There was a strange, taut tension inside the stands, as if the breath of thousands had stalled at once. Amid the 22 bodies darting across the green pitch, there was a silent anticipation -- waiting for someone to rise above the rest. That wait felt ancient, almost timeless. A moment -- just one -- that would change everything.

Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the national team since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023.

The summer of 2006 in Germany was a time of transition. The reign of the nineties legends was drawing to a close, and world football was searching for a new icon. In Argentina, this search had been an obsession ever since the 1986 World Cup triumph. They were not simply waiting for a footballer -- they were waiting for a saviour in the mould of Diego Maradona.

Argentina begin their title defence on June 16 against Algeria.

Some moments remain beyond forgiveness, because they wound belief itself.

Alongside the history of the FIFA World Cup, one of its most inseparable elements -- the football itself -- has evolved in step.

The setting was the iconic San Siro in Milan, where two fierce rivals -- West Germany and the Netherlands -- met in a high-stakes round of 16 clash. Laden with the weight of history and footballing supremacy, the encounter carried an air of simmering hostility long before kickoff.

Iran's government will only decide on the national team's participation in the World Cup once they receive a response from FIFA over the relocation of their matches, the country's Minister of Sport Ahmad Donyamali said.

Stepping onto the stage of the FIFA World Cup is a lifelong dream; to arrive for the first time and leave the world astonished is nothing short of heroic.

Gelsenkirchen, Germany. June 16, 2006.

Although 22 editions of the World Cup have taken place, 21 finals have been held. There was no final match in the 1950 edition

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho said the Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi remains the best player in the world even at the age of 38.

That night, the sky over the Italian city of Turin was cloudless. Yet, upon the green carpet of the Stadio delle Alpi, an eerie, invisible rain of sorrow seemed to descend. July 4, 1990 -- a nerve-shredding World Cup semifinal. The deafening roars cascading from the stands, beads of sweat trickling down the players’ faces, and an explosive tension hanging in every particle of air -- it was a suffocating spectacle.

The new pricing marks a steep rise from the 2022 World Cup final, where top tickets were around $1,600 (about Tk 1,96,500).

Portugal will complete their World Cup preparations with a friendly against Nigeria on June 10, the Portuguese Football Federation said.

Despite their storied past, the footballing world remains in shock as the Azzurri face a third consecutive absence from the finals, having failed to qualify since 2014.

More than three million of these tickets have already been sold during the first three sales phases.

Distance has always been a sanctuary for goalkeepers.

With all 48 teams confirmed, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will kick off in Mexico on June 12, with the hosts taking on South Africa in the opening Group A match, while the final will be held in New York City on July 20.

Music, fireworks and the occasional round of gunfire erupted across Iraq's capital Baghdad early Wednesday after the national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in decades.