The winger arrived in Barcelona on Thursday for a medical and has now put pen to paper on his contract with the Catalan giants. Gordon has signed a five-year contract at Camp Nou and becomes the club's first signing of the summer. The club had been hoping to unveil Gordon at Friday lunchtime but the official announcement was held up for over eight hours due to delays with the paperwork. However, the club have finally now confirmed Gordon is a culer.
The 2022 hosts' preparations for the tournament were disrupted as the US-Iran war caused the cancellation of valuable friendlies against Serbia and champions Argentina in March. The coach, Julen Lopetegui, had wanted as many minutes as possible with his players, having only been appointed in May 2025. Worryingly, they had won only one out of 11 games under the former Spain and Real Madrid manager before the World Cup warm-up games.
World Cup 2026 takes 48 teams back to North America, this time for a vast tournament spanning the United States and its neighbours to the north and south. There will be stifling heat. There will be long distances and short turnarounds. For some of the competing teams, that's not the half of it. 2026 will be a World Cup that demands logistical prowess as much as on-pitch performance.
Iran's football team still lacks US visas and is not competing in the World Cup on equal terms because of its difficulty in training ahead of the tournament, Tehran's ambassador to Mexico said on Thursday. Abolfazl Pasandideh visited the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana, where Iranians have relocated their training camp. They were originally planned to be based in Tucson in the US state of Arizona.
We want to play the best World Cup seen from a Swiss team, the coach, Murat Yakin, told Blick. The feeling that we could have reached the final of the last Euros [they lost on penalties to England in the quarter-finals] gives us something to dream about. Switzerland have never got past the quarter-finals at the World Cup, last reaching that stage on home soil in 1954. Since then, their adventures have typically ended in the last 16, as was the case in 2022 in Doha when they lost 6-1 to Portugal.
Just in time for the 2026 World Cup, 4AD has collaborated with New York brand Full Kit on a collection of football jerseys inspired by the label's classic releases. The capsule includes three garments: a Cocteau Twin's Heaven or Las Vegas Scotland jersey, a Scott Walker -themed USA jersey, and a Colourbox and Air Miami double-sided scarf that nods to their respective World Cup anthems, " The Official Colourbox World Cup Anthem" from 1986, and "World Cup Fever" from 1995. The items are available now through June 8 via the label's website.
Long Islanders can watch the U.S. men's national team's first World Cup match of the summer for free - and without leaving Suffolk County. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday the New York State United - 2026 World Cup Watch Experience at Stony Brook University on June 12. It's a free, all-day public event built around the USA vs. Paraguay Group D match that kicks off at 9 p.m. Admission is free, with tickets available "while supplies last" at the event website.
The Democratic Republic of Congo have asked Fifa to refund the cost of 2026 World Cup tickets bought by fans who are now unable to enter the United States because of Ebola-related travel restrictions. The Leopards are returning to football's biggest stage for the first time since 1974, but the public health emergency declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 16 May is threatening to stop supporters from travelling to the US.
Alphonso Davies has been named in Canada's preliminary squad that will report to the training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, starting on May 25. Given injuries, players will report to camp in line with communications with their respective clubs and medical staffs, with player fitness as the priority, whether reporting in Charlotte or thereafter ahead of the competition period beginning 7 June. The final squad will be announced on May 29.
Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali, also confirmed that world football's governing body has stressed that the Iran squad will be given visas to play in the US this summer "The Fifa president promised us that all our players would receive visas. There is no reason why our players should not receive visas," he said. The Iranian FA (FFIRI) had presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for their participation at the World Cup, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.
Legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has come out of international retirement to join the Germany squad for this summer’s tournament. The 40-year-old remains the number one goalkeeper for Bayern Munich, but has not featured for Germany since his side’s defeat to Spain two years ago at Euro 2024. Still, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has recalled Neuer for the World Cup, and he’ll be the team’s number one in the tournament in North America.
This coming June, travelers from around the world will descend on Kansas City for the 2026 World Cup, with local matches being played at the 76,416-seat Arrowhead Stadium-the same place where American football fans usually cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs. The city is no stranger to international attention and the heavy flow of traffic that comes with it. KC's historic love for liquor and jazz and its tree-lined City Beautiful boulevards and parks once led Prohibition-era journalists to proclaim it the " Paris of the Plains."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the New York City Economic Development Corporation unveiled NYC Ferry's 2026 summer schedule, which officials say will deliver the most ferry service in the system's history. The expanded service began this week and will run through September 13, adding more trips, larger boats on busy routes and expanded beach-bound service ahead of what is expected to be one of New York's busiest summers ever.
For much of the last year, Marcus Rashford looked like a player drifting further away from the level expected of him. Questions over his confidence, consistency and long-term future followed him through one of the toughest periods of his professional career. At one stage, even the possibility of missing out on the World Cup entirely felt realistic. That is why his inclusion in England national football team's final squad for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada carries far more emotional weight than a normal international call-up.
Barcelona Atletic forward Hamza Abdelkarim has been handed a call-up to the Egypt squad for World Cup 2026. The Barcelona Atletic forward only arrived in Catalunya in the winter transfer window and is now celebrating being included in the Pharoahs' roster for this summer's tournament. Abdelkarim will also become the first Egyptian Blaugrana to play at a World Cup.
