"Portugal is a better side without him," Boateng said, arguing that Ronaldo's presence creates pressure on teammates to constantly look for him rather than make the best tactical decision.

Colombia, who missed the 2022 tournament in Qatar, struggled in the early stages but broke through in the 41st minute when a brilliant ball lifted into the area by Diaz was hooked in on the turn by Daniel Munoz, who had ghosted in behind the defence.

Yoane Wissa's goal in Houston -- also a first in his nation's short World Cup history -- secured a point against a star-studded Portugal side that included all-time great Cristiano Ronaldo.

Before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, one of the most anticipated storylines was the race to break Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record.

The proof of Messi-De Paul’s telepathic alchemy manifested beautifully on Wednesday morning as the lights of Kansas City illuminated screens across the world.

Harry Kane’s feat of equalling of Gary Lineker’s England World Cup scoring record with two goals in Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Croatia shows the captain is going into the tournament with all guns firing.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma ran riot as India thrashed the Netherlands by 95 runs in the Women's T20 World Cup on Wednesday.

Coach Hong Myung-bo on Wednesday said a drone was spotted flying over South Korea's training session before their eagerly awaited clash with World Cup co-hosts Mexico, calling the incident "unfortunate."

Harry Kane struck twice while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford delivered the knockout blows as England survived a back-and-forth battle to beat Croatia4-2 on Wednesday and launch their World Cup campaign in a heavyweight clash that lived up to its billing.

Cape Verde was among a dozens of countries whose citizens needed to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the US under President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown.

Portugal took the lead inside six minutes when Pedro Neto crossed for Joao Neves to head home from 15 metres as one of the pre-tournament favourites made the perfect start

The institute said that the measurements were an indication of both the Norwegians' joy over their team scoring at the World Cup and the sensitivity of modern seismology equipment.

For all his success with Paris St Germain, where he reinvented himself as a central creative force and one of Europe's most influential forwards, Dembele remains a player searching for his place in the national team.

Ronaldo's continued presence in Martinez's team has sparked debate over whether he is still a positive influence.

The footballing community - from awe-struck teammates and rival coaches to a glittering panel of global pundits -was left searching for answers, and adjectives, to describe a performance that felt both timeless and utterly supernatural.

Portuguese great Ronaldo, 41, has a tough act to follow after his old nemesis Lionel Messi scored a spectacular hat-trick for Argentina on Tuesday to equal the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, making a mockery of his 38 years.

Lionel Messi savoured a "beautiful moment" after becoming the World Cup's joint all-time leading goalscorer on Tuesday but said "ultimately, it is just a statistic, nothing more".

When the name Zidane appeared on the back of Algeria’s goalkeeper’s jersey against Argentina in their opening World Cup match, it inevitably brought back memories of one of France’s greatest ever footballers.

Austria were given a scare by World Cup debutants Jordan on Tuesday before securing a 3-1 win rounded off by a penalty in added time from veteran forward Marko Arnautovic.

Lionel Messi’s first World Cup hattrick saw him equal Miroslav Klose’s record 16 goals, but his landmark display was overshadowed by debate over a controversial challenge.