Latest Sports Stories

Football News

Brahim Díaz of Morocco misses a penalty during the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal in January. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/GettyExpectations were raised after a first semi-final at Qatar 2022 and Mohamed Ouahbi’s side will hope history can repeat itselfThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.Four years after reaching the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time, Morocco set sail for North America with ambitions high and a squad with even better pedigree than at Qatar 2022.Sometimes history does repeat itself and Morocco will hope that happens this time. Just as in 2022, the head coach was recently sacked. Mohamed Ouahbi, who won the Under-20 World Cup with Morocco last year, replaced Walid Regragui in March.That switch means the Atlas Lions will not have much time to get used to the coach’s tactics and philosophy. In late March, Morocco drew 11- against Ecuador and beat Paraguay 2-1, showing signs of improvement compared with their recent form under Regragui. Ouahbi prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation that can morph into 4-2-2-2 to create a lane of space in front of the captain, Achraf Hakimi, on the right flank.The biggest challenge will be to live up to the expectations. In 2022, they made an unexpectedly deep run. Now the team is ranked eighth in the world and the pressure will be constant. “I am aware of the expectations, but very honoured,” Ouahbi said at his unveiling. “I am committed to working with seriousness, humility and determination and also a lot of patriotism to continue on the path of progression of this team.”This team had already broken a couple of glass ceilings (reaching the aforementioned semi-final, plus their top-10 ranking), but in January, Morocco experienced one of the most bizarre episodes in its footballing history. In the Afcon final, Senegal’s players left the pitch in protest over a penalty awarded to Morocco. After a long delay Brahim Díaz missed his Panenka spot-kick and Senegal went on to win 1-0. Two months later, however, the Confederation of African Football, Caf, awarded the title to Morocco.Senegal have appealed to the court of arbitration for sport. Whatever happens, the Afcon final was a trauma, the repercussions of which could burst out at any time if results don’t Morocco’s way. “We all lived a trauma as Moroccans. That final was a difficult moment, but I think what matters the most is continuity”, Ouahbi said. Continuity meaning to do as well, or better, than in Qatar.Born in Brussels, Mohamed Ouahbi first chose a career in education. However, his first experiences as a teacher were difficult and he was approached by local club Maccabi Foot Brussels (MFB), where he started coaching and discovered the importance of pedagogy and communication. “At the time I wasn’t really comfortable in front of a group [of people],” he said. “MFB helped me impose myself and discover the job of a coach.” Having spent 17 years in the Anderlecht academy, Ouahbi has seen many talented players grow into superstars. In 2022, he took charge of the Morocco Under-20 team. He not only took the Atlas Cubs to their first World Cup in two decades, they won a maiden title in Chile. He is expected to bring the same energy and decisiveness at the top level.Achraf Hakimi is, without doubt, the biggest star Moroccan football has known. If Larbi Ben Barek, Noureddine Naybet and Yassine Bounou have all enjoyed the love and respect of fans, Hakimi is on another level. He has been consistently successful for some of the world’s best teams. After starting his career at Real Madrid, he has represented Borussia Dortmund, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Champions League in 2025. “I don’t know if Luis Enrique changed my career,” he said. “But his arrival has changed how the world of football sees me.” In February, it emerged he will face trial after an allegation of rape against him. He denies the accusation.He became a Morocco international last September, but Neil El Aynaoui is already considered one of the Atlas Lions’ best players. Son of Moroccan tennis legend, Younes El Aynaoui, he is a multifunctional midfielder, strong in recovering the ball and keen to join attacks. After a convincing stint at Lens he joined Roma last summer and, despite the fans’ initial scepticism and few appearances at the start of the season, he became an important player for them. If Morocco are to be successful in North America El Aynaoui will be an important piece of the jigsaw.Noussair Mazraoui is a soldier on the field. Framed as a right-back, “Nous” is much more than that. At Manchester United he has been used in six positions, ranging from central defence to attacking midfield. For the national team Mazraoui is a left-back, and helps as a third centre-back when Achraf Hakimi is on the attack, which is often the case. But Mazraoui is definitely important when the team needs a leader, especially when Hakimi is not there. Mazraoui is keen to make sure his teammates do not lose focus and that says a lot about how involved he is.As in Russia and Qatar, Morocco fans will fill their allocated seats in North America. As well as a growing fanbase that can afford to follow the national team wherever it plays, Morocco can count on a large diaspora on the other side of the Atlantic. There are approximately 30,000 Moroccans living in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, as well as many in Canada. So expect fans to add colour and positive noise, inside and outside stadiums. The highlight is likely to be the national anthem.Morocco has strong ties with the co-hosts of the tournament going back to 1777, when it became the first country to recognise US independence. Trump, meanwhile, during his first mandate, proclaimed that the US recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, which made him very popular. US culture, especially Hollywood and music, has a huge influence in everyday Moroccan life.The main issue is not political – and not even with the US – but rather with Fifa and the ticket prices. Moroccans are prepared to pay to see a national team game, but the pricing for this tournament has reached new highs.Written by Amine El Amri for SKWAD by 2M TV

Football News

As a skint 23-year-old I did two weeks in the US. It remains a personal favourite tournament 32 years laterYou never forget your first World Cup, and the tournament’s return to American shores this year will stir vivid memories for anyone who attended USA 94. It was a curious and distinctive tournament, one that heralded the World Cup’s more expansive, commercialised future, while also seeming a world away from the jamboree that returns 32 years later, twice as big and at least twice as lucrative.I managed to do two weeks of it as a skint 23-year-old earning £9,000 a year, alongside my mate Paddy, a student. We took in only two games – both goalless draws – but soaked up enough of the occasionally raucous, often tepid, atmosphere for it to remain a personal favourite World Cup all these years on.Now, in an age when US investment pumps up pretty much every level of the English professional game, it’s difficult to overstate how distant and mutually suspicious the footballing relationship was between Europe and the US in 1994. Host media seemed fixated on hooliganism and other nefarious perceived threats to the American way of life – England’s failure to qualify did little to dispel this – while Europeans were wont to sneer at an assumed audience of couch potatoes lacking the sophistication or concentration span to appreciate the beautiful game. The Fifa president, João Havelange, unhelpfully stirred the pot in this regard by suggesting splitting games into quarters.But these fears did not materialise and USA 94 was a joy to attend. Sometimes in spite of itself, but a joy nonetheless. The football and crowds surpassed expectations – the former needed to after Italia 90’s cynical stodge, the latter setting a World Cup finals average-crowd record of 68,991 that still stands.This, remember, was two years before the inception of Major League Soccer. In 1994 football felt like a countercultural phenomenon in the States, the secret reserve of convivial geeks and obsessives buttressed by the interest of immigrant communities. And while TVs in bars were fixated on OJ Simpson, whose dramatic car chase by LA’s finest dominated the airwaves in the opening week, there was fandom to be found.Which brings us to New York, and Ireland v Italy, one of the few occasions when the World Cup took over a city in the manner it might be expected to in Milan, Munich or Barcelona. Our attempt to buy tickets foundered on the huge sums quoted in various East Side and Midtown bars, so we watched in a marquee at an Irish festival in Queen’s. On arrival an Italian bloke who was married to an Irish woman thrust beers into our hands, and we were away.Ireland in New York was much more than a football gathering – it was a huge diasporic celebration of first-, second-, third- and beyond-generation Irishness: Dubliners, New Yorkers, London Irish, Glaswegian lads in Celtic shirts. A guy from Belfast implored us: “Don’t go back, lads,” reflecting America’s promised-land lure and an uncertain moment in wider Irish social history, with the first ceasefire still a couple of months away and the Celtic Tiger hype yet to kick in.And of course Jack Charlton’s side pulled off perhaps the best result in Ireland’s history, when Paul McGrath produced what at the time I considered the finest individual defensive performance I’d seen. Not being in the stadium really didn’t matter – the party was the thing, and it continued late into the night back on Second Avenue, where even police drawing batons and herding people back inside the Green Derby bar could not dampen the mood. Here was that centre-of-the-world feeling every World Cup needs.Another striking feature of USA 94 was the sheer number of British supporters there as neutrals, kickstarting a trend for less partisan, more curious spectatorship seen at most tournaments since. At the first game we attended, South Korea 0-0 Bolivia at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts, a large group of Cardiff fans made themselves known. Southampton and Derby supporters sat behind us, and a groundhopper from Bury regaled us with red-hot stadium chat on the train from Boston. It was the nerds’ World Cup, all right. And all for $25 ($55 today) for a decent seat close behind the goal.The stadium experience in some respects reflected those pre-tournament fears: officious stewarding, obtrusive sponsorship and an excessive police presence that jarred with a low-key game between two well-behaved, well-supported teams who would fail to make the knockouts. Games in Boston also reflected a common drawback of the US stadiums: venues this far from city centres are not conducive to the kind of spontaneous street festivities so integral to the tournament experience. Vast crowds would spring up at the grounds, then disappear again.Twenty-four hours earlier, USA had achieved their most impressive World Cup result since toppling England in 1950 – a 2-1 win over Colombia that subsequently acquired tragic notoriety with the killing of Andrés Escobar, scorer of the own goal that put the Americans ahead. The talk of the Boston bar where we watched this one? OJ.Our next port of call was Giants Stadium and Ireland’s crucial final group game against Norway. Pub word-of-mouth had put us in touch with a ticket tout based in Trump Tower – named after a bloke I’d not heard of at that point – who relieved us of $120 each (and the chance of affording anything to eat on the final day of our trip) for the privilege of watching the notoriously sluggish 0-0 that took Charlton’s side through and dumped the Norwegians out. Boy was it hot.Yet some brilliant football was played in those temperatures: Bulgaria’s sensational quarter-final toppling of Germany in New Jersey also took place in a middle-of-the-day scorcher, as did Romania’s 3-2 win over Argentina in the last 16, a generational classic, in Pasadena.Though only a handful of teams’ supporters travelled in large numbers to the first North American World Cup, it built on the culture that had begun to take off in Italy four years earlier, in which fans could blag, doss and drink their way around a tournament on relatively modest means. That way of World Cup life, stymied at the past two tournaments, will be difficult to revive at this summer’s most politically charged of events, where prices will limit the chances of the many World Cup debutants to enjoy the kind of melting-pot merriment enjoyed in 1994, and where the biggest threat of violence is from forces of the law rather than those they might be policing.

Football News

Fans took to the streets of Port-au-Prince in November when victory over Nicaragua secured World Cup qualification for Haiti for the first time in 52 years. Photograph: Mentor David Lorens/EPAThe manager Sébastien Migné has never set foot in the country, but there will be pride, passion and no little ability from the Caribbean nationThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.Haiti’s World Cup qualification is one of the most inspiring stories of a football generation. More than a sporting achievement, the Grenadiers’ success represents an extraordinary human triumph forged through adversity, sacrifice and resilience.At a time when the country continues to grapple with deep political instability and a relentless security crisis, the national team had to play every qualifying match away from home, deprived of the passion and energy of their supporters. Yet even in exile, they refused to break. Against all odds they carried the hopes of a nation and secured Haiti’s return to the biggest stage for the first time since the legendary squad of 1974.The French head coach, Sébastien Migné, has created a fierce and disciplined side built on intensity, tactical organisation and rapid transitions. They are able to defend with discipline before bursting forward in dangerous counterattacks. The experience and composure of leaders such as Duckens Nazon, Frantzdy Pierrot and Ricardo Adé give the squad a crucial balance.Haiti qualified by finishing second behind Curaçao in Concacaf Group C and then winning their third-round qualifying section with key victories against Costa Rica and Nicaragua, establishing themselves as one of the Caribbean’s most respected footballing nations.Migné has shaped Haiti into a modern, vertical, transition-based side. His 4-4-2 employs attacking full-backs for width and crossing, often shifting to a 4-2-3-1 in defence. Sometimes the striker drops deeper to create overloads in midfield and, if the midfielders maintain the shape when the full-backs push forward, it gives Haiti a strong platform. Recent results suggest it is working.Migné has never hidden his ambition. “In one match anything can happen. The idea is to write a new story with these players,” he said as he prepared his team to face Brazil, Scotland and Morocco in Group C. The Frenchman told Fifa.com: “We’ve been handed a tough group … but looking on the bright side, we’ll certainly be in the limelight, which is a tremendous reward for the boys. We’ll now have to go out there and prove that we’re up to the challenge.”Key players are Johny Placide, the veteran who holds the defence together; Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who is the midfield engine; and Wilson Isidor, the main attacking threat with his pace, movement and technical ability.Since his appointment in June 2024 Sébastien Migné has become more than a head coach: he is the architect of a remarkable national footballing revival. A former assistant to the renowned manager Claude Le Roy, the French tactician sharpened his experience with managerial spells at African national teams including Congo and Kenya, before taking charge of the Grenadiers. Arriving during one of Haiti’s most difficult periods, Migné quickly brought discipline, unity and belief back into the squad. He has never set foot in the country. “It’s impossible because it’s too dangerous,” he told France Football magazine. “I usually live in the countries where I work, but I can’t here. There are no more international flights landing there.”With the explosive Duckens Nazon leading the charge, Haiti are daring to dream. The prolific striker has become far more than a goalscorer, embodying the passion, resilience and pride of a nation that breathes football. The buildup to the tournament has not been smooth because he plays for a club in Iran. “I was about to take a plane to go to Istanbul or Paris, then the steward told everybody to get off because the war had started,” he told BBC. “I was stuck at the border for maybe 48 hours. They refused me, sent me back to Iran and I slept at the border. But I was so lucky because, before the war started I bought an eSIM. After that, they cut the internet in Iran. The eSIM saved my life.”Largely unknown on the world stage, the 24-year-old Ruben Providence could emerge as one of Haiti’s breakout stars. Quick, fearless, and dazzling in one-on-one situations, the young winger possesses the explosive creativity capable of changing a match in seconds. Born in France, he came through some of Europe’s biggest clubs, spending time at Paris Saint-Germain and Roma before finding stability with Almere City in the Dutch second division, where he is turning heads with his technical flair, sharp movement and confidence under pressure.Often overshadowed by flashy forwards and headline-grabbing stars, Danley Jean Jacques remains an indispensable engine of Haiti’s national team. Tireless in midfield, he breaks up attacks, dictates tempo and brings balance with a quiet efficiency that rarely gets the spotlight it deserves. Often unspectacular but absolutely vital, he plays his club football at Philadelphia Union, whom he joined from Metz in 2024. “Changing countries and discovering a new culture forces you to step out of your comfort zone,” he told the club website. “I’ve had to take on more responsibilities and grow as a person. I’m calm, respectful, a good listener, and quite reserved. As a teammate, I’m always there for the team, to defend the club’s colors and represent our fans.”Fans at Haiti’s matches can expect an atmosphere charged with raw emotion and pride. From Port-au-Prince to Miami, Haitians are preparing to flood stadiums and watch parties dressed in blue and red, transforming every match into a celebration of national identity. Despite insecurity, economic hardship and electricity shortages at home, supporters remain determined to stand behind the Grenadiers as one people. The Haitian diaspora is expected to bring energy, drums, chants and passion.One controversy has sparked outrage beyond football. Under travel restrictions tied to the Trump administration, many Haitians without existing US visas may be unable to support the Grenadiers in America. While the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, promised that “fans from all over the world will be welcome” the US Department of State has confirmed that no special exceptions would be made for Haitian supporters. Ticket prices is another problem. “We are happy Haiti is back in the World Cup after 52 years,” Julio Midy, founder of Boston-based Radio Concorde, which caters to the local Haitian community in the city, told Al Jazeera. “But tickets are very, very expensive and, unfortunately, we cannot afford it.”

Football News

Andy Robertson (left) and John McGinn are amongst manager Steve Clarke’s go-to men when fit. Photograph: Ben Roberts/Danehouse/Getty ImagesAfter dramatic qualification, an experienced squad could progress beyond the group stage if they beat Haiti in their opening gameThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.Scotland qualified for the World Cup in dramatic circumstances that absorbed almost three decades of frustration. This marks a first appearance in the event since 1998 and it was achieved on a spine-tingling Hampden Park occasion when Denmark were eventually vanquished 4-2. Scott McTominay scored with a stunning overhead kick and Kenny McLean wrapped up the win from the halfway line in added-time.The intervening months have proved tricky. Defeats without scoring against Japan and Cote d’Ivoire, added to audible frustration from Steve Clarke over his contractual scenario, seemed to dampen the Tartan Army’s mood. Earlier, there was euphoria. “The number of people that come up to you and just want to shake your hand to say ‘thank you and well done’, it’s pretty special to feel that,” Clarke recalled. “You’re walking through the airport and every second person wants to shake your hand.”Now for the trickier part. Clarke has an ageing squad which is light on goal threat if midfielders – primarily John McGinn and Scott McTominay – do not contribute. The goalkeeping position has been a problem for a concerted spell now. At centre-back, the Scots are adequate rather than strong, having operated with a back three or four. McGinn, McTominay, Andy Robertson and Ché Adams are the manager’s go-to men when fit. Umpteen others have been alongside Clarke for a number of years; this is a Scotland squad high on cap numbers.Clarke is pragmatic in approach but it will be a shock if he does not start with two strikers for game one against Haiti. Victory there and Scotland have a genuine chance of progression from the first round for the first time. There is also a lingering reason for Clarke to at least appear bold; he was castigated by supporters for negative tactics in a must-win match against Hungary at the last Euros.A more defensive style is likely and understandable against Morocco and Brazil, who simply put are better teams than Scotland. Clarke’s team can be useful in such a situation; they are excellently drilled and carry a counterattacking threat.Scotland were in the doldrums, with tournament participation supposedly an unattainable dream, when Steve Clarke took on the position in 2019. History will look very favourably upon the former Chelsea player, given he has taken his nation to three out of four finals. Clarke is rarely expressive in public, which can count against him, but retains huge respect from his squad. He takes a hands-on training-ground approach and has a menacing side which players are acutely aware of. Clarke’s speech to Scotland’s team before that make-or-break qualifying tie against Denmark made a massive impact. “It is up there with the best I have ever heard before a game,” said Andy Robertson.Scott McTominay has evolved from bit-part player at Manchester United to a hero in Naples. He has grown in stature and significance for Scotland while reviving his club career and his overhead kick in the Denmark win is etched in history as one of the finest goals ever witnessed at Hampden Park. Alex McLeish’s second tenure is regarded by many as unmemorable but it was Clarke’s predecessor who convinced this English-born midfielder to declare for Scotland. McLeish’s gift to his nation with that move alone proved a significant one. Scotland rely heavily on McTominay’s gamechanging talent.Ben Gannon-Doak’s switch from Liverpool to Bournemouth has been disrupted by injury but the winger still gets pulses racing among Scottish fans. Gannon-Doak’s directness and pace mean he is different to those alongside him. Clarke has urged caution among media and fans, wanting the 20-year-old to be given space to develop, yet the nature of his game is such that the noise is understandable. Gannon-Doak memorably reduced Josko Gvardiol to a quivering wreck when Scotland faced Croatia in Glasgow. He will absolutely relish the World Cup stage.Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie has quietly established himself as a player with a good Premier League career and is closing in on 75 caps. The midfielder is technically impressive, carries energy and offers a goal threat. Yet the Inverness-born player often seems overlooked when praise is being issued to those within Clarke’s squad. One obvious explanation for that is that two of those routinely deployed alongside him, McTominay and McGinn, are Scotland’s main stars. At 31, this may not be Christie’s last World Cup but it will unquestionably prove the only one of his prime. It would be no shock to see him make valuable contributions.It is no exaggeration to suggest Scotland’s support might outshine the players. The Tartan Army will travel en masse and in fine spirits. They have earned a reputation for their good nature, regardless of results. A World Cup return after 28 years means scores of people who have never sampled this environment before booked up instantly, regardless of whether they were likely to source match tickets. Expect colour, kilts, bagpipes and a level of alcohol consumption that will make an enormous contribution to the GDP of the United States.A little known fact is that 34 of the 45 presidents of the United States have Scottish roots. None, though, are as strong as that of Trump, whose mother was born and raised in the Western Isles. Trump owns golf resorts in Scotland, meaning a continuing connection. The president’s love for Scotland can best be described as an unrequited one but it is surely fair to assume Steve Clarke’s men will be Trump’s second favourite team in the competition. The Tartan Army, meanwhile, make it their business to be non-political. The Scottish FA is closely aligned with Fifa so a protest or noise from Scotland at the World Cup is highly unlikely.

Football News

Gabriel Magalhães has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world. Photograph: Foto Arena LTDA/AlamyUnimpressive in qualification, fans will be hoping Carlo Ancelotti can get the best out of Vinícius Júnior, as he did at Real MadridThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.Brazil went on a true rollercoaster ride to reach the 2026 World Cup. There was a political crisis within the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) which led to a change in presidency. On the pitch it was just as bad, if not worse. It was the country’s worst qualifying campaign ever with defeats in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, as well as a historic home defeat – a first in World Cup qualifying – by Lionel Messi and co.After the 4-1 reverse in Buenos Aires in March 2025, the head coach Dorival Júnior was sacked and there were even fears Brazil would miss out on the tournament. However, the South American qualifying – with six direct spots for 10 teams – is extremely forgiving and there was renewed hope, not only for qualification but for the actual tournament, when Carlo Ancelotti was appointed in May 2025.Brazil go into the World Cup with the intention of playing a 4-2-4 formation, which has been Ancelotti’s preferred tactical set-up since his arrival. However, the Italian has lost several important players to injury, such as Eder Militão, Rodrygo and Estêvão. “Considering the players we have at our disposal we believe the best model of play for us is to go with four up front,” Ancelotti said in March.In this system the defensive midfielders have to support the defence. The lack of high-level full-backs is a concern, especially for a country long accustomed to players such as Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Marcelo and Dani Alves among others.The question of whether Neymar would make the World Cup dominated the buildup to the squad announcement and in the end the 34-year-old Santos forward had done just enough to get a place in Ancelotti’s 26-man squad. “We realised that in this last period he had continuity and was in good physical condition,” the coach said.However, he has now suffered a new calf injury is unlikely to start. He could even miss out on the whole tournament. Without a true No 9, Ancelotti’s Brazil showed in the friendlies against France and Croatia in March that they will rely on counterattacks and pace, exploiting the potential of Vinícius Júnior, much like Ancelotti did so successfully during his second spell at Real Madrid.Carlo Ancelotti has won everything – and in every possible way – throughout his career as a club manager. He is one of the most successful managers ever and has won a record five Champions League titles. Now, at the age of 66 – he turns 67 the day before the World Cup starts – he has embarked on a whole new adventure. “Coaching Brazil is highly motivating,” he told Estadão in 2025. “I believe this is one of the most important moments of my career.” The start to life in Brazil was not easy because of injuries to key players, defeats against Bolivia, Japan and France and the very strong pressure to select Neymar. But the likable Italian seems as unruffled as always. “I’m not obsessed with winning,” Ancelotti told the Guardian in May. “What I have is a passion for enjoying the moments that football has given me.”Viní Jr’s status as one of the best players on the planet is indisputable but he has, so far, never managed to replicate his Real Madrid performances with the Brazil national team, where he has, at the time of writing, played 47 matches, scoring just eight goals and providing seven assists. This is his chance to change that narrative as he will wear the historic No 10 shirt and be the team’s star at the 2026 World Cup. “If Vinícius is focused on the game, focused on his football, he is the best in the world,” Casemiro told the newspaper As in 2025. “In that way, he is the best. But that’s not easy, because he is constantly provoked.”Endrick needed to take a step back in order to move two steps forward. Overlooked at Real Madrid by Xabi Alonso he was loaned to Lyon in January and rediscovered his form, making 12 goal contributions in 17 Ligue 1 games. Ancelotti did not hesitate to call him up in March and against Croatia, having come on as a substitute, he proved the impetus as the Seleção came from 1-0 down to win 3-1. He may not be in Ancelotti’s starting XI at the start of the tournament but be not surprised if he is later on.During Arsenal’s climb to the top of the game in England and Europe, Gabriel Magalhães has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world. At the World Cup, much will be made of the performances and likely goals from Raphinha and Viní Jr or even Alisson’s saves, but all of that will count for nothing if Gabriel does not hold the defence together. “When you talk about the Brazilian national team, you have to work every day, work at your club so you can arrive here in top form,” Gabriel said in 2025. “I know I’m doing very well, but I also know the level I can still reach.”This World Cup will not feel like playing away for Brazil. According to the government, more than 2.8 million Brazilians live in the United States, most of them in the New York and Miami regions, where Brazil will play two of their three group games. In addition, many fans, possibly as many as hundreds of thousands, are expected to travel to North America for the tournament. The supporters’ group Movimento Verde Amarelo will be present and has the backing of fan groups from 40 different Brazilian football clubs. This should make venues such as MetLife Stadium and Hard Rock Stadium feel as close as possible to the Maracanã.The players and the CBF are staying well out of politics for this World Cup but Brazil and the US had a disagreement in March when president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he had “forbidden” one of Donald Trump’s advisers from visiting the South American country. That was in retaliation for his health minister being denied a US visa. The two met recently at the White House and, while Trump said discussions had been “very good”, the two governments do not agree on key issues such as crime and trade.

Football News

Coach Tony Popovic will take a final look at players on the selection fringe with Australia’s 26-man squad to be named after the warm-up gameThe World Cup might have snuck up on many Australians, but the reality of the men’s football showpiece will leap out on Sunday, take hold of the nation and not let go for a month. The Socceroos play co-hosts Mexico in Los Angeles’ historic Rose Bowl in one of the marquee warm-up matches ahead of a tournament shared across North America that is now bursting with 48 teams.The Mexico showdown serves as a challenge for Australia against elite, motivated opposition. But for a handful of Socceroos, this weekend is also a test to see whether or not they will be allowed to stay in the US. It won’t be visa issues that send them home, rather it will be coach Tony Popovic telling them they haven’t made his final cut.Twenty-nine players have been in camp for the past week in Florida, vying for 26 places in the World Cup squad to be named immediately after the clash against Mexico. But the belated arrival of Cristian Volpato – who has switched allegiance from Italy and will join his new squad mates on Saturday – has added a new layer of intrigue to Popovic’s selection. It has also exposed another squad member who might have thought they were safely in the 26 to the disappointment of being cut so close to realising a career dream. There is no guarantee, however, those fringe players will even get the chance to take the field against Mexico. With barely two weeks before the Socceroos’ opening World Cup match against Turkey at 2pm AEST on 14 June, Popovic is likely to use this opportunity to build the connections between the players he will be relying on during the group stage.The coach said his selection decisions have largely been made. “The Mexico game can help in terms of seeing what we want to see,” he told ESPN this week. “We may have an idea about a player that we want to give some minutes to in that game, to see what he can do, and that might confirm something. But we’re very close as it is now.”Take the situation in goal. There are four goalkeepers currently in camp, but handing playing time against Mexico to any of Patrick Beach, Joe Gauci or Paul Izzo will rob clear No 1 Mat Ryan of the chance to familiarise himself with conditions and combinations with his backline.The situation with outfielders is more fluid. With the addition of Volpato to the train-on squad, three will be cut and at least one of those will be a defender. Milos Degenek, Kye Rowles, Kai Trewin and Jason Geria are options who can play both centrally and on the right. None, however, are likely to start against Turkey, leaving them vulnerable to Popovic’s axe. Minutes against Mexico will be their last chance to prove they deserve to stay.Similarly, in midfield and attack, the likes of A-Leagues duo Brandon Borello and Nishan Velupillay, and even fringe players such as Cameron Devlin and Awer Mabil won’t be sleeping comfortably yet. A Socceroos staff member has indicated Volpato – who can play as an attacking midfielder or winger – is unlikely to play against Mexico, further complicating the selection picture.“We have players that are very versatile, who can play in different positions,” Popovic said. “We need to make a good decision based on versatility and also the player that’s a specialist in his role, to see that the balance is right.”Tete Yengi, the powerful target man brought into camp without having played a game for the Socceroos, offers something different, and suddenly looms as an important plan B in the squad. “This whole puzzle is about getting the right balance and profiles for players and different scenarios in games,” Popovic said.Mabil said the dynamic hasn’t affected the players’ enthusiasm. “It’s a healthy competition, everybody is doing their very best to represent their country,” he said. “Every player is ready, no matter who, is ready to play and do their very best for the nation.”Yet rhetoric about squad deadlines does not offer the full picture. Although 26 names must be submitted to Fifa on 1 June, Popovic can make changes due to outfielder injury up until the day before their first match against Turkey. If any of the three selected goalkeepers is ruled out at any stage during the tournament, the fourth-choice can be parachuted into the squad.Perhaps more urgent than confirmation of the squad is how Popovic can get the best out of his major contributors. There are question marks over how the team will line up against Turkey, including whether Mo Toure and Nestory Irankunda will start, and who fits into the hole created by the injury to midfielder Riley McGree.Players such as Ajdin Hrustic, Martin Boyle, Mathew Leckie and Connor Metcalfe had been bumped up in the Popovic pecking order, and a good performance this weekend – as well next weekend’s final warm-up friendly against Switzerland – is likely to go a long way to securing them a key role for the tournament. But with the sudden emergence of Volpato, a former Italy youth international, nobody can be considered a certainty.While Socceroos fans will look closely at the team sheet around lunchtime on Sunday, the entire nation can tune in and feel, for the first time, the World Cup is close.

Football News

El Tri reached the quarter-finals the last time they hosted the tournament. They’re hoping old methods can revive the team after a disastrous outing in 2022It was January 1986 and the temperature at the peak of La Malinche, one of Mexico’s tallest mountains, had plummeted to a bone-chilling cold. A group of soccer players training for that year’s World Cup ran through a dense fog to the summit 14,600ft above sea level gasping in the thin air. Their Serbian coach, Bora Milutinović, had pushed his players to the limit, seeking not only to test their physical endurance but also hoping for a psychological breakthrough. Up there, the Mexico players suffered, shivered and cursed. But through hardship they became a family. That fabled image of survival on the mountain became the foundation for Mexico’s best-ever World Cup performance, the last time they played on home soil and one of only two times El Tri reached the tournament’s quarter-finals.Forty years later, the myth of La Malinche hangs over Mexico’s preparation for this summer’s tournament, which once again will be played on home turf. The team’s coach, Javier Aguirre, was one of Milutinović’s players at the 1986 World Cup and he has seemingly been inspired by the old belief that isolation and shared struggle can work miracles. At Aguirre’s urging, the Mexican Football Federation – just as it had in 1986 – took the controversial step of removing national team players from their clubs during the most decisive phase of the Liga MX playoffs. By the time the World Cup kicks off on 11 June, the players will have been sequestered together for 30 days.The departure of 12 players from Liga MX – first for a period of forced rest and then for training at Mexico City’s High-Performance Center – generated considerable discontent among the fans of clubs competing in the playoffs. The result: the tournament, which is supposed to be the highlight of the year, has become a lackluster affair.Chivas de Guadalajara, who traditionally only field Mexican players, lost five teammates to the national squad. Missing half of their starting lineup, the Red and Whites lost in the semi-finals to Cruz Azul, who only gave up one player, Érik Lira, to international duty. Cruz Azul went on to beat Pumas in a low-quality final.Former Mexico goalkeeper Félix Fernández, now an analyst for ClaroSports, voiced concerns that are shared by many fans in the country about Aguirre’s decision.“I think there’s no better way for a national team player to reach the World Cup than after playing in the [playoffs], because those are the most intense, most demanding matches,” Fernández says. “Yes, of course, there’s a risk of injury, but injuries can also happen in training.”But there are reasons why Aguirre and his staff made their decision. In 1985, Milutinović took the players away from their clubs for a full year. They toured the world, playing more than 20 friendlies in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.Decades later, Milutinović still believes the decision was correct.“In my time, the only way we could accomplish anything was to be together,” the 81-year-old says over the phone from China, where he is travelling. “Thanks to that time spent together, we created a suitable environment where we were mentally prepared, and it was so effective that we played a very, very successful World Cup in ’86.”He says the team spent two weeks on La Malinche, climbing up and down the dormant volcano many times, including at night. Players in later interviews talked about being terrified of heights and crawling on all fours. A couple of players wandered off and got lost and the team had to rally together to find them. “That lesson we learned helped us create a positive atmosphere and have confidence in ourselves,” Milutinović says.He says that in 2026, a player spending a year away from a club is “impossible … times are different”. But he warns that “a month is nothing”.Part of Milutinović’s plan in 1986 was for Mexico to gain a wealth of experience on the global stage, something this year’s team won’t have time for.“Before the World Cup, we played 56, we had won [29] of them. There was confidence and everything … You play the game the way you train,” he says. “Every training session is a competition, a desire to be better, to compete, and above all, to enjoy it. Enjoy the game.”Critics such as Fernández worry the current players aren’t capable of absorbing a message of unity and joy similar to the one Milutinović preached back then.“Nowadays, the amounts of money [players] earn can easily detach them from reality,” Fernández says. “The camaraderie has been greatly diminished. Today’s footballer is constantly on his cell phone, watching TV series and movies. It’s not like before when you’d get together in a room with four or six of you to talk. This lack of interaction ends up affecting them on the field.”Mexico have played six times this year, but only half of those have come with their full-strength squad. Their Europe-based players were missing for their most recent match, last week’s 2-0 win over Ghana. But Ghana fielded a weakened team too, and their coach, Carlos Queiroz, didn’t even attend the game.Fernández and others also believe there are deeper problems that can’t be fixed with a month of extra training sessions. The roots of these deficiencies lie in top-level decisions made since the team’s failure at Qatar 2022, when El Tri crashed out in the group stage, their worst finish at a World Cup in four decades. The insularity of Mexican soccer means young players often stay at home rather than gain valuable experience in the top European leagues. The decision to end promotion and relegation in Liga MX also means a lack of jeopardy that can sharpen players’ edges.“The Mexican national team today doesn’t have the level to be among the top 17 in the world,” Fernández says. “Terrible decisions have been made, and nothing has been done. It never crossed their minds that Mexico was hitting rock bottom.”With the exception of the team’s two best players – Genoa captain Johan Vásquez and Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez – the squad is either in poor form or lacking match fitness. Milan’s Santiago Giménez is coming off a series of injuries and his scoring has dried up. Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow) and the inconsistent rookie Obed Vargas (Atlético Madrid) have all missed time at their respective clubs.Fernández says the lack of stars in their prime has led to an unusual phenomenon. Billboards on Mexico’s streets show the faces of former stars such as Rafael Márquez, now an assistant coach for El Tri, instead of members of the current squad.Milutinović, ever an optimist, believes Mexico’s passionate fans will ignite pride in the players. He saw how the country pulled together in the aftermath of Mexico’s devastating earthquake in 1985. “The fans and everything else had a huge influence on Mexico achieving that result in ’86,” he says.Milutinović also believes Mexico’s preparations for this World Cup could benefit some Liga MX teams. For example, the five Chivas players who missed the playoffs to join up with El Tri will come back with invaluable World Cup experience and make their club team even stronger.“For me, Chivas is the champion,” he says. “Working with young players is key. It leaves behind a squad with a future, in a World Cup environment that will serve them well.”For now, on the training pitches in Mexico City, the players are racing against time, under the guidance of Aguirre, to find the rhythm and mental strength they need to face their biggest challenge. Thirty days in a bubble to try to fix years of systemic problems. The outcome is uncertain, but if history is a guide, maybe coming together for an intense period will give the team the boost they need.Milutinović says he never told his players they had to win. He just told them they had to give everything of themselves and look out for each other. Before every game at the 1986 World Cup he repeated a mantra: “La Malinche, La Malinche, La Malinche”, evoking the mountain in front of them they needed to conquer. We will find out if this year’s team are up to a similar challenge in the coming weeks.

Football News

22-year-old to join up with Socceroos training squad in Los AngelesAttacker turned down offer four years ago to play for country of birthThe Socceroos have been handed a huge boost on the eve of the World Cup with young attacker Cristian Volpato to join up with the training squad before a friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles.The 22-year will make a shock switch of allegiance from Italy to Australia four years after turning down the opportunity to represent the country of his birth at the tournament in Qatar.FA has lodged all requisite paperwork to Fifa and is now waiting for the governing body to ratify Volpato’s decision to switch allegiance to Australia after representing Italy at the youth level.Volpato was born and raised in Sydney and played his junior football at Sydney United 58, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, before moving to Italy. He represented Italy at the Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels from 2022 with a last appearance in a friendly in March 2025.He snubbed multiple previous attempts to lure him from Italy and across to the Socceroos, including when then head coach Graham Arnold invited him to join up with the squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.Australia’s persistence appears to have paid off, with Volpato not included in a youthful Italy squad named for friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece in June, while the four-time winners missed out on qualifying for a third successive World Cup.Popovic has said in the past that he would never “sell the shirt” but Volpato is unlikely to make the trip to Los Angeles without being in line for a late call-up to the Socceroos squad for the World Cup, especially with first-choice attacker Riley McGree ruled out this week due to a hamstring injury.The attacker joined the youth set up at Roma in 2020 and rose through the ranks to make a senior debut under José Mourinho during the 2021-22 Serie A season. He made 14 appearances and scored two goals across all competitions for I Giallorossi before moving to Sassuolo in 2023.Volpato has played 72 times and scored seven goals, with 11 assists, across all competitions for Sassuolo, and helped the club immediately return to Serie A after being relegated to the second tier at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. He scored twice, and added four assists, in 24 appearances during the current Serie A season.The Socceroos now have 30 players included in their train-on unit, with Popovic needing to reduce the number to 26 before a World Cup squad is named by 1 June.Volpato will not be part of the Socceroos side that faces World Cup co-hosts Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles California on 31 May (AEST), but is in the frame to be considered for their first game of the tournament against Turkey on 14 June.

Football News

Fans of Qatar cheer during the 2026 World Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesUnimpressive in qualification and with preparation disrupted, at least the squad will not be burdened with the pressure of hosting this timeThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.The 2022 hosts’ preparations for the tournament were disrupted as the US-Iran war caused the cancellation of valuable friendlies against Serbia and champions Argentina in March. The coach, Julen Lopetegui, had wanted as many minutes as possible with his players, having only been appointed in May 2025. Worryingly, they had won only one out of 11 games under the former Spain and Real Madrid manager before the World Cup warm-up games.Lopetegui did what he had to do though, making sure Qatar reached the World Cup finals, but it was a close call. The Maroons finished fourth out of six teams in the main qualifying group before – aided by home advantage and a favourable schedule – drawing 0-0 with Oman and beating UAE 2-1 to ensure qualification.The Spanish coach, the latest of several Iberian appointments (Félix Sánchez, Bruno Pinheiro, Carlos Queiroz, Tintín Márquez and Luis García) has tried out several different formations but is likely to go with a 4-2-3-1 when the tournament starts.The lessons from the last World Cup have been debated at length. Then, it was over pretty much before it had started as the hosts, perhaps burdened by a buildup that lasted 12 years, went 2-0 down within 31 minutes of their opening game to Ecuador, and it could have been even more.Expect a more solid set-up this time around; a focus on keeping things tight and looking to hit group opponents Canada, Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the counter. There is work to be done as the team were all over the place defensively in qualifying, finishing the main round with a goal difference of minus seven after conceding 24 times in 10 games. Lopetegui has been trying to get to grips with that particular problem and we will soon see how successful he has been in that respect.Going forward there will be special attention to set pieces, where Qatar feel they can hurt their opponents. “We are aware of the magnitude of the responsibility placed upon us,” Lopetegui says. “We will spare no effort and will give everything we have to make the fans who stand behind us and support us happy and proud.”Julen Lopetegui has plenty of experience with Spain and Real Madrid before moving to England to lead Wolves and West Ham. His reputation is perhaps not quite what it was but Qatar offered something different. “Life owed me a World Cup,” he said upon qualifying. “We’ve been working for this moment for months and everything has turned out well. It’s a historic moment for the country, something that’s never been achieved before. The atmosphere has been extraordinary.” He will hope that this tournament goes better than when he travelled to Russia for the 2018 World Cup as Spain manager: as news of his deal to take over at Real Madrid after the tournament came out, he was promptly dismissed and replaced by Fernando Hierro.Akram Afif has been one of the stars of Asian football since the 2019 Asian Cup, when he recorded 10 assists as Qatar triumphed. Four years later, in the same tournament, he scored eight and made headlines around the world by scoring a hat-trick in the final, picking out a playing card from his socks every time he did so. He tried his luck in Europe in Belgium (KAS Eupen) and Spain (Villarreal and Sporting Gijón) but it did not quite work out. He has been back in Qatar since 2020. He has always had the talent but did not manage to show it at the 2022 World Cup, so this is his chance.Mohamed Al-Mannai. The Tunisian-born star adds a physical presence in midfield, where he can play pretty much anywhere, from a holding role to further up the pitch and, at 22, there seems to be much more to come. Made his debut for the famed Al-Sadd as a teenager before being loaned out to Al-Shamal. It was the right move and he contributed to the club having a successful season with five goals, earning the Under-23 Player of the Season award in the process. Lopetegui seems to be a fan too.Boualem Khoukhi will be 36 during the tournament so this is the last chance for the Algerian-born defender to make international headlines. Has played more than 100 times for his adopted national team and in a variety of positions, netting 21 goals at the time of writing. Most of his goals for the national team came as he was playing further forward – and he can still fill in wherever Lopetegui needs him. His confidence, reliability and experience has been valued by a succession of coaches at international level with many seeing him as the ultimate professional.With one of the smallest populations of any World Cup nation, Qatari fans are not going to travel in any significant numbers. Also, unlike some other Asian teams, there isn’t really any community to speak of in North America to get behind the Maroons. The Qatari folk song Shoomilah has become associated with the national team and became something of an unofficial anthem during the 2022 World Cup and is the most likely to be heard in San Francisco, Vancouver and Seattle.Qatar is a key US ally with strong diplomatic, economic and military ties, and there is an American airbase in the country. The country has tried to stay close to Trump and gave the president a $400m plane – dubbed Palace in the Sky – last year. But the war in Iran has been an issue with the US attacks leading to retaliation from Tehran on Qatar, which has damaged infrastructure and the country’s image.