World Cup Page 16 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Vinicius Jr. takes center stage as Brazil begin World Cup vs. Morocco
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- As Brazil prepare to open their 2026 World Cup against Morocco on Saturday, Vinicius Jr. does not mince words about what his second World Cup means.,"This is the most important time in my life and in my career," the 25-year-old Real Madrid star said on Friday.,With the aging...
Neymar (calf) ruled out for Brazil's World Cup opener vs. Morocco
Brazil will be without the legendary Neymar for its first World Cup group stage match due to a calf injury, Brazilian coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday.,"He is working hard to be fit again as quickly as possible," Ancelotti said. "We hope he can return to full training next week.",Brazil will hav...
Canada rally for draw vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in home World Cup opener
Cyle Larin scored in the 78th minute as Canada salvaged a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening match in Group B play Friday in Toronto. ,Jovo Lukic scored in the 21st minute for Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were playing their first World Cup match since being eliminated from group...
Ghana player, facing rape charges, denied entry to Canada
Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey will miss next week's World Cup opener against Panama after being denied entry into Canada.,The Canadian government denied a visa application for Partey, 32, who is awaiting trial in England on multiple charges of rape and sexual assault. The former Arsenal star has pl...
Four Big Takeaways From Day 1 of the 2026 World Cup
From a flurry of red cards to Mexico's historic opening win, here are the biggest takeaways from Day 1 of the 2026 World Cup....
Argentina GK Emiliano Martinez completes training session
Injured Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez completed his first full training session with his national side on Thursday in preparations for Tuesday's World Cup Group J opener against Algeria.,Martinez, 33, is considered likely to start the contest in Kansas City, Mo., which will be just the seco...
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, says he is physically 'fine' ahead of World Cup
Despite not scoring in either of Portugal's World Cup tune-ups this month, 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo insists his fitness level is not a concern.,"Physically? I'm fine," the forward told reporters on Friday, per ESPN. "Have you not seen my matches?",Ronaldo scored 28 times for his club th...
President Trump will not attend U.S. team's World Cup opener
President Donald Trump will not be in attendance when the United States opens its World Cup competition against Paraguay on Friday in Inglewood, Calif.,That was confirmed by Andrew Giuliani, the CEO of the World Cup task force, in an interview with a radio station in the United Kingdom.,"He's not go...
USMNT D Chris Richards (ankle) available for selection vs. Paraguay
After U.S. men's national team defender Chris Richards told reporters Wednesday he's ready for the World Cup after being limited with an ankle injury, manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed Thursday that Richards is available for selection.,"Chris is available to be selected, and then we will decide ...
Mexico kick off World Cup with 2-0 win over 9-man South Africa
Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez both scored their first career World Cup goals, and co-hosts Mexico kicked off the 2026 edition with a comfortable 2-0 win over nine-man South Africa on Thursday afternoon to open Group A in Mexico City.,The Colombian-born Quinones scored only nine minutes into his W...
Japan's Wataru Endo out of World Cup, international career over
Japanese captain Wataru Endo withdrew from the World Cup due to injury Thursday and announced his retirement from international competition.,The 33-year-old Liverpool midfielder has been dealing with an ankle injury that required surgery in February. He was hoping to be fit for the competition in No...
Haiti alter World Cup uniforms following FIFA pushback
Haiti World Cup uniform manufacturer Saeta Sports has altered the Caribbean nation's home, away and third jerseys three days prior to kickoff of their first World Cup match in response to concerns from FIFA that visual imagery on the shirt could be interpreted as a political message.,The original de...
Denied U.S. entry, Somali ref to officiate UEFA Super Cup
Somali referee Omar Artan has been assigned to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain, days after he was denied entry into the United States by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.,Artan was one of 52 FIFA head referees selected to officiate the 2026 FIFA World...
Argentina vault back to No. 1 in FIFA world ranking
Defending World Cup champion Argentina vaulted back into the top spot of the FIFA Men's World Ranking in the latest poll that was released just hours before the 2026 tournament was set to begin.,Argentina, who won the 2022 World Cup at Qatar with a victory in penalties over France, had not held the ...
Mexico ticket sales halted on secondary market
With more than two hours to go until Mexico and South Africa were set to kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City on Thursday, all major secondary ticket websites tracked by ticketdata.com had stopped selling tickets to the high-demand match.,As of 12:50 p.m. ET, there were no seats remaining...
England preparing to weather World Cup storm
After England's lackluster Florida friendly against New Zealand in Tampa, the Three Lions had a much better showing in their final World Cup tune-up against Costa Rica on Wednesday night in Orlando.,They even got to test their patience with North America's tumultuous summer weather.,After short, int...
Morocco address injury concerns ahead of opener vs. Brazil
Morocco made a pair of roster moves on Thursday, two days ahead of their World Cup Group C opener against Brazil in East Rutherford, N.J.,Amine Sbai is taking the place of star forward Abde Ezzalzouli, while Marwane Saadane is replacing fellow defender Nayef Aguerd on Morocco's 26-man squad.,Ezzalzo...
Spain, France open as World Cup favorites; USMNT popular longshot
The 2026 World Cup finally kicks off on Thursday with Spain and France as the clear pre-tournament favorites.,Spain, ranked second in the latest FIFA Men's World Rankings, are co-favorites at +450 by BetMGM along with third-ranked France. Spain are the book's third biggest liability and lead the way...
Top Storylines to Watch as the 2026 FIFA World Cup Kicks Off
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is here. From Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the USMNT and Kylian Mbappe, here are the tournament's biggest storylines....
Six Things That Must Happen for USMNT to Win the World Cup
The United States enters the 2026 World Cup as a longshot, but a deep run isn't impossible. Here's what must happen for the USMNT to shock the world....