Christian Pulisic is on pace for the best season of his career -- in a season that will conclude with a home World Cup for the United States. The American standout scored the opening goal for AC Milan in a 3-0 victory over Hellas Verona in Serie A on Sunday to raise his total to 10 goals and two assists in 15 matches across all competitions with the Rossoneri.
Estadio Akron is the smallest of World Cup 2026's three Mexican stadiums and will be the venue for just four matches, all of them in the group stage and including Mexico's game against South Korea. It's one of 16 World Cup 2026 venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada, and is the farthest west of Mexico's three stadiums. FourFourTwo has the complete lowdown on this World Cup stadium, from the capacity and history of Estadio Akron to its usage at World Cup 2026.
BMO Field is one of World Cup 2026's two Canadian venues and will host six matches including Canada's opener against the winner of Path A in UEFA's remaining play-off qualifying matches. It's one of 16 World Cup 2026 venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada, and is the smallest of all. It will be known as 'Toronto Stadium' for the duration of the competition.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is one of the most eye-catching stadiums in use at World Cup 2026. Opened in 2009, it has a retractable roof and a capacity of 94,000 seated fans. The stadium is primarily used for American football as the home of the Dallas Cowboys and the venue for the annual college football Cotton Bowl Classic. It's slated to host Dallas Stars NHL matches in 2027 and has already welcomed fans of boxing and Wrestlemania.
NRG Stadium is the closest of the 11 United States stadiums hosting matches at World Cup 2026 to the three venues in Mexico. Houston, Texas is just inland from the Gulf of Mexico in southern USA. It's one of 16 World Cup 2026 venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada, and will host five group stage matches and two knock-out games under the name 'Houston Stadium'.
Hotels across North America have begun hiking prices to astronomical levels as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Next year's World Cup will take place in host cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With the tournament's first matches set to begin in less than six months, hotels are trying to take full advantage of one of the world's largest sporting events.
As the local organising committee, SeattleFWC26's role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium, said Hana Tedesse, the vice-president of communications for Seattle Fifa World Cup 2026. SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.
Fifa says it will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every game at next year's World Cup, not just those played in hot weather. The referee will stop the game 22 minutes into each half for players to take drinks, regardless of the temperature, the host country the United States, Canada or Mexico or whether the stadium has a roof and air conditioning.
Luka Modric and Nikola Vlasic are friends away from the field, but tonight they will be opponents and opposite numbers. Last January, in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vlasic included Modric in his select pantheon of the greatest. "It's crazy: you can't even try to press him because he never lets you have the ball." An admiration that borders on reverence for the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- FIFA announced the start times for the tournament's 104 matches on Saturday, a day after the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament, with the final set to kick off at 3 p.m. EDT. The kickoff time for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, allows for prime-time viewing in Europe, where it will be 9 p.m., and Britain, where it will be 8 p.m.
England have been handed World Cup kick-off times which suit UK audiences - but Scotland fans face later finishes during next summer's tournament. England will play all three of their group games in the United States, with their first two matches against Croatia, on 17 June, and Ghana, on 23 June, kicking off at 21:00 BST. Their final group game against Panama on 27 June begins at 22:00.
Manager Steve Clarke was in the audience for the ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC where it was confirmed Scotland will face Haiti on 13 June. They will then take on Morocco - who are ranked 11th in the world - on 19 June before lining up against top seeds Brazil on 24 June. Afterwards Clarke said Scotland can "bring a little bit of magic" to the tournament after qualifying for the first time in 28 years.
Northern Ireland will face hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B of the World Cup if they come through March's tricky play-off. Michael O'Neill's side finished third in their qualifying group behind Germany and Slovakia, but still booked a play-off spot thanks to their Nations League finish in 2024. Northern Ireland face a difficult play-off semi-final in Italy, who have not played at the World Cup since 2014, on 26 March in Path A.
England will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia, while Scotland have been drawn alongside Brazil at next summer's tournament. Thomas Tuchel's England will open their tournament in Dallas or Toronto on 17 June, before also facing Ghana and Panama in Group L. Scotland's first match at the men's World Cup for 28 years will be against Haiti on 13 June, in Boston or New York, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil in Group C.
Ralf Rangnick's side qualified for their eighth finals by finishing top of Group H in UEFA's World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign. The headlines were stolen by a 10-0 win over San Marino in October 2025 but it was four points from matches against second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina that really made the difference. Austria have become regulars at the European Championship and have progressed beyond the group stage in the last two tournaments,
The Qatar World Cup 2026 squad is the first to have ever qualified for the World Cup, following their hosting of the 2022 tournament. Qatar will hoping for a much better showing at World Cup 2026, however: they crashed out in the group stage on home soil last time around, after scoring just once in three games. It leaves them as statistically the worst-ever hosts of the competition but with an expanded tournament this time around, it may be a leveller playing field this time.
Jordan managed to qualify for World Cup 2026 by a point ahead of Iran, and have subsequently risen to their highest FIFA ranking (70th) since 2014. They will play in the Arab Cup in December, and while it won't feature a full complement of players, it will give them a good indication of where they are ahead of the showpiece event next summer.
This past week has offered Chelsea's Estêvão a glimpse into the often-unforgiving journey to the top of the game. Last Tuesday, the 18-year-old Brazil forward dazzled with a brilliant goal the apotheosis of a sparkling collective performance as Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on a night they announced their UEFA Champions League credentials. Five days later, he was substituted at half-time in the 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal having touched the ball just 17 times and wasted two good shooting opportunities.
