Matías Galarza performed a peculiar action during the match against Turkey.
Matías Galarza / © Associated Press
The second-round group stage match of the 2026 World Cup between the national teams of Turkey and Paraguay was marked by a curious incident involving the midfielder of the Paraguayan team, Matías Galarza.
The game was officiated by the head referee from El Salvador, Iván Barton. Towards the end of the first half, during a scuffle between players, Turkish defender Merih Demiral accidentally brushed against the referee during the jostling, causing a smartwatch to fall from Barton’s wrist.
While other footballers continued their disputes and exchanges, Galarza noticed the watch, picked it up from the turf, and put it on his own arm.
Instead of immediately returning the timepiece to the referee, he walked around with it for a few minutes before finally handing it back to its owner.
It is noteworthy that Paraguay defeated Turkey with a score of 1-0. The sole goal of this encounter was scored by Galarza himself in the 2nd minute, and he was recognized as the best player of the match by FIFA.
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In another match of the 2nd round in this group, the USA confidently beat Australia — 2-0.
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After two rounds, the USA (6 points) lead Group D and have secured their advance to the playoffs from the first place ahead of schedule. Australia and Paraguay each have 3 points. Turkey (0 points) occupies the last position and has lost its chances of reaching the round of 16.
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In the final third round, the Paraguayans will play against the Australians, and the Turks will compete against the Americans. Both matches will take place on June 26th, at 05:00 Kyiv time.
The 2026 World Cup will run from June 11th to July 19th across three countries — the USA, Mexico, and Canada. This is the first World Cup to feature 48 national teams, the largest number in the tournament’s history. From 1998 to 2022, the World Cups utilized a format with 32 teams.
All participants of the 2026 World Cup are divided into 12 groups, with four teams in each. The top two teams from each quartet, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16. Subsequently, a knockout stage with single-elimination matches will take place.
At your attention is the schedule and results of all matches of the 2026 Football World Cup.
You can also view the standings for all groups of the 2026 Football World Cup on our website.
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