The second round of group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup continued on Thursday, June 19, with goals, drama and a serious injury concern for one of the tournament hosts.
Canada moved to the brink of the knockout stages with a dominant victory over Qatar, while Switzerland took a major step towards qualification in Group B.
Elsewhere, South Africa earned a valuable point against Czechia, and Mexico and South Korea fought it out for the top spot in Group A.
Mokoena rescues South Africa
South Africa kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive after battling to a 1-1 draw with Czechia in Atlanta.
The Czechs made the perfect start when Michal Sadilek scored after just six minutes, registering the fastest goal of the tournament so far.
Czechia looked in control for long periods but failed to make their dominance count.
Bafana Bafana gradually grew into the game and were rewarded late on when Thapelo Maseko won a penalty.
Midfielder Teboho Mokoena calmly converted from the spot in the 83rd minute to earn South Africa their first point of the tournament.
The result leaves both teams on one point and facing must-win matches in their final Group A fixtures.
Swiss close in on last 32
Switzerland produced a strong second-half display to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in Los Angeles and move to the top of Group B.
The match remained goalless for more than an hour before substitute Johan Manzambi changed the game.
The young forward opened the scoring and then doubled his tally (for the third Swiss goal of the game) shortly after Bosnia were reduced to 10 men following Tarik Muaremovic’s red card.
Bosnia briefly threatened a comeback through Ermin Mahmic, but Switzerland quickly restored control.
Ruben Vargas added the second Swiss goal, while captain Granit Xhaka converted a late penalty to complete an impressive victory.
The Swiss now have four points and are in a strong position to reach the knockout stages.
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Canada’s big win overshadowed by injury
Canada recorded their first-ever men’s World Cup victory in spectacular fashion, thrashing Qatar 6-0 in Vancouver.
Jonathan David stole the headlines with a hat-trick, while Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba also found the net.
Qatar’s misery was compounded by an own goal and two red cards as they collapsed in the second half.
However, the co-hosts’ celebrations were tempered by a serious injury to midfielder Ismael Kone, who suffered a broken leg and was stretchered off with oxygen, following a challenge from Assim Madibo.
The incident left players visibly shaken and could rule Kone out for the remainder of the tournament.
Despite the setback, Jesse Marsch’s side sit on four points and are now on the verge of qualification.
Romo sends Mexico through
Mexico became the first nation to secure a place in the World Cup round of 32 after beating South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara.
In a largely uneventful Group A contest, the decisive moment came when South Korea goalkeeper Seung-Gyu Kim spilled a Raul Jimenez header into the path of Luis Romo, who calmly lifted the ball over the stranded goalkeeper.
South Korea struggled to create clear opportunities for much of the match, but almost snatched a late equaliser through substitute Gue-Sung Cho.
Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel produced a superb double save to preserve his side’s lead and secure all three points and qualification.
South Korea can still qualify for the knockout stages but must beat South Africa in their final group game, while Mexico will face Czechia next.
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Today’s fixtures
The second round of matches in Groups C and D gets underway on Friday:
Group C
Scotland vs Morocco – 11pm BST, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, USA
Brazil vs Haiti – 1:30am BST (Saturday), Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, USA
Group D
USA vs Australia – 8pm BST, Lumen Field, Seattle, USA
Turkiye vs Paraguay – 4am BST (Saturday), Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, USA
With places in the knockout stages beginning to come into view, the pressure is set to increase as the tournament enters a crucial phase.
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