It was a huge boost for Tony Popovic's men in the race to come second in Asian Group C behind runaway leaders Japan and automatically qualify for the 48-team tournament in North America next year.

The World Cup has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for next year's edition in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The road to Canada, Mexico and the USA for FIFA World Cup 26 continues throughout 2025, with the first qualifiers to join the three host nations set to be confirmed in March.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni blamed the condition of the pitch at the Monumental Stadium of Maturin after their 1-1 draw against Venezuela in a South American Qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.

New United States national team coach Mauricio Pochettino says his squad need to set themselves the highest goal possible -- to win the World Cup.

The official Facebook page of FIFA World Cup has shared a video today featuring highlights from various football matches, set to the tune of "Jadur Shohor", a popular track by the Bangladeshi band Chirkutt. 

Romania turned back the clock on Tuesday when they appointed 79-year-old Mircea Lucescu as their new national coach - 38 years after he left the post.

"I can say with great confidence this will be an incredibly safe tournament."

FIFA will announce which city will host the final of the 2026 World Cup when they unveil schedule details for the first ever 48-team tournament on Sunday.

Messi, who recently won his eighth Ballon d'Or, raised the World Cup almost a year ago after starring for Argentina in the final against France in Doha.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil will rely on their fans in a sold-out Maracana stadium to give them an extra boost to recover after losing back-to-back games in the qualifying competition for the first time in their history.

For the first time the next World Cup will include 48 teams -- up from 32 -- and will be co-hosted by three countries, another first

FIFA's compensation paid to clubs that release players for the men's World Cup has been increased by nearly 70% to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, the global soccer governing body and the European Club Association (ECA) said on Monday.

The next World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the first to feature 48 teams, a sharp increase from the 32 sides at last year's tournament in Qatar

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has approved the qualification format for Asia’s Road to the FIFA World Cup 2026 as well as the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in preparation of the eight direct spots and single Intercontinental Playoff slot allocated to the AFC by FIFA following the expansion of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to 48 teams according to a press release from the AFC.