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

The eight teams playing World Cup matches on Thursday are taking part in an International Day for Countering Hate Speech commemoration, with a pre-match exchange of pennants denouncing such language.

Captains involved in the Czechia-South Africa, Mexico-South Korea, Switzerland-Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada-Qatar matches will have pennants reading "We Play Together. We Stand Against Hate" with the wording in English on one side and the teams' native language on the other.

FIFA says it has deleted more than 30 million abusive posts and comments since its social media protection service was created before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA says it deleted nearly 400,000 negative or abusive posts in the first few days of this World Cup - more than it did in the entirety of the 2022 event.

Other stadium activations involving that message are planned during Thursday's matches.

The parent company of Sam Adams said its Boston Taproom ran out of the brand's flagship Boston Lager over the weekend because Scotland soccer fans in Boston for the 2026 World Cup drank four times as much as the bar usually sells.

Boston Beer Co. said in a news release that from Thursday to Sunday, the Tartan Army -- Scotland's supporters organization -- drank four times what the company normally stocks during a typical four-day holiday stretch like the Fourth of July, adding that it had to schedule an emergency delivery of beer Saturday morning and are adding extra deliveries this week to make sure it has enough.

"We've never seen anything like it," Billy DeCain of the Sam Adams Boston Taproom told NBC Boston.

"The White Bull Tavern, there was no beer," Scottish fan Dave Orr told NBC. "The Scottish fans just drank the place dry and all they had was Bud Light."

"Pretty much everything. We ran out of everything," Paul Morris of The White Bull Tavern said. "Tennent's being number one.

"The fans have been unbelievable. They're great -- fun, drinking, partying -- having a great time."

Boston has been taken over by Scotland fans the past few days, as they've traveled over the Atlantic to witness their men's soccer team play in its first World Cup in 28 years.

In a news release, Boston Beer Co. said, "There are 20 beers on tap there, including many you can only get at the taproom, but they were basically only drinking Boston Lager. We're adding extra deliveries this week to make sure we have enough."

Noelle Somers, chief operating officer at Hennessy's Bar, told The Boston Globe that the sales "tripled St. Patrick's Day."

"We've been here for over 30 years, and we've never seen anything like it," she told the Boston Globe.

On Saturday night, the fans watched Scotland defeat Haiti 1-0 at Gillette Stadium.

And after navigating the packed trains and traffic jams, the party continued long into the morning across Boston's many bars. Then, just under 24 hours after Scotland's win on the pitch, the Boston Red Sox put on "Scotland Day" at Fenway Park.

The Tartan Army led a fan march from Evans Way Park to the ballpark. It was led by a cohort of folks playing bagpipes as they brought a touch of Scotland to New England.

A conservative estimate saw at least 5,000 fans take part -- but judging by eye in Fenway Park, thousands more made the trip to watch the Red Sox play the Texas Rangers.

Scotland next play against Morocco on Friday at Gillette Stadium.

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.