England recover stolen boots
Jacob Steinberg
England have recovered the majority of the training equipment stolen in an astonishing heist on Friday. Gear including players’ boots (or cleats, as one local news site in the US had it) was taken from a truck transporting the equipment from Florida to England’s tournament base in Kansas City.
Kansas City police said two people of interest were detained on Friday night. Investigations have progressed since then.
Key events
We had an interview with Brentford’s Igor Thiago in January where he said: “This World Cup feeling is very exciting. I’m very hopeful about being part of it, I’ve always dreamed of playing in a World Cup. It’s something I only saw other people experiencing on television, but now I’m close to experiencing it myself.”
I think he could have a huge impact for Brazil after a fine season in the Premier League.
“Hi Will,” says Simon McMahon. “A wild party, you say? Well you know as well as I do what that means.”
What happened to “Yes sir, I can boogie”?
Jack Snape
Tony Popovic knows most people expect Turkey to beat Australia in their World Cup opener, but says his side ‘deserve to be respected’, writes Jack Snape.
I think David Raum likes tattoos.
I believe that the former Celtic defender Darren O’Dea is going to join Toure at Slovan. That’s my sort of managerial team.
Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is set for his first managerial role at Slovan Bratislava after joining the Slovak champions on a three-year contract on Saturday.
Ivory Coast’s Toure, 43, spent the last two-and-a-half years as an assistant coach at the Saudi Arabia national team, helping them qualify for their third straight World Cup.
Toure will replace Vladimir Weiss, who led Slovan to six straight Slovak First Football League titles before taking charge of the Slovakia national team.
“My predecessor deserves great respect for what he’s achieved with Slovan. I want to build on that while also bringing something new and unique of my own,” Toure said in a statement. “With Slovan, I want to play dominant soccer, win games, and control matches so that we can delight our fans.“
Slovan have won the league in the last eight seasons in a row. Reuters
Thanks Rob, a man who knows my life like the back of his own hand. We are going to turn the final two hours into a wild party.
It’s time for me to tag in Will Unwin, whose whole life has been building to these next two hours. Thanks for your company, see you soon.
Aaron Timms
The 2026 World Cup: a festival of football; a moment to revel in upsets, spectacular goals, stars made, and reputations ruined; a test of Didier Deschamps’s unshakable addiction to Adrien Rabiot. But also: a celebration of America; a chance for Fox Sports to prove the haters wrong; a social experiment to see how long Thierry Henry can last on set with Alexi Lalas before resorting to physical violence. “This is going to be filled with American fans,” Lalas shrieked as Los Angeles Stadium began to swell with spectators before the US’s opening match against Paraguay. “This is going to be bursting at the seams with America!”
Jacob Steinberg
Not the World Cup
Daniel Kretinsky, the owner of Royal Mail, is set to overtake David Sullivan as West Ham’s largest shareholder after agreeing to buy an additional stake in the club from the Gold family.
The Czech billionaire has moved to increase his power at West Ham after Sullivan stepped down as a director and co-chair of the club last weekend, before a joint investigation by the Times and Panorama reporting on seven women accusing him of abusing his power and preying on them for sex in claims that date back to the 1980s and 90s.
The last time Scotland played at a men’s World Cup, against Morocco in 1998, Andy Robertson was four years old, John McGinn was three, Scott McTominay was one and don’t get me started on Ben Gannon-Doak.
Should you be desirous of live World Cup action, Australia are playing South Africa in a heavyweight contest at the T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Football Daily is here, on the weekend
The story so far
On this day in 2002… Brazil put five past Costa Rica.
Another plug for this piece by Jacob Steinberg and Dave Hytner on Declan Rice, who has become such a key man for England and Arsenal.
On this day in 1990… Ruben Sosa endangers low-flying aircraft.
“Afternoon Rob,” chirps Simon McMahon. “Permission to get excited? Last time Scotland played a match in the World Cup finals I was 26 and about to become a father. I didn’t think I’d have to wait 28 years before father and daughter could watch them do it again together. Their record in previous openers might not be great, but we didn’t have Lyndon Dykes before.”
I’m so glad you’re watching it together. What’s the plan? Been on the Tin since sunrise? A tactical sleep during Brazil v Morocco? They’re only the support act so you won’t miss much.
England recover stolen boots
Jacob Steinberg
England have recovered the majority of the training equipment stolen in an astonishing heist on Friday. Gear including players’ boots (or cleats, as one local news site in the US had it) was taken from a truck transporting the equipment from Florida to England’s tournament base in Kansas City.
Kansas City police said two people of interest were detained on Friday night. Investigations have progressed since then.
I remember the great Scott Murray highlighting the F-word after one of Jurgen Klopp’s first games as Liverpool manager. They’d won 4-1 (I think) at the Etihad, and in his post-match interview Adam Lallana said it had been “fun”.
It was notable because it’s not a word you hear very often in elite sport, which is sad. But there was plenty of fun in Los Angeles last night.
Brazil begin their World Cup against Morocco tonight. They’ll be without the injured Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who will instead be in the United States as a fan.
I’m going to the US to follow the team closely and maybe meet my teammates and the staff to bring positive energy. Above all, I am going as a fan of the Brazilian national team. When the game kicks off, I will get nervous, be focused on the game, watching the patterns of play and wanting Brazil to score goals. And, when they score, there will be a mixture of happiness and relief because I know that the whole country expects the Seleção to win the whole tournament.
On this day in 2006… a Kaka cracker gets the holders off to a winning start.
Barney Ronay
The ball is magic, remember. Just keep watching the ball. On a lovely soft powder blue night in Los Angeles the World Cup produced an opening act on its US front that might have been conjured by the whirling hands of Gianni Infantino himself, a Fifa president who increasingly has the air and the mannerisms of an elite celebrity stage magician. Or at the very least, of a man who appreciates the power of the show.
It turns out California really does know how to put on one of those. There was even a moment before kick-off that seemed to capture the cosmically strange nature of the entire Fifa multiverse. A little later the headline act Katy Perry would appear in a silver bustle and perform on a podium alongside a 10-year-old TikToker.
Before that we got the Korean pop sensation Lisa, who has 105 million Instagram followers, or 102.5 million more than the USMNT, backed by a troupe of men performing surprisingly sexualised hip thrusts and groin grabs that no doubt express, on some deeper level, the value of international team sport.
Adjacent to this a man in a tracksuit appeared holding aloft a golden ball, like some ancient deity hoisting God’s gonad on his shoulders. At which point an enormous golden Fifa sign appeared, all four letters at least 50ft high, winched down out of the ether like a vision of divine grace – if not the most ludicrous sporting spectacle of all time, then surely the most ludicrous yet.
On this day in 1982… Ossie Ardiles takes a short free-kick.
This is such a great idea. Anyone fancy a kickabout on Whitstable beach tonight?
Football is an old man’s game. There are several fortysomethings at this year’s tournament – including Germany keeper Manuel Neuer, who has come out of international retirement aged 40 and is expected to play against Curacao tomorrow.
The former Brighton striker Deniz Undav, who is part of the Germany squad, has praised Neuer’s influence.
Manu is always on the go. Manu talks a lot, even off the pitch. He commands respect. When he’s in goal, you can see it even in training – as a striker, you have to be a bit more precise with your shots.
He’s one of the best goalkeepers of all time, but also a very calm man. When you talk to him, you can feel his experience and his understanding of football.
On this day in 1962… both World Cup semi-finals take place, and both are crackers: Brazil v Chile, Czechoslovakia v Yugoslavia (which for some reason doesn’t have a Fifa YouTube link).
Scotland’s record in the opening game of a World Cup isn’t the best. They’ve lost five of their eight games, though they played nobly in defeat to Denmark in 1986 and Brazil in 1998.
1954 Austria 0-1
1958 Yugoslavia 1-1
1974 Zaire 2-0
1978 Peru 1-3
1982 New Zealand 5-2
1986 Denmark 0-1
1990 Costa Rica 0-1
1998 Brazil 1-2
Saudi Arabia v Uruguay (Monday, 11pm BST/6pm EDT)
Saudi Arabia began the last World Cup by beating the eventual champions Argentina. This year they kick off against another South American giant, Uruguay. Saudi Arabia are managed by a former Blackburn and Sheffield United player, and no it’s not Garry Flitcroft.
Here’s more on the game from Reuters:
Saudi Arabia arrive under new coach Georgios Donis, who has no international tournament experience and was appointed less than two months before the World Cup after Herve Renard was dismissed in April.
Renard had secured his place in Saudi football history four years ago when he masterminded a stunning 2-1 victory over eventual champions Argentina in Qatar, one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
Brought back in 2024 after Roberto Mancini’s brief and unsuccessful tenure, Renard was expected to restore the intensity and organisation that had made Saudi Arabia tricky opponents in Doha.
Instead, inconsistent performances and concerning defeats, including a 4-0 loss to Egypt and a 2-1 setback against Serbia in friendly matches, prompted a late managerial change before a daunting group featuring Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.
Donis, a former Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United midfielder with extensive managerial experience in Saudi club football, now faces the challenge of reviving confidence in a squad that has struggled to build momentum.
The captain Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored the winner against Argentina four years ago, remains the team’s talisman and greatest attacking threat.
Uruguay arrive under Marcelo Bielsa, who was appointed in 2023 and has overseen a generational transition away from World Cup veterans such as Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez. Bielsa has built a more balanced squad around a younger core led by Federico Valverde, Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo.
Bielsa’s trademark high-intensity pressing style and quick transitions in attack have produced impressive highs, including victories over Brazil and Argentina in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers and a run to the semi-finals of the Copa America in 2024.
Inconsistency remains a concern – Uruguay lost 5-1 to the United States in a friendly last year – whileoff-field tensions and public criticism from former captain Suarez have also cast a shadow over Bielsa’s tenure. But Uruguay’s opening match is an opportunity to justify their status as one of the group favourites.
For Saudi Arabia, who reached the last 16 on their World Cup debut in the United States in 1994, it is a chance to deliver another captivating upset.
Haiti v Scotland almost feels like a must-win game for both teams, which is a bit perverse given they have two more matches to come.
Any other examples of must-win opening games at a World Cup? (The first smart derriere to mention 1934, which was a knockout tournament from the off, will be blocked and reported.)
“As I see it, this World Cup format is great,” says Roger Kirkby. “The group stage being a warmup, allowing the players/manager to get to know each other, adjust to conditions and with some jeopardy involved. Then an actual cup competition can start, straight knockout. Does nobody remember the days of two group stages with the top four going to the semi-finals?”
Yeah, and those days included one of the great World Cup in 1982! I can see both sides of the debate about the format; I’d probably stick to 32 teams, mainly because it’s neater and you don’t get into third-place nonsense, but some of the teams I’m most excited to see probably wouldn’t have qualified for a 32-team World Cup.
On this day in 2002… Italy scrape through to the knockout stages after a 1-1 draw with Mexico, whose goal is a thing of rare beauty.
On this day in 1998… Spain and Nigeria serve up a group stage classic.
Ghana’s government criticises Canada over Partey visa
Ghana’s government has described Canada’s decision to deny Thomas Partey a visa for his country’s World Cup game against Panama on Wednesday as “high-handed and extremely unfair”.
Ghana’s foreign ministry said it understood the decision to be based on pending criminal proceedings in Britain. The 32-year-old Partey, a former Arsenal midfielder who plays for Villarreal, faces allegations of rape and sexual assault in Britain. He has denied the charges.
On this day in 1986… Denmark continue to laugh in the face of the Group of Death, while Scotland are eliminated by an unsentimental Uruguay.
Haiti are making their second appearance at a men’s World Cup. The first was in West Germany in 1974; they lost all three games, including a 7-0 defeat to Poland, but they still left their mark.
A reminder of today’s/tomorrow morning’s games
Qatar v Switzerland (8pm BST/3pm EDT)
Brazil v Morocco (11pm BST/6pm EDT)
Haiti v Scotland (2am BST/9pm EDT)
Australia v Turkey (5am BST/midnight EDT)
Thanks Will, hello everyone. Let’s start by rewinding 36 years, shall we? On this day in 1990, in a mustn’t-lose game, Diego Maradona and Argentina did a number on the USSR.
I am going to handover to the great Rob Smyth for the next few hours. You are in for a treat.
The first game of the day is Qatar v Switzerland at 8pm BST/3pm ET.
Why not get in the mood by reading Sid Lowe’s interview with Julen Lopetegui?
Mauricio Pochettino was quick to praise the entire squad, rather than putting the focus on individuals after sweeping past Paraguay. A united squad will be important for the US, if they want to go the long way.
Folarin Balogun netted a double but there was plenty more to enjoy as the co-hosts entered the tournament with a bang. “It’s not only to talk about some names, it’s about the collective,” said Pochettino. “It’s not only Balo or different players that performed. I think the team was amazing. Not only the starting 11 but all the players around and on the bench.”
If Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke is to keep up family tradition, he will need to go all the way to next month’s World Cup final.
His uncle Jan Poortvliet played in defence for the Dutch in the 1978 final, where they lost the deciding game against hosts Argentina in extra time. Van Hecke is expected to be in the line-up on Sunday in Dallas when they get their Group F campaign underway against Japan, partnering captain Virgil van Dijk in central defence. “An enormous feeling of pride,” he told reporters. “It’s fantastic to be here.”
Van Hecke gets his chance after Jurrien Timber was ruled out of the tournament by injury. “It’s my dream, but it was also his dream,” Van Hecke said. “It’s a real shame that his dream has fallen apart.“
Ironically, Van Hecke’s uncle also broke into the Dutch team in 1978 in similar circumstances, having debuted for the Netherlands a fortnight before the World Cup kicked off and being picked for the squad as something of an outsider.
But when first-choice left-back Hugo Hovenkamp got injured, Poortvliet got to play. “Hugo was in the form of his life, but that’s how things sometimes go,” Poortvliet told Dutch NOS television. He went on to play six matches in Argentina, showing his versatility at left-back, right-back and as a defensive midfielder.
Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie is staying with Premier League club Bournemouth. The 31-year-old Christie signed a three-year contract extension through the 2028-29 season, Bournemouth announced Saturday ahead of Scotland’s opening game in the World Cup .
“Ryan has made a hugely important contribution to the football club since arriving here and we’re delighted he has signed a new contract,” said Tiago Pinto, the club’s head of soccer operations. “He is a key part of the leadership group in the dressing room and has consistently shown his value to the team through his performances, experience and commitment.”
Christie has made 177 appearances across all competitions for Bournemouth, scoring 10 goals and setting up 17 more since joining from Celtic in August 2021.
Last season, Christie made 26 Premier League appearances, scoring against both Crystal Palace and Manchester United, to help Bournemouth finish sixth — its best-ever finish and enough for its first qualification for European competition.
“With the World Cup coming up, it felt like the perfect time to sign before heading away for that, and now I can fully focus on the future,” Christie said in the team’s announcement. PA Media
Tyler Fletcher was a very late callup for Scotland, replacing the injured Billy Gilmour. The Manchester United midfielder has the No 8 shirt and it will be interesting to see how many, if any, minutes he gets at the World Cup.
The smallest nation ever to compete in the tournament celebrates the long adventure that got them there, and remember those who cannot be there to enjoy it with them, writes Arthur Renard.
“The hotel wasn’t properly arranged, the sessions weren’t structured and we didn’t have training kits,” Cijntje says. “I’d be training in red socks, the player next to me in blue, one in red shorts, another in something else – one wearing Beltona, another maybe Nike. It was a bit of everything. Those were the first steps.”
Alexander Abnos
No longer were the USA the same workmanlike outfit that had featured at previous World Cups, white-knuckling through on the strength of their grit and grind (though they showed some of that too, not letting a second-half Paraguay goal knock them off course).
Ben Fisher
Cyle Larin was the man of the moment for Canada on Friday, stepping off the bench to level against Bosnia and Herzegovina with his first touch and earn the country’s maiden World Cup point.
Larin enjoyed an impressive end to the season at Southampton, whom he joined permanently from Mallorca this month, but was among the players left disappointed at the Spygate episode that saw Saints kicked out of the Championship playoffs.
“It’s difficult to get over because you go on such a great run, with the fans behind us and the players making sacrifices to get to that point,” Larin said.
The striker said he believes that Southampton can challenge again for promotion next season. The club’s owner, Dragan Solak, has vowed to stand by head coach Tonda Eckert, who is the subject of a Football Association investigation. Eckert admitted to authorising spying missions on three opponents last season.
“It hurts for the players to [not have the chance to] go to the Premier League. It hurts. If we have the same players and the same culture, I think we can do it again.”
At Toronto Stadium, Larin replaced Tani Oluwaseyi on 76 minutes and, two minutes later, he lashed in after a superb swivel in the box to register a timely first international goal in 18 months.
“I was scoring at Southampton, in good form and I just knew any time I got the ball closer than that I was going to shoot,” the 31-year-old said. “It was a tricky one to get out of my body but I was shooting either way.”
Kretinsky to become West Ham’s biggest shareholder
Jacob Steinberg
Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire, is set to become the largest shareholder at West Ham after agreeing a deal to buy a portion of Vanessa Gold’s stake.
The deal comes in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct against David Sullivan. The 77-year-old, who denies the allegations, owns 38.8% of the club. Kretinsky is set to increase his stake from 27% to 43%, signalling his desire to seize power following West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League.
Kretinsky and Gold said in a statement: “We were deeply concerned by the revelations made by The Times and Panorama this week and our thoughts go out to those women who have fought so hard to make their voices heard. Any abuse of power is abhorrent, and it takes great courage and determination to speak up against it..
“The full West Ham United Board was not notified about these allegations against David Sullivan until approximately a month ago, when he informed us that certain allegations against him may be published. However, the full details of the allegations, which Mr Sullivan denies, only became apparent when they were made public on Monday (8 June). In addition, as communicated by West Ham United, the Board representatives of Shareholders other than Mr Sulilvan were only made aware this week of the safeguarding measures that have been in place since 2023.
“As Shareholders and Directors of West Ham, our focus is now firmly on protecting the future of this Football Club. Our goal is to stabilise West Ham United, retain as many of our key players as possible and, under the management of Nuno Espírito Santo, secure an immediate return to the Premier League. We are also committed to engaging with our fans and all business partners to build a stronger future for our Club. We have already taken concrete steps toward this goal.
“As such, we have reached agreement on the key terms of a share purchase transaction between the Gold family and 1890 Holdings, which, subject to other Shareholders’ pre-emption rights and necessary approvals, would make 1890 Holdings (part of the broader group EP) the largest Shareholder in West Ham with an approximately 43% stake. As the largest Shareholder, group EP will be able to provide the additional financing the Club needs.
“We expect to finalise this transaction in the next couple of weeks. Once the agreement is complete, group EP and the Gold family have also agreed to vote jointly on key matters and to support the strategy targeting an immediate return to the Premier League.
“Alongside Daniel Křetínský and Vanessa Gold, the other Shareholders, namely Tripp Smith, Daniel Harris and Terry Brown, are fully aligned on this strategy and stabilising the Club.
“We are taking these steps because West Ham United needs to be truly united at this moment in its history. We believe that a strong coalition – of fans, players, management and the Board – is essential to securing the bright future this Club deserves. We are absolutely committed to playing our part.”
What has happened thus far today?
Tenkaykev emails: “Reading about the theft of the boots brought back memories of the brouhaha leading up to Mexico 70 ( I was there)and the “ “theft” of a necklace by Bobby Moore. This sounds more opportunistic than mind games, but may well have quite an effect.”
I am pleased there was not a live blog back then.
It is early days but we do have a leader in the race for the Golden Boot.
I do enjoy the adverts during the World Cup that indicate football fans have not evolved over time. Supposedly, all people want at this time of year is a new TV, beer, crisps and pizzas.
I was chatting someone who works in advertising at at supermarket recently and they suggested diversifying the products they promote but they were quickly shot down. Can one not watch the match with a glass of wine and steak tartare?
“The South Africans do really well on poetic names that roll nicely off the tongue,” Iain Pearson suggests. “Mbekezeli Mbokazi does great alliteration; as does Kamogelo Sebelebele, who surely possesses one of the world’s great surnames.”
Some japes at the Boston fan park.
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How, when and where to watch all the action later …
