World Cup 2026
FIFA Men's World Cup — USA, Canada, Mexico.
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Shakira, Katy Perry and Michael Bublé to headline World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies
FIFA's first three-host World Cup will open with separate ceremonies in Mexico City, Toronto and Los Angeles on 11-13 June. Shakira and Burna Boy headline in Mexico, Michael Bublé leads Canada's show, and Katy Perry tops the bill in the United States.
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Mark Bosnich ruptures quadricep saving penalty at World Cup promotional event
Former Manchester United and Australia goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, 54, will require surgery after rupturing his quadricep while saving a penalty during a celebrity shootout ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
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Norway's Viking photo for 2026 World Cup sparks Scandinavian controversy
Qualified for the 2026 World Cup, Norway posed in Viking costumes for its official team photo. Norwegian journalists and academics strongly criticized the staging, which head coach Stale Solbakken refused to comment on.
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New York mayor to challenge FIFA over water bottle ban at World Cup venues
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged to seek answers from FIFA after the governing body reversed its own policy and banned fans from bringing water bottles into World Cup stadiums, raising health concerns given the expected summer heat.
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Starmer condemns Fifa's refillable water bottle ban at World Cup as 'wrong and about money'
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly criticised Fifa's decision to ban fans from bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup stadiums, calling the policy wrong and commercially motivated. The ban reverses a previous rule that permitted empty, transparent bottles of up to one litre.
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World Cup 2026 opens with Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca on June 11
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 11 with Mexico facing South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The expanded 48-team tournament runs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, concluding with the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
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World Cup 2026: Algeria back after twelve years with real ambitions
Absent since 2014, Algeria returns to the World Cup under Vladimir Petkovic. After a friendly victory over the Netherlands, the Fennecs are targeting the round of 16 in a group that includes defending champions Argentina.
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Lamine Yamal crowned La Liga's best player after 16-goal, 12-assist season
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal won the La Liga Player of the Year award for the 2025-2026 season at the LaLiga Annual Awards, ahead of Mbappé and Pépé. The 18-year-old Spaniard is now racing against time to be fit for the World Cup.
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England use palm cooling devices and fitness trackers to combat World Cup heat in Florida
Thomas Tuchel's England squad are preparing for the 2026 World Cup at their Palm Beach Gardens base in Florida, deploying palm cooling technology, Whoop fitness trackers and cooling vests to manage temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius during matches.
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Fifa cancels free World Cup tickets issued to 60 fans after website pricing error
Fifa has voided tickets mistakenly issued at no cost to around 60 fans due to a checkout error on the official World Cup site on 21 May, asking those affected to complete payment at the correct price. The incident deepens scrutiny of the tournament's ticketing programme, already under investigation by New York and New Jersey attorneys general.
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Iran's World Cup participation hangs on US visa dispute over IRGC-linked staff
Iran's national team has secured visas for their Mexico training base and will fly to Tijuana on Saturday, but their three group-stage matches on US soil remain in jeopardy as Washington refuses entry to staff with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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Shakira and Burna Boy to headline 2026 World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City
Shakira and Burna Boy will perform the official tournament song, Dai Dai, at the 2026 World Cup's first opening ceremony in Mexico City ahead of the host nation Mexico's match against South Africa. FIFA has planned separate opening events in Toronto and Los Angeles on the same day.
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Nike's World Cup advert features Cole Palmer despite England omitting him from squad
Nike's six-minute pre-tournament advert, starring Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland among others, prominently features Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer in an England kit — despite Thomas Tuchel leaving him out of England's 26-man World Cup squad.
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Tuchel grants England squad Florida night out with families before World Cup base move
Thomas Tuchel will give his England squad time to relax with partners and family in Florida after their second warm-up friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday, before the group travels to their tournament headquarters in Kansas City.
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Potter backs Gyokeres and Isak to fire together for Sweden at World Cup
Sweden manager Graham Potter has spoken openly about his plans to pair Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak for the first time under his tenure, expressing confidence that the two Premier League strikers can complement each other at the 2026 World Cup.
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Riquelme calls City's legal threat 'normal' as Haaland transfer saga deepens
Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has shrugged off Manchester City's threat of legal action over his pledge to sign Erling Haaland, calling the response 'normal' while vowing to open formal talks with the striker's camp from Monday.
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Deschamps moved by Nantes tribute despite France's defeat to Ivory Coast
France lost 1-2 to Ivory Coast on Wednesday evening at La Beaujoire in Nantes during a friendly match, but Didier Deschamps experienced a deeply personal moment: an ovation from the Nantes crowd in the 7th minute, a reference to his historic number with the French national team.
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Bosnian diaspora in St Louis ready to turn US World Cup into a home crowd
An estimated 60,000–70,000 Bosnians settled in St Louis after fleeing the 1990s war are set to create a home-like atmosphere for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Cup, with group matches against Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar spread across North American venues.
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France beaten by Ivory Coast: Konaté and Gusto under fire twelve days before World Cup
France lost 1-2 to Ivory Coast on Thursday evening in Nantes during their first World Cup 2026 warm-up match. Ibrahima Konaté and Malo Gusto were directly blamed for the two Ivorian goals.
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Every new rule at World Cup 2026: VAR corners, offside alerts and the goalkeeper timeout ban explained
World Cup 2026 introduces a significant overhaul of football's Laws of the Game, covering expanded VAR powers, real-time offside notifications for assistant referees, and a crackdown on goalkeeper time-wasting with new countdown rules.
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