The daytime edition of "Night Mundial" from July 6 covers events that unfolded after 08:00 Kyiv time: the aftermath of two late Round of 16 matches, Neymar's emotional farewell to the national team, and the current FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule (Kyiv time) for the coming days. For more details on the overnight results, see the morning digest.
Neymar announces retirement from the Brazilian national team
The biggest story of the morning is Neymar's official farewell to the national team. After Brazil's 1–2 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16, the 34-year-old forward came on as a substitute and converted a penalty in stoppage time, but could not save his side. After the final whistle, he broke down in tears on the pitch at MetLife Stadium and told Globo TV: "I tried. It all started here, and here I finished. Now it's all over." According to Al Jazeera, Neymar made his international debut at that very stadium in August 2010 — in a friendly against the United States.
The forward is Brazil's all-time top scorer. At the 2026 World Cup, he played in only two of the team's five matches due to a calf muscle injury. Brazil was eliminated in the Round of 16 — their earliest exit since 1990.
England beat Mexico at the Azteca — a record and a red card
The Mexico vs. England match, which kicked off at 03:00 Kyiv time (delayed by one hour due to weather conditions), ended in a 3–2 victory for the Three Lions. Jude Bellingham scored twice in the first half, and Harry Kane converted a penalty in the 60th minute. Mexico pulled one back after England defender Jarell Quansah was sent off and Raúl Jiménez scored from the spot in the 69th minute, but the hosts could not find an equaliser. Bellingham was named FIFA's Man of the Match.
It was Mexico's first defeat at the Azteca in World Cup matches: the hosts had previously recorded 8 wins and 2 draws at the stadium in World Cup play. The match was Mexico's 11th at the Azteca in World Cup competition — a record for the most matches played by a single team at one tournament venue. For more on both July 5–6 matches, see the article "Brazil vs. Norway and Mexico vs. England: Round of 16 at WC 2026 (Kyiv time)".
FIFA ruling on Balogun: USA to face Belgium at full strength
Another key story of the morning is FIFA's decision to lift the suspension of US striker Folarin Balogun. According to Fox Sports, the Belgian Football Federation has already issued an official statement in response to the ruling. The USA vs. Belgium match will take place tonight at 03:00 Kyiv time at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Top scorers table and the tournament picture after the Round of 16
After all four matches in the first half of the Round of 16, the top scorers' race is led by Lionel Messi (Argentina), Kylian Mbappé (France), and Erling Haaland (Norway) — each with 7 goals in 4 matches. Harry Kane (England) has 6 goals in 5 matches. Haaland scored both of Norway's goals against Brazil and guided his country to their first-ever World Cup quarter-final. The full knockout stage schedule (Kyiv time) is available in the article "FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Schedule (Kyiv Time)".
Tonight: Spain vs. Portugal (22:00 Kyiv time, AT&T Stadium, Dallas) and USA vs. Belgium (03:00 on July 7, Kyiv time, Seattle); a detailed preview will follow.
See also: Argentina survived Cape Verde's miracle, Egypt advanced on penalties: the night of…
Photo: Al Jazeera · Editorial (source)
