Hotels across North America have begun hiking prices to astronomical levels as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Next year's World Cup will take place in host cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With the tournament's first matches set to begin in less than six months, hotels are trying to take full advantage of one of the world's largest sporting events.
As the local organising committee, SeattleFWC26's role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium, said Hana Tedesse, the vice-president of communications for Seattle Fifa World Cup 2026. SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.
Fifa says it will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every game at next year's World Cup, not just those played in hot weather. The referee will stop the game 22 minutes into each half for players to take drinks, regardless of the temperature, the host country the United States, Canada or Mexico or whether the stadium has a roof and air conditioning.
Luka Modric and Nikola Vlasic are friends away from the field, but tonight they will be opponents and opposite numbers. Last January, in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vlasic included Modric in his select pantheon of the greatest. "It's crazy: you can't even try to press him because he never lets you have the ball." An admiration that borders on reverence for the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- FIFA announced the start times for the tournament's 104 matches on Saturday, a day after the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament, with the final set to kick off at 3 p.m. EDT. The kickoff time for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, allows for prime-time viewing in Europe, where it will be 9 p.m., and Britain, where it will be 8 p.m.
England have been handed World Cup kick-off times which suit UK audiences - but Scotland fans face later finishes during next summer's tournament. England will play all three of their group games in the United States, with their first two matches against Croatia, on 17 June, and Ghana, on 23 June, kicking off at 21:00 BST. Their final group game against Panama on 27 June begins at 22:00.
Manager Steve Clarke was in the audience for the ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC where it was confirmed Scotland will face Haiti on 13 June. They will then take on Morocco - who are ranked 11th in the world - on 19 June before lining up against top seeds Brazil on 24 June. Afterwards Clarke said Scotland can "bring a little bit of magic" to the tournament after qualifying for the first time in 28 years.
Northern Ireland will face hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B of the World Cup if they come through March's tricky play-off. Michael O'Neill's side finished third in their qualifying group behind Germany and Slovakia, but still booked a play-off spot thanks to their Nations League finish in 2024. Northern Ireland face a difficult play-off semi-final in Italy, who have not played at the World Cup since 2014, on 26 March in Path A.
England will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia, while Scotland have been drawn alongside Brazil at next summer's tournament. Thomas Tuchel's England will open their tournament in Dallas or Toronto on 17 June, before also facing Ghana and Panama in Group L. Scotland's first match at the men's World Cup for 28 years will be against Haiti on 13 June, in Boston or New York, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil in Group C.
Ralf Rangnick's side qualified for their eighth finals by finishing top of Group H in UEFA's World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign. The headlines were stolen by a 10-0 win over San Marino in October 2025 but it was four points from matches against second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina that really made the difference. Austria have become regulars at the European Championship and have progressed beyond the group stage in the last two tournaments,
The Qatar World Cup 2026 squad is the first to have ever qualified for the World Cup, following their hosting of the 2022 tournament. Qatar will hoping for a much better showing at World Cup 2026, however: they crashed out in the group stage on home soil last time around, after scoring just once in three games. It leaves them as statistically the worst-ever hosts of the competition but with an expanded tournament this time around, it may be a leveller playing field this time.
Jordan managed to qualify for World Cup 2026 by a point ahead of Iran, and have subsequently risen to their highest FIFA ranking (70th) since 2014. They will play in the Arab Cup in December, and while it won't feature a full complement of players, it will give them a good indication of where they are ahead of the showpiece event next summer.
The visualised podcast, which is hosted by Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, currently releases three episodes a week but will run daily on Netflix throughout the World Cup. The deal marks the streamer's first significant foray into football coverage and an expansion of its podcast portfolio, which is seen as an effort to rival YouTube. Lineker said the deal was a "fantastic opportunity for the three of us to do what we love - talk football every day - but on a truly global stage".
Their 'golden generation' may have been and gone, but an exciting crop of young talent are bursting through, raising hopes across the country ahead of next summer's competition. You may like Kevin De Bruyne, who is ranked at No.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League midfielders of all time, was not in the last squad after suffering a high-grade hamstring injury when taking a penalty for Napoli in October. There are reports he could miss the World Cup with his recovery set at at least four months.
The current Nations League champions had to wait until the final matchday of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, but they hammered Luxembourg 9-1, easing any concerns they might have to rely on the play-offs. A loss against Ireland in Dublin, which also saw superstar Cristiano Ronaldo receive his first-ever red card for the national team, was the only major blemish on what was otherwise a successful qualifying campaign.
The Ghana World Cup 2026 squad is starting to become a little clearer though we won't get to watch them this winter. Ghana lost just once through the qualification process for World Cup 2026, and qualified for a second successive tournament, meaning they have qualified for all but two tournaments this century. The Black Stars squad has heaps of talent throughout it, with regular Premier League starters ready to show up for their nation.
The Egypt World Cup 2026 squad is shaping up. Led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, two of the Premier League's brightest stars, they may spring a surprise or two in Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer. November saw them take on two fellow sides who qualified for the tournament next summer but now they have a break, with two more competitions available to win before heading off to North America.
I expect him to be able to transfer the style of play he's showing at Bayern to our team. He's very versatile. He should play without any inhibitions. He should now seize the opportunity to establish himself with the U-21 national team as well. He's making the most of his chances at Bayern, playing with freedom, and has scored in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League,
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington next week because the U.S. denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday. The agency quoted Iranian soccer federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying that officials faced visa obstacles that go beyond sports considerations. There was no immediate comment from the White House. Alavi said the federation had reached out to FIFA and hoped it could help resolve the issue. Soccer's ruling body didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.
'Fútbol y Arte. Esa misma emoción'(Football & Art. A Shared Emotion) will open at the museum's David Chipperfield-designed building in the city's Polanco neighborhood on March 28 and run through July 26, the week after the World Cup Final in New York. Mexico City's Estadio Azteca will host five matches, including the opening one on June 11. Organized by Mexican art critic and independent curator Guillermo Santamarina, 'Fútbol y Arte' will bring together some 100 works by 60 artists from around the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be available for Portugal's World Cup opener despite his red card against the Republic of Ireland. Ronaldo was sent off in Portugal's 2-0 qualifying defeat to Ireland after elbowing Dara O'Shea's back earlier this month. It was the first red card that he had received in his 226 international appearances. Ronaldo missed the subsequent 9-1 victory over Armenia as Portugal secured their World Cup qualification in the final game.
