Together with
Good morning football fans. It’s Tuesday, June. 16 - FIFA tries to broker peace through its under-15s tournament, hydration breaks could be influencing momentum in matches, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
2026 World Cup (June 16): France vs Senegal, Group I, 15:00 ET / 20:00 BST. Senegal's 1-0 win over France in the 2002 World Cup is the only time these sides have met. However, despite a strong unbeaten qualifying campaign, Senegal have only one clean sheet in their last 12 World Cup matches, which came in the aforementioned victory over France. Iraq vs Norway, Group I, 18:00 ET / 23:00 BST. Norway joined England as the only teams to win all eight of their qualifiers in the Uefa section, and they averaged the best-ever goals per game (4.6) in a single World Cup qualifying campaign with 4+ matches. Argentina vs Algeria, Group J, 21:00 ET / 02:00 (June 17) BST. If Lionel Messi plays, he will become one of the first players in history to play at six World Cups. Meanwhile, Algeria have been unconvincing at World Cups, having won only one of their last 10 matches and managing just one clean sheet in 13 overall. See every World Cup fixture here and group standings here.
Results…
World Cup: Spain 0-0 Cape Verde | Belgium 1-1 Egypt | Sweden 5-1 Tunisia | Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador
Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay & Iran vs New Zealand to conclude shortly after publication. See the live results here.
FROM OUR PARTNERS
Help your kid build smart money habits early
If you have a kid between 6 and 12, you can start teaching them smart money habits right now with Cash App. Kids between 6 and 12 can now have a Cash balance, order a Cash App Card, and start saving, but they don’t get access to the app.* There are no subscription fees, and you control it all through your app and account.
A Cash App Card designed by them: They get their own debit card to design, made by them, with you alongside. They can spend their allowance or money from chores, but you can set spending limits.
3.25% interest on savings: Kids can earn 3.25% interest and start building strong saving habits early.**
Safe money transfers: You can choose up to 5 people who can send them money. They can't send money or buy stocks or bitcoin.
Parent-controlled account: They can't log in on their own, and they don't need a phone. You control their account and see their activity.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Hydration or Momentum Breaks?
Hydration breaks may be helping teams who are struggling, losing, or under pressure at the 2026 World Cup, according to a BBC Sport analysis. The mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in each half have been introduced by Fifa as a welfare measure for players due to the heat. The breaks occur in all 104 matches, regardless of weather conditions or whether the game is played in an air-conditioned or domed stadium.
Several examples from the opening fixtures suggest that hydration breaks may be affecting the rhythm of matches. The BBC points to examples such as Brazil vs Morocco, where Carlo Ancelotti’s side equalised just six minutes after the game restarted. The analysis also highlighted that both Bosnia-Herzegovina (vs Canada) and the Netherlands (vs Japan) failed to hold leads following a second-half hydration break, while Scotland (vs Haiti) and Australia (vs Turkey) both scored their opening goals shortly after first-half breaks.
Separately, the hydration breaks have also created 832 potential advertising slots that didn’t exist before the tournament. Broadcaster FOX, which bought the rights to World Cup matches for $485m, is using the three-minute break to run ads. FOX and Telemundo are expected to generate a combined $850m in ad revenue during the month-long tournament, though the latter has decided against running ads during the hydration break. In the UK, the BBC cannot run ads, and ITV, which tested split-screen ads, has quashed these plans partly because the UK regulator Ofcom limits the total number of advertising minutes per hour.
FIFA’s Peace Gamble
FIFA is planning to make the opening match of the inaugural under-15s football festival between Israel and Palestine. The tournament, which will be held in the United States in September, will be open to all 211 Fifa members, including Russia, who have been banned from senior-level competition since 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.
Reports suggest that Fifa President Gianni Infantino is central to the initiative as he remains determined to use football to promote peace and unity. In April, at the governing body’s congress in Vancouver, Infantino attempted to orchestrate a handshake between the Palestinian and Israeli delegates on stage. In what was a tense moment, the Palestinian FA president Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands with the Israeli FA’s vice-president Basim Sheikh Suliman, despite repeated requests from Infantino. One Fifa source said a handshake had been agreed in advance.
Fifa sources have rejected the suggestion that involving itself in Israeli-Palestinian politics was dangerous, according to The Guardian.
World Cup Backlash
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has been indirectly criticised by several football governing bodies over reported comments that the expanded World Cup creates uninteresting matches. The associations of Cape Verde, Congo, Curacao, Haiti, Jordan and Uzbekistan issued a joint statement they said was in solidarity with the federations of Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. The 2026 World Cup is the largest in history, featuring 48 nations, up from 32 in 2022.
“Football does not belong to a select group of nations. Its strength comes from its universality,” the statement said. “For many countries, participation in the Fifa World Cup is not only a sporting achievement. It is a moment that inspires a generation, accelerates football development and creates memories that last a lifetime.” Three of the teams that signed the statement — Cape Verde, Curacao, and Uzbekistan — are making their World Cup debuts.
While the statement doesn’t reference Ceferin directly, it came after his quotes appeared in the Slovenian press last Monday, in which he reportedly said the expansion would lead to less attractive games. "We have a lot of matches that are completely uninteresting," Ceferin reportedly said. "On the other hand, even small countries can participate and feel the pulse of the World Cup, which is a big thing."
POLL
Are you enjoying the expanded World Cup?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Real Madrid have signed Spanish left-back Marc Cucurella from Chelsea on a six-year contract in a deal worth £51.8m ($69.5m) (More) | Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro has signed a new, long-term contract with the club until 2031 (More) | Bayern Munich are set to sign Moroccan attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari for €55m (£47m; $66m) from PSV Eindhoven (More)
> Ruben Amorim has accepted all of AC Milan’s conditions to become the Serie A side’s next head coach; he is expected to sign later this week (More) | Pierre Sage has agreed a three-year deal to become Crystal Palace’s new manager (More) | Russell Martin has been appointed as Leicester City manager following his sacking from Rangers in October (More) | Maurizio Sarri has been appointed as the new manager of Atalanta in the club’s third managerial change in a year (More)
> Manchester United will feature in a new Amazon All or Nothing documentary, which will showcase the 2026-27 season (More)
> Spanish footballer Rafa Mir has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of committing sexual assault (More)
Americas
> After the 5-1 loss to Sweden, Tunisia have sacked their manager Sabri Lamouchi in what is the first managerial departure at the 2026 World Cup (More) | FIFA has blamed a "technical outage" for the controversy that resulted from the award of a penalty to Switzerland during the 1-1 draw against Qatar (More)
> The risk that an Ebola-infected traveller could arrive in the United States during the World Cup is low but not zero, according to U.S. infectious disease experts (More)
> FIFA is investigating a hand gesture made by a VAR official which resembled a white supremacist sign, though it’s more probable he was referencing the viral “gotcha” or “circle game” trend (More)
Rest of the World
> Saudi Arabia’s sports minister says the 2034 World Cup will be affordable and safe, despite regional instability (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think cooling breaks are helping or hurting World Cup matches?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⛑️ Helping (51%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👎 Hurting (44%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
⛑️ C.S.W: “As an official performing duties in Texas, cooling breaks are very important. Wish they had started the practice years ago.”
👎 E.S: “This is the first step towards the game being split into quarters. Most broadcasters are already using this break for commercials and are almost never coming back on time. I'm not sure how this is helping the players. It's allowing for tactical resets, which I feel goes against the spirit of the game, and giving broadcasters more money from commercials. Get rid of it now before we can't turn back.”
👎 J.N: “This interrupts the continuity of the game. If it’s not extremely hot, then don’t have one. If it is very hot, then do so. Leave it to the discretion of the head referee. Play the game as it was intended to be played.”
✍️ R.W: “There should only be a 30-second water break if the on-field temperature is over 85. Having an 8 PM kick-off at an indoor stadium does not require a stoppage in flow.”
EXTRA TIME
Key stats from Cape Verde’s shock draw with Spain.
Inside how World Cup broadcast picks are made.
The average age of each World Cup squad.
Japan fans stayed behind to clean the stands at Dallas Stadium.
How Scotland celebrated their World Cup win.
The best shirt designs that didn’t make it to the World Cup.
A duck in Mexico wears their kit.
Why Xabi Alonso to Chelsea actually works.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao makes them the highest-scoring nation in a World Cup with 239 goals. Can you name the rest of the top five nations?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
To feel pressure and fear is good. If you go without fear, you will face the lion thinking it’s a cat!
Answer
Brazil (238). Argentina (152). France (136). Italy (128). Source.
*Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. Savings provided by Cash App, a Block Inc. brand. Parents and legal guardians can open a managed account for kids 6-12. To view the eligibility requirements for sponsoring a teen or child, please visit the Sponsored Accounts section of the Cash App Terms of Service. *Cash App will pass through a portion of the interest paid on your savings balance held in an account for the benefit of Cash App customers at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. To earn interest on your Cash App savings balance, you need to have sponsor approval. Exceptions may apply. Savings yield rate is subject to change.
