With each application validated by unique credit card data, fans placed an average of 15 million ticket requests per day over the 33-day application window, setting a new benchmark for demand in the history of world sport. Applications were received from fans living in all countries and territories where FIFA’s 211 Member Associations govern the game, underlining the truly global appeal of the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup™.

Apart from the host countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada – the highest number of applications came from fans residing in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia. The most coveted match in this sales phase was Colombia v. Portugal on Saturday, 27 June in Miami. The top 5 was completed by Mexico v. Korea Republic in Guadalajara on Thursday, 18 June; the final in New York New Jersey on Sunday, 19 July; the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June; and the round-of-32 match in Toronto on Thursday, 2 July – highlighting the exceptional appeal of both marquee fixtures and knockout-stage encounters across all three host nations.

“Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand – it’s a global statement. On behalf of FIFA, I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“Knowing how much this tournament means to people around the world, our only regret is that we cannot welcome every fan inside the stadiums. That is why we are committed to creating multiple ways for fans to be part of the FIFA World Cup 2026 – through a wide range of fan experiences beyond the stadiums, both in person and online – so that as many people as possible can share in what will be the biggest sporting event ever staged.”

Following the closure of the Random Selection Draw application period, FIFA Ticketing will verify that ticket requests meet the application requirements and household limits prior to allocating tickets. Once this process is concluded and where demand exceeds available inventory, tickets will be allocated via a random selection process to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all applicants.

Fans will be notified of the outcome of their ticket applications by email no earlier than 5 February. All successful and partially successful ticket applicants will receive communications via email and subsequently will be automatically charged for their tickets. A partially successful application indicates that a fan will receive the number of tickets requested to a match, but not all matches requested. Fans who are unsuccessful in this phase will have another opportunity to purchase remaining inventory closer to the tournament, when the Last-Minute Sales phase opens. During this window, which runs until the end of the tournament, tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans are reminded that FIFA.com/tickets is the official and preferred source for purchasing tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

In addition, FIFA operates an official Resale/Exchange Marketplace for eligible ticket holders via FIFA.com/tickets. This initiative is aimed at safeguarding fans against invalid or unauthorised resale/exchange and is available to supporters subject to federal and local regulations.

Fans who would like to immediately purchase access to specific matches and are looking for a premium, elevated matchday experience can purchase hospitality packages, which include match tickets, at FIFA.com/hospitality through On Location, the Official Hospitality Provider of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Additionally, fans can consider all-inclusive travel packages from Qatar Airways, which include match tickets, transport, hotel stays and flights.

A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each host country’s government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States. Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible. FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks.

As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of men’s, women’s and youth football throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations. FIFA expects to reinvest over 90% of its budgeted investments for the 2023-2026 cycle back into the game, with the aim of significantly boosting the development of football around the world. A full overview of the FIFA World Cup investment budget is available on FIFA.com.

Disabled fans face paying more to attend games as there are no tickets available to them in the lowest-priced tier of the general allocation.

Personal assistants have been told they will have to pay the full price of a ticket, rather than receive a free or concession rate. Fifa says it cannot guarantee that they will get a seat next to the disabled fan they have taken to the game.

There is also uncertainty over how many tickets will be made available to wheelchair users and the number of easy access spaces.

Level Playing Field says it “raised serious and legitimate concerns” with Fifa more than three weeks ago but has not received a response.

It has now written to national governing bodies and the secretary of state for culture, media and sport.

“This ongoing uncertainty over accessible ticketing is unacceptable,” said Tony Taylor, the chair of Level Playing Field.

“The current situation appears to expect disabled fans to gamble on cost and access.

“Planning, personal assistants and pricing are vital considerations for disabled fans, as repeatedly shown in Level Playing Field Annual Fan Survey data.

“Restricting access to the lowest pricing tiers and charging for personal assistants, add unavoidable, additional, disability-related costs to attending.

“Instead of addressing the issue and communicating with supporters effectively, the current response has only been to delay and ignore.”

Fifa has been approached for comment.

World football’s governing body has been heavily criticised for its high pricing structure at this summer’s event in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

It eventually bowed to pressure by releasing a small number of “more affordable” $60 (£45) tickets to general fans for all 104 matches. But there has been no such flexibility for disabled fans.

England supporters have not taken up their full general ticket allocation for the final and semi-final because of the cost. Around 90% of tickets for the final made available to the FA cost £3,094.

This will mean creating a digital scan of all 1,248 players in the 26-man squads of the 48 teams.

Each player will enter a chamber to be scanned, a process that should take just one second and only needs to be done once during their pre-tournament photo shoot.

Fifa says the scan “captures highly accurate body-part dimensions” to make more accurate offside decisions.

It expects this to mean tournament officials will be able to “track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements” and says final decisions will be “displayed more realistically and in a more engaging way”.

There was controversy in the Premier League earlier this season when a Newcastle goal against Manchester City was allowed to stand.

Ruben Dias appeared to be jumping in the semi-automated offside graphic. This did not match the television pictures of the game.

Fifa hopes that by taking accurate scans of each player it can improve how these decisions are shown to supporters.

The technology was tested in Fifa’s Intercontinental Cup, with Flamengo and Pyramids FC players scanned ahead of their match in December.

Fifa announced last month it was testing new technology which can determine if the ball goes out of play before a goal is scored. It has also developed ‘real-time 3D recreation’ to make line-of-sight offside decisions.

The outcome of the current phase that opened on Thursday, 11 December 2025 means the FIFA World Cup 2026 is oversubscribed over 30 times based on verified individual credit card numbers submitted with each ticket application.

The demand also represents 3.4 times more than the overall number of spectators who have attended the 964 matches that make up all 22 editions of the competition combined since 1930.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be the greatest and most inclusive show on the planet, with more than 150 million tickets already requested in only the first 15 days, making this edition 30 times oversubscribed – a true showcase of incredible demand from fans from over 200 countries,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“This overwhelming response from passionate fans is a true representation of how our game is loved globally – we are going to make history in North America when we bring the world together like never before in a celebration of unity and the best of football.”

World football’s showcase event will take place from Thursday, 11 June 2026 until Sunday, 19 July 2026 across 16 Host Cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States and features 48 teams competing in 104 total matches.

The Random Selection Draw ticketing phase remains open until Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 11:00 ET (17:00 CET), and the timing of a ticket request within this window does not affect the chances of success. Fans can enter the draw and find full details at FIFA.com/tickets.

Following the closing of the current phase, a draw will take place thus giving all fans equal chances of success. Those who are unsuccessful will have the opportunity to secure their seats during the subsequent sales phases as additional tickets are made available.

Ticket prices will remain the same throughout this sales phase. Fans with an existing FIFA ID, should login using those credentials and then enter the Random Selection Draw, even if they have previously entered prior ticket draws.

For those without an existing FIFA ID, an account must be created on FIFA.com/tickets, the official and preferred source of tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026, to get started.

On Tuesday, 16 December 2025 FIFA confirmed that fans will benefit from a dedicated ticket pricing tier, which has been designed to make following their teams on football’s greatest stage more affordable.

The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of USD 60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches, including the final. Fans of a specific national team may also be eligible to apply for Participating Member Association (PMA) Supporter tickets at FIFA.com/tickets, should they meet their PMA’s eligibility criteria.

Each PMA sets its own criteria for fans to be recognised as PMA supporters and establishes its own process for applying for PMA Supporter tickets. Fans who would like to immediately purchase access to specific match-ups and are looking for a premium, elevated matchday experience can purchase hospitality packages, which include match tickets, at FIFA.com/hospitality through On Location, the Official Hospitality Provider of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Additionally, fans can consider all-inclusive travel packages from Qatar Airways, which include match tickets, transport, hotel stays and flights. As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of men’s, women’s and youth football throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations.

FIFA expects to reinvest over 90% of its budgeted investments for the 2023-2026 cycle back into the game, with the aim of significantly boosting the development of football around the world. A full overview of the FIFA World Cup investment budget is available on FIFA.com.

The pricing structure for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been widely criticised, with the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) describing it as “scandalous”.

Group stage tickets are up to three times the price of those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the cheapest ticket for the final in New Jersey is £3,119.

But Infantino says the level of demand far outstrips supply.

“We have six to seven million tickets on sale and in 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests,” Infantino said at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday.

“So 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is.

“In the almost 100 years of history of the World Cup, Fifa has sold 44 million tickets in total. So, in two weeks we could have filled 300 years of World Cups. Imagine that. This is absolutely crazy.”

Fifa introduced a small number of “more affordable” £45 tickets for all 104 matches following criticism of its pricing structure after the initial release of tickets.

“We have listened to feedback and this new category is the right thing to do,” a Fifa official close to discussions told BBC Sport.

Infantino says the money raised through ticket sales will be reinvested into the game, although he did not specify an amount.

“What’s crucial is that the revenues that are generated from this are going back to the game all over the world,” said Infantino.

“Without Fifa there would be no football in 150 countries in the world. There is football because, and thanks to, these revenues we generate with, and from, the World Cup which we reinvest all over the world.”

The ‘Out of Bounds’ innovation is one of a series which were tested in three Intercontinental Cup matches in Qatar this month.

Fifa has also expanded ‘Real-time 3D Recreation’ to make line-of-sight judgements for offsides quicker and clearer.

There are two virtual feeds, available to the video assistant referee (VAR) and TV viewers, which replicate the perspectives of both goalkeepers.

The new technologies have been developed by Fifa and Hawk-Eye Innovations. It remains to be seen if they would become available to domestic leagues.

How the new technology could clear up controversies

The Premier League has produced many controversial incidents in recent seasons which this technology could have helped resolve.

Two seasons ago Arsenal were furious when VAR ruled Joe Willock had kept the ball in play before Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game for Newcastle. The VAR did not have the necessary camera angle to prove the ball was out.

There have been several ‘line of sight’ offside incidents this season. When Eberechi Eze scored for Arsenal against Tottenham last month there were claims Leandro Trossard was blocking Guglielmo Vicario’s view of the ball.

The ‘Out of Bounds’ technology uses the same tracking data points and configurations as advanced semi-automated offside.

It is still only in offline testing but was provided with the opportunity to show how reliable it was in Qatar.

Paris St-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz had a goal ruled out through VAR in the Intercontinental Cup final against Flamengo because the ball had gone out.

Fifa also held further trials of immediate offside audio alerts sent to assistants, which debuted at the Club World Cup in the summer.

This is intended to reduce the number of delayed offside flags in obvious situations.

In May, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi was placed into an induced coma after colliding with a goalpost after play continued from a clear offside.

Fifa hopes quicker notifications of offside will prevent such injuries occuring.

Fifa’s terms indicate payment should be made within 60 calendar days of a transaction,, external but some people who sold tickets on the website in early October have still not received their money.

Fifa, which has come under criticism for its World Cup ticket pricing, declined to provide a statement explaining the delays.

BBC Sport understands the issues stem from Fifa needing to obtain additional bank details from those affected before payments can be processed.

The tickets in question were part of the pre-sale draw which ran for 10 days in September, when one million tickets were made available.

Only Visa cardholders were eligible to apply. It is not known how many fans in total have been affected by the issue.

England supporter Iain is owed nearly £650 for a ticket he sold 65 days ago for Canada’s opening game in Toronto, money he had hoped to put towards England seats now the fixtures have been confirmed.

“Fifa are generating billions from this World Cup but can’t seem to do basic payment processing on time,” he said.

“The delay looks to be impacting many people.”

‘Owed more than £8,000’

A Mexico fan, who did not want to be named, showed us evidence that he was owed more than £8,000 for sales that all took place over 60 days ago.

“It sucks, they just seem to be fumbling around,” he said.

“I’ve had to move money to pay off my credit card.”

Some of those impacted told BBC Sport they received an email last month from Fifa requesting bank details, despite earlier correspondence saying refunds would be made automatically to their original payment card.

Fifa’s resale marketplace opened on 2 October, allowing most ticket holders to list their seats for the tournament at a price of their choosing.

The governing body takes a 15% fee from both buyer and seller.

Although the main ticket ballot only opened on 11 December, some fans who secured seats in the earlier sales phase – before the World Cup draw was made – have already resold tickets on the platform.

At the same time, many tickets are also being listed on unofficial resale sites.

Fifa has warned people against using third-party platforms, insisting its own marketplace “is designed to protect from invalid or unauthorised resale”.

Earlier this week, Fifa announced it was introducing a small number of “more affordable” $60 (£45) tickets for all 104 matches at the tournament.

This followed criticism at the price of tickets, with the World Cup final costing up to £6,615.

It comes amid criticism over the price of tickets at the tournament.

The payout forms the bulk of a record $727m (£544.8m) financial distribution that the governing body’s council has approved as a result of the event.

The World Cup winners will receive $50m (£37.4m), with the runners-up being awarded $33m (£24.7m). Those who fail to progress beyond the group stage will get $9m (£6.7m).

In addition, each qualified team will receive $1.5m (£1.1m) to cover preparation costs, meaning that all participating member associations are each guaranteed at least $10.5m (£7.8m).

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the payments showed the World Cup would “be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community”. The organisation has already forecast record revenues, of $13bn (£9.7bn) for the 2023-2026 cycle.

The announcement comes a day after Fifa introduced a small number of £45 tickets for all 104 matches at the World Cup following an outcry over its pricing structure for the tournament.

Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters’ Association said: “The record prize fund demonstrates there is no shortage of money associated with the World Cup.

“It is not too late for Fifa to avoid the catastrophic error of all but killing what is special about the World Cup.

“They should act now.”

The partial climbdown was welcomed by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, but he also encouraged Fifa to do more to make tickets more affordable.

Fifa’s council also approved the establishment of a post-conflict recovery fund “in line with [its] objective of promoting football’s unifying values. It said this followed “the announcement made by President Infantino at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace on 13 October 2025 that Fifa intended to create a support mechanism for regions that have experienced conflict”.

“This financial instrument, which will be open to third-party contributions and be subject to strict oversight, will complement action already implemented under the Fifa Forward Programme and other Fifa initiatives.”

Ratified by the FIFA Council, the prize-money pool represents a 50 per cent increase from the total awarded at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, reflecting the scale of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Under the new structure, $655 million will be distributed as performance-based prize money among participating nations. Teams finishing between 33rd and 48th will receive $9 million, while those ranked 17th to 32nd will earn $11 million. In addition, every qualified nation will receive $1.5 million to cover preparation costs, ensuring a guaranteed minimum payout of $10.5 million for each team that reaches the finals, regardless of results.

At the top end, the World Cup winners will take home $50 million, with runners-up earning $33 million. Third and fourth-placed teams will receive $29 million and $27 million respectively, while quarter-finalists (5th–8th) will earn $19 million each. Teams eliminated in the round of 16 (9th–16th) will pocket $15 million.

The expanded financial model highlights FIFA’s commitment to broader revenue distribution as the World Cup grows in size and global reach. For Ghana, qualification represents not only a major sporting achievement but also a significant financial boost—worth at least $10.5 million before a ball is even kicked.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) join Cameroon, who had initially filed a similar complaint to FIFA about the eligibility of some of the players who were born in Europe but switched nationalities to represent Congo internationally.

The Super Eagles lost 4-3 on penalties to Congo DR in the final of the CAF Playoffs on Nov. 16, which meant the Congolese advanced to the FIFA intercontinental playoffs.

Congo DR have been drawn to play the winners of the semifinal between New Caledonia and Jamaica, with the victors in the final earning one of the final spots at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

But the NFF are now challenging DRC’s use of several dual nationality players during the World Cup qualifying series, claiming they were ineligible on the basis of not being properly cleared to switch nationalities.

Reports have claimed that between six to nine players used by Congo DR during the qualifiers may have switched international allegiances, but may not have gone through the process of giving up their European passports in line with Congolese law before representing the country.

“The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual nationality,” NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi told reporters on Tuesday. “There are so many of them that have European passports, some of them French passports, some of them Dutch passports. The rules are very clear. We cannot say anything now but we have submitted our protest to FIFA.

“There are players that got theirs in just three months. So there is to us, what is considered as a breach of the regulation. That is why took that decision.”

While the Congolese Constitution does not recognize dual citizenship, FIFA’s own regulations only require players to hold the passports of the representative country in order to be cleared to play for that country and it was on the basis of holding valid Congolese passports that FIFA cleared the players to play.

All the players involved hold Congolese passports, but Sanusi claims that FIFA were deceived into issuing those clearances

“The FIFA rules are different from DR Congo rules, that is why FIFA cleared them,” he said. “FIFA Regulations say once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible. As far as we are concerned, they are eligible that is why they are cleared by FIFA.

“But our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them because it is not the responsibility of FIFA to make sure that the regulations of Congo are abided by. FIFA goes by its own regulations, and it was on the basis of what was presented to FIFA that they cleared them. But we are saying that it was fraudulent.”

FIFA has yet to respond to the complaint, but NFF officials told ESPN that the issue is being investigated by world football’s governing body and a decision is expected before the intercontinental playoffs in March.

It is unclear if this appeal will be successful, but if it is, it would provide the Super Eagles a pathway back into World Cup qualifying, their second in the same series.

During the previous round, South Africa were sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player and docked three points, but Nigeria failed to take advantage and ultimately finished second in the group behind Bafana Bafana.

The 28-year-old, who won the Ballon d’Or in September, picked up the Fifa award in Qatar on Tuesday after helping PSG to four trophies in the 2024-25 season.

The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund player, who joined PSG in 2023, had 51 goal contributions in 53 games for Luis Enrique’s side last term.

After helping PSG to a first Champions League triumph, Dembele beat Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe to the prestigious individual award.

Dembele was present at the awards ceremony before his side’s Intercontinental Cup final against Flamengo on Wednesday.

The award, which is based off events from August 2024 to August 2025, is voted for by men’s national team coaches, men’s national team captains, journalists and fans.

The Frenchman’s success underlines his status as one of the best players in the world.

Dembele initially struggled for form during the first half of the 2024-25 campaign but saw his season spark into life after being redeployed as a central forward.

Eight of his 35 goals came in the Champions League last season, including crucial strikes against Liverpool and Arsenal in the knockout stages.

Dembele joins an illustrious list of names, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to have won the award since its inception in 2016.

In total, he has scored three goals and provided three assists for PSG across all competitions this term.

On the international stage, meanwhile, Dembele helped France qualify for next summer’s World Cup, where the two-time winners will face Senegal, Norway, and one of the play-off winners in the group stage.

Team of the year – Van Dijk and Palmer make cut

In total, six players involved in PSG’s 2024-25 season were named in the team of the year, while Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer were the only representatives who played in the Premier League last term.

The players selected were Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Man City), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Willian Pacho (PSG), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Vitinha (PSG), Pedri (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Ousmane Dembele (PSG).

Montiel stunner wins Puskas Award

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Santiago Montiel only scored five goals for Independiente in 2025

Independiente winger Santiago Montiel won the Puskas Award for the stunning overhead kick he scored against Independiente Rivadavia in Argentina’s Primera Division.

The 25-year-old’s incredible acrobatic effort was enough to earn a 1-0 win for his side in May and left opposition goalkeeper Ezequiel Centurion rooted to the spot.

Montiel, who is the second successive Argentine to win the award after Alejandro Garnacho in 2024, said: “I didn’t think about it, I just hit it.”

Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice was shortlisted for the award for the second of two free-kicks he scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Donnarumma claims goalkeeper of year award

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Gianluigi Donnarumma joined Manchester City from PSG in the summer

Earlier in the night, Manchester City’s Donnarumma was named the Fifa Men’s goalkeeper of the year for 2025.

The Italian shot-stopper, 26, played a key role in PSG’s Champions League triumph last season before moving to Etihad Stadium in September.

Donnarumma, who kept a clean sheet in the final against Inter Milan in May, finished ahead of Premier League goalkeepers Alisson Becker, Emi Martinez, David Raya and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois to win the award for the first time.

In addition to the Champions League, Donnarumma helped PSG win Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Trophee des Champions titles during the 2024-25 season.

Enrique beats Slot to win coach of year

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Luis Enrique led PSG to their first Champions League triumph

After guiding PSG to four trophies over the course of the 2024-25 campaign, Luis Enrique was crowned coach of the year on Tuesday night.

The 55-year-old, who has been at the helm since 2023, masterminded victories over Liverpool, Arsenal and Inter Milan to help the French side secure a first Champions League triumph.

The former Barcelona manager beat Liverpool’s Arne Slot and Barcelona’s Hansi Flick to the award.

However, he was unable to make the award ceremony night, with PSG’s assistant manager Rafel Pol Cabanellas accepting the award on the Spaniard’s behalf.

Football’s governing body said that the discounted tickets would cover all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final.

The cheaper tickets will make up 10% of Participating Member Associations’ (PMAs) allocations.

The PMAs, which represent competing national teams and manage dedicated fan ticket programmes, will handle the ticket allocation process.

They will also define their own criteria to prioritise tickets for “loyal fans” closely connected to their national teams.

“In total, half of each PMA’s ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40% under the Supporter Value Tier and 10% under the new Supporter Entry Tier,” FIFA said in a statement.

“The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier,” they added.

Fans who apply through PMA ticketing programmes and whose teams fail to progress to the knockout stage will have administrative fees waived for refund requests.

The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 tournament, set to take place from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of imposing “extortionate” ticket prices that could prevent average fans from attending the event.

Despite the backlash, FIFA reported strong interest in the sale’s third phase draw, which began on December 11 and will remain open until January 13, driven by the release of match schedules, venues and kick-off times.

Ghana, drawn in Group I, will face Panama, England, and Croatia at the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico next summer.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Asante Twum explained that all qualified nations are required to announce their provisional squads on May 11, with final submissions due by midnight on June 1.

“All qualified teams, including the Black Stars of Ghana, are mandated by FIFA to announce their provisional squad on April 11, 2026. The final squads for the tournament must be announced before midnight on June 1, 2026,” he said.

He added that Ghanaian players performing well domestically or abroad will all be considered for selection.

“Every Ghanaian player with a strong performance is closely monitored by the technical team, and regardless of where they play, they will be given a call-up,” Asante Twum noted.

The Black Stars will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto, before facing England in Boston on June 23. Their final group match against Croatia is scheduled for June 27 in Philadelphia.

Next year’s tournament will mark Ghana’s fifth appearance at football’s biggest stage, having previously competed in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022. The team’s most memorable run came in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.

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The early figures point to a strong appetite for standout group-stage encounters, with Colombia v Portugal (Miami, 27 June) emerging as the most sought-after match during the Random Selection Draw period so far. Brazil v Morocco (New York New Jersey, 13 June), Mexico v Korea Republic (Guadalajara, 18 June), Ecuador v Germany (New York New Jersey, 25 June), and Scotland v Brazil (Miami, 24 June) round out the top five matches – involving nine teams from five different continents.

After 24 hours, the three host nations lead the way, with the subsequent top ten countries of residence for ticket requests being Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama.

The strong presence of South American neighbours Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina, as well as Central Americans from Panama, further demonstrates how the FIFA World Cup 2026 is capturing the imagination across the Americas. Scotland’s appearance in the top ten reflects fans’ excitement at seeing the team on the global stage again for the first time in 28 years, adding to the growing expectation that football will unite the world in North America in six months’ time.

The Random Selection Draw ticketing phase remains open until Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 11:00 ET (17:00 CET), and the timing of a ticket request within this window does not affect the chances of success. Fans are encouraged to enter the draw at FIFA.com/tickets for a chance to be part of a tournament that promises unforgettable moments, unprecedented scale and a celebration of football like never before.

Throughout this sales phase, fans will be able to select which match(es), respective ticket category(ies), and number of tickets per match they would like to purchase, subject to household restrictions. Tickets will also be available for purchase via the FIFA Resale/Exchange Marketplace at FIFA.com/tickets starting on Monday, 15 December 2025.

Fans are encouraged to visit FIFA.com/tickets for FAQs and all published legal documents applicable to the purchase and use of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets. Ticket applications are subject to the Official Rules of the Random Selection Draw, available on FIFA.com. No purchase is required to enter or win, but if an applicant wins, the payment card will automatically be charged in accordance with the payment authorization. Winning means that a fan is automatically purchasing allocated FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets. Fans must be 18 years old or older to apply.

Fans who would like to immediately purchase access to specific match-ups and are looking for a premium, elevated matchday experience can purchase hospitality packages, which include match tickets, at FIFA.com/hospitality through On Location, the Official Hospitality Provider of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

Additionally, fans can consider all-inclusive travel packages from Qatar Airways, which include match tickets, transport, hotel stays and flights.

As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of football (men’s, women’s and youth) throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations globally. In fact, FIFA expects to reinvest over 90 per cent of its budgeted investments for the 2023–2026 cycle back into the game, with the aim of significantly boosting the development of football around the world. A full overview of the FIFA World Cup investment budget is available on FIFA.com.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Africa Center of the Atlantic Council, Jones highlighted that several fan-favourite items, including certain musical instruments, fireworks, and pyrotechnic devices, will be prohibited at venues across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Acknowledging the passion supporters bring to the World Cup, he emphasised the need to balance that enthusiasm with security considerations.

“With respect to what to bring to the World Cup, we want you to bring your passion, but leave your pyro. We don’t want fireworks, smoke, or pyrotechnics in the stadium. But we want to embrace the passion,” Jones said.

He encouraged travelling supporters to consult FIFA’s official platforms for a detailed list of prohibited items before heading to match venues.

“Please understand our prohibited items include those listed on our website or ticket information. Know what you can and cannot bring to the stadium,” he added.

Jones also stressed that FIFA supports fans creating vibrant atmospheres with banners, flags, and other paraphernalia, as long as they comply with established safety standards.

“We want to ensure that you can bring all your items into the stadiums. Fans should bring what will help them celebrate, but within the limits set for safety,” he concluded.

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

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Infantino awarded Trump with the inaugural Fifa peace prize at the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC last week, and has also done social media posts and interviews in support of the 79-year-old.

Human rights campaign group FairSquare has written a letter of complaint, which BBC Sport has seen, alleging Infantino has “committed four clear breaches” of Fifa’s neutrality rules.

“The award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is in, and of itself, a clear breach of Fifa’s duty of neutrality,” the letter stated.

“The Fifa president does not have the authority to unilaterally dictate the organisation’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values.”

BBC Sport has contacted football’s world governing body for comment.

Infantino and Trump stood side by side during the glittering ceremony at the Kennedy Center for next year’s tournament, which takes place in the US, Canada and Mexico from 11 June-19 July.

As well as a large golden trophy, Trump received a medal and certificate from Infantino, who said “this is what we want from a leader” and “you can always count, Mr President, on my support” during a speech that followed a video before the presentation.

In October, the 55-year-old posted on Instagram saying Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize.

During an interview in November at the American Business Forum in Miami, Infantino also added: “We should all support what [Trump] is doing [in the US] because I think it’s looking pretty good.”

FairSquare also alleged a video post by Infantino on Instagram in January – following his invite to Trump’s inauguration – “indicates support for President Trump’s political agenda”.

Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare’s programme director, added: “This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino’s support for President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

“More broadly this is about how Fifa’s absurd governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly flout the organisation’s rules and act in ways that are both dangerous and directly contrary to the interests of the world’s most popular sport.”

The match schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ has been revealed.

The biggest-ever edition of the global showpiece will see 104 games featuring 48 teams played across 16 host cities in three countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage fixtures

Thursday, 11 June 2026

Mexico v South Africa – Group A – Mexico City Stadium

Korea Republic v Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia/Republic of Ireland – Group A – Estadio Guadalajara

Friday, 12 June 2026

Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales – Group B – Toronto Stadium

USA v Paraguay – Group D – Los Angeles Stadium

Saturday, 13 June 2026

Haiti v Scotland – Group C – Boston Stadium

Australia v Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye – Group D – BC Place Vancouver

Brazil v Morocco – Group C – New York New Jersey Stadium

Qatar v Switzerland – Group B – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Sunday, 14 June 2026

Côte d’Ivoire v Ecuador – Group E – Philadelphia Stadium

Germany v Curaçao – Group E – Houston Stadium

Netherlands v Japan – Group F – Dallas Stadium

Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine v Tunisia – Group F – Estadio Monterrey

Monday, 15 June 2026

Saudi Arabia v Uruguay – Group H – Miami Stadium

pain v Cabo Verde – Group H – Atlanta Stadium

IR Iran v New Zealand – Group G – Los Angeles Stadium

Belgium v Egypt – Group G – Seattle Stadium

Tuesday, 16 June 2026

France v Senegal – Group I – New York New Jersey Stadium

Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname v Norway – Group I – Boston Stadium

Argentina v Algeria – Group J – Kansas City Stadium

Austria v Jordan – Group J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Ghana v Panama – Group L – Toronto Stadium

England v Croatia – Group L – Dallas Stadium

Portugal v Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia – Group K – Houston Stadium

Uzbekistan v Colombia – Group K – Mexico City Stadium

Thursday, 18 June 2026

Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia/Republic of Ireland v South Africa – Group A – Atlanta Stadium

Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales – Group B – Los Angeles Stadium

Canada v Qatar – Group B – BC Place Vancouver

Mexico v Korea Republic – Group A – Estadio Guadalajara

Friday, 19 June 2026

Brazil v Haiti – Group C – Philadelphia Stadium

Scotland v Morocco – Group C – Boston Stadium

Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye v Paraguay – Group D – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

USA v Australia – Group D – Seattle Stadium

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Germany v Côte d’Ivoire – Group E – Toronto Stadium

Ecuador v Curaçao – Group E – Kansas City Stadium

Netherlands v Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine – Group F – Houston Stadium

Tunisia v Japan – Group F – Estadio Monterrey

Sunday, 21 June 2026

Uruguay v Cabo Verde – Group H – Miami Stadium

Spain v Saudi Arabia – Group H – Atlanta Stadium

Belgium v IR Iran – Group G – Los Angeles Stadium

New Zealand v Egypt – Group G – BC Place Vancouver

Monday, 22 June 2026

Norway v Senegal – Group I – New York New Jersey Stadium

France v Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname – Group I – Philadelphia Stadium

Argentina v Austria – Group J – Dallas Stadium

Jordan v Algeria – Group J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Tuesday, 23 June 2026

England v Ghana – Group L – Boston Stadium

Panama v Croatia – Group L – Toronto Stadium

Portugal v Uzbekistan – Group K – Houston Stadium

Colombia v Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia – Group K – Estadio Guadalajara

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Scotland v Brazil – Group C – Miami Stadium

Morocco v Haiti – Group C – Atlanta Stadium

Switzerland v Canada – Group B – BC Place Vancouver

Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales v Qatar – Group B – Seattle Stadium

Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia/Republic of Ireland v Mexico – Group A – Mexico City Stadium

South Africa v Korea Republic – Group A – Estadio Monterrey

Thursday, 25 June 2026

Curaçao v Côte d’Ivoire – Group E – Philadelphia Stadium

Ecuador v Germany – Group E – New York New Jersey Stadium

Japan v Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine – Group F – Dallas Stadium

Tunisia v Netherlands – Group F – Kansas City Stadium

Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye v USA – Group D – Los Angeles Stadium

Paraguay v Australia – Group D – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Friday, 26 June 2026

Norway v France – Group I – Boston Stadium

Senegal v Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname – Group I – Toronto Stadium

Egypt v IR Iran – Group G – Seattle Stadium

New Zealand v Belgium – Group G – BC Place Vancouver

Cabo Verde v Saudi Arabia – Group H – Houston Stadium

Uruguay v Spain – Group H – Estadio Guadalajara

Saturday, 27 June 2026

Panama v England – Group L – New York New Jersey Stadium

Croatia v Ghana – Group L – Philadelphia Stadium

Algeria v Austria – Group J – Kansas City Stadium

Jordan v Argentina – Group J – Dallas Stadium

Colombia v Portugal – Group K – Miami Stadium

Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia v Uzbekistan – Group K – Atlanta Stadium

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 fixtures

Sunday, 28 June 2026

Match 73 – Group A runners-up v Group B runners-up – Los Angeles Stadium

Monday, 29 June 2026

Match 74 – Group E winners v Group A/B/C/D/F third place – Boston Stadium

Match 75 – Group F winners v Group C runners-up – Estadio Monterrey

Match 76 – Group C winners v Group F runners-up – Houston Stadium

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Match 77 – Group I winners v Group C/D/F/G/H third place – New York New Jersey Stadium

Match 78 – Group E runners up v Group I runners-up – Dallas Stadium

Match 79 – Group A winners v Group C/E/F/H/I third place – Mexico City Stadium

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Match 80 – Group L winners v Group E/H/I/J/K third place – Atlanta Stadium

Match 81 – Group D winners v Group B/E/F/I/J third place – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Match 82 – Group G winners v Group A/E/H/I/J third place – Seattle Stadium

Thursday, 2 July 2026

Match 83 – Group K runners-up v Group L runners-up – Toronto Stadium

Match 84 – Group H winners v Group J runners-up – Los Angeles Stadium

Match 85 – Group B winners v Group E/F/G/I/J third place – BC Place Vancouver

Friday, 3 July 2026

Match 86 – Group J winners v Group H runners-up – Miami Stadium

Match 87 – Group K winners v Group D/E/I/J/L third place – Kansas City Stadium

Match 88 – Group D runners-up v Group G runners-up – Dallas Stadium

FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 fixtures

Saturday, 4 July 2026

Match 89 – Winner match 74 v Winner match 77 – Philadelphia Stadium Match 90

Winner match 73 v Winner match 75 – Houston Stadium

Sunday, 5 July 2026

Match 91 – Winner match 76 v Winner match 78 – New York New Jersey Stadium Match 92

Winner match 79 v Winner match 80 – Mexico City Stadium

Monday, 6 July 2026

Match 93 – Winner match 83 v Winner match 84 – Dallas Stadium Match 94

Winner match 81 v Winner match 82 – Seattle Stadium

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

Match 95 – Winner match 86 v Winner match 88 – Atlanta Stadium Match 96

Winner match 85 v Winner match 87 – BC Place Vancouver

FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final fixtures

Thursday, 9 July 2026

Match 97 – Winner match 89 v Winner match 90 – Boston Stadium

Friday, 10 July 2026

Match 98 – Winner match 93 v Winner match 94 – Los Angeles Stadium

Saturday, 11 July 2026

Match 99 – Winner match 91 v Winner match 92 – Miami Stadium Match 100

Winner match 95 v Winner match 96 – Kansas City Stadium

FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final fixtures

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Match 101 – Winner match 97 v Winner match 98 – Dallas Stadium

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Match 102 – Winner match 99 v Winner match 100 – Atlanta Stadium

FIFA World Cup 2026 bronze final

Saturday, 18 July 2026

Match 103 – Loser match 101 v Loser match 102 – Miami Stadium

FIFA World Cup 2026 Final

Sunday, 19 July 2026

Match 104 – Winner match 101 v Winner match 102 – New York New Jersey Stadium

Reacting to the draw, conducted Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Dalić praised the Black Stars’ speed and talent, while expressing confidence in his side’s readiness.

“We don’t care too much about Ghana. I know Asamoah Gyan is my friend; he played in my team when I was at Al Ain. But it’ll be a very tough game for Croatia. The Ghana team is very strong and very fast,” Dalic said.

The two nations are scheduled to meet in their final group match, a potentially decisive encounter for qualification to the knockout stage. Group L also features England and Panama, promising a competitive contest.

Croatia head to North America carrying a strong reputation on football’s biggest stage, having reached the final in 2018 and finishing third four years later.

Ghana, on the other hand, enter with a youthful squad and renewed energy following an impressive qualifying run.

The 2026 World Cup will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, running from June 1 to July 19 next year.

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There are sure to be breakout performances, shocks, surprises, thrills and spills.

But who are the favourites according to the bookmakers, the form guide and the pundits?

The full line-up is not yet complete, with six places to be decided through play-offs in March.

But we’ve taken a look at who is in contention to lift the coveted trophy in New York come July.

Germany, Spain and Belgium have the three ‘easiest’ 2026 World Cup groups, according to the Fifa world rankings of the countries involved.

The Netherlands and France have the toughest tests by that measure.

Who are the in-form teams?

England qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a perfect record, winning all of their matches without conceding a goal.

Runners-up at the past two European Championships and World Cup quarter-finalists in Qatar three years ago, there is genuine hope that this will be the Three Lions’ year under new head coach Thomas Tuchel.

The bookmakers also fancy England to do well in the summer, with the majority putting them second favourites behind Spain.

European champions Spain were close to joining England with a perfect campaign, but a 2-2 draw against Turkey in their final qualifying match put the only small blemish on their record.

Spain were deserved winners at Euro 2024, beating England in the final, and in teenage Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal they have one of the best players in the world.

Except for a penalty shootout defeat in June’s Nations League final against Portugal, they have not lost a competitive game since facing Scotland in March 2023.

France, runners-up in Qatar in 2022, are also strong competitors for their final major tournament under Didier Deschamps and went unbeaten in European qualifying.

Opta’s super-computer places the three European sides as the favourites, with Spain given a 17% chance of victory, England 11.8%, and France 14.1%.

Germany, who lost their opening qualifier but won the next five on the spin to book their place, are also highly fancied by the bookmakers and data experts, while Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia and Norway were also unbeaten in European qualifying.

Less impressive was Brazil’s qualifying campaign, as they finished fifth in the Conmebol table and lost six of 18 matches. That hasn’t stopped a lot of bookmakers placing them as fourth favourites, though, despite Opta putting them down in seventh.

Defending World Cup champions Argentina won the South American qualifying group by some way, finishing nine points above second-placed Ecuador.

Brazil are the only team to ever win back-to-back World Cups, in 1958 and 1962, but with Lionel Messi expected to feature, Argentina will be among the favourites for glory.

The standout side from the Asian qualifying rounds were Japan, who lost just one of their matches on the way to reaching next summer’s tournament.

Surprise semi-finalists in Qatar, Morocco won all eight of their African qualifying matches and could again pose a threat to the traditional big nations, while Egypt, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Tunisia were also unbeaten.

However, with Afcon beginning later this month, competing in two major tournaments in the space of six months could prove to be a tough task for the African nations.

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced this will be his final World Cup and his Portugal side should not be discounted, while Euro 2020 champions Italy will have to come through the play-offs to qualify for the World Cup but can never be ruled out on the big stage.

But what about the conditions?

Hosting the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico in peak summer time has sparked concerns over the extreme heat conditions teams could face.

This summer’s Club World Cup, held in the US, faced criticism because of the severe conditions, with Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez saying he felt “dizzy” while playing in “very dangerous” heat.

Research led by Queen’s University Belfast found temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums being used for the 2026 World Cup could exceed potentially dangerous levels during the tournament.

It is fair to say certain nations will cope better with the heat – some European nations could struggle and England have expressed a desire for later kick-off times to avoid peak temperatures.

Conditions are likely to favour South American nations while African teams could also benefit, although there has never been a World Cup winner from the continent.

Playing at home could also benefit the hosts, although the scattered venues and vast distances between stadiums mean it could also be tough for any side to settle at the tournament.

Ten of the 11 World Cups held in Europe have been won by European teams, but it is a completely different story when the tournament is played in the Americas.

Each of the seven tournaments hosted there had featured a South American winner until Germany broke the streak in 2014, and since then Argentina have won in the heat of Qatar.

Spain were the first European team to win the World Cup outside the continent, when they lifted the trophy in South Africa in 2010.

All eyes will be on the announcement on Saturday of where teams will be playing their games – with any marginal advantages welcome.

What do the pundits say?

Speaking about England’s group on BBC Radio 5 Live’s reaction show, former striker Dion Dublin said: “I always worry about Croatia. I just think they have so much experience, they have the quality to go with it as well.

“Ghana can pull out some incredible performances. They are a strong African nation who will make it incredibly difficult. ‘Concerned’ is the right word.”

European football journalist Julien Laurens said: “I know Spain lost the Nations League final to Portugal, but they’ve been really outstanding since Luis de la Fuente took over.

“The Euros was great – even if England pushed them well in the final, I think they were deserved winners.

“We [France] are relying on Mbappe, but I don’t think we have many weaknesses in this team.”

Speaking about Germany, Laurens added: “You just don’t know right now what kind of Germany you will see.

“They are still capable of being very good and Jamal Musiala will come back in January and we will see what kind of fitness he will have for the World Cup. And if Florian Wirtz is in top form, Musiala is in top form, with Nick Woltemade and Kai Havertz there’s something really interesting there attacking-wise.

“Defensively, I’m not sure really.”

South American football journalist Tim Vickery said: “Brazil are happy with their draw.

“New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, one in Atlanta – but that’s with air conditioning – and Carlo Ancelotti thinks their games are likely to be in the evening and I think they’re very happy about that.

“It’s all a bit of a rush because Ancelotti’s come in last minute. He has vastly improved the side, but what he’s trying to do is four up front.

“If Ancelotti can make that attacking talent fire, as he has done in some of the friendlies, then nobody will relish facing Brazil.”

Speaking about Argentina, Vickery said: “They are trying to do what has never been done before: nobody has ever retained the World Cup outside of their home continent.

“Things have gone extremely well for Argentina since they won the World Cup. They’ve won everything.

“They qualified first in qualification by a street and they’re not as dependant on Lionel Messi as they once were. And can I whisper this? There have been times where they have even been better without him.”

Full 2026 World Cup draw

• Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of Uefa play-off D*
• Group B: Canada, Winner of Uefa play-off A*, Qatar, Switzerland
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
• Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Uefa play-off C*
• Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of Uefa play-off B*, Tunisia
• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
• Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of Fifa play-off 2*, Norway
• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
• Group K: Portugal, Winner of Fifa play-off 1*, Uzbekistan, Colombia
• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
• *Uefa play-off A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Northern Ireland
• *Uefa play-off B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden
• *Uefa play-off C: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania
• *Uefa play-off D: Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland or North Macedonia
• *Fifa play-off 1: DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia
• *Fifa play-off 2: Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname

The award has been introduced this year by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, designated for a person who has “taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” and “united people across the world”.

It was widely expected that Trump, who arrived at the ceremony with Infantino and has made several public appearances with him in recent months, would be the winner.

That was confirmed at the ceremony in Washington DC on Friday.

As well as receiving a large golden trophy, Trump was also given a medal and certificate by Infantino before making a speech.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Donald Trump was presented with the Fifa Peace Prize trophy

Trump stated he had saved “tens of millions of lives” through diplomatic interventions and had “stopped wars happening just before they started”.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life,” Trump said, before claiming that the 2026 World Cup has set a new record for ticket sales.

“Gianni has done an incredible job. It is a nice tribute to you and the game of football, or as we call it soccer. It is beyond the numbers we thought were possible,” Trump said.

“The world is a safer place now. The USA was not doing well a year ago; now we are the hottest country in the world right now.”

The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and will take place between June 11 and July 19.

Trump later returned to the stage alongside Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to perform the ceremonial opening to the draw.

The three leaders drew the balls of their respective nations, which had already been assigned their groups. Afterwards, the trio posed for a selfie taken by Infantino.

Mexico are in Group A – and will play in the tournament’s opening match – while Canada are in Group B and USA feature in Group D.

Trump, after repeating his comments about ticket sales, joked about the name clash between American football and what Americans generally call soccer.

“We have to find another name for the NFL,” Trump said. “This is football, we call it soccer here in the USA but it is really football. It doesn’t make sense that we call it soccer.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Trump and Infantino have appeared together at many public events in recent months

The ceremony, hosted at the Kennedy Center, begins at 7pm CAT (5pm GMT) and marks the first major milestone in the final build-up to a World Cup that will span Canada, the United States and Mexico between 11 June and 18 July 2026.

For African teams, the draw represents more than just the unveiling of opponents.

It signals the first step in a campaign that many believe could be the continent’s most promising in decades, coming after Morocco’s historic semi-final run at Qatar 2022 — the first by any African nation.

Nine African nations in the hat

Africa’s contingent is already confirmed: Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa all topped their qualifying groups and secured automatic places at the tournament.

Under the new 48-team format, the World Cup will feature 12 groups of four, with teams drawn from four seeded pots based on the latest FIFA rankings.

Crucially for African sides, FIFA’s geographic restrictions ensure no group may contain more than one CAF nation, removing the possibility of early all-African clashes and guaranteeing nine separate African representatives across the groups.

Morocco and Senegal, currently Africa’s highest-ranked teams, enter the draw in Pot 2, avoiding some of the continent’s toughest potential opponents and increasing their chances of a favourable path.

Five African nations — Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa — are placed in Pot 3, setting up the possibility of complex, highly competitive groups.

 Meanwhile, Ghana and Cape Verde, both positioned in Pot 4, face the toughest draw conditions and are expected to be matched with a Pot 1 global powerhouse.

Formidable opposition lies ahead

Pot 1 contains the strongest nations at the tournament, including Germany, Brazil, France, Spain, England, Argentina and the three co-hosts — the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The presence of Europe’s heavyweights in every group guarantees difficult assignments, though African sides have increasingly shown an ability to compete with, and even surpass, world football’s elite.

Morocco’s run to the last four at Qatar 2022 remains the clearest example, but Senegal, Tunisia and Ghana all made significant impressions at recent tournaments, and Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria carry squads brimming with top-level European experience.

Six places still open as play-offs loom

While 42 teams have already qualified, six World Cup spots remain undecided.
Four will come from the UEFA play-offs, featuring heavyweight nations such as Italy, Turkey, Sweden and Poland.

The remaining two places will be settled through the Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament in March, involving Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, New Caledonia, Iraq and DR Congo.

If Leopards qualify through the playoffs, they will be protected from facing any CAF nation in the group stage due to confederation separation rules.

What African teams can expect today

The procedure follows standard FIFA format:

• Teams are placed into four pots.
• One team from each pot is drawn into each of the 12 groups (A–L).
• The three host nations automatically take positions A1, B1 and D1.
• Geographic restrictions apply for all confederations except UEFA, which may have up to two European teams per group due to its large number of qualifiers.

FIFA has also confirmed that the top four ranked teams worldwide — Spain, Argentina, France and England — will be separated across the draw to avoid meeting before the semi-final stage, provided they top their groups.

For African sides, the draw will determine not only their opponents but also their match venues, travel routes, rest periods and potential knockout pathways across a tournament hosted over three vast countries.

A pivotal moment for African football

With unprecedented squad depth across the continent and a World Cup format offering more places and more knockout berths, African football enters the draw with a renewed sense of possibility.

Whether Morocco can build on their 2022 heroics, or whether another African nation emerges as a surprise contender, will begin to take shape tonight when the 2026 World Cup map is finally revealed.

Below are the pots for the 2026 World Cup draw 

Pot 1: France, Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

Pot 3: Saudi Arabia, Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa

Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, winners of European play-offs A, B, C and D, winners of intercontinental play-offs 1 and 2.

While Iran had applied for nine visas for their delegation, Iranian soccer federation (FFIRI) spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi was quoted as saying that the U.S. had granted four visas, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei.

Mehdi Taj, president of the FFIRI, was not granted a visa.

The United States has long-standing strict visa restrictions on Iranians for political and security reasons.

But FFIRI have now decided to send Ghalenoei and Omid Jamali, the head of the federation’s international relations department, to attend the draw on Friday, local media reports said.

The FFIRI could not be immediately reached for a comment.

Iran will play in their fourth straight World Cup finals when the tournament takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting June 11.

The new directive, confirmed on Wednesday, reduces the mandatory release period from 14 days to seven — a significant shift from the usual arrangements for major international tournaments.

With the competition set to start on December 21, national teams will only receive their players from December 15, placing added pressure on coaches preparing for Africa’s flagship football event.

Beaumelle did not mince words, accusing the world governing body of sidelining African interests when decisions are made.

“FIFA only needs Africa during elections, but it doesn’t value our competitions like AFCON or give them the recognition they deserve,” Beaumelle said.

The rule means clubs, including Premier League outfits Liverpool, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, and Sunderland, will be free to keep their African players deep into the festive period before releasing them for national duty.

The tournament is scheduled to run from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

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The glittering ceremony will take place at the Kennedy Center, the famous Washington arts venue now chaired by US President Donald Trump after he overhauled its board this year.

Alongside stars from football, US sports and show business, Trump will be in attendance, as will the leaders of the other two co-hosts – Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Proceedings, however, seem to have been planned with the US president very much in mind.

American disco group Village People have been booked to play YMCA, a Trump favourite that is regularly heard at his campaign rallies. And, in a break with tradition, the draw ceremony will feature the awarding of a new Fifa Peace Prize, with Trump widely expected to be the recipient.

Such gestures will only underline the alliance forged between the US president and Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino, who announced the prize last month after claiming that Trump deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, and enthusiastically praising his policies.

For critics, such moves are a threat to Fifa’s commitment to political neutrality, one enshrined in its statutes, and risk turning the draw – and the tournament itself – into propaganda tools.

They believe Infantino and Trump are effectively too close for comfort, and that it sends a message that world football’s governing body is aligning with the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement, and endorsing what many feel is a divisive administration. Is it wise, they ask, that Fifa is seen to associate so closely with a man who only this week made disparaging comments about Somali immigrants, describing them as “garbage”?

Asked about the new award amid reports that the Fifa Council was not consulted about it, one senior official at the governing body told BBC Sport: “Why can’t this be bigger than the Nobel Peace Prize? Football has huge global support, so it’s right that it recognises extraordinary efforts to bring about peace every year.”

They pointed to the fact that in 2019 there was no such controversy when Fifa gave the president of Argentina an award to honour his contribution to football, and said the organisation deserves praise for endorsing peace in a divided world.

A special relationship

President Bill Clinton chose not to attend the draw for the World Cup in 1994, when the US last hosted the event. But it is no surprise that Trump has chosen to play a prominent role, given the global platform the World Cup offers him.

He appeared at the Club World Cup final this year, when he chose to remain on the podium as Chelsea celebrated winning the tournament, clearly enjoying remaining at the centre of attention after handing them the trophy.

There is also the regularity with which he and Infantino have appeared together in recent years, including at events outside the sporting realm.

Since first visiting the Oval Office in 2018 during Trump’s first term, Infantino has been spotted with Trump at the Davos Economic Forum, the signing in Washington of the Abraham Accords – an agreement between Israel and some Arab nations in the Middle East in 2020 – and even as a guest at Trump’s second inauguration in January.

Fifa formally hailed the pair’s close friendship after that event, with Infantino himself insisting that it made practical sense given the importance of the US’ hosting both the expanded Club World Cup and the World Cup.

Fifa also claimed Infantino had a duty to develop and promote the game globally, and that he also held regular meetings with other world leaders.

While Infantino seemed to have much less of a rapport with US President Joe Biden during his time in the White House, that has indeed been the case with other heads of state.

Since replacing predecessor Sepp Blatter almost a decade ago after promising to restore Fifa’s reputation and finances following a huge corruption scandal, Infantino has appeared close to Russian President Vladimir Putin – who awarded Infantino a Russian Order of Friendship medal in 2019 – along with the rulers of two other World Cup hosts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Infantino’s proximity to such leaders has inevitably sparked controversy and criticism, but it is the relationship with Trump that has caused the biggest backlash within the game.

Earlier this year, delegates from Europe’s governing body Uefa staged a walkout from the Fifa Congress in Paraguay when Infantino arrived hours late after joining Trump on a tour of the Middle East, accusing him of prioritising “private political interests” which “does the game no service”.

In 2018 Infantino himself said “it is very clear that politics should stay out of football and football should stay out of politics”.

But he defended the trip with Trump, insisting it had been crucial as it allowed him “to represent football” in “important discussions” with “world leaders in politics and economy”.

But the episode only intensified scrutiny on the relationship, as did Fifa’s decision to set up a new office in New York’s Trump Tower. Infantino also made a surprise appearance at a summit in Egypt in October as Trump and other world leaders signed a declaration for bringing peace to Gaza.

The only sports leader present, Infantino claimed football could contribute to peace efforts, and said Fifa would help rebuild facilities in Gaza – but his presence again raised eyebrows.

Image source: Getty Images

A welcoming World Cup?

Amid such football diplomacy, there have also been concerns about the impact that some of Trump’s policies and statements could have on the World Cup, and uncertainty over how welcome visitors from some countries will be.

In June the White House listed 19 countries, predominantly in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, which would face full or partial immigration restrictions, referencing a need to manage security threats.

Amid suggestions that the list could be expanded to as many as 30 countries after an Afghan man was identified as the suspect in the recent shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, Fifa has vowed to have a welcoming and unifying tournament.

But Iran and Haiti, whose teams have qualified for the World Cup, are among the countries affected by the ban. Last week Iran said they planned to boycott the draw because of the limited number of visas for their delegation.

The June executive order exempts athletes and coaching staff from travelling for the World Cup, but fans could face a ban.

“We want to make sure that we’re as welcoming as possible,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, said on Wednesday.

Giuliani hailed a programme designed to shorten wait times for interviews for visitor visas for those with tickets, but he did not rule out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants at World Cup venues. Giuliani insisted that authorities wanted to ensure visitors came into the US legally to prioritise the safety of US citizens.

Such a stance worries civil liberties campaigners, with Human Rights Watch claiming the draw will take place against “a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, National Guard deployments in US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of Fifa’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns”.

“There is still time to honour Fifa’s promises for a World Cup not tainted by human rights abuses, but the clock is ticking,” it said.

During a meeting with Infantino at the Oval Office last month Trump suggested he might even take matches away from Democratic-run host cities if he had concerns over safety and security.

While it is unclear whether the president will – or even could – follow through with a move that would cause major logistical and legal disruption, his words added to the uncertainty surrounding the tournament.

At the same meeting Trump suggested he could launch “strikes” against Mexico if it would stop drugs from being trafficked into the US. Coming after Trump’s trade policies had already caused friction with both Mexico and Canada, it only reinforced concerns about the level of co-operation between the three World Cup co-hosts over issues such as security at the tournament.

Infantino could claim that, given the unpredictability of some of Trump’s statements, having a close relationship with him is even more crucial.

But others would argue it also risks impeding his ability to stand up to the US president.

Image, elections and revenue

For Trump, the World Cup has been a focus of his second presidency. It gives him an ideal chance to project his image on a global stage, as well as highlight the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

The event could provide a welcome tourism boost after a sluggish year for the industry in the US, with Fifa forecasting it will generate £22bn in economic output and create 200,000 jobs. The tournament is also a chance for the country to show it can deliver a successful mega-event, before Los Angeles hosts the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028.

For Infantino, the most lucrative sports event ever staged is a very useful money-spinner. It enables him to honour his pledge to grow the game in the US, boost Fifa’s commercial revenues and increase payments to national football associations – doing no harm to his chances of a third re-election as president in 2027.

A deregulated market in the US has enabled Fifa to run an official ticket resale platform for the tournament that will earn it an unprecedented 30% commission on every transaction.

Fan representatives have condemned the move, claiming that supporters are at risk of being exploited by a pricing model that fails to reflect the spirit of the World Cup. But it also helps explain why Fifa expects to bring in a record £10bn in its 2023 to 2026 cycle.

The true strength of Trump and Infantino’s relationship could well be tested in the coming months. But both men clearly view their alliance as mutually beneficial.

Teams were previously required to release players to their national sides by Monday, December 8 though The Athletic previously reported that the general expectation across the Premier League was that very few AFCON-bound players would have needed to report for international duty as early as that.

Discussions between key stakeholders, including CAF, African football’s governing body, and European Football Clubs (ECF, formerly the European Club Association) have led to a relaxation of the rules in recent years. Prior to AFCON 2021, CAF agreed to allow Premier League players to fulfil club fixtures up until six days before the tournament began.

Last year, goalkeeper Andre Onana played for Manchester United on January 14 and immediately travelled to Ivory Coast to join up with his Cameroon team-mates, who opened their AFCON 2023 (held in 2024) campaign the next day. Onana was delayed by travel issues and did not feature in Cameroon’s first game.

The world governing body said on Wednesday that the agreed delay followed “fruitful consultations led by FIFA with key stakeholders and, thanks to the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by CAF to reduce the impact on various parties”.

FIFA previously made a similar decision ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was held during the domestic European season.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot had previously hinted at the new date in a press conference on Tuesday, when asked when Mohamed Salah would be heading to the tournament.

This allows clubs participating in the Champions League to retain any AFCON-bound players for fixtures on December 9 and 10, while players in the Europa and Conference Leagues on December 11 will also be available.

Clubs will also be able to keep hold up of their players for one more domestic fixture, in a boost to teams such as Sunderland. Gameweek 16 in the Premier League is highlighted by the first top-flight Tyne-Wear derby since 2016, and Regis Le Bris’ side are the English team that is most affected by AFCON departures, likely losing seven first team players to the competition.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to have five players head to the tournament, while Nottingham Forest are likely to lose four. Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United are the only Premier League teams without any representation at the tournament.

Alongside Salah, Premier League players that will be going to AFCON include Manchester United trio Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amaz, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pape Matar Sarr and Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye.

AFCON 2025 will take place in Morocco and gets underway on December 21 when the host nation take on Comoros. The tournament concludes on January 18, meaning that clubs could be without players until then.

The Black Stars will make their fifth appearance at football’s premier tournament after topping their qualifying group with 25 points.

Ahead of the official draw on Friday, December 5, at Washington D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Centre, Lalas, who scored nine goals in 98 appearances for the United States between 1991 and 1998, said he would welcome a matchup with Ghana.

“This isn’t a great Ghana team… Give me Ghana,” he told Fox Sports’ special World Cup preview show.

He added: “This isn’t a great Ghana team, but it is still Ghana. They have plenty of history when it comes to playing against us.”

Ghana has won two of its three World Cup encounters with the U.S., claiming a 2-1 victory in their debut meeting in the 2006 group stage and repeating the feat in the 2010 round of 16, with Asamoah Gyan’s stoppage-time half-volley sealing the win. The United States’ lone triumph came in 2014, a 2-1 group-stage result in Brazil.

The World Cup draw is scheduled for 17:00 GMT. Having exited at the group stage in both 2014 and 2022, Ghana will be hoping for a favorable draw to kickstart their 2026 campaign.

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FIFA today unveiled the world-class entertainment line-up for the show to be held for the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, which is set to take place at the historic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, at 12:00 ET (18:00 CET) on Friday, 5 December 2025.

With millions of viewers expected around the globe, the show will bring together some of the most recognisable names in entertainment as football’s biggest stage prepares for a landmark moment.

The show will be co-hosted by supermodel, producer and Emmy-winning television personality Heidi Klum; Kevin Hart, one of the most successful comedians and actors of his generation; and actor and producer Danny Ramirez, who will bring warmth and Hollywood flair to this highly anticipated event on the road to 2026

“To be hosting the final draw again, after having been involved in this show 20 years ago in my home country, is truly extraordinary,” said Klum, who is returning to the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup™ stage, having previously taken part in the event ahead of the 2006 tournament in Germany. “The World Cup brings the world together like nothing else, and being part of that magic again, on an even bigger stage involving three host countries and 48 teams, is an incredible honour.”

“As someone who grew up playing football, getting to co-host the draw and meet and speak with World Cup legends at such a high-profile event is a dream,” said Ramirez. “With this tournament coming to the United States, where I was born, and Mexico, where some of my roots lie, it is even more special – and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of this show.”

The audience will be treated to some remarkable live performances. Maestro Andrea Bocelli, one of the most acclaimed classical voices in history, will take the stage alongside global superstar Robbie Williams, who will perform with American singer and award-winning multi-hyphenate Nicole Scherzinger.

Once the draw has concluded, Village People will treat the audience to an iconic performance of Y.M.C.A., their global anthem.

While today’s announcement reveals the entertainment cast for the final draw show, the names of the draw conductors and assistants who will oversee the official draw proceedings will be unveiled in due course.

Live coverage of the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on FIFA.com and the FIFA World Cup social media channels. The draw will also be broadcast by FIFA’s Media Partners across the globe.

At an October meeting of the International Football Association Board (Ifab) – which determines the laws of the game – there was agreement that VAR could be expanded to cover incorrectly shown second yellow cards that lead to a red.

But Fifa’s proposal to review corners was rejected, meaning world football’s governing body will need to effectively create a trial to use it in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.

The measures will be discussed further at the next Ifab meeting in January, but Fifa has regularly applied trials to its competitions.

Semi-automated offside technology and referees announcing VAR decisions to the crowd are two examples, and it could use the same mechanism to start reviewing corners.

Pierluigi Collina, Fifa’s head of referees, has been a supporter of the change as part of a wider review of VAR protocol.

Collina is open to going further, too, believing that any error that can quickly be identified by the VAR could potentially be communicated.

The former referee has highlighted an incident in the Euro 2016 final, when Portugal were wrongly awarded a free-kick in extra time for handball on the edge of the area that almost led to a goal.

Leagues concerned about further delays

Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche was frustrated when his team conceded two goals from corners that were wrongly awarded earlier this season.

But unless Ifab changes its stance, he will not get his wish for them to be reviewed in the future.

All leagues are under pressure to limit the delays as a result of VAR, and there is real opposition to anything that might make it worse.

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham, who sits on the Ifab board, has previously told BBC Sport he is against it.

The VAR assessing wrongly issued second yellow cards is likely to be approved from the start of the next campaign because there are relatively few of those in a season – certainly compared to number of corners in a game. There are on average 10 corners a match in the Premier League.

A real issue for domestic leagues is resource, especially as you drop down the tiers – whereas Fifa has the ability to appoint as many video referees as it wants for its showpiece event.

At the World Cup in 2022, group-stage games had five people working in the VAR room, whereas domestic leagues usually have just two.

In addition to the VAR and assistant VAR, Fifa appointed an offside VAR, a support VAR and a support assistant VAR.

Fifa can also make sure there are enough cameras positioned in the right places to make quick decisions, which would be more challenging for domestic leagues.

There is also the connected technology in the Adidas ball, not available to leagues, which means the VAR during the World Cup would be able to instantly identify who touched the ball last in close cases.

This would all be impossible to replicate for domestic leagues.

Even at Premier League level, there have been issues having cameras to cover the whole goalline. This was the case with Newcastle’s controversial winning goal against Arsenal two years ago, when the VAR did not have the evidence the ball was out.

If corners were to be added to protocol, it would mean that all leagues with VAR would have to check them – not just the Premier League, but including the Scottish Premiership, the Dutch Eredivisie, down to the second divisions in Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

It would created significant additional delays as leagues would not have the means to make quick and consistent decisions.

For these reasons, Fifa has been unable to get this through the Ifab panels, so it looks poised to run its own trial at the World Cup next year.

How will it work at the World Cup?

One of the fundamentals of the Laws of the Game that apply at all levels is that a referee cannot change a restart decision even if they realise it is incorrect after play is back under way

So, once the corner is taken and play is live, the game must continue.

For that reason, every corner will have to be reviewed by the VAR – although in the majority of cases the decision will be obvious.

Fifa believes it has the resources – from VARs to cameras to the ball technology – to make all decisions quickly.

It will present a departure from VAR protocol, which is only intended to look at four specific areas: goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity. In the World Cup next year, the awarding of corners is set to be added to that list.

If only the awarding of corners that directly lead to a goal were checked by VAR, it is possible that if the attacking team knew the referee should have awarded a goal-kick, they might take it is short, knowing scoring directly from the corner would be disallowed by the VAR.

Instead they could try to work an opening after taking a short corner and because it was not directly from the kick, the goal would stand.

For the first time at a World Cup draw, the venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches won’t be released on the same day as we learn the groups — with FIFA instead placing the games in the best location based on the time zones, of which there are four for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The full schedule will be revealed starting at 12 p.m. ET (5 p.m. GMT) on Saturday, with FIFA saying president Gianni Infantino will be “joined on stage by FIFA legends” to go through the games and give analysis.

“The match allocation process that follows the draw aims to ensure the best possible conditions for all teams and spectators while, where possible, enabling fans all over the world to watch their teams play live across different time zones,” FIFA said on Monday.

“The final version of the match schedule will be available in March, once the FIFA and European play-offs have taken place and the final six slots have been filled.”

Friday’s World Cup draw takes place at 12 p.m. ET in Washington.

Forty-eight teams, or placeholders when taking into account the six who have playoffs to come in March, will be divided into four pots of 12 teams, using the latest FIFA World Rankings list. Each World Cup group will consist of one team from each pot.

This will be Ghana’s fifth appearance on football’s biggest stage, with coach Otto Addo taking the reins once more. After failing to get past the group stage at Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022, Ghana are determined to recapture former glories and reach the knockout rounds.

Ghana coach: Otto Addo

Addo is the first — and only — Ghanaian to play for and coach the Black Stars at the FIFA World Cup, having been part of the inaugural squad at the global finals at Germany 2006 and then leading the African nation to Qatar 2022. After leaving the role to return to Borussia Dortmund, he was reappointed in March 2024 following the exit of Chris Hughton after the country’s first-round exit at the Africa Cup of Nations. 

The move did not initially go according to plan, however, with the Black Stars failing to even qualify for the 2025 edition of the continental competition. Addo defiantly refused to resign despite widespread calls to do so. “I’m not the person who can resign. If I had done this, I’d never have become a player or even a coach,” he declared. “If you know where I have come from as a person to arrive at this job you won’t even ask about resignation.” Addo’s belief in his abilities paid off as he successfully guided Ghana through African qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™ with ease.

Ghana’s World Cup 26 fixtures and group

Ghana will discover their group-stage opponents when the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 takes place at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC from 12:00 local time (16:00 in Accra) on Friday, 5 December.

How Ghana qualified for the World Cup 26

Ghana had a dominant run in African qualifying, winning eight and losing just one of their ten matches to top Group I. They were pushed all the way by Madagascar, but punched their ticket to the global showpiece on the final day of qualifying after Mohammed Kudus struck for the winner against Comoros. A key reason for their success has been the goalscoring form of Jordan Ayew, who netted seven goals in the preliminaries.

Ghana’s World Cup history

• Confederation: CAF
• Best World Cup: Quarter-finals (2010)
• Last World Cup: Qatar 2022 (Group stage)
• First World Cup: Germany 2006 (Round of 16)
• World Cup appearances: 5 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026)
• Current run of successive qualifications: Two
• Overall World Cup record: P15 W5 D3 L7 F18 A23

Ghana’s best World Cup

In South Africa, Ghana were placed in Group D where they secured a 1-0 victory over Serbia followed by a 1-1 draw with Australia to reach the Round of 16, with Asamoah Gyan finding the target on both occasions. A 1-0 defeat to Germany left the Black Stars on the same points as Australia but they progressed on goal difference.

In the knockout stages, they carried the hopes of a continent on their shoulders with Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and host nation South Africa all failing to make it past the group stage. Ghana needed extra time to defeat USA in the Round of 16, which came courtesy of two cracking goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gyan.

Ghana were on the cusp of becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final but were undone by Uruguay in controversial circumstances. With the scores tied at 1-1, Luis Suarez deliberately handled the ball on the line at the end of extra time to deny what appeared a certain goal for Ghana. Gyan then hit the crossbar on the subsequent — and much-delayed —penalty. Their heartbreak was compounded when Uruguay went through in a shootout.

Ghana’s last World Cup

The Black Stars opened their Qatar 2022 campaign on a deflating note after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first man to score at five FIFA World Cups. Ghana bounced back immediately by defeating Korea Republic by the same scoreline. Goals from Mohammed Salisu and Kudus gave the Africans a 2-0 lead, and while Korea levelled through Cho Guesung’s dizzying double in a 168-second spell, a brilliant second from Kudus set up the eagerly-awaited reunion with Uruguay in the final group game. There, Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored twice to give Uruguay victory and leave Ghana bottom of Group H.

Ghana’s first World Cup

Under the guidance of Serb Ratomir Dujkovic, Ghana qualified for their inaugural finals at Germany 2006 but they arrived in bad form after going out in the first round of the African Cup of Nations. The youngest team at the tournament, with an average age of 23 years and 352 days, Ghana had a baptism of fire in their opening match where they suffered a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Italy. But the Africans proved they were not there to make up the numbers as they defeated Czechia 2-0 and then the USA 2-1 to reach the Round of 16. Facing an imposing Brazil team that included the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Cafu, the Ghanaians bowed out with a 3-0 loss but with their heads held high.

Ghana’s World Cup top scorer

Gyan not only holds the record of Ghana’s top World Cup scorer with six goals, he is also the top African marksman at the global finals — one ahead of Cameroon icon Roger Milla. With his 68-second opener in the 2-0 victory over Czechia in 2006, Gyan netted Ghana’s first-ever World Cup goal. He then followed that up with strikers against Serbia and Australia at the South Africa 2010 group stage before sealing the last-16 victory against USA in extra time. As captain, Gyan scored two more at his third World Cup finals in Brazil four years later, finding the target against Germany and Portugal. 

Ghana players with most World Cup appearances

As well as being the top-scorer for Ghana at the World Cup, Gyan has also played in most games for the Black Stars. The forward played in 11 matches over three tournaments, with three appearances at both 2006 and 2014 coupled with five in 2010. The next player on the list with ten is 35-year-old Andre Ayew, who has not received a national call-up since 2024 but is still actively playing.

Ghana’s memorable World Cup moment

The quarter-final defeat to Uruguay in South Africa has gone down in history as one of the most dramatic and controversial games ever played in the World Cup. As the game entered the 120th minute, with the scores tied at 1-1, Ghana sensed their opportunity to reach the final four. Following a free-kick on the right, Dominic Adiyiah launched a header towards the net and Suarez instinctively leaped up and pushed the ball out with two hands on the goalline. The 23-year-old Ajax forward was sent off for the action and, after Gyan missed the subsequent penalty, Uruguay progressed 4-2 in a shootout.

Ghana’s biggest World Cup win

Of their five victories at the World Cup, Ghana have won just one by a two-goal margin — their dominant 2-0 triumph over Czechia, then the second-ranked team in the world, at the Germany 2006 group stage. They raced into the lead inside just 68 seconds in Cologne after a corner fell into the path of Gyan who struck superbly past Petr Cech from the edge of the box. Midway through the second half, Tomas Ujfalusi was sent off for bringing down Matthew Amoah in the area. The Czechs were given a reprieve when the referee forced Gyan to retake a successfully-made penalty and his second effort hit the post. But Ghana continued to attack and Sulley Muntari ensured the victory with a fine effort eight minutes from time.

China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan – five of the planet’s six most populous countries – have all missed out on the tournament co-hosted by the Canada, Mexico and the United States next June and July.

Indeed, of the 209 countries that started out on the journey, only 64 still have a chance of reaching the finals. And that number will be whittled down to 48 after play-offs in March determine the final line-up for football’s global showpiece.

So if your country isn’t at the World Cup, who should you support?

Well, everyone loves an underdog, so why not pick one of these plucky outsiders as your team for the tournament?

The minnows that made it

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Dick Advocaat has been the national manager of eight different countries but called qualifying with Curacao “the craziest thing I’ve ever achieved as a coach”

With only 155,000 inhabitants and 444 sq km of territory, Curacao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup, in terms of both population and size.

Most of the inhabitants of the Caribbean island, located just 60km off the Venezuelan coast, could fit in the venue for the final, the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (capacity 82,500).

Curacao boss Dick Advocaat, 78, will become the oldest coach to lead a side at a World Cup. The former Rangers and PSV boss has also been the national manager of eight different countries, but called qualifying with Curacao “the craziest thing I’ve ever achieved as a coach”.

For a brief period until Curacao qualified, Cape Verde was the country with the second-smallest population to qualify. The small Atlantic archipelago off the coast of West Africa booked their place after beating Eswatini 3-0 last month.

Victory meant the Blue Sharks secured top spot in their group and a place at the 2026 tournament ahead of continental heavyweights Cameroon.

The national team has relied heavily on members of the diaspora to improve its footballing fortunes over recent years. Centre-back Roberto “Pico” Lopes – who was born and plays in Ireland – got his first call-up via an approach on business networking website LinkedIn.

“We’re all over the world. It’s great what we can achieve when we’re together,” he told the BBC’s Destination New Jersey podcast.

Notable debuts

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Uzbekistan have qualified for a World Cup for the first time

Uzbekistan put itself on the footballing map in 2008 when club side Bunyodkor announced the signing of top Brazilian forward Rivaldo, with fellow countryman and superstar Zico as manager.

Both stayed only briefly but football’s development there has been longer lasting. Uzbekistan have put in consistent performances in the Asian Cup, reaching the semi-finals in 2011 and the quarter-finals in 2023.

Having narrowly missed out before, the White Wolves will make their debut next year under the guidance of former Italy centre-back and 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro.

Jordan fans have known they will be going to the finals since June, when they clinched qualification with a 3-0 away win in Oman.

The team’s Moroccan coach, Jamal Sellami, dedicated the achievement to “all the people who believed in us” and praised the years of hard work from players and the Jordan Football Association.

Their recent progress has been notable, reaching the final of the 2023 Asian Cup after taking out Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea in the semi-final before losing to hosts Qatar.

Triumph over adversity

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: The last time Haiti reached the World Cup, in 1974, they failed to win any of their group matches

Haiti‘s coach, 52-year-old Frenchman Sebastien Migne, has never even visited the country.

He has been unable to set foot there since being appointed 18 months ago because of the continuing conflict afflicting the Caribbean nation. Nearly 1.3 million people have been internally displaced by the gang-related violence, which kills thousands each year.

But that has not stopped Migne from guiding Haiti to the finals for the first time since 1974.

They will be hoping to improve on that performance, which saw them fail to win any of their three group games, in which they conceded 14 goals including a 7-0 defeat to Poland.

“My players will be wonderful ambassadors for a country that sorely needs them,” Migne told the AFP news agency. “Haiti is not an easy place, with a people who are suffering and don’t have many opportunities to celebrate.”

Late arrivals?

Image source: EPA

Image caption: The Democratic Republic of Congo are one win away from returning to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1974, when they competed as Zaire

Another country suffering devastating internal conflict could also reach the finals – the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The mineral-rich east of the country has been dogged by conflict for more than 30 years and the death toll is thought to number in the millions.

It is a nation in need of a good news story and the Leopards hope to offer just that.

The Central Africans upset Cameroon and Nigeria in continental play-offs this month to put themselves one win away from returning to the finals for the first time since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.

They will face either Jamaica or New Caledonia in a winner-takes-all encounter in March’s intercontinental play-offs.

“It’s a good draw, because on paper we are the stronger side,” former captain Gabriel Zakuani told BBC Sport Africa.

Iraq is another team hoping to qualify via those play-offs – and another country with a recent history of conflict and sectarian strife.

A contentious 2-1 win at home against the United Arab Emirates, decided by a dramatic penalty in the 17th minute of added time, sparked jubilation on the pitch and in the stands of Basra International Stadium.

Iraq’s only previous appearance at a World Cup was a group-stage exit in Mexico 39 years ago.

New Caledonia, with a population of just over 250,000, has also made it through to the intercontinental play-offs for the first time. They will need to beat both Jamaica and DR Congo.

Earlier in qualifying, they knocked out fellow Pacific islanders Tahiti. Separated by more than 4,600km of ocean, this “local rivalry” is one of the most distant in sport.

Finally, Suriname are the lowest-ranked team still in with a chance. Currently 123rd in Fifa’s world rankings, they must get past Bolivia and the aforementioned Iraq.

Suriname’s players didn’t even celebrate the last-minute goal that took the smallest country in South America through to the play-offs, as it initially seemed other results would put them out.

Could the World Cup get even bigger?

The 2026 World Cup is going to look very different to its 22 predecessors, with its largest line-up yet.

Critics say it could lead to mismatches and less competition, while others point to the glorious upsets and nerve-wracking drama that a growing tournament has generated since the original competition in 1930, which featured only 13 teams.

It seems likely Fifa will continue to expand its scale and ambition, with the event’s organisers already discussing a proposal for 64 teams to compete in the 2030 finals.

Fifa has announced that Spain (1st seed) and Argentina (2) will be ‘paired’ and placed into groups in opposite halves of the draw.

France (3) and England (4) will also be paired, which means England will not be able to come up against Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and France until the final.

This only applies if the four countries win their groups.

When two teams are paired, they are placed in opposite halves of the knockout bracket and cannot meet each other until the final. This happens at Wimbledon, and in the new Champions League format, where seeds are kept apart in pairs.

Fifa wants to ensure the top-ranked countries do not meet earlier in the knockout rounds, thus potentially creating blockbuster games later in the tournament. The same ranking system was used for the Club World Cup in the summer.

France knocked England out of the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals, while Spain beat the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final.

The four pots for the final draw, which takes place on Friday, 5 December (17:00 GMT), have also been confirmed.

Scotland will be in pot three, while the six play-off winners – which could include Wales, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland – will all be in pot four.

Debutants Uzbekistan are in pot three, with fellow first-timers Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao in pot four.

Confirmed 2026 World Cup draw pots

Use the column header buttons to sort columns by ascending or descending orderCurrently not sorted

How will the draw work?

The 12 groups at the World Cup will include one team from each of the four pots.

Fifa will start by drawing the teams from pot one.

Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1) and the United States (D1) will have coloured balls with their flags on to denote their special status. Their group positions are pre-determined so they play all their games in their own countries.

Once a team has been drawn they will go into the first available group in alphabetical order. The draw computer will ensure Spain, Argentina, France and England are placed in groups in the correct section of the bracket.

The draw then continues with pot two, pot three and finally pot four.

In a change to previous draw procedures, and to speed up the process, countries will not be drawn into their group position.

Seeded countries will all go into position one, with a pre-determined random grid determining how all other countries will slot into the group to create the fixtures.

No group can have more than one country from the same confederation. So for instance when Colombia are drawn from pot two, they cannot go into a group with Argentina or Brazil.

This applies to all pots, with the caveat that four groups will have two European nations, as there are 16 European qualifiers to be drawn into 12 groups.

The inter-confederation play-offs will have few potential group options. Pathway 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo) cannot be drawn into a group with Concacaf or African teams. Pathway 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq) must avoid South America, Concacaf and Asia.

While the date and order of games will be known when the draw is made, the venues and kick-off times will not be confirmed until Saturday, 6 December.

The competition will determine two of the final nations to qualify for the first 48-team FIFA World Cup™, which will kick off less than three months later across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Guadalajara Stadium and Monterrey Stadium are set to welcome six national teams from five confederations as they compete for the last available places at the game-changing global showpiece.

Iraq will fly the flag for AFC, Congo DR will represent CAF, Jamaica and Suriname will compete for Concacaf, Bolivia will turn out for CONMEBOL and New Caledonia will represent OFC.

The two venues will also host matches during the FIFA World Cup 2026, with Guadalajara Stadium to welcome four group-stage contests and Monterrey Stadium poised to stage a trio of group games, as well as a round-of-32 clash.

“These iconic stadiums are the perfect stages for what promises to be a thrilling event filled with passion, drama and excitement,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “This Play-Off Tournament offers fans the chance to be part of history-making matches in world-class cities and venues ahead of the main event which will kick off less than three months later across Canada, Mexico and the United States.”

Guadalajara Stadium is one of the most modern football arenas in Mexico. Opened in 2010, it is home to Liga MX outfit C. D. Guadalajara and has hosted numerous international matches throughout its history.

The stadium’s state-of-the-art facilities and the intense atmosphere generated in the stands make it an ideal setting for the high-stakes play-off matches.

Nicknamed El Gigante de Acero (“the Steel Giant”), Monterrey Stadium has been the home of Mexican top-flight side Rayados since its inauguration in 2015. An architectural marvel, it has already proved its ability to host major international football events and will provide a fitting backdrop for the dramatic encounters to come.

The Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament will take place at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland tomorrow (Thursday, 20 November 2025) starting at 13:00 CET, with the match schedule for the competition to be confirmed afterwards. Fans around the world will be able to follow the draw live on FIFA.com, FIFA+ and via media partners.

Fans eager to attend the qualifying showdowns in Mexico will be able to secure tickets via FIFA.com/tickets. Ticketing information is set to be released early next year.

Along with other key events, including the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC on Friday, 5 December and the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, on Thursday, 30 April 2026, the play-off tournament in Mexico will mark a significant milestone in the build-up to next year’s edition of FIFA’s flagship tournament, which will kick off at Mexico City Stadium on Thursday, 11 June.

The Fifa Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (Pass) will “allow World Cup ticket-holders with long wait times to opt with Fifa for a prioritised interview,” Trump said at the White House on Monday.

Ticket-holders for the tournament – set for next June and July in the US, Canada and Mexico – will not be automatically granted a tourist visa, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

But foreign nationals with tickets to World Cup football matches could get an interview at an embassy or consulate within six to eight weeks of applying, Rubio said.

“Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn’t guarantee admission to the US,” Rubio said, also at the White House on Monday.

“We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue.”

The 2026 men’s World Cup will be co-hosted across North America, with Mexico and Canada, with most matches played in the United States.

Speaking in the Oval Office with Trump and Rubio, Fifa President Gianni Infantino said up to 10 million visitors could come to the US to watch World Cup matches.

“With this Fifa Pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket, that are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, they can come and attend the World Cup in the best conditions, starting from getting their visa,” he said.

Some countries whose national teams have already qualified for next year’s tournament currently have long wait times for visa appointments.

In Colombia, travellers applying for US visas are currently waiting around 11 months for an interview appointment, according to data published by the US State Department, the agency which processes visa applications.

The average wait time in Mexico City is nine and half months, while non-Canadian citizen residents of Toronto can expect a wait of 14 months for appointments.

If those wait times hold, the World Cup will have already been played and the golden trophy already awarded by the time fans from some countries have their visas approved or denied.

Monday’s announcement was lauded by US Travel Association, a tourism industry trade group. “The expedited process for Fifa ticket-holders adds needed efficiency without sacrificing security,” its CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement.

“This is the kind of practical action that strengthens security, increases capacity and cuts wait times, putting the U.S. on stronger footing to welcome millions of visitors next year.”

It is unclear if the new appointment rules will cover ticket-holders from countries whose citizens are mostly or entirely banned from travelling to the US. In June, Trump signed an executive order banning nationals from 12 countries from entering the US, citing an effort to manage security threats

Iran, whose football team has qualified for the World Cup, is among the countries affected by the ban. The June executive order exempts athletes and coaching staff travelling for the World Cup and 2028 Olympics, though its fans could still face a ban.

The BBC has contacted the US State Department for comment.

Not all travellers coming to the US next year will need a visa. Most citizens of countries under the US waiver programme can ordinarily travel visa-free for up to 90 days. That scheme covers much of Europe, including the UK, along with Japan, Australia and others.

At the two most recent World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, a ticket to a game generated a fan ID that could be used like a visa to enter the host country.

Fifa said the individuals were in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the UK and the US, and had been identified “following abuse during Fifa competitions”.

“On the International Day for Tolerance, I want to make it abundantly clear that football must be a safe and inclusive space – on the pitch, in the stands and online,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

“Through the Fifa social media protection service (SMPS) and by deploying advanced technology and human expertise, Fifa is taking decisive action to protect players, coaches, teams, and match officials from the serious harm that online abuse causes.”

Fifa set up the SMPS in 2022 with players’ union Fifpro to monitor, report and block abusive content.

Fifa was criticised after it appeared to drop anti-racism messaging at the Club World Cup, which was held in the US this summer, but SMPS was used.

A Fifa statement read: “During the tournament SMPS monitored 2,401 active accounts across five social media platforms covering players, coaches, teams and match officials participating at the groundbreaking tournament, with 5.9m posts analysed, 179,517 flagged for review and 20,587 reported to the relevant platforms.”

Infantino said: “Our message is clear: abuse has no place in our game, and we will continue to work with our member associations, the confederations and law enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable.

“This behaviour has no place in football or in society and Fifa is taking all possible steps by reporting these incidents and also by blacklisting individuals from purchasing tickets for Fifa tournaments.”

Fifa said more than 65,000 abusive posts have been reported to social media platforms since the SMPS was created.

Fifa says it has reported more than 30,000 abusive posts to social media platforms this year.

World football’s governing body said in a report that 11 people were reported to law enforcement authorities in 2025 and one case was submitted to Interpol.

Fifa said the individuals were in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the UK and the US, and had been identified “following abuse during Fifa competitions”.

“On the International Day for Tolerance, I want to make it abundantly clear that football must be a safe and inclusive space – on the pitch, in the stands and online,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

“Through the Fifa social media protection service (SMPS) and by deploying advanced technology and human expertise, Fifa is taking decisive action to protect players, coaches, teams, and match officials from the serious harm that online abuse causes.”

Fifa set up the SMPS in 2022 with players’ union Fifpro to monitor, report and block abusive content.

Fifa was criticised after it appeared to drop anti-racism messaging at the Club World Cup, which was held in the US this summer, but SMPS was used.

A Fifa statement read: “During the tournament SMPS monitored 2,401 active accounts across five social media platforms covering players, coaches, teams and match officials participating at the groundbreaking tournament, with 5.9m posts analysed, 179,517 flagged for review and 20,587 reported to the relevant platforms.”

Infantino said: “Our message is clear: abuse has no place in our game, and we will continue to work with our member associations, the confederations and law enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable.

“This behaviour has no place in football or in society and Fifa is taking all possible steps by reporting these incidents and also by blacklisting individuals from purchasing tickets for Fifa tournaments.”

Fifa said more than 65,000 abusive posts have been reported to social media platforms since the SMPS was created.

World players’ union Fifpro said the governing body is “creating Fifa-friendly organisations for consultation processes rather than engaging with the recognised football representative bodies”.

It accused Fifa of using “similar strategies with agents and fans”, which it said is a “concerning pattern”.

Fifa announced a series of measures following a meeting on player welfare in Rabat, Morocco, at the weekend.

Fifpro, which represents 66,000 players globally, said it was not invited.

Fifa insists it is willing to work with all unions and share “respectful dialogue” – but claims “attacks” by Fifpro have made it difficult to involve them.

It has also cited concerns over the publication of statutes and annual financial reports by Fifpro.

Player welfare is a growing issue, with Fifpro taking legal action against Fifa, saying the football calendar is so packed that players’ health is at risk.

Last year Manchester City midfielder Rodri said players were close to going on strike because of an increase in games. He suffered a season-ending knee injury the following week.

Fifa said its meeting was attended by representatives from 30 national player unions and members of its Players’ Voice Panel, an advisory group of ex-players set up by Fifa.

Initiatives announced by Fifa included the creation of a Professional Players Consultation Forum, and support for measures to improve player rest and recovery, such as having at least 72 hours of rest between matches and at least 21 days between seasons.

“We remain committed to further enhancing player welfare and working conditions across the world by implementing concrete and meaningful measures with a view to improving football for the future,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said after the meeting.

“Fifa wants to work with all those genuinely interested in progress and respectful dialogue – our door is always open to all views that respect these values. This is a real movement for the players and we are happy about that,” he added.

Fifa said it would set up a player welfare fund, but Fifpro says it and Fifa established such a fund before Fifa scrapped it in 2022.

Fifa accepts that – but would point to its strained relationship with Fifpro as a reason for bringing it to an end and relaunching the fund with its own money.

It previously said Fifpro had “consistently refused to engage constructively”, and had “opted for theatrical denunciations” over “progress for the players they claim to represent”.

However Maheta Molango, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association – which represents players in England and Wales – criticised Fifa’s actions.

“It’s sad news when instead of engaging with the people who have been elected to be the voice of the players, the authority decides to pick who they would like to sit at the table with,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

“This is very, very concerning. They don’t engage with us. It looks like they have found new people to talk to, which are not recognised unions.”

The Rabat meeting followed a similar meeting on player welfare in New York in July, which Fifpro was not invited to.

That meeting took place on the eve of the Club World Cup final, a tournament that was expanded by Fifa from seven teams to 32.

Fifa says it only went ahead after a “protracted period of unsuccessful efforts to bring Fifpro to the table”.

The entry period for the Early Ticket Draw is open now through 31 October at 11:00 ET (16:00 CET). Timing of a fan’s entry into the Early Ticket Draw during the entry period will not impact the fan’s chances of success. Fans with an existing FIFA ID, should login using those credentials and then enter the Early Ticket Draw at FIFA.com/tickets, even if they had previously entered the Visa Presale Draw. For those without an existing FIFA ID, an account must be created on FIFA.com/tickets to get started.

This phase is open to all fans, and includes a host country domestic exclusivity time slot for residents of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Once the entry period is closed, residents of the host countries who have entered the Early Ticket Draw will be eligible via a randomised selection process for a domestic priority time slot starting on 12 November. This timeslot is open for 72 hours, subject to inventory. Fans who are successful with their entry, will receive confirmation at least 48 hours prior to the time slot.

During this domestic exclusivity time slot, fans from each host country with successful entries will have the chance to purchase available Single Match Tickets for games taking place within their country of residence. Cross-nation tickets will not be available during the domestic priority time slot. Seventy-five percent of the Single Match Tickets for this phase will be made available during the domestic exclusivity time slot.

During the previous phase of ticket sales, residents of the three host countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico, in that order – snapped up more tickets than anyone else. England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France – in order of demand – rounded out the top ten countries in terms of ticket sales, as over one million tickets were purchased during the phase.

“We already have seen massive interest from around the world for this tournament, and especially from within the host countries as Canada, Mexico and the United States prepare to host the biggest FIFA World Cup yet,” said Heimo Schirgi, FIFA World Cup 26 Chief Operating Officer. “This second phase, with its host country domestic exclusivity time slot, will allow us to say thank you to these local fans, while ensuring global opportunity as well.”

Following the domestic exclusivity time slot, domestic fans and global fans alike who entered the Early Ticket Draw will be eligible via a randomised selection process for time slots starting on 17 November. If selected, fans will have the chance to purchase available Single Match Tickets and Team Specific Tickets for games across the three countries. Once again, fans who are successful with their entry, will receive confirmation at least 48 hours prior to their time slot.

Additional tickets will be made available in subsequent phases:

The Random Selection Draw phase will begin in the weeks following the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26™, which takes place on 5 December. During this phase, fans will be able to submit applications for specific matches after the Final Draw has revealed most of the group-stage matchups. More details will be available in due course.

Closer to the tournament, fans will be able to buy any remaining inventory on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fans can already purchase single-match and multi-match hospitality packages, inclusive of match tickets, at FIFA.com/hospitality. As always, FIFA encourages fans to purchase tickets only through FIFA.com/tickets, the official and preferred source of tickets for the FIFA World Cup™. Hospitality packages and tickets sourced from unofficial sales channels may not be valid.

Visa, a world leader in digital payments, is FIFA’s Official Payment Technology Partner and the preferred way to pay for tickets and hospitality packages. Other payment methods are also accepted during the Early Ticket Draw sales phase.

A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each host country’s government website today for entry requirements. Fans are encouraged to visit FIFA.com/tickets for FAQ, Official Rules of the Early Ticket Draw and full terms & conditions for the purchase of FIFA World Cup 26™ tickets. No purchase is necessary to enter the draw, and fans must be 18 years old or older to enter.

Residents of the three host countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico, in that order – have been at the front of the queue, snapping up more tickets than anyone else. England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France – in order of demand – round out the top ten countries in terms of ticket sales.

“What an exciting step on our journey toward 2026! As national teams across the globe compete for a place at the historic FIFA World Cup 26, I am thrilled so many football-loving fans also want to be part of this watershed event in North America,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “Today, we celebrate the sale of more than 1 million FIFA World Cup tickets following the Visa Presale Draw. It’s an incredible response, and a wonderful sign that the biggest, most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history is capturing the imagination of supporters everywhere. Already, tickets have been purchased by fans in over 200 countries and territories, led by our enthusiastic hosts in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.”

Fans, including those who were unsuccessful in the presale phase, can look forward to the next ticket sales window, which will begin later this month. Specifically, on Monday, 27 October, the entry period will open for the Early Ticket Draw, in which single-match tickets to all 104 games, along with venue- and team-specific tickets, will be released.

In addition, an official resale platform for eligible ticket holders is already available at FIFA.com/tickets. This initiative is aimed at safeguarding fans against invalid or unauthorised resale and is available to supporters subject to federal and local regulations; Mexican residents will have access to a FIFA Ticket Exchange Platform.

Moreover, fans can purchase single- and multi-match hospitality packages, which include match tickets, at FIFA.com/hospitality. As always, FIFA encourages fans to purchase tickets only through FIFA.com/tickets, the official and preferred source of tickets for the FIFA World Cup. Hospitality packages and tickets sourced from unofficial sales channels may not be valid.

Further details on ticketing timelines and products are available at FIFA.com/tickets.

Nine African teams have now qualified directly for the World Cup, which will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026. One final African team will have the chance to compete in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

To reach the FIFA Play-Off Tournament in March 2026, four African teams – Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo DR and Gabon – will compete in a continental play-off during the next international window in November 2025. Find out everything you need to know about the CAF play-offs below.

When and where will the African play-offs take place?

The African play-offs will be held as a centralised tournament in Morocco, with stadiums to be confirmed at a later stage.

Three matches will be played by the knock-out system in the format of semi-finals and a final. The semi-finals will take place on Thursday, 13 November and the final on Sunday, 16 November.

How the teams qualified for the African play-offs

The four best runners-up from the African qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will participate in the African play-offs.

Nigeria

Victor Osimhen’s Super Eagles secured second place in Group C, behind South Africa, on the final day of qualifying. Their 4-0 victory over Benin allowed them to overtake the latter and claim second place.

Cameroon

A 0-0 draw with Angola on the final day of qualifying was enough for Vincent Aboubakar and Bryan Mbeumo’s Cameroon to clinch second place in Group D, behind history-making Cabo Verde and ahead of Libya.

Congo DR

Congo DR still had a chance to qualify directly for the World Cup 26 on the final day of qualifying, but that would have required Senegal not to win. However, the Lions of Teranga beat Mauritania 4-0, while the Leopards won 1-0 against Sudan, who finished third. Cedric Bakambu and his teammates had to settle for second place in Group B.

Gabon

The Panthers saw African champions Côte d’Ivoire qualify directly for their fourth World Cup. Here, too, the Elephants needed to lose on the final day to give Gabon any hope of qualifying. But Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his team-mates will have to battle it out in the play-offs.

The African play-off schedule

Semi-finals – 13 November

Match 1: Team 1 v Team 4 Match 2: Team 2 v Team 3

Final – 16 November

Match 3: Match 1 Winner v Match 2 Winner

How Teams 1 to 4 are determined

Teams 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be determined according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking published on 23 October.

Team 1: the highest-ranked team in the FIFA ranking. Team 2: the second-highest-ranked team in the FIFA ranking. Team 3: the third-highest-ranked team in the FIFA ranking. Team 4: the least-ranked team in the FIFA ranking.

Currently, Nigeria are ranked 45th in the world, Cameroon 52nd, Congo DR 60th and Gabon 79th.

Thomas Tuchel’s contract runs to the end of the tournament and the feeling has been that England have gone all out to get to this point.

Yet Tuchel believes England will be “underdogs” at the World Cup “because we haven’t won it for decades”.

Argentina and Brazil, who have both qualified, will hope the location gives them a boost.

Seven of the eight World Cups set in the Americas have been won by a South American team.

And 10 of the 11 World Cups held in Europe have been won by European teams.

BBC Sport looks at how some of the World Cup favourites are shaping up.

Spain

Spain are the early bookmakers’ favourites to win the World Cup – and with good reason.

They were deserved winners at Euro 2024, beating England in the final.

And in teenage Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal they have one of the best players in the world.

Not counting a penalty shootout defeat in June’s Nations League final against Portugal, they have not lost a competitive game since facing Scotland in March 2023.

They have not yet qualified although sit top of Group E on maximum points.

France

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: France top their qualifying group, although Ukraine and Iceland can still catch them

France, still managed by Didier Deschamps – who took charge in 2012 but will step down after the tournament – are aiming to reach their third World Cup final in a row.

They beat Croatia in 2018 before losing to Argentina on penalties after a 3-3 draw in probably the greatest ever final in 2022.

Key to their hopes will be Kylian Mbappe, who has hit 17 goals in 13 matches for Real Madrid and France this season.

They top Group D by three points over Ukraine, following Monday’s frustrating 2-2 draw with Iceland.

England

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: England will hope Thomas Tuchel can do what only Alf Ramsey has done before and lead the Three Lions to World Cup victory

There is a real hope this could be England’s year after several near misses under Gareth Southgate.

The fact the Football Association appointed the highly-decorated German on a deal just for this tournament shows how focused they are on their bid to win it.

And fortunately for Tuchel, he has a fully-firing Harry Kane. The 32-year-old has bagged 20 goals in 11 matches for Bayern Munich and England.

England are the only European team who have won nine of their past 10 games, and the first to qualify for the tournament next summer.​​​​​​​

Brazil

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Carlo Ancelotti has won it all at club level – will he now win football’s ultimate prize?

Brazil used to be the country most synonymous with World Cup glory, lifting their fifth trophy in 2002.

But they have not reached any of the five finals since then.

And so they made a bold move and brought in serial winner Carlo Ancelotti as their first foreign head coach since 1965.

He took over in May after Dorival Junior was sacked following a 4-1 loss to arch-rivals Argentina in World Cup qualifying.

Brazil ended up qualifying in fifth place in the South American group, with six defeats from 18 games, so they are far from flying.

Argentina

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Lionel Messi was rested for Argentina’s friendly against Venezuela this month

Argentina are the defending champions, beating France on penalties in the last World Cup final in Qatar.

And they won the South American qualifying group by some way, finishing nine points above second-placed Ecuador.

All-time footballing great Lionel Messi has not yet committed to playing in the World Cup – but it would be a major surprise if he did not.

However, the 38-year-old was rested for a recent friendly because boss Lionel Scaloni wanted to see Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez play together.

Portugal

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher this month – but it did not stop Portugal winning

Portugal are yet to qualify for the World Cup but will be confident of their chances as they are running away with Group F, despite drawing with Hungary on Tuesday.

There was a feeling at Euro 2024 that national great Cristiano Ronaldo, the all-time leading goalscorer in international football, was holding them back.

But since then Ronaldo – who will be 41 by next summer – has scored 13 goals in 13 games for Portugal.

Portugal look in good shape and won the Nations League final on penalties against Spain in the summer.

Germany

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Germany’s narrow win over Northern Ireland kept them top of their group

Germany will have to drastically improve on recent major tournaments if they are to challenge in North America.

Since winning the 2014 World Cup they have gone out in the group stage twice and failed to get beyond the quarter-finals of a European Championship.

And they are making hard work of even reaching the World Cup, sitting above Slovakia only on goal difference in Group A.

They lost last month to Slovakia in only their fourth World Cup qualifying defeat.

The Netherlands

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Memphis Depay has been involved in 89 goals for the Netherlands, more than anyone else

The Netherlands are in good form and have only lost once since England beat them in the Euro 2024 semi-final.

In qualifying they have 16 points from six games – with 22 goals scored and only three conceded.

In this qualifying campaign, Memphis Depay has become the country’s all-time leading goalscorer (54) and assist producer (35).

Italy

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Italy struggle to qualify for World Cups these days, let alone win them

It feels customary to put Italy in an article on World Cup favourites – but the data does not back it up.

Since winning the 2006 World Cup they have failed to play in one single knockout game.

They exited the groups in 2010 and 2014 and then failed to even reach the next two World Cups.

And that could yet be three in a row as they sit three points behind Group I leaders Norway and may well need the play-offs.

In Euros they fare better and beat England in the final in 2021.

In a video message celebrating Ghana’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Infantino expressed delight at the Black Stars’ return to the global stage and their potential to recreate their iconic 2010 quarter-final run.

“Congratulations to the Black Stars on reaching the FIFA World Cup for the fifth time in history. Your fans will bring colours, style and passion to the greatest FIFA World Cup ever in 20226 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.”

The FIFA President applauded both the players and supporters following Ghana’s 1–0 victory over Comoros in Accra on Sunday night, a result that sealed their place at the tournament. He described the qualification as a defining moment for Ghana and for African football.

Infantino also highlighted the electrifying atmosphere Ghanaian supporters bring to international football, saying their enthusiasm has consistently enriched the World Cup experience.

He added that the world is eager to witness that same spirit in North America next year, expressing confidence that the Black Stars can produce another memorable campaign reminiscent of their famous 2010 run in South Africa, when they became only the third African nation to reach the quarter-finals.

“We expect that your team will establish more global stars to follow in the footsteps of the famous team that made the quarterfinals of the tournament in South Africa in 2010, but for now, enjoy this special moment, and we cannot wait to see who the Black Stars will face when we have the final tournament draw on the 5th of December.

“See you very soon and well. Congratulations.!

Ghana’s qualification marks their fifth appearance at the FIFA World Cup since making their debut in 2006.

The four-time African champions will now shift focus to preparations for the 2026 tournament, with the official draw set to take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

READ ALSO

• Ghana seal 2026 World Cup qualification with narrow win over Comoros
• Fifa boss Infantino hails Ghana after securing 2026 World Cup qualification

The Black Stars sealed qualification for next year’s global showpiece with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Comoros on Sunday night at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The result not only confirmed Ghana’s place at the tournament, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but also saw them top Group I with 25 points.

In a congratulatory video message, Infantino commended Ghana’s remarkable achievement and acknowledged the country’s enduring impact on world football.

“Congratulations to the Black Stars on reaching the FIFA World Cup for the fifth time in history. Your fans will bring colours, style and passion to the greatest FIFA World Cup ever in 20226 in Canada, Mexico and the United States,” he said.

Reflecting on Ghana’s historic quarterfinal run at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Infantino expressed optimism about the team’s future prospects.

“We expect that your team will establish more global stars to follow in the footsteps of the famous team that made the quarterfinals of the tournament in South Africa in 2010, but for now, enjoy this special moment, and we cannot wait to see who the Black Stars will face when we have the final tournament draw on the 5th of December.

“See you very soon and well. Congratulations,” Infantino added.

The official draw for the 2026 World Cup will be staged at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

After exiting at the group stage of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, head coach Otto Addo and his charges will aim for a stronger showing on football’s biggest stage.

Ghana’s qualification marks their fifth appearance at the FIFA World Cup, following previous campaigns in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022.

READ ALSO

• Fifa boss Infantino hails Ghana after securing 2026 World Cup qualification

The tournament has traditionally been contested in the northern hemisphere’s summer months – though the 2022 competition, in Qatar, took place in December to avoid playing in the hottest conditions.

“We have summer and winter and in the world if you want to play at the same time everywhere you can play in March or in October,” said Infantino, who runs the sport’s world governing body.

“In December you cannot play in one part of the world and in July you cannot play in another part.

“We need to consider all these elements and let’s see how we can make it better for everyone.

“Maybe there are ways we can optimise the calendar. We are discussing. We have to have an open mind.”

The international match calendar is fixed until 2030, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting next year’s men’s World Cup in June and July.

Morocco, Portugal and Spain host the World Cup in 2030 – with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay holding matches to mark 100 years since the first World Cup was held in, and won by, Uruguay.

Saudi Arabia will host the tournament in 2034.

Meanwhile, Infantino also confirmed Fifa’s desire to further grow the Club World Cup.

The US hosted an expanded 32-team tournament during a major heatwave in the summer, with temperatures in New York reaching a record 39C in June.

This drew criticism from footballers and players’ unions, who raised issues over player welfare and the number of games adding to a packed calendar.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango said in July the competition was devaluing football.

Chelsea beat Paris St-Germain in New York to claim the title.

Infantino, speaking at the European Football Clubs’ general assembly in Rome, said: “When the Champions League was created the first revenue was 40m (euros), now it is 4bn (euros). If the first Club World Cup generated 2bn (euros) in 30 years we should generate 200bn (euros).

“This has created revenues for the clubs. Now we work together to see how we can make it better, bigger and more impactful in collaboration with the clubs and stakeholders because it will benefit everyone.

“I’m biased but it was a huge success from every possible angle. We had 2.5m spectators in the stadiums. We had an average [attendance] of 40,000 and only the Premier League is doing better.

“There is interest in the entire world and we need the interest to boost the national leagues, the European and global competitions.”

Overseas games a ‘big risk’ for football

Infantino also warned that football is taking a gamble playing domestic league games overseas.

In February, AC Milan will play their Serie A match with Como in Perth, Australia, while La Liga clubs Villarreal and Barcelona will face each other in Miami in December.

European football’s governing body Uefa gave the games the go-ahead this week, stressing that it was opposed to the move but had no legal framework to stop it happening.

“We have a structure where we have games at national level, continental level and then at global level,” Infantino continued.

“This is a structure which made football the number one structure in the world. If we want to break the structure we take a big risk, if we want to regulate it we have to look into it.

“Now I have seen Uefa has approved it, it has to go to Concacaf as well, I don’t know if AFC [Football Australia] has approved the game in Australia.

“We need a reflection which is more global. Do we want everyone to play everywhere and do whatever they want, or do we want a regulated system which takes into a account which takes into account the interests of everyone?”

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin doubled down on his body’s opposition on Wednesday, saying Europe’s top clubs risk “breaking” football if league games are moved overseas.

“Football is not just about balance sheets. It’s not just entertainment. It’s life in our communities, the streets, the clubs and the fans which shape it,” Ceferin told club officials at the European Football Clubs’ (formerly the European Club Association) general assembly in Rome.

“If we pull it too far away from those roots, we risk breaking it.”

Football’s world governing body had fined and suspended the players in late September and on Monday released a report justifying its action.

Fifa said the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had forged birth certificates to make it look like the players’ grandparents were born in Malaysia. This, the body said, “constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating”.

But FAM said the discrepancies arose from an “administrative error” and that it would appeal Fifa’s penalties. It maintained that the players were “legitimate Malaysian citizens”.

Fifa’s “grandfather rule” allows foreign-born football players to represent countries that their biological parents or grandparents were born in. This aims to prevent national football teams from simply importing foreign players to boost performance.

Fifa investigated the players following Malaysia’s 4-0 win against Vietnam in June, in response to questions about their eligibility.

In September, the Fifa disciplinary committee suspended the seven players for a year and ordered them to pay a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs ($2,500; £1,870). At the time, Fifa did not share details about the reason for their suspension, only that it related to “doctored documentation”.

The football governing body ordered FAM to pay 350,000 Swiss francs ($440,000; £330,000).

In recent years, South East Asian countries have launched recruitment drives for naturalised players, hoping to emulate Indonesia’s strategy of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Earlier this year, FAM sent Fifa birth certificates showing that the grandparents of its seven players had been born in Malaysian cities like Penang and Malacca.

But Fifa said investigators obtained original birth certificates of the grandparents, which showed that they were born in countries like Argentina and Spain – all corresponding with the players’ birthplaces.

The seven players include Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, Netherlands-born Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano and Brazilian-born Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo.

Malaysia’s sports minister Hannah Yeoh said Fifa’s findings had tarnished the country’s image. She said the ministry would wait for FAM’s appeal to be over before making any official statement.

“I also understand that all local football fans are naturally angry, disappointed and want to see improvements,” she told a news conference on Tuesday, according to government news agency Bernama.

Malaysia is set to play against Laos in another Asian Cup qualifier this week – though the Malaysian team’s line-up will look much different without the sanctioned players.

“I am delighted and proud to present the Trionda,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the ball was revealed at an event in New York on Thursday.

The first World Cup organized by three countries, with 48 teams competing, inspired both the name and the design of the ball featuring red, blue and green colors.

Iconography from each host nation — maple leaves from Canada, the eagle from Mexico and stars from the United States also feature, with a triangle referring to the unity of the three countries.

Less visible are technological advancements that include deep seams designed to produce “optimal in-flight stability” and embossed icons that improve grip in wet or humid conditions.

A motion sensor chip will relay information on the ball’s movement, sending data to the video assistant referee (VAR) system.

The unveiling marks another step in the countdown to the North American World Cup, which will be held June 11-July 19 next year.

FIFA has launched its online phased ticket sales procedures, with more than 4.5 million fans from 216 countries and territories entering the presale draw.

The tournament draw will be held in Washington on December 5.

A United Nations commission of inquiry concluded last month that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s participation in football was not included as a formal item on the agenda of a Fifa council meeting held on Thursday.

However, Infantino touched on the subject in his opening remarks for the session at Fifa’s headquarters in Zurich.

The 55-year-old Italian said: “Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.

“Fifa cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”

Infantino later said he had met with Palestinian Football Association (PFA) president Jibril Rajoub on Thursday.

In a post on Instagram, he said: “I commend President Rajoub and the PFA for their resilience at this time and I reiterated to him Fifa’s commitment to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world.”

Israel’s national team are currently participating in European qualifiers for next summer’s men’s World Cup, while Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv are playing in the Europa League.

Amnesty International has urged Fifa, which organises the World Cup, and Uefa, which organises European competitions, to suspend the Israeli Football Association from their tournaments.

Fifa vice-president Victor Montagliani said on Wednesday that Uefa should make the decision.

“First and foremost, [Israel] is a member of Uefa, no different than I have to deal with a member of my region for whatever reason. They have to deal with that,” he said.

Israel are third in their World Cup qualifying group – organised by Uefa – six points behind leaders Norway.

The top team from each group qualifies automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the play-offs.

The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has vowed to fight any attempts to block Israel from participating.

The UN report said there were reasonable grounds to conclude four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law had been carried out by Israel in Gaza since the start of the war in 2023.

A panel of human rights experts at the UN subsequently called on Fifa and Uefa to suspend Israel’s national team from international football, saying: “Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual.”

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence. Its foreign ministry called the UN report “distorted and false”.

Teboho Mokoena played in the 2-0 win over Lesotho in March despite the 28-year-old midfielder being due to serve a suspension after accumulating two yellow cards.

A Fifa disciplinary committee has ruled that South Africa breached competition rules, and has imposed a 3-0 forfeit.

The country’s football association (Safa) has been fined 10,000 Swiss Francs ($12,500, £9,340), while Mokoena has been issued with a warning.

The decision has blown Group C of African World Cup qualifying wide open, with South Africa dropping from top of the table to second place, behind Benin on goal difference.

It also gives renewed hope to Rwanda and Nigeria of reaching the 2026 finals, with both of those sides now three points below Benin and South Africa.

Benin travel to Rwanda and Nigeria in the final two round of qualifiers between 10 and 14 October, while South Africa face an away game against Zimbabwe before hosting Rwanda.

Safa has 10 days to appeal Fifa’s decision.

Israel’s national team is currently participating in European qualifiers for next summer’s men’s Fifa World Cup, while Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv is playing in the Europa League.

The BBC has been told by a senior figure at one football federation that many nations are pushing for a vote on whether to throw Israel out of European football, and that the leadership of governing body Uefa wants to act.

On Friday the Turkish FA demanded Israel be banned from football, and a group of 48 athletes signed a joined letter calling for the country’s suspension.

The Times reports that a vote could come as soon as next week and that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been campaigning against it.

Meanwhile, the US State Department has vowed to resist any attempt to bar Israel from potentially qualifying for a World Cup which will be held mostly on American soil.

So how exactly could a vote work, and what repercussions could it have?

How would a vote work?

Decisions on important matters in European football are made by the executive committee of Uefa, the governing body for the continent.

The executive committee – a group of 20 officials from its different member states – controls Uefa, overseeing the management of its governance, finances and rules.

The group is headed by president Aleksandr Ceferin, who has been in post since succeeding Michel Platini in 2016.

Sixteen members are then elected to their positions by vote, while two represent the European Club Association (ECA), and one represents the European Leagues organisation.

Emergency meetings of the group are not necessarily announced to the public, and even once the result of a vote is declared, Uefa does not typically reveal which members voted which way.

In order for any decision to be voted through by the executive committee, a simple majority of 11 out of 20 members is needed.

In reality, Uefa typically undertakes formal votes of its executive committee only when it knows there will be a clear outcome in one direction or another.

Decisions taken by the group are effective immediately, meaning a decision to suspend Israel would in theory be implemented straight away.

As Uefa governs the World Cup qualifying process for Europe, Israel would effectively be barred from next summer’s tournament.

The Israeli FA did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by BBC Sport.

Who would be making the decision?

The 16 executive committee members who are elected come from a range of countries, and represent their national football federations. One, Moshe Zuares, is an Israeli who was elected this year.

Among the others four come from countries – Spain, Norway, Albania and Armenia – whose governments have issued pro-Palestine messages. However, apart from Turkey, no other football associations have publicly expressed a position on Israeli teams’ participation in international football.

The head of the ECA, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is a very powerful figure. He is also president of European champions Paris St-Germain, and chairperson of BeIN Media Group, one of Uefa’s most lucrative broadcasting partners.

Al-Khelaifi is a former tennis player from Qatar, which has criticised what it called “reckless Israeli behaviour” after Israel’s forces carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, this month. Al-Khelaifi has made no public comment about Israel’s participation in competitions.

His fellow ECA representative Miguel Angel Gil Marin, CEO of Atletico Madrid, is Spanish, while European Leagues representative Claudius Schafer is Swiss.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Aleksander Ceferin and Nasser Al-Khelaifi are key figures in Uefa’s decision-making

Could Uefa and Fifa disagree?

Any decision to suspend Israel taken by Uefa would need to be ratified by global governing body Fifa afterwards.

When Russia was thrown out of football competitions in 2022, Fifa and Uefa announced the decision in a joint statement just four days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

But there is a possibility of disagreement.

Earlier this year Fifa president Gianni Infantino described his relationship with US president Donald Trump as “absolutely crucial”.

Infantino even invited Trump to be part of the Club World Cup trophy presentation in July, and has left a replica of the competition’s trophy sitting in the White House’s Oval Office.

The Trump administration is vehemently pro-Israel, strongly criticised the decision of the UK and others to recognise a Palestinian state, and is now making clear its opposition to any plan to bar Israel from the World Cup.

The BBC has asked Fifa whether it would ratify a Uefa vote to suspend Israel but has not received a response.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Gianni Infantino attended Donald Trump’s inauguration in January and has made multiple visits to the White House since

Which athletes are calling for Israel to be banned?

On Friday a group of 48 athletes signed a statement calling on Uefa to “immediately suspend” Israel from all competitions until it “complies with international law and ends its killing of civilians” in Gaza.

French World Cup winner Paul Pogba is the highest profile signatory, while Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure is the only current Premier League player to sign, alongside others including ex-Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, former Ipswich captain Sam Morsy and former England cricketer Moeen Ali.

The signatories say they are a “united voice of sports professionals from around the world, standing for justice, fairness, and humanity in sport”.

The statement adds: “[Israel’s] actions violate international humanitarian law and contradict the principles of respect, safety, and peace that sport represents.

“Sport is not neutral in the face of injustice. To remain silent is to accept that the lives of some are worth less than others.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Paul Pogba is a World Cup winner who has played for Manchester United and Juventus, and is now at Monaco

Is perception changing at the top of football?

Uefa has previously resisted calls to bar Israel from its competitions, with Ceferin saying in August that he is generally opposed to bans.

“I think that all athletes should have the opportunity to compete and that other things should be handled differently,” the Slovenian said.

But the organisation was heavily criticised – including by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah – in the summer when it posted about Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid on social media but did not refer to the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) had said he had been killed in an Israeli attack while waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip.

The PFA has also said that the number of footballers killed or who have died from starvation in Gaza totals 421, including 103 children.

Subsequently, Uefa placed banners on the pitch before the Super Cup match between Paris St-Germain and Tottenham in Italy in August reading ‘stop killing children’ and ‘stop killing civilians’.

The Turkish FA has now become the first Uefa member to publicly demand Israel’s suspension.

“Despite positioning themselves as defenders of civilized values and peace, the sports world and football institutions have remained silent for too long,” said Turkish FA president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu.

“It is time for Fifa and Uefa to take action. Israel must be banned from all sporting competitions immediately.”

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 65,502 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Former Arsenal and current Real Betis defender Hector Bellerin has been outspoken on the Israel-Gaza conflict, and told the BBC he feels the rules have not been equally applied to Russia and Israel.

“I just don’t understand how when the war between Russia and Ukraine started, Russia couldn’t compete in any sports, and now the measurement is a different bar for what is happening with Israel,” the Spaniard said. “I don’t think that is right.

“There are kids and families that are being bombed every day. I wish that all my colleagues, all the organisations in football would step forward, because football most of the time is the place where people look.”

But others maintain that Israel should keep their place in Uefa competitions.

“For either Uefa or Fifa to remove Israel from football competitions would be a betrayal of Jewish communities all over the world, and an act of vilification, demonisation and de-legitimisation of Israel,” said Simon Johnson, ex-director of corporate affairs at the FA and former chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council.

“It would do nothing to end the war or bring peace to the region.”

Pressure seems to be building towards a formal decision which, whichever way it goes, could have seismic consequences far beyond football.

Eleven US cities are scheduled to host matches at next summer’s 48-team tournament, which will be co-hosted by Canada and Mexico.

The US will host 78 of the 104 fixtures, including the final.

World governing body Fifa is in charge of organising the tournament and selecting host cities, and any changes now – or at a later stage – would face logistical challenges.

It is also unclear whether Trump has the authority to make such changes, though he does have a close working relationship with its president Gianni Infantino and is chair of the World Cup taskforce.

“It will be safe for the World Cup,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it into a different city.”

The 11 host cities in the US are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

Trump was asked specifically about matches in the Democratic-run cities of Seattle and San Francisco. Both are due to host six games.

He also mentioned Los Angeles – another Democratic stronghold, which will host the 2028 Olympics and eight matches next year.

“If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup, or for the Olympics, but for the World Cup in particular, because they’re playing in so many cities, we won’t allow it to go. We’ll move it around a little bit,” he said.

Trump has made tackling crime a central part of his agenda. Last month, he deployed National Guard troops and federal officers into Washington DC, despite figures showing a fall in crime since it spiked in 2023.

He said he planned to send troops into Memphis and Chicago too.

In June, he ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to deal with unrest over raids on undocumented migrants.

The draw for the group stage of the World Cup is scheduled for 5 December in Washington DC.

The tournament will run from 11 June to 19 July.

This is not the first time Trump has spoken about the World Cup.

In May, he said the opportunity for Russia to play at the tournament could be an “incentive” to end the war in Ukraine.

That is despite the Russian national football team being banned from international competition by Fifa and Uefa since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and qualification for the World Cup having already started.

In March, he claimed the political and economic tensions between the US and co-hosts Canada and Mexico would be good for the tournament.

That came after he imposed tariffs – taxes charged on goods imported from other countries – on the US’ two neighbours.

Maple™ the Moose (Canada), Zayu™ the Jaguar (Mexico) and Clutch™ the Bald Eagle (United States) have been thoughtfully developed to reflect the vibrant culture, heritage and spirit of their respective countries, coming together to symbolise unity, diversity and the shared passion for the beautiful game.

“The 26 team has just got bigger – and more fun! Maple, Zayu and Clutch are full of joy, energy and the spirit of togetherness, just like the FIFA World Cup itself,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“The three mascots are central to the incredible, entertaining atmosphere we’re creating for this game-changing tournament. They’ll win hearts and spark celebrations across North America and around the world. I can already picture them on children’s shirts, high-fiving football legends and – in another first for this tournament – starring in video games played by millions worldwide.”

In the spirit of connecting with young fans, Maple, Zayu and Clutch will become the first FIFA competition mascots to be playable, in the all-new FIFA-licensed title, FIFA Heroes, launching next year. The game is part of FIFA’s growing portfolio under the FIFAe umbrella, aimed at making digital football accessible to more fans, on more platforms and in more flavours.

Developed and published by ENVER in partnership with Solace, FIFA Heroes is an arcade-style, fast-paced five-a-side football title with fantasy flair.

Players can build squads packed with several of the FIFA World Cup™ mascots (past and present), football’s biggest icons and their favourite fictional characters from popular TV shows and films. FIFA Heroes is set for kick-off in 2026 on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. FIFA Super League Soccer on Roblox, which has been developed in collaboration with Gamefam, will also host quests highlighting each mascot’s role on the pitch, featuring themed rewards.

Maple, Zayu and Clutch will be everywhere – welcoming the world, inspiring young fans and cheering on the action during the tournament, which will take place from 11 June to 19 July and feature 48 teams for the first time. In addition, fans will be able to purchase mascot shirts and other merchandise at FIFAStore.com.

Introducing the Official Mascots

Maple the Moose was born to roam, journeying across all of Canada’s provinces and territories while connecting with people and embracing the country’s rich culture. A street style-loving artist, music enthusiast and dedicated goalkeeper, Maple found purpose through creativity, resilience and unapologetic individuality. With a knack for making legendary saves and a heart full of strength and leadership, Maple combines endless stories and unstoppable flair.

Zayu the Jaguar, from the jungles of southern Mexico, embodies the rich heritage and vibrant spirit of the country. With a name inspired by unity, strength and joy, Zayu transforms on the pitch as a striker, showcasing exceptional ingenuity and agility that intimidates defenders. Off the pitch, Zayu embraces Mexican culture through dance, food and tradition, uniting people across borders with passion. More than an athlete, Zayu is a symbol of cultural celebration and connection, carrying the heart of Mexico with pride.

Clutch the Bald Eagle possesses an unquenchable thirst for adventure, soaring across the United States and embracing every culture, game and moment with boundless curiosity and optimism. Fearless on the pitch and uplifting off it, Clutch leads by action — rallying teammates, lifting spirits and turning every challenge into an opportunity to rise higher. A social spark and sports fanatic, Clutch, like all great midfielders, unites people wherever they go, proving that true flight is about purpose, passion and play.