Qatar lost all three of its matches as a World Cup host four years ago and appeared to be headed toward another in its 2026 opener against Switzerland.
Boualem Khoukhi changed his country's course at the last possible moment, scoring a tying goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time to give Qatar a 1-1 tie against Switzerland on Saturday.
The late equalizer gave Qatar its first World Cup point and left the mighty Swiss wondering what happened.
“We’re looking at ourselves," Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka said.
The World Cup has its second full day of matches on Sunday, highlighted by four-time champion Germany opening against Curacao in Houston. There are at least four games scheduled each day until June 27.
The host countries fared fairly well in their opening matches.
Mexico kicked off the tournament Thursday with a dominant 2-0 win over South Africa in front of a boisterous crowd at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.
Canada rallied for a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday. The United State followed with a dominating 4-1 win over Paraguay in Inglewood, California, to match the biggest U.S. World Cup victory.
Fox is the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the World Cup with all 104 matches in English on Fox or FS1. All matches are also available on the Fox One app. Telemundo and Universo will broadcast all of the matches in Spanish. Peacock is the streaming home for Spanish-language broadcasts, while Telemundo also has an app that includes all the matches.
— Germany vs. Curacao, 1 p.m. EDT in Houston (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— The Netherlands vs. Japan, 1 p.m. EDT in Dallas (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, 4 p.m. EDT in Philadelphia (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Sweden vs. Tunisia, 7 p.m. EDT in Monterrey, Mexico (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
Curacao made history by becoming one of four first-time World Cup qualifiers.
The tiny Caribbean nation faces a daunting task in its opener, taking on powerhouse Germany in Houston.
“Germany are of course clear favorites in the group,” said Curacao's Dick Advocaat, the oldest coach in World Cup history at 78. “They are still a big footballing country. Starting off against Germany is fantastic. We will find out immediately where we stand.”
Curacao is the World Cup's smallest country in terms of size — about the size of New Orleans — and population, with roughly 156,000 residents. It got into the 48-team bracket by going 4-0 in the opening round of qualifying and 3-0-3 in the next round.
Germany has plenty of motivation heading into this year's World Cup after failing to get out of the group stage in Russia and Qatar following its 2014 title.
Sunday's match between the Netherlands and Japan in Dallas features two teams eyeing more than just a win in their openers.
The Dutch have the misfortune of being tagged with the moniker of best team to never win the World Cup.
The Netherlands has reached three World Cup finals and lost each time, most recently in 2010, when it lost to Spain in extra time. The Dutch reached the 2022 quarterfinals in Qatar, losing to eventual champion Argentina on penalty kicks.
“How far can we go? Yeah, hopefully all the way,” Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk said. “We know how difficult it will be, but our full focus will be on Japan, first and foremost. That will get all our attention.”
Japan is in its eighth straight World Cup and seeking a third straight run to the knockout round. The Japanese had two of the biggest upsets in Qatar, knocking off Germany and Spain before losing to Croatia on penalty kicks in the round of 16.
Ecuador arrives at the World Cup on a roll, carrying a 19-game unbeaten streak into Sunday's game against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia.
Not all the games were against high-level competition, but there's no doubting La Tri's ability to defend.
Ecuador allowed six goals during its unbeaten streak that dates to September 2024, and has one of the world's best defensive midfielders in Moises Caicedo, who plays for Chelsea. The back line is anchored by Willian Pacho, who helped lead Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League title over Arsenal.
Ivory Coast has played a bit of defense in its build-up to the country's first World Cup appearance in 12 years.
The Ivorians didn't allow a goal through 10 qualifiers and stunned powerhouse France in a friendly earlier this month.
Ivory Coast also has what could be one of the breakout stars of this World Cup in Yan Diomande, a 19-year-old forward who played high school soccer in Florida and has thrived with Lyon in the French league.
Sweden has something to prove in its opener against Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Swedes failed to win any games to finish at the bottom of their qualifying group, earning their way into the World Cup on the strength of their performances in the 2024-2025 Nations League.
The qualifying issues were a bit surprising for a squad that includes two of Europe’s top strikers in Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres.
Tunisia nearly had a breakthrough to the knockout stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a win over reigning champion France and a draw against Denmark.
The Tunisians are in their third straight World Cup and play a packed-in style of defense that could make it tough on the Swedes.
— Police investigate theft of England equipment at World Cup, 2 people in custody
— Ghana slams Canada’s decision to deny World Cup visa for Partey, who faces rape charges
— AP photo gallery from Day 3 of the World Cup
— As Bay Area hosts World Cup, empty red seats are everywhere at Levi’s Stadium
— 70 seconds, 26 passes and an iconic World Cup moment for the US and Gio Reyna
— Breel Embolo's penalty kick against Qatar on Saturday was Switzerland's first non-shootout penalty kick attempt and penalty kick goal in its World Cup history.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
