#fifa-world-cup

#fifa-world-cup

The celebration, arranged by local organisers in Seattle rather than FIFA itself, was decided on before the draw and scheduling was done. Egypt and Iran were the sides selected for the slot, two countries where homosexuality is illegal. Iran qualified for the tournament back in March, with a draw against Uzbekistan (Image credit: Getty Images)

The tiny island of Curacao is the smallest country to ever reach a FIFA World Cup, an honor it earned with an unbeaten run through an 18-month qualifying tournament in which it outscored opponents by nearly 2½ goals a game. But when it came time to introduce Curacao to the world during last Friday's tournament draw, the Great One shot well wide of the net, stealing its glory.

A reminder of today's four pots, for when the actual draw eventually gets underway. Remember, Ireland are in pot four as UEFA play-off D, should they successfully navigate the play-offs in March. Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany. Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.

Germany now have an indication of who they might play at next year's FIFA World Cup. FIFA have confirmed the official draw pots ahead of next week's draw on December 5th. Luckily for Germany, their last November window's string of wins was enough to put Germany up to 9th in the FIFA World Rankings, which was just enough to seal the last spot in Pot 1.

Soccer has officially entered the cultural mainstream and is now a core pillar of sports fandom in the U.S., powered by diverse, young and digitally native fans. The United States now boasts twice as many soccer fans as major European markets, and 87% of them are already anticipating the 2026 tournament. This is more than just a sports moment; it's an epicenter of culture and opportunity.

We're in a world where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries ongoing threats are issued to individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a hateful agenda. We are going to continue to be who we are and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation in a way that is targeting Boston's values, Wu added. Ten toes down for Boston.

The more we increase our taxes, the less competitive we're going to be against other cities that we compete with for conventions, for example, she said.

The Moroccan government must do the right thing and end the killing at once. We're calling on FIFA and its global partners to demand truth and compassion - not brutality masked as progress.

Venezuela's recent form has improved, highlighted by their 2-0 victory over Bolivia, which gives them confidence going into the qualifier against a strong Uruguay side.

South Korea's journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is marked by their strategic win over Iraq, securing their spot for the twelfth time overall.

Argentina's football team will welcome back captain Lionel Messi for their World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia after he missed earlier matches due to injury.