The 2026 World Cup has well and truly found its groove as Scotland put the exclamation point on a frantic third day with a historic win on their long-awaited return to the global stage.
Steve Clarke’s side beat Haiti in their first World Cup match in 28 years to shoot straight to the top of Group C after Brazil and Morocco could not be separated in the earlier game.
But there was far more to day three than football – from Ghana’s response to Thomas Partey being refused entry into Canada, to the England base being hit by a tornado, here is everything you need to know from day three of the super-sized tournament:
Scotland mark first World Cup in 28 years with win
We begin with a World Cup party in Boston. Scotland are back on the global stage for the first time in 28 years… and they have a win to their name.
John McGinn got the decisive goal, firing a deflected effort beyond Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide after a brilliant Ben Gannon-Doak cross forced the issue.
Haiti, who never looked out of the game, fought until the very end in search of an equaliser, with striker Frantzdy Pierrot seeing a late header go agonisingly wide in what was probably the Caribbean nation’s best chance of the game.
But by clinging onto their clean sheet, Scotland were able to get the win over the line in a legacy-defining triumph for Steve Clarke. A huge boost to their hopes of getting into the knockouts, his side now go straight to the TOP of Group B after Brazil and Morocco drew 1-1 in New York.
Controversy surrounds Switzerland penalty in Qatar draw
Switzerland were punished for playing with their food as Qatar snatched a last-gasp equaliser in their controversial Group B opener, delivering the country a first ever World Cup point.
Breel Embolo put Switzerland ahead from the spot early on, though the penalty was engulfed in contention after it was undetermined whether the player fouled was offside or not. No replay was shown, with Gary Neville labelling Fifa “a dictatorship” for a lack of transparency. Fifa later explained in a statement that a “a brief technical outage” had prevented the images being broadcast.
The Swiss took control of the game from that moment, and it didn’t look like they would cease it. But after failing to add to their lead with 26 efforts on goal, Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi wrote himself into history in the 94th minute, heading home to open Group B right up.
A seismic moment for Qatari football, the match was still played out in front of noticeable patches of empty seats, despite the official attendance claiming the 68,500-capacity Levi’s Stadium was 99.2 percent full.
Ghana respond after Thomas Partey denied entry into Canada
Ghana have spoken out against the “flimsy” grounds on which Thomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada for the 2026 World Cup, with sports minister Kofi Adams urging a review of the decision.
The ex-Arsenal midfielder will, as it stands, miss Ghana’s World Cup opener on Wednesday against Panama in Toronto after being denied a Canadian visa. The 33-year-old has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“If any Ghanaian is touched anywhere, we will not keep quiet over it,” Adams told local station Channel One TV on Friday.
“Through the appropriate channels, we have communicated to the rightful authorities and are requesting for them to use all processes to review and give opportunity for a review of such a decision that we think frowns on international laws and conventions, which both Ghana and Canada are party to.”
England engulfed by disruption as they arrive in Kansas City
England have arrived at their World Cup home away from home in Kansas City, the day after it emerged that equipment had been stolen from their base.
Some of the team’s boots and official tournament balls were discovered stolen on Friday, though Football Association sources have indicated the majority of the equipment, which wasn’t irreplaceable, has now been recovered.
The incident is expected to have no impact on the preparations of Thomas Tuchel’s team, but that isn’t the only extraordinary incident that’s hit the camp over the past few days.
It also emerged that England’s team chef was stopped from boarding a train to Orlando ahead of Wednesday’s warm-up clash with Costa Rica… because of his cooking knives!
And now, on their first night in Missouri, the Kansas City region has been hit by a tornado. They’ll hope this isn’t an omen for their campaign to come.
US World Cup ticket prices skyrocket after win over Paraguay
Fans eager to join the United States men’s national team’s World Cup journey are facing rapidly escalating ticket prices on the resale market, with some matches seeing over a 60 percent jump in just three days.
This dramatic surge follows the USMNT’s impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their opening match on Friday, igniting a wave of optimism among supporters.
The “get-in price” for the upcoming group stage clash against Australia now starts at $1,735, according to TicketData. The Americans’ Group D finale on 25 June against Turkey back in Los Angeles, has seen an even greater proportional spike over the same stretch, with the get-in price up 73 percent to $1,516.
Two arrested for peace officer assault at Canada vs Bosnia
Toronto police arrested two men “associated with a Bosnian fan group” during Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, it has been revealed.
The Toronto Police Service confirmed in a statement that the two men, of Germany and aged 25 and 27, were both arrested and charged for assaulting a peace officer after forces were called to an altercation in the stands at the Toronto Stadium around 2.20pm local time on Friday afternoon.
The Toronto Police Association warned on X: “We’re glad you’re here to enjoy the World Cup but please do so safely.
“Never put your hands on a police officer. They will arrest you. You will be charged. Our holding cells do not have TVs. You will miss the game you came to enjoy.”
