"My information is that Julián Alvarez is going to play for Barcelona. He believes his career needs a team that can give him a title. The motivation for Julián is to go to a team that can be a champion. "I can confirm this, after the World Cup he's going to play for one of the best teams in the world. Can you imagine Yamal and Julián up front?" Balassone said.
England will face New Zealand and Costa Rica in their final warm-up games ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The Three Lions booked their spot at this summer's tournament in emphatic fashion, winning all eight of their qualifying matches under Thomas Tuchel. They became just the second European team to win 100% of their qualifying matches without conceding, after Yugoslavia (four games) did so ahead of the 1954 World Cup.
The German national team's goalkeeper situation is rather uncertain at the moment. A third major injury for the eternally unlucky current No.1, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, has put his participation, let alone his fitness, for the 2026 World Cup into serious question. Now DFB manager Julian Nagelsmann has to seriously entertain the possibility of a new No.1 for Germany for the World Cup. But who could it be? Are Oliver Baumann and/or Alexander Nübel, the two main goalkeepers called up to the squad in the past when Ter Stegen was unavailable, good enough? Or should a third candidate be selected?
"Well, number nine has already chosen itself, hasn't it? And I would say number seven has already chosen itself with [Bukayo] Saka," the ex-England man said. "Eleven I'd probably go with, I might even go with [Anthony] Gordon, but I know [Marcus] Rashford has had a good season. I'll probably go with Gordon - and 10 is a very difficult one, an extremely difficult one. "
The 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket lottery results came last week. If you got tickets, congratulations! You're set for Silicon Valley World Cup football. If your name was not included with the fortunate winners, SoccerNews.com is here to guide you through the entire process of acquiring tickets through alternative routes. This GUIDE has all the info in one place, detailing how and where to get World Cup tickets for every USA host city.
After impressing as a deputy for club legend Luuk de Jong, Pepi has stepped up and delivered as PSV's attacking talisman with 11 goals in 22 appearances, including six of his last seven matches. But even when he's not scoring, he's still making his presence felt with his astute hold-up play, selfless off-the-ball runs and other skills.
When President Trump placed aggressive tariffs on Canadian exports, I completely swore off travel to the United States. So, when Fifa selected me during the Domestic Exclusivity phase, I leapt at the opportunity to buy tickets to a match in Canada. Each step of the online process was somewhat confusing, including a counter-clockwise circular countdown with imperceptibly slow movement and multiple login requests. Nevertheless, after a 90-minute wait, I was able to purchase tickets for my family to Canada's last group game.
Commissioner Kionne McGhee, who represents a suburban district in South Miami-Dade that has some of the county's highest concentrations of poverty, said Friday he'll ask for a special meeting to undo past funding votes to cover local expenses for the seven soccer matches scheduled for Hard Rock Stadium next summer.
According to Catalunya Radio, Iniesta has been linked with a move to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. It appears Iniesta held talks with federation officials last weekend in Rabat regarding a potential role within their ambitious sporting project. While the specific position - whether as a coach, assistant, or technical director - remains undefined, the interest is concrete. Morocco are looking to add Iniesta's winning mentality to a setup that has skyrocketed in global stature.
Five months out from the World Cup the politics are impossible to avoid. There are concerns relating to one of the host countries, the US, with armed immigration officials roaming through its cities and visa restrictions ramped up against foreign visitors. One qualifying nation, Iran, is experiencing a public uprising against its leadership, with the regime attacking its citizens in response.
Likewise, with the 2026 World Cup fast approaching on the horizon, many of England's biggest superstars are looking to shore up their spot in Thomas Tuchel 's squad to North America. With a number of spots still reportedly up for grabs, it has been suggested that a number of fringe English aces are looking to complete a January return to the Premier League.
I think that this is an ideal situation in terms of getting him back to 100% in top form, without risk, lowering the risk of potential injuries. We're monitoring all the guys [in the Canada squad] who have had long-term injuries, and trying to communicate with them and with their clubs to be on the cautious side of their return-to-play protocols.
This season we're still competing in all the competitions. We've made sure we go into 2026 with the possibility of winning all three titles. That's the goal as a team, to win everything this season. Personally, I want to help the team by continuing to score goals. It's been the best start to a season in my career, so that shows me I can still improve. And then there's the World Cup in the summer. It's obviously a great year and a great chance to make history,
Another year of football is over and it's time to start looking ahead to 2026. The Premier League will reach its conclusion in May, with Arsenal looking to win their first title in over two decades - but can the Gunners see the job through this time? Will an English club be crowned champions of Europe? Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are all looking to reach the last 16.
The FIFA World Cup returns to North America in 2026, and this time the history is not just repeating itself. It's being rewritten. The highly anticipated competition kicks off at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, when football embarks on its most ambitious tournament yet. With 48 teams, 104 matches, three host nations, and 16 cities stretched across a continent where the beautiful game has been steadily, defiantly, carving out its place in the sporting consciousness,
Germany's Das Reboot roadmap that took a hard look at the grassroots youth academies throughout the country throughout the mid 2000's ultimately reached a crescendo into their 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil. Reanalyzing the way they looked at investing in their youth throughout German football and changing tactics in an ever-changing footballing landscape, especially in international competition, Die Mannschaft were able to get back on their perch in Brazil,
The World Cup is six months away and there's a lot of football to be played. "I know he's watching and keeping an eye because he called up Ruben. That gives me the confidence I can make it. "He came to Milan last season and I know he gets our data and sees our clips regularly, too. "The way he's spoken about it is that it's difficult because there's so many players in that position, and I get it because you have players like John Stones, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn and Ezri Konsa. "But the World Cup is still a dream and I'm working towards that.
It was exactly a year before one of the biggest events in American soccer history, when the U.S. will kick off its World Cup in a match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, and Orenstein had set up the system to only accept booking requests up to a year in advance. Orenstein's rental sits just across the street from the venue. Suddenly, her Airbnb became one of the hottest homes in the Southland.
