World Cup 2026 News
Updates from across major football outlets covering the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
World Cup 2026: is it possible to walk to MetLife Stadium from New York City? – video
Now that the usually $13 train ticket has been hiked up to $105 for the World Cup, a lot of fans have been wondering whether it's possible to walk to MetLife Stadium from New York City. To find out, we sent the intrepid Mark McPartland on a scenic hike to New Jersey to see if America’s pedestrian infrastructure is up to the task. What he found was a challenging but occasionally scenic 4.5 hour walk that ended with blocked off pedestrian routes that would stop even the most adventurous European hiker from getting to the stadium during the World Cup • Fifa World Cup matches face heightened terror risk in US amid Iran conflict • The $13bn World Cup: how the numbers stack up on Fifa’s 2026 balance sheet Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Fifa’s failure to agree World Cup TV deals in China and India a headache for Infantino
With the tournament a month away, there are still no agreements done with the two Asian giants to ensure fans there can watch all 104 games When Fifa expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, it was in the hope that countries such as India and China, with their 2.7 billion residents, would qualify rather than countries such as Cape Verde and Curaçao, whose combined population of about 700,000 barely equals a district of a megacity such as Mumbai or Shanghai. What the governing body did not account for was that, with the 2026 tournament a month away, there would be no broadcasting deals done with the two Asian giants to ensure fans there can watch the 104 games. A few months ago, Fifa was said to be offering this World Cup, and the next, to New Delhi and Beijing for respective sums of $100m (£73m) and between $250m and $300m. There have been no deals struck despite the asking price falling steadily. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Soaring World Cup ticket prices for players’ families and guests leave several FAs stunned
Average cost of one ticket claimed to be $3,000 (£2,200) Fifa insists terms and conditions of sale were made clear Numerous Football Associations have been hit by increased prices when buying World Cup tickets for their players’ family and friends, with teams competing at the tournament affected by Fifa’s dynamic pricing model. While Fifa offered all national associations that have qualified for the World Cup a six-week window to buy tickets at a fixed price after the draw in December, any requests for tickets from the end of January have been subject to what Fifa describes as “adaptive pricing”, with the cost rising for most matches. An executive at one national association said they had requested hundreds of additional tickets in recent weeks and have been surprised at the size of the bill. An executive at another association claimed the average cost of securing attendance at matches for their players’ family and their guests has risen to about $3,000 (£2,200) a ticket after extra purchases, a significant additional cost that will eat into their tournament funding. Fifa sources insisted the average cost of tickets bought by national associations is far lower than $3,000. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Fifa World Cup matches face heightened terror risk in US amid Iran conflict
Experts warn of ‘soft target’ vulnerabilities and intelligence gaps as federal agencies prepare to secure 78 matches across 11 cities Fifa World Cup matches set to be held across the United States face heightened terrorism risks, with experts warning that vulnerabilities are being amplified by the US-Israel conflict with Iran and a depletion of counter-terrorism expertise within federal law enforcement. The biggest threat stems from homegrown violent extremists, often lone actors that may have become radicalized online by extreme political views or jihadists such as the Islamic State (Isis), said four counter-terror experts interviewed. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Fifa triples price of top World Cup final ticket to $32,970 as US politicians voice concerns
Previous high for Category 1 had been $10,990 Resale tickets for final listed from $8,000 to $11.5m New Jersey reps pen letter to Infantino about ticketing Fifa tripled the price of its best available tickets to the World Cup final, making $32,970 seats available on Thursday for the 19 July match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The governing body listed those seats as Front Category 1 on its sales site. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Panini World Cup sticker albums to end as Fifa announces new partnership
Fifa association with Panini goes back to 1970 2030 World Cup will be final tournament Panini World Cup sticker albums will become a thing of the past following the centenary finals in 2030 after Fifa announced a new partnership on Thursday. The Fifa association with Panini already stretches back more than 50 years, with the first World Cup sticker book published ahead of the 1970 finals in Mexico, and will have reached 60 years by 2030. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Fifa extends Gianluca Prestianni ban, ruling him out for World Cup games
If in Argentina squad, Prestianni would miss two games Benfica winger banned for racial abuse of Vinícius Júnior Prestianni has one Argentina cap, from November Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter Fifa confirmed a global ban Wednesday for Gianluca Prestianni that will rule the Benfica winger out of two World Cup games in the United States if he is selected in Argentina’s squad. Uefa imposed a six-game ban – with three games deferred on probation – on Prestianni two weeks ago for his verbal abuse of Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior in the Champions League. Prestianni covered his mouth with his jersey while using the insult. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Gianni Infantino says high World Cup ticket prices are justified in US market
Fan groups have called prices a ‘monumental betrayal’ Fifa collects 30% cut on resale market Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value. Fifa has faced searing criticism over the cost of World Cup tickets, with the fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) calling the pricing structure “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal”. FSE filed a lawsuit with the European Commission in March targeting Fifa over “excessive ticket prices” for the tournament. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
European countries still expect to lose money at World Cup despite prize fund increase
European nations wanted more merit-based prize money High costs of travel and hotels will exceed Fifa payouts A number of leading European countries still expect to lose money at the World Cup despite Fifa increasing the prize and participation fund by $112m (£82m) this week. The main host federation, US Soccer, is also understood to be forecasting an operational loss on the tournament, although that will be more than offset by a projected $100m windfall from a revenue-sharing agreement from ticket sales with Fifa that will also benefit the two other co-hosts, Canada and Mexico. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Fifa ramps up efforts to sell luxury World Cup hospitality tickets after revenue re-evaluation
Packages still available for 102 of the 104 matches Fifa selling individual suites in former group sections Fifa is upping efforts to sell luxury hospitality tickets for the World Cup, with packages still available for 102 of the 104 matches at the expanded tournament. Mexico’s Group A game against South Korea and one last-32 fixture expected to feature Spain are the only matches showing a lack of availability on Fifa’s hospitality platform, and a new category – “suite essentials” – has been added to lower-profile games, allowing customers to buy an individual ticket for a suite that would previously have been sold to a group. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Gianni Infantino tells Fifa congress that Iran will play at World Cup in US as planned
Iran’s participation in doubt following US/Israel attacks Team scheduled to play in Los Angeles and Seattle Potential last-32 match versus USA in Dallas Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has repeated his belief that Iran will take part in the World Cup this summer despite the federation failing to attend congress in Vancouver. A three-man delegation representing the Iranian Football Federation flew to Toronto on Tuesday, but one of their number was denied entry to Canada, with the two others declining to attend congress in an apparent act of protest. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
The $13bn World Cup: how the numbers stack up on Fifa’s 2026 balance sheet
The earnings from the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada will make it the most lucrative competition in the history of sport, even if some of the 48 competing countries say they are struggling to make ends meet A World Cup that Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, billed at the draw last December as “the greatest event that humanity has ever seen” will certainly be the most lucrative competition in sporting history. Fifa has spent the last few years upgrading its revenue projections, with the most recent financial report stating that the world governing body will make $13bn (£9.6bn) from the four-year cycle culminating in this summer’s tournament, almost $9bn of which will be brought in this year. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Erling Haaland feels the heat in Norway for ‘tragic’ World Cup beer commercial
Campaigners hit out at striker’s role in ‘Let It Pour’ video ‘He is a great hero for many young people’ Erling Haaland’s collaboration with a leading American beer brand has caused a backlash in his native Norway, where alcohol advertising is banned. World Cup sponsors Budweiser’s hiring of the Manchester City and Norway striker to help launch its “Let It Pour” promotional video together with the former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has led to criticism from campaigning groups, who described Haaland’s commercial deal in the buildup to this summer’s tournament as “tragic”. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Panini football sticker collectors face £1,000 outlay for 48-team World Cup
112-page album will require 980 unique stickers to fill Individual packets of seven stickers cost £1.25 in Britain Soaring prices at the pumps, grocery bills on the rise, and now it seems inflation will be hitting the pockets hard of those football fans for whom no World Cup would be complete without the thrill of opening a packet of Panini stickers. Since the Italian company’s first sticker collection, at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, striving to complete the set has been an obsession around the globe with swapping of doubles and the search for rarities mandatory. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Australia’s Jackson Irvine says Trump’s Fifa peace prize makes ‘mockery’ of football
St Pauli captain says decision undermines the sport as force for good Socceroos veteran is on track for third World Cup appearance World Cup-bound Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine has taken aim at Fifa and the US over the governing body’s awarding of a peace prize to President Donald Trump, heightening tensions ahead of a tournament already weighed down by geopolitical pressures and controversial pricing. Irvine has previously captained Australia and is on track to appear at his third World Cup after recovering from a foot injury. As a member of the global players’ union Fifpro, Irvine holds a senior advocacy role. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup 2026 players who cover mouths or leave pitch in protest may be red carded
Ifab has not mandated the change for other competitions Decision follows Prestianni and Afcon final controversies Any player who covers their mouth when confronting an opponent or who leaves the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision could receive a straight red card at this summer’s World Cup. In a regulation change approved by the International Football Association Board (Ifab) ahead of Thursday’s Fifa Congress in Vancouver it was confirmed that the new protocols will be in place for the tournament, which begins in June. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup will be ‘bonanza of sportswashing’ under Trump, say human rights groups
Fans warned of uncertainty around protests and policing Lise Klaveness set to raise concerns over ICE with Fifa This summer’s World Cup will be a “bonanza of sportswashing” according to human rights organisations, who claim the Trump administration is using sport as a political tool to “cover up abuses”. With supporter groups warning they have “absolutely no clue” what will happen to fans if they do “stupid stuff” in the US during the tournament, the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA), which includes Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International, has called for more to be done to ensure the protection of individual rights at the World Cup, which begins in six weeks. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Fifa criticized for ‘deeply concerning’ approach to ticketing for fans with disabilities
In a reversal from previous tournaments, companion tickets come at significant cost for the 2026 World Cup. Accessibility advocates are raising their concerns Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter Football fans with disabilities are struggling to buy companion tickets for World Cup games with some seats that had been assigned for caregivers appearing to be put on general sale. The Guardian has uncovered significant issues with the World Cup ticket sales process for fans with disabilities, including: Wheelchair users who have secured a match ticket being unable to buy an accompanying ticket for a caregiver Companion seats being made available to buy in isolation, without proof of a prior wheelchair or accessible purchase, in stage four of Fifa’s sale process earlier this month Wheelchair and accessible seating being priced higher than general admission tickets on Fifa’s official resale marketplace across a wide range of matches An inability by Fifa to guarantee that fans who have bought companion tickets will be seated next to the wheelchair user they are accompanying Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
New Jersey officials confirm World Cup transit prices: $150 by train, $225 to park
Price hikes for MetLife Stadium travel prompted outcry Plans confirmed at Friday briefing include $80 bus option NJ governor Sherrill spars with Fifa over cost burden New Jersey’s transit agency has confirmed it will charge $150 for a return ticket to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium this summer. The price for a round-trip ticket from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium is typically $12.90. Reports this week of the elevenfold increase were met with outcry from fans and sparked a back-and-forth between New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, and world football’s governing body, with costs mounting across the board, including parking priced as high as $225 at the mall adjacent to the stadium. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Ticket to ride? Fifa premium makes this the World Cup that actively hates you | Jonathan Liew
The $95 bus trip to Foxborough highlights a tournament unique in modern times – one that ultimately makes no secret of its disdain for the paying public Like any journalist with an unerring nose for an offbeat feature, my interest was sharply piqued by this week’s announcement of the $95 bus ride. What magnificent accoutrements might conceivably justify the £70 fare for a half-hour journey from south Boston to Foxborough? An at-seat shiatsu? A pool deck? A five-course dining experience? A brief but moving Céline Dion set in the aisles? At the very least, I felt I owed it to my profession to find out for sure. Alas upon closer investigation, the Boston Stadium Express being launched for this summer’s World Cup appears to be an entirely regular bus journey on an entirely regular bus with entirely regular bus seats. Your non-refundable ticket – no child concessions – entitles you simply to be dropped off a 15-minute walk from the ground, and picked up again from the same place. There is, in short, no more complex rationale for the Boston organising committee to charge £70 than the fact that they can, and the World Cup only comes once, and if you don’t want to pay then some other rube will. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Why the World Cup should be decentralized | Leander Schaerlaeckens
Expansion and political influence have made soccer’s showpiece too big for one region to handle responsibly Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter In retrospect, the 2018 World Cup in Russia looks like a gentle genuflection, a dainty little bow before its strongman leader. Vladimir Putin and his Russian project of gradual conquest were most definitely centered and validated eight years ago: the tournament showcased his nation and awarded its leader prominence of place. This summer, we will see something altogether different, as the runup to this edition of the world’s biggest and most popular sporting event has become a monument to Donald Trump. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond, helmed this week by Leander in Jonathan’s absence. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition. Leander Schaerlaeckens is a Guardian US contributor whose book on the United States men’s national soccer team, The Long Game, is out on 12 May. You can preorder it here. He teaches at Marist University. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Pre-World Cup results have you worried? They probably shouldn’t
For examples of how little a team’s form in the World Cup run-in matters in the tournament itself, look no further than the US The last time the United States men’s national team entered into the final stretch of their preparations for a World Cup on home soil, the results were dire. From January through April of 1994, the Americans, who were mostly sequestered in a full-time training camp, played 12 games and won just twice. They even managed to lose to Iceland, who were a total non-factor in global soccer back then. Then, that ’94 team went on to survive the group stage and narrowly lose to eventual champions Brazil, 1-0, in the round of 16. They delivered on expectations in spite of their deflating run-in. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup power rankings: France lead the way with Senegal and Japan in top 10
From Algeria to Uzbekistan, our writers and contributors from around the world assess the state of the 48 nations to qualify for the tournament “There’s more talent and potential than in 2022,” Kylian Mbappé said ominously this week after France had beaten Brazil 2-1 despite having Dayot Upamecano sent off after 55 minutes. He may well be right. For the second game of this window, against Colombia, Didier Deschamps changed the entire starting XI but was still able to field an attack of Marcus Thuram, Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki and Maghnes Akliouche. Doué scored two in a comfortable 3-1 victory. “I’m well aware that there are some very good players that I won’t be bringing because, in my opinion, there are even better ones,” Deschamps said. Marcus Christenson Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
Messi, mascots, tickets and Trump: 48 questions for the 48-team World Cup
After Tuesday’s playoff matches decided the final six spots, the tournament field is set. We answered 48 questions as the countdown to 11 June begins After Tuesday’s playoff matches decided the final six spots, the World Cup field is set. Forty-eight teams will come to North America this summer for the 23rd edition of the biggest sporting event on the planet. The tournament kicks off 11 June in Mexico City and runs until the final on 19 July in New Jersey, comprising 104 matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada. To mark the completion of the field of 48, Guardian writers answered 48 questions on topics from World Cup history and the US men’s national team to Messi, Ronaldo and mascots. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
On the plane or the sofa? How England’s 2026 World Cup squad is shaping up
Only half of the 26 places appear nailed-on and some players benefited from missing the Uruguay and Japan games Jordan Pickford remains the undisputed No 1. Harry Kane is irreplaceable up front. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson look certain to start in midfield, nobody has emerged as a realistic challenger to Bukayo Saka on the right and Jude Bellingham’s hopes of grabbing the No 10 spot were done a world of good by other challengers failing to impress against Japan and Uruguay. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup 2026: which countries have qualified and how did they do it?
We now know all 48 teams that will play in the US, Canada and Mexico later this year – this is how they got there Nine countries qualified as group winners – Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire – and the Democratic Republic of Congo gave the continent a 10th representative at the tournament by battling through the playoffs. Egypt Mohamed Salah scored twice as Hossam Hassan’s side beat Djibouti 3-0 in Casablanca in October and made up for missing out on Qatar 2022 by reaching the finals with a game in hand. This will be Egypt’s fourth finals, even though they have yet to win a game. Bizarrely, the Pharaohs did qualify for the first World Cup, in 1930, but missed their boat from Marseille to South America after a storm delayed them. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup stunning moments: Germany humiliate Brazil 7-1 | Simon Burnton
Germany conjured football of a savagery unwitnessed against significant opposition in the tournament’s history When it comes to the World Cup, hosting is supposed to help. Just ask Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978) and France (1998), or Sweden (1958), Chile (1962) and South Korea (2002), who unexpectedly finished second, third and fourth, respectively. Rival teams should be cowed by the passion and the number of home fans, the hosts buoyed. Not this time. “You looked at the faces of the Brazilian players when they walked on the pitch during the World Cup and it looked like they were about to compete in the Hunger Games,” said Zico, great Brazilian midfielder of the 1970s and 80s. “They weren’t enjoying the moment and that made things harder for them. The moment they met a team of the same pedigree they were caught out.” Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup stunning moments: Gazza cries as England lose at Italia 90
Paul Gascoigne’s bottom lip wobbled as he was ruled out of a World Cup final England would never reach, and Gazzamania was born “I got the ball in the centre circle and bundled my way forward. Then, as Matthaus tried to nick it off me, I nudged the ball out of his reach, but overran it. I had to stretch as Thomas Berthold came across. I was giving it 110%. It was the World Cup semi-final and I didn’t want to give them anything for free. To this day I honestly don’t think I touched him, but down he went, rolling around as if in agony. I crouched down to make sure he was OK, and at that stage I wasn’t thinking I was in trouble. There was nothing in the challenge. Then everything turned to slow motion.” For all the uplifting moments in England’s march from the foyer of ignominy to the doorstep of greatness in 1990 – David Platt’s goal against Belgium, Gary Lineker’s equaliser against West Germany, Paul Gascoigne’s own phenomenal turn to leave Holland’s Ronald Koeman trailing in the group stages – we have chosen to define it by this one. The swell of unexpected hope experienced by the English coincided with the blossoming of Gascoigne’s rare and fragile talent; they rose together, they fell together – quite a bit sooner than either would have liked – and frankly everyone’s still a bit bitter about it. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup stunning moments: Diego Maradona's Hand of God | Scott Murray
The 1986 quarter-final between England and Argentina is famous for one of football’s most iconic moments. But there was more to this goal – and match – than a single act of larceny High noon, one blistering Sunday in Mexico City, and a quarter-final shootout between two arch rivals who hadn’t met in a World Cup for 20 years and had grievance on their minds. Rattín’s Revenge! Or, in the offices of various tabloid newspapers and the heads of the slow: Falklands II. Here are 10 things that happened during a first half everyone’s long forgotten about: 1) Just before kick-off, instead of focusing on the players warming up in the oppressive sun, the Mexican television director chose to zoom in on a topless man necking the final third of a plastic cup of lager while sucking hard on a cheroot, having clearly been caught in two minds over which craving to sate first. A wonderful tableau of the relaxed atmosphere in the Azteca before kick-off, both sets of supporters in good humour, the Argentina team handing each England player their own personal pennant. A lovely touch, a small gesture of friendship, and to think everyone had been banging on about bad blood caused by the Malvinas conflict. Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·
World Cup stunning moments: The Battle of Santiago | Simon Burnton
‘This match is universally agreed by observers as the ugliest, most vicious and disgraceful in soccer history’ It took two days for highlights of the match that was christened, even during the commentary, the Battle of Santiago, to be flown from South America and broadcast in Britain. Two days in which the game became, in its own brutal way, legendary, spoken of in ways which must have sent anyone with a combined interest in football and mild gore into a frenzy of excitement. “The match is universally agreed by observers as the ugliest, most vicious and disgraceful in soccer history,” wrote Frank McGhee in the Mirror. “If you think that is exaggerating, watch the film on TV. But send the kids to bed first – it deserves a horror certificate!” David Coleman’s introduction to the BBC’s broadcast is rightly legendary. “Good evening,” he said. “The game you are about to see is the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football in the history of the game. This is the first time these countries have met; we hope it will be the last. The national motto of Chile reads, By Reason or By Force. Today, the Chileans weren’t prepared to be reasonable, the Italians only used force, and the result was a disaster for the World Cup. If the World Cup is going to survive in its present form something has got to be done about teams that play like this. Indeed, after seeing the film tonight, you at home may well think that teams that play in this manner ought to be expelled immediately from the competition.” Continue reading...
Guardian — World Cup 2026 ·