Need to knowDay eight at the World Cup saw England finally get their tournament up and running, while FIFA were forced to release a statement, and Cristiano Ronaldo was targeted06:00, 18 Jun 2026Updated 06:20, 18 Jun 2026The World Cup is kicking into gearEverything you need to know about the latest World Cup news on Thursday morning...Reports from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, claimed that large numbers of England fans bypassed security barriers and entered without valid tickets for the World Cup opener against Croatia. However, a FIFA spokesperson clarified that the governing body currently has no official indication or evidence of any supporters gaining entry without a valid match ticket.The opening match recorded an official attendance of 70,389, falling just short of the venue's official maximum capacity of 70,649. High ticket pricing has been a major point of contention, though FIFA previously committed to making 10 per cent of England's travel scheme allocations available for 60 US dollars following a fierce backlash from supporters.England's World Cup got off to an exceptionally bright start with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in their Group L curtain-raiser. Despite some first-half wobbles and tournament nerves, England totally blew their European counterparts away with a commanding and energetic second-half performance.England's assistant coach Anthony Barry had fiercely slammed the team's first-half performance as "complicated and confusing" after Croatia equalised twice before the interval. In response, Thomas Tuchel delivered a rousing dressing room speech at half-time, challenging his squad to step up their intensity and bravely play football their own way.Jude Bellingham repaid his manager's faith after starting ahead of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, scoring a crucial third goal just minutes after the half time restart. Following the match, Bellingham admitted he plays with a "chip on his shoulder," noting that the goal was the perfect way to silence external noise and remind people of his quality.Former striker Ian Wright praised the immediate impact Thomas Tuchel has had on building strong relationships within the England national team camp. Having spent time at their warm-up training base, Wright said that the squad appeared uniquely unified, jolly, and responsive to Tuchel's club-style management approach.Meanwhile, the Mexican military deployed signal-blocking radio waves to neutralize and shoot down an unregistered drone flying near South Korea's closed training base in Guadalajara, prompting suggestions of 'spying'. Local security officials rushed to the crash site, but two foreign men suspected of operating the drone managed to retrieve the device and flee before authorities arrived.South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo branded the drone appearance as highly unfortunate but assured fans it did not severely disrupt their World Cup tactical preparations. The high-stakes intervention is part of Mexico's robust "Plan Kukulkan," a massive 100,000-person security initiative aimed at keeping stadiums, base camps, and fan festivals secure.Turkish state broadcaster TRT took senior commentator Murat Ekrem Cimen off World Cup duties after he repeatedly confused opposing teams during a live match. Despite having over 30 years of industry experience, Cimen muddled the sides for roughly four minutes during Iran's Group G encounter against New Zealand.Viewers heavily criticised the broadcaster on social media, prompting TRT to issue an official public apology and label the veteran journalist's error as completely unacceptable. While some television colleagues defended Cimen against online abuse, the backlash caused significant technical issues on his personal Instagram page and forced his X account to vanish.Turning back to action on the pitch , Cristiano Ronaldo endured a deeply frustrating night as Portugal were held to a shocking and cagey 1-1 draw by DR Congo on Wednesday. As a lone Ronaldo walked off the pitch, fans inside the stadium mocked the veteran forward by loudly chanting the name of his long-time rival, Lionel Messi.In Wednesday and Thursday morning's other World Cup action, Ghana wrapped up Group L's first set of maches with a dramatic 1-0 win over Panama. Ghana's substitute Caleb Yirenkyi became the ultimate hero in Toronto by tapping home a sweeping counter-attack in the 95th minute to secure all three points, while Colombia ran out 3-1 winners against Uzbekistan.Follow all of the World Cup updates: World Cup LIVE: Raging Cristiano Ronaldo storms off as BBC break golden ruleContent cannot be displayed without consent