The Latest from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada

When Mohamed Salah scored the go-ahead tally for Egypt it was his 68th international goal, which puts him just one away from tying his coach Hossam Hassan for the national team’s all-time scoring lead. Asked after the match if that feat was on his mind, Salah said “not yet,” stating they need to make more history by qualifying for the knockout round with a win or draw in Seattle. He also said he loved the Vancouver vibe and the sea of red inside BC Place.

11 p.m.

Egypt has its first World Cup victory, defeating New Zealand 3-1 at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium. Mo Salah, Trezeguet and Mostafa Zico scored for Egypt after Finn Surman gave the Kiwis an early lead. The victory moves Egypt into first place in Group G with four points. Iran and Belgium are tied with two points apiece, while New Zealand sits last with one. The Kiwis wrap up group-stage play against Belgium on Friday in Vancouver, while Egypt faces Iran in Seattle.

10:46 p.m.

Mohamed Salah’s night is over. The Egyptian star was substituted in the 84th minute to a loud ovation from the crowd at BC Place, with Hossam Abdelmaguid replacing him.

10:41 p.m.

Egypt may have put the game away. Mo Salah’s corner kick found Trezeguet in the 82nd minute, and the Egyptian forward made no mistake to extend his side’s lead to 3-1.

10:39 p.m.

It’s an announced sellout of 52,497 at BC Place for this Group G match between New Zealand and Egypt. All three games at Vancouver’s World Cup venue have been sellouts.

10:35 p.m.

New Zealand, which has spent much of the match on its heels after taking an early lead, now needs to generate some offence. Egypt holds 52 per cent of the possession and has outshot New Zealand 15-9, although both teams have put four attempts on target.

10:27 p.m.

A huge roar swept through BC Place as Mo Salah put Egypt ahead 2-1 in the 67th minute. Salah finished off a setup from Mostafa Zico, beating New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe to give Egypt its first lead of the night. The overwhelmingly pro-Egypt crowd has come to life.

10:18 p.m.

BC Place erupts as Mostafa Zico heads home the equalizer in the 58th minute to level the Group G match at 1-1. New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe got a hand on the ball but couldn’t keep it out of the net.

10:16 p.m.

New Zealand came close to making it 2-0 in the 52nd minute when Marko Stamenic found Callum McCowatt with a lofted pass into the box, but Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy tipped McCowatt’s header over the bar.

10:09 p.m.

The second half is underway, with Egypt applying tremendous pressure on the Kiwis. New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe made a big save on a Mohamed Salah chance less than a minute after the restart.

9:49 p.m.

New Zealand leads Egypt 1-0 at the half in BC Place in Vancouver. Along with scoring the only goal of the first half, New Zealand defender Finn Surman showed his value at the other end of the pitch, repeatedly tracking down and frustrating Egypt’s dangerous Omar Marmoush. The Manchester City forward is a dual Egyptian-Canadian citizen.

9:33 p.m.

Egypt had a chance to tie the game in the 35th minute, but Mo Salah sent his shot wide after a free kick was awarded when New Zealand’s Callum McCowatt received a yellow card.

9:15 p.m.

New Zealand has taken a 1-0 lead on Finn Surman’s header off a brilliant corner kick from Tim Payne. The goal came in the 15th minute. Surman is very familiar with BC Place, having played here before as a defender with the Portland Timbers.

9 p.m.

Game on. The Group G match between Egypt and New Zealand has kicked off at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium. While no tickets were available through FIFA’s World Cup ticket portal three hours before kickoff, small pockets of empty seats remain visible in the 52,000-seat stadium, which recorded sellouts for its first two tournament matches.

8:45 p.m.

Cape Verde continued its remarkable World Cup debut, rallying for a 2-2 draw with Uruguay a week after holding tournament favourite Spain to a scoreless draw. Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup goal before Helio Varela netted the second-half equalizer, keeping the tiny island nation in contention for a spot in the knockout stage.

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8:25 p.m.

Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah received a thunderous ovation from the BC Place crowd when he was shown on the stadium scoreboard during warm-ups. The former Liverpool star is a four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, the league’s all-time leading foreign scorer and fourth on the Premier League’s all-time scoring list.

8:15 p.m.

The teams are warming up at BC Place, and both squads are sticking with the same starting 11s that opened the tournament. Egypt again leans on its attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Zico, while New Zealand captain Chris Wood leads an unchanged All Whites lineup. Both teams enter the Group G clash with one point after opening-round draws.

8 p.m.

One hour from kickoff, and BC Place is about a quarter full, with Egyptian red outnumbering Kiwi white in the stands. One interesting note: the house announcers welcomed fans to “Vancouver Stadium” rather than BC Place. The 15 other venues at the tournament adopted temporary names because their usual stadium names include non-FIFA sponsors. BC Place did not require a name change, making the use of “Vancouver Stadium” a surprise.

7:31 p.m.

Helio Varela scores in the 64th minute for Cape Verde to tie the match with Uruguay at 2-2.

7:07 p.m.

Hundreds of New Zealand supporters have taken over the Gastown neighbourhood in downtown Vancouver, many holding waving flags and banners that read “Flying Kiwis.” Many are sporting the national flag as capes as they march through the streets chanting “we will win” about two hours before kickoff at BC Place.

7 p.m.

Fans have begun pouring into BC Place in Vancouver for a 9 p.m. ET match between Egypt and New Zealand. The amount of New Zealand jerseys and flags along the stadium’s concourse appears to pale in comparison to the crowd of Egypt supporters.

6:57 p.m.

Uruguay takes a 2-1 lead into the locker room at halftime.

6:52 p.m.

Six minutes into first-half stoppage time, Agustin Canobbio gives Uruguay a 2-1 lead over Cape Verde.

6:48 p.m.

Maximiliano Araujo ties the game for Uruguay with a goal in the 44th minute.

6:34 p.m.

Kevin Pina scores in the 21st minute in Miami to give Cape Verde a 1-0 lead over Uruguay in Group H action.

6 p.m.

Fans are starting to gather in downtown Vancouver ahead of tonight’s Group G match between New Zealand and Egypt. New Zealand supporters are filling two pubs in the city’s Gastown district before marching to BC Place. Egyptian fans are gathering across False Creek at Jonathan Rogers Park before their parade to the stadium. Three hours before kickoff, FIFA’s ticketing portal showed no tickets available. However, its resale platform had more than 350 tickets listed, with prices starting at $603.80.

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6 p.m.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah is receiving the expected star treatment in Vancouver ahead of tonight’s Group G match against New Zealand. A large group of Egypt supporters gathered outside the team’s downtown hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of the global superstar. Videos posted on social media showed Salah signing autographs for many fans following Friday’s training session.

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5 p.m.

Belgium and Iran played to a 0-0 draw. The Belgians, who outshot Iran 21-7, were down a man after Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card in the 66th minute.

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3:52 p.m.

Belgium and Iran remain tied 0-0 at halftime.

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3 p.m.

Belgium and Iran have kicked off their Group G match in Los Angeles.

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2 p.m.

Spain defeats Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Group H action.

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12:50 p.m.

Mike Oyarzabal scored twice between the 21st and 24th minutes, Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th and Spain has taken a 3-0 lead into halftime against Saudi Arabia.

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12 p.m.

Spain and Saudi Arabia have opened their Group H match in Atlanta.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

The Latest from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada

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