DEM · Attacker · #7 · Netherlands · 29 yrs
The USMNT makes its highly anticipated 2026 World Cup debut against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium, but President Donald Trump will be noticeably absent from the stands. The USMNT is officially kicking off its 2026 World Cup journey against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium. The match marks a deeply symbolic return to home soil for the tournament, with American fans buzzing with the same energy that defined the historic 1994 tournament. Following the star-studded opening spectacles ahead of Mexico vs. South Africa and Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States capped off the initial opening phase with its own dazzling pre-match ceremony. However, despite the immense gravity of the event for the co-host nation, President Donald Trump was notably absent from the high-profile opening match festivities. While it is rare for a sitting head of state to skip their own nation’s World Cup opener, Trump isn’t alone this week; Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also elected to bypass El Tri’s opening 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca. A general view of the 2026 World Cup Opening Ceremony in the USA. (Getty Images) The reason behind Donald Trump’s absence Andrew Giuliani, the chief executive of the White House World Cup task force, officially confirmed that the President’s absence boils down to a hyper-congested political and logistical schedule in Washington, D.C. “He’s not going to end up attending the opening game,” Giuliani told UK radio station TalkSport. “As we’ve said, his scheduling is tight. But I know he’s going to be engaged throughout this World Cup”. A major anchor keeping Trump on the East Coast is a massive sporting event packed into the upcoming weekend. The President is scheduled to remain in the nation’s capital to host the UFC Freedom 250 event right on the White House grounds this Sunday, a massive celebration that also marks his 80th birthday.
Iran's national football team held its first open training session in Mexico on Thursday, offering a glimpse of a squad preparing for the World Cup under the shadow of conflict with the US as President Donald Trump claimed a breakthrough in efforts to end the war.
Mark Pougatch acknowledged the controversies surrounding the tournament, while capturing the excitement of football fansDon’t mention the war. Mark Pougatch mentioned it, right at the start of ITV’s World Cup coverage, but I think he got away with it. He also, to his credit, highlighted the outrageous ticket prices, as well as the disgraceful treatment of the teams, fans and officials who now find themselves persona non grata in the US. Even Donald J Trump, the first (and quite possibly last) holder of the Fifa Peace Prize, got a mention. Pougatch also gave a visibly emotional Ian Wright the chance to suggest that the US has “no idea of the spirit of the game”. All unexpectedly and encouragingly feisty.Of course, it was no Gary Lineker, railing against the hosts’ human rights record while launching the BBC’s coverage of Qatar 2022. But Lineker is a corporation ghost now – no longer at the Beeb but podcasting for Netflix. The BBC have, on the grounds of cost, opted to present this World Cup from an austerity bunker in Salford. The Telegraph derided this as a “work from home” operation. ITV are already having some fun with it too. Continue reading...
Ted Lasso will deliver a message of hope before the USA’s first game, in an America that is not a fit or desirable host right nowShortly before 6pm local time on Friday night at the Los Angeles Stadium, the actor who plays Ted Lasso – the fictional manager of a fake team in a falsely heartwarming version of football – will tell hundreds of millions of TV viewers tuning in to watch the start of the American leg of the Fifa World Cup that football unites the world.In an interesting twist, the actor Jason Sudeikis will do this at a time when the World Cup host is simultaneously bombing the second-ranked country in Group G, having recently murdered its head of state. The message of unity is one likely to be heard by the US president, Donald Trump, who has initiated six military conflicts in his second term, and whose brutally divisive immigration policies have now led to the barring of Omar Artan, the reigning African referee of the year. Continue reading...
FIFA's president Gianni Infantino has been most visible ingratiating himself with US President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 World Cup, so much so that he has had to defend himself from accusations of breaching FIFA's duty of political neutrality. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.
BBC TV and radio host on sportswashing, the brilliance of watching Argentina up close and why Donald Trump won’t be able to hijack the football glory“Before every tournament there are always concerns,” Kelly Cates says as she approaches her fifth World Cup as a television and radio presenter. “There’s always something everybody’s worried about. This time I worry about the humidity and the altitude for the players and there are political concerns, obviously.“But there are also concerns that it’s not going to feel like a World Cup. In the US, they probably see that as a good thing. They probably see it as: ‘We’re going to make it better.’ Whereas we’re looking at it from a more traditional point of view, thinking: ‘Why are you going to change something that’s so amazing in the first place?’” Continue reading...
