Picture : Tori Penso (USA) became the second woman to referee a match in World Cup history.
World Cup 2026 Statistics – Day 8 (June 18)
Czechia vs South Africa 1-1 (Group A)
*This is the first match in World Cup history to see both head coaches aged over 70:
Miroslav Koubek with the Czech Republic at 74 years and 290 days,
Hugo Broos with South Africa at 74 years and 69 days.
*Michal Sadílek’s goal (at 5 minutes 8 seconds) is the fastest of this World Cup so far.
Irt is the fourth fastest in Czech Republic history at World Cup (including Czechoslovakia).
*Teboho Mokoena is the first player to score for South Africa at the World Cup since Katlego Mphela against France in 2010.
*Mokoena scores a penalty for South Africa. African teams have an excellent penalty success rate (excluding shootouts) in the history of the World Cup: 19 scored and only 3 missed in 22 attempts (86%).
Of 9 African countries who ever took penalties in the competition, 8(!) converted all their attemtions.
The only exception if Ghana: 3 missed spot kicks of 6 total.
*Vladimír Darida became the oldest player (35 years and 314 days) from the Czech Republic (including Czechoslovakia) to play a match in the history of the World Cup.
He surpassed the national record held by Karel Poborský, who played against Italy on 22 June 2006 at 34 years and 84 days old.
*The Czech Republic is the first nation to have failed to win (1 draw, 1 loss) either of its first two matches at a World Cup after opening the scoring in both games since Tunisia in 2006 (also 1 draw, 1 loss).
*European teams have won only 2 of their 6 matches against African teams at the 2026 World Cup so far (4 draws).
*Tori Penso (USA) became the second woman to referee a match in World Cup history.
The first was Stéphanie Frappart (France) during the 2022 edition in Germany’s 4-2 victory over Costa Rica.
*Tori Penso is the first woman to award a penalty in the World Cup.
Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 (Group B)
*Switzerland have scored four goals in a single World Cup game for the first time since 1994 against Romania (also in USA).
*Switzerland repeated their biggest win in the World Cup history; they won with 3-goal difference 3 times before:
4-1 vs Italy on 23 June 1954
4-1 vs Romania on 22 June 1994
3-0 vs Honduras on 25 June 2014
*Switzerland have been awarded a penalty in each of their last 2 World Cup matches after having been awarded none in their first 41 games in the competition.
*Bosnia and Herzegovina is the 3rd team to concede 4+ goals from the 70th minute onwards in a World Cup match after Cuba against Sweden on 12 June 1938 (4) and El Salvador against Hungary on 15 June 1982 (5).
*It was the match with the most goals scored (5) after the 74th minute (excluding extra time) in World Cup history.
Including extra time goals, we have the famous Italy 4-3 Germany in 1970 (semi-final) with six goals scored after the 74th minute (one in regular time and all 5 in extra time).
*It was the second game in World Cup history to see as many as four goals (Switzerland 3, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1) scored by substitutes, after:
Hungary (4) vs El Salvador (1) in 1982 (5 sub goals in total).
*Johan Manzambi’s second goal for Switzerland became the 2800th goal in World Cup history.
*Edin Džeko (aged 40 years 93 days) entered top-10 oldest players in World Cup history (9th position in the ranking).
Canada vs Qatar 6-0 (Group B)
*Canada secured their first victory in World Cup only in their eighth match.
*Canada scored in a single game twice more goals than they had in their all first 7 matches (3).
*Canada became the third team in history to achieve their first World Cup victory by six or more goals, following:
Italy 7-1 USA (1934),
Turkey 7-0 South Korea (1954).
*Canada are the first team from outside of Europe and South America to score 5+ goals in a World Cup match.
*Canada achieved the biggest win by a CONCACAF team in the history of the World Cup.
The previous record was held by Mexico (4-0 vs El Salvador in 1970).
*Canada equaled the largest goal difference ever recorded by a host nation in World Cup history. The three previous such occasions with 6-goal wins were:
Italy 7-1 USA (1934),
Brazil 7-1 Sweden (1950),
Argentina 6-0 Peru (1978).
*Qatar became the first Asian team to have two players sent off in the same match in the history of the World Cup.
*Qatar are the 2nd fastest (after 53 minutes) team in history to have been reduced to 9 against 11 in a World Cup match, behind:
Italy against Chile on 2 June 1962 (after 41 minutes).
*Qatar are the fastest team to have been reduced to nine men in a World Cup match since the United States against Italy on 17 June 2006 (after 47 minutes; it was 9 vs 10 as an Italian player was also sent off).
*Qatar became the first team in the history of the World Cup to have 2 players sent off and concede an own goal in the same match.
*Qatar have always been down at halftime in a World Cup match.
*Qatar, the reigning Asian champion, suffered the joint-third worst defeat ever for a reigning continental champion in World Cup history, along with:
Mexico (CONCACAF 1977 champion) vs Germany 0-6, in 1978,
Peru (CONMEBOL 1975 champion) vs Argentina 0-6, in 1978,
and behind:
Zaire (CAF 1974 champion) vs Yugoslavia 0-9, in 1974,
Haiti (CONCACAF 1973 champion) vs Poland 0-7, in 1974.
*Nathan Saliba’s goal against Qatar is the 4th direct free-kick goal scored by a CONCACAF player in the history of the World Cup, after:
Eric Wynalda (USA) vs Switzerland in 1994
Ronald Gómez (Costa Rica) vs Poland in 2026
Luis Chávez (Mexico) vs Saudi Arabia in 2022
Mexico vs South Korea 1-0 (Group A)
*Mexico are the first team to secure first place in their group at the 2026 World Cup.
*Mexico will finish top of a World Cup group for the first time since 2002 and for 4th overall (also 1986, 1994).
Never before they secured 1st place after already two group stage matches played.
*Mexico have qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup for the ninth time in their last ten appearances (eliminated in the group stage only in 2022).
*For the first time in the history of the World Cup, Mexico have won their first two group stage matches without conceding a goal.
The only previous instances of two wins in the first two matches were in 2002 (1-0 Croatia, 2-1 Ecuador) and 2018 (1-0 Germany, 2-1 South Korea), but in both instances, Mexico conceded a goal in the second match.
*Mexico became the first CONCACAF nation to win three consecutive matches in World Cup history (including their last in the 2022 edition. 2-1 vs Saudi Arabia).
*Luis Romo (Guadalajara) has scored for Mexico at Estadio Akron, home stadium of Guadalajara.
The last time a player scored for their national team at their club’s stadium in a World Cup was Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs) for South Africa at Soccer City in Johannesburg, in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.
The only previous Mexican player to score for his national team at his club’s stadium was Javier Fragoso (América Mexico) at Estadio Azteca during the 1970 World Cup.