World Cup updates: Team USA looks forward to 2026
The Americans lost 3-1 to the Netherlands in the knockout round.
After years of controversy around its location, the 2022 World Cup is underway in Qatar.
There have been allegations of payoffs to FIFA members to earn the bid, criticism of Qatar's laws against women and LGBTQ individuals, the deaths of migrants used to build the sparkling new stadiums and even last-second controversy over beer sales. The tournament was also moved from its usual summer timeframe to the holiday season to avoid Qatar's intensely hot weather.
But on the field, the best players in the world -- such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar -- are ready to go. And the U.S. is back with a hungry, young team after failing to qualify for the last World Cup.
Key headlines:
US and England tie 0-0
The U.S. and England tied in their match on Friday, ending the game without scoring any goals.
To advance to the next round, the U.S. will need to win its match against Iran on Tuesday.
England won its match against Iran on Monday 6-2.
Neymar to miss Brazil's next game with ankle injury
Soccer star Neymar injured his right ankle during Brazil's match against Serbia and will miss Brazil's second World Cup match, the team's doctor said Friday.
Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Neymar has a ligament injury on his right ankle and will not play against Switzerland on Monday, according to The Associated Press.
"I have an injury yes, it's boring, it's going to hurt but I'm sure I'll have the chance to come back because I will do my best to help my country, my teammates and myself," Neymar wrote in an Instagram post.
Lasmar said there is no timetable for Neymar's recovery, but that defender Danilo, who also suffered an ankle injury, will be out for the game Monday, the AP reported.
China gifts Qatar two pandas tasked with predicting game winners
Thuraya and Suhail are two pandas gifted to Qatar from China to celebrate their hosting the World Cup. Every day, they are tasked with predicting which countries will win that day's matchups.
Unfortunately, they are not given the opportunity to choose if the game will end in a draw. Their success rate so far stands at 33%.
Fans of the U.S. men's soccer team may hope this less-than-stellar rate holds as the pandas predicted this morning that England wins in the team's group stage match.
Senegal beats Qatar 3-1
Senegal beat World Cup host Qatar 3-1, in what was the host's first appearance in the tournament ever.
The two other Group A members, the Netherlands and Ecuador, are set to face off on Friday.
Belgium, No. 2 team in world, fights to advance in highlight of Thursday action
Belgium entered the World Cup with the No. 2 ranking in the world with its so-called "Golden Generation" looking at one last chance to win the tournament. Now, the team is fighting just to advance to the knockout stage.
All eyes will be on Romalu Lukaku, the star forward for Belgium who has been recovering from a hamstring injury, to see if he can play and play well. He came on as a substitute in the squad's second game for his first action of the tournament. He'll start Thursday's game on the bench too, but figures to be an important substitute.
Belgium, currently third in Group F, faces Croatia, which stands atop the group. A win for Croatia puts them in the second round and officially eliminates Belgium. A win for Belgium would also put them through. A draw and it gets more complicated, with Morocco also in contention.
Morocco is facing off with Canada, which is unfortunately already eliminated from advancing to the knockout stage in its first World Cup appearance since 1986. At 0-2, the country would still like to get its first World Cup victory ever. Morocco would clinch a spot in the second round with a win. If both matches end in a draw, then Croatia and Morocco would go through to the knockout stage.
The second slate of games Thursday features longtime soccer power Germany fighting to stay alive. The country sits last in Group E with just 1 point. They'll need to beat heavy underdog Costa Rica just to have a chance to advance. If Germany wins and Spain beats Japan, Germany would get through.
Spain or Japan would advance with a win as they play each other. Spain would also advance with a draw, but Japan would only advance with a draw if Germany loses or ties or Germany wins and Japan has the better goal differential.
Here's the schedule for Thursday: