A lot of world football supporters around the globe awoke Sunday to learn Australia opened its 2026 World Cup account with a 2-0 win over Turkey.
The match kicked off at 12 a.m. ET in Vancouver, British Columbia, a point at which many outside the West Coast were already in bed.
Rest assured there will be plenty on offer Sunday with four more fixtures on the schedule. Here’s the full slate for the day and where things stand in the groups that have started play.
With just one match in the books, Australia may already have a foot in the knockout stages for the second successive World Cup.
The Socceroos jumped ahead early on Türkiye with a goal from Nestory Irankunda in the 27th minute. That capped off a rapid counterattack:
Minutes later, goalkeeper Patrick Beach made a sprawling save to deny an equalizer:
Connor Metcalfe provided some needed breathing room deep into the second half. His low effort found the bottom corner of the net to double Australia’s lead:
Tony Popovic’s squad executed its game plan to perfection. Australia prevailed despite only finishing with 30 percent possession, and it had four shots on target to eight for Türkiye.
When as many as three countries can advance out of a group, earning three points goes a long way toward booking a place in the round of 32.
