Scotland fans flood Miami as Brazil clash looms and Ghana coach slams Bellingham spat

Scotland’s supporters have descended on Miami ahead of a pivotal World Cup group-stage meeting with Brazil, one of Wednesday’s standout fixtures as several nations push to secure their place in the knockout rounds.

England’s Tuesday draw with Ghana continues to generate headlines, with Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz dismissing the controversy surrounding Djed Spence’s refusal to shake Thomas Partey’s hand. Queiroz, who brought Partey straight back into the starting line-up after the midfielder missed Ghana’s opener against Panama in Toronto, was direct in his response.

“It did not happen, as you saw — in the comments of Thomas, we refuse to be part of people that try to bring dust and politics inside the game,” Queiroz said. “We fight to keep the frontline sacred. It’s difficult sometimes but it happens. We have to congratulate everyone on the game, we leave politics outside of the game.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel had declined to comment on the incident before Queiroz addressed it publicly.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Morocco face Haiti, Switzerland take on Canada, and Bosnia and Herzegovina look for their first win of the tournament against Qatar. Group A also reaches its conclusion, with South Africa meeting South Korea and host nation Mexico — already through — facing Czechia.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice against Uzbekistan on Tuesday in his sixth World Cup appearance at the age of 41, again declined to discuss Lionel Messi when asked by reporters. Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has hinted Ronaldo could still feature at the 2030 tournament.

Messi, who turns 39 on Thursday, suggested this North American edition may not be his last. “I will continue for some time, as long as I can contribute, feel good physically and help my team-mates,” he said. “The truth is I’m not thinking about that right now — it seems a bit far off. But as I said, I’m living one day at a time and focused on the present.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also weighed in on the tournament’s logistics, discussing the use of hydration breaks and whether they could become a permanent fixture beyond this World Cup.