World Cup Day 9: U.S. advances, Brazil rebounds in style

The second round of the 2026 World Cup continued overnight with four matches, and the United States, the main host, became the first team in the tournament to clinch a place in the round of 32. The Americans beat Australia 2-0, Morocco stayed on track with a 1-0 win over Scotland, and Brazil responded to its frustrating draw with Morocco by routing Haiti 3-0. Turkey and Paraguay were set to meet in a match between two teams looking to recover from opening-day defeats.

Against Australia, the U.S. took control early when Cameron Burgess scored an own goal in the 11th minute. Alex Freeman then sealed the result with a close-range header. It was the first time the U.S. had won more than one match in a World Cup since 2002, when it reached the quarterfinals. Australia, which had surprised Turkey 2-0 in the first round, now needs a positive result against Paraguay in its final group game to avoid elimination.

Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 in a crucial game for the group, which also includes Brazil and Haiti. After the 1-1 draw with Brazil, Morocco again struck early, with Ismail Saibari scoring in the second minute. The match then became a tense, tactical battle, but Morocco held on for a small yet important victory. With one match left against Haiti, qualification is now close to secured.

Brazil needed a strong response and got it. Neymar was ruled out before kickoff as unfit, but the team led 3-0 by halftime. Matheus Cunha, the Manchester United forward, scored twice in the 23rd and 36th minutes, with the second goal set up by Vinicius. Vinicius then added Brazil’s third in first-half stoppage time for his second goal of the tournament. Carlo Ancelotti recorded his first-ever World Cup win as a coach, but Brazil still has not clinched advancement and must get a good result against Scotland in the final round.