Across
- 2. Costa ____, a Central American country who are increasingly being recognised in football, having gotten to the quarter-finals in 2014, only to be defeated by the 10-DOWN (4)
- 4. South _____, this far eastern country, capital Seoul, have the most successful football team in all of Asia, having played in 10 World Cups, and reached the semi-finals in 2002, only to lose to Germany! (5)
- 7. This is the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup! (5)
- 8. They come from a land Down Under! These boys will be facing the mighty 1-DOWN tonight... (9)
- 9. Our neighbours, the Lions, who got their World Cup campaign off to a cracking start yesterday by defeating 15-ACROSS 6-2! (7)
- 12. This North American country have hosted the World Cup twice, in 1970 and 1986, and will be co-hosting the 2026 one with the USA and Canada! (6)
- 13. This British country, capital Cardiff, have a team known as "the Dragons", and they drew 1-1 against the USA yesterday! (5)
- 15. This team, from the Middle East, were defeated 6-2 by 9-ACROSS yesterday! (4)
Down
- 1. This team are the current world champions, having won the last World Cup in Russia in 2018 (6)
- 3. This country is next to 14-DOWN in the extreme west of Europe and their national team play home games in Lisbon, Porto and Oeiras (7)
- 5. The country of Maradona, who led their team to victory in 1986 after knocking 9-ACROSS out in the quarter-finals with his "Hand of God" goal! (9)
- 6. This South American national football team has won no less than FIVE World Cups - more than any other country, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Just don't mention THAT 7-1 thrashing they got from Germany when they hosted the tournament in 2014! (6)
- 10. The ___________, also known as Holland, who recently beat Senegal 2-0 *PLURAL* (11)
- 11. This European country, capital Warsaw, came third place in both the 1974 and 1982 tournaments (6)
- 14. This country, capital Madrid, won their only World Cup in 2010, after defeating the 10-DOWN in the final in South Africa (5)