Have you missed any updates during the initial days of the tournament? It would be understandable if you have. You can catch up on all the latest news and insights with Max and the team on the newest episode of World Cup Daily.
“I’ve really enjoyed the World Cup so far,” says Harry Sachar. “Plenty of entertainment and quality on view. I reckon the new rules about time-wasting have worked a treat. The cherry on top being the Socceroos wonderful win against Türkiye yesterday. Currently watching Ecuador v Côte d’Ivoire which has been yet another entertaining match.”
I share your sentiments, Harry. The pace at which the games are unfolding has surprised me, aided by the officiating and the contrasting styles on display. Matches that lacked aesthetic appeal (Brazil and Morocco, I’m looking at you) often came from teams neutralizing each other. I hope we see some counterattacking tactics in the knockout stages to maintain that dynamic feel.
How have these early encounters impacted your Bracketology? Is Germany on the rise while Brazil takes a dip?
The first match of the day featured Germany overwhelming debutants Curacao with a score of 7-1 in Houston.
“Germany will surely reach the knockouts this time and could have made absolutely certain by adding several more. Nagelsmann will be pleased that threats emanated from all around the pitch, half a dozen scorers bearing testament to that, but it should go without saying that more accurate tests of strength will have to be navigated over the next month. Kai Havertz, rounding things off neatly with his second goal, will hope to be similarly efficient later on.”
Barney Ronay was in Dallas to witness the opening match of Group F, which ended in a 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan.
“The World Cup continued to produce the unexpected in Arlington. On a throbbingly hot afternoon in the low flat plains outside Dallas, the Netherlands and Japan played out an episodically thrilling opening Group F game, with Daichi Kamada scoring an 88th-minute equalizer to make it 2-2 just as the Dutch looked like taking an early hold on one of the tougher groups. There has been so much talk of tired players, format failure, and empty seats (the stadium was full here), talk so feverishly committed you wondered at times if it was necessary to play the games at all. But it does feel as though something else has been taking place in the opening games. Maybe – whisper it – the World Cup is actually good.”
Hello everyone and welcome to the live coverage of match 12 of the 2026 World Cup, where Sweden will take on Tunisia. The clash in Group F at Estadio Monterrey is set to kick off at 8 PM local time (10 PM EDT/3 AM BST/12 PM AEST).
This match is crucial for both teams following the earlier 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan that showcased the strengths of the group favorites. However, recent performance suggests this encounter may not match the technical quality of that previous match.
Sweden has struggled recently, failing to secure a win between June 2025 and March 2026 as they made their way to the finals via the playoff route. After victories over Ukraine and Poland, they have since gone two matches without a win.
Tunisia, having qualified comfortably from a favorable CAF group phase, has only managed to win once in their last seven matches, including three consecutive games without scoring, culminating in a hefty 5-0 defeat to Belgium in their final warm-up.
I will return shortly with team news and a summary of all the matchday action thus far. In the meantime, you can follow the Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador game and share your thoughts about the tournament by emailing jonathan.howcroft.freelance@.
