2026 — The Tournament Of A Lifetime

World Cup News

The Fifa president sought influence with the US leader. Instead, Fifa’s president has entangled football in politics and wounded the game’s credibility Ever since the United States won the rights to co-host the 2026 World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has worked to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump at all costs, supposedly to secure preferential treatment for Fifa from the American government. Predictably, he suffered the same fate as everyone who has made a Faustian bargain with the US president: he learned that cozying up to Trump always backfires, tarnishing the entire sport along the way. I love soccer because, at its best, it is inclusive, democratic and accessible to everyone. So do billions of other people; the sport’s universal cultural impact truly lends it the potential to be a force for good that “unites the world”, as Fifa loves to say. We saw this force in action at the start of the World Cup when, despite Trump’s hardline anti-immigrant and anti-foreigner policies, the prevailing sentiment showed that visiting teams and fans found most Americans really are warm and welcoming people. But for years now, Infantino has betrayed those values by aligning Fifa, the organization that represents the people’s game, with Trump, whose political project is openly rooted in division, selfishness and violence. Because Infantino’s actions harm soccer in a way I cannot condone, and especially because he’s doing so by inserting himself in my own country’s domestic politics, I feel compelled to denounce them publicly. For nearly as long as the World Cup has existed, politicians have co-opted it to legitimize their nationalistic projects on the world stage at Fifa’s expense; in 1934 it was Italy’s Mussolini, and in 1978 it was Argentina’s military junta. But this time, it’s the Fifa president himself who is willingly damaging the sport’s reputation. Last week, it was allowing his personal relationship with Trump to muddle the outcome of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension; last year, it was single-handedly creating and conferring a “peace prize” to a man who brazenly revels in military intimidation. Within only a few months of receiving the award conceived specifically for him, Trump set about effectuating a regime change in Venezuela, threatening armed conflict against Nato allies, and launching an unlawful war with Iran, leading to months of uncertainty about their team’s World Cup participation and the compulsory relocation of their base camp to Mexico. With the prize, Infantino put Fifa’s already threadbare reputation on the line by tying himself to Trump’s erratic and belligerent foreign policy. And while the World Cup will go down as a massive commercial success, no amount of revenue will ever erase the moral stain of blessing Trump’s wars in the name of soccer. Yes, it’s important for Fifa to foster a good working relationship with any host country’s government, but Infantino has repeatedly crossed the line between professionalism and groveling. Beyond frequent White House appearances, Infantino allowed his proximity to Trump to overshadow Chelsea’s championship moment at the Club World Cup, interfere with the agenda at last year’s Fifa Congress, and politicize Fifa in a way that undermines its mission statement through recurring, implicit endorsements of Trump, as detailed in the FairSquare ethics complaint against him. Infantino is even channeling some of Fifa’s wealth, meant to spur development of the sport globally, to Trump’s pocket by renting office space in Trump Tower despite already operating a permanent Fifa office in Miami. Even those who would defend “all that Trump bootlicking” as a matter of pragmatism need to contend with what Infantino actually got in return: boasts of intervening in Fifa’s disciplinary review process during the World Cup and threats of annexing Canada and launching strikes on Mexico, our co-hosts, in the lead-up. Looking ahead to the 2031 Women’s World Cup, Trump is reportedly holding hostage the governmental guarantees required to confirm the US hosting bid in an attempt to strongarm Fifa into adopting the policies he demands. And when it comes to Trump’s meddling in the Balogun case, the biggest casualty was soccer’s integrity. Sure, in a narrow sense, US Soccer benefitted from having a star player back from suspension. But in a more meaningful sense, US Soccer was also a victim: our players were swept up in a political firestorm before the most important game of their lives, and our biggest chance to showcase American soccer to the world will now for ever be tainted by accusations of favoritism at best and corruption at worst, unfairly clouding US Soccer’s credibility and reputation around the world. To boot, in return for debasing our sport again and again, Infantino plans to reward Trump with the honor of handing out the World Cup trophy on Sunday. The fact that Infantino has faced little accountability for dragging soccer through the mud reflects a battle for the soul of the sport – about whether its future will be autocratic and hyper-commercialized, rather than a force for good. I say no: soccer leaders must reject Infantino’s egotistical and transactional view of the beautiful game. I find growing comfort in the fact that others have started to speak out, and not only as a reaction to Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee decisions. Uefa, the European continental subdivision of Fifa, had already called Infantino’s behavior a pursuit of “private political interests” that “does the game no service,” and the former chair of Fifa’s governance committee called it a “clear violation” of Fifa’s code of ethics. Senior staff at Fifa have pushed back on Infantino’s attempts to pander to Trump; one of Fifa’s vice-presidents did rebuke Trump’s politically motivated threats against certain host cities; and the president of the Norwegian Football Federation called for the abolition of the “peace prize” while supporting an ethics investigation against Infantino. Despite the sizable public backing from Fifa members for Infantino’s reelection, many of them privately vent their frustration about his “level of vanity” to reporters; Uefa may even be looking for a candidate to challenge him. All of Fifa’s members have a duty to protect the integrity of the sport and save Fifa from itself, even at the risk of retaliation. In the short term, I hope federations around the world find the courage to oppose Infantino’s vision for the sport; in the long term, I urge them to pursue structural governance reforms that take power away from the role of the Fifa president and shift it toward the Council, the Congress, and the Secretary General, so that no single individual can ever act unilaterally to soccer’s detriment again. Perhaps then the greatest legacy of this World Cup will be that it spurred us to speak up for and defend the values that make soccer the people’s game. Nathán Goldberg Crenier serves as the elected vice-president of the US Soccer Federation. This editorial represents his personal opinions and does not necessarily reflect the positions or views of US Soccer.

World Cup News

How did the United States do in its second swing at hosting the men’s showpiece event? The stadiums were mostly received well. The accessibility, less so Come rain or smokescreen, Sunday will bring the 2026 World Cup to its bombastic end. The load-bearer of the co-hosting North American trio, the United States held 78 of the tournament’s matches across its 11 host cities. Only two contests remain: the third-place game in Miami, and the big one in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Before the dust truly settles and focus shifts to the six-nation, three-continent centennial in 2030, how did the United States fare in its second swing at hosting a men’s World Cup? Depending on what you’re looking for, best in class. Few venues have “charm” in the traditional sense, but these sprawling NFL venues packed in plenty of fans, with many designed to retain sound to harness atmosphere. That said, none seem to have figured out how to adequately keep a concourse congregation flowing, with those corridors hardly expanded to account for so many people in one building. B+ This was an anticipated drawback of holding this tournament in the US, as the nation rebuilt itself throughout the 20th century with clear priorities for the automobile. Some cities stepped up their public transportation options with ad-hoc buses; others used those initiatives to further eat into riders’ spending budgets. Hours spent slowly progressing to venues, and even more slowly when leaving, were equally costly. D+ Do we even need to explain this one? The expectations for ticket pricing made public in United 26’s bid book were in line with what we’ve come to expect for World Cups, with inflation largely justifying modest increases from tournament to tournament. Instead, the 2026 World Cup became an outlier for event pricing of nearly any kind – the first that most of the world could never afford to attend. On the one hand, the displays of community were incredibly touching. No matter how overpriced the lager was, it was common to see traveling fans from all over the world clinking cups before and after the match. Fifa’s legion of volunteers were smiling faces in neon tracksuits, awfully helpful and welcoming at every turn. On the other hand, not all fans were quite so well accommodated. Referees and team staffers among those turned away by Trump administration decisions. That precedent also left the general fan from a Trump-banned nation without a chance of getting around policies. The rationale for those rejections was incredibly flimsy, yet Fifa stood beside the man in the White House. It will be impossible not to wonder how different the support of Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Iran and Senegal could have been had the tourist accessibility of the 1994 World Cup been replicated. A for the spirit fostered by those who could make it, but an F for the unprecedented barriers set before qualifiers and customers alike The category with the biggest discrepancies between the best-in-class and the rest. Some – Seattle, Philadelphia and Kansas City – cemented an identity of being organic and sustainable soccer cities. The “World Cup village” atmosphere so many fans covet was alive and well, with accessible public watch parties, signage and flags lining streets, and a constant buzz of excitement that the world’s eyes found their neck of the woods. Others, like Boston – the second capital of Scotland – and the Bay Area either embraced their temporary occupants or had plenty of space and opportunities for locals to keep the party going between matchdays. Others, especially those whose stadiums weren’t in or adjacent to the city center, really struggled to harness the tournament’s potential. It turns out being an hour or two away from the action feels just as invigorating to some as watching a game from their sofa. Texas seemed especially agnostic to the tournament despite being one of two states with multiple host cities, with dispatches from Dallas and Houston reading equally blase. The roadshow has already packed up, and many in some of these cities will hardly recognize what came through. B-

World Cup News

England’s coach said ball possession is not in the team’s DNA – it’s an opinion that should disqualify him from the job How we talked. On late-night news shows, disembodied heads above a rolling yellow banner. On planes and trains, at bus stops and flower shops and kids’ birthday parties, trying desperately to connect the ennui of the now with the vividness of the later, trying on some level to anticipate the feelings, the blood surge, the heart rush. At the sinks in the office toilets, jerthinktheylldoit , theyactuallymighty’know , shake-shake, and your devastating analysis of the Rice-Anderson-Mainoo triple pivot gets lost in the noise of the hand-dryer. Two years of this. Countless millions sunk on tickets, hotels, Ubers, shirts, pizzas, flags, the hours spent on Google Maps trying to locate somewhere to eat after 11pm in Riga, the endless psychodrama over Jude Bellingham and whether he should have been left at home or not (turns out, not). How we bled and sweated over this, over the minor details of the journey, over whether Danny Welbeck had done enough to earn a place in the squad or not (turns out, not). All pointing towards the moment on Wednesday evening when England are 1-0 up in a World Cup semi-final against Argentina and your entire happiness rests on whether a bunch of millionaire footballers and a millionaire German coach can keep their shit together for 40 minutes, or not. Turns out, not. And out there, on the ragged shores of This England, there is a view already beginning to take shape. That while Thomas Tuchel’s substitutions may have cemented Argentina’s territorial dominance, England were basically under the pump long before that point, already dropping back and committing to a defensive rearguard. That this is in fact a wider malaise, perhaps even a kind of moral deficiency, a long and persistent pattern of failure in which – say – getting destroyed 4-1 by Germany in 2010 and losing to France in 2022 with 57% possession are basically the same offence, a common sickness, the same lozenge in different flavours. And you have to challenge these things at source, because if you don’t challenge them they become established fact, whether or not they’re actually true. Well, I’ve watched the tape back so you don’t have to. Specifically, the 13 minutes from Anthony Gordon’s goal hitting the net to the second drinks break. In those 13 minutes England have to weather quite a bit of Argentina pressure. There are corners, crosses, a header from Nicolás González that Jordan Pickford gets down well to save. But none of this is remotely out of the ordinary. Indeed pretty much as soon as Argentina kick off they gift England another opening, Lisandro Martínez letting the ball run under his foot, Morgan Rogers winning possession, and Harry Kane not quite able to control his pass. By 61 minutes England have pressed Argentina back into their own third. In the subsequent minutes Kane and Declan Rice will both have low-percentage shots from distance. The problem here is not tactics, not fatalism, not an endemic national culture of failure, but poor decision-making, perhaps reinforced by fatigue. Lionel Messi is not yet running the game, and none of what follows is inexorable or inevitable, let alone generational. The drinks break arrives and England can rest for a few minutes, perhaps even make a sub or two to freshen things up. It is at this point that Tuchel decides to blow up England’s chances of winning the World Cup. As a counterfactual, what would have a more optimistic and effective response looked like at this point? Kane was clearly out on his feet, and keeping him in play for the faint possibility of penalties in an hour was madness. So Ollie Watkins comes on to stretch the play and lead the press. This is no longer a game for Rogers and so you throw on Bukayo Saka, not just for his defensive skill but his ability to dribble his way out of pressure and feast on the spaces that will open up. Above all you trust in the process, the sense of purpose and ambition and unity that knows that World Cups are won, not survived. “If we lose, we lose in our way,” Tuchel told his players at half-time in the opening game against Croatia, a call to arms that generated some of the most thrilling football England have played at a major tournament in my lifetime. Where did that go, Thomas? Or: where did that Thomas go? Perhaps at some point on the road to the Azteca, or in the heat of Miami, Tuchel lost the simple faith that had brought England to this point. This is how you end up with six defenders on the pitch, with Saka and Watkins and Kobbie Mainoo and Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke all fresh and unused on the bench, with Cole Palmer and Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Wharton and Morgan Gibbs-White at home. Between the second hydration break and the second Argentina goal, England had less than 8% possession, completed just five passes in 25 minutes, allowed a 39-year-old player from Major League Soccer to play exactly the sort of game he would have craved. Let us not relitigate every single one of these decisions in isolation; what is being argued here is a broader direction of travel. For an England fan this is perhaps the part that hurts the most: we believed in this team and these players right to the end. What if Tuchel never really believed in them at all? “Ball possession is not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or the Argentinian or Brazilian DNA,” Tuchel said after the game. If this was once undeniably true, it is now at best arguable and at worst a form of gaslighting that should disqualify Tuchel from the job on the spot. Rice, Saka, Mainoo, Elliot Anderson, Eze, Reece James, John Stones: based on what we know of them at club level, are these players who have trouble keeping the ball? Perhaps it is no wonder that in subsequent days reports have emerged from the England camp that the players themselves were unhappy with Tuchel’s safety-first approach: an approach that left them with no outlets, no options, no tools except the bluntest of all. These are players who want to play football, who want to express themselves, backed by thousands who emptied their life savings to travel, to pursue, to feel something. This is no longer a nation that punches pitifully below its weight at international level, that neglects the tactical and technical aspects of the game, that quivers at the thought of penalties. Is it unreasonable to demand a coach who sees what these players can do, rather than imagine what they can’t? There are those who argue soberly that changing the coach at this point is a triumph of emotion rather than reason, that there is nobody better out there, that there is a lucrative contract that needs to be honoured. But for a coach hired to win these hinge moments, detonating a World Cup semi-final feels like the ultimate red-flag behaviour. And beyond this the small-mindedness, the absence of ambition, the audacity required to neg the entire English game rather than admit to one’s own cowardice. Tuchel was hired to unleash the considerable potential of a supreme generation of English footballing talent. From what we’ve seen, it’s not immediately clear whether he can even see it.

World Cup News

The rules are simple. Each day there's a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible. After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points. Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional. So take part and return for more tomorrow. Today's player and clues set by BBC Sport's Joe Rindl. After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device. What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026Play more quizzesAll our Who Am I? quizzes in one place Quiz: Name every nation at the Fifa World Cup 2026 Can you name the 10 Lionesses with most England caps? World Cup quiz: Name these top nations' leading scorers

World Cup News

With cries of malfeasance and injustice over referee decisions, Fifa actions and even Argentina’s run, the tournament is a mirror of a theory-pilled society This was the first thing that Hossam Hassan, Egypt’s fiery coach, told the media after his country’s devastating 3-2 loss to Argentina in the last 16. The legendary striker turned manager had been minutes away from orchestrating one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. The Pharaohs were up 2-0 against the defending world champions. Then, late in the second half, Argentina staged an extraordinary comeback, scoring three goals in 13 minutes, bringing Egypt’s storybook run to a sudden end. For Egyptians, the match was an emotional rollercoaster, soaring with the promise of victory before plummeting into heartbreak and finally crashing into outrage over what many regarded as refereeing decisions that favored Argentina. During the match, Hassan raised his arms in a crossed ‘X’ gesture, Fifa’s official anti-discrimination symbol, and after the loss, accused the governing body of wanting Argentina to win. Hassan claimed his team was wrongly denied a second goal at 1-0, following a video assistant referee (VAR) check for a foul that had occurred more than 100 yards away, and that Egypt ought to have been awarded a penalty before Enzo Fernández scored Argentina’s third and final goal. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition?” Hassan told Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports after the game. “Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running?” Fueled by Hassan’s remarks, Egypt’s defeat sparked a firestorm of conspiracy theories and allegations of corruption. French referee François Letexier became the focus of intense global scrutiny. Restaurants and cafes posted about barring him because of his role in the match outcome. His Wikipedia page was vandalized to falsely identify him as Jewish, sparking outrage among fans who believed Egypt’s loss was part of a Zionist conspiracy tied to Hassan’s outspoken support for Palestine during the tournament. As Argentina progressed, the conspiracy theories followed. There was the news that the Argentinian federation and its president were being investigated by the FBI for alleged money laundering. Then there was the controversial VAR decision that led to Switzerland’s top striker being sent off in the quarter-final. With each win, accusations of corruption and match-fixing continued to plague Argentina. “The World Cup was promised to Messi 3000 years ago,” read the caption of an Instagram post that included a montage of Argentina’s star during visits to Israel with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. The post was liked nearly 15,000 times. “It’s rigged for Messi,” read another post with more than 275,000 likes. More than 12 million people have signed a fan-led petition demanding that Fifa disqualify Argentina. VAR technology has been at the centre of nearly every major controversy at this World Cup. Critics argue that VAR is applied inconsistently and is being used in cases outside its original intent. This has led to scenarios such as Egypt’s disallowed goal against Argentina and Croatia’s disallowed goal at the end of regulation time against Portugal, called offside because the sensor in the ball detected a touch that was absent to the human eye. Perhaps the tournament’s most controversial episode came when United States striker Folarin Balogun received a red card after a VAR review for a foul the referee had missed in real time. The controversy deepened when Fifa overturned Balogun’s one-match suspension following an intervention from Donald Trump. The US president later boasted about his role in securing Balogun’s return. Given Fifa had previously stated that a red card suspension could not be appealed, the sudden change of heart shattered the illusion of integrity and fair play in its showpiece event. The Balogun affair is not without precedent. In November 2025, Fifa suspended part of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ban for a red card he received during Portugal’s World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, clearing him to play in their opening group-stage matches. This rare act of clemency underscored Fifa’s willingness to indulge one of the World Cup’s biggest attractions, especially one with a near-unrivalled ability to drive ticket demand. And given that Fifa introduced dynamic pricing schemes for this World Cup, effectively adjusting prices based on real-time demand, is it really a surprise that people are questioning the tournament’s integrity? To make matters worse, there has been a deluge of AI-generated images and videos spreading across social media that have led to the spread of disinformation about the tournament. One manipulated image showed a man resembling Adolf Hitler holding a German flag and celebrating a goal against Curaçao; another showed outgoing British prime minister Keir Starmer wearing a Croatia jersey. There was also an image of an Iranian footballer holding up a pink backpack during a World Cup game, paying tribute to the 168 school girls killed by a US airstrike on Iran. Another manipulated video showed the Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman launching into a racist rant after Morocco knocked his team out on penalties. These augmented images and videos prey on people’s emotions, blurring the line between reality and fiction while trapping viewers in a perpetual cycle of outrage through a deluge of racism, xenophobia and disinformation. In some cases, the fake posts may exploit genuine concerns by feeding into our politically polarized climate and the sense of injustice many people experience in their everyday lives. Ahead of the World Cup, Infantino fawned over Trump despite the US president’s handling of the Iran war, strained geopolitical ties with fellow World Cup co-hosts and supercharged immigration crackdown. Infantino even invented his own peace prize to appease Trump after he was passed over for the Nobel peace prize. For Infantino, the US is the crown jewel of his new era of football, a market that can deliver unprecedented revenues and spectacle. The fact that he was ignoring Fifa’s own code of ethics did not matter. Because of US visa restrictions, Iran’s team had to shuttle between their training base in Mexico and the US, where their World Cup matches were played. Players described their tournament experience as a “disaster”. So when Iran failed to reach the knockout stage at the same time one of the tournament’s host nations was bombing the country, many saw it as a profound injustice. These sentiments were further compounded by the Balogun fiasco. It is unsurprising that such a turn of events bred conspiracy theories. Take the Egypt-Argentina game: it is impossible to consider that match without considering the context of what Egypt stood for at the event. The national team became a source of collective joy, not just for Egyptians but for millions of others across the Arab world and the African continent. Hassan raised a Palestinian flag after their last-32 win and later said that anyone lacking empathy for the Palestinian people had lost their humanity. The Egyptian Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza organized public watch parties for displaced Palestinian families to watch Egypt’s games. The committee’s director, Mohammed Fawaz al-Wahidi, was then killed in an Israeli strike hours before Egypt played Argentina. For a few short weeks, Egypt’s run was about more than football – it carried the hopes and dreams of some of the world’s most oppressed people. So when Egypt squandered their lead against Argentina in a match marred by controversial decisions, the pain and anger many felt ran far deeper than the result itself. For those long accustomed to living with injustice, it felt like yet another reminder that even on football’s biggest stage, the rules were not the same for everyone. After the match, the Egyptian Football Association released a statement that it “cannot remain silent” following a series of refereeing decisions that “left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game”. Meanwhile, the accusations of corruption reached a crescendo. The Argentinian federation was targeted by a cyber-attack that saw hackers send emails from official accounts admitting to “corrupt refereeing decisions”. Conspiracy theories spread across social media asserting that the fix was in. And Argentina emerged as a villain. The World Cup does not exist in a vacuum. The truth is that football is a reflection of society, for better or worse. The conspiracy theories surrounding the World Cup are not unique to the tournament. They are symptoms of broader forces, including social media, economic insecurity and political division. Look no further than the QAnon movement, anti-vaccine conspiracies, and rising antisemitism and Islamophobia. The World Cup amplifies these tensions, showcasing them on the world’s biggest stages. In doing so, football becomes a mirror of the world that watches it. Karim Zidan writes a regular newsletter on the intersection of sports and politics.

World Cup News

A tournament with more teams and more games has been filled with euphoria, heartbreak, and these weird and wonderful viral moments As a Japanese supporter exclaimed to a television camera, “Texas is good, everything is big”, we knew the World Cup had started. In those early euphoric moments, seeing the palpable joy when everything is still possible, it seemed Japan fans were the MVPs of memes. They came in their thousands, dressed in sombreros and Mario outfits, tossed into the air like confetti and line dancing with the Dutch. Then the heartbreak arrived. With more locations, more teams and more games than ever, this was always going to be a tournament primed for viral spectacle. A Ghanaian witch-doctor. Erling Haaland becoming the internet’s boyfriend. Victoria Beckham’s face. We’ve narrowed down a selection of the most weird and wonderful moments of this World Cup – both on the field and on the sidelines. Or, in the case of Norway, in virtually any physical space to complete a “Viking row”. Strap in, readers. Thank you, Japan, for the joy you brought this World Cup. It started with a local reporter asking a pair of supporters literally dressed in Japan jerseys “where are you guys from”, who happily complimented her state of Texas with “everything is big”. Then a fan was gleefully thrown into the air by a sea of Netherlands fans, armed with a Pikachu. Notable mentions must also go to the Japan fans’ many and varied outfits. Poor Thierry Henry, just trying to get through commentating the World Cup without being subjected to imagery of Alexi Lalas’s “nether regions”. Lalas was very excited by the opening ceremony in Los Angeles ahead of the USA’s match against Paraguay, loudly telling the Fox Sports panel: “I thought that was awesome. My nether regions are still vibrating from the bass.” Henry couldn’t hide his reaction. This one is somehow even funnier in original Spanish: “Ay no, tarjeta gris otra vez.” Whether this dog was actually at the World Cup, where only service animals are allowed, is besides the point. We fell in love with the Brazilian supporter when it went viral for its confused look over the colour of a card. In a battle between the meme mascots of this World Cup, points must also go to Merlín, the Mexican duck, who stole our hearts with his confident waddle and silly little jersey. Merlín became a folk hero and met with Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, as the co-hosts rode a wave of momentum to the last 16. But like his side was unable to go as far in the tournament as hoped, when barred from attending his beloved Mexico’s later matches. Ghanaian witch-doctor Nana Kwaku Bonsam, the self-described “most powerful spiritualist in the world”, had Harry Kane in his grips during his national team’s 0-0 draw with England. Bonsam claimed to have put a non-violent curse on the English captain. Thankfully, Kane was released from it soon after, but that didn’t help England against Argentina. Speaking of England and Ghana. American commentator John Strong delivered an all-timer on a Fox Soccer broadcast during their match in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where he observed England “historically struggled”. Surely the US have enough to dwell on beyond the American revolutionary war. If you hadn’t heard of 36-year-old Themba Zwane before the World Cup, you have now. The South Africa midfielder not only earned a red card in the first game of the tournament, but delivered a generational meme with the profound shock of his reaction. He may have got a three-match ban, but Zwane’s legacy lives for ever. A real joy of a World Cup this size has been the showdowns you don’t see coming. Morocco versus Haiti was one. An unexpected, action-packed game that saw Morocco sail into the last 32 with a 4-2 win. In the words of one internet user: “The Haiti second goal was soo perfect to watch I forgot I was Moroccan”. If you know, you know. This may transcend memes. Over in Patagonia, the Argentinians felt it was the appropriate time to unveil a new, 85-foot statue of Lionel Messi midway through the tournament. And, honestly, it speaks for itself. Norway’s fans have never met a surface, it seems, that they can’t use for a “Viking row”. It felt as if they were everywhere this World Cup: bobbing up on escalators, spinning around suitcase conveyors, planted in the middle of city streets, celebrating each win or the team’s return home. How do you sum up England’s victory against Mexico? A player got a yellow card and was stretchered off the pitch, neither of which occurred during gameplay. Kane’s voice after the game sounded as if he was channelling Terry Jones acting as an angry mother in the Life of Brian, even while describing Jordan Henderson’s dramatic fall. Mexico’s head coach Rafael Márquez let out expletives, then cackled. And that’s before you get to the game itself. Erling Haaland is fast. Erling Haaland is strong. Erling Haaland likes … $750 taxidermy racoons? Few have united the internet such as Norway’s striker, whose looks and expressions have been compared to a spring onion and Dragon Ball Z, and whose bromance with Jude Bellingham has warmed the cockles of the most cynical football fan’s heart. Victoria Beckham could barely contain her emotion when Jude Bellingham scored for England in extra time against Norway. Sadly, her facial expression was quite akin to Mick Jagger when England finally fell to Argentina. Nothing has drawn so much universal frustration this World Cup as the cursed hydration break. Mandatory, yet pointless three-minute breaks implemented in each half of every match, regardless of whether it is 20C and fine outside, presumably so Fifa can make more money off advertising. Thankfully, they did pose a newfound opportunity for memes, and nothing brings people together more than shared hatred. Already feeling sad that the World Cup is almost over? Don’t worry. There’s so much more to look forward to as the tournament grows and grows. Hopefully by then, Turkey will have figured out the difference between Australia and Austria.

World Cup News

Two minutes and 55 seconds. That’s how long I really had hope of reaching the World Cup final. And it didn’t kill me In her book Hope in the Dark the author Rebecca Solnit examines if it is possible to have hope when you consider all of human suffering. She quotes the Bulgarian writer Maria Popova: “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking is naivety.” By all accounts it is a compelling argument for hope as a catalyst for social change. Meanwhile, Graham Burrell wrote: “It is the hope that kills you” following Lincoln City’s 2-1 home defeat to Wigan in 2024. “I feel perhaps our playoff push was finally killed off yesterday.” It is hard to know where exactly to place that defeat at Sincil Bank in the pantheon of human suffering. And the same goes for England’s capitulation to Argentina on Wednesday. And it is also hard to find the first person who ever said: “It is the hope that kills you.” It could be anyone from William Shakespeare to Peter Ustinov. Many have developed it. Ted Lasso, for example: “So, I’ve been hearing this phrase y’all got over here that I ain’t too crazy about. ‘It’s the hope that kills you’. Y’all know that? I disagree, you know? I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief.” And then there’s Jackson Lamb from Slow Horses. “It’s not the hope that kills you. It’s knowing it’s the hope that kills you – that kills you.” You wonder if England would have fared better in those last 30 minutes with Lasso or Lamb in the dugout. Their respective approaches would have been slightly different. Lasso certainly wouldn’t have played a back six. They wouldn’t sit back. Lamb would call them all idiots and tell them to get on with it. Arm round the shoulder or kick up the arse – the full spectrum is here. But what any England fan, or any sports fan knows – is that hope, as a pure emotion, is perhaps the most incapacitating. Hope isn’t immediate. Hope doesn’t really exist at the start of the game. It certainly plays second fiddle to fear. Fear during the buildup, fear during the ludicrous 10-second countdown, fear as the ball rolls back to Jordan Pickford. I could feel, almost hear, my heart beating at twice its normal rate. As the game settles, the heart settles. Well, settles is perhaps the wrong word. It is base-level angst with little pockets of rage as Giuliano Simeone harries and hacks and kicks and growls. Where’s the yellow card? Are the conspiracists right? He fails to kick Marc Guéhi and then goes with his head like a shark biting thin air too far out of the water. By now, even well-timed tackles by Argentinians are evil. Fouls by English players are justified. Another pint of myopia, please. Half-time is where the first waves of pessimism appear. The longer this goes, the more likely Argentina will do it. They know how to do it. I say meaningless things like “muscle memory”. I say meaningful things like “wily bastards”. And then the goal. The perfect cross. The perfect finish. It is an outpouring of joy and relief and possibility. It is the first real moment of hope, combined with the “Well, at least they need two now” mindset – we’ve all watched England for long enough. The only other ecstatic moment is the Djed Spence tackle. Spence has looked so relaxed he’s barely bothered about any of this. Just be surprisingly brilliant and then go home and do the washing-up. But that celebration – like Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci together. “Yes, Djed!” I shout. The greatest England tackle since Eric Dier on Sergio Ramos – and wildly more important. If things had gone differently, that would headline your montage. That would be one of your statues. Now, there’s a chance that someone else in the game has mentioned England dropping deep already. Was it Thomas Tuchel? Was it the players? Is it just English paralysis? Chances are you don’t need another tactical deep dive – I know I don’t. This is about the few minutes where the hope was genuine. Where I started to think about a World Cup final. The enjoyable part of the tournament isn’t the games, it’s just still being in the thing. It’s being able to watch other matches knowing you still have a dog in the fight. The actual game itself is the ordeal you have to endure. The retreat had already started before the hydration break. But how many of us said: “It’s too soon to defend this.” With 10 men at the Azteca it made sense. Even if England are able to see this out, can I handle torture? But time keeps going, and with every missed chance, with every save, hope beganto creep in. In the 82nd minute, Nico O’Reilly blocks a pass and chases it down and gets another block. We are in their half – a foreign land. I shouted to my Football Weekly colleague John Brewin: “That’s saved eight seconds.” A minute later Lionel Messi lofts a cross harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick. That was the moment I thought maybe. Just maybe. I began to think about England being in a World Cup final – selfishly, what a dream few days to be in New York, preview podcasts and TalkSport shows writing themselves. I could do a column about hope – but about the other hope. What a privilege. Goal-kick to England. Scoring a goal is hard, even if you have Messi. John Stones is doing keepy-ups. Pickford launches the goal-kick up field and O’Reilly gets on the end of it. Throw to Argentina deep in their half. “Eighty-four minutes on the clock now,” says Guy Mowbray. “I keep looking at that clock and thinking it’s going ever so slow,” says Alan Shearer. 84’24. Enzo Fernández shoots from distance. Pickford tips it over. It’s going over. But it’s OK. Just keep your shape. 84’55. Enzo has too much time on the edge of the box. Enzo shoots. Enzo scores – and we all know it’s done. Two minutes and 55 seconds. That’s how long I really genuinely had hope. And it didn’t kill me. It was thrilling, terrifying and life-affirming. I have spoken before about whether I’ll ever be ready to see England’s men win anything – and maybe I’ll never have to test that emotion. But for the time being hope is actually enough for me. Just a morsel of it. If hope can be a catalyst for social change, if it can help us change the world, then it can help us imagine Adam Wharton lifting the European Championship trophy in 2028, even just for a fleeting moment.

World Cup News

Whether through livestreams or in-person attendance, America’s mayors have taken a variety of approaches to integrating soccer into their comms strategy From the moment he entered office, New York City Zohran Mamdani hasn’t hesitated to make his love of soccer clear. The former New York state assembly member hosted a watch party for the Africa Cup of Nations final soon after moving in to City Hall, littered speeches with references to soccer stars past and present, and remained a fixture at a Brooklyn pub to watch his beloved Arsenal on their way to a Premier League title. The World Cup, though, is a different level. And as such, Mamdani has stood out over the last month-plus for being one of several municipal politicians in US host cities using the tournament – and soccer in general – as a way to connect with constituents, advance political goals, or in some cases, change the perception of their city among the public at large. Mayors pursuing these sorts of goals is nothing new. But in the United States, where American football, basketball and baseball hold much of the public’s attention, using soccer to get there is a novel concept. “Football holds a rare power,” Mamdani said in the latest of his Morning Pitch live streams, which have delivered traffic and weather information to New Yorkers on World Cup game days, in addition to soliloquies about the sport. The streams have been a hit; enough so that the final edition, due to arrive Sunday for the World Cup final in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey, will have a special guest host: Gary Lineker, the famed presenter and former England striker. In Mamdani’s case, the football chat comes naturally. But for most mayors in the US, this year is their first exposure to a World Cup, and certainly to one on home soil. San Jose mayor Matt Mahan’s playing career ended in childhood; he stayed connected with the game by coaching during his time as a teacher and now by watching his young daughter, who plays in a local league. He saw the hosting of World Cup games in nearby Santa Clara as a prime opportunity to change the perception of the city he oversees. “One of the things that we were able to communicate and show off about our city is that San Jose is fun , that it’s cool and that it’s a destination,” said Mahan. “That may not sound like a big deal to somebody in, say, New York, but in our region, San Jose is kind of a workhorse city. We’re a bedroom community where a lot of the Silicon Valley workforce lives, but we’re not seen as a, generally seen as a cultural destination, the way that San Francisco is.” Mahan said that local organizers sought to communicate that feeling by hosting watch parties in downtown’s San Pedro Square – gatherings they estimated would draw about 350,000 people over the life of the tournament, but with a total attendance that now sits just north of 900,000 before the final match. Hosting big events is nothing new for the Bay Area or San Jose specifically, with the Super Bowl having just taken place at Levi’s Stadium earlier this year. But Mahan noted that the extended nature of the World Cup – and its international appeal – provides new opportunities to reach out to constituents. “You have a lot of time and so many matches that there are a lot of bites at the apple,” he said. “The Super Bowl is one game … there’s nothing like the World Cup where virtually every community can be activated. “I mean, I’ve been out to San Pedro every, every day or two throughout the tournament, done a lot of selfie videos, and walking around talking to people, and just trying to actually document what we’re doing and celebrate our cultural diversity and our cultural vibrancy, and the small businesses.” The approach has been similar around the country, with Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass announcing numerous watch party locations throughout the city. In Philadelphia, the World Cup coincided with the Fourth of July and America 250 festivities, with Mayor Cherelle Parker personally calling performers on Independence Day to continue a concert after thunderstorms had seemingly wiped it out. In Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas had a slightly different goal: introducing the city to the world at large. He described the hosting efforts as a way to “brand the city” in an interview with KCUR, saying the World Cup was also an opportunity to advocate for the city’s ongoing streetcar project – a rare public transportation win in a city that is still majority car-based and faced numerous traffic issues on game days for fans getting to and from the stadium. In Mamdani’s case, the city he oversees hardly needs selling. Rather, he has used his daily livestreams as a way to further his own political philosophy, connecting it to the sport he has followed since he was a kid growing up in Uganda. These efforts are gaining him followers well outside the five boroughs. For his stream about Brazil v Morocco (his pick for World Cup winner) on 13 June, Mamdani used the moment to educate viewers about Sócrates, the Brazilian midfielder known for his political activism. The moment went viral in Brazil, even being reposted by Corinthians, Sócrates’ former team in São Paulo. The sport, Mamdani said on a recent stream, has “the power to give billions worldwide a glimpse into another world –one beyond jobs that don’t pay enough, bills that pile up and leaders who never meet their promises. The power to deliver joy to the people.”

World Cup News

The 23rd final in World Cup history took place on Sunday 19 July, 2026. Can you name all of the teams who have ever played in the game's biggest showpiece? After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device. What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026Play more quizzesQuiz: Name every nation at the 2026 World Cup Which World Cup team are you? Take our quiz World Cup quiz: Name every player in England's squad World Cup quiz: Name every player in Scotland's squad

World Cup News

As of Friday at 10:00 BST, the game in Miami (kick off 22:00 BST) has not yet sold out with 1,246 tickets on general sale listed at $865 (£657) and $1,125 (£855). There are a further 5,864 tickets available on the official resale platform, with the cheapest being category three available at a face value of $455 (£346) plus Fifa's 15% fee. However, there are many tickets in the higher-priced categories listed well below what they were purchased for. A category one ticket with an original price of $1,125 (£855) has a hugely discounted price of $659 (£500). Sunday's World Cup final is also not yet fully sold out, with 32 of the most expensive tickets still on general sale. However, these tickets cost between $29,995 (£22,796) and $32,970 (£25,057). These are standard tickets, not VIP. The original price of these tickets was $7,380 (£5,609), which means if you decided to buy one of these, Fifa will add an extra $1,107 (£841). The most expensive resale ticket for the final is listed at $2m (£1.52m), plus a Fifa fee of $300,000 (£228,000). Prices on resale are set by users and do not directly reflect what people are actually paying. Effort, spirit and moments - but do England lack all-round quality? Some England players disappointed by tactics as Tuchel questions team's DNA What next for England? How does Tuchel fix key problems for Euro 2028? How to watch the World Cup on the BBC and ITV

World Cup News

Novak Djokovic told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive that England’s World Cup knockout is a “hard blow” but “there is always another opportunity”.

World Cup News

Officials in New York and New Jersey have issued an air quality health alert because of wildfire smoke just days before the World Cup final. Haze caused by Canadian wildfires has blanketed the New York region, prompting officials to urge residents to reduce outdoor exertion and stay indoors if possible. New York New Jersey Stadium - which is in East Rutherford, New Jersey - will host the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, 19 July (20:00 BST). Conditions deteriorated just before Spain landed in New Jersey on Wednesday night, a day after their semi-final victory over France in Texas. Spain spent Thursday training outdoors, looking unaffected by the air quality. They have not commented on whether they are concerned. Argentina, meanwhile, stayed in Georgia after their semi-final win over England, but will begin training in New Jersey on Friday afternoon. Contractor Dan Edgar said his daughter Kaitlynn was practising at New York New Jersey Stadium on Thursday, where she will be dancing and performing for the final. "She's texting me that it's bad out there," he said. "It's hard to dance, she says you can feel the air, it's heavy." The smoke-filled sky and extremely hot temperatures have already been experienced by some footballers. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) went ahead with a match between Gotham FC and Washington Spirit on Wednesday night in front of a record crowd at Citi Field in Queens despite the orange haze. The air quality index meant players were mandated to take two breaks per half according to NWSL policy. Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman said after the match that the air quality was rough, and in her opinion, they shouldn't have played. Rodman said: "Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like, 'another break, another break, another break'." New Yorkers are relieved conditions are not as intense as they were in June 2023, when the skies turned completely orange because of Canadian wildfires. New York New Jersey Stadium is an open-air facility, but at the moment there is no suggestion the World Cup final, with more than 80,000 spectators and a star-studded half-time show, will be affected. The air quality in the area is expected to improve on Friday while forecast rain on Saturday should further help disperse some of the smoke. 'A true miracle of destiny' - Messi and Lamine Yamal's incredible first meeting When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sport How to watch the World Cup final on the BBC and ITV