20/06/2026

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SPORTS SATURDAY | JUNE 20, 2026

2026 WORLD CUP

Fandi questions WC expansion

MATCHSCHEDULE RESULTS STANDINGS

GROUP A June 12 3am Mexico vs South Africa 10am S. Korea vs Czech Rep 19 12am Czech Rep vs South Africa 9am Mexico vs South Korea 25 9am Czech Rep vs Mexico 9am South Africa vs South Korea

GROUP B June

GROUP C June 14 6am Brazil vs Morocco 9am Haiti vs Scotland 20 6am Scotland vs Morocco 8.30am Brazil vs Haiti 25 6am Morocco vs Haiti 6am Scotland vs Brazil

BY ZIKRY MARZUKI

THE expansion from traditional 36 to 48 teams for the 2026 Fifa World Cup has indirectly lowered the standard of the tournament, according to Singapore football legend Fandi Ahmad. While the change has allowed more smaller nations to make their debuts, he believes it has also given stronger teams a greater advantage. “I think there are too many games,” he told theSun . “The quality has gone down, it has been good for bigger team. For the newcomers, I think they will be happy to be playing in the World Cup. “But, for the competition itself, it can be lame sometimes. The bigger teams will be happy because they will gain advantage based on group seeding.” The expanded 2026 World Cup has seen four countries, including Uzbekistan and Jordan, qualify for the tournament for the first time. However, none of debutants man aged to win in their opening matches with only Cape Verde earning a point after holding European champions Spain to a draw last Tuesday. Fandi’s concerns appear justified, particularly following Germany’s emphatic 7-1 victory over Curacao. Although there have been numbers of unexpected results, the Singaporean believes the expansion diluted the true essence and quality of football’s biggest international competition. “There will always be an upset but sometimes it will disrupt the true mean ing of World Cup football. Some of (smaller team) get trashing. For the fans who watched 5-0 or 6-0 score line, this is not interesting anymore,” he added. Although he never played at a FIFA World Cup, Fandi Ahmad boasts vast international experience. The increase in the number of teams has also made it difficult for Fandi to predict which nation will lift the trophy, believing that a clearer picture will only emerge in the knockout stages. Tuchel 1 photographers 0 THOMAS TUCHEL said a “special moment was ruined” and Fifa have now reportedly acted to the England coach being swarmed by photographers during the national anthems ahead of the World Cup clash with Croatia. The German, managing at a World Cup for the first time, was delighted after seeing his side win 4-2 on Thursday in Texas in their opening match. But he was less happy about the massed ranks of photographers snapping him from close range beforehand at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. “I am begging Fifa to change the posi tion of the photographers for the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem,” he said. “I was waiting for this moment, it was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photogra phers half a metre away. “I could not see one single player and it ruined a little bit my experience today.” Fifa has now tweaked its guidelines, the BBC and The Athletic reported, to avoid a repeat at the tournament in North America. The Athletic said that coaches will have the option to stand to the left or right of the photographers during the pre-match ceremony. Photographers will be grouped closer to the halfway line for “affected games” as part of a compromise, the BBC said. Football’s governing body Fifa did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment. – AFP

2 0 2 1 1 1 1 0

1 1 1 1 4 1 6 0

1 1 0 1

13 3am Canada vs Bosnia 14 3am Qatar vs Switzerland 19 3am Switzerland vs Bosnia 6am Canada vs Qatar 25 3am Bosnia vs Qatar 3am Switzerland vs Canada

P W D L F A Pts

Scotland

1 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

0 1 1 0

0 0 0 1

1 1 1 0

0 1 1 1

3 1 1 0

Mexico

2 1 0 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 1 1

3 2 2 1

0 2 3 3

6 3 1 1

Canada

2 2 2 2

1 1 0 0

1 1 1 1

0 0 1 1

7 5 2 1

1 2 5 7

4 4 1 1

Brazil

South Korea 2

Switzerland

Czech Rep

Bosnia Qatar

Morocco

South Africa 2

Haiti

GROUP D June 13 9am United States vs Paraguay 14 12pm Australia vs Turkiye 20 3am United States vs Australia 11am Turkiye vs Paraguay 26 10am Paraguay vs Australia 10am Turkiye vs United States

GROUP E June 15 1am Germany vs Curacao 7am Ivory Coast vs Ecuador 21 4am Germany vs Ivory Coast 8am Ecuador vs Curacao 26 4am Curacao vs Ivory Coast 4am Ecuador vs Germany

GROUP F June 15 4am Netherlands vs Japan 10am Sweden vs Tunisia 21 1am Netherlands vs Sweden 12pm Tunisia vs Japan 26 7am Japan vs Sweden 7am Tunisia vs Netherlands

4 1 2 0

7 1 1 0

2 2 5 1

P W D L F A Pts

Germany

1 1 1 1

1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

7 1 0 1

1 0 1 7

3 3 0 0

Sweden

1 1

1 0 0 0

0 1 1 0

0 0 0 1

5 2 2 1

1 2 2 5

3 1 1 0

USA

1 1 1 1

1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

4 2 0 1

1 0 2 4

3 3 0 0

Ivory Coast

Japan

Australia

Turkiye

Ecuador Curacao

Netherlands 1

Paraguay

Tunisia

GROUP G June 16 3am Belgium vs Egypt 9am Iran vs New Zealand 22 3am Belgium vs Iran 9am New Zealand vs Egypt 27 11am Egypt vs Iran 11am New Zealand vs Belgium

GROUP H June 16 12am Spain vs Cape Verde

GROUP I June 17 3am France vs Senegal 6am Iraq vs Norway 23 5am France vs Iraq 8am Norway vs Senegal 27 3am Norway vs France 3am Senegal vs Iraq

1 1 2 2

0 0 1 1

3 1 1 4

6am Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay 22 12am Spain vs Saudi Arabia 6am Uruguay vs Cape Verde 27 8am Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia 8am Uruguay vs Spain

P W D L F A Pts

Uruguay

0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1

0 0 0 0

1 1 0 0

1 1 1 1

Norway France Senagal

1 1 1 1

1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

4 3 1 1

1 1 3 4

3 3 0 0

New Zealand 1

0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1

0 0 0 0

2 2 1 1

1 1 1 1

Saudi Arabia 1

Iran

1 1 1

Belgium

Cape Verde

1 1

Egypt

Spain

Iraq

GROUP J June 17 9am Argentina vs Algeria 12pm Austria vs Jordan 23 1am Argentina vs Austria 11am Jordan vs Algeria 28 10am Algeria vs Austria 10am Jordan vs Argentina

GROUP K June 18 1am Portugal vs DR Congo 10am Uzbekistan vs Colombia 24 1am Portugal vs Uzbekistan 10am Colombia vs DR Congo 28 7.30am Colombia vs Portugal 7.30am DR Congo vs Uzbekistan

GROUP L June 18 4am England vs Croatia 7am Ghana vs Panama 24 4am England vs Ghana 7am Panama vs Croatia 28 5am Croatia vs Ghana 5am Panama vs England

3 0 3 1

1 1 1 3

4 2 1 0

P W D L F A Pts

Colombia

1 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

0 1 1 0

0 0 0 0

3 1 1 1

1 1 1 3

3 1 1 0

England

1 1 1 1

1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

4 1 0 2

2 0 1 4

3 3 0 0

Argentina

1 1 1 1

1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

3 3 1 0

0 1 3 3

3 3 0 0

Congo

Ghana

Austria Jordan Algeria

Portugal

Panama Croatia

Uzbekistan

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