Yesterday's results & headlines

The night belonged to Lionel Messi. The Argentina captain struck twice — in the 38th minute and again deep into stoppage time at 90+5 — to settle a 2-0 win over Austria at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the goals taking his personal World Cup tally to 17 and 18 and breaking the all-time finals scoring record. The result sent the holders through to the knockout stage with a perfect six points from two Group J outings, with 70,649 inside the stadium to see history made.

Elsewhere on Monday, France booked their last-16 place after Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé found the net, while Norway, inspired by an early Marcus Pedersen strike, edged towards qualification against Senegal. Mexico, the United States and Germany had already wrapped up top spot in their respective groups with maximum returns from their opening two games, underlining the early gulf between the seeds and the chasing pack.

On the home front, the summer transfer window continued to crackle. With the market open since 15 June and running to 11pm on 1 September, champions Arsenal are pressing to reinforce the left flank and central midfield, while Newcastle moved early for Osasuna's 22-year-old winger Víctor Muñoz as part of their ongoing recruitment of young talent. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are chasing two central midfielders amid widespread expectation that Elliot Anderson departs the City Ground.

In racing, attention shifts back to the everyday fare after a vintage Royal Ascot the previous week, with trainers and owners now plotting summer campaigns through July's big festivals. Ground conditions across the country remain on the quick side after a dry, sunny spell.

Today's fixtures & previews

Football — World Cup 2026

The headline act for British viewers is England v Ghana, kicking off at 21:00 BST at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough and live on BBC One. Thomas Tuchel's side opened their Group L campaign with an eye-catching 4-2 win over Croatia and victory here would all but secure top spot and a kinder knockout route. Ghana, ranked 74th in the world and led by Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, arrive on the back of a dramatic 95th-minute 1-0 win over Panama.

It is a busy day across the Group L and Group K schedule. Portugal v Uzbekistan (18:00 BST, Houston) sees an unbeaten Portugal look to convert a draw with DR Congo into qualification, while Panama v Croatia (00:00 BST, Toronto) is effectively must-win for both after opening defeats. Colombia v DR Congo in Zapopan rounds off the programme in the early hours UK time.

Horse racing

Four meetings make up Tuesday's domestic card. The pick is the evening Flat fixture at Newbury, where seven races run from 17:17 through to 20:35 on good-to-firm ground (GoingStick 6.1). The opener is a Class 4 contest for two-year-old fillies over six furlongs worth £6,480 to the winner.

Beverley stages an afternoon Flat card, while there is summer jumps action at Newton Abbot — featuring a 2m5f handicap chase — and additional Flat racing at Ffos Las in Wales. With the going quick at most tracks, prominent racers and front-runners are worth respecting throughout.

Betting tips & odds analysis

Player news & injury updates

Saka managed carefully

Bukayo Saka is nursing an Achilles issue and was restricted to a substitute cameo against Croatia. He is in the squad but Tuchel has hinted the Arsenal man will again be held back from the start against Ghana, with one eye on the latter rounds.

Rice and Rashford doubts

Declan Rice battled back from a back problem to start against Croatia but was withdrawn in the second half with hamstring tightness — a situation England's medical staff are monitoring. Marcus Rashford is also said to be managing hamstring discomfort and could be spared for this fixture.

Livramento ruled out, Chalobah in

England were forced into a late squad change before the tournament when Tino Livramento withdrew with a calf injury on 16 June. Trevoh Chalobah was drafted in as his replacement, adding defensive cover to Tuchel's 26-man group.

Transfer market heats up

Away from the World Cup, Newcastle are chasing a striker and a left-winger on top of their move for Víctor Muñoz, while Nottingham Forest brace for the likely exit of Elliot Anderson as they target midfield reinforcements. Expect activity to accelerate as eliminated nations free up their players for medicals.

Racing riders

At Newton Abbot, James Bowen keeps the ride on Limerick Leader, bidding to land the 2m5f handicap chase for a second successive year — a notable booking on an otherwise low-key summer jumps afternoon.