World Cup Breakfast: Lineker returns to TV and a tournament milestone

Hello and welcome to Daily Mail Sport's World Cup Breakfast from day 11 at the tournament - your one-stop shop for everything you've missed overnight in North America.

For all the latest news, viral moments and what to look out for, stay right here.

OVERNIGHT ACTION

This is what happened while you were asleep...

Netherlands 5-1 Sweden

Sunderland have more players at this World Cup than Real Madrid, and one of them strutted his stuff in the first game of the day.

Brian Bobbey showed great instincts to poke the Netherlands ahead against Sweden following good work from Cody Gakpo, and he made it two before the 20-minute mark with a near-identical goal.

Cody Gakpo (left) scored twice as the Netherlands thrashed Sweden 5-1 on Saturday evening

Graham Potter looked on in frustration, and Gakpo picked up a goal himself just after the half-time break - again in the same fashion. And it wasn't long after that that he had a second and his side's fourth with a traditional goal cutting in from the left.

Anthony Elanga showed good pace to get one back for Sweden, but any threats of an unlikely comeback were put to bed when Crysencio Summerville put the icing on the cake for Ronald Koeman's men.

Read IAN HERBERT'S REPORT HERE.

Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast

Julian Nagelsmann's side booked their spot in the last-32 of the World Cup in dramatic fashion, with Deniz Undav coming off the bench to score his second and third goals of the tournament.

While the first was a 68th-minute equaliser, his second was a brilliantly-taken 94th-minute winner that sunk Ivory Coast hearts.

The African side had not conceded a goal in this whole World Cup campaign - including qualifying - until the game, and had taken the lead through Franck Kessie.

But, after Kai Havertz picked up an injury, Undav, formerly of Brighton, was introduced and the rest is history.

Germany are through, and Ivory Coast need to beat Curacao in their final group game to confirm their spot too.

Read MATT BARLOW'S REPORT HERE.

Germany celebrated a late winner against Ivory Coast to book their spot in the knockouts

Ecuador 0-0 Curacao

It was a monumental day for Curacao as the tiny island nation picked up their first ever World Cup point.

Goalkeeper Eloy Room wrote himself into tournament folklore as he made a record-equalling 15 saves, with Ecuador made to rue their wastefulness after having 27 attempts on goal.

So impressive was Room's performance that there were jokes about him having a statue back home, while he gained over 600,000 followers on Instagram.

Both teams are not out yet, but they will have to win their final group game if they are to have any chance of progressing.

It won't be easy though as Ecuador face Germany and Curacao take on Ivory Coast.

Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made 15 saves as his side picked up their first World Cup point

Tunisia 0-4 Japan

Tunisia may have changed manager after sacking Sabri Lamouchi following a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden in their first game of the tournament, but they suffered another demoralising defeat as they were beaten 4-0 by Japan.

The Asian side started brilliantly and Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada finished off a fine team move after just four minutes to put them ahead.

Ayase Ueda then made it 2-0 midway through the half with a smart strike from the edge of the box to leave Tunisia fearing the worst.

Despite a small improvement from the North African nation, who are now managed by World Cup cult hero Herve Renard, they couldn't muster a response and went 3-0 behind when Junya Ito finished off another fine team move.

Ueda then added a fourth with a looping header to cap a truly disastrous tournament for Tunisia, who can no longer qualify for the knockout stages.

Tunisia's disastrous World Cup continued as they were beaten 4-0 by Japan in Monterrey

VIEW FROM THE GROUND - IAN HERBERT

The security guy’s name was Jon and you imagined that almost every night spent over many years, working Daikin Park, the stadium of the Houston Astros baseball team, has passed without event.

Friday night was different. Soccer is in town and a group of 50 fans of that sport stripped off their tops, twirling them around their heads and chanting ‘USA’ at the back of the top stand.

It shattered the traditional folksy baseball vibe, where what little singing takes place is communal. No one was offended but Jon tried to intervene after a while, unprepared for chants of ‘shirt off’ which came back at him, and he gave up.

It was clash of cultures - brash soccer breaking in on a quintessential and rather wonderful American experience. The baseball fans lost interest in the soccer boys, who ran out of steam and left, as the Astros took the roof off the place with a 9-3 win.

Cricket might have had to reinvent itself at home, but baseball has no such difficulty. Soccer will never replace it in Texas’s affections.

Football fans took over at a Houston Astros baseball game on Friday night as World Cup fever spreads into other sports

TEAM OF THE DAY

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Ecstasy on and off the field - Germany made hard work of their win over Ivory Coast, but got there in the end.

While the Ivory Coast players dropped to their knees, the Germans wheeled away in celebration in front of their fans, who threw their arms into the air.

Their side had come from behind to claim victory and secure a spot in the knockout stages with a game to spare. Maybe a beer to celebrate.

There was jubilation on and off the pitch after Germany scored their last-minute winner against Ivory Coast

VIRAL MOMENT OF THE DAY

Gary Lineker's appearance on ITV caught the eye of many in his first television showing since his departure from the BBC.

'Thank you very much for joining us on ITV for this one,' he said at the start of the channel's coverage of Germany vs Ivory Coast. 'Another day, another game, another channel...'

He was then interrupted by Laura Woods, who joked 'this is my job' in a light-hearted skit.

Lineker's appearance was generally well-received online, with fans arguing that it was another point to ITV in their battle with BBC during the World Cup.

'ITV head and shoulders above the BBC at the moment with their World Cup coverage,' one X user wrote. 'Great to see Lineker appear!'

Others shared memes of Lineker's switch, likening it to Sol Campbell's move from Tottenham to Arsenal and Luis Figo swapping Barcelona for Real Madrid.

It's unclear if he will be back with ITV this tournament, but the former England striker, who is presenting his £14million Netflix podcast every day, spoke highly of the set, Woods' presenting skills, and the Three Lions' performances so far.

You can take the man out of the presenting chair but you can't take the presenter out of @GaryLineker 😅 pic.twitter.com/ubMAOiGisN
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 20, 2026

Gary Lineker enjoyed a return to television with ITV - rivals of his former BBC employers

The former Match of the Day host was a guest pundit on coverage of Germany vs Ivory Coast

The last few weeks have been dominated by scenes of Scottish fans taking over Boston, mingling with locals and sharing the love of the Tartan Army.

And, as Steve Clarke's side move onto Miami for their final World Cup group game against Brazil, it's clear that their love for the city in New England has been reciprocated, with Saturday's Boston Globe paying tribute to Scotland supporters.

In a full page thank you, the newspaper shared their appreciation for the Scots for bringing joy that the city 'will never forget'.

'Dear Tartan Army,' a section of the tribute read. 'You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more. For a week you turned train stations into singalongs, Fenway into a football ground and an ordinary June into something we'll be talking about for years.

'Boston has hosted championships, parades, and celebrations of every kind. But we've never hosted guests quite like you all.

'Thank you for the laughter, the bagpipes, and the memories. The World Cup will move on. So will the songs, but we'll never forget the joy you brought to our city.'

The tribute was accompanied by several photos of Scotland fans during their time in Boston.

The Boston Globe, a newspaper in New England, paid tribute to the travelling Scottish fans

CELEBRITY WATCH

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is planning to attend two World Cup fixtures a day throughout the tournament, with the Swiss football administrator using a private jet to travel around.

And he was a busy man again on the latest day of the tournament, where he rubbed shoulders with royalty from across the world.

First, he was pictured mingling with Dutch King Willem Alexander at the Netherlands' 5-1 win over Sweden in Houston.

After that, he made a dash down to Monterrey in Mexico for Japan's game against Tunisia.

There, he was seen smiling alongside Hisako, Princess Takamado of Japan, a member of the country's Imperial Family.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino pictured with Dutch King Willem Alexander ahead of the Netherlands' 5-1 win over Sweden in Houston

Infantino then headed to Mexico to watch Japan's clash against Tunisia (pictured with Hisako, Princess Takamado of Japan)

STAT OF THE DAY

Cody Gakpo was in fine form for the Netherlands against Sweden, and his second goal of the game was the 100th of the 2026 World Cup.

It took less than 33 games to reach the landmark, which is an average of a little over three goals a game.

And, of those 100, not one has been scored by either a Chelsea or Tottenham player.

Cody Gakpo's second goal against Sweden was the 100th scored at the 2026 World Cup

THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR TODAY

1. Are Spain contenders?

Seems a silly thing to ask of the European champions, but they were seriously underwhelming in their unexpected draw with Cape Verde in their opening game.

The good news is that Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal could be fit enough to start after only making the bench last time out. Their inclusions will improve an attack that had just eight of their 23 shots on target.

Saudi Arabia are an improving team and no pushovers, but Spain need to win here. Anything less would not only raise eyebrows further around whether they can win the World Cup, but threaten their progress from the group stage altogether.

2. Is Lukaku Belgium's saviour?

Belgium were flat against Egypt in their opening game, but came alive - and scored - seconds after Romelu Lukaku entered the fray in the second-half.

The striker played just 64 minutes all season for Napoli as he battled muscle injuries, but has been fit enough to be included in his country's World Cup squad.

He came off the bench against Egypt and looked to have claimed Belgium's goal, but it eventually went down as a Mohamed Hany own goal. Still, if he didn't make the run, the goal would likely not have come about.

Is he fit enough to start here? Probably not - but he will still have defenders 'quaking in their boots', according to manager Rudi Garcia.

3. Can Salah fire Egypt to the verge of the knockouts?

We don't have anything to go off in terms of how many points will be needed to progress in the World Cup, due to it being the first edition with the new format. But, given the number of third place teams that will go through, I would be staggered if four points weren't enough.

If Egypt can beat New Zealand tomorrow, they will be on four points, and set for the knockouts. And their key man? Club-less Mohamed Salah.

The Liverpool great had just one shot in Egypt's opening game draw with Belgium, but we know what he's about, and he will be keen to make his mark on this World Cup.

On the contrary, New Zealand will be on four points if they can claim victory.

Lamine Yamal could be fit enough to start for Spain against Saudi Arabia after only being fit enough for the bench in their opener

TODAY'S GAMES

Spain vs Saudi Arabia (5pm, Atlanta, BBC)

The European champions are expected to have star man Yamal back fit to start, and will be keen to put on a show after drawing with minnows Cape Verde last time out.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, secured an impressive draw with Uruguay, with Abdulelah Al-Amri scoring what looked for a long time that it would be the winner, until Maximiliano Araujo salvaged a point for Marcelo Bielsa's side.

A win should be enough for either team to qualify - while a draw will leave them in the hunt too. Even with a loss, neither side can be eliminated yet.

Prediction: Spain win

Belgium vs Iran (8pm, Los Angeles, ITV)

This is a big game for Belgium after they struggled to perform again against Egypt.

Their current set-up is a mix of the so-called 'Golden Generation', featuring the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, and their fresh talent such as Jeremy Doku and Charles De Ketelaere.

But they have struggled to perform at major tournaments for a while now and they don't want this to be the same story. They take on an Iran side who played out an entertaining draw against New Zealand in their first game.

Just like in the first game of the day, defeat here won't mark the end of any of these sides' journeys, but would still be pretty damning.

Prediction: Belgium win

Belgium take on Iran today in a huge game after drawing with Egypt in their opening fixture

Uruguay vs Cape Verde (11pm, Miami, BBC)

Cape Verde are on cloud nine after their draw with Spain, and they will sense a real opportunity to reach the knockouts with game against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to come.

This is undoubtedly the harder of the games, but they won't fear Bielsa and Co. The former Leeds boss could only lead his side to a 1-1 draw on the opening day, and stark improvement is needed.

Darwin Nunez will likely lead the line again, supported by Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur and Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte.

Prediction: Uruguay win

New Zealand vs Egypt (2am, New York, ITV)

Egypt will sense an opportunity to reach the knockout stages and, although they have the ability of Salah, can rely on the likes of Manchester City's Omar Marmoush too.

After a draw in their first game - one of nine in the first round of matches - the opportunity is there for New Zealand to progress too, but you feel they have to win this one if they want to, with Belgium their final match.

Chris Wood will lead the line, but it was Motherwell winger Elijah Just who netted twice in the opening game. One to keep an eye on.