Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Namibian
… Denmark’s then-coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: “We should not have played.” Denmark also lost their following match to Belgium but then won three in a row to reach the semi-finals, where they were beaten by England. …
Denmark’s Eriksen collapses during Ukraine friendlyThe Namibian
In the 1940s, mother of three Valerie Hunter-Gordon from England was fed up with washing cloth nappies. …
Disposable nappies: Oshikoto’s growing waste problemThe Namibian
Harry Kane’s 79th international goal edged England to a 1-0 win over New Zealand as the Three Lions’ World Cup preparations got off to an underwhelming start in the Florida heat on Saturday. …
Kane edges England to underwhelming New Zealand victoryThe Namibian
… It was New Zealand’s heaviest loss in nine years and a rude awakening with a friendly against England next and the World Cup in North America just over a week away. …
‘No hiding’ as Haiti thrash New Zealand in pre World Cup friendlyThe Namibian
… They begin their World Cup campaign against England on June 17. On the Adriatic coast, Lukaku was named on the bench with coach Rudi Garcia starting Atalanta midfielder Charles De Ketelaere in the attacking role. …
Lukaku makes Belgium return with ‘ideal’ goal in win over CroatiaInformanté
… The group stage will run from 11 to 27 June and feature several high-profile fixtures, including Brazil against Morocco, France versus Senegal, England against Croatia, and Argentina against Algeria. …
FIFA World Cup 2026 set to make history with 48 teams across three host nationsThe Namibian
… His team are on a 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions, including all eight of their qualifiers, but are rarely mentioned alongside Spain, France, Argentina and England as leading contenders. …
Netherlands under the radar as they chase long awaited World Cup crownThe Namibian
… The last time the Scandinavians played at a World Cup was also via a playoff win, over Italy, and they went on to make the 2018 quarter-finals in Russia before losing to England. …
Sweden bidding to make most of back door World Cup entryThe Namibian
… They fared better at the 2024 Euros, eliminating defending champions Italy in the last 16 before suffering a penalty shoot-out defeat to England. …
Canada targeting World Cup first in Group B campaignThe Namibian
… Following the friendly defeat to Austria in England in March, during which Son fluffed his lines, he defiantly denied that he had lost his goalscoring touch. …
Dark clouds hang over South Korea for Son’s likely World Cup farewellSouth Africa defeated England 45-21 in a Nations Championship first-round match at Ellis Park, outscoring them seven tries to three. England were reduced to 13 men late in the match after centre Tommy Freeman and replacement forward Guy Pepper were yellow carded.
9 hours ago · The Namibian →
South Africa defeated England 45-21 in a Nations Championship first-round match at Ellis Park, outscoring them seven tries to three. England were reduced to 13 men late in the match after centre Tommy Freeman and replacement forward Guy Pepper were yellow carded.
9 hours ago · The Namibian →
Japan beat Italy 27-10 in their Nations Championship campaign in Tokyo on Saturday, with forwards coach Neal Hatley standing in for suspended head coach Eddie Jones. Japan scored tries through captain Warner Dearns, full-back Takuro Matsunaga, and flanker Ben Gunter in front of more than 20,000 fans.
9 hours ago · The Namibian →
Jac Morgan scored two tries as Wales beat Fiji 39-24 in their opening Nations Championship match in Cardiff on Saturday, giving Wales back-to-back Test wins for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
10 hours ago · The Namibian →
Norway will play Brazil in Sunday's World Cup last-16 match, hoping to repeat their 1998 group-stage victory. Erling Haaland, who scored his fifth goal at the tournament against Ivory Coast, is central to their hopes, though Coach Solbakken acknowledges Brazil are favourites.
21 hours ago · The Namibian →
Argentina survived an improbable challenge from Cape Verde, defeating the African team 3-2 after extra time in a World Cup match on Friday, with a Diney Borges own goal in the 111th minute breaking Cape Verde's resistance. Argentina will face Egypt on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals.
21 hours ago · The Namibian →
England must confront Mexico's fanatical home crowd and high-altitude Azteca Stadium on Sunday in a World Cup round-of-16 tie with a quarter-finals place at stake. Mexico have won all four home games without conceding a goal, while England narrowly beat DR Congo 2-1 to advance.
3 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Harry Kane says he feels "as good as ever" as he pursues more World Cup goals for England; the captain has scored 72 goals for club and country in the 2025/26 campaign, second only to Lionel Messi's 82-goal haul in 2011/12, and has five goals at the World Cup so far.
3 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Jurgen Klopp has told the German FA he is "fundamentally willing" to take over as Germany coach after Julian Nagelsmann resigned on Friday, four days after Germany's last-32 exit to Paraguay. Nagelsmann, who had a contract until 2028, was offered a severance package of seven million euros to cut short his contract.
3 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia Rosa Olpherts, a 25-year-old customer service officer from Leeds, England, entered the 13th season of Love Island and sparked curiosity on Namibian social media.
3 July 2026 · Namibian Sun →
France has won all four games so far with 13 goals scored, including a 3-0 defeat of Sweden, and faces Paraguay in the last 16. Kylian Mbappe has scored six goals in the tournament and has 18 in 18 World Cup appearances.
2 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Harry Kane scored two goals in England's 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup round of 32, bringing his tournament total to five goals and moving him to sixth on the all-time World Cup goal-scoring list.
2 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in a World Cup round-of-32 match at the Azteca Stadium, ending their 40-year drought in knockout-stage play dating to 1986, when they last hosted the tournament.
1 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Teenage cyclist Paul Seixas's participation in the Tour de France has raised hopes of a first French victory in 41 years, since Bernard Hinault's 1985 triumph. France also faces long droughts in Paris-Roubaix (30 years since 1997) and Roland Garros men's tennis (since Yannick Noah in 1983).
30 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Despite navigating 13 qualifiers, a pre-tournament quarantine due to an Ebola outbreak, and decades of conflict, DR Congo has reached the World Cup for the first time since 1974 and will face England in the last 32. The squad includes players born outside Congo, many in France, including Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa.
30 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Alex-Romio Kenamuinjo, 21, who grew up playing street football in Katutura, now plays as a centre-back for Pilkington Football Club in England. His journey included captaining Namibia's under-13 national team at age 12 and development through local academies and trials in South Africa.
30 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Yoane Wissa scored twice as DR Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 to qualify for the World Cup last 32 for the first time in their history, securing their first ever World Cup win and a clash with England.
28 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 on Saturday to secure second place in Group L and advance to the World Cup last 32, where they will face the runner-up from Group K in Toronto on Thursday. England topped the group after beating Panama 2-0.
28 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Jude Bellingham scored and assisted as England defeated Panama 2-0 to top World Cup Group L, with Harry Kane adding a second goal. England will now face a third-placed team in the knockout rounds rather than Portugal.
28 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Senegal became the first African side to score five goals in a World Cup match, defeating 10-man Iraq 5-0 in their final Group I match, with Pape Gueye scoring twice. Senegal boosted their chances of progressing as one of the eight best third-placed teams with the best goal difference of teams on three points.
26 June 2026 · The Namibian →
France and Norway meet in a crucial World Cup group-stage match on Friday, with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland — both on four goals — set to feature prominently. France need only a draw to clinch first place in the group owing to superior goal difference.
26 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Panama were eliminated from World Cup contention after Croatia won 1-0 on Tuesday, with Ante Budimir scoring in the 54th minute. Despite the loss, Panama's coach Thomas Christiansen said his players had made strides forward and he was "super proud" of how they battled.
24 June 2026 · The Namibian →
England drew 0-0 with Ghana in a World Cup group match, dominating possession with 19 shots but failing to break down Ghana's goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. Both teams have four points with one game remaining to play in Group L.
24 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, aged 15, scored the fastest half-century in List A history in just 11 balls during an India A match against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla on Sunday. He made 94 off 29 deliveries and has been named to India's T20 squad for tours to Ireland, England, and the Asian Games.
21 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Mexico and South Korea meet Thursday knowing a win guarantees advancement to the World Cup knockout rounds. Both teams won their opening matches and the expanded 48-team format allows eight best-ranked third-placed teams to advance from the group stage.
18 June 2026 · The Namibian →
England begin their World Cup bid against Croatia on Wednesday, seeking to end a 60-year wait for a trophy, while Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in a record-equalling sixth World Cup tournament for Portugal against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
17 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Thomas Partey, a Villarreal midfielder facing trial in Britain on rape charges, will miss Ghana's World Cup opener against Panama after Canadian authorities refused his visa application. Fifa confirmed the player cannot travel from Ghana's team base in Boston to Toronto for the match on Wednesday, 17 June.
12 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibian Navy and Desert Jewels netball star Anna Kaspar has been away from competitive play since last year, nursing her newborn baby. The Walvis Bay-based shooting star has won multiple awards and built a reputation as one of the most clinical shooters for club and country.
12 June 2026 · The Namibian →
An analysis piece argues that the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico with forty-eight participating nations, faces a fundamental contradiction: its universalist ideals of global celebration are undermined by immigration and border restrictions in the host countries, raising questions about sovereignty, soft power, and international order.
12 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Across South America, football-inspired baby names are booming, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe among the most popular in Ecuador and Colombia. In Ecuador, 3,847 children are named Neymar and over 2,800 are named Kylian, according to the country's civil registry.
11 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Scientists caution that one in four World Cup games could be played in very hot conditions, affecting fans and players. Approximately 26 of the 104 matches could reach at least 26°C in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, with venues in Dallas, Houston, Miami and Mexican cities expected to experience extreme heat.
11 June 2026 · The Namibian →