South Korea rallied from a goal down to defeat Czechia 2-1 and make a winning start to their World Cup Group A campaign, much to the delight of their fans and the sizable local Mexican support they enjoyed in a festive Guadalajara.South Korea joined Mexico on three points at the top of the group after the co-hosts beat nine-man South Africa 2-0 in the tournament opener in Mexico City. Continue reading...
Colombia and Jordan are clashing for one last friendly prior to the beginning of the 2026 World Cup, with questions rising over the presence of James Rodriguez on the game. Colombia faces Jordan on Sunday, June 7, in their final pre-tournament friendly ahead of the 2026 World Cup at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. With ten days remaining before their Group K opener against Uzbekistan, the key question is whether James Rodriguez will be in the starting lineup for the Cafeteros. James Rodriguez is starting against Jordan. In the previous friendly against Costa Rica, head coach Nestor Lorenzo opted to rotate several starters, with James entering as a second-half substitute in what ended as a comfortable 3-1 victory for Colombia. With their base camp established in Guadalajara, the Colombian national team arrived in San Diego on Friday and held multiple training sessions ahead of Sunday’s match. Their World Cup debut against Uzbekistan is set for Wednesday, June 17, giving Lorenzo and his staff ten more days to fine-tune the squad’s preparation. Jordan, meanwhile, arrive in difficult form after a 4-1 defeat against Switzerland last Sunday. Drawn into Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria and Austria, the Asian side will be looking for an encouraging result against Colombia as they make their final preparations for their first World Cup appearance. James Rodriguez of Colombia dribbles the ball against Alvaro Zamora of Costa Rica. Jordan as a dry run for the Uzbekistan challenge With ten days to go before the tournament opener and part of the squad having been rotated against Costa Rica, Lorenzo is expected to go closer to his first-choice lineup against Jordan, a side he views as tactically comparable to their first World Cup opponent. “Jordan is a team that is tactically similar to Uzbekistan in that they play with a back five. They might suddenly play a 5-3-2 or a 5-4-1, just like Uzbekistan does too. So, well, Uzbekistan sometimes transitions—besides the back three—into a 3-4-3 when playing in a medium or high block, right?… Beyond the opponent, knowing how to face them, but finding the pathways that lead us to victory. That is the challenge of this match in particular,” Lorenzo said at his pre-match press conference. Confirmed lineups for Colombia and Jordan Colombia’s confirmed lineup (4-2-3-1): Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Davinson Sánchez, Jhon Lucumí, Johan Mojica; Jefferson Lerma, Gustavo Puerta; Jhon Arias, James Rodriguez, Luis Díaz; Luis Suarez.Head coach: Nestor Lorenzo. Jordan’s confirmed lineup (5-3-2): Yazeed Abu Laila; Ehsan Haddad, Abdallah Nassib, Yazan AlArab, Saleem Obaid, Mohannad Abu Tah; Nizar Al-Rashdan, Noor Al-Rawabdeh, Mousa Al-Tamari; Odeh Fakhoury, Ali Olwan.Head coach: Jamal Sellami.
Daizen Maeda opened the scoring for Celtic in their 3-1 Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline Athletic to make it nine goals in seven games. The Japan international becomes the first Celtic player since Jorge Cadete, in 1997, to score in seven consecutive games - he scored 12 goals in that time.
Gary Lineker called it possibly the worst VAR decision he has seen. Celtic’s win against Motherwell is another reason to ditch the systemThis moment was inevitable. One when observers from Gorgie to Guadalajara ponder how Scottish football got itself into such a tangle with the video assistant referee system. Sadly for Hearts, the incident in question may prove fatal in their push to make history. Sadly for Celtic, it will be a key reference point in the event of a successful title defence.Gary Lineker played for Tottenham in a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle in 1990, which has never appeared to fuel a lasting affection for Hearts. Lineker is untainted by the Old Firm’s suffocating tribalism. He passed the neutrality test with flying colours. Lineker used social media to amplify the cries of disgust as Celtic were awarded a late, late penalty to win at Motherwell. “This might be the worst VAR decision I’ve seen (and there’s a lot of competition),” Lineker said. “Extraordinary given the significance.” Continue reading...
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played across 16 different venues spread throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature several innovations compared to previous editions. Not only will there be a new expanded format with 48 teams, but it will also be the first World Cup hosted by three different countries. That has increased the number of venues to a total of 16. The United States are the tournament’s main host nation, meaning most of the matches will be played on U.S. soil. As a result, 11 of the 16 venues are located in the country. In addition, most of the tournament’s marquee games will take place there, including the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The largest stadium at the World Cup will be AT&T Stadium in Dallas, which has a capacity of 94,000 spectators. Behind it is Estadio Azteca in Mexico, which was completely renovated for the tournament and, with a capacity of 83,000, will become the first stadium to host three different World Cups after previously doing so in 1970 and 1986. On the other end of the scale, the smallest stadium in the tournament will be BMO Field in Toronto — one of only two venues in Canada alongside Vancouver. The stadium is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, and it has a capacity of 45,000 spectators. A general view inside the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Venues in the United States for the World Cup On the West Coast, three cities will host matches during the 2026 World Cup. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco will represent California, while Seattle will host games at Lumen Field, where four group-stage matches and two knockout-stage games will be played. Texas will also feature two host cities during the tournament. Alongside AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Houston’s NRG Stadium will also host matches. In addition, Kansas City will stage six games, including Lionel Messi’s debut with Argentina against Algeria. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which has a capacity of 65,000 spectators, will host several important matches, including the third-place game. Meanwhile, one of the semifinals will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The final three venues on U.S. soil will also be located on the East Coast. Along with the previously mentioned MetLife Stadium in New Jersey/New York, the tournament will also feature Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and Gillette Stadium in Boston. Venues in Mexico for the 2026 World Cup Of the three host nations, Mexico are the country with the richest soccer tradition. Two of the most iconic World Cups in history were held there: the 1970 edition won by Pele’s Brazil and the 1986 tournament inspired by Diego Maradona’s Argentina. Now Mexico will have the honor of hosting the opening match, which will feature Mexico and South Africa on June 11. The selected venue for that game is Estadio Azteca, which will also host two additional group-stage matches and two knockout-stage games. The other two venues in Mexico will be Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Monterrey, which has a capacity of 53,500 spectators, and Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Guadalajara, where 48,000 fans can attend. Mexico will play their second group-stage match there against South Korea. Venues in Canada for the 2026 World Cup Unlike the United States and Mexico, this will be Canada’s first experience hosting a World Cup. They will play all three of their group-stage matches at home, traveling from one side of the country to the other. Canada’s opening match will take place on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to that game, the venue will host four other matches, including one in the Round of 32. The country’s other venue is BC Place in Vancouver, which has a capacity of 54,000 spectators and will host a Round of 16 matchup as its marquee game. The 16 venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup CITYVENUECAPACITYDallas – Uni
While the Liga MX playoffs are still being played, Javier Aguirre has taken the determination to exclude all players who don't report to Mexico's training camp from the 2026 World Cup squad. Javier Aguirre will lead Mexico into the 2026 World Cup on home soil, but the upcoming international window has already sparked a fresh controversy for El Tri. With several called-up players currently competing in the Liga MX playoffs, the Mexican Football Federation has issued a stark ultimatum: report to the national team camp or be left off the World Cup roster entirely. On April 28, the Mexico national team published a list of 20 Liga MX-based players summoned for the pre-tournament training camp ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The camp, set to open on May 6, precedes friendly matches against Ghana on May 22, Australia on May 30, and Serbia on June 4. The controversy erupted almost immediately, as several clubs are still involved in high-stakes competitions. Toluca requested a special exemption due to their CONCACAF Champions Cup second leg on May 6, while Chivas de Guadalajara’s ownership went a step further after the request, pulling five of their called-up players from the national team camp entirely to ensure they were available for the Liga MX quarterfinals against Tigres. Mexico federation’s ultimatum The second legs of the Liga MX Clausura quarterfinals are scheduled for May 9 and 10, and every competing club wants their best players available for a shot at advancing. The clash between the domestic postseason and the national team’s preparation schedule came to a head this week, prompting the federation to draw a firm line. La Selección Nacional de México informa: pic.twitter.com/ucCzxJ8uKX— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) May 6, 2026 The Mexican Football Federation released a pointed statement on Wednesday outlining the terms of the camp: “As published this past Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the Mexico National Team’s training camp for the three preparatory matches against Ghana, Australia, and Serbia—and for the World Cup—will begin this Wednesday, May 6, at 8:00 PM, with the 20 Liga MX players called up by head coach Javier Aguirre.“ The closing lines of the statement left no room for ambiguity. “All players must report to the Centro de Alto Rendimiento in Mexico City. Per instructions from the coaching staff, any player who fails to report to the camp today will be excluded from the World Cup,” the federation added. The decision has ignited the debate about whether Liga MX-based players benefit more from playoff experience or national team preparation, particularly at a time when their European counterparts are still in the middle of their own club seasons. The final World Cup roster is set to be announced on June 1, following the Ghana and Australia friendlies but before the final tuneup against Serbia, and the full fallout from the standoff between the federation and the clubs is still playing out.
