World Cup round-up: TV host points apology as England fears develop and Steve Clarke quits
England are through to the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup but Scotland’s failure to progress has seen their manager Steve Clarke quit his job.
Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions will face DR Congo in the Round of 32 after winning their group and remaining undefeated while doing so, despite injury concerns. However, Scotland are on the plane home following a crushing defeat to Brazil and now Clarke has resigned from his role.
Elsewhere, Lionel Messi continues to defy his age as the Argentina marvel wowed again, there was a goalfest that saw Iran pay the price, and a blundering American TV presenter who put her foot in it has been forced to apologise. Here’s all you need to know from the final group matches and what happened overnight in our morning World Cup round-up.
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Lionel Messi breaks new record
Lionel Messi was brought on as a substitute for Argentina and once again found the back of the net during their 3-1 triumph over Jordan.
This goal extends his all-time World Cup record to 19 goals, as the 39-year-old set a new benchmark by scoring in seven consecutive World Cup games.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star, now at Inter Miami, had already become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer when he broke the record of 16 previously held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. And he may yet extend it even further when Argentina face minnows Cape Verde on Friday.
Steve Clarke resigns
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has stepped down from his role following the nation’s official elimination from the competition at the first hurdle.
The Tartan Army’s departure was confirmed after Croatia beat Ghana 2-1, leaving Scotland rooted to the foot of their group. They beat Haiti 1-0 in their opening game, but many fans slammed Clarke for an overly cautious approach as the Scots only beat the minnows by a solitary goal.
That proved decisive as after predictable defeats against AFCON champions Morocco, a 1-0 loss, and Brazil – who thrashed them 3-0 – Scotland’s goal difference was not good enough to see them qualify for the last-32 through the back door as the leading third-placed side.
Clarke has quit just a month after the former Chelsea and Newcastle United assistant manager penned a four-year contract prior to the tournament.
England clinch top spot
England overcame Panama 2-0 in their final group match to finish atop Group L with seven points.
Second-half strikes from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane sealed the victory following a challenging, goalless first half against the bottom placed team in the group.
Kane became England’s record scorer at World Cups, overtaking Gary Lineker, with his strike. The goal took the Bayern Munich forward’s overall tally to 11 goals, surpassing Lineker’s total of 10.
Meanwhile, Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 to claim second place, with the Africans qualifying in third as one of the leading third-placed teams.
Following the conclusion of overnight group results, England’s Round of 32 opponent has officially been confirmed as DR Congo, not Senegal as was first thought. The knockout fixture is set to take place in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 1.
England’s injury woes
England boss Thomas Tuchel is grappling with a severe lack of defensive options after Jarell Quansah hobbled off injured against Panama.
With Reece James and Tino Livramento already out of action, Djed Spence remains the squad’s only natural right-back, reports the Mirror.
That follows the German manager’s controversial decision to leave Real Madrid flop Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his squad, who endured a nightmare season last year after leaving Liverpool.
TV presenter issues apology
American news anchor Abigail Velez has issued a formal apology for making “inappropriate” on-air remarks about Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ABC Los Angeles host came under immediate fire after recording a World Cup segment in which she admitted she didn’t “know the first thing” about the Balkan country – and didn’t want to.
In a viral clip, she said: “One thing about Bosnia, I could not point out where it is on a map. I don’t know the first thing about Bosnia, and I don’t wanna know. That’s because Team USA, we’re back, we’re better than ever. That’s next Wednesday.
“Get prepared, Bosnia, because you don’t want it. You don’t want it like that. But you’re gonna get it.”
After a barrage of criticism, she posted online: “In a poor effort to have a little fun with World Cup competition, I took it too far and made a thoughtless comment on air that was insensitive and inappropriate.
“I apologise to the people of Bosnia and the Bosnian football team. The World Cup is supposed to be about uniting communities around the world, and my comment didn’t reflect that spirit. Wishing all the teams the very best as they continue their World Cup journey.”
Algeria vs Austria’s dramatic ending
In a pulsating 3-3 stalemate that sent both sides through to the knockout phase while eliminating Iran, Austria and Algeria exchanged numerous leads in a fiercely contested encounter.
Algeria looked to have snatched a late winner through a stoppage-time strike from Riyad Mahrez in the 93rd minute, but Austrian replacement Sasa Kalajdzic netted a dramatic, final-second leveller in the 96th minute to spare his team’s blushes.
It came at the expense of Iran, whose brief jubilation at Mahrez’s goal in the third minute of added time was abruptly ended. Iran would’ve advanced as one of the eight best third-place teams had Austria or Algeria won.
