FIFA World Cup 2026: US punches ticket to World Cup knockout round after 2-0 win over Australia

Iran's World Cup has been tumultuous off the field, and its play on the pitch still hasn't produced a victory.

Yet Team Melli's dream of advancing to a World Cup knockout round for the first time is still very much alive, thanks to an afternoon of brilliance from goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in a 0-0 draw with Belgium on Sunday.

In a World Cup that has already produced several memorable goalkeeping performances, Beiranvand joined the group with seven saves against the Red Devils. His one-handed stop from a prone position on Maxim De Cuyper's point-blank shot early in the second half should rank among the highlight saves of the tournament - and De Cuyper was denied yet again by Beiranvand on a golden opportunity in the 86th minute.

Iran's World Cup has been tumultuous off the field, and its play on the pitch still hasn't produced a victory.

"He's one of our greatest goalkeepers in the history of Iranian football, and he has achieved many things," Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said. "He's extremely intelligent, very experienced, and he had one of his best days today."

But his teammates couldn't come up with the goal that would have produced a historic victory, not even after Belgium went down to 10 men in the second half. Defender Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card in the 66th minute when he miskicked a ball backward and then fouled Mehdi Taremi to prevent the Iran star from getting a clean breakaway scoring chance.

Belgium actually generated better scoring opportunities down the stretch while finishing with 23 shots, but both teams left with their second straight draw in group play.

So while neither team was fully happy with the result at SoFi Stadium, Iran drew many more positives.

"The feeling in the dressing room is we could have even get more than what we got today," Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh said. "But we are very, very happy with the performance we had as a team. I think we showed a great team spirit."

During a tumultuous World Cup trip affected by travel restrictions and visa denials from the U.S., Iran just missed a prime opportunity to beat a European team sitting 10th in FIFA's world rankings. Team Melli was essentially the home team in the Los Angeles area for its second straight match in front of a stadium packed with fans from the diaspora both supporting the Iranians and decrying the government, with boos of the anthem and hundreds of pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flags displayed.

Iran's World Cup cycle has been chaotic ever since the U.S. began a war on Feb. 28. The Iranians moved their training base from Arizona to Mexico, and the team has been required to leave Los Angeles right after both matches, infuriating Ghalenoei. With so many preparation obstacles, Ghalenoei leaned on experience against Belgium, sending out the oldest starting 11 at a World Cup match since 1966, according to Opta.

"This is part of our culture: In a difficult situation, we perform better," Jahanbakhsh said.

Meanwhile, Belgium has yet to score in two matches at this World Cup, getting on the scoreboard only through an own goal in its opening draw with Egypt.

Standout winger Jérémy Doku missed this match with an illness for Belgium, which has not scored on 69 consecutive shots at the World Cup dating back to its one goal scored during its three mostly dismal games in Qatar four years ago. Kevin De Bruyne led the way with five shots and his usual creative playmaking, yet nothing could get the ball past Beiranvand.

"We were not efficient enough," said striker Romelu Lukaku, who generated one shot while starting and playing 73 minutes despite injury concerns. "We were a bit emotional, but you know, in the end, we created a lot. So let's stick to the positive side and try to improve for the next game."

Belgium dominated possession in the first 60 minutes, but Iran still had a strong counterattack that was repeatedly thwarted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who matched Beiranvand's results, if not his theatricality.

Team Melli generated the best scoring chances early, including a beautiful set piece that resulted in a goal by Taremi - who was ruled narrowly offside by video review.

"I think in general, we played quite a good game," Courtois said. "Obviously you can always find things you'd like to do better. We had enough chances to score, and we didn't score. Their goalkeeper played a great game."

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Mexican national team ahead of the World Cup was who would start in net.

Would it be the inexperienced Raúl Rangel, who hadn't played a single official match for El Tri? Or the great Guillermo Ochoa, the team's anchor since 2014?

Coach Javier Aguirre bet on youth, and it turned out to be a wise decision.

The 26-year-old Rangel made a spectacular 87th-minute save against South Korea to help the co-hosts secure a dramatic 1-0 victory and become the first team to reach the knockout stage of this year's World Cup.

With two shutouts already under his belt, Rangel has matched the feat of the iconic Jorge Campos. In Mexico's next match against the Czech Republic, he will try to emulate Ignacio Calderón, the only Mexico goalkeeper to record three clean sheets in a single World Cup - achieved at home in 1970.

"Raúl has shown great determination since we first called him up. He was Luis Ángel Malagón's backup, but he persevered and just kept improving," Aguirre said. "He played well with his club, Chivas, and improved day by day. Few players debut with such ease; usually, they have to learn by making mistakes. He seemed a bit nervous in the first match, but he did well."

Rangel's rise to World Cup stardom was very unexpected. He was playing in the second division with Tapatío only three years ago, he became a starter with Chivas just a year ago, and Malagón was the favorite to start for Mexico after leading the team to CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup titles, but a ruptured left Achilles tendon in March ruled him out.

Even then, doubts lingered over whether Aguirre would trust Rangel on the world stage or default to the veteran experience of Ochoa. At 40 years old, Ochoa is attending his sixth World Cup, having started in 2014 in Brazil, four years later in Russia, and then at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

History almost repeated itself for Ochoa. Ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Ochoa was poised to be the starter, but Aguirre - also the coach back then - belatedly benched him in favor of veteran Óscar Pérez. This time, Aguirre went with youth.

Despite being relegated to the bench, Ochoa has embraced the role of teacher.

"I have to thank 'Memo,' who has been a true mentor to me. I say it openly, he has helped me a lot," Rangel said. "He has instilled in me the serenity he brings every day, despite all the World Cups he has played in."

After the match against South Korea, Ochoa waited for Rangel to greet him and hugged him before making his way to the locker room.

"Having Guillermo Ochoa behind me raises the level and intensity in all aspects, and that helps me mature. Knowing that I have a figure like him behind me, or beside me, supporting me, competing for the position, gives me a lot of confidence," Rangel said.

"Feeling like favorites would lead to complacency, and the team isn't ready for that," Rangel said about starting with two wins. "The team needs to focus on one game at a time, knowing that we're going to face tough opponents and avoiding overconfidence."

By keeping two clean sheets in his first two matches, Rangel equaled Ochoa's own debut run from 2014. Ochoa would go on to collect additional shutouts in 2018 and 2022, holding the Mexican record for the most total clean sheets in the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Campos, famous for his colorful uniforms and acrobatic style, recorded two shutouts over the 1994 and 1998 tournaments.

If Rangel manages to shutout the Czech Republic, he will equal Calderón's Mexican mark - though he will still be chasing the ultimate milestone. Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga holds the all-time World Cup record, keeping five consecutive clean sheets during the 1990 tournament.

The images show young men wearing Mexico's green national team jersey. A FIFA-style logo appears in the corner. The design mimics the collectible World Cup Panini stickers millions of soccer fans trade during the tournament.

But above each face taped to a concrete bench, utility pole or wall across downtown Guadalajara is a label:

"DESAPARECIDO."

Missing.

One shows Christian Emmanuel Rivera, disappeared in August 2023. Another is Jaime Adrián Ramírez, missing since September 2020.

As Guadalajara hosts matches during the 2026 World Cup, families searching for missing relatives have transformed one of soccer's most familiar images into a campaign to make Mexico's 135,000 missing people visible to the tens of thousands of visitors.

The initiative was launched by Luz de Esperanza, a search collective in the western state of Jalisco, which leads Mexico in disappearances with more than 16,000 people listed as missing in the state's registry. Members say other groups already have contacted them about adopting the idea.

"This is our way of drawing attention to the fact that we miss our children, that they are absent from our lives," said María de Jesús Solís, 57, whose son Jaime Adrián disappeared nearly six years ago.

She wears a pendant bearing his photograph around her neck.

"This is my boy," she said. "The difference is that now he's wearing the World Cup shirt."

Searching for the living

A

cross Mexico, relatives have formed search collectives that comb fields, ravines, abandoned buildings and clandestine graves, often carrying out searches they say authorities have failed to pursue.

Nearly every Sunday since 2021, members of Luz de Esperanza spread across Guadalajara carrying stacks of missing-person posters, hoping someone might recognize a face or provide a lead. The collective calls it a "search for the living."

This month they replaced many of those flyers with hundreds of World Cup-inspired posters.

For Solís, the campaign reflects frustration with what families see as competing priorities.

"We're not against the World Cup," she said. "But we're against the excessive spending."

Authorities invested millions preparing Guadalajara for the tournament while search collectives often pay for their own water, food and transportation during searches, she said.

"The government is showing a beautiful face to the world," Solís said. "But if you look around, the city is full of posters of our children."

Digging for answers

On a recent morning, Solís and Guadalupe Rivera joined other members of Luz de Esperanza at an abandoned property on the outskirts of Guadalajara.

The women moved through dark rooms and into a backyard littered with garbage. Some carried metal probes used to test the ground for signs of clandestine graves.

Rivera pressed a steel rod into the soil while others inspected the property. Her son, Christian Emmanuel, disappeared nearly three years ago. She joined the collective almost immediately.

"I thought that if I joined a group, the search would move faster," she said. "Time keeps passing, and I'm still searching."

Rivera helps search for human remains because she wants to support other families, but hopes she doesn't find her own son that way.

"I want to find him alive," she said. "I want him to show up at my front door."

The World Cup campaign, she said, grew from a simple calculation: if soccer dominates conversations across the city, perhaps it could also create space for people to notice those who are missing.

They are all sports fans, Rivera said.

"When it's the World Cup, even if you're not really a fan, you sit down at home and watch it with your family," she said. "But our family isn't whole anymore."

Mixed reactions to the campaign

Some residents have embraced the posters, Rivera said. Others have argued that the World Cup should be a time for celebration rather than a reminder of violence and loss.

But families say they have little choice except to keep finding new ways to make their loved ones visible.

"The government never pays attention to us," Rivera said. "So we want to see whether, this way, the world will."

The U.S. men's national team now knows when and where it will play its first knockout game of the World Cup.

Paraguay held on to beat Turkey 1-0 Friday night, which makes the U.S. the winner of Group D.

As the Group D winner, the U.S. will play a round-of-32 match on July 1 in Santa Clara, California, against a third-place group finisher.

The U.S. defeated Australia 2-0 in Seattle Friday afternoon and enters its last group game against Turkey with six points.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.