Soccer fans looking to bring the party to World Cup games will have to go without vuvuzelas, with FIFA banning the plastic horns from venues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in its stadium code of conduct. Vuvuzelas, a horn made with a long plastic shell, are a staple of South African soccer matches and […]
World Cup
France brush off Ivory Coast loss, call it timely World Cup reminder
France brushed aside concerns after suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat by Ivory Coast in a World Cup warm-up match on Thursday, insisting the setback would serve as a useful reminder rather than a cause for alarm ahead of ?the tournament. Didier Deschamps’ side led through a superb first-half goal from Rayan Cherki but were overrun […]
The 48-Team World Cup: Bigger Stage, Smaller Stakes?
The FIFA World Cup has always been football’s ultimate test. It is not just a tournament; it is a pressure cooker where every mistake is magnified, every point matters, and every group-stage match can decide a nation’s fate. That ruthless intensity is what has made it the greatest sporting spectacle in the world. But in […]
Iran World Cup squad to reach Mexico early Sunday
Iran’s World Cup squad will arrive early on Sunday in Mexico where they will be based for the duration of the global football tournament, a team statement said Wednesday. “The Iran national football team will depart Antalya for Tijuana at 15:20 (1220 GMT) on Saturday, June 6, and is scheduled to arrive in Mexico at […]
World Cup delay for Switzerland’s Embolo while US reviews travel document
Switzerland forward Breel Embolo has not travelled with the rest of the World Cup squad to the United States after his travel document was placed under review. The document, known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the US under the […]
Germany looking for World Cup redemption after successive early exits
The memories of two successive World Cup group-stage exits weigh heavily on the Germany team before another attempt at restoring lost pride. Surely it couldn´t happen again? Germany, the four-time world champion, has been on a quest for redemption since its ignoble exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar marked a new low for […]
Spain favourites to win World Cup, Goldman model shows
Spain are the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, ahead of France, Argentina and Brazil, according to a Goldman Sachs model published on Friday that uses teams’ historical performance and ranking data. The model gives Spain a 26 percent chance of lifting the trophy at the tournament, which will be held in the United […]
DR Congo end 52-year World Cup absence amid health, security crises
Democratic Republic of Congo will return to the World Cup in June after a 52-year absence as the vast central Africa nation reels from health and security crises. A deadly Ebola outbreak in the east of the country had recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected deaths by May 24. The Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) […]
Messi leads Argentina squad for sixth World Cup
Argentina named their 26-man squad for the World Cup on Thursday, with Lionel Messi set to lead the defending champions at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The 38-year-old Inter Miami forward will play in his sixth World Cup, extending his national record, while Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis […]
‘Biggest circus in town’ the World Cup set for betting frenzy
Global betting revenue for the upcoming World Cup is likely to be “in excess of $50 billion”, betting expert Darren Small told AFP, for an event he labelled “the biggest circus in town.” The revenue will be significantly higher than the 2022 edition, partly because the quadrennial football fiesta has been enlarged to 48 teams […]