Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt in their World Cup opener after Romelu Lukaku's second-half introduction led to an own goal. Egypt had taken an early lead through Emam Ashour, and despite Belgium's numerous chances, they struggled to equalise until Lukaku's impact. Both coaches reflected on the match, with Belgium's coach highlighting the importance of their next game against Iran, and Egypt's coach feeling his side was closer to victory.
Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan expressed pride in his team's performance after a 1-1 draw against Belgium in their World Cup opener. Despite coming close to a historic win, Hassan highlighted the team's quality, ambition, and the strong contributions of players like Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, asserting that Egypt is not just there to "make up the numbers." The draw is seen as a significant step in reinventing the national team's identity.
Foreign Ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt convened in Antalya to explore avenues for enhanced cooperation across various sectors of mutual interest, reaffirming their commitment to regional peace and stability.
Spanish police investigate Islamophobic chants during Spain vs Egypt friendly, drawing condemnation from government and football authorities over racism in stadiums.
Four matches, four draws and a slice of World Cup history.
Iran threatened to halt its matches at the World Cup if unauthorised flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted at stadiums, Iranian media reported, citing Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, following criticism of the team's presence at the tournament.
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in France, marking their first bilateral meeting since February last year. Both leaders will be attending the summit, with Trump also meeting other world leaders.
Brazilian defender Wesley has been ruled out of the World Cup squad due to a left thigh muscle injury sustained during a friendly match.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with his counterparts from Egypt and Turkiye in Islamabad ahead of a quadrilateral summit, including Saudi Arabia, to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia and explore avenues for peace.
Iran's Football Federation will lodge an official protest with FIFA after the United States reportedly denied the national team's request to travel to Los Angeles two days before their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match against Belgium, citing geopolitical tensions and previous visa issues.
New Zealand's football coach Darren Bazeley lauded his team's performance in a 2-2 draw against Iran at the World Cup, where they came close to securing their first-ever win. Elijah Just scored twice for New Zealand, but Iran equalised late, leaving all Group G teams with one point.
Iran's World Cup team conducted open training in Tijuana, Mexico, after relocating their base camp due to geopolitical tensions.
New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh, the first Sikh footballer to play at a FIFA World Cup, hopes his historic appearance will inspire more players of Indian and South Asian heritage to reach football's biggest stage.
Multi-champions Brazil, Argentina and Germany all won their preparatory games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, although by small margins, with former champion England and hopeful Portugal also securing victories.
Iran twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opening World Cup match on Monday after an end-to-end contest played against the backdrop of Iranian fan protests against the government in Tehran.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday signed the historic peace deal between the United States and Iran as a guarantor; the agreement will see the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to attend the BRICS National Security Advisors meeting in New Delhi on June 22-23. The high-level gathering will address international security challenges, regional issues, and prepare for the upcoming BRICS Summit in India. Wang Yi is also expected to hold bilateral talks with India's NSA Ajit Doval, focusing on India-China border issues.
A record eight players aged 40 or older have been selected to play at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States - one more than at all the past 22 tournaments combined.
Belgian winger Jeremy Doku faces a personal dilemma during the World Cup as his wife is due to give birth to their first child. He hopes to be present for the birth, potentially requiring him to leave the tournament.
Pakistan is set to host a quadrilateral summit of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia and explore avenues for peace negotiations.
Points Table Of FIFA World Cup 2026.
South Africa will look to bounce after a 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico in their opening FIFA World Cup match.
Iran's World Cup football team has finally received visas to enter the United States, just days before their first match in Los Angeles.
US President Donald Trump announced that a deal to end the war with Iran would be signed on Sunday, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz immediately becoming 'open to all'. This follows indications from Pakistan that negotiations were in their final stages, though Iran has yet to comment on the timeline.
Iran's coach and their key player said the national team will strive to bring joy and unity to Iranian people around the world, despite war and other tensions making their FIFA World Cup adventure uniquely challenging.
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are overcoming power cuts, poor internet and ongoing insecurity to follow the FIFA World Cup, finding brief moments of joy and escape amid the hardships of war and displacement.
Brazil is facing significant defensive challenges, particularly at right-back, ahead of their World Cup opener against Morocco.
Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC heavyweight title after stopping Rico Verhoeven in the penultimate round of their fight in Egypt. The fight was closer than expected, with Verhoeven putting up a strong challenge.
Hours after warning that the United States could strike Iran "very hard tonight", President Donald Trump announced to halt planned military action, despite earlier threats to target Kharg Island and other key Iranian oil facilities.
Karandeep Kochhar, in excellent form with three top-10 finishes this season, will lead a 10-member Indian contingent at the USD 2 million International Series Morocco golf tournament. He will be joined by other prominent Indian golfers including Anirban Lahiri.
Indian javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra would hope that his lengthy injury-forced absence from competition does not affect his rhythm when he returns to action against an in-form line-up of heavyweight rivals in the familiar environs of the Doha Diamond League on Friday.
Iran's football federation has requested FIFA to clarify the timeline for issuing tournament visas after relocating their World Cup training camp from Arizona to Tijuana due to diplomatic friction and visa complications.
For Iran's team, the FIFA World Cup has been marred by fraught politics at home, the war with the US, and tensions over whether they would actually be able to set foot on US soil to play their games.
Iran's national soccer team, currently training in Tijuana, Mexico, will be able to enter the US the day before each of their three World Cup matches, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.
The complete schedule of FIFA World Cup 2026 in IST.
Iran's national soccer team will sleep in Mexico and travel to the US on the days of its three FIFA World Cup matches after Washington declined to host the squad for the tournament.
A US-Iran memorandum of understanding is set to be signed, outlining sanctions relief, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 60-day negotiation window for Iran's uranium enrichment, but US President Donald Trump has underscored the deal's conditional nature, warning of military action if Tehran fails to comply.
Indian squash player Veer Chotrani defeated Abhay Singh in the opening round of the World Squash Championships in Giza, Egypt. Chotrani will face Mostafa Asal in the next round.
Iran's football federation announced its World Cup ticket allocation has been revoked just days before the tournament, leaving many fans unable to attend.
Iran's World Cup campaign has left many Iranian-Americans torn between supporting Team Melli and opposing the country's leadership, highlighting deep divisions within Los Angeles' influential Iranian diaspora.
