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Four-time world champions Germany suffered their first away loss in a World Cup qualifier after their shock 2-0 defeat by hosts Slovakia in their opening qualifier for the 2026 tournament, Aljazeera reported.

The Germans, who have set a goal of winning the 2026 World Cup, had never before lost a World Cup qualifier on the road, and they have now lost their last three consecutive matches, following defeats by Portugal and France in the Nations League in June.

“We did not show any emotionality in our game today. In terms of emotions, the opponents were miles ahead of us,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said after Thursday’s defeat. “We want to go to the World Cup, but today we were miles away from that, according to Aljazeera.

Poland fullback Matty Cash fired home a late equaliser to ensure his side held the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier, a major boost to their hopes and a dent to Dutch ambitions, Reuters reported.

A thunderous right-footed shot from the English-born defender in the 80th minute was as much as Poland deserved after a strong second-half performance, having been a goal down at halftime at the Feijenoord Stadium.

The Netherlands and Poland now share top place in Group G with seven points each, although the Dutch have played one game less.

Coach Ronald Koeman had identified Poland as the key team to beat in the group, and his side looked on course to do so after Denzel Dumfries put them ahead in the 28th minute, according to Reuters.

Tiny Cape Verde Islands kept up top place in their World Cup qualifying group as they won away on Thursday, while Algeria and Tunisia moved closer to qualifying for next year’s finals with victories of their own, Reuters reported.

But Ghana suffered a setback as they dropped unexpected points after giving up a last-minute equaliser away in Chad.

Cape Verde, who draw most of their side from migrant communities across Europe, scored a goal in either half to beat Mauritius 2-0 away with Jovane Cabral and Diney ensuring they stayed top of Group D with 16 points, one ahead of Cameroon, who had a 3-0 win over tiny Eswatini in Yaoundé, according to Reuters.

Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez issued an apology on Thursday for spitting on a Seattle Sounders staff member four days earlier at the end of the Leagues Cup final, Reuters reported.

As the Sounders concluded a 3-0 victory in Seattle, the teams got in a scuffle that featured the Suarez spitting incident as well as Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets appearing to throw a punch.

Suarez wrote Thursday on Instagram, "First, I want to congratulate the Seattle Sounders for their Leagues Cup triumph. But most of all, I want to apologize for my behavior when the game ended, according to Reuters.