The United States men's national team kicks off Friday's World Cup action against Australia at 3 p.m. ET in Seattle, hoping to secure a second win and all but assure itself a spot in the knockout stage.

There is a deeper, darker background to this story than is evident from simply watching Mwepu Ilunga kick the ball away at a free kick

The 2026 World Cup is the largest ever, and USA TODAY is going all in with reporters on the ground in all 16 host cities across three countries to cover 48 teams vying for the trophy. Get our World Cup: Extra Time newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.

Making its first World Cup appearance since 1998, Scotland grabbed three points with a 1-0 win over Haiti in the opener, while Morocco battled Brazil to a 1-1 draw at MetLife Stadium to begin the World Cup campaign.

Scotland vs Morocco: World Cup 2026 prediction, kick-off time, team news, TV, live stream, h2h results, odds today - Scotland hoping to take huge step towards knockout stages

With matches being played in 11 cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada​, fans are getting three World Cup opening ceremonies.

Portugal's João Cancelo's scored a bicycle kick goal but it got ruled out for offside. Score stays level at 1-1 against DR Congo.

June 19 (Reuters) - It was a week of firsts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It is the first time soccer's biggest international tournament is taking place across three countries, with Mexico getting the party going on June 11 in the Estadio Azteca,

Futbol Frenzy erupts in South Florida as Uruguay takes the pitch for the first World Cup match ever held at the newly renamed Miami Stadium (formerly Hard Rock Stadium). CBS News Miami’s Mike Cugno captures the excitement,