The live UK broadcast selections for the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been announced. There will be matches every day for 17 days from the opening game of the tournament between Mexico and South Africa. The finals are being staged by three different nations for the first time, taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In all honesty, between round-of-16 appearances against eventual champions Italy and Argentina, the drought-breaking win over Japan in 2006, the knockout-stage-securing win over Croatia in that same tournament, or group-stage games against defending champions such as France and Spain, it would struggle to break into the top 10. But when Tony Popovic's side run out to face the Americans in Seattle on June 19, it might just be one of the most hyped games that the Socceroos have ever played.
He left in the summer of 2021 for a second spell in charge at Real Madrid but says he still has fond memories of being Everton manager. Speaking to TNT Sports, Ancelotti said: "I loved the period at Everton. "It was a difficult period because it was COVID there but I have a good memory of the environment there and I'm looking always to the result of Everton."
Next summer's tournament, which will kick off June 11 in Mexico City with Mexico facing South Africa, will be the largest, most complex single-sport competition in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games across three countries before the July 19 final in East Rutherford, N.J. It will also be the first World Cup to be played in the U.S. in 32 years. And for the players, that means everything.
Panama, I don't know much about Panama at the moment but we will find out about it before the tournament starts, of course. For me, I'm only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult like our group now but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive.
Germany's opponents at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curaçao. Germany have only played Ecuador once, in the 2006 World Cup that they hosted. The hosts won 3-0 in Berlin, with Bayern alumni Miroslav Klose (twice) and Lukas Podolski scoring the goals. As for Ivory Coast, Germany have also only faced them once, a 2-2 friendly draw in 2009.
"Trump has made clear that U.S. restrictions on immigration visas, travel bans, and ongoing ICE kidnappings apply to World Cup fans and, in several cases, to athletes' delegations as well," Harsha Walia - the author of Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism - told Truthout.
On this snowy Friday morning in DC, the 48 teams participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be split up into opposing pairs at a Kennedy Center bash that will host Donald Trump, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney. The event taking over DC's beleaguered performing arts center is a big production: in addition to the world leaders whose nations will host World Cup matches next year, the event will feature performers including Kevin Hart, Andrea Bocelli, Nicole Scherzinger, and Trump's favorite, the Village People.
It's time! The eyes and fate of several nations will be focused on Washington, D.C., for the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage draw. Follow along for live updates, key statistics and instant reaction as we discover how the 48 teams will be placed across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Twelve groups of four will shape the road toward lifting soccer's biggest prize next summer in North America.
The World Cup draw on Friday will separate 48 teams (and placeholders) into 12 groups of four teams each. Each team will play three games in the group stage, one against every team in its group. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, as in previous years. But the expansion of the tournament from 32 teams will create an additional round of knockout matches.
Sheinbaum is making her first trip to the US as president at a time when her government is still negotiating with Trump over tariffs he imposed on Mexican goods. Sheinbaum has won delays to some levies in past negotiations with Trump. The trio of nations are also set to review the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement next year. Sheinbaum said Mexico maintained one of the best commercial positions globally amid Trump's tariff push.
It really did happen, you know. Scotland are going to the 2026 World Cup. Maybe it will all feel real when Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart begin co-hosting duties at Friday's draw? Hmm, probably not. What about when the Village People take their turn to perform on stage? Or Robbie Williams? Or Andrea Bocelli? Or Nicole Scherzinger? Guess we will have to wait for some famous former footballer to awkwardly crack open a small plastic ball to reveal 'Scotland' on an unfolded piece of paper for it all to sink in.
MLS will pause from May 25 through July 16 as the World Cup takes place across North America to allow for players to report to their respective national teams. The league has previously only taken short pauses during the World Cup, with a nine-day break during the last summer World Cup in 2018 and two weeks off in 2014. The World Cup begins on June 11 with the opening game in Mexico City.
Qualification for the 2026 World Cup has thrown up some brilliant storylines. Jordan, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Curacao will all debut in Canada, Mexico and the United States, Scotland and Norway will be at the tournament for the first time since 1998, while Haiti are appearing for the first time in over 50 years, and their manager has never even stepped foot in the country.
The FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System, or FIFA PASS, is meant to help the Trump administration balance a strict immigration system while ensuring that visitors for the global soccer tournament can enter the United States without issue. "America welcomes the world," Infantino said in a statement. "We have always said that this will be the greatest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history -- and the FIFA PASS service is a very concrete example of that."
This national, historic landmark represents exactly the prestige and the tremendous economic impact that the 2026 World Cup will have on our region, Tammy Murphy, First Lady of New Jersey and board chair of the host committee, said at the announcement. We will give fans the ideal place to celebrate the world's game at the heart of Manhattan.
United States President Donald Trump threatened to change FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities if concerned by safety. Organisers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have dismissed concerns that United States President Donald Trump could move matches from cities he does not deem safe. Republican President Trump said last month that he would consider moving games from Democrat-led San Francisco and Seattle if they did not cooperate with his immigration and crime initiatives.
England are on the cusp of World Cup qualification and could seal a spot at the 2026 tournament with a win over Latvia on Tuesday (19:45 BST). Who could England potentially join? For this week's big Tuesday quiz we want you to name the nations who have already booked their place at next summer's World Cup. We've given you each nation's football confederation as a clue. There's no timer on this one. Good luck!
Manuel Neuer might not be playing for the German national team anymore, but that certainly does not take anything away from his pedigree amongst the world's greatest goalkeepers. There were rumors circulating that the Bayern Munich captain could potentially make a return to Die Mannschaft ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the keeper himself has quelled all of that speculation by saying that definitely won't happen.
France great Zinedine Zidane's son Luca Zidane was called up by Algeria for the first time on Thursday, with the team close to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Luca Zidane, a 27-year-old goalkeeper, represented France at youth level but never for the senior national team and is eligible for Algeria through his father's family ties. FIFA approved a change of national eligibility two weeks ago for Zidane, who once played at Real Madrid when his father was coach there.
President Donald Trump would look to move matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if he deems any of the United States cities planning to serve as hosts to be unsafe. Speaking on Thursday about the football event, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, Trump was asked by reporters in the Oval Office specifically about games in Seattle and San Francisco. list of 4 itemsend of list Well, that's an interesting question but we're going to make sure they're safe, he said. [Seattle and San Francisco are] run by radical left lunatics who don't know what they're doing.
Excitement on the ground is only exceeded by the facts, after a record-setting summer that saw downtown hotels finally beat pre-pandemic occupancy rates. Convention business is booming with the new Summit building complete, and cruise and concert travelers are back in full force. The average room now fetches north of $300 a night-a sign that demand has rarely been higher. And yet much higher it will go, with optimism running at a fever pitch ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Venezuela were beaten 6-3 by Colombia on Tuesday ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Venezuela has sacked its national football coach, Fernando Batista, a day after the team's FIFA World Cup qualification dream ended following an intervention by the country's president. News of Argentinian Batista's sacking on Wednesday night, alongside his entire backroom staff, came after President Nicolas Maduro called for a restructuring of the technical staff.
Writing at the Los Angeles Times, Karen Garcia reports that the sign is set to be removed - albeit temporarily - so that the airport's system of roads can be expanded to alleviate traffic conditions there and make life easier on pedestrians making their way around the airport's grounds.As for why this is taking place now, Los Angeles World Airports' chief development officer Michael Christensen told the Times that it relates to two massive international events on the horizon: next year's World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. The renovations that the temporary sign removal are part of are scheduled to run through 2030, and the Times notes that a date has not yet been set for the sign to be re-installed.
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay secured their spots in the 2026 World Cup on Thursday in the next-to-last round of South American qualifiers. Uruguay and Colombia had 3-0 wins, and Paraguay had a scoreless draw to advance to the global tournament along with already qualified Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador. Peru, which needed wins in the last two rounds to advance, is now out of contention following the loss to Uruguay.
