The new head-to-head World Cup tiebreak rule has already produced group winners and early exits, while the scramble for one of the eight best third-placed spots means plenty still hinges on the final round of group games beginning on Wednesday.

With qualification scenarios still open across all three groups, tension is expected to run high as teams battle for direct progression and potential wild-card berths.

The draw leaves England and Ghana level on four points, with qualification still in their own hands heading into the final round of group matches.

Colombia moved to six points from two matches and guaranteed their progress to the knockout stage ahead of their final group game against Portugal, who beat Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier on Tuesday.

When coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed last week that Neymar would be available for Hexa-chasing Brazil’s final Group C game against Scotland in Miami on Thursday morning, the news likely felt sweeter than ever for Selecao fans.

At just 27, Kylian Mbappe has already become one of those rare figures whose name inevitably surfaces whenever the FIFA World Cup conversation begins.

And decades later, that mischievous prince remains. He plays with the singular, pure focus of a child with a ball at his feet, bringing an ethereal beauty and grace back to a hyper-mechanised sport.

On a night when Croatia captain Luka Modric became the second European to earn a 200th cap, the Balkans side broke the deadlock when Budimir, alone at the back post, converted a deep cross in the 54th minute.

The United States will ease travel restrictions imposed on the Iranian team during the World Cup, allowing them to arrive in Seattle two days before their next match, the US Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.

Morocco goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui said captain Achraf Hakimi has the support of his teammates despite facing a trial in France on rape charges.

England suffered a World Cup setback on Tuesday as Thomas Tuchel's side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Ghana, leaving them with work still do as they bid to progress to the knockout stage as Group L winners.

France coach Didier Deschamps is to return home after his mother died and will miss his team's final World Cup Group I match against Norway, the French Football Federation announced Tuesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo answered his critics in the most emphatic fashion yesterday, scoring twice in Portugal's 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan and setting remarkable milestones in the process.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cup campaigns and silenced his critics after "a dark week" as the Portugal captain struck twice in a 5-0 annihilation of Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

Croatia, who reached the 2018 final and finished third in 2022, know the maths. Dropping points in Toronto will endanger their hopes of reaching the next round going into the final match against Ghana.

Ronaldo no longer covers every blade of grass, and there’s no need to anyway. He has grown into a penalty-box predator with the same singular dedication that defined every phase of his career. His role in this Portugal side is different, more conservative, more positional, but vital nevertheless.

With these two goals, Ronaldo achieved yet another historic milestone, becoming the first player ever to score in six different editions of the World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score in six World Cups as the 41-year-old netted twice in Portugal's 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday.

Mbappe's double in Monday's 3-0 win over Iraq propelled France into the knockout rounds while elevating his career World Cup goal tally to 16, level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose and only two behind Lionel Messi's all-time record.

The 41-year-old Portugal skipper, under pressure to find the net after a barren run at major international tournaments, pounced from close range after just six minutes to create a piece of World Cup history.