World Cup quick hits: Ecuador does the impossible, Sweden trains the house down

Ecuador's wildest dreams come true, the Swedes get a rude shock at training and a piece of World Cup history goes up for sale.

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Here are today's World Cup quick hits.

1. Mission Impossible? Mission Completed for Ecuador

Ecuador's mission was clear, but no less daunting. Nothing short of a win against four-time world champion Germany in the final group game would be enough.

When Germany scored its fastest-ever goal at a World Cup, Ecuadorian hopes appeared dashed. When replays showed more than a hint of a foul by way of a high boot in that German opener, disappointment turned to anger.

But Ecuador, which had not scored a goal in its first two group stage games, was undeterred. After firing 39 unsuccessful shots at this World Cup, finally the 40th, from the boot of Nilson Angulo, found a breakthrough.

Then began the frantic and increasingly desperate search for a winner. Côte d'Ivoire was cruising to victory over Curaçao in the other Group E game, but Ecuador knew a win and a third-place finish would almost certainly be enough.

So when Gonzalo Plata poked home from a corner to give Ecuador a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute, the scenes of jubilation rivalled anything witnessed at this World Cup so far.

Coach Sebastián Beccacece, who yesterday conceded Ecuadorian fans did not like him, likened the win to achieving the "impossible".

"I invite everyone to keep united," he said. "That's what we did today."

2. Swedes alarmed by training ground destruction

No, a storm didn't roll through Sweden's base camp at the World Cup. It's just a home renovation.

The Swedes were taken by surprise seeing mangled metal and other demolished construction material on one side of the stadium, the home of MLS team FC Dallas, during their training session on Wednesday night.

"I just thought, 'What happened?' As far as I knew, there hadn't been any storm," Sweden midfielder Besfort Zeneli told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

That scheduled work, done earlier in the day before Sweden's session, is part of a years-long renovation project at the stadium.

That area has been blocked off since before Sweden started using the stadium as its base camp after arriving in the United States in early June. The construction has had no impact on the pitch or any facilities being used by the team.

Still, that very visible demolition from the latest work caught some players by surprise when they arrived for training ahead of their final Group F match against Japan.

3. 'Hand of God' ball up for auction

Here it is, the perfect gift for the English football-loving person in your life.

The match ball from Argentina's 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, made famous by Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal, is set to go up for auction with a $3.6 million opening bid.

The item, which the auctioneers describe as the "holy grail" for collectors, could fetch a price comparable to the $13.3 million paid in 2022 for Maradona's match-worn shirt from the same game, according to the auction house.

Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer, said there was no direct comparison for what the ball might fetch in the auction.

"It's a true one-of-one item," Provenzale said. "Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists."

Provenzale said major tournaments such as the World Cup served as a catalyst for memorabilia like player cards, with player performances causing valuations to rise in real time.

"We have some Messi cards open for auction right now. The night he got the hat-trick, they jumped up in value," he said.

"The market will wait and see on what happens in the round of 32 and who progresses beyond that. The market has spoken on Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe."

4. Seattle 'Pride Match' to go ahead despite protests

Fans will be allowed to bring rainbow flags when Egypt faces Iran in Seattle's designated "Pride Match" at the World Cup, despite protests from the two competing countries.

The Group G game during Pride weekend was branded the Pride Match by Seattle's local organising committee before December's draw selected the two Muslim-majority countries, where homosexuality is criminalised.

Egypt and Iran objected after the draw, with Egypt's Football Association saying such events clashed with its cultural and religious values.

The Athletic cited the Iranian Football Federation as saying: "No ceremonies or promotional activities associated with this movement should be present inside the stadium." A spokesperson for the federation did not respond to Reuters's requests for comment.

FIFA, however, said the World Cup was "an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds" and that rainbow flags were allowed in the stadium.

"General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted … and may be displayed inside stadiums," FIFA said in a statement.

FIFA has emphasised that the Pride celebrations are organised by Seattle's local World Cup committee and not the global football body.

5. 2026 World Cup breaks attendance records

The 2026 World Cup has become the best attended in the tournament's history, surpassing the 1994 record of nearly 3.6 million spectators, FIFA says.

The announcement came during the second half of Germany's match against Ecuador, as jumbotrons flashed with the new all-time high — 3,605,357 — to uproarious applause.

With 48 matches remaining in the World Cup, total attendance could conceivably nearly double the 1994 record, when the World Cup was only 52 matches.

Stadiums have been said to be more than 99 per cent full on average.

The tournament reached its halfway point in terms of games played yesterday, with the 104 matches scheduled for this tournament the most ever.

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