Lionel Messi scored his sixth goal of the 2026 World Cup and Harry Kane sent England top of their group as Iran left the tournament.
Published June 28, 2026
Lionel Messi became the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games as Argentina continued their winning streak, as England beat Panama 2-0 on Saturday to secure top spot in their group.
England have set up a last-32 clash with African underdogs Democratic Republic of the Congo, who have reached the finals for the first time.
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Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored in England’s hard-fought victory at the New York-New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey to take first place in Group L, with a game against the Democratic Republic of the Congo set to take place in Atlanta on Wednesday.
DR Congo advanced with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan in Atlanta, their first win in a World Cup match, and finished third in Group K as one of the best third-place teams.
Colombia held Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal to a 0-0 draw in Miami and topped Group K. The result means the Portuguese could face Croatia in the last 32 and European champions Spain in the last 16.
England coach Tuchel: “We will step up”
England, forced to work hard by a well-organized Panama team, looked set for a repeat of their lackluster 0-0 draw against Ghana, but Bellingham took the lead in the 62nd minute and assisted Kane five minutes later.
England coach Thomas Tuchel said: “It was exactly what we expected. It was a tough game against a physical opponent.”
“They are a difficult team to score against. We are the only team to have created so many chances and scored twice,” added Tuchel, confidently predicting that England would improve in the finals.
“We will step up even more,” said the German. “The bigger the game gets, the bigger we get.”
Croatia defeats Ghana
Meanwhile, Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 in Philadelphia and finished second in their group behind England. Croatia’s goals from Petar Susic and Nikola Vlasic helped Ghana settle for third place.
Croatia’s victory ended Scotland’s hopes of progressing to the last 32 as one of the best teams in third place and eliminated them from the tournament. Scotland manager Steve Clarke has resigned with immediate effect.
With Friday’s results already confirming England, Croatia and Ghana’s place in the knockout stages, the only question to be resolved was qualification.
Croatia will play Portugal in Toronto on Thursday.
Messi scores from the bench in Argentina’s top group
Messi scored his sixth goal of the 2026 World Cup as near-second place Argentina finished their group stage with a 3-1 win over Jordan. Argentine great Messi came on in the second half in Arlington, Texas, and scored his 19th career goal, extending his World Cup record.
Reigning champions Argentina, who topped Group J with three wins from three matches, will face Cape Verde in the next round after the island nation became the smallest country to qualify for the knockout stages.
Austria and Algeria drew 3-3, ending their group stage matches and both advancing to the last 32. The draw also confirmed Iran’s elimination, a day after holding Egypt to a draw in the final group match.
The Austrians equalized with Sasa Kalajdzic’s goal six minutes into stoppage time, preserving their World Cup legacy, but Iran were no longer one of the best third-place teams and were eliminated.
Austria, who finished in second place in Group J, will face Spain in the final tournament, while Algeria will advance as one of the leading teams in third place and will face Switzerland.
