Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described as “excellent” and “constructive” the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. …
… Pirates’ biggest culprit when it came to inaccurate shooting was midfielder Oswin Apoollis, a likely starter for South Africa in the 2026 World Cup opener against co-hosts Mexico next month. …
Iran held a send-off ceremony Wednesday for the national football team as it prepared to play in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. …
… A record 48 teams and millions of fans are set to descend on the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first-ever World Cup co-hosted by three nations. …
… Daily Maverick, meanwhile, has reported that the image of a jaguar had been used on cocaine packages by a now-jailed Sinaloa Cartel member from Mexico to show his ownership. …
… Football’s global governing body said in a statement that money shared between the 48 teams taking part in the finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States would now total $871 million, up from an initial figure of $727 million announced in December. …
South African Afro-house DJ Black Coffee has once again cemented his global status after delivering a historic sold-out performance in Mexico, with an estimated 20 000 fans gatheri... …
… At the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic, they lost all their matches, going down 3-0 to North Korea, 2-0 to England, and 2-1 to Mexico. …
… The Azzurri fell at the play-offs again, this time after a penalty shoot-out against Bosnia and Hercegovina on Tuesday, and will miss this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. …
… The “Lions of Mesopotamia” secured the country’s first World Cup appearance since the 1986 competition in Mexico with a 2-1 win over Bolivia on Tuesday night. …
African football boss Patrice Motsepe defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, praising his commitment to football and support for Africa, despite growing criticism over Infantino's handling of issues including a suspension decision and tournament format changes.
African football boss Patrice Motsepe defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, praising his commitment to football and support for Africa, despite growing criticism over Infantino's handling of issues including a suspension decision and tournament format changes.
Fifa declares the expanded 48-team World Cup across the United States, Mexico and Canada a triumph, marked by thrilling football and strong performances from smaller nations including Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Egypt, who reached knockout rounds in record numbers.
Argentina are one game away from becoming just the third team to successfully defend the World Cup, with European champions Spain standing in their way. The article examines how previous World Cup winners fared when they reached the final in the following tournament, including Italy (1938), Brazil (1962), and Argentina (1990).
England and Argentina will meet in a World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the final on July 19. The match carries decades of rivalry, including a 1986 quarter-final encounter won by Argentina on goals from Diego Maradona, and takes place amid a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands.
Jude Bellingham netted twice in extra-time to lead England past Norway 2-1 in the World Cup quarter-final. England will face Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
England play Norway in a World Cup quarter-final in Miami on Friday with Kane and Haaland as their leading scorers; the winners will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals.
Hugo Broos has confirmed his exit as South Africa's national football coach after the team's elimination from the 2026 World Cup. Multiple candidates, including Pitso Mosimane, have applied to succeed him, though the football federation may retain Broos in an advisory capacity.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals feature Argentina versus Switzerland, France versus Morocco, Spain versus Belgium, and Norway versus England, with matches beginning 9 July at various venues and times.
France begin their push for a third World Cup title Thursday against African champions Morocco in a blockbuster quarter-final at Gillette Stadium. France have scored 14 goals in five games, with captain Kylian Mbappe accounting for seven of them, while Morocco advanced through the group phase and eliminated the Netherlands and Canada.
The FIFA World Cup has reached the quarter-final stage with eight teams remaining, including France, Morocco, Spain, and Belgium. Matches are taking place in the United States beginning Thursday.
Jude Bellingham scored twice as 10-man England defeated Mexico 3-2 at the Estadio Azteca to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, with Harry Kane also scoring from the penalty spot. England will face Norway in the last eight.
Mexican Isaac Del Toro won the second stage of the Tour de France in Barcelona on Sunday, ahead of reigning champion Tadej Pogacar, while Jonas Vingegaard maintained his overall lead.
England play Mexico on Sunday in the Estadio Azteca as Erling Haaland and Norway face Brazil in a separate round-of-16 match, with two more quarter-final spots available after France and Morocco qualified on Saturday.
England must confront Mexico's fanatical home crowd and high-altitude Azteca Stadium on Sunday in a World Cup round-of-16 tie with a quarter-finals place at stake. Mexico have won all four home games without conceding a goal, while England narrowly beat DR Congo 2-1 to advance.
Harry Kane says he feels "as good as ever" as he pursues more World Cup goals for England; the captain has scored 72 goals for club and country in the 2025/26 campaign, second only to Lionel Messi's 82-goal haul in 2011/12, and has five goals at the World Cup so far.
Harry Kane scored two goals in England's 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup round of 32, bringing his tournament total to five goals and moving him to sixth on the all-time World Cup goal-scoring list.
Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in a World Cup round-of-32 match at the Azteca Stadium, ending their 40-year drought in knockout-stage play dating to 1986, when they last hosted the tournament.
For the first time in World Cup history, a record nine African countries have progressed beyond the group stage, marking a significant advancement for the continent in the tournament. Previously, only one African nation at a time had managed to qualify for the knockout stage.
Coach Hugo Broos's South Africa beat South Korea 1-0 to finish second in Group A and qualify for the World Cup knockout phase for the first time, ahead of a last-32 match against Canada in Los Angeles.
France and Norway meet in a crucial World Cup group-stage match on Friday, with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland — both on four goals — set to feature prominently. France need only a draw to clinch first place in the group owing to superior goal difference.
The Netherlands defeated Tunisia 3-1 to finish atop World Cup Group F with seven points, avoiding Brazil and setting up a second-round match against Morocco in Monterrey on Monday.
Ecuador upset Germany 2-1 to qualify for the World Cup last 32, with Gonzalo Plata scoring the winning goal in the 77th minute. Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 to finish second in Group E, eliminating the tournament's smallest country by population.
South Africa beat South Korea 1-0 on Wednesday to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history, recovering from an opening 2-0 loss to Mexico. The victory, sealed by Thapelo Maseko's second-half goal, comes as Bafana Bafana compete in a World Cup for the first time since hosting it in 2010.
Belgium drew 0-0 with Iran in a World Cup Group G match, with Nathan Ngoy sent off in the second half after fouling Mehdi Taremi. All three games in Group G have ended in draws, leaving Belgium on two points ahead of their final group match against New Zealand.
Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey both scored twice as the Netherlands defeated Sweden 5-1 in Houston. The win put the Dutch on top of Group F with four points from two games, ahead of Sweden on three points.
Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0 in a World Cup Group C match to eliminate the Caribbean nation from contention, with goals from Matheus Cunha (two) and Vinicius Junior, though Brazil's Raphinha suffered an apparent injury. Morocco won their first tournament game, defeating Scotland 1-0 with a goal from Ismael Saibari in the second minute.
The United States defeated Australia 2-0 in a Group D match, advancing to the last 32 of the World Cup with a game to spare. A Cameron Burgess own goal and an Alex Freeman header secured the victory for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Namibia has been removed from the Financial Action Task Force Grey List after successfully addressing strategic deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework. The decision, announced at the FATF Plenary in Paris in June 2026, follows Namibia's completion of all actions in its agreed action plan since being placed on the list in February 2024.
The United States and Australia will compete in Group D on Friday in Seattle, with the winner advancing to the knockout rounds. The USA defeated Paraguay 4-1 in their opening match, while Australia upset Turkey 2-0, leaving both teams in confident form ahead of their clash.
Mexico became the first team to reach the knockout round of the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over South Korea, while Canada thrashed Qatar 6-0 to move towards the last 32 and secure their first ever World Cup victory.