Month: July 2026

Harry Kane lifted England to victory once again on Wednesday, scoring a brace in its dramatic 2-1 win over DR Congo to advance to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And as Kane notched his 83rd and 84th career international goals to help the Three Lions get the comeback victory, former England men’s national star Peter Crouch made a big proclamation about the star forward. “It was genuinely unbelievable. When you’ve got world-class players like Harry Kane on your team, that’s what can happen,” Crouch said on FOX Sports’ “World Cup Now.” “It just felt like it wasn’t going to come for England, but when you’ve got a player like that, a world-class player, a finisher, a talentsman, England’s greatest player — I think you have to say [that] now. It was just such a magical finish — going away from goal, to get that type of power. Phenomenal.” Kane’s first goal was a relatively simple header, leveling the match in the 75th minute off a cross from Anthony Gordon. But Kane’s second goal was practically a one-man job. In the 86th minute, Kane dribbled through a few DR Congo defenders along the edge of the box before firing a shot that squeezed in right under the crossbar. “When I see him with his back to the goal there, I was really, really used to him and I should’ve known better,” Crouch said. “I was telling him to go out wide and get into the box. There’s not many players that can swivel, turn and strike with that venom and power with their back to the goal.” The second goal was Kane’s fifth of the tournament, putting him squarely in the mix to win Golden Boot of the tournament. He’s only one goal shy of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé for the most goals in this World Cup. But when it comes to England records, Kane has just about all of the major goalscoring ones. His 84 goals are 31 more than what Wayne Rooney scored, as the former Three Lions star has the second-most goals in the federation’s history. Kane also set the England record for the most goals scored in World Cup history on Saturday as he now has 13 goals in the tournament. As Kane continues to break or add to his records, Crouch thinks he’s undeniably becoming England’s best player ever and that he’s “got to be” a Ballon d’Or contender. “It’s the type of player that we’ll probably appreciate more when he’s not battling,” Crouch said. “We have this thing with players — who’s better, this or that — his record stands up. Since he’s been at Bayern Munich, he’s gone to a new level. He’s consistently scored goals. He’s breaking records. Lewandowski played there before him, he’s breaking his records. He’s breaking every England record that we have.” Former Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, meanwhile, wasn’t stunned by Kane’s game-winning contributions in England’s win. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. It’s Harry Kane. He is the man,” Schmeichel said. “I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of those. You can just never, ever write him off. The only time when I can probably remember is the game against Ghana when he missed. That’s probably the only chance I ever remember him missing in that kind of situation. Then, he comes up again for England. “For me, Harry Kane’s the ultimate striker. There’s nothing about him that he can’t do. He’s not just a goalscorer, he’s a creator. Where would England be without Harry Kane?” Former France star Thierry Henry was also in awe of Kane’s heroics on Wednesday, so much so that he was willing to toss aside the Arsenal-Tottenham rivalry and knight the England great. “For now, I’m going to call him ‘Sir Harry Kane’ because of what he’s done today,” Henry said on FOX Sports’ “World Cup Live.” “You guys were looking for answers. He was by himself the answer, and not only the goals.” Both Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović each pointed out a specific play that Kane made beyond his goals that also contributed to England’s win in a major way, pointing to it as a reason why he’s more than just a star goalscorer. “In the first half, he ran back to be the full back to stop a counter and go on the other side to stop the counter and he almost finished it,” Henry said. “I don’t even know what to say anymore about Harry Kane. And you know, I’m not too much — with the Tottenham thing and the stuff with Arsenal — but for now, I’m going to call him ‘Sir Harry Kane.’ “This England, I’ll just say: Harry Kane,” Ibrahimović added. “He had two goals and the one run that Thierry said, that says everything about how much he means to this team. We talk about Messi with Argentina, France with Mbappé, but they’ve got other superstars, and [Erling] Haaland with Norway. But when it comes to England, it’s all about Harry Kane. “‘Sir Harry Kane’ is England, and the way he performed today, he needs to continue like that if England is going to have a chance.” And as Kane put England on his back on Wednesday, Crouch compared him to the NFL player who is also considered to be the greatest of all-time. “[Kane] loves the NFL. … Tom Brady’s his hero,” Crouch said. “This is something special. This will travel back home. I know we’re getting carried away — we’re playing Congo and we’re expected to win this — but it was the manner of the game. It was the way we lost control. It was the way we had to dig in. It was the way we had to play with a midfielder at right back. We had to make substitutions and still the same outcome with him scoring the goals.”

Mexico City Stadium gets another epic World Cup showdown with both tournament co-host Mexico and England advancing out of the round of 32 to the round of 16. And El Tri and the Three Lions will play in the next round with an appearance in the World Cup quarterfinals on the line. In the first round of knockouts, Mexico beat Ecuador, 2-0, on Tuesday night, and England pulled off a 2-1 comeback win over DR Congo on Wednesday. But both teams still have a long way to go before getting to the 2026 World Cup final. So here’s what to know about Mexico and England’s next World Cup match. How To Watch Mexico vs. England Mexico and England will face off in the World Cup round of 16 at Mexico City Stadium on Sunday, July 5, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One. Mexico vs. England: Who Is Favored? Here’s a look at the odds for Mexico-England in the World Cup round of 16 match, according to FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1: Moneyline To Advance What Are Mexico’s And England’s Path To The World Cup Final? Mexico and England have the same path to the World Cup Final. Whichever team wins in the round of 16 matchup will advance to the quarterfinals, where it will play either Brazil or Norway — two teams facing off in the round of 16 on Sunday, July 5 (4 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One). Brazil beat Japan 2-1 in the round of 32 on Monday, while Norway handled the Ivory Coast 2-1 in its round of 32 matchup on Tuesday. If Mexico or England then beat the winner of Brazil-Norway at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11 (5 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One), the next stop is the semifinals. There are eight possible opponents for Mexico or England in the semifinals: Argentina, Cape Verde, Australia, and Egypt are in one quadrant while Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia and Ghana are in the adjacent quadrant. If Mexico or England reaches the semifinals, it’ll play at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, July 15, at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One. And the final will be at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One. Who Is A Player To Watch For Mexico? In the win over Ecuador in the round of 32, Quiñones became the fifth Mexican player ever to score three World Cup goals and just the second Mexican player to score three or more at a single World Cup (Luis “El Matador” Hernández scored four in 1998). What says more about the team as a whole, Quiñones’ goal against Ecuador had 14 prior passes, and since 1966, it was the second highest build-up for a Mexican goal, behind the 15 passes leading to Jared Borgetti scoring against Italy in 2002. The Colombian-born attacker became a naturalized Mexican citizen in 2023 and has since become a very important player for El Tri. He was the Man of the Match in the opening win over South Africa and scored again in the win over Czechia. He’s been in good form for most of the past year, and he recently finished as the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League for 2025-26 with 33 goals for Al Qadsiah FC. Who Is A Player To Watch For England? Harry Kane — whose Golden Boot odds soared after England beat DR Congo — is obviously a crucial player for the Three Lions. Kane scored two goals against DR Congo, putting him at 13 career World Cup goals — tied with Just Fontaine for the sixth-most of any man in World Cup history. But let’s look at Bellingham. The Real Madrid playmaker was the Man of the Match in the 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday while playing in a deeper role. Expect him to continue looking for pockets of space to open up for Kane or other potential scorers, but he should also be a threat against the net. Against DR Congo, Bellingham was dealt a yellow card, meaning he’ll have to be careful against Mexico. In the knockouts, yellow-card accumulations are wiped clean after the quarterfinals, so if he receives a second while playing Mexico and England wins, he’ll be suspended for the quarterfinal. What Are Mexico’s And England’s Odds To Win The World Cup? At this point in the World Cup, England has much better odds to win it all compared with Mexico. But, as we’ve seen, anything can happen. Here’s a look at England’s and Mexico’s odds to reach the World Cup final and to win it all, according to FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1: To Reach Final To Win The World Cup

You wanted power rankings? I got your power rankings right here. Don’t like mine? You can always get your own. Remember, these 2026 FIFA World Cup power rankings change as the tournament goes on. And we do have changes from last week. My colleague Thierry Henry is going to be happy because France is right at No. 1. I don’t think there’s a lot of people that are going to disagree with that. A couple other things to keep in mind here. With Morocco beating the Netherlands, the Atlas Lions are in. And for the first time at this tournament, Mexico gets in after what I saw in that win over Ecuador. So welcome Mexico. And the U.S. is hanging around. Agree? Disagree? Let’s dive into it: Odds to win the World Cup: +3000 (9th) After earning six points from its group stage with wins over Paraguay and Australia along with a loss to Türkiye, the U.S. will try to win its first knockout stage game since 2002 when it takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. A pro-U.S. crowd in the San Francisco Bay Area should help things, but the co-hosts shouldn’t underestimate this opponent. Next opponent: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Round of 32, July 1) Odds to win the World Cup: +1700 (6th) Is Cristiano Ronaldo back? He proclaimed he was when he scored twice against Uzbekistan. Portugal finished second in its group after a scoreless but still electric draw against Colombia in Miami. Ronaldo now gets a reunion with former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modrić as the two 40-year-old superstars face off in Toronto. Next opponent: Croatia (Round of 32, July 2) Odds to win the World Cup: +2700 (8th) What a way to break a 40-year drought. El Tri came out strong against Ecuador for its first knockout round win since 1986 in front of an absolutely pulsating crowd in Mexico City. Now comes what will potentially be a match for the ages against England for a chance to reach the quarterfinals. Next opponent: England (Round of 16, July 5) Odds to win the World Cup: +2500 (7th) Morocco is living up to its high expectations after reaching the 2022 semifinals. A stoppage-time goal against the Netherlands led to a penalty-shootout win over the Dutch to advance to the round of 16. That’s now four games and no defeats so far at this tournament. Next opponent: Canada (Round of 16, July 4) Odds to win the World Cup: +1000 (5th) Under manager Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilians are rediscovering their style of “Joga Bonito”. Having relied on Vinícius Júnior for goals in the group stage, the five-time champions saw Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli instead come up clutch in the round of 32 win over Japan. The reward for the win? Having to contain Erling Haaland and the infamous Viking Row. Next opponent: Norway (Round of 16, July 5) Odds to win the World Cup: +800 (4th) When England needed him the most, Harry Kane stepped up in heroic fashion. Down a goal against a superb DR Congo side, Kane rallied the Three Lions with two second-half goals in the round of 32 classic. Now comes a match against the tournament co-hosts in Mexico City that will be absolute theater. Next opponent: Mexico (Round of 16, July 5) Odds to win the World Cup: +3300 (10th) It still feels as though Colombia has yet to kick it into the next gear – which is a scary thought. Luis Diaz and Daniel Muñoz have been the standout players for the Los Cafeteros, who wrapped up the group stage as winners following a nervy draw against Portugal in Miami. Next opponent: Ghana (Round of 32, July 3) Odds to win the World Cup: +700 (3rd) This is another team that is still finding its rhythm. A relatively staid win over Uruguay saw La Roja win the group. Lamine Yamal is fit again. It’s now time to flip the switch in the knockout rounds and make that expected run to the final. Next opponent: Austria (Round of 32, July 2) Odds to win the World Cup: +410 (2nd) The people want to see Lionel Messi, even if it’s just a substitute. Because even when he comes into the game in the second half like he did against Algeria, he still scores golazos. He now has 19 career goals at the World Cup, extending the record he broke earlier in the tournament. Next opponent: Cape Verde (Round of 32, July 3) Odds to win the World Cup: +180 (1st) There shouldn’t be a surprise as to who is now No. 1 in the rankings. If you were to rank the best players in the world, France arguably has three of them — Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé – near the top. The path to the final is looking clearer for Les Bleus. Next opponent: Paraguay (Round of 16, July 4)

Building off the momentum of winning Group A, Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in the Round of 32, marking its first knockout stage win since 1986. El Tri will play its Round of 16 game in a marquee showdown against England in Mexico City, on Sunday, July 5 on FOX. With this epic matchup now official, opening odds have been released at Fanduel Sportsbook as of July 1st. Moneyline To Advance This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Mexico’s only other World Cup knockout stage win also came at Estadio Azteca in the 1986 Round of 16, a 2-0 win over Bulgaria. 40 years later, Mexico has done it again by the exact same score at the exact same historic stadium. With the win, Mexico remains unbeaten in World Cup group games at home, going a combined 8-2-0 (W-D-L), with two wins and a draw in 1970 and 1986, and now four wins in 2026. Even more impressively, Mexico has not lost a home game since an October 2018 friendly against Chile and has not lost a competitive home game since September 2013, a World Cup qualifier vs Honduras. Before the tournament began, Mexico was listed at +6500 to win the World Cup. Now, after winning its first four games of the tournament without giving up a goal, Mexico has surged up the oddsboard to +2700. After its best start to a World Cup in 40 years, can Mexico continue to make a deep run in this tournament? Let’s check out the updated odds for El Tri as of July 1. Team Mexico — Stage of Elimination Last 16: -165 (bet $10 to win $16.06 total)Quarterfinals: +280 (bet $10 to win $38 total)Semifinals: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)Runner-up: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)Outright winner: +2700 (bet $10 to win $280 total) Mexico’s Past World Cup Results 1930: Group stage1934: Did not qualify1938: Withdrew1950: Group stage1954: Group stage1958: Group stage1962: Group stage1966: Group stage1970: Quarterfinals1974: Did not qualify1978: Group stage1982: Did not qualify1986: Quarterfinals1990: Banned1994: Round of 161998: Round of 162002: Round of 162006: Round of 162010: Round of 162014: Round of 162018: Round of 162022: Group stage2026: TBDWhat to know: Mexico has made a habit of being in the running, but never really being in the running. Make sense? Consider this: El Tri made it out of the group stage in seven consecutive World Cups (1994-2018), but never made it past the Round of 16 in any of those years. In 2022, Mexico failed to make it out of the group stage. After dominating Group A this summer, Mexico has now advanced to the knockout stage in eight of the last nine World Cups. It is important to note, however, that Mexico has never made it past the quarterfinals at a FIFA men’s World Cup. Could this finally be the year? El Tri will get its chance to break its Round of 16 curse on Sunday against the Three Lions.

It’s time to get out your calendars and circle these dates. Every college football season has a handful of games that decide conference races, reshape the College Football Playoff picture and produce moments fans remember for years. With just over two months until kickoff, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt lists 10 matchups he believes will define the 2026 season. Klatt: This is the first big game for Kyle Whittingham, and it’s going to be an indication of whether Michigan is going to be back in playoff form. Are the Wolverines going to compete for a Big Ten title? We’re going to find out in Week 2 on September 12th. Both of these programs want to raise their level this year to the upper-echelon of these conferences. Oklahoma wants to be an upper-tier SEC title contender. Michigan would like to do the same in the Big Ten. This game is obviously a monster game in this direction, even if it’s not directly tied to the standings in each conference. It’s also about the individuals in this game. What does Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer look like after an offseason to get healthy? What does the offense look like for Oklahoma? It’s the same question for Michigan. What is the marriage going to look like, what is the blueprint, what is the recipe, what do we get out of the Jason Beck- Bryce Underwood marriage? Klatt: This is going to be an absolute monster rematch. This is not Arch Manning in his first game as a real starter. This is not Julian Sayin in his first time as a real starter. Now, you have incumbent starting quarterbacks. These two teams are going to start in the top five. I cannot wait for this game. I think it’s going to be a phenomenal game. The loser of this game is behind the eight-ball. Klatt: I couldn’t resist. Lane Kiffin going back to Oxford. This could be incredible. There’s not enough security on the planet for Lane going back into Oxford. The way that he left that team in the playoff was wild. I think this game is going to have real implications in the SEC because these are two teams that I would categorize as fighting for those at-large spots. I don’t expect either of these teams to win the SEC. I think that would be reserved for my two favorites in that conference — Georgia and Texas. That doesn’t mean these two teams won’t be very good. Obviously, there are all the questions around the transfers jelling and how Kiffin is going to do with that. He had a lot of success doing this exact thing at Ole Miss. Both Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy are back at Ole Miss. This team gained a lot of confidence under Pete Golding and that run to the national semifinal. These two teams are going to try to be in the top-four spots in the SEC. They’re going to be battling for those at-large spots in the 12-team playoff. Klatt: These teams are trying to level into that top four in the Big Ten and grab one of those at-large spots. This one is a sneaky game that’s going to be really good. USC has to play Oregon, and then Washington. Both of those games are at home. Then the Trojans travel across the country and go to Beaver Stadium to face Matt Campbell and his Nittany Lions. I think Lincoln Riley is very confident about his team. I am bullish on USC. I think they’re better at the line of scrimmage. Year 1 for Matt Campbell, I think Penn State has a real shot at 10 wins. This becomes a monumental game, at home, to try to protect Beaver Stadium for Campbell in his first year. Penn State should be 5-0 going into this game. If the Nittany Lions beat USC, their floor becomes 10 wins. Klatt: The Red River rivalry is always one of the best games in the sport. It’s one of my favorite games in college football. And this one’s going to be huge for SEC implications and College Football Playoff implications. The pressure that will be on Brent Venables and these Sooners when they go to Dallas to face Texas is massive. What if Texas has two losses, and now everyone’s on Steve Sarkisian’s case? There’s a scenario where one, or both of these teams, has one or two losses. This game is always great. And I think this year, it could have even more implications. Klatt: SEC dominance is on the line. These two teams split their two matchups last season. The winner is going to be in the driver’s seat. I’m not down on Alabama, but I do think this is a program that’s not going to have as good of a football program as they had a year ago. They’re losing their most important player in Ty Simpson. I know their defense wasn’t great, and they’re losing a few players off that defense. Can they replenish and be better? They lost Germie Bernard. Can Ryan Coleman-Williams come back to the form he showed as a true freshman? He’s going to need to. Klatt: Supremacy in the Big Ten is on the line as Ohio State goes to Indiana. Indiana can run the Big Ten. The Hoosiers beat Ohio State a year ago. They are the reigning national champions. They have not lost at home under Curt Cignetti. They are 14-0. If Indiana beats Ohio State, all of a sudden, the Hoosiers are the premier program in the Big Ten, which is wild. Obviously, I think you could say that coming into the year because, again, they are the reigning Big Ten and national champs. But you do have a sense of history, whereas Ohio State really runs the conference. You have to get through Ohio State. But if Indiana wins this game, all of a sudden, that’s flipped, and the Hoosiers put themselves on the mountaintop. I just think about this game in that lens, and it just means everything in this conference. This is a chance for Ohio State to reassert themselves as the top team in the conference. Ohio State could hand Curt Cignetti his first loss at home and remind everybody, ‘Hey, we’re the Buckeyes. We are the pre-eminent program in the Big Ten.’ The winner of this game is almost assuredly going to go to the Big Ten title game and has the chance to be the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Klatt: Notre Dame fans watched Miami get that last playoff spot and jump them in the rankings. There is some saltiness in South Bend. There is no doubt about that. Marcus Freeman’s program believes they can go and win a national title. But the same can be said for Miami and Mario Cristobal. Notre Dame is going to have its quarterback back and should have one of, if not the best defenses in the country. This team is not going to have many statement opportunities, and this is one of them. That is why this game is going to be so important as it relates to the shape of the season. Can the Hurricanes do everything they need to do regardless of the outcome of this game? Yes, because obviously they’ve got the ACC championship game backstopping them, and there’s not much in the ACC. If Miami plays clean and Darian Mensah is who we think he can be, they’ve got all these five-star players that are replacing these talented players that were draft picks off the line of scrimmage. If these guys play out, Miami is going to be right back in the top five. Klatt: This is such a good game. It’s a great rivalry. These are two of my top-10 teams in my post-spring rankings. I think there’s a real chance that the winner of this game is going to the SEC championship game. I think there’s a real potential that it’s a win-and-in game for the playoff. Can Texas bounce back? Remember this is a team that was in the national semifinals two straight years under Steve Sarkisian. This team missed the playoffs a year ago. A lot of people thought they were the No. 1 team in the country to start, and then they got hot late. They started playing much better, particularly at quarterback late, and beat Texas A&M, 27-17. That one was at home. Now they’ve got to go on the road and face A&M. Klatt: It is absolutely my honor to call this game. Kyle Whittingham’s first in his stint as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. And he’s going to find out what Ryan Day knows all too well, which is, you are judged based on this game. A lot could be on the line for the Buckeyes. If you miss the playoffs as the Ohio State Buckeyes, life is not going to be good. Meanwhile, Michigan, this is not an easy schedule. Can the Wolverines be in a position where, if they beat Ohio State, they go to the College Football Playoff? Ohio State dominated at the line of scrimmage for the first time in a long time last year. They snapped that four-game losing streak to Michigan. They beat them in Ann Arbor, 27-9.