Meeting Scotland’s No 1: Daniel Nevin Meets Angus Gunn
Some World Cup memories are made on the pitch. Others start in a hotel lobby.
In downtown Boston this morning, 13-year-old Daniel Nevin, a Scotland fan from Glasgow, walked into one of those moments. Staying at the same hotel as Steve Clarke’s squad, he spotted Angus Gunn, Scotland’s No 1, and did what any sharp-eyed teenager would do at a World Cup: he asked for a photo.
Gunn obliged. A handshake, a smile, a snapshot to take back to St Cadoc’s Youth Club, where Daniel plays his own football and dreams his own dreams.
His father Tommy, 55, watched it all unfold. Daniel, he said, was “delighted” to meet the goalkeeper and now has a very clear wish for tonight’s game against Morocco: a Gunn clean sheet to go with the picture.
World Cup co-hosts flex their muscles
While Scotland’s supporters were collecting memories in Boston, the other co-hosts were busy collecting points.
Canada finally ignited their tournament with a ruthless 6-0 demolition of Qatar, their first win of this World Cup and a statement that the early nerves are gone. Goals flowed, confidence followed, and the home crowd in Vancouver got the response they had been waiting for.
Mexico then kept their perfect record intact. A tight, controlled 1-0 victory over South Korea preserved their 100 per cent start and underlined why they remain one of the most streetwise sides in the competition. No fireworks this time, just a job done, efficiently and on schedule.
Elsewhere, Switzerland brushed aside Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1, showing a clinical edge that will make future opponents sit up. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa, a reminder that no one gets an easy ride at this tournament.
Spain and Morocco eye the 2030 World Cup crown jewel
This World Cup is only just warming up, yet the next one is already sparking arguments.
The 2030 tournament, spread across Spain, Portugal and Morocco, has hit its first major fault line: who gets the final? Both Spain and Morocco want the showpiece, and neither looks inclined to step aside.
According to The Times’ chief sports reporter Martyn Ziegler, the decision is finely poised — 50-50 between the two nations. One game, one city, one defining night for a generation. The politics and prestige around that choice will run long after the last ball is kicked this summer.
Pochettino’s USA, shaped by old scars
Down on the touchline in this World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino looks like a coach in his element. But the memories that drive him are far from joyful.
His only World Cup as a player came in 2002 with Argentina under Marcelo Bielsa. That campaign imploded in the group stage. The squad lived under strict lockdown, the atmosphere suffocating as a golden generation crashed out early. For Pochettino, the experience left a mark.
Now in charge of the United States, he has flipped the script. The mood in the USA camp is looser, more open, built on trust rather than tension. Peter Rutzler details how those bruises from 2002 have shaped Pochettino’s vision this summer: a united, expressive side, not paralysed by fear of failure.
Australia hit the ground running
Australia arrived at this World Cup with experience but not always expectation. That has changed.
Tony Popovic’s side opened their campaign in Vancouver with a composed 2-0 win over Turkey, the kind of controlled performance that settles a group and sharpens ambition. This is Australia’s sixth World Cup in a row, yet it is the first time since 2006 that they have won their opening match.
Three points are already in the bank. Now the target is clear: reach the knockout stages for only the third time in the country’s history. With a solid platform and a coach who knows tournament football, they have given themselves a genuine chance.
USA light up Group D
If Australia’s start was assured, the USA’s was explosive.
Pochettino’s team tore into Paraguay with a 4-1 win that sent a surge of noise around the stadium and a message through Group D. They were 3-0 up by half-time, playing with tempo and aggression, and never really looked back.
Folarin Balogun struck twice, a centre-forward performance full of movement and conviction. Paraguay did pull one back midway through the second half, but Giovanni Reyna’s superb stoppage-time goal slammed the door shut and restored the margin their dominance deserved.
It was the kind of night that can transform a host nation’s belief. A statement, not just a scoreline.
Pulisic racing the clock
The one cloud on that bright USA horizon is Christian Pulisic’s fitness.
The 27-year-old forward picked up a calf injury in the days leading into the Paraguay match. He still started and impressed during a lively first half of the 4-1 win, but discomfort forced him off at the interval.
Now he faces a race against time to prove he is ready to face Australia. For a side that leans heavily on his creativity and drive, his availability could tilt the balance of Group D.
Day nine: USA vs Australia takes centre stage
All of that brings us to tonight.
Day nine of the 2026 World Cup offers a later start but a heavyweight clash: co-hosts USA against Australia, a meeting that already feels like a group decider. Both teams won their openers. Both have momentum. Both know this match in Seattle is likely to shape the top of Group D.
Kick-off is at 8pm local time (12pm PDT), under lights and with the noise of a host nation growing by the day. Pochettino’s side will look to ride the wave of their Paraguay performance; Popovic’s Australia will aim to drag them into a more measured, tactical battle.
Around that, the usual stories will keep rolling — from England and Scotland to the subplots scattered across the tournament — but tonight the focus tightens on Seattle.
One game, two unbeaten sides, and an early test of who really intends to own this World Cup.
