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.
Senegal, Netherlands advance from Group A
The first two teams to advance out of group play are Senegal and Netherlands. Netherlands cruised to a 2-0 victory over host country Qatar, while Senegal earned a 2-1 victory in a must-win match.
Senegal led 1-0 at the half on a penalty kick goal from Ismaila Sarr in the 44th minute. But Ecuador tied the game 1-1 in the 67th minute on a goal by Moises Caicedo off a corner kick. A draw would've meant Ecuador advanced to the knockout round.
But Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly scored the go-ahead goal just three minutes later off a free kick. The goal stood up as the game-winner.
A heavily favored Dutch side had no issues with Qatar, which had already been eliminated from contention for the second round. Cody Gakpo scored in the 26th minute and Frenkie de Jong added a second goal just four minutes into the second half. Netherlands finished atop the group with the win.
Netherlands will play the second-place team in Group B in the next round, while Senegal will face the winner of Group A. The U.S., if they advance over Iran, will likely take on Netherlands.