A ball belly and thumb suck: See Croatia player's baby celebration after World Cup goal

PHILADELPHIA — Croatia is in the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup, and Petar Sučic played a contributing part in it.

In the 31st minute of Saturday's match against Ghana at Lincoln Financial Field, Sučic unleashed a shot from just near the top of the 18-yard box and fired it into the back of the net to give the Vatreni the early 1-0 lead. Ghana would even the score in the second half before Nikola Vlasic scored the game-winner to push Croatia through.

Sučić, the Inter Milan midfielder, followed his goal with a warm, heartfelt celebration, acknowledging that he and his wife, Matea Rak Sučić, are expecting a baby. After scoring, he tucked the ball under his jersey and formed a heart with his hands.

Following Croatia's eventual 2-1 win, Petar Sučic elaborated on the celebration and told reporters that his wife didn't travel to the World Cup to watch the Vatreni's games, as she stayed home.

"Here I am, I scored a goal and I dedicated it to her and, God willing, the future child," Sučic said.

Croatia advances to the knockout round of the tournament as the runners-up in Group L, jumping ahead of Ghana in the standings with the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Vatreni were briefly in first place in the group when England and Panama were tied 0-0, but Harry Kane and Co. pulled out the win to give them the group.

Sučic and Croatia will now head to Toronto for their round of 32 match against Colombia, the Group K runner-up, on Thursday, July 2 at Toronto Stadium.

USA TODAY at the 2026 World Cup

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All games are being broadcast in the United States on Fox and FS1. Matches will also be broadcast in Spanish throughout the entirety of the World Cup on Telemundo and streaming on Peacock .

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World Cup TV Schedule for June 27

All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 26, 2026, at 6:04 a.m.

• 5:00 PM - Panama vs England (Group L) on Fox from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
• 5:00 PM - Croatia vs Ghana (Group L) on FS1 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 7:30 PM - Colombia vs Portugal (Group K) on Fox from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
• 7:30 PM - DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (Group K) on FS1 from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
• 10:00 PM - Algeria vs Austria (Group J) on FS1 from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
• 10:00 PM - Jordan vs Argentina (Group J) on Fox from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

World Cup standings

Explore live group standings, stats and the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.

2026 World Cup format

The 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:

• Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
• Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
• Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
• Superior goal difference in all group matches
• Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
• Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained
• The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA Men's World Ranking

World Cup groups

• Group A : Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
• Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
• Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
• Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
• Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
• Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

World Cup key dates

• Group Stage: June 11-June 27
• Round of 32 : June 28-July 3
• Round of 16 : July 4-7
• Quarterfinals : July 9-11
• Semifinals : July 14-15
• Third-place game : July 18 (Miami Gardens, Florida)
• Final : July 19 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)