Follow day eight of the World Cup with Flashscore.
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Catch up on everything that happened on day six of the 2026 World Cup
Which players in England's World Cup squad are truly 'world-class'?
EXCLUSIVE: Kirkland expects Rice and Anderson to be key for England
World Cup highlights: Messi and Mbappe shine on day six of the World Cup
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FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.
Match schedule and times | Group tables | England at the World Cup | Scotland at the World Cup | Team rosters at the World Cup | How to watch the World Cup | Predictions and odds | Which teams could be considered dark horses?
Live updates
00:29 BST - We're winding down the Tracker for tonight, thanks for joining us!
You can follow all the live stats from the other game in England's group here, with Ghana and Panama currently goalless after 30 minutes.
Night!
00:27 BST - England's 4-2 victory over Croatia offered an encouraging but imperfect start to Thomas Tuchel's first major tournament as manager, with a much-improved second-half performance turning a nervy opening night into a significant World Cup win.
Read our analysis: England sparkle in attack but defensive frailties give Tuchel cause for concern
23:52 BST - England boss Thomas Tuchel was delighted with his side's reaction after half-time.
"Good reaction, the first half was a bit complicated for us," he told ITV Sport.
"It was a bit nervy. The decisions we took, we chose to go safe and go backwards. We struggled to find any rhythm and didn't have the confidence to go through the gaps.
"I saw a statistic of 33 per cent of ground duels won in the first half and 73 per cent in the second, so even off the ball was not good enough, not committed enough. I loved the reaction of the players in the second half. It was emotional; there were a lot of emotions involved. It took us a while to get going."
23:35 BST - Jude Bellingham said "you saw the best" of England after a disappointing first half.
He told ITV Sport: "The second half especially, we showed what we're about and the team we want to be. I think the first half, we were still a bit nervous and cagey. With the ball, we rushed a bit but in the second half, we created a nice rhythm and you saw the best of us.
"The second half was more than flashes, in my opinion. The constant level of intensity without the ball was top level; the substitutions that came on were unbelievable. The pressing from the front, we hit the marker there."
23:27 BST - Some interesting stats to bring you following England's win:
- Tonight was England's first 4-2 win in a World Cup match since the 1966 final against West Germany.
- This is England's first World Cup win against a side ranked inside of FIFA's top 15 in the rankings (Croatia 11th) since 2002 against Argentina (3rd), ending a nine-game winless run (D2 L7) and six-game losing run against such sides at the finals.
- Harry Kane has scored 10 World Cup goals, the joint-most of any England player, along with Gary Lineker.
23:23 BST - On Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane added: "(He scored a) great goal, great run, great finish. You can see the desire from Jude in training.
"The competition is high-level. Whoever plays is ready and you saw Jude is itching to get out. Fantastic goal."
23:21 BST - England captain Harry Kane said it was "a game of two halves".
Speaking to ITV Sport, he said: "First half, we were OK. Really disappointed to concede in the way we did, I thought we dropped off.
"Credit to the manager, he gave us a speech at half-time and said if we lose, we lose in our way and I think we saw that in the way we came out in the second half. We went full gas and they couldn't live with it. Credit to everyone for the first game of the tournament.
"Without the ball, we went a bit more aggressive. It was difficult. They have players like Luka Modric dropping in and you're trying to figure out who to pick up. The intensity we want at, it's our biggest strength and we'll have to use that more.
"The way we controlled the game once we went ahead, we never really looked like we were in danger and then scored on the counter-attack. We had a spell where we could have scored three or four.
23:19 BST - England's Elliot Anderson won the most duels in the match, winning six of 11 (54.5% success rate) to earn a Flashscore rating of 7.5.
23:05 BST - Former England striker Alan Shearer heaped praise on the Three Lions for the way they "stood strong" dealing with Croatia pressure.
He told BBC Sport: "I think there's so many positives to come out of that performance. The goals that they scored and how they stood strong when they did come under pressure.
"All in all a good night for England. Lots of positives."
23:01 BST - FULL-TIME! England are up and running in the World Cup with a 4-2 win over Croatia.
Read our report: Kane bags brace as silky England hit four past Croatia to kick off World Cup tilt
22:55 BST - There will be six minutes of time added on.
22:54 BST - Marc Guehi comes on for John Stones.
22:49 BST - GOAL! A brilliant move from England ends with Marcus Rashford giving the Three Lions a 4-2 lead. All three substitutes combine as Djed Spence passes to Bukayo Saka who finds Marcus Rashford in the area. Rashford takes a touch before sending the ball into the bottom corner.
22:44 BST - Andrej Kramaric and Nikola Vlasic come on for Mario Pasalic and Martin Baturina, while Djed Spence replaces Jude Bellingham for England.
22:40 BST - There are 15 minutes of normal time to go.
22:36 BST - ....and England make three changes. Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers come on for Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke and Declan Rice. We're back underway.
22:34 BST - Hydration break time...
22:31 BST - Two more changes for Croatia. Marco Pasalic and Igor Matanovic come on for Luka Vuskovic and Petar Musa.
22:25 BST - Croatia make a change and Mateo Kovacic comes on for Luka Modric.
22:22 BST - England are peppering the Croatia goal with wave after wave of attacks. They've had nine shots on goal with eight on target in 10 minutes, but it's still 3-2. Thomas Tuchel has yet to sit down in the second half.
22:14 BST - Nico O'Reilly and Jude Bellingham both go close to adding a fourth for England. What a half-time teamtalk that was. The Three Lions are piling on the pressure.
22:11 BST - GOAL! Just two minutes after the re-start and Jude Bellingham charges into the box to fire England ahead!
22:09 BST - We're back underway for the second half.
22:02 BST - Former England defender Gary Neville said conceding two first-half goals is worrying.
He told ITV Sport: "The concern is that Croatia have had two attacks against us and they have scored two goals. England looked like they had the game by the scruff of the neck.
"The one thing I did not want is for the defence to look vulnerable, and they are going in at half time of the first game having conceded two goals."
21:54 BST - Some stats to bring you on Harry Kane, who scored both goals for England in the first half:
- Kane is just the second player to score for England at three different World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), along with David Beckham in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
- Excluding shootouts, Kane has now scored more penalties than any other player in World Cup history (five).
- Kane has now scored 17 goals at major tournaments (European Championship/World Cup), with only three European players scoring more: Cristiano Ronaldo (22), Miroslav Klose (19) and Gerd Müller (18).
- Kane is only the second player to score England's first goal at two different World Cup tournaments (2018 v Tunisia, 2026 v Croatia), along with Gary Lineker in 1986 and 1990.
21:52 BST - HALF-TIME! What a breathless first half that was. England twice took the lead only for Croatia to fight back.
21:51 BST - GOAL! England switch off and Croatia equalise. Ivan Perisic knocks it down for Petar Musa to draw Croatia level.
21:45 BST - There will be five minutes of time added on at the end of the first half.
21:42 BST - GOAL! Declan Rice takes a corner and Harry Kane jumps highest to head home. What a fantastic goal, and England fans erupt.
That is Kane's 10th World Cup goal for the Three Lions as he equals Gary Lineker's record.
21:36 BST - GOAL! Pick that one out. Jude Bellingham loses possession and Petar Sucic sends a short pass to Martin Baturina who lashes the ball into the back of the net. Jordan Pickford gets a hand to it but could do nothing about the pace.
It's only Baturina's second international goal.
21:32 BST - Noni Madueke fires a fantastic cross into the box but Jude Bellingham is agonisingly close and the ball fizzes out of play.
21:26 BST - We're back underway.
England have avoided defeat in their last three matches when scoring first in the World Cup, since a 1-2 loss to Croatia on 11th July 2018.
21:23 BST - Boos ring out as it's that time again. Hydration time. Absolutley ridiculous.
21:21 BST - Jude Bellingham charges forward but runs out of steam in the box and the Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic collects easily.
21:12 BST - GOAL! No mistake this time. Harry Kane thumps the ball into the back of the net and England are up and running!
That's Kane's ninth World Cup goal.
21:10 BST - PENALTY MISSED! Dominik Livakovic gets down low to save Harry Kane's penalty!
But wait - Josko Gvardiol encroached in the area and it will be re-taken! Kane has another go...
21:09 BST - PENALTY! Luka Modric tries to hook the ball clear in the box but can only kick Noni Madueke and a penalty is awarded.
21:04 BST - England attempt to play it out from the back but they are very slow and concede the first corner. Nerves, perhaps?
21:00 BST - Referee Clément Turpin gets the game underway. Is this the year dreams finally come true?
20:52 BST - The players are in the tunnel, fans are ready, and we're moments away from kick-off.
20:45 BST - Kick-off is 15 minutes away.
20:31 BST - As a reminder, here's how the teams line up:
England: Jordan Pickford, Nico O'Reilly, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Reece James, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, Noni Madueke, Harry Kane
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Josko Gvardiol, Luka Vuskovic, Josip Sutalo, Ivan Perisic, Petar Sucic, Luka Modric, Josip Stanisic, Martin Baturina, Mario Pasalic, Petar Musa
20:30 BST - Only Kylian Mbappe (12) has scored more goals than Harry Kane (eight) across the last two World Cups.
Kane won the Golden Boot in 2018 before Mbappe scooped the award in 2022.
Mbappe is up and running with two goals against Senegal yesterday - what can Kane do here?
We are 30 minutes away from kick-off.
20:28 BST - Here's the England team arriving for their World Cup opener.
20:18 BST - Opta have made England overwhelming favourites to win tonight.
20:11 BST - Here we go then! England are looking to end 60 years of hurt with a campaign that gets underway in Dallas against Croatia, who famously knocked the Three Lions out of the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
You can keep up-to-date with all the stats of the match by clicking here.
19:59 BST - FULL-TIME! What a result for DR Congo who hold Portugal to a 1-1 draw to earn their first ever World Cup point.
You can read the match report here: Wissa earns deserved point for DR Congo as Portugal and Ronaldo toil
And some interesting match stats to bring you:
- Portugal's seven shots against Congo DR was their joint-fewest in a World Cup match (also seven versus Korea Republic in 2002).
- Cristiano Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive major tournament games without scoring for Portugal.
- Ronaldo's 25 touches today were his fewest in a major tournament game for Portugal when he played the full 90 minutes.
Lionel Messi scored three goals for Argentina, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé both scored a brace in their opening games, but it was a match to forget for Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo who only had 25 touches against DR Congo.
19:56 BST - There will be five minutes of time added on.
19:45 BST - We have around 10 minutes left of normal time and this could be a huge result for DR Congo if they could hold on.
19:38 BST - The team news for England v Croatia has dropped, and it is the same England XI that started the final warm-up match against Costa Rica.
You can see how they line-up below.
19:34 BST - Fracisco Conceicao finds space in the box - but he can only pull the ball behind Ronaldo who sends his shot wide.
Hydration time!
19:24 BST - We're played an hour and Portugal currently have a pass completion rate of 93.9% - that's the best rate in a World Cup match since 1966.
But it's still 1-1.
19:22 BST - Cedric Bakambu crashes a shot against the post.
19:20 BST - NO GOAL! Bruno Fernandes chips the ball to Joao Neves who chests down for Joao Cancelo to slam home with an overhead kick, but the goal is ruled out for offside. Unlucky.
19:17 BST - DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi takes too long to take a goal kick so referee Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim awards Portugal a corner. Ouch.
19:11 BST - We're underway for the second half.
19:10 BST - Portugal's Bernardo Silva is replaced at half time by Fracisco Conceicao.
19:07 BST - BBC Sport are reporting England will name the same XI that started against the friendly against Costa Rica for their Group L World Cup opener against Croatia in Dallas, which gets underway in two hours.
Predicted line-up: Pickford; James, Stones, Konsa, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.
We will bring you the confirmed team news as soon as we have it.
18:54 BST - HALF-TIME! And that's the final moment of the half. What a goal, and what a time to get it.
18:51 BST - GOAL! DR Congo take a short corner. The ball is eventually whipped into the box by Arthur Masuaku and Newcastle's Yoane Wissa heads home the equaliser for their first-ever World Cup goal!
18:47 BST - There are four minutes of time added on at the end of the first half.
18:41 BST - Portugal are largely on top but DR Congo look dangerous going forward and they are not out of this game at all.
18:28 BST - Roberto Martinez is busy giving out instructions to his players, and a few moments later we're back up and running again.
18:25 BST - The game is flowing nicely so of course it's time for a drinks break! It's all very strange. It's 20 degrees, the roof is shut and the air conditioning is on full whack. There's no need for this at all. Ridiculous.
18:22 BST - We've had 20 minutes and Portugal, as expected, are dominating play with 80% possession. Eight DR Congo players have had less than 10 touches so far.
18:16 BST - Bernardo Silva is booked for a reckless challenge and Ronaldo goes ballistic at the referee, who in turn points to his pocket. Ronaldo is very lucky to escape a booking himself.
18:07 BST - GOAL! It has taken just six minutes but João Neves heads Portugal into the lead! He's one of the smallest players on the pitch but lept highest to score his first World Cup goal.
Neves also becomes the third youngest Portuguese scorer at the World Cup (21 years, 263 days), behind Ronaldo in 2006 (21 years, 132 days) and Gonçalo Ramos in 2022 (21 years, 169 days).
18:01 BST - Referee Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim blows his whistle and we're underway!
17:57 BST - The cameras pan to Diogo Jota's parents in the stands during the Portuguese national anthem.
It has been 52 years since DR Congo's anthem has played at a World Cup.
It's all very emotional.
17:45 BST - This is Ronaldo's 23rd World Cup appearance and, at the ripe old age of 41 years and 132 days, will become the oldest outfield player ever to compete for Portugal at a finals (surpassing Pepe). He will also become the second oldest overall, surpassed only by Cameroon's Roger Milla who was 42 at USA 1994.
But age is just a number, right?
17:30 BST - We are 30 minutes away from kick-off.
17:00 BST - It's time to get into the coverage of today's first game, with Portugal taking on DR Congo in Houston, Texas. Cristiano Ronaldo starts, as do Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Pedro Neto.
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes, Renato Veiga, Tomás Araújo, João Cancelo, Vitinha, João Neves, Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo
DR Congo: Lionel Mpasi, Steve Kapuadi, Axel Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba, Arthur Masuaku, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Edo Kayembe, Ngal'ayel Mukau, Samuel Moutoussamy, Yoane Wissa, Cédric Bakambu
16:18 BST - One of the big talking points in English media over the last week has been the Three Lions' lack of 'world-class' talents.
Flashscore decided to take a look at who in the squad - beyond Harry Kane - could be considered in that bracket.
Read more: Which player's in England's World Cup squad are truly 'world-class'?
16:02 BST - Take a look at our written preview, where Flashscore details how England can pick up the win against an ageing Croatia.
Read more: How England can get World Cup started with win over ageing Croatia
15:50 BST - Flashscore was also able to speak with former England international Chris Kirkland, who told us his ideal England starting team as well as the importance of midfield duo Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson.
"I think Anderson and Rice are massive," Kirkland said. "They've got to protect the back four. One of them has got to protect. Anderson has been outstanding, and Rice is so important.
"Goals win you tournaments, yes, but defensively, those two have massive roles to play.
"They're going to have to do a lot of work, and it's going to be difficult for them. If they're on fire and playing well, England have a real chance."
Read more: Kirkland details key role Rice and Anderson must play for England
15:43 BST - Flashscore spoke exclusively with Croatia legend Darijo Srna, who discussed Tottenham defender Luka Vuskovic. The youngster could feature against England, and is someone who is rated very highly across football.
"Luka has already shown that he will have an amazing future. He plays with so much confidence that I have the feeling he is a 25-year-old player," Srna told Flashscore.
"For sure, he is part of the future of European football and of the Croatian national team."
Read more: Srna talks Croatia v England and Vuskovic's future
14:50 BST - Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has expressed his concern over facing Harry Kane this evening, whom he has dubbed the 'best striker in the world'.
"They have the best striker in the world; they have Kane and Kane can do a hell of a lot," said Dalic.
"We will do a lot, we will do our best not only to defend ourselves but to attack, to go forward."
Read more: Dalic singles out England's Kane as the 'best striker in the world'
14:30 BST - England and Croatia have history at the World Cup, with the two meeting in the 2018 semi-finals in Russia.
Flashscore has taken a detailed look back at that game - which Croatia won 2-1 after extra-time - as well as a look at who remains in the current squads from that fixture.
Read more: A look back at England's 2018 semi-final defeat to Croatia
Read more: Who are the 11 players remaining from England and Croatia's 2018 classic?
14:18 BST - Following on from Portugal's game, England will get their World Cup campaign underway against Croatia at 21:00.
Check out our video preview for the match:
13:30 BST - Portugal will be competing at the World Cup barely a year after the tragic death of teammate Diogo Jota, with Martinez and his players looking to use him as inspiration in North America.
"Diogo is our light," Martinez said.
"Diogo is our reference point when it comes to the desire to achieve, or the need to do, what was his dream: to win titles for Portugal, as he did by winning the Nations League. He played a huge part in what we built within the dressing room."
Read more: Portugal chasing World Cup dream in honour of Diogo Jota
12:18 BST - Portugal star Bruno Fernandes has backed his side to win the World Cup.
“The best team is the one that wins, so I hope at the end of this competition we can claim to be that,” he told reporters in Houston on Tuesday.
“We have a very strong team, great individual quality, and, with the strengths we have as players, we are a cohesive and united team."
Read more: Fernandes backs Portugal to go all the way at 2026 World Cup
11:43 BST - Time to look ahead to today's matches now, starting with Portugal's clash against DR Congo at 18:00.
News broke yesterday that manager Roberto Martinez won't be staying with the national team beyond the 2026 World Cup, but he has insisted he remains focused on bringing glory to Portugal.
"This is not news; we have talked about this a lot in Portugal," Martinez said.
"The most important thing is to focus on winning the World Cup."
Read more: Martinez focused on World Cup as questions mount over Portugal future
10:42 BST - Sticking with Mbappe, Flashscore spoke to former France striker and Les Bleus expert Guillaume Hoarau about the forward's role in the team.
“As a former number 9, I can tell you that a striker lives off the quality of the connections around him. When the balls come quicker, when the runs are spotted earlier, everything becomes easier," Hoarau said.
"And with players like Mbappé, Dembélé or Olise, if you give them space and confidence, they’re extremely hard to defend against.”
Read more: Hoarau pays tribute to France's record-breaking Mbappe
10:35 BST - Kylian Mbappe became France's all-time top scorer last night in their 3-1 win over Senegal, and moved within two goals of Messi and Klose's 16 World Cup goals.
Flashscore were at the match, and spoke with William Saliba afterwards alongside the world's leading media.
"Of course, I think he has everything to beat the record. I hope he's gonna do it in this tournament. He has everything and I'm sure that he will do it," he told reporters.
Read more: Saliba believes Mbappe has everything to break World Cup scoring record
09:50 BST - Messi featured at his sixth World Cup last night and was integral to Argentina breaking down Algeria.
Flashscore has analysed his role, and the records he broke in our latest feature.
Read more: How Messi dismantled Algeria as Argentina make perfect start to World Cup
09:20 BST - We've got some reaction from both managers after Argentina defeated Algeria - with Lionel Scaloni praising Messi's brilliance, while Vladimir Petkovic admitted his side made it too easy for the star forward.
Read more: Scaloni no longer surprised by brilliance of Messi
Read more: Algeria head coach Petkovic admits his team allowed Messi to make history
09:15 BST - Catch up with all the highlights from day six of the World Cup here with Flashscore!
08:20 BST - Messi has reflected on yet another monumental evening in his storied career.
"To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment," he said.
"I feel good; we were lucky enough to win a tough match. It's important to start with a win in the first game.
"I'm grateful to the fans, because once again they've shown that Argentina is crazy about this - we packed the stadium again."
Read more: Messi reflects on 'beautiful' World Cup hat-trick
07:55 BST - Also in Group J, Austria survived a scare to defeat Jordan 3-1 with midfielder Xaver Schlager playing a starring role.
Read our full match report here.
07:40 BST - If you're just waking up and checking in on the overnight action, Lionel Messi is still one of the best players on the planet.
In his 200th international appearance, the 38-year-old netted a hat-trick to see defending World Cup champions Argentina defeat Algeria 3-0. The strikes also saw Messi go level with Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer at the World Cup.
Read our full match report here.
07:30 BST - Good morning and welcome to Flashscore's Football Tracker! We'll follow all the action from the 2026 World Cup right here, starting with some reaction from a historic day yesterday, before moving on to tonight's big fixtures.
Here's a reminder of day seven's schedule (all times BST):
Meanwhile, catch up on all the action from day six right here as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe made history in wins for Argentina and France.