Some dreams take years to come true. This one was worth every second of the wait.

Much was expected of Spain against the tournament debutants, but De la Fuente's team were unable to find a way past the African side, and need a statement win in Sunday's Group H game with the Saudis to restore some faith.

Salah was substituted in the 76th minute of that 1-1 draw in Seattle, with highly-rated teenager Hamza Abdelkarim coming on.

The Blue Sharks went a long way to proving their point when, making their World Cup debut, they put together a brilliant defensive display to hold European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw on Monday.

"I see myself as much better than people see me. I know the road ahead is very long and that I have many things to improve," he said in an interview with El Pais newspaper published on Sunday.

A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday.

Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room joked that he deserves a statue on the Caribbean island after a jaw-dropping display that earned the team their first-ever World Cup point.

While the world’s elite forwards arrived in North America with their eyes fixed on the Golden Boot, they are currently being outpaced by a rather embarrassing collective entity. Seven own goals have already been registered at the 2026 World Cup - five more than the entire 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Japan marked the 1,000th game in the history of the World Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Tunisia on Saturday to close in on a place in the last 32.

Hosting a FIFA World Cup is a matter of immense pride for any nation. Countries spend billions of dollars on infrastructure development, building and renovating stadiums, and upgrading facilities to stage the greatest show on earth. In return, they receive significant economic benefits through the arrival of millions of football fans from around the world.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann was thrilled by Germany's comeback victory against Ivory Coast on Saturday, but stopped short of celebrating his side advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 2014.

American Tim Howard holds the World Cup record for all-time saves with 16, but that came after extra time in the United States’ loss to Belgium in the 2014 round of 16, underlining the scale of Room’s 90-minute achievement.

After playing Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Iran's final group game will take place in Seattle next Friday against Egypt.

The CBF did not say how long he would be sidelined for, but Brazilian website Globo Esporte reported he could be fit to return for a possible game in the last 16, which starts in two weeks' time.

Neymar, an outspoken supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been recovering from a calf injury for a month and has yet to play at the World Cup.

Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey both scored twice as the rampant Netherlands thrashed Sweden 5-1 in a World Cup warning on Saturday in Houston.

For decades, football has been increasingly defined by numbers. Possession, shots, expected goals (xG), completed passes and touches inside the opposition box have become the modern language of football analysis.

Brazil shrugged off their World Cup opener disappointment with a 3-0 win over Haiti in their second Group C outing at the Philadelphia Stadium yesterday, but it was still not the resounding performance expected from a side chasing a record-extending sixth world title.

Dalot also revealed that the players were deliberately shielding themselves from the backlash on social media.

Renard faces an immediate test against a Japan side he regards as Asia's best.