The top 32 teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 are now confirmed after a dramatic and exhausting group stage that came to a close on Saturday.
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.
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.
The 2026 World Cup has witnessed an unusual number of own goals in its opening 10 days, with seven already recorded, making it the second-highest tally in tournament history. The United States has benefited from two such incidents. This trend is notable given the tournament's expansion and could surpass the 2018 record of 12 own goals. Several players from different nations have contributed to this statistic, highlighting a peculiar aspect of the early matches.
Iran's World Cup football team has finally received visas to enter the United States, just days before their first match in Los Angeles.
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.
The Iranian football team is facing significant travel restrictions in the US during the World Cup, requiring them to enter and leave within 24 hours of matches. This has led the Football Federation of Iran to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA, citing concerns over fair play and technical preparation, while US authorities maintain the measures are for safety and security.
At the Iran-Belgium FIFA World Cup match, least one attendee wearing a pre-revolutionary flag shirt was detained for trying to run onto the pitch and Iranian player Alireza Jahanbakhsh said after the match that he doesn't want to keep focusing on the challenging situations faced by his team.
South Africa will look to bounce after a 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico in their opening FIFA World Cup match.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed that the US will continue to assess Iran's travel arrangements for the tournament despite their complaints about restrictions.
Ten-man Belgium dominated possession but could not break down a disciplined Iranian defence, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand producing a string of saves to preserve the result in the Group G encounter.
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.
Brazil is facing significant defensive challenges, particularly at right-back, ahead of their World Cup opener against Morocco.
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 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.
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.
Morocco outmuscled Scotland for a 1-0 win thanks to the tournament's fastest goal on Friday, taking control of Group C in the World Cup and moving into top spot with one match left to play.
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.
'Producers were ready to pay me obscene amounts of money because after Rangeela, they thought if they took A R Rahman and Ahmed Khan, the film would be a hit.' 'There were no imported cars then, no mobile phones or online shopping, no house to run or any big kharcha. I was rocking!'
'Actual implementation of the 14-point agreement is proving hard to achieve let alone striking and sustaining a long-term treaty or deal.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 announced its World Cup ticket allocation has been revoked just days before the tournament, leaving many fans unable to attend.
Iran will play their final World Cup warm-up behind closed doors in Turkey on Thursday before departing for their tournament base in Mexico on Saturday.
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.
New Zealand defender Tim Payne's social media profile has exploded over the last few days after an Argentine influencer decided he was the least known player at the World Cup.
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.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations with Iran were 'proceeding nicely' and argued that several Muslim and Arab nations should formally recognise Israel and join the Abraham Accords once a deal is reached.
Donald Trump asked countries involved in the peace talks with Iran to sign on to the Abraham Accords, which deal with establishing diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and Arab nations.
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.
The 34-year-old Neymar faces two to three more weeks on the sidelines.
Through his commitment to democratic norms, debate, dissent and constitutionalism, Jawaharlal Nehru helped ensure that parliamentary democracy took deep root in independent India. Utkarsh Mishra evaluates Nehru's 17 years as India's first prime minister, examining his role in nation-building, democratic institution-building, economic planning, scientific advancement and foreign policy.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a US-Iran peace deal is on the verge of finalisation, potentially within the next 24 hours, marking a significant diplomatic breakthrough after months of intense negotiations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, according to a presidential aide.
Brazilian football star Neymar remains optimistic about his participation in the FIFA World Cup despite a recent calf injury. He dismisses concerns about his fitness, even though he has been benched for his club Santos' last three matches. Brazil's medical staff is taking precautions, and it is unlikely that Neymar will be fit to play in the warm-up games against Panama and Egypt.
India's Abhay Singh lost a thrilling five-game match to Egypt's Youssef Ibrahim in the second round of the El Gouna Open.
