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Friday briefing: How Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have found themselves caught in an escalation without end

World Cup fever takes hold, [Michael Hann](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jun/04/the-20-best-songs-about-football-ranked) ranks the top 20 **songs about football**. ***Patrick*** ## Sport ![Maja ­Chwalinska celebrates her semi-final round victory over D. Shnaider during the Roland-Garros 2026

How could extreme weather affect World Cup 2026?

World Cup matches. While match times could be adjusted, thunderstorms are inherently difficult to predict precisely, making them one of the more unpredictable risks facing organisers. ## Wildfires and poor air quality ![Smoke from the recent

DR Congo seek World Cup ticket refunds after Ebola outbreak

2026 World Cup tickets bought by fans who are now unable to enter the United States because of Ebola-related travel restrictions.** The Leopards are returning to football's biggest stage for the first time

North Korea's powerhouse women footballers are in Seoul to fight for title

2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup: achievements that far outshine those of the men's side. "The biggest weakness of North Korean male athletes is their smaller physique," said Heo Jeong

US visa rejections, war on Iran keep fans away from World Cup

FIFA World Cup last March, the men’s national team didn’t expect their participation to hinge on visas being granted by hosts, the United States, only at the last moment

India’s Zee Entertainment signs World Cup 2026 broadcast deal with FIFA

2026 and 2030 tournaments before ‌‌slashing its asking price to $60 million. The deal gives Zee a toehold in India’s sports broadcast market, where the Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar holds rights ranging from

Ranking the World Cup 2026 groups: Which teams are favourites to progress?

2026 groups: Which teams are favourites to progress? A record 48 teams will contest this summer’s World Cup, with 12 groups making up the first stage of the tournament. Twelve seeded teams are spread

Wars, sanctions and punishments: Iraq's 40-year World Cup wait

2026 World Cup by beating Bolivia in Mexico, the location of their first ever appearance on the global stage back in 1986.** Karim Allawi was a player 40 years ago as the Lions of Mesopotamia

The $13bn World Cup: how the numbers stack up on Fifa’s 2026 balance sheet

2026 balance sheet A World Cup that Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, billed at the draw last December as [“the greatest event that humanity has ever seen”](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/12/05/2026-world-cup-draw-trump-takes-center-stage-as-he-wins-inaugural-fifa-peace-prize_6748191_4.html) will certainly be the most

What are World Cup 2026 national team base camps and their locations?

FIFA Venues of World Cup 2026-1776670771](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/INTERACTIVE-Football-FIFA-Venues-of-World-Cup-2026-1776670771.png?quality=80) [Al Jazeera] ## Canada: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada **Training:** National Soccer Development Centre **Accommodation:** The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver **Fixtures:** Bosnia (June 12, Toronto), Qatar (June

FIFA warned ‘gruelling heat’ could impact a quarter of World Cup games

2026 World Cup compared to the 1994 tournament on the same continent,” said World Weather Attribution (WWA), a network of climate scientists. WWA’s scientific analysis estimates that 26 of the 104 matches could

Brentford and Fulham share the points after goalless draw

FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Scotland and Denmark.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/480/cpsprodpb/6cbf/live/93632120-28f2-11f1-934f-036468834728.jpg) [View more](/sport/ask-me-anything) ## [More European football](/sport/football/european) - [Struggling Real suffer title blow with Girona draw](/sport/football/live/cgrlqgzr0elt) Real Madrid suffer La Liga title

World Cup 2026: Haiti fans feel excluded from first tournament since 1974

2026: Haiti fans feel excluded from first tournament since 1974 **Boston, United States –** Haitians are looking forward to their national team’s first World Cup appearance since 1974, but [high prices for tickets](/sports/2026/4/27/fifa-world-cup-2026-dynamic-pricing-match-tickets-peter-moore

Hero’s welcome for Somali referee denied entry to US World Cup tournament

watched by “thousands of Somalis eager to see how their man would handle the pressure”. Artan, named African Referee of the Year in 2025, was selected for the FIFA World Cup earlier this year. Heaping

Yamal in Spain’s World Cup squad, but no room for Real Madrid players

FIFA World Cup, named by coach Luis de la Fuente, who also included Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino in the European champions’ roster after his recent return from injury. For the first time since 1950, Spain

How to enjoy the World Cup - and keep your boss on side

2026 FIFA World Cup about to get under way, many fans in England and Scotland are honing their strategy to balance late kick-offs with work the next morning. Matches are happening across

World Cup 2026: Which star players will miss the tournament?

FIFA World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Finals - Sweden v Poland - Strawberry Arena, Solna, Sweden - March 31, 2026 Poland's Robert Lewandowski reacts during the match REUTERS/Kacper Pempel](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-03-31T205300Z_632327290_UP1EM3V1M0BQK_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-SWE-POL-1777873735.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C509&quality=80) The 2026 edition was probably Lewandowski

World Cup 2026: Spain ex-players, fans cautiously embrace favourites tag

2026 World Cup](/fifa-world-cup-2026/) but will face stiff competition from a small group of leading rivals when the tournament kicks off next month. Nadal, a commanding defender who played in the “Dream Team” for Barcelona

Why super-sized and politicised World Cup comes at a cost

2026. "It's obvious when it comes to Fifa competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there

Why are FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets so expensive?

2026-1776671102](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/INTERACTIVE-Football-FIFA-Teams-that-have-qualified-for-the-World-Cup-2026-1776671102.png?quality=80) [Al Jazeera] ## What’s the price range of World Cup tickets? When the tickets first went on sale, in December, the prices ranged from $140 for category