World Cup football and T20 cricket galore, plus F1 in Barcelona – follow with us

Published 12 June 2026 · sports

Brazil begin their latest hunt for a long-awaited sixth World Cup star on their shirts with little room for a gentle landing, facing impressive Morocco

Brazil begin their latest hunt for a long-awaited sixth World Cup star on their shirts with little room for a gentle landing, facing impressive Morocco in a Group C opener that will test their ability to cope with a lengthy injury list. The record five-time winners arrive in North America under Carlo Ancelotti, whose World Cup debut as a coach comes a little over a year after he left Real Madrid following a glittering haul of European titles to take on one of football’s most demanding rescue missions. Brazil have endured three turbulent years, four managers and a series of disappointments, while Neymar’s long decline from untouchable talisman to fitness gamble has added uncertainty. Follow the game live with Jeff Rueter, Pablo Iglesias Maurer and Alexander Abnos. Ed Aarons and Leander Schaerlaeckens report from the MetLife Stadium. Qatar take on Switzerland in their World Cup opener eager to shake off the pressure of expectation, coming in as back-to-back Asian champions with an urgent need to make amends for a dismal debut as hosts of the 2022 tournament. Qatar’s 2022 unravelling was unprecedented, losing all three matches and scoring once, but, after rebounding to defend their Asian Cup title and qualifying easily for this World Cup, they have unfinished business and need a strong showing to earn any credibility on the global stage. They might have hoped for a more gentle introduction, with the resurgent Swiss unbeaten in competitive matches since late 2024 following an impressive Euros run, and keen to make a mark in their sixth successive World Cup. John Brewin helms the live blog. Philip Cornwall is at the wheel for our rolling report from qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli again claimed the glory with a fifth consecutive victory of the season in Monaco and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was back on the podium once again in second, with the rest of the placings affected by a penalty controversy. Hamilton, F1’s all-time leading race winner, appears to have turned a corner after a frustrating first season with Ferrari last year finished without a top-three finish. Hamilton enters round seven second in the points standings behind the teenage sensation. Britain’s former world champion hasn’t savored victory since winning the Belgium GP in July 2024 – could this be his return to the top step?

Luke McLaughlin reports. Cricket is staging its own World Cup in England and before the day’s football we’ll have over-by-over coverage of Scotland v Ireland in the second game of the Women’s T20 World Cup (10.30am) followed by a crunch clash between Australia, the defending champions, and South Africa (2.30pm). Tim de Lisle and Daniel Gallan are our blog hosts. We won’t be forgetting the domestic action and Tanya Aldred will be bringing County Championship updates on day two of the latest games from 11am. Friday’s action will be reviewed and Saturday’s previewed in our daily World Cup news liveblog helmed on Saturday by Rob Smyth and Will Unwin. There’s no better gateway to the weekend’s World Cup action, bringing you all the breaking news and colour from tournament’s first round of group games. Before Scotland get their campaign gets rolling as they face Haiti near Boston in the early hours of Sunday morning and Australia meet Turkey in Vancouver, Qatar confront Switzerland near San Francisco and, in the day’s big game, Brazil and Morocco collide in New York/New Jersey. Keeping pace with the day’s events couldn’t be easier with our World Cup daily guide. Click here for details on how to follow the action, day by day. Or why not print our excellent wallchart, here? Sunday World Cup 2am (9pm ET) Haiti v Scotland live It is Scotland’s first World Cup finals match for 28 years and they cannot afford to start their campaign gently against Haiti, with with both teams in need of a quick win in their opener before colliding with tougher opposition in the next two games. Brazil and Morocco – who defeated Spain and Portugal en route to the semi-finals in 2022 – are also in Group C, putting pressure on Les Grenadiers under their French coach, Sébastien Migné, and Steve Clarke’s Scotland to take all three points. Tom Bassam helms our minute-by-minute blog with Ewan Murray and Paul MacInnes reporting from the Boston Stadium. World Cup 5am (12am ET, 2pm AEST) Australia v Turkey live Arda Guler will lead a hungry Turkey side as they make their return to the World Cup finals for the first time in more than two decades against an Australia squad brimming with youthful vigour in their Group D opener.