Curacao fans will have woken up the morning after still a little hurt by the 7-1 defeat to Germany in their World Cup debut on Sunday, but the result has not dampened their spirit or their delight at a first global finals for the tiny island nation.
Japan's Yuto Nagatomo made history by becoming the first Asian player to feature in five FIFA World Cups during Japan's 1-1 draw against Sweden. This achievement places him among an elite group of players globally. The draw secured both Japan and Sweden's advancement to the Round of 32 in the 2026 tournament.
Sahil Jadhav, the reigning World University Games champion, secured his first Archery World Cup medal, a bronze in the compound men's event at Stage 2 in Shanghai, defeating Denmark's Martin Damsbo.
Harmanpreet Kaur's rapid 56 helped India post 170 for four against Australia in a must-win Women's T20 World Cup match. Despite a strong start from openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, the middle order struggled for acceleration, leaving Harmanpreet to boost the total in the final overs.
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.
Cape Verde pulled off a World Cup shock by holding Spain to a 0-0 draw in the opening game of Group H on Monday, where the European champions and one of the tournament favourites could find no way past the debutants and their keeper Vozinha.
German footballers at their FIFA World Cup base camp in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, are concerned about venomous snakes, specifically copperheads, after spotting one. Captain Joshua Kimmich expressed worries about potential bites, a sentiment echoed by Swiss and Norwegian teams, highlighting an unusual distraction for players preparing for the tournament.
Australia put in a commanding all-round display to beat West Indies by eight wickets and book their place in Sunday's final, chasing down 126 in just 13 overs.
Sarah and Kathryn Bryce's 106-run partnership powered Scotland to a first-ever ICC Women's T20 World Cup victory as they beat Ireland by 40 runs.
Germany gave debutants Curacao a reality check, as the former champions won 7-1 to kick-start their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a big win.
Mexico counts more than 135,000 missing people, a figure that has surged since 2006 when then-President Felipe Calderon launched a war against the country's drug cartels.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has made three changes to his starting XI for the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, bringing Reece James and Djed Spence into the defence, while Argentina's Lionel Scaloni makes one switch, with Giuliano Simeone replacing Rodrigo De Paul.
Mexico have failed to progress beyond the Round of 16 for the last 32 years. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil, they hope to finally end the 'quinto partido' curse.
While Mbappe and Messi currently lead the charts, Haaland, Kane, Dembele, and Vinicius Junior are all within striking distance, setting up an intense battle for the tournament's top scorer award in the matches ahead.
From Mexico to Canada, across 16 stadiums in wildly different climates, the continental tournament is putting turf science to its ultimate test. The goal: creating living surfaces that can withstand kicks, studs, tackles and scorching summer heat.
FIFA's Technical Study Group believes set-pieces are unlikely to dominate the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Gilberto Silva predicting tighter, transition-based football due to limited preparation time for national teams.
Mexico celebrated a historic 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the World Cup at the Azteca stadium, breaking a seven-game opening day curse.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation has paid its players daily allowances and bonuses in advance for the upcoming FIH Pro League matches and the Hockey World Cup, aiming to boost morale and focus. This move includes clearing PKR 4.5 million in dues and increasing daily allowances to USD 110, following their qualification for the World Cup after an eight-year absence.
With hot weather due and memories fresh of the scorching 2025 Club World Cup, FIFA has for the first time mandated three-minute hydration breaks in each half for all 104 matches of the World Cup starting this week in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Belgium secured top spot in Group G and a place in the World Cup round of 32 after a dominant 5-1 victory over New Zealand.
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.
Carlo Ancelotti has extended his contract as the manager of the Brazilian national football team until the 2030 World Cup.
Spain arrive into their Group H clash against Saudi Arabia needing a sharper attacking display after being held to a shock 0-0 draw by World Cup debutants Cape Verde in their opening match in Atlanta.
With less than a month to go, football fans have all fingers -- and toes -- crossed, notes Kanika Datta.
When the final whistle blew, players embraced, danced and celebrated on the pitch as if they had won the match. Their joy was understandable. Against one of football's traditional giants and the world's second-ranked team, Cape Verde had achieved something few thought possible.
Former world champion Ojas Deotale led India's men's compound team to a top-10 finish in the qualification round of the Archery World Cup Stage 2, while Aditi Swami finished 13th in the women's section.
England came close to making a premature and shock exit from the World Cup at the hands of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, before Harry Kane rode to the rescue, and manager Thomas Tuchel was proud of how his players refused to accept the defeat staring them in the face.
England coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed Bukayo Saka is fully fit and available for the World Cup clash against Ghana, while also voicing concerns that FIFA's mandatory hydration breaks are disrupting the flow and identity of football.
Five-times champions Brazil came back strongly from a one goal deficit to beat Japan 2-1 in their FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash at the Houston Stadium on Monday.
Qatar celebrated their first World Cup point after a late own goal forced a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and sent the Gulf nation into jubilation on Saturday.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni lauded his team's ability to perform under pressure, stating they 'play its best football when it's under pressure' after their dramatic 2-1 comeback victory against England secured a spot in the World Cup final.
FIFA has announced that the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States, will feature separate opening ceremonies in each of the three countries. The ceremonies will feature a diverse lineup of musical performers and cultural showcases.
Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Samrat Rana won a silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. The duo scored 483.6 in the final, finishing behind China's Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu.
India's campaign in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup ended after a six-wicket loss to Australia at Lord's. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur admitted the team did not play to its standards and called for a "rethink" on their performance against top teams. Australian captain Sophie Molineux praised Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner for their match-winning partnership.
India's build-up for the Women's T20 World Cup suffered a setback after hosts England came from behind to clinch the three-match T20I series 2-1.
FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom expressed confidence in Iran's participation in the upcoming World Cup after a meeting with Iran's FA President Mehdi Taj, despite concerns over visa issues and political tensions.
The United States defeated Bosnia 2-0 to advance to the World Cup round of 16. Malik Tillman scored the decisive goal from a free kick after Folarin Balogun was sent off, having previously opened the scoring. This marks their first knockout win since 2002.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to the United States, Bay Area soccer clubs and supporters hope the tournament will inspire a new generation of fans and strengthen the region's thriving grassroots football culture.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's national team has been forced to cancel World Cup buildup events in Kinshasa due to the Ebola virus outbreak and will instead continue preparations in Belgium.
The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Kumkum Mohod secured the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, defeating China in a tense shoot-off. India finished the campaign with two medals, including a bronze in the men's individual compound section.
