
DR of the Congo 1, England 0, 23rd minute
The match has reached its first hydration break with Congo holding on to its lead in Atlanta. England has looked out of sorts since being stunned by Congo’s early goal and Jude Bellingham picked up a yellow card in the 19th minute.
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Congo jumps out to the early lead over England
DR Republic of the Congo 1, England 0, seventh minute
And just like that, Brian Cipenga has put the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the lead in this round of 32 match in Atlanta.
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England and Democratic Republic of the Congo are underway in Atlanta
England was unbeaten in group play, but it looked sluggish, failing to score in a goalless draw with Ghana then needing two second-half scores to beat Panama. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have combined for five of England’s six goals while Jordan Pickford hasn’t given up a goal since the opening half of the first game. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, made it out of the group stage for the first time ever by beating Uzbekistan with three second-half goals.
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Harvard alum Matt Freese took an unusual path to starting in goal for U.S. at World Cup
Playing in goal for the U.S. men’s national soccer team is a little like playing right field for the Yankees. You’re following a long line of great players, making the comparisons — and the high expectations — unavoidable.
Matt Freese is the latest to be thrown into that crucible. But he considers that pressure to be a privilege, not a problem.
“I wouldn’t say it’s intimidating, I would say it’s inspiring,” he said before the U.S. training session Tuesday morning in Irvine. “It’s a long line of goalkeepers that I’ve looked up to for my whole life — and there were some before my life as well.”
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Born in Brooklyn, raised in London, Folarin Balogun lights up the World Cup for the U.S.
SEATTLE — If a pregnant Nigerian woman had been allowed to board a plane 25 years ago, the U.S. team’s path through this summer’s World Cup may have unfolded much differently. Instead, a gate agent turned her away, insisting it wasn’t safe for her to fly from New York to London.
So Florence Balogun returned to Brooklyn, where she had been visiting relatives, and waited for her second son to be born. And when Folarin arrived a few weeks later, entering the world just hours before Independence Day dawned, he did so as an American citizen.
It was that quirk of fate that allowed Balogun, who lived just two months in the U.S., to represent the country on soccer’s biggest stage.
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‘The clear choice by far.’ Why rising U.S. star Alex Freeman chose soccer over the NFL
SEATTLE — Growing up the son of an NFL wide receiver, Alex Freeman said he felt a lot of pressure to play the American version of football, not the one the rest of the world plays.
“I always got asked if football was the path,” he said last summer. “But I always had a secret love for soccer.”
And he had to keep it a secret because he wasn’t sure his father Antonio, a Super Bowl winner with the Green Bay Packers, would understand.
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L.A. defies the skeptics for a World Cup marked by unity, mutual respect, fearlessness
The run-up to the World Cup in Los Angeles was marked by anxiety over how immigration enforcement, travel restrictions and anti-Trump backlash would affect the spirit and attendance of the games.
But on the streets of L.A. over the last week, something very different has happened.
Fans from a kaleidoscope of cultural backgrounds have come together to act out the kind of world — and city — they want to live in.
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‘Why not us?’ How Mauricio Pochettino taught the U.S. to believe it could win a World Cup
A bowl of lemons sits on a table in the conference room Mauricio Pochettino has turned into an office at the U.S. men’s soccer team’s beachfront resort in south Orange County. The citrus fruit, the coach believes, has the spiritual ability to absorb negative energy. On the corner of another table, the flame from a candle flickers.
“I like candles,” says Pochettino, who believes they release therapeutic fragrances and create a calming environment.
But it is the massive, blood-red mural covering the entire south side of the room that truly reveals what Pochettino believes. In the center of the wall, just behind the coach’s desk, white block letters spell out “Why Not” above a script “U.S.,” which, despite the periods, is meant to be read as “us.”
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Commentary: From poker pro to World Cup coach: Sergej Barbarez all in with Bosnia-Herzegovina
Imagine it. A neophyte coach, leading a team for the first time at any competitive level, and it being a high-profile assignment on the biggest of big stages.
A self-assured broadcaster, critical and competitive, having his bluff called, being invited to not just talk about it, but to be about it: Walk the walk, why don’t you?
A former player — scorer, shooter — being challenged to step up and right a listing ship while navigating politics and the push and pull of history and high hopes.
Imagine that guy going: “Bet.”
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Why this World Cup could do for Canada what 1994 did for soccer in the U.S.
VANCOUVER, Canada — When the first men’s World Cup game played in Canada kicked off last week, Anthony Totera sat in the stands and wept.
“It was a dream come true,” said Totera, who has spent most of his 57 years on earth promoting Canadian soccer. “I can’t describe the emotions. It was something surreal.”
If the 1994 World Cup, the first held in the U.S., forever altered the direction of American soccer, this summer’s tournament, which Canada is sharing with the U.S. and Mexico, has the potential to do the same for that country.
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Pico Rivera’s Cristian Roldan may be last made-in-high-school U.S. World Cup star
SEATTLE — Cristian Roldan and Haji Wright grew up less than three years and 30 miles apart, Roldan in Pico Rivera and Wright in Culver City. The odds that they would go on to become teammates on not one, but two, U.S. World Cup teams seem astronomical.
Yet despite starting at the same time and place and arriving together at the same destination, the two players followed completely different paths to get there.
Wright joined the Galaxy’s academy at 14 and signed with Schalke of the top tier German Bundesliga days after his 18th birthday. Roldan was still playing for El Rancho, when he was 17, making him the only member of the U.S. World Cup team to play four years at a public high school.
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‘A great vibe.’ Pacific Northwest joins Los Angeles in an embrace of World Cup fever
SEATTLE — Jaysen Dickinson flew to Seattle from Vermont to cross an item off his lengthy bucket list.
“To see the World Cup and the U.S. play in the World Cup,” he said.
Kim Fletcher and her 17-year-old son Kelan caught a 5 a.m. flight from Sacramento last week for the same reason.
“It’s a must-do right now,” she said.
They weren’t alone. Tens of thousands of people poured into Seattle on Friday morning for the U.S. team’s group-stage game with Australia, turning the Emerald City into a sea of red, white and blue. Some had tickets, most did not.
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For Sebastian Berhalter, a shot with the U.S. national team was well worth the wait
Some kids grow up with video games and summer camp. Sebastian Berhalter grew up with the World Cup.
He was 13 months old when his father, Gregg, played in the tournament for the first time and 5 when his dad was called back. And four years ago, when Sebastian was already a professional in his own right, he went to Qatar to watch his father coach the U.S. to the round of 16.
Yet none of that prepared the younger Berhalter for his own World Cup debut earlier this month.
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Commentary: Christian Pulisic is the spark the U.S. will need in the World Cup’s knockout stages
Christian Pulisic is back. Back like Captain America, revived and ready to go after being put on ice for a spell, needed to save the day.
Forget everything else about Thursday’s match against Turkey at SoFi Stadium and marinate on that.
Never mind the United States’ 3-2 loss in their final World Cup Group D match; the result was inconsequential. The Americans knew they were going through to the round of 32, and more, they’d already won the group. No pressure is a privilege, well-earned.
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Contributor: U.S.-born Brian Gutiérrez and Obed Vargas signal a new era for Mexico’s national team
After the total failure that was Mexico’s participation in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage, the future looked very dire for “El Tri.” By 2024, the situation had worsened after another international failure at the Copa América. The 2026 World Cup co-hosts had even more pressure now. In a crisis-control move, the Mexico Football Federation opted to bring back its proven problem solver, head coach “El Vasco” Javier Aguirre, for a third stint.
In a short time, Aguirre was able to shape “El Tri” into a competitive squad by breaking from his usual approach. The man who shockingly demoted then-24-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa in favor of a more experienced player prior to the 2010 World Cup was now relying on upstarts.
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Mexico ends World Cup knockout round drought, defeats Ecuador to reach round of 16
MEXICO CITY — Mexico once again enjoyed a night of celebration with its fans, this time after defeating an old nemesis — the knockout stage of the World Cup.
El Tri won its first knockout match at a World Cup since 1986, beating Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night at the majestic Azteca Stadium packed with 80,824 fans.
From 1994 to 2018, Mexico failed to win a World Cup knockout game and, in 2022, failed to advance past the group stage — its worst showing at a World Cup since 1978.
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2026 World Cup knockout round TV schedule, game previews and results
Group play is over and it’s knockout time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The round of 32 is in progress, with several teams already moving on the round of 16, including tournament co-hosts U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup knockout stage matches being played Thursday and Friday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
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Looking back at the first 20 days of the World Cup
The first 20 days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered plenty of memorable moments.
Check out The Times’ daily recaps ahead of Wednesday’s three-game slate:
Kylian Mbappé scored his fifth and sixth World Cup goals, leading France to a World Cup knockout round win Tuesday. Mexico and Norway also advanced.
Recapping Monday’s knockout-round wins by Brazil, Paraguay and Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get the latest news, results and highlights.
Live updates from Canada vs. South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news and results as the knockout rounds begin.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Recapping Day 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
South Africa pulled off a stunning 1-0 win over South Korea Wednesday night, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
Cristiano Ronaldo snapped out of his goal scoring slump to lead Portugal to a win, while Ghana held Harry Kane and England and Colombia rallied to beat Congo.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Recapping what happened at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Harry Kane tied a World Cup record during England’s win, Cristiano Ronaldo was held scoreless during a draw, Ghana stunned Panama and more during Day 7.
Stars Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi all scored while leading France, Norway and Argentina to wins on Day 6 of the 2026 World Cup.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Folarin Balogun scores twice and Christian Pulisic sets up two goals to lead the U.S. to a 4-1 win in its World Cup opener over Paraguay on Friday.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Mexico defeats South Africa 2-0 in a game that featured three red cards. Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored for Mexico in front of 80,824 fans.
