Key events Somali referee denied entry to US for World Cup: official Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup, was denied entry to the United States, a sports ministry official told AFP on Monday. “Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play,” Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior advisor to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, told AFP. AFP The referee Omar Artan has been denied entry to the United States. Photograph: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP If you like an insight into liveblogging, my five-year-old daughter is currently sleeping on the sofa next to me after being sent home from school early. I am a committed professional. The Democratic Republic of Congo will play their final World Cup warm-up against Chile in France on Tuesday, after a Spanish town refused to host the match due to concerns over the Ebola outbreak. The match was originally scheduled to take place in the southern Spanish town of La Linea de la Concepcion, but the mayor, Juan Franco, issued a ban as a “precautionary measure” due to the Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over an Ebola outbreak which was first reported on May 15 in northeastern Congo. According to the WHO, there have been more than 500 confirmed cases, including dozens of deaths, recorded in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda. Despite the concerns, Congolese football officials insist that none of the players called up for the national team are based in the country. The squad has been training in Marbella, southern Spain in recent days and set off on Monday for Orleans in central France. AFP I can’t believe I was overlooked to write this … Anthony emails: “Do you remember where you were on 7 May 2019. Short corner. Goodness gracious, Divock, what have you done! Shame to see his career flame out so young, but didn’t it burn bright that night against Barcelona!” I was watching it on TV, I can remember that. We should all remember what a great World Cup Fabio Grosso had in 2006. Nick Miller (what ever happened to him?) provides the nostalgia. Fiorentina have appointed former Italy defender Fabio Grosso as manager, the Serie A club said on Monday, with the 48-year-old signing a two-year contract. Grosso, who scored the winning penalty for Italy in the shootout win over France at the 2006 World Cup final, began his managerial career in Serie B with Bari and Hellas Verona, before taking charge of Brescia, Sion, Frosinone and Olympique Lyonnais. His last role came at Sassuolo, where he won promotion in his first campaign, and after guiding them to mid-table safety in Serie A last season, Grosso left the club by mutual agreement on Thursday. “I never like to make promises,” Grosso said in a Fiorentina statement, “but aware of the responsibilities that await me, I immediately feel I can guarantee seriousness, professionalism and involvement in building a team that has courage and ambition.” Fiorentina battled relegation in the most recent campaign, with Stefano Pioli sacked in November after a 10-game winless start. Paolo Vanoli took over and led them to a 15th-place finish, before departing the club on Friday. Reuters One for the World Cup head coaches out there but it may be somewhat late if they have not already made their plans. Jonathan Wilson looks back at the innovate and not-so-innovate planning from some countries when travelling to foreign climes. double quotation markThe manager Alf Ramsey, for all his gifts as a coach, was a xenophobe to the core. He had been a player in the England side that had lost to the USA in 1950, and remembered the greasy food served in Brazil with horror. A trip to Brazil in 1964 and a further tour of Latin America in 1969 had only heightened his distrust. England, he decided, would import their own bus, food and water. For the Mexicans, already irritated by a string of undiplomatic statements from Ramsey, this was the final straw. The authorities decided that the United Kingdom was beset by foot and mouth, so they impounded all the frozen meat at the docks then burned it, leaving England to subsist on Findus fishfingers and ready meals. Austria are heavily reliant on people who had brief spells at Manchester United, from head coach Ralf Rangnick to Marcel Sabitzer. Get the full lowdown with our in-depth preview. And what a three hours they will be! That’s all from me on the blog. I’ll hand back to Will Unwin, who will guide you through the next three hours. Cheers! Divock Origi retires from football aged 31 Former Liverpool striker Divock Origi has announced his retirement from football, aged just 31. The Belgian has been without a club since leaving Milan on 22 December 2025, more than 600 days after his last competitive appearance. Divock Origi of Liverpool celebrates after scoring in Champions League final against Tottenham in 2019. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Origi announced his retirement via a post on The Players’ Tribune: double quotation markYou couldn’t write a better movie than this. Hollywood, come talk to me!!!! Only God can do this. Only God can create a story like The Divock Origi Story. He gifted me with this unbelievable gift. And this gift went beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I came into this world with the ball at my feet. That ball became my best friend. At night, when I slept, that ball was right next to me. I tucked it in at night. Then I’d close my eyes and picture them showing my highlights on Match of the Day. Football was my whole life. “What do you want to be when you grow up, Divock?” Pffttt, come on, do you even need to ask? When you’re young, and you’re dreaming of being a pro, it’s interesting. You visualize the high moments. You fantasize about it all. Got the whole script written. But you never really picture how it will end. In your dreams, you never get older, you never go beyond. You’re just suspended in time, on the pitch, in a moment of glory — winning the Prem or the Champions League, or getting capped in the World Cup. But the truth is that nothing lasts forever. I look back and just shake my head in awe at everything I have accomplished in this game that I love. Even now, as I write this, it is unbelievable to me that the little boy, from Belgium and Kenya, achieved all his dreams. All I can say is, thank you, God. Thank you, football. Ofcom has written to social media companies to remind them of their responsibilities regarding online abuse and said it will monitor measures taken against “illegal hate content” during the World Cup. After the experience of England players during the men’s 2021 European Championship and the women’s Euros last year, Ofcom has urged online platforms to make sure they have effective mitigations against abuse in place and that they are “adequately prepared for increased occurrence during the World Cup”. Here’s more on that from Paul MacInnes: If you don’t know a lot about Spain winger Víctor Muñoz, get to know. The Osasuna flyer is lightning quick and certainly has a striking look with that red crop of hair. I think this could be a breakout tournament for Muñoz, particularly if there are more opportunities on the left wing because of Nico Williams’ injury. Muñoz was at Barcelona in his youth but came through at Real Madrid before being sold to Osasuna in 2025. Madrid apparently have a buy-back clause for €40m. Newcastle are also reportedly interested in following the departure of Anthony Gordon. Víctor Muñoz stands between Pedri (left) and David Raya (right) before Spain’s warm-up game against Iraq last week. Photograph: Irina R Hipolito/AFP7/Shutterstock Some further quotes from Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente regarding the fitness of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Víctor Muñoz. The trio have been left out of the Spain squad to face Peru tomorrow in a warm-up match in Mexico, but De la Fuente is optimistic about Yamal’s hamstring injury before their first World Cup group game against Cape Verde on 15 June. double quotation markAll three are on track to be fit to play on the 15th. We do not know how many minutes they will be able to play. But Lamine’s injury was different from Nico and Víctor. Each player will have their own recovery process and timeline. However, the most important thing is that, within the timeframe we had planned, the 15th is achievable and will be met, so that they are with us and are available to be selected at some point during the opening game. There was additional concern for Rodri after the Manchester City man was clearly hurt after being clattered in training by Gavi. But De la Fuente played down the incident: double quotation markThis is football. It’s training. The players are very committed, and nobody has to apologise to anybody. Everything is fine. We know Gavi, he has that energy, that drive. That’s one of his virtues. He has to control it and ration it. But I want this Gavi. Into women’s football now, as Lauren Hemp says the England squad are determined to bounce back from that hugely disappointing 4-0 defeat by Spain that saw the Lionesses miss the chance to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil. Vitalii Mykolenko signs new three-year deal at Everton Andy Hunter Vitalii Mykolenko has signed a new three-year contract with Everton. The Ukraine international, who has made 157 appearances for the club since joining from Dynamo Kyiv in 2022, was approaching the end of his previous deal although Everton had the option of a one-year extension. That has now been replaced by a new deal that keeps the left back at Everton until June 2029. Vitalii Mykolenko and Ukraine, seen here in a friendly against Poland last month, failed to reach the World Cup after a playoff defeat to Sweden. Photograph: Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images Here’s Rob Draper on Harry Kane’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or and why the World Cup might be critical to his chances of being named the best player in the world. Israeli authorities release Palestinian player after detention Israeli authorities have released a player on the Palestinian national women’s football team following six days in detention after she was summoned by Jerusalem police, her mother has said. Wissam Halawani said Israeli police released her daughter Rand Halawani, 20, on Sunday, with a five-day house arrest order. Wissam Halawani told AFP that she had “gone through very difficult times over the past few days” following her daughter’s detention, and that she now felt “overwhelming joy” after her return home. The Palestinian Football Association celebrated Halawani’s release in a statement late Sunday. “Rand Halawani breathes freedom … the release of our national women’s team player after her arrest last Tuesday,” the association said in a social media post, accompanied by a poster showing her wearing the Palestinian national team’s red kit. Israeli police said last week that Halawani had been arrested along with an 18-year-old man in relation to an incident in Jerusalem in which objects were allegedly thrown from a balcony at demonstrators marching on a street below. AFP Remarkably, there will be eight pairs of brothers at the World Cup, although only four of those pairs are part of the same team. Those four are Lucas and Théo Hernández (France), Jurrien Timber and twin Quinten (Netherlands), Laros and Deroy Duarte (Cape Verde) and Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna (Curaçao). The four pairs of siblings that will line-up for different nations are: Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) and half-brother Derrick Luckassen (Ghana). Désiré Doué (France) and Guéla Doué (Ivory Coast). The two could feasibly meet in the knockout rounds. Guéla Doué scored in a 2-1 warm-up victory over France last week, in which Désiré was an unused substitute. John Souttar (Scotland) and Harry Souttar (Australia). Iñaki Williams (Ghana) and Nico Williams (Spain). Scotland labelled ‘unprofessional’ by Norway after cancelled training game Scotland’s Steve Clarke has been branded “unprofessional” by Norway counterpart Ståle Solbakken. Solbakken hit out after Scotland cancelled a training-ground friendly against his side. The game between the teams – who are both based in North Carolina for their World Cup campaigns – was planned for Monday but the Norwegian Football Federation announced on Sunday it had been called off because of injuries in the Scotland camp. Solbakken spoke out after his side drew 1-1 with Scotland’s Group C rivals Morocco. He told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK: “It was at least as surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland. It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me, that they use the team manager and call and say it after we have finished training. “I don’t think the injuries they’re blaming came from the last training session. That’s not the case. It’s disappointing. It’s unprofessional. But we have to live with that. That’s why we adjusted a bit in the game.” Norway’s team manager, former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland, told NRK: “We have been working on that match for many months. It is embarrassing to cancel it a couple of days before. We can’t do anything about it, we just have to forget about it and make the best of it. But there has been a lot of organisation, agreements and gentlemen’s agreements and then suddenly they don’t want to. I think that was weak, so to speak.” Brede Hangeland is now the team manager of Norway. Photograph: Vegard Grøtt/BILDBYRÅN/Shutterstock Clarke told BBC Scotland: “It was just going to be a training game for an hour at our training ground. We picked up one or two niggles last week and decided it wasn’t worth the risk.” Norway are based at Greensboro, about 90 miles from Scotland’s training camp in Charlotte. PA Media Scotland have arrived at their World Cup base in Charlotte in North Carolina after their impressive 4-0 win over Bolivia in Saturday’s warm-up game. In fairness to the South Americans, the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey is just 11 metres above sea level, whereas La Paz is 3,600 metres above sea level. Here’s what Scotland manager Steve Clarke had to say about his stay so far in the States: double quotation markEvery experience we’ve had, training camp in Inter Miami, playing a game in New York, it’s surreal really,” he told BBC Scotland. “I think the message to the lads is just to try and soak it all in, take it all in. Obviously, the message as the week goes on and it gets closer to the most competitive game will become more serious and more business, but just now it’s just about trying to enjoy it, trying to embrace it and I think we’re all doing that. Well, me and some of the boys have been together now for seven years, so we’ve built a lot to get to this moment. To think of some of the low places that we have been and to be here at a World Cup with this group of players is just fantastic.” Scotland’s John McGinn (right) arrives at the team hotel in Charlotte on Monday. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA And here’s what our reporter, Ewan Murray, had to say after that win over Bolivia. If you want to make your own predictions, try our Bracketology game. If Zohran Mamdani has got time to play it, so do you. Zohran Mamdani plays the Guardian’s Bracketology to predict World Cup winner – video It’s mentioned below that Germany could be a weakened force this tournament but I think the pessimism around the team is reinforced by how tough their group is: Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curaçao and the fact that none of the starting attackers have been in top form recently: Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade have all struggled for consistency in recent months, but they are still excellent players that could produce something special at the tournament. It was only a warm-up match but beating USA on Saturday will have given the Germans encouragement, especially as the only goal they conceded was this wondergoal from Antonee Robinson, which no amount of tactical planning can legislate for. Hello everyone. Let’s start with the latest findings from the University of Reading, obviously, who have – in lieu of any nearby octopuses – trained their supercomputer to predict the winner of the World Cup. Here are said findings: Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the most likely team to win the 2026 World Cup, but no single nation dominates the field the way previous champions have. That is the verdict of a University of Reading supercomputer created by economist Professor James Reade, who has simulated every match of the 48-team tournament 10,000 times to produce probability estimates for each nation. The model places Argentina at the top of the rankings, with France and Spain almost inseparable in second and third. Brazil and England are closely matched just behind them. Scotland, making a rare appearance at a World Cup finals, are ranked 27th of the 48 nations in the field. Professor James Reade said: “Argentina come out on top, but what stands out most from this simulation is how tight it is at the summit. France and Spain are virtually indistinguishable in the model, and England aren’t far behind either. It has been 60 years since England last lifted the trophy, and the simulation suggests football could finally be coming home.” “What also jumps out is the contrast between sides. Germany’s defensive numbers are notably weaker than in previous cycles, while Portugal have one of the strongest attacking ratings in the whole field. And here are the full rankings, according to Professor James Reade’s supercomputer. 1 Argentina2 France3 Spain4 Brazil5 England6 Portugal7 Colombia8 Netherlands9 Germany10 Uruguay11 Japan12 Croatia13 Morocco14 Belgium15 Mexico16 Ecuador17 Switzerland18 USA19 Iran20 South Korea21 Algeria22 Senegal23 Canada24 Australia25 Turkey26 Austria27 Paraguay28 Norway29 Egypt30 Sweden31 Ivory Coast32 Uzbekistan33 Tunisia34 Czech Republic35 Panama36 Scotland37 Iraq38 DR Congo39 South Africa40 Saudi Arabia41 Jordan42 New Zealand43 Qatar44 Cape Verde45 Bosnia-Herzegovina46 Ghana47 Haiti48 Curaçao Thank you for joining me. Michael Butler is in the hotseat for the next few hours. Ben Fisher A bit of Premier League news: it promises to be a summer of change at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola the headline departure. But now an incoming, with their former winger Matt Ritchie, who won promotion to the top flight with the club in 2015, replacing Simon Francis, also part of that title-winning team under Eddie Howe, as technical director. Ritchie joined third-tier Reading last season but the 36-year-old will now continue his career in the game off the pitch, working in a key recruitment role alongside the president of football operations, Tiago Pinto. The headline in this interview with Matt a year ago was somewhat prophetic: Want to know more about Algeria? Of course you do. Anders Vad Bruun emails: “From a Danish perspective, a certain Schmeichel the younger didn’t do too badly, and the brothers Laudrup are sons of Finn Laudrup, who played 19 games in red and white and scored six goals from the right wing. And then there’s Cesare and Paolo Maldini and Enrico/Federico Chiesa for the Italians… ” Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said his team has achieved the desired technical benefits from their loss against Colombia on Monday, and expressed relief that no players were injured during the friendly that came days before the country’s first appearance in a World Cup. Two goals from Jhon Arias gave Colombia a 2-0 victory in San Diego in both teams’ last tune-up match ahead of the tournament. Sellami told reporters after the game that his side had faced a quality opponent and benefited from the experience by testing several aspects during the match. “The technical staff is working on correcting the mistakes in a way that will help develop the team’s performance during the next stage in order to reach the required level of readiness,” the Moroccan coach said. Jordan make their World Cup debut against Austria on June 17 in San Francisco. They will then face Algeria six days later before concluding the group stage against Argentina on June 28 in Dallas. Reuters. Robert Wyland’s depiction of ocean life was covered up for a World Cup promotion – now he wants retribution, writes Pablo Iglesias Maurer. double quotation markWyland learned that his work had been entirely erased to make way for a new mural promoting the upcoming Fifa World Cup. Almost immediately, Wyland’s team filed a cease and desist. Days later, they filed a lawsuit against Fifa seeking $25m in damages. Nick Ames, who I am sure is having the time of his life in Varazdin, has the latest from England’s first opponents Croatia. The best of the rest … Fifa has reached a settlement with former France midfielder Lassana Diarra in a player transfer rights case, the global soccer body said on Monday. Diarra had been seeking €65 million (£56m) in damages from Fifa and the Belgian FA after the European Union’s top court (CJEU) ruled in October that some world soccer body rules breached EU laws. Fifa had fined Diarra €10m after the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid player left Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year contract in 2014. “Following the global agreement they have reached, Mr Lassana Diarra and Fifa have settled all legal proceedings between them,” Fifa said in a statement. “Fifa has not made any admission of liability nor payment by way of compensation. Fifa will not be providing any further comment at this time.“ Diarra’s lawyers have yet to respond to a Reuters request for comment. Fifa later amended its transfer regulations after the CJEU ruling, adopting an interim framework on the calculation of compensation payable and burden of proof if there is a breach of contract. The “Diarra ruling” has since prompted about 20 European national player unions to pledge their support to a Europe-wide class action against Fifa. Reuters “What do we know about Luca Zidane besides the obvious?” asks Krishnamoorthy. “Sons of famous fathers always find it difficult to perform on world stage in general. Do you recall any exceptions?” The Thuram brothers are decent .. What does it actually take to win a World Cup? Talent? Tactics? A functioning democracy? Not necessarily. As the 2026 World Cup begins, the largest ever, we analysed all 22 past tournaments to find the common threads that link every single champion. From the tactical innovations that shocked the world to the political forces that fuelled past victories, history shows there are eight distinct ways to lift the famous trophy. How to win the World Cup – video explainer Sid Lowe has a natter with Spain head honcho Luis de la Fuente. Krishnamoorthy emails: “I missed the last ODI of Malcolm Marshall when he played on 8th March 1992 in the Cricket World Cup. I had to miss it as I got married that day, the alternative did not exist.” I hope your spouse appreciated the sacrifice. Epidemiologists will be busy this summer sifting through sewage and social media with the goal of keeping soccer fans and the public safe from severe illness during the World Cup, one of the largest and most globally diverse mass gatherings ever anticipated. A public health squad based in Washington, DC, plans to monitor wastewater and internet chatter to detect and track infectious diseases should they emerge in any of the US or Canadian cities hosting World Cup players, their matches, and millions of spectators, organisers said. The 39-day event kicks off in Mexico on Thursday. More than 6.5 million fans are expected to travel from over 100 countries to witness 104 games in the US, Canada and Mexico. The scale of the event and the globe-spanning travel involved pose a heightened risk of rapid disease transmission at a time when strained U.S. public health resources are coping at home and abroad with outbreaks of measles, Ebola and hantavirus, health security experts say. Budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration, along with the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, have exacerbated those challenges, according to organisers of the new disease-tracking initiative. Reuters A big exclusive from your friend and mine Tom Garry. What a story-getter than man is. I am already looking ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Kiribati is hoping to be a part of before the country is lost to rising sea levels. It does beg the question … when has sport made you miss a major family event? I think this is a good place to start … South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu missed the birth of his daughter this month due to his World Cup preparations, but the 35-year-old says he is determined to compensate for his absence with performances on the pitch. Kim, who is set for his fourth World Cup appearance, acknowledged the emotional cost of being away from his family. “I am really sorry that I couldn’t be with my wife for the birth, and I want to bring home good results from here as my presents,” he told reporters on Sunday before a training session at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in Mexico. With more than 80 caps for South Korea, the experienced FC Tokyo goalkeeper faces competition for the starting spot from Jo Hyeon-woo. The tournament also carries a sense of finality for Kim, who suggested this campaign may mark the end of his World Cup journey. Despite that, his enthusiasm has not dimmed. “I’ve played at every World Cup thinking it could be my last. Given my age now, this one really does feel like my final one,” he said. “I am just as excited about my fourth World Cup as I was about my first one. The first match will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and so there will be some pressure. I will try to stay calm and just do what I can do.“ Reuters Kim Seung-gyu missed his daughter’s birth to prepare for the World Cup. Photograph: Michael Regan/Fifa/Getty Images Thank you very much, David. Let’s see what the next couple of hours bring us … That’s my stint over. By the way, the Netflix documentary about France’s 2010 World Cup implosion – The Bus: A French Football Mutiny – is well worth a watch. Raymond Domenech is some character, isn’t he. Okay, with that, I’ll hand you over to Will Unwin. More on Christian Eriksen as he recovers in hospital after collapsing in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. This is from PA Media. Sunday night’s international friendly results: A few notes. Greece 0-1 Italy. No-one cares. Neither are in the World Cup. For the record, Francesco Esposito got the winner after 17 minutes. Morocco 1-1 Norway: This is more like it. Morocco, the surprise semi-finalists from 2022, face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C. Norway take on France, Senegal and Iraq in a tough Group I. This one took place at at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New York. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz put Morocco in front before Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard levelled with 15 minutes to go. Erling Haaland played 72 minutes. Argentina 2-0 Honduras. We noted this earlier although didn’t mention the fact that Atletico Madrid attacker Giuliano Simeone got the second following Lautaro Martinez’s first-half spot-kick. Another team guide to tuck into – Algeria. File them under ‘engima’. Riyad Mahrez, now 35, remains the main man as they tackle a World Cup group (J) featuring Argentina, Austria and Jordan. Talking of the golden oldies, Luka Modric (4th on the below list) shows no signs of getting tired. The metronomic midfielder was on target for Croatia – England’s first World Cup opponents – in their 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Sunday night. Our Nick Ames was there. If you think Messi is knocking on a bit, he’s not even one of the 10 oldest players at the 2026 World Cup. Modern science, eh. FIFA published the top 20 last week and it’s an early win for Scotland. 1st) Craig Gordon – Scotland (43 years & 162 days)2nd) Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (41 & 126)3rd) Guillermo Ochoa – Mexico (40 & 333)4th) Luka Modric – Croatia (40 & 275)5th) Edin Dzeko – Bosnia and Herzegovina (40 & 86)6th) Manuel Neuer – Germany (40 & 76)7th) Vozinha – Cabo Verde (40 & 8)8th) Fernando Muslera – Uruguay (39 years & 360 days)9th) Yuto Nagatomo – Japan (39 years & 272 days)10th) Hernan Galindez – Ecuador (39 & 73) 11th) Mahdy Soliman – Egypt (39 & 3)12th) Lionel Messi – Argentina (38 & 352)13th) Tim Ream – USA (38 & 249)14th) Weverton – Brazil (38 & 180)15th) Alberto Quintero – Panama (38 & 175)16th) Johny Placide – Haiti (38 & 133)17th) Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina (38 & 119)18th) Gatito Fernandez – Paraguay (38 & 74)19th) Stopira – Cabo Verde (38 & 22)20th) Michael Boxall – New Zealand (37 & 297) (Ages correct as of 11 June 2026). Roger Milla was 42 at World Cup 1994 but the record for oldest player belongs to Essam El Hadary. The Egypt goalkeeper was 45 years and 161 days when appearing between the sticks in the 2018 group game against Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi will turn 39 during this World Cup. And while Qatar 2022 appeared to be the perfect ending for the Argentine legend, just maybe there is another glorious chapter waiting to be written, says Jonathan Wilson. Another update on Christian Eriksen. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, has just posted the following on his Instagram feed: “I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.” Eriksen has shared the post. More news from England. Declan Rice has been named vice-captain by boss Thomas Tuchel. Rice was one of the Arsenal contingent who arrived at England’s pre-tournament base in West Palm Beach on Saturday after they were given extra time to recover from their Champions League exploits. Tuchel is unsure if Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka will be involved against Costa Rica. As for the skipper, Harry Kane has been playing down all the scare stories about players melting in the heat. “The drinks breaks help. A lot of people talk about the heat but I don’t think it will be as big a factor as people say. Myself and a few of the boys felt fine in the first game. We’ve been training in it and it’s not been too bad. I think it’s easy just to say it’s going to be really tough as it’s different to what we are used to. But we are all athletes, we are professionals and have all played in warm-weather conditions before.” Let’s go inside the England camp. David Hytner is one of our men in Tampa and here’s his latest report ahead of the Three Lions’ friendly with Costa Rica on Wednesday night. That game takes place exactly one week before England’s Group L opener against Croatia (17 June, 9pm BST). “The nailed-on picks appear to be Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Which leaves some fighting to be done.” Note that the above list doesn’t include Jude Bellingham. Will he get the nod over Morgan Rogers? Our latest World Cup team guide focuses on holders Argentina. And it’s not just all about Lionel Messi. “Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.” Speaking of which, Martinez scored from the spot as Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly last night. Messi didn’t feature as Argentina wrap him in cotton wool after the skipper felt some muscle fatigue in his hamstring playing for Inter Miami on 24 May. Positive update on Christian Eriksen after collapse This was an alarming and upsetting development last night but thankfully the updates on Christian Eriksen are positive after he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. The former Manchester United midfielder, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in 2021, was quickly tended to by medics in Odense, while the referee abandoned the match early. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, said Eriksen was “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly … and walked off the pitch by himself”. After the incident against Finland in 2021, during which Boesen led the successful resuscitation effort, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in his chest, which can reset the heart after a cardiac arrest. The device allowed him to resume his playing career at club and international level. Speaking after Sunday’s incident, Boesen said: “The pacemaker responded as it should … He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.” Lamine Yamal could play in Spain’s opener Good news for Spain. Rumours that Lamine Yamal may miss Spain’s first two World Cup group games (against Cape Verde and South Africa) may be wide of the mark. The 18-year-old Barcelona winger was absent for the final six matches of the season due to a torn hamstring and hasn’t played since April. But, speaking to our very own Sid Lowe, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente gave this encouraging update: “He’s getting better fast, hitting all the targets earlier. I think he’ll be able to play the first game, but that doesn’t mean [he will]. We’ll evaluate if he has to play a little bit, not play, wait for the second game.” Iran’s World Cup squad landed in Mexico yesterday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff. The squad spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Turkey, using their time there to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States. On the eve of their departure, the players finally received their US visas, according to Washington’s envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack. Iran’s embassy in Turkey said support staff had been denied visas, however. Fifteen administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said. All three of Iran’s Group G games will be held in the United States (Los Angeles and Seattle) but, adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday the squad had been notified that, under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches. Iran’s football federation – whose chief, Mehdi Taj, was reportedly among those denied a visa – has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.” Preamble Good morning and, we can now actually say it, the World Cup starts this week! Woohoo!! With Mexico v South Africa getting us in play on Thursday at 8pm UK time, the countdown clock now shows ‘3 days, 11 hours’. That’s the first of 104 matches across 39 days (blimey!) so the window to get other stuff done in your lives (car tax, jet-washing patio, returning those summer sandals that didn’t fit/were a bad idea) is closing fast. Our build-up continues right here as we go inside the England camp to reflect on their 1-0 hammering of New Zealand and look ahead to Wednesday’s friendly with not-in-the-World-Cup Costa Rica. And there’s a bundle of news, features and previews on everything else connected with this summer’s 2026 extravaganza in the USA, Mexico and Canada, including Scotland raising eyebrows with their first-half performance in the friendly against Bolivia and a fitness update on Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Right, let’s go! Post navigation ফরাসি তারকা প্যাট্রিক ব্রুয়েলকে ধর্ষণ ও যৌন নিপীড়নের অভিযোগে গ্রেপ্তার করেছে পুলিশ Netanyahu promete responder “con forza” se Irán rompe os combates
Somali referee denied entry to US for World Cup: official Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup, was denied entry to the United States, a sports ministry official told AFP on Monday. “Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play,” Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior advisor to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, told AFP. AFP The referee Omar Artan has been denied entry to the United States. Photograph: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP
If you like an insight into liveblogging, my five-year-old daughter is currently sleeping on the sofa next to me after being sent home from school early. I am a committed professional.
The Democratic Republic of Congo will play their final World Cup warm-up against Chile in France on Tuesday, after a Spanish town refused to host the match due to concerns over the Ebola outbreak. The match was originally scheduled to take place in the southern Spanish town of La Linea de la Concepcion, but the mayor, Juan Franco, issued a ban as a “precautionary measure” due to the Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over an Ebola outbreak which was first reported on May 15 in northeastern Congo. According to the WHO, there have been more than 500 confirmed cases, including dozens of deaths, recorded in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda. Despite the concerns, Congolese football officials insist that none of the players called up for the national team are based in the country. The squad has been training in Marbella, southern Spain in recent days and set off on Monday for Orleans in central France. AFP
Anthony emails: “Do you remember where you were on 7 May 2019. Short corner. Goodness gracious, Divock, what have you done! Shame to see his career flame out so young, but didn’t it burn bright that night against Barcelona!” I was watching it on TV, I can remember that.
We should all remember what a great World Cup Fabio Grosso had in 2006. Nick Miller (what ever happened to him?) provides the nostalgia.
Fiorentina have appointed former Italy defender Fabio Grosso as manager, the Serie A club said on Monday, with the 48-year-old signing a two-year contract. Grosso, who scored the winning penalty for Italy in the shootout win over France at the 2006 World Cup final, began his managerial career in Serie B with Bari and Hellas Verona, before taking charge of Brescia, Sion, Frosinone and Olympique Lyonnais. His last role came at Sassuolo, where he won promotion in his first campaign, and after guiding them to mid-table safety in Serie A last season, Grosso left the club by mutual agreement on Thursday. “I never like to make promises,” Grosso said in a Fiorentina statement, “but aware of the responsibilities that await me, I immediately feel I can guarantee seriousness, professionalism and involvement in building a team that has courage and ambition.” Fiorentina battled relegation in the most recent campaign, with Stefano Pioli sacked in November after a 10-game winless start. Paolo Vanoli took over and led them to a 15th-place finish, before departing the club on Friday. Reuters
One for the World Cup head coaches out there but it may be somewhat late if they have not already made their plans. Jonathan Wilson looks back at the innovate and not-so-innovate planning from some countries when travelling to foreign climes. double quotation markThe manager Alf Ramsey, for all his gifts as a coach, was a xenophobe to the core. He had been a player in the England side that had lost to the USA in 1950, and remembered the greasy food served in Brazil with horror. A trip to Brazil in 1964 and a further tour of Latin America in 1969 had only heightened his distrust. England, he decided, would import their own bus, food and water. For the Mexicans, already irritated by a string of undiplomatic statements from Ramsey, this was the final straw. The authorities decided that the United Kingdom was beset by foot and mouth, so they impounded all the frozen meat at the docks then burned it, leaving England to subsist on Findus fishfingers and ready meals.
Austria are heavily reliant on people who had brief spells at Manchester United, from head coach Ralf Rangnick to Marcel Sabitzer. Get the full lowdown with our in-depth preview.
That’s all from me on the blog. I’ll hand back to Will Unwin, who will guide you through the next three hours. Cheers!
Divock Origi retires from football aged 31 Former Liverpool striker Divock Origi has announced his retirement from football, aged just 31. The Belgian has been without a club since leaving Milan on 22 December 2025, more than 600 days after his last competitive appearance. Divock Origi of Liverpool celebrates after scoring in Champions League final against Tottenham in 2019. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Origi announced his retirement via a post on The Players’ Tribune: double quotation markYou couldn’t write a better movie than this. Hollywood, come talk to me!!!! Only God can do this. Only God can create a story like The Divock Origi Story. He gifted me with this unbelievable gift. And this gift went beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I came into this world with the ball at my feet. That ball became my best friend. At night, when I slept, that ball was right next to me. I tucked it in at night. Then I’d close my eyes and picture them showing my highlights on Match of the Day. Football was my whole life. “What do you want to be when you grow up, Divock?” Pffttt, come on, do you even need to ask? When you’re young, and you’re dreaming of being a pro, it’s interesting. You visualize the high moments. You fantasize about it all. Got the whole script written. But you never really picture how it will end. In your dreams, you never get older, you never go beyond. You’re just suspended in time, on the pitch, in a moment of glory — winning the Prem or the Champions League, or getting capped in the World Cup. But the truth is that nothing lasts forever. I look back and just shake my head in awe at everything I have accomplished in this game that I love. Even now, as I write this, it is unbelievable to me that the little boy, from Belgium and Kenya, achieved all his dreams. All I can say is, thank you, God. Thank you, football.
Ofcom has written to social media companies to remind them of their responsibilities regarding online abuse and said it will monitor measures taken against “illegal hate content” during the World Cup. After the experience of England players during the men’s 2021 European Championship and the women’s Euros last year, Ofcom has urged online platforms to make sure they have effective mitigations against abuse in place and that they are “adequately prepared for increased occurrence during the World Cup”. Here’s more on that from Paul MacInnes:
If you don’t know a lot about Spain winger Víctor Muñoz, get to know. The Osasuna flyer is lightning quick and certainly has a striking look with that red crop of hair. I think this could be a breakout tournament for Muñoz, particularly if there are more opportunities on the left wing because of Nico Williams’ injury. Muñoz was at Barcelona in his youth but came through at Real Madrid before being sold to Osasuna in 2025. Madrid apparently have a buy-back clause for €40m. Newcastle are also reportedly interested in following the departure of Anthony Gordon. Víctor Muñoz stands between Pedri (left) and David Raya (right) before Spain’s warm-up game against Iraq last week. Photograph: Irina R Hipolito/AFP7/Shutterstock
Some further quotes from Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente regarding the fitness of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Víctor Muñoz. The trio have been left out of the Spain squad to face Peru tomorrow in a warm-up match in Mexico, but De la Fuente is optimistic about Yamal’s hamstring injury before their first World Cup group game against Cape Verde on 15 June. double quotation markAll three are on track to be fit to play on the 15th. We do not know how many minutes they will be able to play. But Lamine’s injury was different from Nico and Víctor. Each player will have their own recovery process and timeline. However, the most important thing is that, within the timeframe we had planned, the 15th is achievable and will be met, so that they are with us and are available to be selected at some point during the opening game. There was additional concern for Rodri after the Manchester City man was clearly hurt after being clattered in training by Gavi. But De la Fuente played down the incident: double quotation markThis is football. It’s training. The players are very committed, and nobody has to apologise to anybody. Everything is fine. We know Gavi, he has that energy, that drive. That’s one of his virtues. He has to control it and ration it. But I want this Gavi.
Into women’s football now, as Lauren Hemp says the England squad are determined to bounce back from that hugely disappointing 4-0 defeat by Spain that saw the Lionesses miss the chance to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
Vitalii Mykolenko signs new three-year deal at Everton Andy Hunter Vitalii Mykolenko has signed a new three-year contract with Everton. The Ukraine international, who has made 157 appearances for the club since joining from Dynamo Kyiv in 2022, was approaching the end of his previous deal although Everton had the option of a one-year extension. That has now been replaced by a new deal that keeps the left back at Everton until June 2029. Vitalii Mykolenko and Ukraine, seen here in a friendly against Poland last month, failed to reach the World Cup after a playoff defeat to Sweden. Photograph: Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Here’s Rob Draper on Harry Kane’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or and why the World Cup might be critical to his chances of being named the best player in the world.
Israeli authorities release Palestinian player after detention Israeli authorities have released a player on the Palestinian national women’s football team following six days in detention after she was summoned by Jerusalem police, her mother has said. Wissam Halawani said Israeli police released her daughter Rand Halawani, 20, on Sunday, with a five-day house arrest order. Wissam Halawani told AFP that she had “gone through very difficult times over the past few days” following her daughter’s detention, and that she now felt “overwhelming joy” after her return home. The Palestinian Football Association celebrated Halawani’s release in a statement late Sunday. “Rand Halawani breathes freedom … the release of our national women’s team player after her arrest last Tuesday,” the association said in a social media post, accompanied by a poster showing her wearing the Palestinian national team’s red kit. Israeli police said last week that Halawani had been arrested along with an 18-year-old man in relation to an incident in Jerusalem in which objects were allegedly thrown from a balcony at demonstrators marching on a street below. AFP
Remarkably, there will be eight pairs of brothers at the World Cup, although only four of those pairs are part of the same team. Those four are Lucas and Théo Hernández (France), Jurrien Timber and twin Quinten (Netherlands), Laros and Deroy Duarte (Cape Verde) and Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna (Curaçao). The four pairs of siblings that will line-up for different nations are: Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) and half-brother Derrick Luckassen (Ghana). Désiré Doué (France) and Guéla Doué (Ivory Coast). The two could feasibly meet in the knockout rounds. Guéla Doué scored in a 2-1 warm-up victory over France last week, in which Désiré was an unused substitute. John Souttar (Scotland) and Harry Souttar (Australia). Iñaki Williams (Ghana) and Nico Williams (Spain).
Scotland labelled ‘unprofessional’ by Norway after cancelled training game Scotland’s Steve Clarke has been branded “unprofessional” by Norway counterpart Ståle Solbakken. Solbakken hit out after Scotland cancelled a training-ground friendly against his side. The game between the teams – who are both based in North Carolina for their World Cup campaigns – was planned for Monday but the Norwegian Football Federation announced on Sunday it had been called off because of injuries in the Scotland camp. Solbakken spoke out after his side drew 1-1 with Scotland’s Group C rivals Morocco. He told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK: “It was at least as surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland. It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me, that they use the team manager and call and say it after we have finished training. “I don’t think the injuries they’re blaming came from the last training session. That’s not the case. It’s disappointing. It’s unprofessional. But we have to live with that. That’s why we adjusted a bit in the game.” Norway’s team manager, former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland, told NRK: “We have been working on that match for many months. It is embarrassing to cancel it a couple of days before. We can’t do anything about it, we just have to forget about it and make the best of it. But there has been a lot of organisation, agreements and gentlemen’s agreements and then suddenly they don’t want to. I think that was weak, so to speak.” Brede Hangeland is now the team manager of Norway. Photograph: Vegard Grøtt/BILDBYRÅN/Shutterstock Clarke told BBC Scotland: “It was just going to be a training game for an hour at our training ground. We picked up one or two niggles last week and decided it wasn’t worth the risk.” Norway are based at Greensboro, about 90 miles from Scotland’s training camp in Charlotte. PA Media
Scotland have arrived at their World Cup base in Charlotte in North Carolina after their impressive 4-0 win over Bolivia in Saturday’s warm-up game. In fairness to the South Americans, the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey is just 11 metres above sea level, whereas La Paz is 3,600 metres above sea level. Here’s what Scotland manager Steve Clarke had to say about his stay so far in the States: double quotation markEvery experience we’ve had, training camp in Inter Miami, playing a game in New York, it’s surreal really,” he told BBC Scotland. “I think the message to the lads is just to try and soak it all in, take it all in. Obviously, the message as the week goes on and it gets closer to the most competitive game will become more serious and more business, but just now it’s just about trying to enjoy it, trying to embrace it and I think we’re all doing that. Well, me and some of the boys have been together now for seven years, so we’ve built a lot to get to this moment. To think of some of the low places that we have been and to be here at a World Cup with this group of players is just fantastic.” Scotland’s John McGinn (right) arrives at the team hotel in Charlotte on Monday. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA And here’s what our reporter, Ewan Murray, had to say after that win over Bolivia.
If you want to make your own predictions, try our Bracketology game. If Zohran Mamdani has got time to play it, so do you. Zohran Mamdani plays the Guardian’s Bracketology to predict World Cup winner – video
It’s mentioned below that Germany could be a weakened force this tournament but I think the pessimism around the team is reinforced by how tough their group is: Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curaçao and the fact that none of the starting attackers have been in top form recently: Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade have all struggled for consistency in recent months, but they are still excellent players that could produce something special at the tournament. It was only a warm-up match but beating USA on Saturday will have given the Germans encouragement, especially as the only goal they conceded was this wondergoal from Antonee Robinson, which no amount of tactical planning can legislate for.
Hello everyone. Let’s start with the latest findings from the University of Reading, obviously, who have – in lieu of any nearby octopuses – trained their supercomputer to predict the winner of the World Cup. Here are said findings: Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the most likely team to win the 2026 World Cup, but no single nation dominates the field the way previous champions have. That is the verdict of a University of Reading supercomputer created by economist Professor James Reade, who has simulated every match of the 48-team tournament 10,000 times to produce probability estimates for each nation. The model places Argentina at the top of the rankings, with France and Spain almost inseparable in second and third. Brazil and England are closely matched just behind them. Scotland, making a rare appearance at a World Cup finals, are ranked 27th of the 48 nations in the field. Professor James Reade said: “Argentina come out on top, but what stands out most from this simulation is how tight it is at the summit. France and Spain are virtually indistinguishable in the model, and England aren’t far behind either. It has been 60 years since England last lifted the trophy, and the simulation suggests football could finally be coming home.” “What also jumps out is the contrast between sides. Germany’s defensive numbers are notably weaker than in previous cycles, while Portugal have one of the strongest attacking ratings in the whole field. And here are the full rankings, according to Professor James Reade’s supercomputer. 1 Argentina2 France3 Spain4 Brazil5 England6 Portugal7 Colombia8 Netherlands9 Germany10 Uruguay11 Japan12 Croatia13 Morocco14 Belgium15 Mexico16 Ecuador17 Switzerland18 USA19 Iran20 South Korea21 Algeria22 Senegal23 Canada24 Australia25 Turkey26 Austria27 Paraguay28 Norway29 Egypt30 Sweden31 Ivory Coast32 Uzbekistan33 Tunisia34 Czech Republic35 Panama36 Scotland37 Iraq38 DR Congo39 South Africa40 Saudi Arabia41 Jordan42 New Zealand43 Qatar44 Cape Verde45 Bosnia-Herzegovina46 Ghana47 Haiti48 Curaçao
Ben Fisher A bit of Premier League news: it promises to be a summer of change at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola the headline departure. But now an incoming, with their former winger Matt Ritchie, who won promotion to the top flight with the club in 2015, replacing Simon Francis, also part of that title-winning team under Eddie Howe, as technical director. Ritchie joined third-tier Reading last season but the 36-year-old will now continue his career in the game off the pitch, working in a key recruitment role alongside the president of football operations, Tiago Pinto. The headline in this interview with Matt a year ago was somewhat prophetic:
Anders Vad Bruun emails: “From a Danish perspective, a certain Schmeichel the younger didn’t do too badly, and the brothers Laudrup are sons of Finn Laudrup, who played 19 games in red and white and scored six goals from the right wing. And then there’s Cesare and Paolo Maldini and Enrico/Federico Chiesa for the Italians… ”
Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said his team has achieved the desired technical benefits from their loss against Colombia on Monday, and expressed relief that no players were injured during the friendly that came days before the country’s first appearance in a World Cup. Two goals from Jhon Arias gave Colombia a 2-0 victory in San Diego in both teams’ last tune-up match ahead of the tournament. Sellami told reporters after the game that his side had faced a quality opponent and benefited from the experience by testing several aspects during the match. “The technical staff is working on correcting the mistakes in a way that will help develop the team’s performance during the next stage in order to reach the required level of readiness,” the Moroccan coach said. Jordan make their World Cup debut against Austria on June 17 in San Francisco. They will then face Algeria six days later before concluding the group stage against Argentina on June 28 in Dallas. Reuters.
Robert Wyland’s depiction of ocean life was covered up for a World Cup promotion – now he wants retribution, writes Pablo Iglesias Maurer. double quotation markWyland learned that his work had been entirely erased to make way for a new mural promoting the upcoming Fifa World Cup. Almost immediately, Wyland’s team filed a cease and desist. Days later, they filed a lawsuit against Fifa seeking $25m in damages.
Nick Ames, who I am sure is having the time of his life in Varazdin, has the latest from England’s first opponents Croatia.
Fifa has reached a settlement with former France midfielder Lassana Diarra in a player transfer rights case, the global soccer body said on Monday. Diarra had been seeking €65 million (£56m) in damages from Fifa and the Belgian FA after the European Union’s top court (CJEU) ruled in October that some world soccer body rules breached EU laws. Fifa had fined Diarra €10m after the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid player left Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year contract in 2014. “Following the global agreement they have reached, Mr Lassana Diarra and Fifa have settled all legal proceedings between them,” Fifa said in a statement. “Fifa has not made any admission of liability nor payment by way of compensation. Fifa will not be providing any further comment at this time.“ Diarra’s lawyers have yet to respond to a Reuters request for comment. Fifa later amended its transfer regulations after the CJEU ruling, adopting an interim framework on the calculation of compensation payable and burden of proof if there is a breach of contract. The “Diarra ruling” has since prompted about 20 European national player unions to pledge their support to a Europe-wide class action against Fifa. Reuters
“What do we know about Luca Zidane besides the obvious?” asks Krishnamoorthy. “Sons of famous fathers always find it difficult to perform on world stage in general. Do you recall any exceptions?” The Thuram brothers are decent ..
What does it actually take to win a World Cup? Talent? Tactics? A functioning democracy? Not necessarily. As the 2026 World Cup begins, the largest ever, we analysed all 22 past tournaments to find the common threads that link every single champion. From the tactical innovations that shocked the world to the political forces that fuelled past victories, history shows there are eight distinct ways to lift the famous trophy. How to win the World Cup – video explainer
Krishnamoorthy emails: “I missed the last ODI of Malcolm Marshall when he played on 8th March 1992 in the Cricket World Cup. I had to miss it as I got married that day, the alternative did not exist.” I hope your spouse appreciated the sacrifice.
Epidemiologists will be busy this summer sifting through sewage and social media with the goal of keeping soccer fans and the public safe from severe illness during the World Cup, one of the largest and most globally diverse mass gatherings ever anticipated. A public health squad based in Washington, DC, plans to monitor wastewater and internet chatter to detect and track infectious diseases should they emerge in any of the US or Canadian cities hosting World Cup players, their matches, and millions of spectators, organisers said. The 39-day event kicks off in Mexico on Thursday. More than 6.5 million fans are expected to travel from over 100 countries to witness 104 games in the US, Canada and Mexico. The scale of the event and the globe-spanning travel involved pose a heightened risk of rapid disease transmission at a time when strained U.S. public health resources are coping at home and abroad with outbreaks of measles, Ebola and hantavirus, health security experts say. Budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration, along with the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, have exacerbated those challenges, according to organisers of the new disease-tracking initiative. Reuters
I am already looking ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Kiribati is hoping to be a part of before the country is lost to rising sea levels.
I think this is a good place to start … South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu missed the birth of his daughter this month due to his World Cup preparations, but the 35-year-old says he is determined to compensate for his absence with performances on the pitch. Kim, who is set for his fourth World Cup appearance, acknowledged the emotional cost of being away from his family. “I am really sorry that I couldn’t be with my wife for the birth, and I want to bring home good results from here as my presents,” he told reporters on Sunday before a training session at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in Mexico. With more than 80 caps for South Korea, the experienced FC Tokyo goalkeeper faces competition for the starting spot from Jo Hyeon-woo. The tournament also carries a sense of finality for Kim, who suggested this campaign may mark the end of his World Cup journey. Despite that, his enthusiasm has not dimmed. “I’ve played at every World Cup thinking it could be my last. Given my age now, this one really does feel like my final one,” he said. “I am just as excited about my fourth World Cup as I was about my first one. The first match will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and so there will be some pressure. I will try to stay calm and just do what I can do.“ Reuters Kim Seung-gyu missed his daughter’s birth to prepare for the World Cup. Photograph: Michael Regan/Fifa/Getty Images
That’s my stint over. By the way, the Netflix documentary about France’s 2010 World Cup implosion – The Bus: A French Football Mutiny – is well worth a watch. Raymond Domenech is some character, isn’t he. Okay, with that, I’ll hand you over to Will Unwin.
More on Christian Eriksen as he recovers in hospital after collapsing in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. This is from PA Media.
Sunday night’s international friendly results: A few notes. Greece 0-1 Italy. No-one cares. Neither are in the World Cup. For the record, Francesco Esposito got the winner after 17 minutes. Morocco 1-1 Norway: This is more like it. Morocco, the surprise semi-finalists from 2022, face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C. Norway take on France, Senegal and Iraq in a tough Group I. This one took place at at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New York. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz put Morocco in front before Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard levelled with 15 minutes to go. Erling Haaland played 72 minutes. Argentina 2-0 Honduras. We noted this earlier although didn’t mention the fact that Atletico Madrid attacker Giuliano Simeone got the second following Lautaro Martinez’s first-half spot-kick.
Another team guide to tuck into – Algeria. File them under ‘engima’. Riyad Mahrez, now 35, remains the main man as they tackle a World Cup group (J) featuring Argentina, Austria and Jordan.
Talking of the golden oldies, Luka Modric (4th on the below list) shows no signs of getting tired. The metronomic midfielder was on target for Croatia – England’s first World Cup opponents – in their 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Sunday night. Our Nick Ames was there.
If you think Messi is knocking on a bit, he’s not even one of the 10 oldest players at the 2026 World Cup. Modern science, eh. FIFA published the top 20 last week and it’s an early win for Scotland. 1st) Craig Gordon – Scotland (43 years & 162 days)2nd) Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (41 & 126)3rd) Guillermo Ochoa – Mexico (40 & 333)4th) Luka Modric – Croatia (40 & 275)5th) Edin Dzeko – Bosnia and Herzegovina (40 & 86)6th) Manuel Neuer – Germany (40 & 76)7th) Vozinha – Cabo Verde (40 & 8)8th) Fernando Muslera – Uruguay (39 years & 360 days)9th) Yuto Nagatomo – Japan (39 years & 272 days)10th) Hernan Galindez – Ecuador (39 & 73) 11th) Mahdy Soliman – Egypt (39 & 3)12th) Lionel Messi – Argentina (38 & 352)13th) Tim Ream – USA (38 & 249)14th) Weverton – Brazil (38 & 180)15th) Alberto Quintero – Panama (38 & 175)16th) Johny Placide – Haiti (38 & 133)17th) Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina (38 & 119)18th) Gatito Fernandez – Paraguay (38 & 74)19th) Stopira – Cabo Verde (38 & 22)20th) Michael Boxall – New Zealand (37 & 297) (Ages correct as of 11 June 2026). Roger Milla was 42 at World Cup 1994 but the record for oldest player belongs to Essam El Hadary. The Egypt goalkeeper was 45 years and 161 days when appearing between the sticks in the 2018 group game against Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi will turn 39 during this World Cup. And while Qatar 2022 appeared to be the perfect ending for the Argentine legend, just maybe there is another glorious chapter waiting to be written, says Jonathan Wilson.
Another update on Christian Eriksen. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, has just posted the following on his Instagram feed: “I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.” Eriksen has shared the post.
More news from England. Declan Rice has been named vice-captain by boss Thomas Tuchel. Rice was one of the Arsenal contingent who arrived at England’s pre-tournament base in West Palm Beach on Saturday after they were given extra time to recover from their Champions League exploits. Tuchel is unsure if Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka will be involved against Costa Rica. As for the skipper, Harry Kane has been playing down all the scare stories about players melting in the heat. “The drinks breaks help. A lot of people talk about the heat but I don’t think it will be as big a factor as people say. Myself and a few of the boys felt fine in the first game. We’ve been training in it and it’s not been too bad. I think it’s easy just to say it’s going to be really tough as it’s different to what we are used to. But we are all athletes, we are professionals and have all played in warm-weather conditions before.”
Let’s go inside the England camp. David Hytner is one of our men in Tampa and here’s his latest report ahead of the Three Lions’ friendly with Costa Rica on Wednesday night. That game takes place exactly one week before England’s Group L opener against Croatia (17 June, 9pm BST). “The nailed-on picks appear to be Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Which leaves some fighting to be done.” Note that the above list doesn’t include Jude Bellingham. Will he get the nod over Morgan Rogers?
Our latest World Cup team guide focuses on holders Argentina. And it’s not just all about Lionel Messi. “Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.” Speaking of which, Martinez scored from the spot as Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly last night. Messi didn’t feature as Argentina wrap him in cotton wool after the skipper felt some muscle fatigue in his hamstring playing for Inter Miami on 24 May.
Positive update on Christian Eriksen after collapse This was an alarming and upsetting development last night but thankfully the updates on Christian Eriksen are positive after he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. The former Manchester United midfielder, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in 2021, was quickly tended to by medics in Odense, while the referee abandoned the match early. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, said Eriksen was “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly … and walked off the pitch by himself”. After the incident against Finland in 2021, during which Boesen led the successful resuscitation effort, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in his chest, which can reset the heart after a cardiac arrest. The device allowed him to resume his playing career at club and international level. Speaking after Sunday’s incident, Boesen said: “The pacemaker responded as it should … He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”
Lamine Yamal could play in Spain’s opener Good news for Spain. Rumours that Lamine Yamal may miss Spain’s first two World Cup group games (against Cape Verde and South Africa) may be wide of the mark. The 18-year-old Barcelona winger was absent for the final six matches of the season due to a torn hamstring and hasn’t played since April. But, speaking to our very own Sid Lowe, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente gave this encouraging update: “He’s getting better fast, hitting all the targets earlier. I think he’ll be able to play the first game, but that doesn’t mean [he will]. We’ll evaluate if he has to play a little bit, not play, wait for the second game.”
Iran’s World Cup squad landed in Mexico yesterday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff. The squad spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Turkey, using their time there to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States. On the eve of their departure, the players finally received their US visas, according to Washington’s envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack. Iran’s embassy in Turkey said support staff had been denied visas, however. Fifteen administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said. All three of Iran’s Group G games will be held in the United States (Los Angeles and Seattle) but, adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday the squad had been notified that, under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches. Iran’s football federation – whose chief, Mehdi Taj, was reportedly among those denied a visa – has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.”
Preamble Good morning and, we can now actually say it, the World Cup starts this week! Woohoo!! With Mexico v South Africa getting us in play on Thursday at 8pm UK time, the countdown clock now shows ‘3 days, 11 hours’. That’s the first of 104 matches across 39 days (blimey!) so the window to get other stuff done in your lives (car tax, jet-washing patio, returning those summer sandals that didn’t fit/were a bad idea) is closing fast. Our build-up continues right here as we go inside the England camp to reflect on their 1-0 hammering of New Zealand and look ahead to Wednesday’s friendly with not-in-the-World-Cup Costa Rica. And there’s a bundle of news, features and previews on everything else connected with this summer’s 2026 extravaganza in the USA, Mexico and Canada, including Scotland raising eyebrows with their first-half performance in the friendly against Bolivia and a fitness update on Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Right, let’s go!