California, June 20 (IANS) Matias Galarza’s record-breaking early strike and a resilient defensive display helped 10-man Paraguay secure a dramatic 1-0 victory over Turkey on Saturday, keeping their FIFA World Cup 2026 hopes alive while eliminating the Turks from the tournament. Paraguay, who lost 4-1 to the United States in their first Group D match, got off to a great start when Galarza scored just 64 seconds into the game. The midfielder hit a powerful low shot from 25 meters that beat the go…
Latest FIFA News & Updates
Tehran, June 19 (IANS) The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) has expressed disappointment over the travel restrictions imposed on the team by the co-hosts USA during the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 and has decided to lodge an official complaint to the governing body, FIFA, on the following matter.Iran players are only allowed to fly into the USA a day before they have a game and have to leave the country on the same day as a match under the conditions of their visas, which could be a big hurdl…
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) FIFA will reportedly pay Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan his full tournament fee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite his inability to officiate at the competition after being denied entry into the United States.According to a report by The BBC, the world governing body has decided that Artan will receive the full remuneration allocated to match officials for the tournament, ensuring he is not financially affected by the circumstances that forced him to miss the eve…
New Jersey, June 14 (IANS) Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi said his side had laid down an early World Cup marker after a 1-1 draw with Brazil on Saturday, declaring his team was capable of more. Morocco led through Ismael Saibari’s early goal and created several problems for the five-time world champion before settling for a point in its Group C opener.”We won’t settle for this. I can promise you this is not the end,” Ouahbi told a post-match news conference in New Jersey, as quoted by Xinhua. “T…
Santa Clara, June 14 (IANS) FIFA issued an official clarification on the AR controversy during Switzerland vs Qatar at the FIFA World Cup 2026, stating that “a brief technical glitch” disrupted the generation of the semi-automated offside animation graphic and “workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue.” The incident occurred in the 14th minute of the game, when Switzerland was given a penalty kick as Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada fouled Swiss player Remo Freuler. Even though video re…
Accra, June 13 (IANS) Ghana’s government has strongly criticised Canada’s decision to refuse a visa to midfielder Thomas Partey, a move that will prevent the player from featuring in the country’s opening FIFA World Cup match against Panama on June 17.The Ghanaian Foreign Ministry described the decision as “high-handed and extremely unfair” and confirmed that it had formally protested to Canadian authorities while seeking a review of the ruling.According to the Ministry, Canadian officials based…
New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) From Thursday night, alarm clocks will be ignored, office productivity will dip, and millions of fans will survive on coffee, hope, and football.The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here, and from the millennials, who grew up waking at odd hours to watch Ronaldo, Zidane, and Ronaldinho, to Gen Z supporters documenting every kick, save, and celebration on social media, football’s biggest spectacle has once again united generations in a familiar ritual — sacrificing sle…
New York, June 10 (IANS) Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit published an open letter on Wednesday, a day before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign amid growing controversy surrounding U.S. immigration policies.Recent days have seen a series of incidents involving teams and officials travelling to the tournament, with Iran’s national team forced to move its training camp to Mexico and several support staff denied visas. Somali referee Omar Ar…
New Delhi, June 10 (IANS) Iran has warned it could stop its World Cup matches if unauthorised flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted inside stadiums, according to reports in Iranian media citing Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali.The warning comes just days before Iran starts its Group G campaign at the World Cup, which begins on Thursday. Iran will face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium at the same venue on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.”We h…
New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan says his dream of officiating at the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been shattered after he was denied entry into the United States despite traveling with what he described as valid documentation and a proper visa.Artan was expected to be the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup finals. However, on Monday, he was removed from FIFA’s list of tournament officials after US immigration authorities prevented him from entering the coun…