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.
Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago's O'Hare Airport before being allowed into the United States, while the team's photographer was denied entry ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
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's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has accused the United States of frequently changing its positions and complicating efforts to reach an understanding, stating that these shifts disrupt diplomatic processes and prolong negotiations. He also linked any potential agreement with the US to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, accusing Israel of escalating conflict to derail diplomatic efforts.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran's missile capabilities have been severely degraded, saying Tehran now possesses only a fraction of the arsenal it had before recent hostilities.
Pope Leo may have traded his life in Chicago for the ornate apartments at the Vatican's apostolic palace, but he still plans to root for his old national team at the World Cup this month.
Iran's World Cup football team has finally received visas to enter the United States, just days before their first match in Los Angeles.
A team of yoga athletes from the United States is heading to India to participate in the maiden World Yogasana Championship to be held in Ahmedabad from June 4 to 8.
The United States military and Kuwaiti air defence forces successfully intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting Kuwait and Bahrain, with Iran's state broadcaster claiming American military installations in Kuwait were deliberately targeted.
Extreme heat and humidity could emerge as a major challenge at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with several host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico expected to experience soaring temperatures during the tournament.
A US national was arrested in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, while allegedly attempting to cross illegally into Nepal. The individual, identified as Phelan Travis Anthony, had overstayed his visa in India and was trying to evade legal proceedings.
Paris St Germain players presented their Champions League trophies to the French Open crowd on Monday, two days after winning Europe's premium club competition for the second time in a row.
Zee Entertainment said on Monday it had secured the rights to broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 38 other FIFA events through 2034.
The strike came amid the peace deal talks between two countries and a fragile ceasefire.
Responding to a question on the trade deal being negotiated between the two countries, Trump said India had taken advantage of US policies for years and charged tremendous tariffs.
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.
The United States military has intercepted and destroyed two Iranian attack drones that posed an immediate hazard to commercial shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, according to an official statement by the US Central Command late Saturday.
India's women's hockey team, led by Salima Tete, is set to participate in the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. The squad blends experienced players with emerging talents, aiming to build on recent preparations and set a high standard for future tournaments.
Tensions escalate between Iran and the US over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane for global oil supplies, as both sides discuss extending a fragile ceasefire.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised India's military modernisation efforts at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, highlighting its growing industrial and logistics capacity.
Odisha's opposition BJD has requested Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to clarify his family's connection with the Vikas Foundation Trust, which is alleged to have purchased properties in the US. BJP leaders have dismissed the allegations as a smear campaign.
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.
Thousands of people flooded one of the world's great urban boulevards on Saturday, attempting to set a world record for the Mexican wave - naturally, in the country that gave the beloved stadium ritual its name.
A 28-year-old man from Hyderabad, Anshul Kuncha, was allegedly shot dead in Philadelphia, US, while delivering pizzas. His family believes it was a "decoy" trap and has appealed to the MEA for justice and repatriation of his remains.
Donald Trump expressed optimism about securing an agreement with Tehran to prolong a truce and restore transit through a strategic maritime chokepoint within the next week, even as he criticised political opponents and the media for what he described as their tendency to distort outcomes, even in a hypothetical scenario of complete Iranian military surrender.
The US has reportedly depleted nearly half of its advanced missile-defence interceptors while defending Israel during recent hostilities with Iran, raising concerns about future readiness.
Jeanette and Marco Rubio spent some time at the Taj Mahal in Agra on Monday, May 25, 2026 three days before the United States secretary of state turns 55.
Trump's comment marks a shift in his repeated statements that Iran hand over its enriched uranium to the US as a sticking point of any potential deal.
The Beijing summit may have reduced immediate diplomatic uncertainty, but it did not resolve the deeper structural contest between the United States and China. That contest appears likely to define the coming decade, notes Varun Arya.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to feature a significant generational divide, with players spanning over 25 years in age. Mexico's Gilberto Mora, 17, will be the youngest, while Scotland's Craig Gordon, 43, will be the oldest. The tournament will showcase a mix of emerging talents and seasoned veterans like Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, with nations like Panama and Ivory Coast representing the oldest and youngest average squads, respectively.
The United States has announced new sanctions targeting Iran's 'shadow oil economy,' accusing Tehran of using illicit oil revenues to fund the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional activities.
In a development that could reshape West Asia's security landscape, US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will convene an emergency meeting in the White House Situation Room to make a final decision on a broad, multi-part peace deal with Iran.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the online movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), arrived in Delhi on Saturday ahead of a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar, and urged supporters to maintain discipline and ensure that the protest remains peaceful.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced a decline in early trade, mirroring weak global market trends and persistent outflows from foreign institutional investors (FIIs), exacerbated by ongoing geopolitical uncertainties in West Asia.
Speaking to reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dipke also claimed that the protest organised under the CJP's banner at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday was largely successful, with around 7,000 people participating in it.
Donald Trump claims a peace deal with Iran is 'largely negotiated' after calls with Israel and other allies, but Iran rejects Trump's claim on Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's national soccer team attended visa appointments in Ankara, Turkey, applying for Canadian visas and some players also submitting applications for US entry ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday her government agreed to allow the Iranian national football team to stay in Mexico during the World Cup, adding that the United States did not want to host the team.
India would confront a more entrenched China, a less dependable United States, and a regional order increasingly shaped by great-power bargaining over which it exercises limited influence, notes Amberish K Diwanji.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India expects to operationalise nine free trade agreements (FTAs) within the next 10 months, with plans for an additional three to four significant pacts over the coming year, reinforcing India's ambition to become a global manufacturing and investment hub.
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