The USA kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign at a sold-out Los Angeles Stadium, hosting Paraguay in Group D. Around 70,000 fans packed the venue for the occasion, which was preceded by a spectacular opening ceremony featuring performances from the likes of Katy Perry, Future and Tyla.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino named an attack-minded starting XI, with star man Christian Pulišić in midfield alongside Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Malik Tillman.

Former Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim defender Chris Richards, who had been out of action for around a month with an injury, was passed fit to start. For Paraguay, star attacker Julio Enciso was declared fit despite a knock sustained in their final pre-tournament friendly.

Stats correct as of 13 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

Although something of a transitional campaign at Leverkusen following the departure of Xabi Alonso and a host of star names, Tillman hit the ground running, notching six goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances. The former Bayern Munich youngster also scored twice in 10 UEFA Champions League outings.

Canada opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign at home against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B at Toronto Stadium without their captain Alphonso Davies, who was sidelined with a thigh injury.

Three Bundesliga players started for Bosnia: St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, Schalke defender Nikola Katić, and VfB Stuttgart forward Ermedin Demirović, while Schalke's Edin Džeko was one of three more Germany-based players on the bench.

Watch: Vasilj taking his Bundesliga form to the World Cup

Ermedin Demirović (VfB Stuttgart)

• Demirović, 28, formed a prolific partnership with Germany forward Deniz Undav in 2025/26, registering 12 goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances.
• Hamburg-born Demirović has represented Bosnia at U17, U19 and U21 level.
• He has 40 senior caps to his name, but has yet to feature at a major international tournament.

Jackson Irvine (St. Pauli)

• Across 80 international caps, Irvine has scored an impressive 14 goals. The Pauli skipper is appearing at his third World Cup, having represented the Socceroos at the 2018 tournament in Russia, and in Qatar in 2022.
• Through his father, Irvine was also eligible to represent Scotland at international level and even made three appearances for the Tartan Army's U19 team before declaring for Australia.
• The tireless midfielder has made 153 appearances in all competitions for Pauli, leading the club to only their sixth-ever promotion to the Bundesliga in 2023/24.

Watch: Jackson Irvine in 'Road to the Americas'

Stats correct as of 12 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 campaign?

Kobel played a pivotal role in Dortmund’s second-place finish under head coach Niko Kovač. The 28-year-old kept a league-high 15 clean sheets and saved nearly three quarters of attempts on his goal in 2025/26 (72.4 percent), helping BVB end the season with the stingiest defence in the league.

The Zürich native played every minute of his side’s campaign, encompassing 47 appearances in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League. He also captained Dortmund on seven occasions in the absence of first-choice skipper Nico Schlotterbeck.

Stats correct as of 12 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

El Khannouss joined Stuttgart on loan in early September 2025. He made an almost instant impact, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-0 home win over St. Pauli later that month.

Since then, the talented playmaker has developed into one of VfB's key components, adding two more goals and registering five assists in the Bundesliga, while putting in commanding performances during the club's creditable UEFA Europa League campaign, during which he found the net five times.

“With Maurice, we are signing a very talented player who has already demonstrated his abilities in Bundesliga 2,” explained sporting director Christian Weber. 

“We are convinced that his dynamism, spatial awareness, and versatile dribbling skills make him a perfect fit for our requirements on the wing, and he will adapt very quickly to the higher level of the Bundesliga.”

“Jahmai has settled in very quickly since his move in the winter and immediately embraced the challenge at this level,” explained Cologne sporting director Thomas Kessler. “His performances have shown the potential he possesses.

“We are all the more pleased that we have now been able to secure his services long-term. His development is yet another example of how Cologne offers a very good environment for young, talented players to take the next step in their careers.”

Stats correct as of 12 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

Machino’s 11 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances for Holstein Kiel in 2024/25 earned the Japanese forward a move to Gladbach last summer. Missing a chunk of pre-season with a calf injury, Machino netted in the DFB Cup and notched three goals and provided one assist in 32 league games as the Foals avoided relegation under Eugen Polanski.

Stats correct as of 12 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

Demirović had to battle with the red-hot Deniz Undav for minutes again this past season, but still managed to net an impressive 12 goals in 17 starts, making 25 league appearances altogether. Those goals helped propel Stuttgart into fourth and secure Champions League football for next season. He also played his part in Sebastian Hoeneß’s side reaching a second consecutive DFB Cup final, scoring twice in four appearances.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup got under way at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, with host nation Mexico facing South Africa in Group A.  South Africa were appearing at their first World Cup since 2010, when they were hosts themselves.

Mexico came into the match in fine form, unbeaten in eight games, while South Africa had failed to win any of their five matches in 2026.

Stats correct as of 12 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

‘Mixed’ would be an understated way to describe Davies’ 2025/26. In fact, there hasn't been much of either year as he only returned in mid-December last year from the ACL injury he sustained while playing for Canada in March 2025.

Unsurprisingly after such a long injury lay-off, his return has been peppered with a series of setbacks. He played 90 minutes just once – the Matchday 20 draw in Hamburg – from late December until 4 April. However, Davies’ three-minute cameo against Freiburg on Matchday 28 included an assist for Lennart Karl’s winning goal, while he scored in the Bundesliga title-sealing win over VfB Stuttgart in April. 

Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim)

• Coufal clocked more intensive runs than any other player in the Bundesliga last season (2803).
• The 33-year-old comes from a very sporty family, with two siblings who are figure skaters, while his mother, Alena Dřevjaná, competed as a gymnast in the 1988 Olympic Games.

Adam Hložek (Hoffenheim)

• Hložek was a childhood prodigy, becoming Slavia Prague's youngest league player and the Czech league's greenest goalscorer at the age of 16 in 2018/19.
• The attacker won a Bundesliga and DFB Cup double as part of Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen 'Invincibles' in 2023/24, before moving to Hoffenheim in summer 2024.
• He only played in one of Czechia's World Cup qualifiers due to injury, but found the net in a 2-1 win over Kosovo in a pre-World Cup friendly.

Watch: Hložek on the money

The majority of their squad is made up of players born and raised in the Netherlands, but with familial heritage linking them to Curaçao. As such, they have a strong contingent of men plying their trade in European leagues, such as brothers Leandro and Juninho Bacuna as well as ex-Hoffenheim man Joshua Brenet.

Watch: Germany 'feeling good' ahead of Curaçao opener

Czechia (final squad)
(Coach: Miroslav Koubek)

Vladimir Coufal, Adam Hložek, Robin Hranáč (all Hoffenheim), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Matěj Kovář, Jindřich Staněk, Lukáš Horníček, David Douděra, Tomáš Holeš, Štěpán Chaloupek, David Jurásek, Ladislav Krejčí, Jaroslav Zelený, David Zima, Lukas Cerv, Vladimir Darida, Lukas Provod, Michal Sadílek, Hugo Sochůrek, Alexandr Sojka, Tomáš Souček, Pavel Šulc, Denis Višinsky, Tomáš Chorý, Mojmír Chytil, Jan Kuchta 

Mexico (final squad)
(Coach: Javier Aguirre)

Guillermo Ochoa, Raúl Rangel, Carlos Acevedo, Jesús Gallardo, César Montes, Jorge Sánchez, Johan Vásquez, Israel Reyes, Mateo Chávez, Edson Álvarez, Roberto Alvarado, Orbelin Pineda, Luis Romo, Luis Chávez, Érik Lira, Brian Gutiérrez, Gilberto Mora, Obed Vargas, Álvaro Fidalgo, Raúl Jiménez, Alexis Vega, Santiago Giménez, Armando González, César Huerta, Julián Quiñones, Guillermo Martínez

South Africa (final squad)
(Coach: Hugo Broos)

Ime Okon (Hannover), Ronwen Williams, Ricardo Goss, Sipho Chaine, Aubrey Modiba, Khuliso Mudau, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Samukele Kabini, Khulumani Ndamane, Thabang Matuludi, Bradley Cross, Olwethu Makhanya, Themba Zwane, Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Thalente Mbatha, Jayden Adams, Lyle Foster, Evidence Makgopa, Oswin Appollis, Iqraam Rayners, Relebohile Mofokeng, Thapelo Maseko, Tshepang Moremi, Kamogelo Sebelebele

South Korea (final squad)
(Coach: Hong Myung-bo)

Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Minjae Kim (Bayern Munich), Jae-sung Lee (Mainz), Kim Seung-gyu, Song Bum-keun, Jo Hyeon-woo, Kim Moon-hwan, Kim ⁠Tae-hyeon, Park ​Jin-seop, Seol Young-woo, Lee Ki-hyeok, Lee Tae-seok, ​Lee Han-beom, Cho Wi-je, Kim Jin-gyu, Bae Jun-ho, Paik Seung-ho, Yang Hyun-jun, Eom Ji-sung, Lee Kang-in, Lee Dong-gyeong, ​Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Cho Gue-sung

Watch: Analysing Super Schick for Leverkusen

That is provided Neuer's calf injury, which kept him out of pre-World Cup friendlies against Finland and the USA, fully heals. All indications from Nagelsmann are that the 40-year-old will be fit to face Curaçao on June 14.

Stats correct as of 11 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

Coufal enjoyed a stellar first season at Hoffenheim following his switch from West Ham United last summer. The right-back started every single one of his team's 34 league games, playing an important role for Christian Ilzer's side all over the pitch.

Not only did he cover the second most distance of any player in the division and recorded the most intensive runs, he chipped in with an impressive eight assists - second only to Bazoumana Toure at Hoffenheim. Thanks in part to his contributions, the Sinsheim outfit qualified for the UEFA Europa League after only narrowly avoiding relegation in 2024/25.

Watch: The best of Coufal

The 21-year-old joined Anderlecht in summer 2024 but mainly played for the club’s reserves, scoring 13 goals in 31 appearances for RSCA Futures in Belgium’s second-tier. He also found the net three times in 10 outings for the senior side.

Stats correct as of 11 June 2026

How was his 2025/26 season?

Niggling muscle injuries may have prevented him from finishing higher than fourth in the scoring chart, but 16 Bundesliga goals from only 28 starts - including doubles against Heidenheim (twice), Werder Bremen and Cologne, and a stunning hat-trick against RB Leipzig - suggest his scoring touch remains as sharp as ever.

The 30-year-old arguably saved his most memorable efforts for the UEFA Champions League. As well as registering the only goal in a 1-0 win at Benfica, Schick completed the scoring in an unforgettable 2-0 victory at Manchester City before single-handedly firing Leverkusen into the last 16 with another brace at Olympiacos.

"We are very happy we were able to convince Kennet Eichhorn of our approach. We were already in close contact with Kennet and his family a year ago, and even back then we formed a good bond. That was also always evident in this year's talks," said Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes.

"Kennet shares our view that Bayer 04 offers the best conditions for him to develop into an absolute top player in the Bundesliga. The talks with our head coach Carles Martínez were also characterised by great agreement on footballing issues and mutual trust. With Kennet, we now have one of the best German talents in our ranks."

Kennet Eichhorn

Age: 16 (Born 27 July 2009)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Defensive midfielder
Country: Germany (Four U17 caps, two goals)

Key stats

Hertha’s goalless draw with Karlsruhe on 10 August 2025 was not a game that will live long in the memory – unless perhaps you are Kennet Eichhorn.

Midway through the second half of the Matchday 2 encounter, and with nearly 60,000 spectators watching on at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, the teenager replaced Leon Jensen to become Bundesliga 2’s youngest-ever debutant – aged just 16 years and 14 days.

Former Borussia Dortmund prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko, who was handed his Bundesliga bow a day after his 16th birthday, is the only player in the history of Germany’s top two divisions to make his debut at a younger age.