Event: Australians

The knockout bracket in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is quickly filling up.It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4The weight of the Three Lions: Football, colonialism, diasporalist 2 of 4US says Iran can stay for two days before Egypt World Cup gamelist 3 of 4Paraguay’s Almiron handed one-match suspension for covering mouthlist 4 of 4‘I’m here’: Yamal scores, dazzles and embraces the spotlight in World Cup startend of listSo far, 28 teams have made the cut, with only six spots available.What is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced at the World Cup following the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams.Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.The stage-wise breakdown of the tournament’s schedule is: Group stage: June 11 to June 27 Round of 32: June 28 to July 3 Round of 16: July 4-7 Quarterfinals: July 9-11 Semifinals: July 14-15 Bronze medal match: July 18 Final: July 19 What are the rule changes for the tie-breaker criteria at the 2026 World Cup?FIFA is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tie-breaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.Tie-breaker criteria for World Cup groupsAccording to FIFA’s rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, the following criteria, in the order below, will…

The domains were used to illegally ⁠offer users copyright-protected content in the form of real-time streams of the World Cup matches as they ​were being played ‌and first broadcast, U.S. Justice Department said. | Photo Credit: Reuters The United States has seized nearly 400 internet domains ​that were being used to illegally stream ‌the World Cup, officials said on Friday (June 26, 2026), ​describing the move as one ⁠meant to disrupt international networks profiting from the popularity of the tournament.The U.S. Justice Department said ‌the domains were identified with the assistance of soccer governing body FIFA ‌and others, including NBC Universal and ‌Warner ⁠Brothers.The domains were used to illegally ⁠offer users copyright-protected content in the form of real-time streams of the World Cup matches as they ​were being played ‌and first broadcast, the department said."These streamers not only violate copyright laws but also expose viewers to potential threats — including malware ‌attacks and unsecure connections that can ​compromise personal and financial data," Eric Weindorf, a special agent in charge ⁠at Homeland Security Investigations, said in a statement.Servers and domains linked to the unauthorised ‌streaming of the tournament's matches were targeted in Peru and Bulgaria, the DOJ said, adding that additional disruptions took place in Croatia, Romania, Poland and Colombia.The World Cup kicked off on June 11 in ‌the United States, Canada and Mexico. Games are scheduled ​to be played in 16 cities across the three countries through July ⁠19.Attendance for the matches has set a record, according to FIFA. Last week's matches were some of the most ‌watched television programs, according to Nielsen. The United States' win over Australia topped ​that list. Published - June 27, 2026 10:33 am IST

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.For a mega-refinery in Ulsan, South Korea, a top exporter of jet fuel to the West Coast of the United States and other places, weaning off Middle Eastern oil is no small feat.How a Jet Fuel Refinery Is Scrambling After the Iran War Oil ShockFor a mega-refinery in Ulsan, South Korea, a top exporter of jet fuel to the West Coast of the United States and other places, weaning off Middle Eastern oil is no small feat.The faint smell of gas hangs over a laboratory at South Korea’s biggest refinery, where chemical analysts are working overtime trying to find ways to wean the sprawling facility off crude oil from the Persian Gulf.South Korea has long been a top global exporter of jet fuel, but the conflict in the Middle East is forcing its oil refineries to rethink how they do business.The vast labyrinth in the southern port city of Ulsan relies on Middle Eastern oil, which is around 60 percent of South Korea’s crude imports. Its flow was cut off when the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran led to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, delivering what refinery officials called the most severe supply shock in its history.South Korea tried to make up for the reduction in supply by increasing crude imports from the United States, Canada, Venezuela and Brazil. But the oil from these sources is different from what comes from the Persian Gulf, and has to be tested to make sure it would not damage the refinery and would also be profitable.VideoThe Ulsan Complex is more than twice the size of Central Park in New York.CreditCredit...“We are continually testing unfamiliar types of crude,” said…

Hundreds of soccer fans poured out onto the streets in Tokyo on Friday morning after Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup following a 1-1 draw with Sweden.The rain held out just long enough for fans to storm the iconic Shibuya Crossing every time the walk sign turned green, jumping around shouting “Japan, Japan!” before dozens of police officers herded supporters back onto the sidewalk.“They keep on getting better every year,” said Haruna Kitabatake, 20, a fan who watched the game live in a pub in Shibuya. “I think there’s a lot of hope.”The Samurai Blue, who finished as the Group F runners-up, are set to face five-time champion Brazil on Monday in Houston — early Tuesday Japan time. Fans crowd a sports bar in Tokyo Friday to watch Japan's game against Sweden in the World Cup. | Johan Brooks Fans went through an emotional roller coaster during the game. After a scoreless first half, Japan broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Daizen Maeda raced into the penalty area and collected a pinpoint pass from Ritsu Doan with his left foot before using his right to score past goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt.Maeda’s goal was Japan’s seventh of the tournament, the country’s most for an entire World Cup, surpassing the six it scored when it reached the round of 16 eight years ago. Fans react to Japan's game against Sweden in the World Cup at a sports bar in Tokyo on Friday. | Johan Brooks At one viewing at a popular British-style pub chain, some fans waved flags they brought after the goal, as others wrapped their arms around each other and bounced up and down cheering.However, the excitement was dampened six minutes later when Sweden’s Anthony ⁠Elanga tied the match, which ended in a stalemate.While not…

Japan's Daizen Maeda celebrates after scoring against Sweden during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday. | JIJI One win, two draws and five points is not the most emphatic way Japan could have qualified from its World Cup group, but after a 1-1 tie with Sweden in Dallas, all eyes now shift to a familiar, formidable foe in the round of 32: Brazil.Following an uneventful first half, Daizen Maeda scored for Hajime Moriyasu’s side in the 56th minute, converting Ritsu Doan’s perfectly pitched through ball after some clever buildup play.Sweden drew level six minutes later, however, through a curling Anthony Elanga shot from the corner of the penalty area. It was a well-taken strike, but one that goalkeeper Zion Suzuki may feel he should have reacted to earlier. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Asian stock markets fell sharply on Friday, led by a sell-off in technology firms as investors worried that recent jumps in share prices had gone too far.Trading on South Korea's Kospi was temporarily halted as an 8% fall in the benchmark index triggered a mechanism intended to curb panic selling. The index closed 5.8% lower.It comes after shares in Apple fell sharply on Thursday after it announced it would raise the prices of its iPads and MacBooks due to the soaring cost of computer chips.Some investors are also concerned about the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent this year by big tech firms to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.Traders are reassessing the valuations of tech stocks, while some are taking profits after a rally in recent months, said senior partner David Makaryan from the Alpha Pacific Group, an investment firm."The long term investment case for AI remains compelling, but investors are becoming far more selective about which companies can justify the valuations the market has assigned to them," Makaryan said.Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed more than 4% lower as shares in technology investment giant SoftBank fell by 12.5%.Other major indexes in the region, including in Taiwan and mainland China, were also sharply lower.Share trading in South Korea has been particularly volatile in recent months.Friday's 20-minute halt on the Kospi marked the third time the so-called circuit breaker has been triggered this week and the fifth such event this year.On Thursday in the US, Apple shares dropped by 6% - its biggest one-day fall in more than a year.Microsoft shares also fell after it announced higher prices for its Xbox gaming consoles, citing higher costs of components.The moves have raised concerns that rising component prices could hit sales of devices, which in turn may slow demand for computer…

Australians woke up on Friday to more expensive Macbooks and iPads after Apple hiked prices worldwide, blaming an AI-driven cost-crunch for computer parts.The iPhone range was unaffected but experts predict Apple will raise prices for its flagship product later this year. Microsoft also lifted its Xbox prices overnight amid a wave of increases for phones and devices.Apple’s MacBook Air with a 13-inch display now starts at $2,099, up from $1,799, on the Australian website, while the MacBook Pro 14-inch starts at $3,199 on Apple’s site. Both were available for the cheaper price from other retailers as of Friday afternoon however.Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailThere are no longer MacBooks available from Apple for less than $1,000. The smaller MacBook Neo, which arrived in Australia in March at $899, now starts at $1,049 from Apple. The company said at the time the Neo was its “most affordable laptop ever”.TableThe iPad starts at $749, from $599, while the mini model starts at $949, from $799, the Air at $1,249, from $999, and the pro starts at $1,999, from $1,699.The iMac desktop now starts at $2,399 and the Mac Studio at $4,299.Australia retailers have yet to pass on the price increase. Officeworks’ prices were unchanged on Friday morning.“We regularly review our pricing to ensure we continue delivering great value, and we’re currently working through Apple’s recent pricing changes,” an Officeworks spokesperson said.JB Hi-Fi promoted Apple deals at the top of its website on Friday, with sales on the MacBook Air 13-inch at $1,597, Macbook Pro 14-inch at $2,797 and the iPad at $495. The tech retailer has warned the rising demand for computers chips as the world rapidly increases computing power and AI usage has pushed up device costs.Its chief executive, Nick Wells, told analysts in February the cost-crunch was resulting…

Tech giants roll out steep price increases amid shortage of memory chips used to power AI.Apple and Microsoft have rolled out steep price hikes for some of their best-selling products, blaming soaring memory chip costs amid the boom in AI.Apple on Thursday increased prices across its range of Macs and iPads, with many of its most popular models seeing hikes of 20 percent or more.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4France seizes fifth Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker linked to Ukraine warlist 2 of 4Japan draw 1-1 with Sweden at World Cup to finish second in Group Flist 3 of 4Ivory Coast’s Fae saddened by Schweinsteiger’s ‘wild’ African football jablist 4 of 4Hundreds trapped beneath buildings a day after Venezuela’s twin earthquakesend of listThe base model MacBook Air now retails in the United States for $1,299, up from $1,099, while the lowest-spec MacBook Pro rose from $1,699 to $1,999.The base price of the iPad Air increased from $599 to $749, while the iPad Pro jumped from $999 to $1,199.Apple’s entry-level MacBook Neo is now priced at $699, up from $599.The Mac Studio M3 Ultra desktop computer saw the steepest price rise of any product, jumping from $3,999 to $5,299.Apple said that while it had shielded consumers from rising chip costs until now, it had “reached a point where we need to begin raising prices”.“The rapid expansion of AI data centres has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.“We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”Apple’s stock price fell more than 6 percent following the price hikes, its steepest fall since US President Donald Trump’s announcement of his “liberation day” tariffs in April last year.A view of an Apple logo at an Apple store in Paris,…

The Socceroos finish second in Group D with four points and are through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32.Australia booked their place in the World Cup‘s round of 32 on Thursday ⁠with a cagey 0-0 ⁠draw against Paraguay that left the South Americans facing a nervous wait to see if they will advance.In a physical, scrappy contest at San Francisco Bay Area ⁠Stadium, Paraguay pushed late after being dominated early, but it ended with the Socceroos making the tournament’s knockout phase for a third time, four years after reaching the last 16 in Qatar.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4World Cup knockouts: Who has made it to the round of 32 stage?list 2 of 4Netherlands book knockouts date with Morocco with 3-1 win over Tunisialist 3 of 4Japan draw 1-1 with Sweden at World Cup to finish second in Group Flist 4 of 4Ivory Coast’s Fae saddened by Schweinsteiger’s ‘wild’ African football jabend of listTony ⁠Popovic’s team sealed second place in Group D behind cohosts the United States and will meet the second-placed team in Group G, which remains wide open before Egypt face Iran, and Belgium meet New Zealand on Friday.Paraguay, on four points, may have done enough to advance as one of the eight best-finishing, ‌third-placed sides, but the 2010 quarterfinalists will need to wait for other results in the final group matches in the coming days.Australia’s Harry Souttar, Aiden O’Neill and Paul Okon-Engstler celebrate after the match [Carlos Barria/Reuters]Popovic made six changes to his starting 11 in a bold shake-up, bringing back livewire Nestory Irankunda and adding Cristian Volpato to his forward line in a signal of attacking intent.With Jordan Bos switching from left back to right to cover for the injured Jacob Italiano, Australia made promising raids down the right, but…

Brent crude rises after cargo ship comes under attack in key waterway.Oil prices have eased after jumping earlier amid renewed violence in the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 1.80 percent on Friday, after rising as much as 4 percent following the International Maritime Organization’s decision to pause its planned evacuation of ships stranded around the critical waterway.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Who will control Africa’s AI infrastructure and at what costlist 2 of 4Shia pilgrims gather in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to mark Ashuralist 3 of 4France seizes fifth Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker linked to Ukraine warlist 4 of 4Japan draw 1-1 with Sweden at World Cup to finish second in Group Fend of listThe IMO suspended its evacuation plan after a cargo vessel reported being struck by an “unknown projectile” while attempting to cross the strait near the Omani coast.Brent futures for August delivery stood at $74.11 per barrel as of 05:00 GMT, after topping $76 on Thursday.The price of Brent, which dropped sharply after the United States and Iran last week signed a memorandum of understanding on ending nearly four months of war, is currently hovering about 2 percent above its pre-conflict level.Asian markets suffered steep losses on Friday, with key indices in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan falling sharply.Seoul’s Kospi, the best-performing major index this year, was down 8 percent as of 05:00 GMT, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was about 4.6 percent lower.The Taiex in Taipei was down more than 3 percent, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong was 1.9 percent in the red.Thursday’s attack in the strait, through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas supplies transit in peacetime, dented hopes for a return to normal shipping in the Gulf after a…