England’s squad arrived at Swope Soccer Village, their World Cup base, to find locals (and the local police) out in forceBefore Thomas Tuchel and his England players departed for the United States, there was talk about their World Cup training ground in Kansas City being too open. It was motivated, in part, by the Southampton spygate scandal. Would England’s rivals be able to steal a glance at them? Tuchel even said the Football Association would seek to erect protective fences.The nine-pitch facility at Swope Soccer Village is certainly sprawling but here’s the thing. Nobody is getting on site without going past the armed police officers at the entrance. There was a throwaway line from a steward on Saturday as England trained on the complex’s best pitch after flying in from Florida after their pre-tournament camp. “You guys see spying,” he said. “We see personal security.” The latter rather overrides the former. It was safe to say they have it covered. Continue reading...
Player had been due to face Panama in Toronto Fifa says decision made by Canadian governmentThomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada and will not be available for Ghana’s first World Cup game in Toronto on Wednesday.The former Arsenal midfielder was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025 by the Metropolitan police and pleaded not guilty. Partey, who now plays for the Spanish club Villarreal, was subsequently charged with two new counts of rape in February and also pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...
In the Mexico vs. South Africa game, Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the 2026 World Cup edition. Mexico and South Africa opened the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, June 11, in front of a sellout crowd at the iconic Estadio Azteca. With all eyes on the first game of the competition, Julian Quiñones made his way in history by scoring the first goal of the World Cup. As South Africa attempted to build possession out from the back, midfielder Siphephelo Sithole was suffocated by a high press from Erik Lira, who forced a crucial turnover deep in the attacking third. Quiñones pounced on the loose ball at the edge of the box and unleashed a low, powerful strike that nutmegged goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, opening the tournament’s scoring account in the 8th minute. MEXICO SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP 🇲🇽It's Julián Quiñones in the scoresheet! pic.twitter.com/SnoP04ltFP— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 11, 2026 By finding the back of the net early, Quiñones accounted for the fastest goal scored in a World Cup opening match since Germany’s Philipp Lahm famously curled one past Costa Rica in the 6th minute back in 2006. The gold standard for the earliest goal in a tournament curtain-raiser still belongs to 1934, when Argentina’s Ernesto Belis struck in just the 4th minute against Sweden. Quiñones breaks scoring drought with Mexico Julian Quiñones arrived at the World Cup carrying some of the most scorching club form on the planet, having found the back of the net a stunning 37 times across 35 total appearances for Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah. In fact, the dynamic forward completely stole the headlines by outlasting global heavyweights Ivan Toney and Cristiano Ronaldo in a thrilling Golden Boot race, claiming the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League’s top-scorer crown with 33 goals in 31 domestic matches. In stark contrast, his track record with El Tri had been far less clinical, as he entered the tournament with just two goals in 22 international caps. With his early strike against South Africa, Quiñones not only successfully translated his blistering club form to the international stage, but he also snapped an agonizing national team drought dating back to June 8, 2024, when he last scored in a 3-2 friendly defeat against Brazil. *Developing story…
