#2026-world-cup

#2026-world-cup

The former Three Lions captain played in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions of the tournament, experiencing some memorable highs and crushing lows. Who can forget Beckham's red card for kicking out at Argentina's Diego Simeone at France 98 - or his cathartic, match-winning penalty against the same opponents in Japan and Korea four years later?

Trump has previously suggested he could declare cities not safe for the 104-game soccer tournament and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. It includes games at NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. World Cup host sites aren't up to Trump. The 11 U.S. cities plus three in Mexico and two in Canada are contracted with FIFA, which would face significant logistical and legal issues to make changes in the eight months before the June 11 kickoff.

Orlando City wanted to bring Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison to Major League Soccer in the summer, sources told ESPN Brasil, although a move failed to materialise over a potential €40 million ($46.4m) transfer fee. The MLS club wanted to sign the Brazil international to a long-term contract and make him the team's leading figure in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup. Richarlison, 28, insisted in the last transfer window that he was keen to continue at Spurs for at least another season.

Hundreds of people are complaining on social media about the murky process for acquiring tickets to matches, including six World Cup games in the Bay Area. Few others are celebrating after receiving a coveted email from the global soccer organization with access to ticket sales for the 2026 tournament in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. Some of those recipients are sharing that FIFA is giving people 24-hour windows to make their purchases.

Nevertheless, with vanishingly few games left between now and the tournament proper next summer, every game is crucial for Sebastian Beccacece and Lionel Scaloni to test things out and knock their team into shape. But the latter will do so without star man Lionel Messi, top scorer in this qualification stage, who has been given permission to skip the game to rest.

Three matches into the new Premier League season, the players went their separate ways to compete in friendlies and qualifiers with their international teams. England are scheduled to face Andorra and Serbia in the September international match window, which this year runs from September 1 to September 9, and by the end of it some players will have played as many national team games this season as club fixtures. Then, in the second week of October, they'll do it all over again.

Jamal Musiala is targeting a return to action for Bayern Munich before the end of 2025. Musiala suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle in a challenge with Gianluigi Donnarumma during Bayern's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup in July. Bayern confirmed he would be absent for a minimum of four months and would require surgery immediately. The Germany playmaker recorded 21 goals and eight assists in all competitions for Bayern last season.

Frustrated that Mexico's soccer federation has failed to stop a anti-gay chant heard during national team matches, LGBTQ+ activists are appealing directly to local fans to end the offensive habit before next summer's World Cup.

"I think that, to be very honest, it is one of the best midfields in the league," Guimaraes told ESPN. "Everyone is similar, but everyone has their own way of playing, Joelinton is stronger, I'm a bit more technical and Tonali is a gladiator, so we were able to gather our strengths for the team and I believe that we are a midfield that does everything."

"I think I'll know. I think I'll know the attitude of Russia, and, frankly, of Ukraine. It takes two," Trump said when asked what he would do at the end of a two-week timeframe for assessing the state of peace talks. "Then I'm going to make a decision as to what we do and it's going to be a very important decision," he said. "Whether it's massive sanctions, massive tariffs, or both. Or I'll do nothing and say, 'This is your war.'"

It was a very hard decision (to leave Bayern Munich) but for me, my biggest goal is to play in a World Cup and the 2026 World Cup is just around the corner, so I have to be playing minutes and I wasn't playing (in Germany), Irankunda told Sky Sport.