In the time window from 22:00 on 12 July to 08:00 on 13 July (Kyiv time), no World Cup 2026 matches were played — the tournament is on a break ahead of the semi-finals. However, the WC-2026 match schedule in Kyiv time is now fully confirmed, and off the pitch the night proved eventful: the death of a South Africa squad player, a public dispute between England's manager and star, and a FIFA statement about expanding the tournament.
Night results
No matches took place in the stated window. As a reminder, here are the quarter-final results that concluded the previous day and were covered in detail in the previous edition: England 2–1 Norway (a.e.t.) and Argentina 3–1 Switzerland (a.e.t.). Both results have been confirmed by multiple independent sources.
Tournament schedule
The four highest-ranked sides in the FIFA world ranking have all reached the semi-finals — something that has never happened before in World Cup history. France will face Spain, and England will face Argentina. The detailed WC-2026 match schedule in Kyiv time for both fixtures is available in the dedicated article on the site.
Off the pitch
Death of Jayden Adams
During the England vs Norway match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, a minute's silence was held in honour of Jayden Adams — a 25-year-old South Africa midfielder whose death was announced by the country's Ministry of Sport. Adams had played in all three of South Africa's WC-2026 group-stage matches.
The Tuchel–Bellingham dispute
After the victory over Norway, England manager Thomas Tuchel publicly criticised his team's performance, calling it "sloppy" and admitting that "we were lucky today". Jude Bellingham, who scored both goals, hit back at his manager: "Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland." Captain Harry Kane tried to defuse the situation, stressing that the team is still capable of a higher level: "If we're in a World Cup semi-final and we know we can play better — that has to be taken as a positive." Kane also drew level with Wayne Rooney's England appearance record of 120 caps.
FIFA discusses expanding the tournament
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the organisation will consider expanding the men's World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament concludes, so that every nation has the chance to compete on football's biggest stage.
The 'spidercam' controversy
After the England vs Norway match, debate continued over Bellingham's goal: replays appeared to show that the ball, after being punched away by Norway goalkeeper Nyland, may have made contact with the overhead camera cable above the pitch. FIFA reviewed the smart-ball sensor data and stated that "no evidence of any change in trajectory was detected" — the goal stood.
Today, 13 July, no WC-2026 matches are scheduled — the tournament is resting ahead of the semi-finals. The first of them, France vs Spain, takes place on Tuesday, 14 July, at 22:00 Kyiv time in Dallas; the second, England vs Argentina, on Wednesday, 15 July, at 22:00 Kyiv time in Atlanta.
Photo: Al Jazeera Staff · Editorial (source)
