The USA dares to dream the impossible World Cup dream
By Kyle Feldscher, Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
The soccer world wakes up to a burning question this morning, one that hasn’t been asked in a very long time: Is the US … good?
A 2-0 win over Australia solidified passage for the Stars and Stripes into the knockout rounds and a 1-0 win for Paraguay over Turkey ensures the US will finish atop Group D. The two US wins to start this World Cup mean the Americans have accomplished something that American soccer stars haven’t done in this tournament since the first one in 1930: Win two group games.
It’s the weekend, and that means I, supervising editor Kyle Feldscher, get to take over Ben’s usual place as writer for the opening of today’s section. In an exercise of this newfound authority, let’s start this Saturday – chock full of World Cup action as it is – by looking back on Friday and the USA.
The Main Thing: The American strain of World Cup fever is starting to spread
By now, we are all familiar with World Cup fever. For longtime American soccer fans, there’s a different sort of strain of that wonderful infection.
Let’s call it The Sméagol-Gollum Dynamic, after the split-personality figure who was driven insane by his lust for The One Ring in the “Lord of the Rings” saga.
Stay with me here.
In many international competitions, Americans dominate. Every other year in the Olympics, Team USA is at or near the top of the medal standings. We are used to taking on the rest of the world and being competitive, if not winning, a lot of the time in a lot of sports.
But not men’s soccer. Never men’s soccer. On that stage, the Americans are routinely humbled.
Lots of American soccer fans spend their weekend mornings watching the top European leagues on TV, their weekday afternoons watching the UEFA Champions League. There are very few Americans playing in those high-profile matches; we instead admire and celebrate players from around the world who provide the highlights.
This is the Sméagol side of our personality. We are humble before the rest of the world, recognizing the USA’s longtime second-tier status in the men’s game. We know there is not just history that separates us from the top soccer-playing nations, but structural and cultural reasons that have long held the US back in the quest to develop the game. We know this. We recognize this. We begrudgingly accept this.
But two wins in the World Cup and some periods of truly inspiring play flip a switch in the brain. And that’s when Gollum comes out.
We are suddenly convinced that “the precious” (a World Cup trophy or, at the very least, a deep run into the tournament) is not just possible but probable. We will hear the logic in our brain saying, “What about that leaky back line?” or “Yeah, but eventually you have to play one of the big European teams” and we answer that with “Must have … the precious.”
We know that in the grand scheme of things, we are a non-traditional nation going up against teams with long, storied histories. Teams from countries that are full of stars who have grown up believing that not only will they compete for the World Cup but, at some point in their lifetimes, they’ll see their nation win it. It’s like they are college football blue-bloods that see trophies as a birthright.
The Sméagol side knows that’s what the USA is up against. But the Gollum side responds by saying, “Hell, Indiana won a national title, didn’t they?”
For more on last night’s game in Seattle, check out David Close’s excellent analysis from Lumen Field after that famous 2-0 win over the Aussies.
Netherlands vs. Sweden
When? 1 p.m. ET
Where? Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium), Houston, Texas, USA
The Netherlands will be slightly disappointed after drawing its first game 1-1, despite it coming against a dangerous Japan team.
But the nature of conceding a late equalizer will be a knock that the Oranje wants to recover from against an equally impressive Swedish side. Sweden waltzed to a 5-1 victory against Tunisia in its opener, with its forward line of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres capitalizing on some poor defending.
Another win for the Blågult would send it through to the knockout stage and could spell disaster for a Dutch team widely expected to go far in the competition.
Germany vs. Ivory Coast
When? 4 p.m. ET
Where? Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Canada
No team scored more than Germany in the first round of group matches – the European giant smashed Curaçao 7-1 in a statement of intent to the other teams competing in North America.
In truth, though, the four-time World Cup champion was coming up against a team lacking the quality or experience to really trouble it and will have a tougher time against the Ivory Coast.
Saying that, the African side didn’t set the world alight in its game against Ecuador despite scoring a late winner to make it 1-0. But its attacking line of Yan Diomande, Amad Diallo and Nicolas Pépé will definitely test the German resolve more than Curaçao, so we’ll be able to see what an unfancied Germany side is really about this summer.
Les Éléphants also received a boost after striker Elye Wahi, under investigation for alleged betting-related offenses, received authorization to enter Canada amid fears he’d be unable to travel for Ivory Coast’s second group match.
Quote of the day
“I don’t even look at it like a game. I look at it like a stage. This is my chance to show the whole world what you saw in me.”
The words of Ivory Coast’s star winger Yan Diomande in a recent letter he penned in The Players’ Tribune to his sister, Roxane, who died when she was just 15.
Diomande spoke about the impact his sister had on him and how she continued to believe in him when he was being rejected by clubs across the US’ Major League Soccer and in Europe.
Now, the 19-year-old is one of the most sought-after players in world soccer, and he’s doing it all to prove his sister right.
Watch: USA fans go nuts after Friday’s win
OK, one more bit from Friday’s game. CNN Sports’ Andy Scholes was at Lumen Field for the match and caught up with some absolutely psyched US fans following the big win.
CNN’s Ultimate World Cup Quiz
With the World Cup now in full flow, it’s time to test your knowledge of tournament history. To get you started, have a go at this one:
Q: Which team has won the most World Cups?
A: (find the answer at the bottom of today’s newsletter)
Ecuador vs. Curaçao
When? 8 p.m. ET
Where? Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Ecuador was many people’s tip for a surprise run at this tournament with a sprinkling of elite talent in its ranks. But the South American side couldn’t find a way past Ivory Coast in its first game, despite hitting the woodwork three times as it piled on the pressure.
A win now against Curaçao is vital for progression, and La Tricolor will fancy their chances after watching their opponent fall apart against Germany.
The tiny Caribbean island might have been hammered 7-1, but its fans enjoyed celebrating its first World Cup goal like they had just won the trophy. Whatever the result today, Curaçao has already made history.
Tunisia vs. Japan
When? Midnight ET
Where? Monterrey Stadium (Estadio BBVA), Guadalupe, Mexico
Tunisia really struggled in its first game and was comfortably beaten by Sweden. The result was so emphatic that the Tunisian soccer federation acted fast, sacking manager Sabri Lamouchi just hours after.
The 54-year-old, who had only been in charge since January, has since been replaced with experienced national team manager – and World Cup mainstay – Hervé Renard.
Renard was the manager of Saudi Arabia for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and took charge of Morocco in the 2018 tournament – he’s also won the Africa Cup of Nations in charge of both Zambia and Ivory Coast.
“It’s a serious blow to your ego. You feel guilty,” Renard told reporters when asked about Lamouchi’s sacking.
“When you exit a tournament the way he just has, I just think he deserves to be cut some slack.”
Japan will be a formidable opponent despite not playing its best in its opener. The Samurai Blue appeared passive in a disappointing first half against the Dutch but began to find their rhythm in the second 45 minutes.
Why Tunisia vs. Japan is set to be a grand occasion on Saturday
CNN Sports’ Glen Levy is back with some fun facts about an important milestone being reached on Saturday.
With no disrespect intended toward the two teams playing Saturday night in Guadalupe, Mexico, it’s fair to presume that the Group F encounter between Tunisia and Japan wasn’t on many people’s lists of notable matches to watch at the 2026 World Cup.
But as it turns out, the game is set to be the 1,000th in World Cup history. There have been numerous landmark fixtures along the way, so allow us to jog your memory, or perhaps unearth some fun facts…
First World Cup match
July 13, 1930: USA 3-0 Belgium/France 4-1 Mexico
The USA-Belgium and France-Mexico group games kicked off simultaneously, but it’s the French who scored the very first World Cup goal, courtesy of Lucien Laurent. And as with 2026, the USA got off to a great start and went so deep that their official tournament classification of third in 1930 remains their best-ever finish.
200th World Cup match
July 30, 1966: England 4-2 West Germany (AET)
The bicentennial fixture was a doozy, as it happened to be the final, as England and West Germany played for the trophy at Wembley Stadium. The hosts triumphed, thanks to Geoff Hurst becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, though don’t ask your German friends their thoughts on Hurst’s second goal (spoiler: They’ll say it didn’t cross the line).
500th World Cup match
June 30, 1994: Greece 0-2 Nigeria/Argentina 0-2 Bulgaria
The 500th games in World Cup history also took place in North America, with the final round of fixtures in Group D meaning simultaneous kickoffs. Nigeria beat Greece to top the group and Bulgaria saw off an Argentina team missing the legendary Diego Maradona, who had sensationally failed a doping test.
900th World Cup match
July 15, 2018: France 4-2 Croatia
Soccer fans were treated to another final with the 900th World Cup match and, incredibly, the scoreline replicated the 1966 showpiece, with another 4-2 outcome, in another all-European final. France lifted their second World Cup, 20 years after their first triumph.
The Final Whistle: Dutch dance craze sweeps North America
A dance tune – with two simple instructions and involving thousands of bouncing, orange-clad soccer fans – has once again graced the World Cup.
“Links Rechts” – or “Left Right” – by Snollebollekes has become the unofficial anthem of the Dutch national team in recent years and videos of fans dancing in their thousands before the Netherlands’ opening match against Japan last week have been seen all across social media.
You can expect similar scenes ahead of the Oranje’s match against Sweden in Houston today.
Prompted by the song, fans link arms and jump to the left. Then, when told, they switch direction and all jump right together. When performed by thousands of fans, it’s a sight to behold.
“I call it the orange madness,” Snollebollekes lead singer Rob Kemps told CNN Sports in an interview back in 2024. “Everybody wants to be a part of it. I think that’s the power of the song. When you see it, you want to be a part of that. You want to be there.”
Kemps is a comedian by trade but was asked to front Snollebollekes over 10 years ago, after the founders were encouraged to keep producing what he calls “fun” and “very popular” songs. He accepted and started singing with the band.
In the early days, when performing another song, Kemps would get the crowd to wave left and right – a move that would go on to inspire “Links Rechts,” which was written and then released in 2015.
“We thought if they are crazy enough to wave from left to right, let’s see if they are crazy enough to jump from left to right,” he said. “And actually, everybody is, so that’s how it began.”
A: Brazil (5) – The Seleção has won the biggest trophy in international soccer in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
You can try CNN’s ultimate quiz here.
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