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

The mother of Cape Verde star goalkeeper Vozinha has been granted a visa to enter the United States in time for her 40-year-old son's next World Cup match, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Wednesday.

Vozinha became an early sensation of the World Cup after making key saves in a 0-0 draw with Spain, one of the tournament favorites that was expected to rout tiny Cape Verde.

After the match, Vozinha said his mother had not been able to secure a visa to enter the U.S. to see him play.

Jeffries said he spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and "asked the State Department to do everything in their power to ensure that his mother can attend Cabo Verde's next match."

Jeffries said all fees have been waived and travel arrangements are being made to get her to Cape Verde's next game Sunday against Uruguay in Miami.

"I thank Secretary Rubio, U.S. State Department officials, the government of Cabo Verde and FIFA for working together to make this possible," Jeffries said.

Vozinha made seven saves against Spain as Cape Verde delivered a stunning World Cup debut. Afterward, Vozinha said his mother had been unable to gather the money in time to secure a visa to enter the U.S.

Cape Verde is among 50 countries whose citizens face bonds of up to $15,000 to secure a U.S. visa, part of President Donald Trump's broader crackdown on travelers from countries that officials said had high rates of visa overstays. The Trump administration last month suspended the requirement for ticket-holders from Cape Verde and four other World Cup nations, but critics said it was too late for many fans.

The State Department had said it had no record of her ever applying for a visa, but that it was working on resolving the situation with Cape Verde authorities. The department said it had notified all players from World Cup countries affected by the $15,000 visa bond requirement that they and their families would be exempt from posting the bond.

A person familiar with the situation said that the State Department believes that Vozinha's mother did not apply for a visa because she did not hold a valid Cape Verde passport, but that she is now in the process of getting one.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential visa deliberations.

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed reporting from Washington.

South Korea's preparations for Thursday's World Cup match against Mexico have been overshadowed by a rift between the players and the country's media following disparaging comments about captain Son Heung-min.

The spat reportedly led to the resignation of one of the team's media officers on Tuesday. The national team has yet to confirm the resignation, which has been reported by some of the media covering the South Korean squad in Guadalajara.

Access for the media had apparently been cut off after the comments against Son were caught on camera. Players reportedly refrained from speaking to South Korean media outside official World Cup commitments, and scheduled interviews with players were canceled.

Mexican media said there was a meeting between the team's media officers and the South Korean media to discuss the incident.

There was no media access scheduled on Tuesday. The pre-match news conference is scheduled for Wednesday.

The South Korean soccer association said it regretted "the inappropriate remarks made by some media personnel during the national football team's training at the Guadalajara base camp." The organization added the comments caused "great shock and disappointment" within the squad.

The incident occurred during an open training session on June 7, days before South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in its first World Cup match.

The 33-year-old Son, running with teammates, was mocked by unidentified media personnel over his military record in footage recorded by broadcaster JTBC, South Korea's official rights holder for the tournament. The video was later leaked, prompting a strong reaction on social media.

By helping South Korea win gold at the 2018 Asian Games, Son earned an exemption from the mandatory 21-month military service required of able-bodied men.

Son later completed alternative duties, including a three-week military training course in 2020 and community service.

The federation said in Monday's statement that it "will continue to prioritize the protection of the squad and strive to create a healthy media environment."

Son, who left Tottenham for Los Angeles FC a year ago, missed chances in the victory over the Czech Republic, with Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring in Guadalajara.

South Korea plays again in Guadalajara on Thursday when it faces Mexico in Group A.

Duerden reported from London.

Lionel Messi delivered his first World Cup hat trick while matching Miroslav Klose's career tournament scoring record Tuesday night, giving thousands of Argentina fans packed inside of Arrowhead Stadium for a match against Algeria a moment they will never forget.

Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes off a nifty feed from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second off an opportunistic rebound early in the second half, and the third on a crisp strike moments before subbing out to a standing ovation, as La Albiceleste begin the defense of their World Cup crown with a dominant 3-0 victory over Les Fennecs.

"At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?" Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "He's incredible."

His incredible trio of goals came 20 years to the day that Messi made his World Cup debut in a match against Serbia and Montenegro - he scored in that one, too - and made the pride of Rosario only the second player to score in five editions of the tournament.

Messi has 16 goals in his six World Cup appearances, and it seems inevitable that Klose's record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat trick was the 61st of Messi's career and his 11th while playing in the blue-and-white kit of the national team.

It also was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored.

"It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I'm living though now is the cherry on top," Messi said. "I'm very happy an grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much."

Messi's hat trick upstaged two of soccer's other stars - Kylian Mbappé of France and Erling Haaland of Norway - who had big games of their own on Tuesday. Mbappé scored twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal to move into a tie for fourth on the World Cup goals list with 14, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in its 4-1 victory over Iraq.

"Messi is a madman," Haaland said amid his hat trick in a post on Snapchat.

Messi, who turns 39 next week, had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that had slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, which honors global soccer's best player, had no problems in a tuneup last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing 20 minutes in a sharp performance.

"When I'm in good shape," Messi said, "I give it my all."

Messi's appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at age of 18. The only players with more are Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who will play his 229th on Wednesday, and Bader al-Mutawa, who played in 202 for Kuwait.

Messi and Ronaldo are the only players to have scored in five World Cups.

Argentina is among four national teams making their base camps in the Kansas City metro. And much as it has the rest of the world, Messi-mania has swept through the area ever since La Albiceleste's arrival in the Heartland about two weeks ago.

On match day, thousands of fans wearing his No. 10 jersey trekked into the home of the NFL's Chiefs on the outskirts of Kansas City, singing odes to their hero. Meanwhile, during a watch party at the downtown Power & Light District, a goat accompanied by former NFL quarterback-turned Fox broadcaster Jameis Winston came on stage wearing an Argentina jersey.

The humorous moment seemed to have foreshadowed a big night for Messi when he scored an hour later, and the argument that he's soccer's GOAT - the greatest of all time - is becoming no argument at all with every match he plays.

"It's an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward. Because of who he is," De Paul said. "He doesn't care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it's incredible."

At 40 years old, most athletes are thinking about retirement, but Cape Verde's goalkeeper Josimar Dias, who goes by Vozinha, is just getting started.

Playing in his first-ever World Cup match, the veteran keeper made seven saves to help his tiny island nation earn a stunning scoreless draw against soccer powerhouse Spain.

After the final whistle, an emotional Vozinha broke down in tears, thinking about family members who couldn't be there to witness the moment.

The overnight sensation has gone from about 50,000 Instagram followers to 10 million as of Tuesday afternoon and has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the World Cup.