With the 2026 World Cup now heading to the latter stages, England still have every hope of going all the way again for the first time since 1966. Their next opponents will be co-hosts Mexico, with the game set to take place Sunday 6pm local time (1am Monday morning in the United Kingdom).

Thomas Tuchel’s men topped their group with wins over Croatia and Panama, as well as a draw against Ghana. This led to a Last 32 tie against DR Congo, which nearly ended in disaster for the Three Lions.

Having fallen behind, England struggled to find their rhythm in the first half and did not get themselves back level until the 75th minute. It was Harry Kane who came to his nation’s rescue, bagging a winner just 11 minutes later.

After the game, the players walked through the mixed zone, but most appeared to ignore a World Cup journalist.

Only Two England Players Stop For Journalist

Having struggled to get past DR Congo, the England players would have felt relief more than anything in the aftermath of the match. That said, many didn’t seem that keen to take the time to talk to Venezuelan reporter Маnu Gutierrez in the mixed zone.

As footage appeared online, it appeared that only two players spoke to the journalist. The first was star midfielder Jude Bellingham, who spoke out on the deadly earthquakes which have ravaged the South American nation. As translated into English from Spanish via the Sun, he said:

Gutierrez also asked a number of England stars to stop for just one question, but got no response until Noni Madueke came along. The Arsenal star said of the comeback win against DR Congo:

“Yeah, very happy. I’m super happy.”

Watch the full clip below:

Fans Slam England Stars After Journalist Treatment

England players pose for a team group photo before the match vs DR Congo via REUTERS/Paul Childs

Fans online saw the clip but were far from impressed by those England stars who ignored the journalist. One wrote:

Another added: “Being nice doesn’t cost you anything.” While a third said: “Not acknowledging someone has nothing at all to do with pressure… Just terrible manners…”

Another went as far as to call it ‘Disgraceful’, while somebody else wrote: “That’s so rude of them!”

For the two players who stopped, however, fans were impressed by their actions. One said: “Absolute class from Jude and Noni.”

While another wrote: “That is a genuinely heartwarming gesture from both of them. It’s great to see players take a moment to connect like that.”

Following his team’s exit from the 2026 World Cup, Canada manager Jesse Marsch has caused a bit of a stir with his comments. The co-hosts fell to a 3-0 loss against Morocco, ending their tournament at the Last 16 stage.

Having never won a World Cup game before the competition began this summer, Canada made it further than ever before, as they finished second in their group, beat South Africa in the Round of 32, but could not progress any further. They actually started the game well, but were left to regret some key chances they missed in the first half.

Morocco capitalised on this to put on a clinical second-half display, scoring three times, with Azzedine Ounahi netting twice, while Soufiane Rahimi added the cherry on top in the 98th minute. Marsch’s immediate post-game claims have since drawn plenty of reaction.

Jesse Marsch: ‘I’d Rather Be Us Than Them’

Canada can be proud of their efforts, and coach Marsch certainly wanted to make that clear after the full-time whistle. He even went as far as to say that his team were better than Morocco on the day, insisting that he’d ‘rather be us than them’.

Speaking to the press, he said: “We were the better team. We were the better team, right?” They made a couple more plays than us, but cranking up the intensity was not the issue. It was just they have a little bit of quality in the final third, and we lacked a little ability to make a play when we needed to.”

Marsch added:

Matthew Childs via Reuters

Fox Sports Pundit Alexi Lalas was among those a little confused by the claim, as he said:

Fans online also picked up on the comments and were baffled by Marsch’s claim that he’d rather be Canada, knocked out of the World Cup, than Morocco, who have advanced into the quarter-finals. One supporter said: “Loser mentality, he’s a great fit for Canada.”

Another added: “Poor guy is in denial.” While a third wrote: “The same guy said ‘we were the better team’ what a joke.” And a fourth asked: “Loser talk quote of the year?”

A USMNT fan harshly said: ‘Thankful our federation selected Pochettino and not this clown.” While another wrote: “Thank goodness he doesn’t manage the USMNT.”

Someone called Marsch a ‘generational loser’, before a final fan summed up the reaction, asking: “He’s weird man. Why even say that?”

As co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, Canada can be proud of their efforts. They came into the tournament having never won a game in the FIFA competition, but beat the likes of Qatar and South Africa as they made it all the way to the Last 16.

This was where Jesse Marsch’s men met Morocco, who proved too strong to overcome. Canada dominated the first half but couldn’t open the scoring, as their African opponents took control as the game wore on.

In the end, a brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a late effort from Soufiane Rahimi saw Morocco win the game 3-0. Manager Marsch insisted his team were the better side despite the loss, and things were certainly tighter than the final result suggests.

As Canada struggled in the second half, having conceded in the 50th minute but then not again until the 80th, many watching on wondered why Alphonso Davies was not used. A full explanation of his absence has now emerged.

Marsch Explains Why Alphonso Davies Did Not Play vs Morocco

Davies is very much the star man for Canada, having established himself as one of the best left-backs in the world during his time at Bayern Munich. Sadly, though, he entered the World Cup with a hamstring injury.

As such, the defender played in just one game out of five for his nation this summer, and that appearance came as a substitute. That outing, however, came in the Last 32 win over South Africa, with his lively 15-minute cameo suggesting he could be involved against Morocco.

This was not to be the case, though, as he was left on the bench as his team lost 3-0 and exited the World Cup. As quoted by BavarianFootballWorks, Marsch has since told Sportsnet why the Bayern star did not play:

Davies Was Working With Specialist

Piroschka Van De Wouw via Reuters

With his injury issues widely known throughout the tournament, Davies was working with independent specialist Matthias Blankenburg across the entire World Cup. As per The Athletic, this was agreed upon by the player, as well as Bayern Munich and Canada.

As such, it’s unclear whether or not manager Marsch made the final call on Davies being able to play or not, or if the decision was taken out of his hands. The Canada coach’s comments suggest some frustration around the inability to play the left-back vs Morocco, and it seems odd that they wouldn’t take a risk with so much on the line.

That said, if Davies simply wasn’t fit, there would be no point in playing him. It appears as though this was the case, with the defender’s injured hamstring ultimately ending his World Cup dream.