2026 — The Tournament Of A Lifetime

World Cup News

We’re almost a 25th of the way through the Geopolitics World Cup – four games down, 100 to go – so it’s the perfect time to reflect on what we’ve learned and noticed so far. 1 The emergence of a peculiar cultural phenomenon: football supporters paying top dollar for the privilege of farting around on a concourse. That was Fifa’s explanation for all the empty seats at South Korea v Czechia in Guadalajara. The stadium holds 46,000 and the official attendance was 44,985, but there were a lot more than 1,015 empty seats. “Please note,” pleaded a Fifa suit, “that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.” 2 USA USA USA might be the most exciting host team since Germany in 2006. They walloped Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles, with the Arsenal alumnus Folarin Balogun scoring twice. By half-time in his first GWC game, Balogun had scored as many World Cup goals as Marco van Basten, Wayne Rooney, Hugo Sánchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steve Bloomer combined. Let’s just call it the Balogun d’Or and be done with it. 3 Drinks breaks, though essential, are major passion-killers if a team is on top. Don’t be surprised if coaches start to shape their tactics accordingly; let’s make a really fast start to the fourth quarter, eh lads? 4 The Chloe Kelly Paradox – that being left out can enhance your chances of individual glory – is playing out as expected. Four of the 12 goals have been scored by substitutes, including Oh Hyeon-gyu’s winner for South Korea against Czechia and Cyle Larin’s equaliser for Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That match turned on an earlier triple substitution by Jesse Marsch in the 61st minute. With most games played in punishing heat, the World Cup is likely to be won by the best squad, not the best team. 5 Refcam is the future. So are Claude, populism and eejit trillionaires, so this isn’t necessarily a good thing, but the GWC version is a vast improvement on the Premier League’s attempt last season. It should still come with a hangover warning, mind, and there is a whiff of the refs being directed thus: “Keep looking at the goal to get the money shot – don’t worry about fouls, we’ll let you know if there’s a penalty.” 6 The USA USA USA kit is the best in the tournament, a future cult classic, and we’ll be taking no further questions. 7 Yaya Sithole is one of the finest footballers in a country of 65 million people. Yet whatever he achieves in his career, he is doomed to be remembered for the most untimely of shockers. Another South African, poor Pierre Issa, knows how he feels: Issa scored one-and-a-half own-goals against the hosts in South Africa’s opening match of France 98. 8 Gianni Infantino may have discovered the concept of humility. 9 During Qatar 2022, Adam Hurrey of Football Cliches fame wrote that the TV aesthetic of a World Cup – once unique to each tournament – has been the same at every competition since the turn of the century. His point stands (was that really the Azteca?), but the blood-red backdrop to Canada’s match gave it a unique flavour. 10 4-4-2, often dismissed as the unreconstructed oaf of football formations, might be making a comeback. According to your friends and mine, Fifa, three of the eight teams in action so far have played 4-4-2. Then again, one of them was Paraguay and they had their clock cleaned by USA USA USA so we’re not entirely sure what point we’re trying to make here. Let’s all calm down. We’re only four games into the tournament! Will Unwin will take the GWC news blog through to 6pm BST (1pm EDT). John Brewin is then due to helm minute-by-minute coverage of Qatar 0-3 Switzerland from 8pm BST (3pm EDT). Then Jeff Rueter will be all over Brazil 2-2 Morocco at 11pm BST (6pm EDT), with Tom Bassam on duty for Haiti 0-2 Scotland on Sunday at 2am BST (9pm EDT) and Jonathan Howcroft on for Australia 0-2 Turkey at 5am BST (midnight EDT). double quotation markI’ve always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honour like this would come to a working-class English soccer player like me. How fitting then that I am here today as we prepare to celebrate the opening here in the US of the 2026 World Cup. It’s a powerful moment to recognise how the sport I love so much has grown in this country over the past three decades. To stand here in front of my friend Tom Cruise, the greatest movie star of our time, is quite frankly mind-blowing” – David Beckham, there, makes us feel just a little bit queasy as he gets his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Everything you need to know (and more) about every squad member at the GWC. All 1,248 of them, in our essential interactive guide. double quotation markThe year was 1966. Summertime in hot suburban Washington DC and a little boy, with nothing else to do, happens to turn on the TV and there’s this football game on. It looks like a big deal and a big stadium. Oh look, it’s England playing West Germany. Two countries playing each other, wow. And oh my, the Queen is even there. The little boy is entranced and watches with great excitement as England win. Geoff Hurst becomes an instant hero. The next day, the importance of the game is certified by headlines in the New York Times. The little boy is hooked and becomes a dedicated football fan for life, with a strong bias in favour of England (sorry Barry!)” – David Beyda. double quotation markIn 1970, having left my first teaching job (in anthropology) at UCLA, I arranged to meet a university friend from Oxford (he was teaching economics in Cuba at the time) in Mexico City for the World Cup. We got tickets for the Soviet Union v Belgium match at the Azteca Stadium, the Soviets winning 4-1. The next day, Mexico beat El Salvador and I was driving in our rented VW through the city when the crowds came out, the millions that is. No problem. Hit the horn ‘ba ba bababa’, yelled ‘Viva Mexico!’ as we crawled along and we made it through easily, grinning all the way. My friend, who wanted to see pyramids and old towns but had no interest whatever in football and came along out of comradeship or indulgence, found the moment exasperating and shouted irritably at me: ‘Do you have to make that bloody row?!’ He had to suffer again because we got tickets to the Brazil v England game, the best international that I have ever seen. The crowd was totally for Brazil, chanting ‘ladrona, ladrona’ whenever Bobby Moore had the ball (because of an accusation that he had stolen something in a jewellery store in Colombia as I recall) but when the game ended a lad in the seat just below us turned round and said: ‘Many chances’. True. I was still in tears over the Pelé-Bobby Moore shirt exchange, the Gordon Banks save and the sheer thrill of the whole game. Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive but to be in Mexico City was very heaven” – Michael C Gilsenan. double quotation markWhen I was a child my parents subscribed me to a weekly (I think) part-work publication called Football Handbook, one of those things you see advertised on television even now - only now they encourage people to spend all of their Tin money on building a model of a famous building one matchstick at a time, rather than on encouraging nippers to be better footballers. One of the features of Football Handbook was that it followed the careers of two apprentices for a season, one of whom was Kenny Jackett (I forget who the other was. Possibly Paul Allen). I am not sure what it was about Kenny, but he made enough of an impression on me for me to follow his career more closely than perhaps any other player ever, even though he never played for the team that I support. It was a sad day when he retired from football, and of course an even sadder one now. I know that this email isn’t funny, but then things like this prove that growing older isn’t funny, either. RIP, Kenny. You will always be a part of my childhood” – Richard O’Hagan. If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Richard O’Hagan. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here . Listen up! It’s the second World Cup Daily podcast. And you can watch it here if video is your thing. In a pleasingly surreal twist to their Geopolitics World Cup campaign, England were the victims of a security breakdown after the team’s match boots were stolen before their first training session in Kansas City. The theft was understood to have taken place while equipment was being transported from the squad’s pre-tournament base in Florida to their training camp at Swope Soccer Village in Missouri. Boots belonging to the players were understood to be among the stolen items, along with official tournament balls and training equipment. It appears the team have now recovered the majority of the missing items. Had those efforts failed, we may have had to watch Harry Kane and co take on Croatia in Crocs, slippers, novelty socks, or perhaps barefoot. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

World Cup News

Beckham enjoys ‘surreal’ occasion with Tom Cruise Celebrities cheer on USA at their opening match David Beckham has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Beckham called the ceremony “surreal” as his wife, Victoria, and his friend Tom Cruise praised him at the ceremony. Cruise lauded Beckham’s journey, saying it was “a Hollywood story” of hard work, determination and global influence on sport and culture. Rather than a traditional red carpet, the ceremony featured a green soccer-themed one to commemorate the occasion. “I’ve always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honor like this would come to a working-class English soccer player like me,” Beckham said. “How fitting then that I am here today as we prepare to celebrate the opening here in the US of the 2026 World Cup. It’s a powerful moment to recognize how the sport I love so much has grown in this country over the past three decades.” Beckham , who spent six seasons with LA Galaxy from 2007 and is the co-owner of Inter Miami, said: “To stand here in front of my friend Tom Cruise, the greatest movie star of our time, is quite frankly mind-blowing.” He told the actor: “You welcomed us to LA 20 years ago and you have been a loyal friend and an inspiration to me ever since.” Beckham and Cruise joined other celebrities at the Los Angeles Stadium, where a Hollywood-style opening ceremony preceded the United States’s opening game with Paraguay, which they won 4-1. Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Owen Wilson and Paris Hilton were among those looking on as performers danced around a giant World Cup trophy in the middle of the pitch. Donald Trump did not attend, instead speaking to the US team via phone, telling them: “I think you’ve a really good chance of going all the way. I just want to wish you a lot of luck.” “Welcome to the USA” announced a booming voiceover, as a closeup of the city’s Hollywood sign flashed on giant screens at the stadium. A marching band struck up the music before being joined by singers including Future, Tyla, Anitta and K-pop star Lisa. Costumes and props were designed to evoke Los Angeles street art and the city’s creative industries. Katy Perry, who also performed in the opening ceremony, then went to watch the action with her partner, the former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Earlier, as Canada began their campaign in Toronto with a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canadian film stars Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers were in the crowd. It was the first World Cup game on Canadian soil. The singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette closed an upbeat opening ceremony with a compelling rendition of O Canada, the national anthem.

World Cup News

For the first time in the history of the men’s World Cup, Les Rouges have a point. It lifted pressure on a team scarred by disappointment on the biggest stage Ismaël Koné almost passed out. Cyle Larin was almost deafened. Seventy-eight minutes into a Friday lunchtime where “almost” looked like becoming a Canadian curse, perhaps it was the jarringly definitive nature of that one single, swivelling moment that sparked such an uproarious outpouring of, well, everything. Until last week Toronto Stadium was BMO Field. In his post-match press conference Jesse Marsch’s head was still scrambled enough from the afternoon’s events that he tripped over the names of the stadium: “It doesn’t feel like the same BMO … I guess … you guys didn’t hear that,” Canada’s coach said. No one has heard the home of Canadian football sound like it did when Larin lashed in his late equaliser to grab a first-ever men’s World Cup point for the tournament’s co-hosts in their 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The wild joy, the depth-of-the-chest relief of it all, the vocal cords still stretched as brains began some Group B mathematics and permutations. It all came out. “Honestly, I felt like I was going to faint. It was crazy,” said Koné, the man whose slaloming run in off the left had sparked the breakthrough. “I felt like we did everything to give ourselves the chance to score. We were on top of them, we were pushing the game, we had momentum, we hit the bar. We deserved it. It was just a relief.” Larin had been dropped to the bench for this long-awaited home opener, and he took just two minutes to prove his point after coming off the bench. The decibels soaring, he wheeled away to the southwest corner and put an index finger into each ear. Protecting the cochleae? Not quite. “That’s for the fans, the reporters, and the journalists who say I shouldn’t have been where I’m supposed to be,” said Larin after the game. His first international goal in 18 months had arrived when his country needed it most. “But I’ve always proved them wrong. And I did it again. Hopefully now they can shut up.” In one sense, perhaps. But maybe not definitively. Marsch had originally reshuffled his attack after two insipid displays in warm-up games against Uzbekistan and Ireland. Larin and Jonathan David, Canada’s record scorer, hadn’t clicked and the lack of finishing was causing the coach to even get a little cranky in the week leading in here. “We’re going to score more goals,” Marsch insisted on Monday. “So I don’t have to put up with any more stupid questions from you guys.” Marsch was just 12 minutes away from a full press conference worth of questions he’d find stupid. Larin helped him avoid feeling foolish. So now what? David’s glaring early miss and otherwise ineffective performance was probably the biggest negative from an afternoon that ended with such positivity. Tani Oluwaseyi, who’d replaced Larin in the starting XI, blazed an equally great opportunity over too. On the hour when Marsch called one David ashore to replace him with another, Union-SG’s Promise David, he was chasing the game and those scoring demons. That lasted only 16 minutes until Larin was unleashed and did the business, thanks in large part to a delicious flick from Promise David in the buildup. Marsch was asked if he hoped this would be the dam-buster, not for Larin but for his entire attack. “On one level you can say the subs we made [had] a big impact so they were some good decisions,” he said. “But I gotta figure a way to get more out of the starters too.” Next, his team jet across the country to Vancouver, where they will play Qatar on Thursday. One luxury afforded the co-hosts is an extra day’s break between games. Marsch could do with it as he weighs up his options. He admitted Jonathan David “didn’t have his best day” but reached for an intriguing example when he argued that Larin’s goal could spark a wider release. “A home World Cup is a different occasion. It’s a different feel,” the American added. “I do think we’ll learn from this and if you look at World Cups historically, doesn’t matter if it’s Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia last World Cup or different scenarios where it starts a little bit tense in the beginning stages. Then the games come more to life and you see truer versions of teams.” In the second-half when Canada were building that momentum which Koné referenced – and the Sassuolo midfielder was most responsible for that – Alphonso Davies sat on a cooler on the edge of the home dugout, his chin perched in the palm of one hand. The captain needs time to recover from injury. So too does defender Moïse Bombito. Perhaps the greatest gift that Larin delivered was time. The equaliser also helped give Canada its moment of belonging at its own World Cup. That’s significant. “I haven’t scored in a while, but I knew it was coming,” he said. “I’ve always come up [big] when Canada needed me.”

World Cup News

Ever wanted to see a World Cup match from every angle? How about a full-pitch tactical view? Or even see the match through the eyes of a player? Well, now you can with the brand-new Fifa World Cup 3D Experience. This is a UK-first that is only available on BBC Sport. The interactive game experience gives viewers more choice to explore the match both in real-time, highlights and full-match replays. Head to bbc.co.uk/3dWorldCup to get started. The Fifa World Cup 3D Experience is available for games that are on BBC TV. For a full list of those matches, visit the match hub. Throughout the tournament, we'll also make it easy to find the experience on our website and app, in live match pages and our sport, football and World Cup indexes. You'll have full control to see all the angles as the perfect second-screen option that offers deeper insight. These include: Broadcast view where you control the camera angle. Tactical view with a bird's-eye view of the full pitch. Third-person view to follow your favourite player on the pitch. First-person view to see the match through a player's eyes. That's all in real-time as the match happens but you can also rewind key moments, switch cameras and see stats. After the match you'll have a highlights mode to see all the goals, shots and penalties as well as a full-match replay. This Beta 3D experience is all powered by live official Fifa data and technology from XR company Immersiv.io., external The skeletal data is used to recreate the match as it happens - similar to how semi-automated offside technology works. The Fifa World Cup 3D Experience is only available to users in the UK. What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026More on this storyPlay BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game Everything you need to know about the World Cup

World Cup News

ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJonathan GeddesBBC ScotlandSeconds after Kenny McLean's shot from the halfway line hit the back of the Danish net last November, Andy Munro's children asked him a question. "Why are so many people crying?" The Ayrshire dad-of-three may have had a few tears to wipe away himself, and he wasn't the only one. Scotland's 4-2 victory over Denmark booked the first World Cup appearance in 28 years for the men's national team and unleased waves of emotion across the country. Eight months later, and as Scotland prepare to face Haiti in the early hours of Sunday, feverish anticipation appears to be taking hold. From parties of thousands watching in large arenas to school kids setting alarms for the 02:00 BST kick-off, excitement, nerves and dreams linger on every street. Lucy McEwan is a 25-year-old teacher in Glasgow, who plays at amateur level with Linlithgow Rose. "People don't really get behind the World Cup unless your country's involved in it, and for the first time in a lot of people's lives we are involved in it," she says. "I think everybody's super, super excited. You can see the kids are so hyped up as well about it. "Our department actually got the FIFA Panini sticker book this year, and all the kids are coming in, trading their stickers with us. "Everyone just seems so excited about it." Lucy says she will be staying up for every game Scotland play, meaning her classes might have a bleary-eyed teacher on Thursday 25 June - the day after Scotland play Brazil in their final Group C match, with a 23:00 kick off. Many pupils might have the same issues too. Andy Munro lives in Dunlop, Ayrshire, and has three children - Harry, 14, Keir, 12 and Adam, 10. All three boys are football fans who worship John McGinn, and none have seen the men's team take part in a World Cup. "The timing of the Haiti game is causing some challenges, " he laughs. "I think we will go to bed about eight, and then wake up around half one to watch the game - and then the boys are all playing football on Sunday morning too. So we will see how it goes. "It's all they're talking about." In Peterhead, pupils at Clerkhill School have made their own World Cup song, written by teacher Diane Pert - who says she put aside her jealousy at having to work while her husband flies to America for the games. They aren't the only ones feeling musical - dozens of singers and bands have released songs to try and capture the national mood. Signs of excitement are everywhere, and not just in the obvious pubs and supermarkets. Chip shops and hairdressers in Glasgow's Anniesland have Saltires draped across windows, banks in Dumfries have inflatable footballs stuck on walls next to cash machines. Bear Scotland, who look after the country's roads, named one of their gritters "Snow Scotland Snow Party", complete with someone dressed up as a kilt-wearing polar bear. Local authorities have got in on the act too, with East Renfrewshire Council re-naming themselves East Robbo-shire Council in honour of Scotland's captain Andy Robertson - who comes from the area. In Dumfries, one of the most colourful shows of support for Scotland is outside Kings coffee shop, with flags fluttering above its outdoor tables. Owner Mark Smith said: "Even as we were installing them, people passing by started cheering, getting excited, even singing football songs. "There's definitely a buzz in town. We're hearing people talking about our chances, and reminiscing over past World Cup attempts." While 28 years have passed since the men's team reached France 98, in recent years Steve Clarke's squad have made it to two European Championships and the women's side qualified for the 2019 World Cup. However, interest in 2026 appears to be on another level. JD Sports says it has sold around twice as many Scotland kits as it did for the 2024 European Championships. The strip is currently the retailer's biggest seller in both the UK and the US. Pop-up Scotland shops offering official merchandise can be found in the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling. An employee in Glasgow told the BBC that retro kits were among the biggest sellers, along with a T-shirt saying "We'll Be Coming 26" - popular among Tartan Army members travelling to America. Those not going on a transatlantic trip are instead booking tickets for pubs and other venues, which are expected to be rammed to capacity. Places more used to holding gigs, like SWG3 in Glasgow and the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen, are screening watch parties of matches. The country's biggest venue, the OVO Hydro, is expecting thousands of supporters and says it will have the biggest screen in the country. "We have waited almost 30 years for Scotland to return to the biggest stage in world football, and we wanted to put the team on our stage for fans who haven't been able to make the trip across the Atlantic," says chief commercial officer Debbie McWilliams. For pubs the World Cup offers a potential bonanza, after late licencing hours were allowed by nearly all local authorities. Liam Logue runs Greens Sports Bar in Dumfries with his wife Cas and is expecting the pub to be packed with Scotland fans. "We've sold 240 tickets - we originally sold 200," he said. "Ever since we sold out we've had every man and his dog messaging us, so we probably could have sold another 100." The current feeling is not totally new for some supporters, but rather something which has been missing for years. With the exception of USA 94, Scotland reached every World Cup from 1974 to 1998. For fans who grew up in that era there was an expectation that they would be there, even if the tournaments themselves inevitably proved agonising. "I was 18 during France 98, and I decided not to go," recalls Graeme McNay, who lives in Glasgow. "I remember thinking to myself that I would definitely go four years later, or the one after that if we did not qualify. "You took it for granted Scotland would be at the World Cup. I didn't expect it to be another 28 years! "There was a point when you started to wonder if you'd ever see us there again." Tens of thousands of Scotland fans heading to the US, and the atmosphere has been building in Boston as the Tartan Army sets up camp. Graeme has travelled to America with friends for the Haiti and Morocco games. As someone who can recall the infamous likes of a 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica in 1990, his excitement is mixed with nerves. "I'm a bit of a pessimist so I'm worried we'll trip up against Haiti," he says. "It's always the ones you expect to win that end up a banana skin, like Costa Rica or Morocco in 1998. "But Steve Clarke will keep us grounded and hopefully we finally get out the group." Optimism is running high elsewhere, though. A worker at the pop-up store in Glasgow recalls a conversation with the parents of one very young child who was "used to Scotland winning all the time now" - a far cry from some of the dark days fans have endured over the last 28 years. And anyone seeking positive vibes need only look a few yards from the national stadium, where adults cried last November as the final whistle went. A mural of Scott McTominany's spectacular overhead kick which opened the scoring against Denmark is painted on a nearby wall. Lindsay Hamilton has run walking tours around the area for several years, taking in the three different places where Hampden Park has been located. In recent weeks though, she has noticed a change. "There's been such a buzz around the World Cup, with folk giving their predictions and sharing their own personal stories from all the previous near misses." Other murals of McTominany and McGinn have popped up elsewhere in the country too. For Lindsay, the mural brings back emotions - and like the rest of the country, she is hoping for more to be made this summer. "It brings a smile every time you see it."

World Cup News

ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleCatherine LystBBC ScotlandScottish football legend Lou Macari and radio presenter George Bowie are among those to be recognised in the King's Birthday Honours. Macari has been made an MBE for services to association football and to homeless people, while Clyde 1 DJ Bowie has received the same honour for services to radio and charity. Bowie, from Greenock, is known for popularising the Eurodance track Bits and Pieces, which became beloved by Scotland football fans as a Hampden goal-scoring song. Macari, who played for Scotland at the 1978 World Cup, began his career at Celtic before making more than 400 appearances for Manchester United. The midfielder was just 17-years-old when he joined Celtic after being spotted while playing for his school team. He quickly became part of the late 1960s reserve side, known as the Quality Street Gang, that also included Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain. The now 77-year-old won 24 Scotland caps and later managed clubs including Celtic and Stoke City for almost 20 years. In 2016 he set up a homeless charity, The Macari Foundation, in his home town of Stoke-on-Trent. Meanwhile, Bowie At Breakfast has long been a fixture on Clyde 1, and next April will mark 30 years of the DJ presenting the show live. The 58-year-old, who is also a dance music DJ, has long attended charity events across Scotland without accepting any fee and has helped social groups secure more than £1m in grants. Reflecting on the MBE, he said his 88-year-old mother Betty was overjoyed to hear of his nomination. Bowie added: "I can't describe what this means to her." He described the honour as "amazing" even if others were more deserving and said: "I'm delighted to receive it." Also on the list is Prof Lucina Hackman, from the University of Dundee, who said she was "honoured" to have been given a damehood for services to forensic anthropology. She heads the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification in Dundee where her work has changed the way that mass fatality events in the UK are investigated. Dame Lucina has worked at the university since 2006. She designed, implemented and evaluated training programmes in both forensic anthropology and disaster victim identification (DVI), when no such professional approach existed. This led to her becoming a "go to" adviser for Interpol and other global investigative authorities. Dame Lucina has given evidence in court in relation to trauma analysis, identification, and age estimation. One of her areas of expertise is helping to identify the age of asylum seekers and refugees. "My line of work revolves around what are often very difficult and traumatic circumstances, but delivers something which is vital to society," she said. "To have that honoured in this way is deeply rewarding." Numerous Scottish academics have been honoured, including Prof Andrew Morris from the University of Edinburgh, who has been given a knighthood in recognition of his services to medical sciences and public health. He is vice-principal of data science and currently leads Health Data Research UK, a biomedical research institute. The academic was previously dean of medicine at the University of Dundee and advised the Scottish government as chief scientist within the health directorate. People working for charities and the voluntary sector have been recognised as well, including James Coles, team leader of Moffat Mountain Rescue Team, who has been made an MBE for services to mountain rescue. Gordon Deans, chairman of Orkney2025, has been given the same honour for services to sport and island communities. Former Scotland rugby international Ian Robertson has been made an OBE for services to rugby union and broadcasting. The former Scotland fly half played in three Calcutta Cup matches and became the BBC's official rugby union correspondent in 1983. "With Scotland qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in decades, it is particularly fitting that Scottish footballing legend Lou Macari has been recognised by His Majesty. "Macari won 24 caps for Scotland, including in the doomed 1978 Argentina campaign – we all hope for a better result this time. "Scotland's vibrant education, science and energy sectors are well represented. I'm particularly pleased to see Scotland's renewables and nuclear energy expertise recognised – as our nation leads our drive to clean power." Alexander added: "The list is a testament to the extraordinary difference that ordinary people make in their communities every day. "It recognises those who give so much of themselves in service to others. "Scotland is fortunate to have so many remarkable people working quietly and tirelessly to make it a better place, and it is right that we take this moment to celebrate them." Companion of Honour - Limited to 65 people. Recipients wear the initials CH after their name CBE - Commander of the Order of the British Empire OBE - Officer of the Order of the British Empire MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire

World Cup News

Steve Clarke’s team start against Haiti in Foxborough with growing optimism of ending their pattern of failure on the biggest stage It is not only ghosts from Costa Rica, Peru, Iran or Zaire that haunt Scotland as they prepare for a long-awaited World Cup return. Instead, there is a broader pattern of failure that Steve Clarke and his class of 2026 need to extricate the nation from. From 23 games on football’s biggest stage, the Scots have won only four times. The expansion of the World Cup should assist them, a team who now and correctly regard merely qualifying for major tournaments as insufficient. Scotland were unbeaten in 1974 yet took an early path home from West Germany. More than 50 years later, a comfortable win over Haiti should be enough to seal progression to the last 32. It is impossible to shake the notion that Scotland’s World Cup fate is dependent on game one in Boston against a side who lack nothing in national cause. Haiti’s pace and physicality will cause some tartan tremors. Nonetheless, taking on the 83rd-ranked team in the world with history-making on the line is an appetising deal. The past is significant in assessing how Scotland might handle the future. It will barely matter to Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Scott McTominay that 16 June 1990 and a 2-1 success over Sweden marks the last time Scotland tasted World Cup victory, but scars from Euro 2024 are still visible. Scotland landed in Germany adamant lessons had been learned from the previous tournament staging, when tanks were emptied during a draw at Wembley and not replenished by the time Croatia swaggered towards a win at Hampden Park. Rather than display progression, Scotland froze; an opening game thrashing by Germany preceded a decent draw against Switzerland before Clarke and his team exited in meek fashion at the hands of Hungary. In recent days Clarke has dropped his stoical approach. He pined for the World Cup as a player but never took the call. Clarke encountered stress as the European Championships of 2021 and 2024 proved anticlimactic. The manager’s sunny disposition will remain if Haiti are vanquished. Falling short, in what would deliver a grim glance at World Cups of old, will unleash ferocious criticism of Scotland’s manager from way beyond Massachusetts. Now is the time for Scotland to meet huge expectation and move discussion on from the spine-tingling November occasion when qualification was sealed with the 4-2 dismissal of Denmark. “We had that amazing night six months ago but that is gone,” says Kenny McLean, who scored Scotland’s fourth goal from the halfway line. “We are here now and we need to focus on the here and now. We know how special this can be for us. We know we are in a good place to create more memories for us and for the country and our families. “We know it is all about what we do and we think we have everything in place to be as good as we can be and create history. We know that fans are flooding into the country and we know the excitement is there.” Or as a Boston radio station put it on Friday morning: Scots have flooded their city with smiles, kilts and bagpipes. Grim results from the past should not disguise the fact any World Cup is a better place with Scotland in it. Scots are, however, expected to be outnumbered by fans of all three of their Group C opponents. Morocco and Brazil lie in wait post-Haiti. Scotland’s relationship with the World Cup requires counselling. The country opted not to feature in the 1950 edition, when apparently in a huff over losing a home international to England. In 1954 Scotland arrived in Switzerland with only 13 players and little by way of organisation. “We didn’t even have Scotland tracksuits,” said Willie Fernie, part of that squad, afterwards. “We had to bring our own training gear. And what a peculiar lot we looked among the world’s best, with the green of Celtic and the white of Preston and the blue of Dundee contrasting with the beautifully turned out teams of Europe and South America. We looked like liquorice allsorts.” Uruguay duly trounced Scotland 7-0. There was ignorance and arrogance among Scots back then. The same applied in 1990, when Scotland fell to an embarrassing defeat to Costa Rica. Eight years later Scotland slumped to defeat by Morocco in Saint-Étienne and departed the World Cup scene for almost three decades. There is cause for optimism now. Scotland have enjoyed five-star facilities at their training base in North Carolina. They will be armed with information on Haiti, a dangerous but hardly elite opponent. Scotland’s players speak regularly of lingering anger from Germany two years ago, which, it is reasonable to think, will incentivise them in the United States. “There are no excuses,” says McGinn. “We have to give everyone involved huge credit. They’ve put a lot of effort in. We’ve had the luxury of not having a playoff and had time to analyse where is best for us to be successful. We have come to a world-class facility and we have so much to help make us better. Credit has got to go to the manager and the staff. It’s a very professional environment.” It is also one including match winners, McTominay chief among them, with his post-Manchester United career ascent such that a prominent World Cup role feels appropriate. Scotland should not be expected to beat Morocco. Brazil are, well, Brazil. The mission for Clarke is to ensure Scotland are playing with house money after game one. They have to break their own tournament mould and relish the position of favourites. The reward for that is bigger than ever.

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Captain said game helped pass time in training camp Scotland play 83rd-ranked Haiti on Saturday in Boston Andy Robertson has revealed an unorthodox way Scotland have prepared for their World Cup return, with the captain organising a game of Traitors among the squad during their buildup camp in the United States. Scotland’s meeting with Haiti in Boston is their first World Cup game since 1998. Much has been made of Scotland’s togetherness in the lead up to this tournament. Robertson did not explain who among his teammates was a faithful and who a traitor, but did explain why the game was introduced. “It was something we had done before and decided to do again because we can spend a lot of time in our rooms or on our own,” the 32-year-old said. “It is not easy being away from your family, your kids. It was something to try and get people out of their rooms, give quieter people a voice and give newer players a voice. So those were the ideas behind it. “Whether it has worked or not, I am not sure, but we certainly enjoyed it. That was last week, that is what took up our time after training was done. It is just about trying different ways of making time pass quickly because we knew these two weeks would probably drag. You just want the first game to come. So that, along with other things, helped to just quicken the time. It hasn’t felt too long that we have been away.” Scotland’s preparations for Haiti have been boosted by Scott McTominay’s availability. The midfielder sat out training on Thursday due to a stomach complaint but returned to the field on Friday, with Steve Clarke insisting the Napoli midfielder is in “perfect” condition. The manager, however, moved away from the sense of McTominay being a talisman within his squad. “I think I have 26 superstars here,” Clarke said. “To try and put so much on to one person is not fair. Everything over the last seven years has been the squad, the team, everyone being together and playing their part at certain times. We are delighted with Scott’s abilities and what he brings to the team but another 15 will have to do the same if we are going to have a positive tournament.” Clarke again urged caution in respect of judging Haiti, the 83rd-ranked team in the world. “It is important we respect the opposition,” said the 62-year-old. “We have watched Haiti very closely over the last six months, since the draw was made. We respect their abilities on the pitch. “Since they qualified they have improved the squad by bringing players in that have made them better. We think we know how they are going to play but obviously any team can become different. They have very dynamic players, especially the attacking players, so we have to be careful.”

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ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePaul O'HareBBC ScotlandA desperate Scotland supporter is on a race against time to reach Boston after his US visa was approved on the eve of Scotland's World Cup opening match. Kenny Smith from Inverness was one of the many fans who saw their their Esta travel permits withdrawn without explanation last week. But after his travel was approved at the US embassy in London on Friday morning, airport delays caused him to narrowly miss his connecting flight in Dublin. He will spend the night there and hopes to arrive in Boston at 14:45 EST on Saturday, just hours before kick-off at 21:00 (02:00 BST). "Now it is mission critical," he said. Smith, who is lead singer with folk rock band Torridon, described the turn of events as "unbelievable". "It took ages to get the bags off. I missed my check-in by 15 minutes," he said. "I am booked on tomorrow and due to arrive in Boston around 14:45." Smith, who joined the US embassy queue at 07:30, told BBC Scotland News there were several Scotland fans lined up. At the desk the official behind the glass who approved his visa said: "I am so sorry you had to go through this." Smith said: "I could have cried - and I did later. I said 'I could cuddle you just now'. "He said a fist bump would do so we fist bumped on the screen and off I went. "I have never had a feeling like it in my life. I am going to Boston." Smith said the "rollercoaster" experience since his visa was revoked last week had given him chest pains. The security firm boss said he was failed by the system but finally got a result thanks to the people, including politicians and fellow fans, who rallied to his cause. Smith said: "I can't keep track of the messages. It has been absolutely incredible." He hopes other Scotland fans in the same situation manage to get the green light to travel to the US, which is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico. Smith has been following Scotland home and away since he was 16. He was too young to attend the 1998 World Cup in France and vowed he would be at the next one. But he never imagined it would be almost three decades later. Scotland will face Haiti on the opening match in the Boston Stadium in Foxborough before taking on Morocco at the venue at 23:00 BST next Friday. The final group match in Miami - which kicks off at 23:00 on 24 June - will pit the national side against five-time winners Brazil. Earlier this week a Scotland football fan told BBC Scotland News how he found out an hour before flying that his travel permit had been revoked. Michael Wright ended up having to send his brother through the security gates at Manchester Airport on his own when his visa status switched to "travel not authorised". Other members of the Tartan Army previously told how they could lose out on thousands of pounds in travel costs due to the ESTA changes. In order to travel to America, applicants must complete a form, pay a fee, and receive approval before travel. An approved Esta is usually valid for two years and allows multiple short visits. UK citizens with certain criminal convictions or immigration issues are usually not eligible. In December, the White House said it wanted to make social media checks part of the process of applying for the permissions. Anyone who does not qualify for an Esta has to apply for a US visa instead, but this can be a lengthy progress.

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Usage in opening matches focused on replays of goals from a unique angle, offering the viewer greater depth to watch from home Not all of Fifa’s innovations at this men’s World Cup have been an instant hit with fans. But amid the clutter of the opening day, one success did seem to emerge – the new and improved refcam view. As part of their matchday equipment a small, high-definition “stabilised” camera is attached to the referee’s headset. Before the tournament, the Italian veteran referee Pierluigi Collina, chair of Fifa’s referees committee, said: “We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience … from an angle of vision which was never offered before.” The Raúl Jiménez goal for Mexico against South Africa was shown from the perspective of Wilton Sampaio having to keep up with the pace of the move by these elite‑level athletes, and rapidly follow a beautiful cross in, emphasising how much of the action at a moment such as that is going on behind him or outside his peripheral vision. Replays of near misses – such as Mexico hitting the post near the end of the first half at the Azteca – bring home how close referees have to stay to the action, and really emphasise the fine margins at play. Ladislav Krejci’s opener for Czechia, as seen from refcam, showed just how much visually the referee Amin Omar had to take in, as players converged on the ball at the edge of the six-yard box and the officials made a snap judgment on whether a player in an offside position was impeding the goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu’s view. Of course, VAR is lurking in the background, but the refcam demonstrates just how fast the game is played at the top level in a way that a view from a higher‑angle camera, or even sitting in the stands, doesn’t necessarily fully convey. Whether this newfound perspective will inspire television audiences to feel a sudden wave of benevolence towards the immense pressure officials face, remains to be seen – we are yet to have a howling officiating error, but with 102 more games to go in this format the chances of there not being one along the way seem pretty slim. What is clear, though, is that this is yet another way that the presentation of the beautiful game on television is taking its cue from the video games industry. Ironically, given the split between Fifa and EA Sports over the long‑running football simulation series, the governing body’s graphic and interactive designers for the 2026 World Cup are very much reading from a gaming script. The glossy opening lineup graphics featuring digitised players posing in hyper-real montages and data-heavy overlays that sweep across the screen are nothing if not reminiscent of the loading screens and heads-up display menus in games. And first-person perspective is the way millions of players experience games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty. The refcam isn’t perfect – the stabilisation technology has still got some mileage for improvements for sure – but it is, so far, an interesting new way for armchair fans to experience what it is like to be right in the centre of the action on one of the world’s largest stages. Among all of Fifa’s recent misfires, it might have just given us the future of football broadcasting.

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What joy it is to invest deeply into how well a nation you’ve never heard of moves a ball around a field If you’re not a football fan, it’s possible your life online has suddenly become quite alienating. Friends who may once have seemed sensible, sensitive, even artistic, have been inexplicably converted into people who name-drop wingers and centre backs and post about staying up late to watch Côte d’Ivoire play Ecuador. I was once like you. How I mocked grown men – and occasionally women – on TV panel shows, discussing football like it mattered. Talking about sport with the same intensity philosophers might debate existence (or Star Wars fans the latest film). Having unexpectedly sporty children has changed me. I understand now the appeal and importance of sport is that it doesn’t matter. Sport is something into which we can invest our most intense passion and emotion, in 90-minute instalments, without it having any real effect on our broader lives. In that light, the World Cup has arrived at just the right time. As the news cycle doom-spirals us all into oblivion, what a joy it is to be consumed by something trivial for a few weeks. So let’s put aside our usual tribalism and invest deeply in how well a nation we’ve never heard of can move a 23cm ball from one end of a field to the other, without drifting offside. If only every international conflict could be resolved so quickly and entertainingly. You may worry you don’t know where to start. The truth is, it’s not really important who’s playing. Even a newbie can become invested in a game in 30 seconds. Pick a team whose jersey you admire. Choose the player with the best hair. Or indulge in a spot of patriotism and back your home side. It really doesn’t matter. Even the quality of play barely matters. A bad game can be just as entertaining as the best. I’ve coached kids sport games where the passion, drama and intensity would rival that of a Champions League final. Our brains, it seems, are wired for competition. For some of us, politics becomes a kind of sport. That can lead to misery. In football, we have the comfort of rules. There are limits. No doubt the world would be in a much better place if certain leaders could be red-carded. But it’s not competition that makes the beautiful game so beautiful. It’s cooperation. Teamwork. The fast passes that generate a goal. The tight defence rescuing a loose shot. The moments of physical poetry where talented people connect with other talented people to defy the odds. That cooperation extends outside the game, because, like it or not, for the next few weeks we are all living in the World Cup community. Your level of engagement is down to you, but I have fond memories of how the last Women’s World Cup opened up conversations that would never have existed with someone on the bus, a grumpy bloke at the dog park or the owner of our local bottle shop. Suddenly everyone is talking to each other. I had forgotten what it was like to share things with strangers. There are arguments for bread, not circuses. For us to stay angry about injustices and spend every waking moment tracking global issues we are, for a large part, powerless to address. But even the most committed of us is likely aware of the need for a safe space. We all need a little corner of the world where the big things are, however briefly, invisible. There is a reason so many of us re-watch our favourite films and TV shows. But those are happy places we visit alone. There aren’t many places left where we still meet en masse. Much of pop culture has become a solitary pursuit – we so rarely watch the same television at the same time or listen to the same music. Football is a place that brings us all together. There is a sense that we are living in divided times, sealed off in silos and echo chambers. Occasionally, something joyful and pointless will seep through the cracks. For the next few weeks, let’s get together to celebrate the extreme highs and extreme lows of something supremely unimportant. Football doesn’t matter and, right now, that makes it more important than ever.

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Does qualifying for the World Cup mean you now support the Knicks? From World Cup promos to NBA Finals ads, AI imagery is becoming more common in sports promotions. Many athletes are under contracts that permit the use of their likeness, but in an age of hyper-real AI, do new rules need to be put in place? Our reporter Mark Mcpartland takes a look.