world cup qualifiers: Ancelotti's first Brazil win clinches 2026 World Cup berth

 

Ancelotti's first Brazil win clinches 2026 World Cup berth

SAO PAULO — Brazil secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a narrow 1–0 win over Paraguay on Tuesday night in São Paulo, delivering new coach Carlo Ancelotti his first victory at the helm .

Vinícius Júnior found the breakthrough just before halftime, capitalizing on a slick low cross from Matheus Cunha in the 44th minute reuters.com+15newscentral.africa+15timesofindia.indiatimes.com+15. Though Brazil dominated possession, they couldn’t extend their lead in the second half, but that single goal was enough to secure qualification as.com+6flashscore.com+6bolavip.com+6.

The win lifted Brazil to 25 points in the CONMEBOL standings—mathematically locking in one of South America’s six automatic spots, with two matches still to play as.com+15reuters.com+15espn.com.au+15. It also continues Brazil's unbroken record of appearing in every World Cup france24.com. Argentina and Ecuador are the only other CONMEBOL nations to have secured qualification so far reuters.com+1espn.com+1.

Ancelotti, who drew 0–0 with Ecuador in his debut last Thursday, can now turn his focus toward tactical refinement without the pressure of needing results timesofindia.indiatimes.com+15reuters.com+15foxsports.com+15. Vinícius emphasized the importance of this breakthrough:

“We needed to win at home for our fans too and qualify for the World Cup, which was our goal. Now [Ancelotti] will have more time to work, to see what he can improve” beinsports.com+7newscentral.africa+7reuters.com+7espn.com+1reuters.com+1.

With two matches remaining in their 18-game qualifying campaign, Brazil remain firmly in control of their path to the upcoming World Cup across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

World Cup 2026: Australia qualify with win over Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Australia booked their spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 comeback win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, securing qualification for their sixth consecutive tournament.

Despite only needing to avoid a five-goal defeat to progress, the Socceroos delivered a determined performance. After falling behind in the 19th minute to a goal by Abdulrahman Al Oboud, Australia responded through Connor Metcalfe and Mitchell Duke, sealing the victory and their place in the expanded World Cup.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan and South Korea concluded their qualifying campaigns in dominant fashion. In Osaka, Japan crushed Indonesia 6-0 with goals from Daichi Kamada, Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino, and Mao Hosoya, confirming their eighth straight World Cup appearance.

South Korea maintained their momentum with a 4-0 home win over Kuwait, clinching the top spot in Group B. Jeon Jin-Woo opened the scoring, with Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyeon-Gyu, and Lee Jae-Sung adding to the tally.

The top two teams from each of the three groups in the third round of Asian qualifying advance directly to the 2026 World Cup, set to be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Alongside Australia, Japan, and South Korea, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Iran have also qualified.

Oman secured the final spot in the next round of qualifiers after drawing 1-1 with Palestine. They join Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Indonesia in the fourth round, where teams will compete for Asia’s remaining two automatic slots in October.

Thomas Tuchel: England 'frozen' in historic loss to Senegal

NOTTINGHAM, England — Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that his England side looked “frozen” in their 3-1 friendly loss to Senegal, but stressed there's no reason to panic with the World Cup still a year away.

Harry Kane gave England an early lead with a close-range finish in the seventh minute, but Senegal responded emphatically through goals from Ismaïla Sarr, Habib Diarra, and Cheikh Sabaly—making them the first African nation to defeat England in a senior men’s match.

Tuchel, who rotated heavily with 10 changes from the narrow win over Andorra, saw his side booed off for the second match in a row. Jude Bellingham had a late equaliser chalked off by VAR due to a handball by Levi Colwill.

Reflecting on his first defeat as England boss, Tuchel said the performance lacked energy and urgency but insisted the result was part of the learning process:

“We lost a test match. No need to panic. We’ve won three qualifiers, conceded none, and we’ll be ready to compete in September.”

Tuchel added that as World Cup preparations intensify, competition for places would naturally increase:

“We're smarter now. It’s tough, but we don’t go to the World Cup next week—we go in a year. The demands will rise.”

Tuchel’s acknowledgment of England’s struggles echoed growing concerns about the team’s lack of fluidity—issues also evident in their recent narrow win over Andorra. It has reignited the debate about whether some players feel constrained by the expectations of representing their country.

Reflecting on Gareth Southgate’s successful tenure—which included two European Championship finals, a World Cup semifinal, and a quarterfinal—Tuchel noted that such past achievements have set a high bar.

“Expectations are natural after Gareth’s success. Opponents now approach games against England with intensity and ambition,” Tuchel said. “I could hear how much the Senegal team celebrated. It made me wonder—would we have reacted the same way?”

He continued with a candid self-assessment, questioning whether the team might be weighed down by the pressure to not just win, but win in style.

“Maybe they think winning should feel easy. Maybe that’s holding us back a little,” he said. “I see quality and energy in training, but we haven’t yet translated that to the pitch. Ironically, we looked most alive after going 2-1 down—maybe because there was suddenly nothing to lose.”

Alexis Sanchez asks for forgiveness as Chile miss World Cup again

Chile will miss a third straight World Cup after a 2‑0 defeat to Bolivia, leaving them anchored at the bottom of CONMEBOL’s 10‑team qualifying standings . Bolivia’s victory, powered by early and late strikes from Miguel Terceros and Enzo Monteiro, kept their hopes alive for an intercontinental playoff spot en.wikipedia.org+5hindustantimes.com+5m.economictimes.com+5.

The result ensures that Chile — once home to a “golden generation” who triumphed in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América — will miss out on the expanded 48‑team 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico bastillepost.com+4espn.com+4seattlepi.com+4.

Veteran striker Alexis Sánchez admitted the pain and appealed to the fans:

“Sad, I am feeling bad. Never lived something like this. We have to ask people to forgive us… the golden generation is buried, I am the only one left.” goal.com+8espn.com+8m.economictimes.com+8

Following the defeat, coach Ricardo Gareca resigned. His departure came after Chile managed just one win in 13 matches under his leadership — marking their third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup facebook.com+15reuters.com+15m.economictimes.com+15.

Bolivia struck early and late to intensify South America’s World Cup qualification drama

At 4,150 m above sea level, Bolivia hosted Paraguay in El Alto and took an early lead when Miguel Terceros scored in the fifth minute. They sealed the victory with a stoppage-time goal from Enzo Monteiro, clinching a 2-0 win at the ultra-high-altitude venue reddit.comen.wikipedia.org+2en.wikipedia.org+2reddit.com+2.

Bolivia now sit on 17 points, pushing hard against Venezuela—who have 18 and play Uruguay later—for seventh place, which grants an intercontinental playoff spot. Colombia, currently in sixth with 21 points, are vying for an automatic berth .

Elsewhere on Tuesday:

• Ecuador can secure direct qualification with a win in their match at Peru.

• Brazil and Paraguay, facing off in São Paulo, also have the opportunity to clinch automatic spots—especially if Venezuela falters in Montevideo.

• Argentina hosted Colombia in another key qualifier .

Looking ahead, Bolivia will determine their fate in September when they visit Colombia and return home to face Brazil, concluding their hopes for 2026 qualification.

 

Borussia Dortmund reject Chelsea's €50m offer for Jamie Gittens - sources

Chelsea’s dual transfer pursuit stalls as Borussia Dortmund reject Jamie Gittens’ €50 m bid and talks collapse for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan

Chelsea’s efforts to bolster their squad ahead of the Club World Cup hit a snag as Borussia Dortmund have turned down a second €50 million (≈ £42 m/$57 m) offer for 20-year-old winger Jamie Gittens, who has already agreed personal terms with the Blues espn.com+15global.espn.com+15facebook.com+15. Dortmund, now demanding closer to €55–65 m, have firmly stood by their valuation, saying Gittens is no ordinary asset . The deal would need to be completed by Tuesday’s registration deadline to make him eligible for the Club World Cup roster bavarianfootballworks.com+1thetimes.co.uk+1.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have also walked away from seeking AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in this window. Initial €15 m talks fell flat as Milan pushed for upwards of €25–30 m, leading the club to withdraw negotiations espn.com+15football-italia.net+15youtube.com+15. With Maignan’s contract running through 2026, Chelsea may revisit a January move when he could be available for free, despite acquiring new signing Mike Penders and relying on existing keepers for now espn.com+1thetimes.co.uk+1.

⏰ Summary:

• Jamie Gittens: €50 m bid rejected; personal terms agreed; BVB holding out for €55–65 m; deadline for Club World Cup inclusion Tuesday facebook.com+15global.espn.com+15espn.com+15.

• Mike Maignan: Chelsea withdraw from €15 m talks; Milan firm on €25–30 m; potential free move in January youtube.com+13football-italia.net+13youtube.com+13.

Chelsea may revisit both targets once the window reopens on June 16, but for now, their ambitions are on hold as deadlines loom.

Jamie Gittens Transfer Update

Chelsea's €50 million bid for 20-year-old winger Jamie Gittens was swiftly rejected by Borussia Dortmund, who are reportedly holding out for a fee approaching €65 million. Despite Gittens expressing a strong desire to join Chelsea and agreeing to a seven-year contract, the Premier League club has yet to meet Dortmund's valuation. With the transfer window closing on June 10, Chelsea's hopes of finalizing the deal before the deadline appear slim. However, discussions may resume when the transfer window reopens on June 16 .skysports.comtheguardian.com

Mike Maignan Transfer Stalemate

Chelsea's interest in AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan has also stalled. The club made an initial offer of €15 million, which was rejected by Milan, who are seeking a fee closer to €24 million. Despite Maignan's willingness to move and the club's interest in strengthening their goalkeeping options, Chelsea has decided not to pursue the deal further at this time .sempremilan.com+1reddit.com+1

With the Club World Cup approaching, Chelsea's squad planning remains fluid, and the club may revisit these transfer targets in the near future.