World Cup 2026 LIVE: Ivory Coast striker refused entry to Canada over match-fixing arrest – UK Times

A report in The Athletic detailed that Wahi, who started Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win against Ecuador on Sunday night, was subsequently arrested by French police on 29 May and was released after an interview.

However, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) issued a statement on Thursday detailing that Wahi has not been allowed to join the squad for their clash in Toronto against Germany on Saturday as the “necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage.”

Wahi becomes the second World Cup player who has not been allowed entry into Canada after Ghana’s Thomas Partey – who denies allegations of rape and sexual assault in the UK – was refused entry for his side’s 1-0 win against Panama on Wednesday in Toronto.

Thomas Tuchel heaped praise on “full package” Harry Kane as well as fellow goalscorers Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford after England began the World Cup with a bang against Croatia.

England boss Tuchel said: “If you see the commitment of our captain, of our number nine, in the extra time to block a crucial shot after a set piece with all his body and his commitment to buy into a defensive action like this, then you know everything about his performance today.

“Complete performance, absolute leader and he is all in – he’s all in physically, he’s all in mentally, and he’s all in.”

Swedish employers are bracing for a surge in short-term absences as World Cup fever sweeps the nation, with government agency Statistics Sweden revealing a sharp rise during major football championships over the last two decades.

Known for their emphasis on work-life balance, many Swedish employees are anticipated to either begin their extended summer holidays earlier or take occasional days off throughout the tournament to follow the action.

This trend is particularly pronounced given that numerous matches are scheduled during European night hours.

The Swedish national team’s strong start, including a dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia, is likely to further fuel this national enthusiasm.

Lena Johansson, a statistician at Statistics Sweden, confirmed the pattern, stating: “Short absences from work were 19 percent in weeks in June and July when no championship was taking place, while it was 27 percent in weeks when there was a football championship.”

Australia duo Kai Trewin and Aiden O’Neill wished his New York City FC team-mate Matt Freese good luck before their World ⁠Cup clash but will try to help the Socceroos foil the United States goalkeeper on Friday.

“Obviously there’s lots, lots of pressure for him and for the US, obviously playing on home soil,” Trewin said. “So ⁠I just wished him the best and ‌I see how hard he works every day in training and in games.

“Obviously …. I hope we get a positive result against them. But for the rest of the tournament, I wish him the best.”

O’Neill added: “We’re excited to play against each other. Obviously, he’s a top keeper, Matt, and it would be good to get one up on him, that’s for sure.”

Czech Republic vs South Africa (Group A) – 5pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Canada vs Qatar (Group B) – 11pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Mexico vs South Korea (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi will not be involved in this weekend’s clash with with Germany in Toronto after the player was linked to an investigation into suspected match-fixing.

He was reportedly arrested less than two weeks ago and is the subject of an “active investigation” to establish whether the forward deliberately earned a yellow card while playing for Nice against Metz in Ligue 1 on 17 May.

The Ivorian Football Federation said they had full confidence in Wahi, who is not travelling with the squad because authorisations for his travel to Canada had not been obtained.

It wasn’t just the performance that England had waited years for, it was an attitude.

“Even if we lose,” Thomas Tuchel told his players at half-time in Dallas, “we do it our way.”

There was a new ethos, and the fulfilment of a promise. Tuchel had long said he wanted to restore a proper Premier League intensity to the national side, and here it was, offering one of the best performances in the World Cup so far.

Thomas Tuchel has called on Fifa to intervene after complaining that photographers “ruined” what was an “emotional moment” of his first England national anthem at a World Cup.

“I have to tell you something, I am begging Fifa to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem,” he said.

“I was waiting for this moment. It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a metre away, and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit my experience.

“It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion.”