Tunisia's Group F clash against Japan on Friday at Monterrey Stadium will be the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history.The milestone comes during the expanded 2026 tournament, which features 48 teams, 104 matches and is being hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States.Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs has been appointed to officiate the historic fixture. He will be assisted by Ferencz Tunyogi and Mihai Marica, while Costa Ricans Juan Calderón and Juan Carlos Mora

Luca Zidane made his FIFA World Cup debut for Algeria on Tuesday, becoming part of the 27th father-son duo to feature at the tournament.The 28-year-old goalkeeper followed in the footsteps of his father, Zinedine Zidane, who represented France at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups, winning the title on home soil in 1998.Despite the milestone, it was a difficult debut for Luca as Algeria were beaten 3-0 by Argentina, with Lionel Messi scoring all three goals.The Zidanes are only

Ghana midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi believes careful preparation, intense training and attention to nutrition played an important role in the Black Stars' opening World Cup victory over Panama.The Manchester United target scored the only goal of the game in stoppage time but said the foundations for the win had been laid long before kick-off."We do a lot of training with a lot of intensity," he said."It's not just me, it's everyone helping each other."The

Co-hosts Mexico became the first nation to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after edging South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara.Midfielder Luis Romo scored the only goal in the 50th minute, tapping into an empty net after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu spilled the ball following a collision with teammate Lee Gi-hyuk.South Korea pushed for an equaliser late on, but goalkeeper Raúl Rangel produced two crucial saves, first denying Cho Gue-sung from close range

Germany and Ivory Coast are set to meet in a high-stakes Group E showdown in Toronto, with both countries knowing that victory would secure qualification to the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a match still to play.Germany will go into the contest full of confidence after a ruthless attacking display in their opening fixture against Curacao.Ivory Coast, on the other hand, will be eager to prove they can compete with one of the tournament favourites.Germany Carry

Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has set the record as the oldest coach to win a match at the World Cup.The veteran Portuguese tactician achieved the feat on Wednesday night when he led the Black Stars to a hard-fought win against Panama.In the dramatic Group L encounter, a late Caleb Yirenkyi strike in injury time handed Ghana a 1-0 win to amass all three points.Today, FIFA has confirmed that Carlos Queiroz has become the oldest coach to win a match at the World Cup.The 73-year-old