Sherrill said world football’s governing body is to blame for supporters having to pay $150 (£111) for a 30-minute NJ Transit train journey from New York to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to attend World Cup games this summer.

She said Fifa should subsidise the cost of public transport for World Cup games.

There are no concession prices for the journey to the stadium, so children and seniors must also pay the full $150, while shuttle bus tickets are priced at $80 (£59).

Fifa offical Heimo Schirgi said: “The NJ Transit current pricing model will have a chilling effect.”

Schirgi, chief operating officer for the tournament, insisted Fifa’s goal at the World Cup is “to minimise congestion, reduce reliance on private vehicles, and ensure the fan experience is positive and memorable defined by the action on pitch, not delays on the roads”.

He added: “Elevated fares inevitably push fans towards alternative transportation options.

“This increases concerns of congestion, late arrivals, and creates broader ripple effects that ultimately diminish the economic benefit and lasting legacy the entire region stands to gain from hosting the World Cup.”

Governor’s Fifa demand ‘unprecedented’

MetLife Stadium – which will be named New York/New Jersey Stadium during the World Cup as part of Fifa’s policy on corporate sponsored names – will host eight matches, including an England group game, and the final on 19 July.

Train fares for matches at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston, have also been vastly increased to $80 (£59), with coach tickets costing $95 (£70).

Sherrill posted on X that her administration “inherited an agreement where Fifa is providing $0 for transportation” while NJ Transit has a bill of $48m (£35m), and claimed the tournament organisers will make $11bn (£8.1bn).

“To arbitrarily set elevated prices and demand Fifa absorb these costs is unprecedented,” Fifa’s Schirgi added.

“No other global event, concert or major sporting promoter has faced such a demand.

“While Fifa is projected to generate approximately $11bn in revenue, not profit, as the governor incorrectly claims, Fifa has always been a not-for-profit organisation as per our statutes.

“Revenues from the Fifa World Cup are reinvested into developing the game of football, particularly for youth and women, worldwide.”

He added that host city agreements were signed in 2018 and that Fifa had already worked with the host committee to develop a transportation plan that “provides efficient and accessible mass transit options” for fans attending the eight matches in New Jersey.

The incident, which occurred as the Ghana Premier League side were returning from an away fixture, has left the country’s football community in shock and has renewed debate over the safety of teams travelling for domestic matches.

Frimpong, 20, had joined Berekum Chelsea on loan from Aduana FC earlier this year and was beginning to make steady progress in his development before his life was cut short.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Infantino described the news as deeply distressing, expressing sorrow over the circumstances surrounding the player’s death.

“I am deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Berekum Chelsea Football Club’s Dominic Frimpong following a reported attack on the team while returning from a Ghana Premier League fixture,” the statement read.

The FIFA president extended condolences on behalf of world football, standing in solidarity with the bereaved family and the club.

“On behalf of the global football community and everyone at FIFA, we send our condolences to his family, friends, everyone at Berekum Chelsea FC and all those who knew him,” he added.

CAF president Dr Motsepe also expressed profound grief over the killing, describing the attack as devastating and extending support to those affected.

“It is with profound sadness that I learned of the armed robbery attack on the bus of Berekum Chelsea, returning from a Ghana Premier League fixture, which claimed the life of a 20-year-old winger, Dominic Frimpong.”

He further offered condolences to the Ghana Football Association and Frimpong’s loved ones, adding that CAF stood firmly with the country during the mourning period.

“May God comfort and console his loved ones and the entire Ghanaian football community. CAF is with you during this sad and painful period.”

Meanwhile, authorities have launched investigations into the attack as Ghanaian football continues to mourn the loss of one of its promising young talents.

Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) asked the sport’s global governing body to move its games out of the US last month, but FIFA said all World Cup fixtures will go ahead as scheduled, dismissing the possibility of Mexico hosting the Iranian team.

Sheinbaum reiterated FIFA’s stance on Friday, saying the matches will be played in the US as planned.

“FIFA ultimately decided that the matches cannot be moved from their original venues,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference in Mexico City.

“It [relocation] would make logistics too complicated, and this decision was taken by FIFA,” she said.

FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on confirmation of host venues for Iran’s games.

The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 168 people at a girls school on the first day.

Tehran responded by striking Israeli and US military bases in the Middle East with missiles and drones.

A Pakistan-mediated ceasefire brought the attacks to a halt on Wednesday in Iran and the Gulf, but Israel has continued to pound parts of Lebanon.

Iran was among the first countries to qualify for the World Cup, racing to book their spot from the Asian confederation.

Team Melli are in Group G of the tournament with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand and are scheduled to play all of their group games on the US West Coast, two in Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and one in Seattle (June 26).

Mexico, which is cohosting the World Cup with the US and Canada, had shown willingness to host Iran’s fixtures, but Sheinbaum’s recent comments have reaffirmed the stance of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who met Iranian football players, coaches and officials in Turkiye on March 31.

“The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw,” Infantino said on the sidelines of Iran’s friendly match against Costa Rica.

Infantino also quelled concerns that Iran would not feature at the next edition of the World Cup at all after FFIRI President Mehdi Taj said Iran would “boycott” the games in the US.

“Iran will be at the World Cup. … That’s why we’re here,” Infantino said in Mexico.

“I’ve seen the team, I’ve spoken to the players and the coach, so everything is fine,” added Infantino, whose attendance at the friendly was unannounced.

Last month, the FFIRI expressed fears over its players’ safety and security in the US after President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post that it would not be appropriate for Iran to participate in the World Cup “for their own life and safety”.

“When Trump has ⁠explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to ⁠America,” Taj said in response to Trump.

Both countries have since exchanged indirect verbal blows on the issue with the latest comments coming from Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, who indicated that his country’s participation in the World Cup will be uncertain unless FIFA relocates its fixtures.

Infantino, 56, is yet to publicly or formally declare his intention to run again, but it is presumed that he will, considering the way he has reshaped FIFA in his image during his decade in power. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.

CONMEBOL, in a statement issued on Thursday, paid tribute to the “leadership” shown by Infantino and the “advances made”, particularly in football’s development, under Infantino’s management.

In September, FIFA held discussions with political and football figures about expanding the men’s World Cup to a 64-team tournament in 2030 after receiving a formal pitch from a delegation of influential South American leaders. The group included heads of state from Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as senior football executives from CONMEBOL and the head of the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

The 64-team idea was first presented by the Uruguayan Football Association’s president, Ignacio Alonso, during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025. The proposal surprised many on the call, but FIFA said it has a duty to consider ideas presented at its council. In April, Dominguez said the 64-team concept would be a one-off to mark the 100th anniversary of the first men’s World Cup, which took place in Uruguay in 1930.

A 64-team competition would mean more than 30 per cent of FIFA’s 211 national teams would compete. FIFA has not issued an update on the topic, with major questions about the calendar, logistics, and infrastructure requirements for such a large tournament to take place, but CONMEBOL’s council has now made an early move to back Infantino’s re-election.

The 2030 tournament is FIFA’s most sprawling to date, as it will be hosted across three continents and six countries. It is set to be shared across Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, who will each have one game at the start of the event, before the remainder of the schedule is split across Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

This workaround, however, has been deemed insufficient by those in South America. Their continent has hosted only one recent men’s World Cup, in Brazil in 2014. The previous most recent was in Argentina in 1978. In the intervening years, Europe has hosted five tournaments, and Asia two.

Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina will each host a game at the 2030 World Cup (Daniel Duarte/AFP via Getty Images)

During September’s meeting, Infantino appeared to give encouragement to the expanded tournament. In videos posted on social media by those present, he told the room, “Today, we really start working together as a team to make history. Working together to see how we can do something the world will not forget, because the people deserve it.”

CONMEBOL had looked to be at odds with Infantino earlier in his reign, with the confederation opposed to FIFA’s biennial World Cup proposal. Along with UEFA, it came out against the idea in September 2021. 

CONMEBOL and UEFA were also in discussions about a joint Nations League, which did not materialize, although the organizations did re-introduce the “Finalissima,” which sees the European Championship winners play against the Copa America winners in one-off games.

What has happened during Infantino’s presidency?

Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016, when he succeeded Sepp Blatter. He has since overseen men’s World Cups in Qatar and Russia, which were both awarded under the previous regime. 

Infantino’s last election was in March 2023, so his four-year term will be up in 2027. FIFA has a 12-year term limit, meaning that Infantino ought, in theory, to be unable to stand for a further four years. However, in 2022, the FIFA governance, audit and compliance committee ruled his first term did not count, as it was only for three years. This therefore allows him to rule for 15 years, through to 2031.

Under his presidency, the men’s World Cup has expanded from 32 to 48 teams, which will come into effect for the first time at this summer’s tournament across North America. The same expanded format will come in for the 2031 women’s World Cup.

The awards for the next two men’s World Cups also reached unusual or controversial conclusions during Infantino’s tenure. In 2030, the tournament will be shared across three continents (Africa, Europe and South America), which made the 2034 tournament essentially a fait accompli for Saudi Arabia, as FIFA abides by a confederation rotation principle. This means that two tournaments must pass by before a confederation can once again host a World Cup, ruling out North America, Africa, Europe and South America, leaving only Oceania and Asia as options, with Saudi Arabia the sole bidder.

Infantino’s time in power has been praised — often by FIFA itself — as a reformist presidency following the scandals and FBI investigations that stained the organization. Infantino has increased revenue for federations across the world, which also helps him when it comes to re-election, as every one of FIFA’s 211 nations will get a vote.

As part of the current cycle — 2023 to 2026 — each member association is entitled to receive up to $8million (£6.1m), although this cannot be spent freely. The total amount made available over this four-year period is $2.25bn. FIFA announced on March 19 that this will rise to $2.7bn for the 2027-2030 cycle.

Infantino’s presidency has also featured controversies. UEFA council members walked out of the FIFA Congress last year after Infantino turned up late when he prioritized a trip with President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He has also faced criticism from player unions and domestic leagues over the expanded Club World Cup competition.

FIFA’s own ethics committee investigated Infantino over a potential conflict of interest in 2017 when he and his staff travelled in private jets laid on for him in Russia and Qatar. Another investigation in 2016 centred on his alleged billing of FIFA for personal expenses. In both cases, the investigatory chamber concluded the ethics code had not been violated.

In December, an official complaint was submitted to FIFA’s Ethics Committee by FairSquare, a non-profit organization and advocacy group, alleging “repeated breaches” of FIFA’s duty of political neutrality by Infantino, while also requesting an investigation into the process that saw Trump receive the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. FIFA has not provided any update on the progress of that complaint.

Infantino has been hailing the projected $11 billion revenues FIFA hopes to make from this summer’s World Cup, but his organization has faced scrutiny over the most expensive tournament tickets that FIFA has ever produced.

They include Fecofoot president, Jean-Guy Mayolas, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment, along with his wife and son, after being convicted of embezzling funds provided by the world governing body.

Mayolas and his family were tried in absentia, with their whereabouts currently unknown.

The Brazzaville criminal court found Mayolas, Fecofoot general secretary Wantete Badji and the federation’s treasurer Raoul Kanda guilty of money laundering, forgery, use of forged documents and embezzlement on 10 March.

Badji and Kanda received five-year prison sentences, while all three men are now being investigated for financial misconduct after Fifa’s ethics committee said it received “information and documents” during a review.

In a statement, Fifa listed forgery, conflicts of interest and offering and accepting gifts among the charges.

The criminal trial claimed that $1.3m (£950,000) in Fifa funds had been misappropriated, with the bulk of that money earmarked for a training centre and women’s football, as well as Covid relief.

A declaration signed by the presidents of every women’s club in the country’s top flight, sent to Congolese authorities, insisted that only a tiny percentage was ever paid out.

This is not the first time Mayolas and Bandji have fallen foul of a Fifa investigation, having received six-month bans in 2015 for breaking rules around gifts and benefits. Mayolas was Fecofoot vice president at the time.

Fecofoot was suspended by Fifa in February last year for political interference, following the Congolese government’s dismissal of Mayolas.

The national team was forced to forfeit two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Zambia and Tanzania.

The ban was lifted in May after certain conditions were met, including the return of full control of the federation’s headquarters and other facilities to Fecofoot’s executive committee.

The FSA said football’s world governing body has “abused its monopoly position” in setting prices for the tournament, which begins on 11 June.

In December Fifa introduced a small number of “more affordable” $60 (£45) tickets for all 104 matches following widespread criticism of its pricing structure.

The FSA has called on Fifa to abandon dynamic pricing – variability based on demand – and freeze prices for the April release of tickets.

It also demanded greater transparency for fans when purchasing tickets, with at least 48-hour notice of availability in each category and where those seats will be.

BBC Sport has contacted Fifa for comment.

The complaint by the FSA and Euroconsumers to the European Commission says Fifa has taken advantage of its position “to impose excessive ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchasing conditions and processes on European fans”.

It said in a statement: “Fifa holds a monopoly over ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup and has used that power to impose conditions on fans that would never be acceptable in a competitive market.”

The FSA and Euroconsumers alleged “six specific abuses” of Fifa’s position.

They include accusing Fifa of bait advertising – illegal under EU consumer law – with its later release of cheaper tickets “so scarce” that it advertised a price “not genuinely available”.

About 400 £45 tickets have been made available for England and Scotland’s group matches.

FSA director Ronan Evain said the group had no option but to approach the European Commission because of Fifa’s “failure to engage in meaningful consultation”.

“Fifa point to their unconfirmed sales figures as validation of their unfair ticket practices, while the reality is they leave loyal fans with no other choice – pay up or lose out,” Evain said.

According to Fifa, almost seven million tickets have been made available for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

For one person to attend eight matches – one in each round – at the World Cup, it will cost about £5,225 in the lowest price range, £8,580 in the middle tier and £12,350 for the most expensive tickets.

In 2022 it would have cost £1,466, £2,645 or £3,914 respectively, although that was for seven games.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) issued a statement to clarify that production of the jerseys by kit manufacturer Puma began in August last year and “manufacturing deadlines and industrial constraints did not allow for the interruption of this ongoing process.”

Senegal went on to win the Africa Cup in January for its second continental crown after winning the 2021 edition, to which its first star refers.

But the Teranga Lions were surprisingly stripped of the second title on Tuesday when the Confederation of African Football’s appeals board ruled that Senegal forfeited the Jan. 18 final by leaving the field of play without the referee’s authorization, awarding Morocco a default 3-0 win.

The FSF made no mention of that decision in its statement, where it continued to refer to “our victory” and said it be reflected on the team jersey — after the World Cup.

“Aware of the Senegalese people’s legitimate attachment to their symbols, the FSF wishes to reassure all supporters: the new jerseys incorporating the second star are currently in production. They are scheduled to be available starting next September,” the federation said.

“The FSF apologizes for any misunderstanding this situation may have caused and thanks the supporters for their constant commitment, vigilance, and unwavering attachment to the national team.”

The FSF previously said it will appeal CAF’s unprecedented decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, a process that typically takes a year to deliver a verdict, while the Senegalese government slammed the “grossly illegal and deeply unjust decision” and called for an international investigation “into suspected corruption” within African soccer’s governing body.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe on Wednesday defended the body against perceptions of favoritism toward Morocco, which is a 2030 World Cup co-host and has invested heavily to become a soccer superpower.

The decision was made at the Fifa Council on Thursday, and discussed the long-term strategy of female representation in coaching.

Under the new ruling, at least two staff members on the bench of every team at matches must be female, with one in an assistant coach or head coach role.

The rule applies to all youth and senior tournaments, including clubs and national teams.

At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 12 of the 32 head coaches were female, including England manager Sarina Wiegman.

“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” said Fifa’s chief football officer Jill Ellis.

“The new Fifa regulations, combined with targeted development programmes, mark an important investment in the current and future generation of female coaches.”

Fifa hopes these new regulations will see a rapid increase in female representation, including at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Among some of the most high-profile female coaches is London-born Emma Hayes, who is joined by assistant Denise Reddy at the United States.

In 2024, Hayes told BBC Sport that a lack of female coaches in English football is “a massive issue” and urged the game’s administrators to “come up with more creative ways” to address it.

Other female English coaches at international level include Gemma Grainger at Norway, Casey Stoney at Canada and Carla Ward at the Republic of Ireland.

Canadian Rhian Wilkinson led Wales to their first major tournament at Euro 2025 last summer, while Dutchwoman Wiegman has guided England to back-to-back European titles and has been named the Fifa best women’s coach of the year on four occasions.

Wiegman was the only female coach in the quarter-final stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Speaking at that time, she said: “Of course what we hope is to get more female coaches at the top level and that the balance gets better than it is right now.

“Males are welcome too but if the balance is better than hopefully that will inspire more women to get involved in coaching.”

The president of Iran’s football federation had said negotiations were under way to move fixtures in order to ensure their players’ safety.

It comes amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which has responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.

However, on Tuesday Fifa said in a statement it was looking forward to nations “competing as per the match schedule”.

The US is co-hosting the World Cup, which takes place between 11 June and 19 July, with Canada and Mexico.

Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand on 16 June and Belgium on 21 June, both in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle on 27 June.

Last week US President Donald Trump said that while Iran are “welcome to the World Cup”, he does not think “it is appropriate” they attend “for their own life and safety”.

“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” said Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj in a post on a social media account belonging to the Iranian embassy in Mexico.

“We are negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”

A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including Iran, to discuss planning for the World Cup.

“Fifa is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025.”

Iran, who have qualified for a fourth consecutive World Cup, decided not to pull out of the competition last summer when the US bombed three nuclear facilities in the country.

A recent message on the national team’s Telegram account said Fifa is the organiser of the World Cup and “not any single country”.

It added that “the country that should be removed is the one that merely carries the title of host but does not have the ability to ensure security for the teams participating in this event”.

Previously, Trump has said he “does not care” if Iran take part in the World Cup.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino subsequently said the US President had told him Iran are “welcome to compete” at this summer’s finals, despite the countries being at war.

Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, then said that “under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup”.

When have matches previously been moved?

If Iran’s games were relocated to Mexico, it would not be the first time matches have been moved for safety and geopolitical reasons.

In recent times, Belarus have played their competitive home games in Hungary because of their support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This included a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last year, which was played at the ZTE Arena in Zalaegerszeg.

In cricket, political tensions between India and Pakistan mean that the two countries will only play each other at neutral venues when they meet at ICC events.

India refused to travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy in 2025, while Pakistan played their matches in the recent T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

In its latest disciplinary overview for World Cup qualifying matches, the world football governing body said both federations were found guilty of separate offences during the encounter played on November 16, 2025.

Nigeria was punished for a breach relating to order and security at matches after spectators were found to have thrown objects during the game.

The offence falls under Article 17 and Article 17.2.b of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, with the NFF fined 1,000 Swiss francs.

The Congolese federation received a stiffer penalty after its supporters were found to have used laser pointers or similar electronic devices during the match. 

The act contravened Article 17.2.d of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, prompting FIFA to fine the DR Congo Football Association 5,000 Swiss francs.

FIFA said disciplinary decisions are taken based on the circumstances of each case and may still be subject to appeal.

The body added that the summary of sanctions released publicly was mainly intended to inform the media, while the official legal decisions were communicated directly to the federations involved.

The new regulations, set to take effect at the 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11–July 19), address substitutions, restarts, injury treatment, and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocols.

Under the updated rules, players being substituted must exit the field within 10 seconds. Delays will require their replacements to wait one minute before entering play, a measure intended to discourage deliberate stalling.

Teams will also have just five seconds to take a throw-in or a goal kick. Failure to restart within this window will result in the ball being awarded to the opposition.

For injury stoppages, players receiving treatment on the pitch must leave and can only return one minute after play resumes.

VAR’s scope has been expanded, giving officials the authority to review second yellow cards and corner decisions, but only in cases of clear errors.

FIFA hopes these changes will make matches more dynamic, reduce downtime, and maintain the flow of play from kickoff to final whistle.

Speaking at the International Broadcast Centre ‌in Dallas on Monday, Schirgi was specifically asked about Iran, whose participation in the World Cup is uncertain due to the war waged on the country by Israel ​and the United States.

“At some stage, we will have a ​resolution, and the World Cup will go on, obviously,” Schirgi said, ⁠per NBC 5 in Dallas. “The World Cup is too big, and ​we hope that everyone can participate that has qualified.”

Schirgi said that FIFA is ​monitoring the situation in the Middle East closely while working with federal and international partners to evaluate daily developments.

FIFA said last week that it is keeping an eye ​on events in Iran just months ahead of the start of the ​World Cup in June. Iran qualified for the tournament through its participation in the ‌Asian ⁠Football Conference.

Iran is scheduled to play Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G. Two of the games are set for Los Angeles, one in Seattle. Schirgi said that FIFA has been in contact with Iran’s soccer ​federation but declined ​to provide details ⁠of those conversations.

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, with 48 nations competing across three countries. ​The United States will host games in 11 cities, ​Mexico in ⁠three and Canada in two.

FIFA officials were in Dallas for the announcement of plans for the city’s fan festival, with the International Broadcast Centre inside ⁠the ​Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center still under construction. ​Schirgi said the IBC will operate around the clock during the World Cup and is ​expected to bring between 3,000 and 3,500 media members to Dallas.

Trump’s comments come amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which has responded by launching attacks on US-allied states in the Gulf in an escalating conflict.

The US is co-hosting the World Cup which takes place between 11 June and 19 July, along with Canada and Mexico.

“I really don’t care,” Trump told Politico about Iran playing in the tournament.

“I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

BBC Sport has approached Fifa for comment.

Iran have qualified for a fourth-consecutive World Cup and are scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before their final group game against Egypt in Seattle.

The country did not pull out of the competition last summer when the US bombed three nuclear facilities in the country.

But with the more serious current upheaval, the head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, has reportedly cast doubt on their participation.

Taj told Iranian television that it was “far from our expectations that we can look at the World Cup with hope”. He added the country’s sports officials would decide if any action was necessary.

Fifa’s general secretary Mattias Grafstrom said on Saturday: “Our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”

At its 140th Annual General Meeting in Hensol, Wales, The IFAB agreed to implement a consultation process to develop measures covering two areas: where players unilaterally decide to leave the field of play as an act of protest against a referee’s decision or team officials instigating such action, and players covering their mouth when confronting opponents during matches. Following a consultation process, proposals will be tabled by 30 April 2026, well ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup’s opening game on 11 June 2026.

“I think it is important – and we discussed this – that we protect the respect of the game,” the FIFA President said. “Respect of football, respect of the match officials, of the referees, respect of the public. And in this respect, the behaviour of players and coaches is absolutely fundamental. They are examples for children, for society in the world, and they should definitely behave in a respectful way. And for this reason, when it comes to incidents, such as incidents of racism and discrimination, we will not allow players to cover their mouths when they speak to an opponent any more.

“We will also not allow players or coaches to walk off the field of play because they disagree with a decision of the referee. This cannot happen. The referee has to be respected. The decisions of the referee have to be respected all the time, by the players and by the coaches, and for this a proposal will be presented by 30 April, so that we can take decisions before the FIFA World Cup. And during the FIFA World Cup, we will have a great FIFA World Cup and very respectful behaviour of everyone on the field and off the field.”

The meeting also built on measures implemented over the past 12 months to speed up play and reduce time-wasting. The change in the Laws of the Game that introduced a countdown to prevent goalkeepers from holding the ball too long has been extended to throw-ins and goal kicks. Referees will now be given the option of awarding a delayed throw-in to the opposing team or handing opponents a corner for a delayed goal kick.

Substituted players must now leave the pitch within 10 seconds of being notified of the switch – failure to do so will mean their replacement will not be permitted to enter the field of play until the first stoppage after one minute of game time has elapsed. On-field assessment or treatment to an injured player will require the player concerned to leave the pitch for one minute.

There was also an adjustment to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system protocols. VAR will now be permitted to assist referees for red cards arising from a clearly incorrect second yellow card; in cases of mistaken identity when the referee penalises the wrong team for an offence that results in a red or yellow card being shown to the wrong player; and individual competitions will have the remit to use VAR for a clearly incorrectly awarded corner kick, provided the review can be completed immediately and without delaying the restart.

“It was a very interesting and important meeting with many topics on the table. We decided to move forward along the path of trying to make the game cleaner, to keep the tempo of the match higher, to clear the game of any disruption,” said FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina of the changes, which will come into effect globally on 1 July 2026, but can be implemented for individual competitions that begin before that date.

“All these decisions are targeted to improve the quality of football worldwide. It has been so in recent years and we will remain focused on this. We want to protect the game, we want to make the game more enjoyable, entertaining, and I would say better.”

Infantino told Sky News he thought referees should work from a presumption that players have said “something they shouldn’t have”.

He was speaking less than two weeks after Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt over his mouth while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr during a Champions League game.

The Argentina international has been given a provisional one-match ban by Uefa for alleged use of racist language, which he denies.

The ban was imposed pending the result of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector, and Prestianni could be punished further once the investigation is complete.

Infantino said individual cases should be dealt with by the relevant bodies, but football more broadly must “act and be decisive” to bring in something which has “a deterrent effect”.

The issue was discussed at the International Football Association Board (Ifab) annual general meeting in Wales this weekend.

It was agreed there would be consultation to develop measures to stop players hiding what they might be saying to an opponent.

Infantino said: “If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously.

“There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.

“If you do not have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. That’s it, as simple as that.”

Ifab was unable to reach an agreement this weekend, but measures could be agreed at the Fifa Congress in Vancouver on 30 April.

That would allow the law to be changed in time for the World Cup this summer.

“We want to continue the discussion and potentially come up with measures before the World Cup,” Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said on Saturday.

“We will have the Fifa Congress, and that will be an opportunity to have a discussion.”

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said more discussion was needed to find the correct solution.

“We need to consult the game more broadly and work out where we would avoid any unforeseen circumstances,” said Bullingham, who is on the Ifab board.

“You can see when a player is talking to an opponent, there are very few circumstances where they should need to cover their mouth when they are confronting them.

“We need to look at everything and make sure if we were going to bring in a rule change or a penalty that we’re not going to create further problems.”

On Saturday, the US attacked Iran as part of a joint operation with Israel, sparking retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.

So what could the conflict mean for Iran, for the US, and for what was already set to be a highly politicised World Cup?

BBC Sport takes a closer look.

Will Iran still play at the World Cup?

Iran’s group matches in what would be their fourth consecutive World Cup are against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, then Egypt in Seattle.

The team were not withdrawn from the competition last summer when the US bombed three nuclear facilities in the country, but the head of its football federation has now reportedly cast doubt on their participation.

“With what happened… and with that attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup, but the sports chiefs are the ones who must decide on that,” Mehdi Taj is reported to have told Iranian television.

But in the aftermath of the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and amid huge uncertainty over the future political landscape in the country, predicting such a decision – or even who would make it – is impossible.

“For Tehran, this is not a short 12-day war or a contained round of escalation that can be paused and reset,” said Dr Sanam Vakil – director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at international affairs think-tank Chatham House.

“This new stage of conflict is existential and clearly about regime survival. It is also unlikely to end quickly.”

Fifa – football’s world governing body – has said it is monitoring developments but, at this stage, officials are privately saying they expect Iran to be at the World Cup. On Saturday, Fifa’s general secretary Mattias Grafstrom said “our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”

If Iran were to boycott the tournament, Fifa rules dictate they could be replaced with an alternative team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Iraq, who could qualify anyway via a continental play-off at the end of the month, or the UAE, who missed out on qualification, would be favourites to step in.

Iran’s women’s team, meanwhile, are preparing for their first match of the Asia Cup in Australia. The squad trained as planned on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

The AFC said in a statement it continued to “closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period”.

It added: “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and security of all players, coaches, officials, and fans. In this regard, we are in close and regular contact with the Iran women’s national team and officials on the Gold Coast and are offering our full support and assistance.”

At a pre-match news conference on Sunday, Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari stuck to football, saying the tournament was a chance to show “the potential of Iranian women”.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Iran’s men’s football team celebrated qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after a draw with Uzbekistan in March

‘We are in uncharted territory’

US President Donald Trump last year signed an executive order banning nationals from 12 countries – including Iran – from entering the US, citing an effort to manage security threats. World Cup players and coaching staff are exempt.

But if Iran do play, there is now likely to be even more scrutiny on safety around the team’s matches, and the squad’s planned training base in Arizona.

Security had to be increased at the 2022 World Cup when the country’s matches in Qatar – including against the US – took place against a backdrop of mass anti-government protests in Iran.

During their second match against Wales, there were even confrontations between fans with opposing views about Iran’s government, and given Trump’s hopes for regime change there, it is possible a similar scenario could play out this summer.

“We are in uncharted territory in that we are just over three months away from the start of the World Cup and the hosts have just launched a war of aggression against a participating country,” says Nick McGeehan of human rights advocacy group FairSquare.

“If Iran withdraws its team – an outcome that seems entirely plausible – Fifa is likely to breathe a sigh of relief given the scope for protest and unrest.”

But even if Iran are absent, security will be even more of a focus, especially given the event will also be used to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, and Trump is expected to be a highly visible presence, as he was at the Club World Cup and Ryder Cup last year.

The conflict began just days after US government officials were warned there could be “catastrophic” security consequences if the 11 US cities hosting matches do not receive funding that has been frozen amid a partial government shutdown, with preparations said to be behind schedule.

There has also been mounting concern over the use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency at the tournament, and an outbreak of cartel violence in neighbours and co-hosts Mexico.

Over the weekend, Andrew Giuliani – head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce – praised Trump’s strikes on Iran, posting on social media it would “make the world a safe place”.

“We’ll deal with soccer games tomorrow,” he added. “Tonight we celebrate [the Iranian people’s] opportunity for freedom.”

However, the conflict in the Middle East is also likely to lead to added scrutiny of Fifa president Gianni Infantino over the close relationship he has forged with Trump.

In December, Fifa awarded Trump its inaugural ‘Peace Prize’ at the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony, saying he had “played a pivotal role” in establishing a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians, and that he had sought to end other conflicts.

In the few weeks since, the US has taken military action in Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran, and has hinted at possible further operations in Greenland, fellow World Cup co-host Mexico, and Colombia – another participant in the tournament. In January, Trump also told Cuba to “make a deal” or face consequences.

Trump has fiercely defended his foreign policy, insisting he is acting in the United States’ interests.

Last month, Infantino defended the awarding of the ‘Peace Prize’, even appearing at the first meeting of the US President’s Board of Peace while wearing a Trump-themed ‘USA’ cap branded with ’45-47′ in reference to his terms of office.

Trump’s decision to attack Iran has received both support and condemnation, but what is certain is it will lead to more scrutiny of Fifa’s decision to align itself with him, with critics arguing it undermined the governing body’s political neutrality.

In January, 27 politicians from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Plaid Cymru signed a motion in parliament calling on international sporting bodies to consider expelling the US from major international competitions, including the World Cup. The motion said such events “should not be used to legitimise or normalise violations of international law by powerful states”.

The same month, an official from the German Football Association said it was time to consider a boycott of the 2026 World Cup in the wake of Trump’s actions.

Such demands could now be repeated, and there could also be calls by Gulf states for Iran to be punished for its retaliatory attacks on their territory.

Fifa insists as an organiser of football events it has a statutory duty to remain neutral, and this is not the first time it has come under pressure over the political actions of a World Cup host.

In 2018, the tournament went ahead in Russia despite the country annexing Crimea four years earlier. Russia also stood accused of cyber attacks, meddling in western elections and carrying out the Novichok nerve-agent attack in Salisbury.

Russia was eventually banned by Fifa in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine, after a number of European countries refused to compete against it.

But Infantino has recently said the punishment has not worked, and that he wants it lifted. There is no sign he has any appetite to sanction the US, regardless of how controversial its foreign policy is.

What is clear is that in the past 48 hours, what was an already complicated political landscape for the World Cup has become even more challenging.

It is one of a number of measures to tackle tempo disruption and time lost which are set to be approved at the International Football Association Board (Ifab) annual general meeting on Saturday.

At present there is no stipulation in the laws over how long injured players have to remain on the sidelines.

Leagues have the right to set their own guidelines, with the Premier League adopting a 30-second rule since the 2023-24 season.

Fifa held its own trials at the Arab Cup in December which required a player to stay off the field for two minutes.

Fifa referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina says the two-minute rule is intended to reduce time-wasting and improve the flow of the game.

It mirrors an approach taken by Major League Soccer, which is triggered if a player remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds and the physio comes on.

At an Ifab meeting in January it was agreed a fixed period should be added to the laws, but there was disagreement over the length of time and strong pushback against two minutes.​​​​​​​

Leagues have concerns about unintended consequences

One minute has been proposed as a halfway house, but BBC Sport understands concerns remain about negative impacts.

Manchester United were angered last season when Matthijs de Ligt was forced to leave the field with a cut, and Brentford scored from a corner while he was off the pitch.

The fear is a one-minute absence would make it far more likely a team could concede a goal when down to 10 players.

Thirty seconds already causes frustration among supporters – and unintended consequences of goals conceded could add further pressure on to officials.

There is an acceptance players use supposed injuries as a way of breaking up play, but it is felt extending the time limit could unduly penalise genuinely injured players.

There are a few exceptions.

If the opponent is shown a yellow or red card the injured player does not need to stay off. Goalkeepers are also exempt, while a penalty taker would be able to stay on.

However, Ifab is not expected to pass any resolution to tackle the tactical timeout. This is when a goalkeeper goes down off the ball in order for a coach to get new instructions to the team.

Ifab’s advisory panels have discussed the issue at some length but, so far, there has been no agreement on a solution.

Following the success of the eight-second rule for goalkeepers holding the ball, new countdown measures are set to be approved.

A similar process will be added to goal-kicks and throw-ins, with possession changing to the opposition if it takes too long.

A 10-second limit will also be applied to substituted players – if they do not get off the pitch the replacement will not be allowed to come on.

A team would have to play with 10 players until the next stoppage, and that must be after at least 60 seconds.

Ifab is expected to approve video assistant referee reviews for wrongly awarded second yellow cards and, as a competition opt-in, corners.

The Canadian Premier League is also likely to be granted permission to start trials of Arsene Wenger’s daylight offside.

The newly-expanded tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will see 104 games played. The U.S. will host 78 of these matches and every fixture after the round of 16. Each of the three nations will host their own team during the group stage, with Mexico opening the tournament on June 11 against South Africa in Mexico City.

Blatter, 89, said the disparity is “not in the spirit of developing football” and accused the relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and his FIFA president Gianni Infantino of “turning football into politics”.

“It’s not right,” Blatter said in an interview released on Saturday with Radio Canada. “By putting the three (co-hosts) together, one would have thought they would have roughly the same share of the pie.”

“It’s (the competition expansion to 48 teams) not good. And playing in three countries is even worse — especially since two of those countries are receiving nothing but crumbs.”

“In this World Cup, the great profiteer will be the United States, but not the spectators,” he continued. “A World Cup should not be organized in a country that does not grant visas (to everyone).”

FIFA declined to comment when contacted by The Athletic.

The U.S. has imposed a string of travel bans on nationals from designated countries, including four countries (Senegal, Ivory Coast, Iran and Haiti) that have qualified for the World Cup since Trump’s re-election.

Blatter served as FIFA president between 1998 and 2015 before being banned from the sport for eight years after an investigation from the governing body’s ethics committee. FIFA, and the Swiss authorities, alleged that a payment of two million Swiss francs was made as part of a plan to ensure Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president in 2011.

Blatter denied the allegations and was cleared of financial wrongdoing in March 2025 by a Swiss appeals court.

On Saturday, he criticised the relationship between Trump and Infantino, who entered a formal partnership aimed at regeneration in Gaza on Thursday. The current FIFA president attended the inaugural Board of Peace meeting and was seen wearing a red ‘USA’ cap with ’45-47′ on it, a reference to Trump’s non-consecutive presidencies.

“(Trump and Infantino’s relationship) changed the game for the World Cup,” Blatter said.

Trump and Infantino have frequently appeared together Stephanie Scarbrough – Pool/Getty Images

“We have never seen anything like it,” he continued when asked about Trump being awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.

“We play for peace. It is not up to (FIFA) to give out a Peace Prize. Football is a social, cultural and grassroots event.

“Turning football into politics — because that is largely what is happening now — is, for me, incomprehensible.”

The International Olympic Committee cleared Infantino of alleged breaches of political neutrality on Sunday.

The European football governing body had opposed plans to grow the Club World Cup over concerns an expanded tournament could threaten the status of the Champions League, but Uefa is now willing to back Fifa in return for an undertaking that the competition will not be held every two years.

Real Madrid proposed a two-year cycle for the Club World Cup during talks with Fifa in Miami in June last year, although given the opposition from Uefa and all the domestic European leagues that idea has not progressed. In a related development, last week Real ended their five‑year legal battle with Uefa by withdrawing formally from the European Super League. They appear ready to fall in line with the global football establishment led by Infantino, Ceferin and Nasser al-Khelaifi, the Paris Saint‑Germain president who chairs European Football Clubs.

The Guardian revealed before the Club World Cup in the US last summer that Fifa was open to expanding the tournament from 32 teams, primarily to guarantee the participation of more of the biggest European clubs after Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United failed to qualify.

Infantino then said in a speech at the general assembly of European Football Clubs in Rome last October that expansion was on the agenda, saying Fifa was working “to see how we can make this event bigger, even better, even more impactful”.

Uefa’s opposition was a potentially significant obstacle, but another remains with Fifa subject to legal action from the lobby group European Leagues that has been taken to the European Commission. That relates to the international match calendar, including decisions concerning the Club World Cup.

While some at Uefa remain concerned that the huge financial rewards of the Club World Cup will have a destabilising effect on European football, an expansion to 48 clubs is regarded as less disruptive than making it a biennial event.

Although the fine detail has yet to be agreed, European clubs would be among the main beneficiaries of the expansion, with the number of Uefa qualifiers likely to increase from 12 last year to 16 in 2029. Chelsea won £85m from the competition’s £774m prize pot for winning it last year and adding more European teams would have implications for the competitive balance of the Champions League.

Uefa’s position is the latest sign of improved relations with Fifa, which reached a nadir when Ceferin and a group of European delegates including the Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt, staged a walkout at Fifa congress in Paraguay last May in protest at the late arrival of Infantino, who had been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East involving Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman. With Ceferin and Infantino likely to seek re-election for fourth terms next year, sources close to both men have indicated that a period of calm is in both their interests.

Spain and Morocco are favourites to host the next Club World Cup, which will take place in the summer of 2029, a year before they are two of the main 2030 World Cup co-hosts.

Uefa declined to comment.

At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month, Infantino said it was “really special” no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Amid concerns over the cost to attend matches at this summer’s 2026 World Cup, the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) responded by saying the Swiss-Italian should “concentrate on making cheap tickets” as opposed to “making cheap jokes about our fans”.

In an interview with Sky News, Infantino said his comments were “meant to be more of a light-hearted remark” to highlight how the Qatar tournament “was a celebration” and “a peaceful event”.

As he said sorry to fans from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the first instance, the 55-year-old said it was “not my intention” to cause offence to them.

Infantino added he was a “huge fan of English football” and had been wrong to say English people “just go and riot around the world” at football matches as fans, referring to them as “criminals” instead.

The head of world football’s governing body also defended the decision to award US President Donald Trump the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize before the draw last December for the 2026 World Cup.

The award was to be given to a person who had “taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” and “united people across the world”.

Infantino acknowledged there had been a “strong reaction” to the decision, but said “objectively” Trump “deserves it” because he was “instrumental in resolving conflicts and saving lives and saving thousands of lives”.

Fifa ‘has to’ lift ban on Russia

Infantino said Fifa will “definitely” consider lifting a ban on Russia even though the war in Ukraine was still ongoing.

Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa in February 2022 after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We have to, because this ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred,” explained Infantino.

“Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.”

Infantino also said he was against calls to ban Israel from international competition and believes Fifa should discuss changing its statutes to prevent boycotts.

“We should actually never ban any country from playing football because of the acts of their political leaders,” added Infantino, who became president of the organisation in 2016.

“Somebody needs to keep the ties open.”

Blatter gave his support to comments from anti-corruption lawyer Mark Pieth, who worked with FIFA on potential reforms when Blatter was boss, saying fans should stay away from the USA for the tournament.

“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter said on social media.

Pieth cited the killing of protester Renee Good by an American immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in January as one reason for supporters not to travel to the USA, with Blatter’s endorsement of his comments coming in the wake of the death of a second US citizen, Alex Pretti, last weekend.

The World Cup is due to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11-July 19.

“What we are seeing domestically -– the marginalisation of political opponents, abuses by immigration services, etc. – hardly encourages fans to go there,” Pieth said in an interview with Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger last week.

“For fans, just one piece of advice: avoid the United States! You’ll get a better view on television anyway.

“Upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t behave properly with the authorities, they will be immediately sent home. If they’re lucky…”

Blatter stepped down as FIFA president in 2015 amid several scandals and was replaced by current boss Gianni Infantino.

Blatter and former UEFA chief Michel Platini were last year acquitted definitively on charges stemming from a delayed payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.5 million) FIFA made to Platini in 2011 for consultancy services.

Former France star Platini said earlier this month that Infantino, who has forged a close relationship with US President Donald Trump, has “become more of an autocrat” and “he likes the rich and powerful”.

The Fifa Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System – or Fifa Pass – announced by US President Donald Trump in November, went live on Tuesday.

It was introduced in part because citizens of some countries whose teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup may not otherwise receive visa appointments in time for the tournament.

But the US State Department has stressed that a Fifa Pass appointment does not guarantee a visa will be approved, with all ticket holders having to “undergo thorough security screening and vetting”.

Most citizens of countries under the US visa waiver programme, which covers much of Europe, including the UK, along with Japan, Australia and others, can ordinarily travel visa-free for up to 90 days, so do not need to use the Fifa Pass. Travellers from those countries would need to apply instead for an Esta – an Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

A senior State Department official said the new Fifa Pass system will cut wait times – with applicants in “over 80%” of countries now able to schedule a visa appointment in “less that 60 days”.

It added: “At the visa appointment, the applicant must show they qualify for the visa and plan to follow our laws and leave at the end of the tournament. America’s safety and the security of our borders will always come first.”

What about countries affected by immigrant visa suspension?

Football fans in countries affected by the US suspending the processing of immigrant visas will still be able to apply to travel to the country for this year’s World Cup.

The US said last Wednesday it will pause processing immigrant visas from 75 countries, 15 of which have qualified for the World Cup, including five-time winners Brazil.

A further seven nations on the list are still in contention to qualify for this year’s tournament, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.

The State Department confirmed on Tuesday the pause “applies to the issuance of immigrant visas only” and “does not apply to non-immigrant visas, such as those for tourists, athletes and their families, and media professionals”.

Qualified nations on the list of 75 countries: Algeria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay, Uzbekistan

Nations still in qualification contention on the list: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, Kosovo, North Macedonia

What about countries on travel ban list?

The order to indefinitely pause the processing of immigrant visa applications from those 75 countries will take effect on Wednesday, 21 January.

Prior to this move, Trump expanded a travel ban that came into force on 1 January, which bars nationals of countries on that list from entering the US.

Haiti and Iran, who have both qualified for the 2026 World Cup, are on the list of countries with full restrictions.

Ivory Coast and Senegal, who have also qualified, are on the list of countries with partial restrictions.

The State Department said a Fifa Pass appointment does not allow people “who are otherwise not eligible” to be issued a visa, meaning fans from those four countries appear unlikely to be able to travel to the US for this summer’s tournament.

Guidance from the State Department specified there are exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives” to the travel ban for the World Cup.

However, it added “the exception does not apply to fans or spectators”. They can still submit visa applications but “they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States”.

The US will host 78 of the 104 total matches at the World Cup, across 11 cities, including the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Embassy’s Press Attaché, Matthew Asada, confirmed that the initiative, known as the “FIFA Pass”, is in its final stages and will be formally launched soon.

“Specifically for the World Cup, I also want to highlight something that is not yet finalized, but it will be coming here shortly, and we will have more information about that soon,” Asada stated in an interview with Citi Eyewitness News on Wednesday, January 21.

He explained that the FIFA Pass, which stands for the FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System, will guarantee timely visa appointments for ticket holders.

“This will ensure that any non-immigrant visa applicant with a valid FIFA 2026 World Cup ticket is able to get an appointment before the World Cup itself,” Asada added.

The announcement comes as the U.S. Embassy in Accra continues to increase non-immigrant visa appointment availability, releasing thousands of extra slots in response to growing demand.

Embassy officials have strongly advised prospective travelers to begin their visa application process early to avoid delays.

Applicants are also reminded to use only the Embassy’s official scheduling channels to prevent fraud and unauthorized third-party interference.

Further details regarding the FIFA Pass system will be communicated once the rollout is finalised.

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.