The 35-year-old stopper Kim Seung-gyu is hoping to add to his 86 caps when South Korea face the Czech Republic on Thursday's opening day of the tournament in North America. But it has come at a personal price, missing the birth of his daughter.

"It makes no sense to me," Galavi complained. "Sport is supposed to be a symbol of peace, so when you mix politics and sports, it doesn't work."

The incident occurred roughly four miles from where England are set to train at the Swope Soccer Village.

When Curacao line up to face Germany in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener on 14 June in Houston, it will be a special moment for all the players from the Caribbean side.

The busy day of friendlies saw some of the biggest stars on display, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Vini Jr and Mohamed Salah playing, but three-time champion Argentina opted to rest Lionel Messi against Honduras.

Balerdi was named in Argentina's 26-man squad last week after consistent performances with Olympique de Marseille, with whom he made 36 appearances across all competitions.

The 2026 World Cup will showcase more than star power. It will stand as a testament to resilience, adaptation, and careers built to last--proof that in modern football, greatness can endure longer than ever before.

His inclusion in the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 represents a victory in a race against time, which began in August 2023 when he suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle during pre-season with Alaves in Spain.

Witness AquaRio aquarium sandbar shark Ritinha ignite the FIFA World Cup 2026 fervour by predicting a Brazil victory over Morocco, proving that whimsical animal divination captures global hearts while boosting crucial marine conservation awareness worldwide.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy added.

Fan vs player edition jerseys: which should you buy?

France drew 35% of the vote in the May 11-June 5 poll to add a third star to their badge, edging out Spain on 31% - broadly in line with betting platforms like Polymarket - a result that would return Europe to the pinnacle of international football.

In three-time World Cup winner Argentina, soccer fever is unusually tempered less than two weeks before the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America.

"Lenny tore a muscle bundle today in the final training season and is ruled out because of this injury. Have a good recovery, we're thinking of you," the DFB said on Instagram.

Morocco’s heroics at the last World Cup mean they carry a heavy burden of expectation into this month’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., which threatens to hamper their chances.

City are followed by German champions Bayern Munich with 18 players, while Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain share third place with 16 players each.

Spain, one of the favourites to lift the World Cup, were held to a 1-1 draw by Iraq in a warm-up match in La Coruna on Thursday, fielding a heavily rotated lineup.

At the very top of that scale stands Austria’s goalkeeper Florian Wiegele, who reaches an extraordinary 2.05 metres (approx. six feet nine inches).

FIFA looks at the six men who missed out on their teams’ final squads for a global finals but, by twists of fate, ended them as world champions.

The Sport & Rights Alliance said that FIFA has not adequately addressed potential human rights threats with the massive sporting spectacle set to kick off next week, with visa restrictions, border enforcement and policing among the concerns.