England will aim to become the latest of the World Cup big guns to book their place in the knockout rounds on Tuesday as Portugal attempt to kickstart their campaign after a lacklustre opening draw.

A day after Argentina and France sailed into the last 32, England face Ghana in Group L knowing that victory will see them safely into the next phase of the tournament.

England launched their campaign last week with a stylish 4-2 win over Croatia, a result that has given the Three Lions camp fresh belief as they chase a first major championship win in 60 years.

With captain Harry Kane scoring twice and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham netting, England midfielder Declan Rice believes Thomas Tuchel's squad should be a match for any team in the tournament.

Rice said Monday the challenge for England will be reproducing the swashbuckling attacking display that marked their second-half performance against Croatia.

"We know as players the level, we know what's required, and that second-half performance was probably the benchmark for us in terms of having to start the game at that level," Rice said.

"We believe that if we can do that from the opening minute, with the players that we also have to come on and finish the game, we can beat any opponent in the world.

"We want to be confident in our abilities and what we can do on the pitch."

England's German manager Tuchel meanwhile says his team are already embracing the pressure that comes with a World Cup campaign.

"There are emotions involved and you can at some point feel the tension and feel the pressure. I hope we can cope with it, accept it and turn it around," Tuchel said.

"I heard also a lot about it and I feel of course the excitement and the pressure, but I feel that we have so many winners and so many players who are experienced to cope with the pressure."

England though will be wary of the threat posed by Ghana's Antoine Semenyo, the London-born Manchester City winger who is the focal point of the Black Stars attack.

Ghana, 1-0 winners over Panama in their opener last week, can also qualify for the knockout rounds on Tuesday with a victory at Foxborough, just outside Boston.

- Portugal chase response -

Elsewhere, Portugal will attempt to draw a line under a turbulent first week of the tournament when they take on Uzbekistan in Houston.

Portugal arrived at the World Cup as one of the tournament favourites, boasting a team studded with flair players and spearheaded by veteran Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.

But Ronaldo's leaden performance in a faltering 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo renewed debate about the captain's place in the starting line-up.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has continued to offer staunch support of his 41-year-old captain, despite his failure to score in his last 10 matches at major tournaments.

"He's a good example for us, for all of us," Martinez said of Ronaldo.

"So he really wants to keep on improving, to contribute to the team, and he's really a role model for our team."

Martinez though stopped short of confirming Ronaldo will start against Uzbekistan when asked by reporters on Monday, saying he had not informed his players of the lineup.

Martinez said the disappointment Portugal felt after drawing with the DRC will be motivation against Uzbekistan, who are playing at a World Cup for the first time and will be heavy underdogs.

"The feeling of frustration that we all had as a team, the feeling of disappointment after the game, probably that's the best starting point to prepare for the next game," said the Spaniard.

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Fans at the 2026 World Cup in North America had been warned there was a possibility that games could be disrupted by bad weather. 

On Monday, that likelihood came true with a vengeance as lightning flashed across the sky above Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and torrential rain soaked spectators at France's game against Iraq, forcing play to be halted for more than two hours.

It was the first time that a match at the tournament has had to be paused due to the weather.

Fans at the stadium tried to make the best of the situation, although they were surprised by the strictness of the protocol.

After Canadian referee Drew Fischer sent the 22 players back to the dressing rooms for half-time, with France leading 1-0 thanks to a Kylian Mbappe goal, an urgent message flashed up on the scoreboards: "Please exit the open seating area and seek shelter in covered areas of the stadium."

The approximately 70,000 spectators, many already in ponchos and rain coats, filed out and, in little more than 15 minutes, the concourses of "the Linc" resembled a huge train station on a holiday travel day.

Antoine Chouraqui, a Frenchman who has lived in the United States for a decade, took the development in stride.

"There are storms in the summer here. I've never had to evacuate a stadium, but I play tennis and often we're in the middle of a match when the alarm goes off warning that lightning is coming, and we have to leave the court," he told AFP.

A fan from Paris though was baffled by the order to leave the stands.

"We don't really know what to do; we haven't been given many instructions," said the man, who declined to give his name, as he stood with his two sons.

"I've never seen that in 40 years of football. In France we don't stop a match for rain."

The rain poured and poured, soaking any fans who lingered in the seats.

"We brought the ponchos, we were ready," said Steven Jouan, 32, who had come to Philadelphia from South Carolina with his partner for the game to support France.

"We have been to different sporting events before so we knew that delays happen. Most of the other games get cancelled but a World Cup game, you just gotta stick it out."

- 'With $400 tickets, I'm staying' -

Spectators used the interruption to try to dry off, chat, and shop, whether it was food, drinks, jerseys, scarves, or whatever other merchandise they could find.

There was no chance of fans leaving though -- with the cost of tickets to this World Cup, they wanted to get their money's worth.

"I've already left an interrupted MLS match before," said Axel Francon, who has lived in Colorado for four years. "But here, at $400 a ticket, I'm staying." 

Pierre Prondeau and Morgane Granger stayed too, "after travelling 6,000 kilometers" to attend France's first two World Cup matches. 

"We're making the best of a bad situation, but the match better not be postponed because we won't be able to change our return tickets," Prondeau said.

Eventually the lightning stopped flashing and an announcement was made that the game would restart at 8:00 pm local time (0000 GMT Tuesday). France went on to win 3-0. 

The Club World Cup in the United States last year, which served as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, saw six matches delayed because of extreme weather conditions, including eventual winners Chelsea's game against Benfica in the round of 16 in Charlotte, which was halted for four and a half hours.

Scientists say this is a phenomenon that could become increasingly common as greenhouse gases continue to warm the planet.

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Lamine Yamal made a goalscoring return for Spain as the European champions got their World Cup campaign back on track with a 4-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Yamal, 18, opened the scoring after just 10 minutes of the Group H game in Atlanta to put La Roja on course for a comfortable victory against an outclassed Saudi team.

Spain had been determined to bounce back after being held to a shock 0-0 draw by lowly Cape Verde in their opening game last week, when their much-vaunted attack drew a blank.

But with teenaged starlet Yamal making his first start in two months since recovering from a hamstring problem, Spain launched an early onslaught that left the Saudis reeling.

Yamal ghosted in at the back post to tuck away Mikel Oyarzabal's low cross before Oyarzabal scored twice in three minutes to leave Spain 3-0 up after just 24 minutes.

Spain bagged their fourth goal on 49 minutes, when Marc Cucurella's shot was saved by Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais only to bounce off defender Hassan al-Tambakti into the net.

Spain coach Luis De la Fuente said his squad had been fuelled by criticism of their opening performance.

"When someone questions your work, it is only human that anyone with courage and pride reacts to prove people wrong," said De la Fuente.

The win leaves Spain on top of Group H with four points after two matches.

Cape Verde will attempt to join the Spaniards on four points later Sunday when they face Uruguay in Miami, with coach Pedro Leitao Brito, known as "Bubista", vowing his team will play "without fear".

"We didn't come just to take part. We want to play all the matches and to be able to show that we have the level to take on the best teams in the world," he added.

"Our aim is to play all the games with courage, in an organised way but also without fear."

- Belgium frustrated by Iran -

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, Belgium are still waiting for their first win after being held to a 0-0 draw by Iran in Group G.

The Red Devils, who also drew with Egypt in their opening game, finished the game with 10 men and struggled to break down a resolute Iranian side despite dominating possession.

For the second Iran game running, protesters from Los Angeles' large Persian exile community gathered at the stadium to chant against the country's hardline regime.

Inside the stadium, Iran's anthem again drew a chorus of boos and whistles -- a reception at odds with the response to the players themselves, who were loudly cheered.

Iran's Mehdi Taremi had the ball in the net from a clever first-half free-kick that was ruled out by VAR, while Belgium's Nathan Ngoy was sent off after the break for hauling down the striker following a mis-hit backpass.

The result means all three games so far in Group G have ended in draws.

With just two points from two games, Belgium will be targeting a big win against the World Cup's lowest-ranked team, New Zealand, in their final group game in Vancouver on Friday.

- Germany advance -

On Saturday, Germany booked their place in the knockout rounds with a dramatic injury-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. 

It is the first time since 2014 that Germany have made it out of the group stage.

Germany's victory was made even sweeter later on Saturday as Curacao -- the smallest country by population ever to qualify for the World Cup with just 160,000 inhabitants -- dug deep to secure a shock 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City that ensured the Germans will win Group E with a game to spare.

In Houston, the Netherlands stayed firmly on course for qualification with a 5-1 demolition of Sweden in Group F.

Japan are level on four points with the Dutch after cruising to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico, in Saturday's late match -- the 1,000th game in World Cup history. 

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The United States marched into the last 32 of the World Cup on Friday with a 2-0 victory over Australia as Brazil rediscovered their scoring touch to eliminate Haiti.

A day after Mexico sealed their place in the knockout rounds, the USA emulated their fellow World Cup co-hosts with a clinical Group D win over Australia in Seattle.

A Cameron Burgess own goal in the 11th minute and a headed effort from Alex Freeman two minutes before half-time sealed a comfortable win for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who have advanced to the second phase of the tournament with a game to spare.

After an unconvincing build-up to the World Cup, the Americans have made a dream start to the tournament with Friday's victory following a stylish 4-1 demolition of Paraguay in their opening game last week.

The co-hosts could even clinch first place in Group D later on Friday if Turkey lose or draw against Paraguay in the late match.

"It was a fantastic game again, very good first half," Pochettino said. "I think we dominated the game against a very tough team.

"When the draw happened in December I thought it was going to be a really difficult, a really tough game."

Australia coach Tony Popovic blamed "lethargy" for his team's loss.

"We were slow to every ball, and we couldn't really wrestle back any momentum, which made it difficult," Popovic said.

"We conceded a couple of really soft goals but we just looked flat and lethargic in the first half."

- Brazil romp, Scotland stumble -

In other games on Friday, Brazil took control of their destiny in Group C with a 3-0 victory over Haiti that ended the Caribbean nation's chances of reaching the last 32.

Two goals from Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha and a Vinicius Junior strike sealed a comfortable win for the Brazilians in a one-sided game at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

The result ensured Haiti will finish bottom of Group C and are the first team to be eliminated from contention for a place in the knockout rounds.

Brazil's victory though was marred by an apparent injury to star forward Raphinha, who left the game in the 40th minute after an innocuous-looking tussle with Haiti defender Martin Experience.

Brazil are now level on four points with Morocco in Group C, but lead the North Africans on goal difference.

Morocco secured their first win of the tournament on Friday with a 1-0 defeat of Scotland at Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Ismael Saibari scored the games's only goal, lashing home a thunderous angled strike in the second minute to leave the Scots reeling.

Morocco will face Haiti in their final Group C game on June 24, while Brazil take on the Scots in Miami.

"Tonight we showed we can compete with the teams in the top 10. Brazil will be a different game, they play with less structure but they have quality that can hurt you at any point," Scotland's John McGinn said.

"We will need to be at our best. We know what we need to do to try to get through to the next round."

- Iranian complaints -

Off the field, a leading Iranian football official said on Friday that Iran's treatment at the World Cup was a "dark point" in the history of the competition.

Hedayat Mombeyni, the secretary general of the Iranian football federation, was speaking to reporters the day after his organization said it would lodge a complaint with FIFA, claiming the team was being subjected to travel restrictions that were jeopardizing its performance.

Iran wanted to fly from their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles two days before their next match, against Belgium on Sunday.

But the Iranian federation said its request was turned down.

The US administration has pushed back against the Iranian demands.

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