Ultimate Brighton World Cup 2026 guide: every Seagulls player’s fixtures, results and TV info

The Brighton Base will be tracking every match involving a Seagulls player throughout the group stage and beyond, updating this fixture guide as the tournament progresses.

Spain vs Belgium

After some shaky early performances, Belgium face their biggest challenge of the tournament yet in the shape of Spain. Luis de la Fuente’s side dug deep to secure a 1-0 win over Portugal earlier this week, and they will take plenty of confidence from the performance. De Cuyper could be in line for a tough evening, lining up against Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.

Match details

Venue: Los Angeles Stadium (California)

Kick-off time: 20:00pm BST

Where to watch: BBC One

Paraguay 0-1 France

France emerged as worthy winners from a scrappy, hard-fought affair. In a contest that never truly found its rhythm due to the sheer volume of fouls, Kylian Mbappe scored the all-important goal after 70 minutes. The forward tucked home his penalty after VAR ruled that Diego Gomez had fouled Desire Doue.

USA 1-4 Belgium

Amid a backdrop of controversy, Belgium secured a comfortable victory at Seattle Stadium. Charles De Ketelaere scored either side of Malik Tillman’s deflected equaliser, before the Red Devils stamped their authority on the match in the second half. Hans Vanaken pounced on a defensive error to put the game out of the USA’s reach, before Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to make it four.

Germany 1-1 Paraguay (Paraguay progress via penalties)

Paraguay stunned Germany on penalties at the Gillette Stadium, with José Canale converting the winning penalty kick after Bayern Munich’s Jonathan Tah skied his attempt in sudden death. Neither Albion star played in this match. Gross remained an unused sub for the Germans, while Gomez was suspended and unavailable for selection.

Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (Morocco progress via penalties)

Morocco prevailed on penalties, after all was level 1-1 following extra time. Cody Gakpo scored for the Dutch, while Issa Diop converted for the Atlas Lions. It was Ismael Saibari who booked Morocco’s spot in the Round of 16 though. The new Bayern Munich signing sent Verbruggen the wrong way with the final penalty kick of the shootout.

France 3-0 Sweden

Sweden were unable to rise to France’s level, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Les Bleus in a match where Kylian Mbappé stole the show, bagging another World Cup brace. The Real Madrid star now has 18 career World Cup goals, one short of Lionel Messi’s new all-time record.

Belgium 3-2 Senegal (after extra-time)

Belgium survived a scare from Senegal in Seattle. The Red Devils won 3-2 thanks to a 125th-minute Youri Tielemans winner from the penalty spot. All three Belgian goals came after the 86th minute, including another from Tielemans and close-range effort from substitute Romelu Lukaku.

United States 4 - 1 Paraguay (Group D, Matchday 1)

An impressive performance from the USA saw them stamp their authority on Group D. An own goal from Paraguay's Damian Bobadilla early in the first half set the tone, with Folarin Balogun bagging a brace before the interval. Paraguay's Mauricio pulled one back in the second half, before Giovanni Reyna put the game to bed with a superb finish late on.

Australia 2-0 Turkey (Group D, Matchday 1)

A performance full of grit and determination saw Australia battle to victory over Kadioglu's Turkey. Watford's Nestory Irankunda opened the scoring with a well-taken solo effort before fellow winger Connor Metcalfe put the game to bed in the second half with a sweeping strike into the bottom corner.

Germany 7-1 Curaçao (Group E, Matchday 1)

As expected, Germany cruised to victory in Houston. Julian Nagelsmann's side suffered an early scare when Livano Comenencia equalised after Felix Nmecha's opener. Germany's quality soon shone through though, with Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz (brace), Nathaniel Brown and Jamal Musiala all scoring. Ex-Brighton star Deniz Undav then came off the bench to get on the score sheet.

Netherlands 2-2 Japan (Group F, Matchday 1)

After an easily forgotten first half, the Netherlands took the lead through skipper Virgil van Dijk, with the Liverpool star powering his header beyond Zion Suzuki. Japan soon equalised thanks to Keito Nakamura's deflected strike, but the Dutch restored their lead just eight minutes later after a brilliant strike from Crysencio Summerville. Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada then levelled the score with just minutes left on the clock.

Sweden 5-1 Tunisia (Group F, Matchday 1)

Sweden surged to the top of Group F with an impressive display in Mexico. Ayari top and tailed the scoring, with Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Mattias Svanberg also opening their respective accounts at the tournament. Ex-Wigan defender Omar Rekik's header before the half-time break gave the travelling Tunisia supporters a rare moment to celebrate.

Belgium 1-1 Egypt (Group G, Matchday 1)

Belgium struggled against an aggressive and organised Egypt side in Seattle. The Pharaohs opened the scoring in the first half with a long-range effort from Emam Ashour, set up by Mohamed Salah. De Cuyper and the Red Devils got their equaliser in the second half when Egypt's Mohamed Hany deflected a cross into the back of his own net, under pressure from substitute Romelu Lukaku.

Turkey 0-1 Paraguay (Group D, Matchday 2)

Turkey were mathematically eliminated from Group D after another woeful performance in front of goal. The Crescent Stars attempted 32 shots against Gomez’s Paraguay but could not find the back of the net. Los Guaraníes, meanwhile, scored the fastest goal of the tournament after just 65 seconds of action at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Netherlands 5-1 Sweden (Group F, Matchday 2)

After dominating Tunisia, Sweden came crashing back down to earth on Matchday 2, conceding five goals to the Netherlands. Brian Brobbey, Cody Gakpo, and Crysencio Summerville were on the scoresheet for the Oranje, while Anthony Elanga converted for the Blågult.

Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast (Group E, Matchday 2)

Gross didn’t manage to get on to the pitch, but former Seagulls star Deniz Undav scored two second-half goals to help Germany see off a resilient Ivory Coast side. Simon Adingra, another ex-Albion attacker, had a chance to put the Elephants up 2-1 in the 88th minute before Undav’s winning goal, but scuffed his chance and failed to get a shot away.

Belgium 1-1 Iran (Group G, Matchday 2)

De Cuyper and Belgium were frustrated by a tricky Iran side in Los Angeles. The Red Devils had a man sent off, with Nathan Ngoy being shown a red card in the 67th minute for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Rudi Garcia’s team took 23 shots without scoring. De Cuyper himself had four efforts saved by Team Melli goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

Ecuador 2-1 Germany (Group E, Matchday 3)

Former Seagulls stars Moisés Caicedo and Pervis Estupinán took care of business against Gross’s Germany, winning 2-1 to close out Group E. However, the DFB-Team still finished top of the group, and Gross saw his first bit of action in the tournament when he came on as a 73rd-minute sub for Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz.

Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands (Group F, Matchday 3)

The Netherlands didn’t have much trouble easing past Tunisia on the final day of Group F. The Oranje scored just three minutes into the match and would go on to win 3-1. Van Hecke scored his first goal in the victory, while Verbruggen made three saves. 

Japan 1-1 Sweden (Group F, Matchday 3)

Anthony Elanga’s goal against Japan to equalise guaranteed a spot for Graham Potter’s side in the Round of 32, even if he wasn’t aware of it at the time. The Nottingham Forest winger didn’t realise the importance of his goal and was distraught after the full-time whistle sounded. 

Turkey 3-2 United States (Group D, Matchday 3)

Turkey finally got on the scoresheet at this summer’s tournament, securing a 3-2 win over the United States in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it was too late, as the Turks were already eliminated from the tournament before the match.

Paraguay 0-0 Australia (Group D, Matchday 3)

Experts predicted this match would be one of the dullest of the World Cup Group Stage, and the game certainly lived up to that billing. It ended in a 0-0 draw, with less than one xG created by both teams combined. Gómez will not be complaining though, as the result saw his nation advance to the next round.

New Zealand 1-5 Belgium (Group G, Matchday 3)

Belgium breezed past New Zealand with a 5-1 win at BC Place in Vancouver early on Saturday morning. Former Albion star Leandro Trossard bagged a brace, while Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Saelemaekers also scored for the Red Devils. Breakout star Elijah Just scored the Kiwis’ only goal.