World Cup schedule, live updates: England, Portugal and Argentina back in action as group play ends

So far, the pre-tournament favorite to win the first 10 groups at sportsbooks has come through, with the United States winning Group D at +150 the longest shot of any group.

Will England and Portugal make it a perfect 12-for-12?

France will have its manager back in time for the round of 32 matchup against Sweden on Tuesday in New Jersey. Deschamps left before the team’s 5-1 win over Norway on Friday to complete a perfect group stage.

Assistant Guy Stéphan took charge of the Norway match.

The 57-year-old Deschamps has led France’s men’s national team since 2012, guiding the team to the 2018 World Cup title and a follow-up appearance in the 2022 final, as well as to the final of the 2016 Euros and 2024 semifinals. As a player, he helped the team win the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said after Friday’s 1-0 win over Uruguay that the winger may not return to the side, while Nico Williams could play again in the tournament.

“[Williams] felt discomfort,” De la Fuente said afterward. “It could be a strain, or it might be fatigue. But the worst thing is the huge pain we feel with Yéremy, who could miss the rest of the World Cup.”

Pino entered the match in the second half, but would injure his collar bone during a fall. He would finish out the game and was seen wearing a sling after the game.

“[Pino’s] could be a collar bone injury,” he added. “We’ll see, he’ll undergo tests tomorrow. He’s suffering a lot. He made a huge effort to hold on until the end of the game. It was heroic.”

James is dealing with a hamstring injury and did not travel with the squad from their base camp in Kansas City to New Jersey for Saturday’s group-stage finale.

England manager Thomas Tuchel said they are hopeful James can return for their round of 32 match

“Reece has a minor hamstring injury. He was not able to train the last two days. He is now in an accelerated rehabilitation program,” Tuchel said Friday. “We take it game by game, but we strongly believe that he will be available for us in the tournament.”

Only eight of the best third-place teams will advance. Scotland are currently 10th in the third-place table on three points. In order to reach the round of 32, they will need the following to happen on the final day of group play:

The World Cup’s group stage wraps up on Saturday as teams in Groups J, K and L vie for last few spots and more favorable knockout-round matchups.

The stars will be out again with England and Portugal back on the field as Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo try to add to their goal tallies. Lionel Messi will start on the bench, but will also see action on Saturday.

Read about the matchups here.

Lionel Messi will begin Argentina’s World Cup 2026 group stage match against Jordan on the bench, head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed to reporters on Friday.

Messi, 39, has scored all five of Argentina’s goals in the 2026 World Cup. With his two versus Austria, he became the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer with 18. He’s the current favorite to win the Golden Boot.

Argentina has already won Group J. That gives La Albiceleste an opportunity to rest some of their players and rotate in others who have not yet played. Messi is not dealing with an injury, Scaloni clarified.

Read more right here.

The Round of 32 is nearly complete and we already know several matchups that’ll be played next week.

With that in mind, here are some odds and early picks for the knockout round, including a bet to make on the Canada-South Africa and USA-Bosnia and Herzegovina matches.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has offered men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino an extension that would keep him under contract for another World Cup cycle, through 2030, according to a Friday report from The Athletic.

The proposal was made to Pochettino before this year’s tournament, per the report, which also stated that a decision won’t be made until after the 2026 World Cup. Pochettino’s current deal is set to expire following this year’s tournament, during which the USMNT guaranteed its spot in the Round of 32 as the winner of Group D.

Read more right here.

Seconds after tying Saudi Arabia 0-0 on Friday night, players from Cape Verde, the third-smallest nation to ever play in the World Cup, huddled around a phone and waited for the end of Spain’s win over Uruguay to go final for the dream to be real.

Would the biggest underdog story of the 2026 World Cup continue for at least one more game? The answer was yes. And, somehow, Cape Verde is now an even bigger underdog.

Up next for the Blue Sharks: Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Round of 32.

Read more right here.

Whether from exhaustion or disappointment, the Iranians had nothing left after the game ended. Many were collapsed or crying on the field still in disbelief.

The Iranians now await their fate as a third-place finisher after the stoppage-time goal from Shoja Khalilzadeh was overturned by VAR.

In the end, it stays level, ensuring Egypt a second-place finish and giving Iran a potential — but not guaranteed — ticket to the next round as well. This was not the result that either team was hoping for: Several players are now down on the field, whether from exhaustion or disappointment.

One last chance for Iran, but it hits the crossbar, again. So close.