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The final knockout round spot from Group A at the 1998 World Cup was on the line during the last group stage matches. Norway had two points, while Morocco and Scotland sat on one point with Brazil easily winning the group after two victories. It was all up for grabs with a date against Italy in the Round of 16 on the line.

It was looking quite comfortable for Morocco, which built a 2-0 lead on Scotland early in the second half after goals from Salaheddine Bassir and Abdeljalil Hadda. Bassir would add a third in the 85th minute to ensure the win and put Morocco on four points. Over in Marseille, Norway faced a tall task after Bebeto beat Frode Grodås to put Brazil up 1-0 in the 78th minute. Norway needed to win with Morocco cruising in their match.

In the 83rd minute, Tore André Flo delivered a lifeline with his only goal of the tournament. The live table with 12 minutes to play read:

• 2nd: Morocco, 4 points

• 3rd: Norway, 3 points

One more goal was needed for Norway to leap-frog Morocco.

Flo wouldn’t score again, but he played a role in the dramatic finish. Júnior Baiano pulled down the Norway striker, causing referee Esfandiar Baharmast to call a late penalty kick.

Up stepped Kjetil Rekdal, who beat Cláudio Taffarel to put Norway up 2-1 in the dying moments of the match.

Norway hung on in stoppage time to secure the win and take the second spot in the group and advance to the Round of 16.

Norway will participate in its fourth-ever World Cup this summer. It has reached the Round of 16 on two previous occasions and only failed to advance in 1994 after all four teams in its group finished with four points, but missed out on a goals scored tiebreaker.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino affirmed on Thursday that Iran will take part in this summer’s World Cup despite the country’s current conflict between the country and the United States.

"Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and of course Iran will play in the United States of America," Infantino said during his opening remarks of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. "The reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility."

Among the 211-member FIFA congress, Iran was the only absentee.

When asked about Infantino’s comments, President Donald Trump said Thursday he was fine with Iran participating.

Iran was drawn into Group G with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand and is scheduled to play its games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Lumen Field in Seattle. The team is scheduled to set up a training base in Tucson, Arizona.

Infantino’s comments, which he’s statedmultiple timessince the U.S.-Iran war started in March, come a day after Iran’s delegation was denied entry into Canada to attend the congress. According to ESPN, two delegates were allowed into the country, but chose not to attend after a third member of their part was denied entry by Canadian immigration officials.

In an effort to remain a part of the 48-nation World Cup field, Iran had explored changing its schedule to play its three group games in Mexico, but FIFA rejected the idea.

MLS commissioner Don Garber said a social media post on X was made after his account had been “compromised.”

The post, which read, “Liar liar pants on fire,” was in response to a 45-second video clip from British Columbia Premier David Eby saying that he was “fighting hard to save the [Vancouver] Whitecaps.”

Dan Courtemanche, the league’s executive vice president of communications, posted a message on X: "Commissioner Garber was hacked and did not post this."

The future of the Whitecaps in Vancouver remains in doubt with the club having been up for sale since Dec. 2024. According to The Athletic, MLS owners reportedly met recently to discuss relocation options with Las Vegas and Phoenix emerging as favored destinations. The club said in a statement this week that "no viable offer has emerged” over the past 16 months.

“We are aware of today's reporting. The club has faced well-documented structural challenges around stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations that have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver. Over the past 16 months, we have had serious conversations with more than 100 parties, and to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here.

It remains the strong preference of this ownership group to find a solution in Vancouver. If there is a local ownership group with the vision and resources to chart a path forward, we urge them to come forward.”

BC Place, the Whitecaps' home stadium, is owned by the Province of British Columbia. Their lease ends after this year and while Eby and Garber met this week for "constructive" talks, Garber has called the team's stadium situation "untenable" and a better deal is needed for the club to bring in a better share of revenues.

“It’s reaching a critical point,” Garber said Tuesday. “If we can’t get a better dynamic in that with BC Place, I don’t know how we stay.”

The Whitecaps currently have the second-most points in MLS and finished last season as runners-up in both MLS Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.