Global Pulse

分类： sports

  • Morocco captain Hakimi to stand trial for rape

    Morocco captain Hakimi to stand trial for rape

    French prosecutors have officially confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco national team captain Achraf Hakimi will face trial on rape charges, a development that has thrown the 27-year-old fullback’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign into uncertainty ahead of his side’s second group stage fixture against Scotland this Friday.

    The allegations date back to 2023, when a 24-year-old woman accused the star defender of assaulting her at Hakimi’s private residence in Paris. Authorities in Nanterre, the western Paris suburb overseeing the case, launched an initial preliminary investigation in March 2023. After more than three years of procedural review, an investigating judge ordered the case proceed to trial in February 2026. Multiple French media outlets have reported that Hakimi’s recent appeal to have the charges dismissed was rejected.

    Hakimi has vehemently denied all allegations against him from the beginning, and broke his years-long public silence on the case in a social media post published Friday. “The justice system looked me in the eye and said, ‘If you weren’t famous, there would never have been a case,’” he wrote.

    The World Cup star explained that he chose to stay out of public discourse for years out of a commitment to preserving his dignity and confidence in France’s judicial process. “Today, a story that isn’t mine is being told at the expense of my family, my life, and above all, the truth. I sometimes feel like I’ve become an easy target,” Hakimi added. “I’ve been waiting for this trial since day one. And now I’m eagerly awaiting it. Finally, I’ll be able to speak.”

    Rachel-Flore Pardo, the legal representative for the accuser, said the judge’s ruling to proceed to trial brings her client both relief and hope, after more than three years of navigating the legal process. Pardo noted that her client believes she has been defamed and publicly maligned by Hakimi’s defense team. “Relief that she has been heard by the justice system and will have the right to a trial,” Pardo said. “Hope that this trial will help other women and further weaken the wall of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, including in the world of men’s football.”

    As of this reporting, no official start date has been scheduled for the trial. All three of Morocco’s group stage matches at the 2026 co-hosted World Cup are set to take place in the United States, where the Moroccan squad is currently based, leaving Hakimi able to play for the time being. However, if Morocco advances to the knockout round, the team could be forced to play matches in co-host nations Canada or Mexico, where Hakimi may face entry restrictions.

    This scenario is not unprecedented at this tournament: last week, Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey was denied entry to Canada and forced to miss his country’s opening group stage match against Panama. Partey, 32, has pleaded not guilty to seven rape charges and one count of sexual assault leveled by four separate accuser for alleged incidents between 2020 and 2022, and he is scheduled to go to trial in 2027. Canadian immigration rules explicitly allow officials to deny entry to any person who has been alleged or convicted of a criminal offense.

    The 2026 FIFA World Cup splits matches across all three North American co-hosts through the quarter-final round, after which all remaining fixtures will be hosted exclusively in the United States.

    One of the most decorated active African footballers, Hakimi made his senior international debut for Morocco in 2016 at just 17 years old, and has since earned 97 caps for his country. He was a foundational player for the 2022 Moroccan World Cup squad that made history as the first African nation to reach the tournament’s semi-final. Since transferring from Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Hakimi has won 13 club trophies, including consecutive UEFA Champions League titles in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

  • Can Renard revive Tunisia’s World Cup campaign?

    Can Renard revive Tunisia’s World Cup campaign?

    Tunisia has turned to the charismatic French football manager Herve Renard in a urgent push to rescue their 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes, just days after a humiliating opening match defeat forced the Carthage Eagles to make historic coaching change.

    The North African side moved quickly to part ways with former manager Sabri Lamouchi following a lopsided 1-5 loss to Sweden on Monday, making Tunisia the first nation in World Cup history to dismiss a head coach after just one group stage match. In the expanded 48-team tournament format, Tunisia still holds a narrow path to advance out of Group F, but Renard will have zero room for error when he makes his dugout debut against Japan on Sunday.

    At 57, Renard joins an exclusive club of elite managers to lead three different nations at consecutive World Cup finals, following his stints with Morocco in 2018 and Saudi Arabia in 2022. It was in Qatar 2022 where Renard cemented his reputation for giant-killing, masterminding a iconic group stage upset over eventual champions Argentina, despite Argentina and Lionel Messi taking an early lead in the match.

    When approached by the Tunisian Football Federation about the vacancy, Renard did not hesitate to accept the high-stakes role. “It’s a challenge that isn’t easy, but it’s a motivating challenge,” the manager stated following his official appointment on Tuesday.

    Beyond the famous crisp white shirts he wears while pacing the touchline, Renard’s path to top-level international management has been defined by hard-won experience and humble beginnings. Before his rise to global prominence, he balanced early coaching work with overnight cleaning shifts to make ends meet, a chapter of his career he credits with shaping his relentless work ethic.

    “I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, finished around noon and then left at 5pm for training at Draguignan. That was my rhythm of life for eight years,” Renard told BBC Sport Africa in a 2019 interview. While working his cleaning shift, Renard also studied to earn his coaching qualifications, and he says that grueling period gave him a grounded perspective on his career. “It’s the best schooling I could have had. You have to go through some failures and difficult times but it makes you stronger,” he added.

    Renard’s coaching resume is one of the most varied in international football, including stints with club sides across France, England, Vietnam and Algeria, plus leadership roles with six different senior national teams. He remains the only manager in history to claim the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title with two separate nations: he delivered a fairy-tale 2012 triumph for Zambia against Ivory Coast, then guided the Ivory Coast side to the same trophy just three years later.

    Longtime Zambian sports journalist Nkweto Tembwe describes Renard as a relentless workaholic and master tactician, whose attention to opponent scouting sets him apart from other managers. “He does a lot of reading to make sure he keeps up with the trends that are going on. He [studies] opponents like he’s studying for an exam,” Tembwe told BBC Sport Africa, adding that Renard’s pre-match motivational speeches were the key to Zambia’s unexpected 2012 Afcon run. “If you listen to Herve’s pep talk in the semi-final against Ghana, you realise that Zambia won that match in the dressing room,” Tembwe said. “He described every player there and told the Zambia players what to do [and] especially what not to do. The famous white shirt delivered.”

    While Renard’s African success is unparalleled, his recent career has brought mixed results. He failed to advance past the knockout stages in Afcon tournaments with Morocco, then coached France’s women’s national team to quarter-final finishes at both the 2023 Women’s World Cup and 2024 Olympics. He returned to lead Saudi Arabia in October 2024 and guided the nation to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but was surprisingly dismissed in April this year, opening the door for Tunisia’s approach.

    Renard has long been the first choice for many African national teams seeking a new manager, but his high salary demands and contract commitments have often blocked potential deals. During the 2023 Afcon hosted by Ivory Coast, the nation attempted to rehire Renard after sacking Jean-Louis Gasset, but the French Football Federation refused to release him from his contract with the French women’s side. A Nigerian football official even described Renard’s financial demands as “practically outrageous” when the Super Eagles attempted to recruit him in late 2024.

    For Tunisia, this appointment marks Renard’s fifth leadership role with an African national side, following his earlier stints with Zambia, Angola, Ivory Coast and Morocco. Beyond the historic milestone of managing three different countries at consecutive World Cups (a feat only achieved by a handful of managers including Bora Milutinovic, Carlos Alberto Parreira and Guus Hiddink), Renard is also chasing a personal milestone: he has never advanced past the group stage of a men’s World Cup finals.

    Renard’s immediate priority is fixing Tunisia’s leaky defensive structure, which conceded five goals to Sweden just days after allowing five in a pre-tournament warm-up loss to Belgium. The French manager, known for his strict disciplinary approach, has already called on his new squad to put the opening defeat behind them and refocus on their upcoming matches against Japan and the Netherlands. “I just told them we have to hold our heads high… you’re here to represent the country, Tunisia. It’s an honour, it’s a duty,” Renard said. “We owe it to ourselves to do much better.”

    Renard already has prior experience facing Japan during World Cup qualifying with Saudi Arabia, and he will draw on that knowledge to push for Tunisia’s first ever knockout stage appearance at a World Cup. If he can pull off the comeback and secure Tunisia a spot in the round of 32, it will add yet another legendary entry to Renard’s already remarkable coaching career.

  • Iran to lodge complaint over travel restrictions

    Iran to lodge complaint over travel restrictions

    The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, has become wrapped in fresh controversy as the Iranian national football team prepares to submit a formal grievance to global football’s governing body over discriminatory travel and entry restrictions imposed by US authorities.

    Iran’s campaign got off to a dramatic start on the pitch with a 2-2 opening draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles, but off the field, the team has faced a cascade of logistical and bureaucratic hurdles that have overshadowed their tournament participation. Under the terms of the visas granted to the Iranian delegation, the squad is only permitted to enter US territory 24 hours before each scheduled match and is required to depart the country the same day the game concludes. This strict regime has left the squad with almost no time to acclimate to local conditions, complete focused training sessions, or physically prepare for competition, according to team and federation officials.

    Speaking after the opening draw against New Zealand, Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei did not mince words, describing his side as the “most oppressed” team competing at the 2026 tournament. The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) doubled down on that criticism in an official statement, arguing that the imposed travel constraints directly violate FIFA’s core principle of guaranteeing equal competitive conditions for all participating nations. The federation emphasized that the restrictive rules create unnecessary disruptions that materially harm the team’s preparation process, and confirmed it would pursue an official complaint through FIFA’s formal channels.

    This is not the first setback Iran has encountered during the 2026 World Cup. Long-running political tensions between Washington and Tehran, amplified by ongoing conflict in the Middle East and related US security concerns, have plagued Iran’s tournament participation from the start. Multiple key members of Iran’s backroom coaching and support staff were already denied entry visas to the United States ahead of the tournament, and thousands of match tickets allocated to the Iranian federation were abruptly revoked just days before the competition kicked off. In response to these earlier issues, the FFIRI has called on FIFA to uphold its commitment to the fundamental principles of sporting neutrality, fair play, and established tournament regulations. Following Iran’s opening match against New Zealand, FIFA president Gianni Infantino personally visited the Iranian squad in their dressing room, a move that underscores the severity of ongoing tensions around the team’s participation.

    In the lead-up to Iran’s second group stage match against Belgium, scheduled for 21 June in Los Angeles, the FFIRI confirmed that the same restrictive travel policy remains in place. The federation had formally requested permission to bring the squad into Los Angeles two days before the Belgium clash, explaining that an earlier arrival would allow players to adjust to the local time zone, climate, and venue, and complete critical final training preparations. This request was especially urgent given the match is scheduled to kick off at 12:00pm local time, a time that adds extra physical demand for players without proper acclimation. Despite the clear technical and logistical justifications for the request, US authorities once again rejected the proposal.

    Iran already moved their primary base camp from Arizona in the United States to Tijuana, Mexico following the escalation of Middle East conflict earlier this year, but the team still has two remaining group stage matches, both of which are scheduled to be played on US soil. After facing Belgium in Los Angeles, Iran is set to take on Egypt in Seattle on 27 June.

    When asked to respond to Ghalenoei’s earlier criticism that the team was being treated unfairly, a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the Iranian national team had agreed to the imposed visa terms, though the FFIRA has pushed back on this framing. The BBC has requested further comment from the DHS on Iran’s plans to file a formal complaint, but no additional response has been issued to date.

    Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, defended the US policy in comments to CBS News, noting that Iranian officials were aware of the entry rules before the tournament began. He confirmed the policy would remain unchanged for upcoming matches: the team will be allowed to enter one day before each match and must depart the same evening after the final whistle, even for the upcoming Los Angeles clash with Belgium. This standoff comes even as the leaders of both the United States and Iran recently signed an initial peace deal aimed at de-escalating conflict in the region, leaving football caught in the middle of ongoing geopolitical friction.

  • NYCFC teammates Freese, O’Neill and Trewin to clash in crucial World Cup group match

    NYCFC teammates Freese, O’Neill and Trewin to clash in crucial World Cup group match

    SEATTLE – For up-and-coming professional footballers, few opportunities can compare to stepping onto the world’s biggest sporting stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For Australian midfielder Aiden O’Neill, that very opportunity was the deciding factor that pushed him to leave his European club in Belgium to join Major League Soccer’s New York City FC during the 2025 MLS season, while still in the peak of his playing career.

    O’Neill’s move to the United States put him in the same locker room as an eclectic mix of talent: compatriot Kai Trewin, a fellow Australian defender, and United States international goalkeeper Matt Freese, among others. What started as a fruitful club partnership over a season and a half has now evolved into a high-stakes rivalry: on Friday, O’Neill will line up for Australia while Freese starts for the USMNT, bringing their club bond to a head in a critical Group D matchup.

    “We’re excited to play against each other,” O’Neill told reporters ahead of the clash. “It’d be good to get one up on him, that’s for sure.”

    Both men have already defied expectations to emerge as key players for their nations in this tournament, after surprising selection calls from their managers. Australia head coach Tony Popovic made a bold call to leave experienced veterans Mathew Ryan and Jackson Irvine out of the starting lineup for the Socceroos’ opening group match against Turkey. The shake-up catapulted O’Neill straight into the anchor role of Australia’s four-man midfield, where he has stepped up to lead the side unexpectedly early in his international career. Across the dressing room, Freese earned his first ever World Cup start in the United States’ opening fixture against Paraguay.

    The pair did not just show up on their big debuts—they delivered. Both O’Neill and Freese put in standout performances that guided their respective nations to opening wins, putting both teams in strong position to advance out of the group. Now, Friday’s head-to-head between their national sides is far more than just a friendly inter-club grudge match: the result is almost certain to decide which team tops Group D heading into the knockout stage.

    Trewin, the third NYCFC player on site, who joined the club from Australia ahead of the 2026 season and earned a spot on Australia’s World Cup squad despite not featuring in the 2-0 opening win over Turkey, says he has never been more motivated for a fixture. “I’ve never wanted to win a game more than this one,” he added.

    Off the international pitch, the trio has already helped deliver consistent results for their MLS side. Back in 2025, O’Neill and Freese held down starting spots as NYCFC marched all the way to the MLS Cup Playoff semifinals. With Trewin slotting into the starting lineup this year, the club remains comfortably in playoff position heading into the league break for the World Cup. But for all three, Friday’s matchup is shaping up to be the highest-stakes game of their professional careers to date.

  • Awer Mabil is proud to represent Australia as one of team’s refugees playing in the World Cup

    Awer Mabil is proud to represent Australia as one of team’s refugees playing in the World Cup

    SEATTLE — Ahead of Australia’s high-stakes FIFA World Cup matchup against the United States, an unplanned, heartfelt moment at a post-training press conference this week put the remarkable personal journey of Socceroos veteran forward Awer Mabil front and center, offering a moving reminder of sport’s power to transcend competition and unite communities.

    When long-time Australian SBS network sports commentator David Basheer posed a question from the press room Tuesday, 30-year-old Mabil’s usual composure melted into unfiltered joy. Caught off guard by the familiar face of the commentator he had grown up watching on television after resettling in Australia, Mabil openly admitted he was overcome, asking Basheer to repeat his question. The soft, emotional exchange cut through the typical high-pressure buzz of the quadrennial tournament, highlighting the sincere authenticity that has made Mabil one of the most compelling key figures on Australia’s World Cup roster this year.

    Mabil’s path to global soccer’s biggest stage has been far from ordinary. Born in Kenya’s sprawling Kakuma refugee camp to South Sudanese parents who fled their country’s civil war, Mabil arrived in Australia 20 years ago at age 10, accepted through the nation’s formal humanitarian resettlement program. He launched his organized soccer career playing in Adelaide, South Australia, and now, decades later, he is using his platform at the World Cup to lift up other displaced people around the globe — a mission made even more meaningful by the timing of this year’s tournament, which coincides with Australia’s Refugee Week, leading up to World Refugee Day on Saturday.

    “During Refugee Week, I want to say to anybody that is misplaced all over the world that we are with you,” Mabil shared in an interview. “We are on a world stage right now, in a big tournament — and just to tell you everything is possible, so keep going.”

    This theme of inclusion has defined Mabil’s work leading into the tournament. A pre-World Cup video message he recorded championing global soccer diversity went viral, delivering a simple, powerful message: “No matter where you come from, football is for everyone.” Mabil noted that the overlap between Refugee Week and the World Cup is more than coincidence, pointing to the number of refugee-background players on the current Socceroos squad, including himself.

    “when I reflect back, I’m like we all belong to this world together,” he said. “And now we’re representing Australia.”

    Mabil also takes on an informal mentorship role for his two younger teammates, Mo Touré and Nestory Irankunda, both African-born refugees who resettled in Australia just like Mabil. The 20-year-old Irankunda recently notched a major milestone for the team, becoming the youngest player ever to score a World Cup goal for the Socceroos during a 2-0 friendly win over Turkey in Vancouver, British Columbia earlier this week.

    As the team prepares to face the US in Seattle on Friday, Australian defender Alessandro Circati said the squad is eager to prove how far Australian men’s soccer has progressed, shedding the long-held underdog label that has followed the team at past major tournaments.

    “I hope we’re starting to gain a little bit more respect,” Circati said. “I don’t want to be the underdogs for the rest of my life.”

    Mabil, who made brief substitute appearances in two group-stage matches at the 2018 World Cup and did not feature in Australia’s 2026 tournament opener, is focused on supporting the squad from every role, including guiding the team’s next generation of talent. As a senior player, he says his job extends beyond the pitch: he acts as a steadying presence for younger players, and even for veteran teammates navigating the stress of high-stakes tournament play.

    “Coming in as a senior player I think it’s more mental — you have to be present for the younger ones,” Mabil joked. “Sometimes you want to slap them.”

    “I’ll play my role to the best of my abilities to be available for the young ones and also the older ones because the older ones also they go through difficulties so they don’t have all the answers — nobody has all the answers. We just have to continue to be there for each other. In these kind of tournaments, it’s very important to remain united.”

    Off the pitch, Mabil says the squad has been enjoying small moments of calm at their Berkeley-area team base at the Claremont Resort and Club, where players have become quick fans of the on-site omelet bar. The team conducts daily training sessions at the former headquarters of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, a historic venue that adds extra context to their World Cup run on US soil.

    For Mabil, every minute of this tournament is a testament to the second chance he was given — and a promise to every displaced person chasing their own dream, no matter how out of reach it may seem.

  • US hopes to give fans reason to revel when it faces Australia in Seattle, with or without Pulisic

    US hopes to give fans reason to revel when it faces Australia in Seattle, with or without Pulisic

    SEATTLE — For Cristian Roldan, the roar of Lumen Field is no unfamiliar thing. The veteran U.S. men’s national team midfielder, who has plied his trade with Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders since 2015, knows better than most just how passionate the soccer-mad fans of this Pacific Northwest metropolis can be. Now, as the U.S. prepares to face Australia in their second Group Stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday, Roldan is counting on that home-field energy to push his side to another victory.

    Fresh off a dominant 4-1 opening win over Paraguay in Southern California, the U.S. is set to take the pitch at Lumen Field, the home stadium of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and a venue long renowned for its ear-splitting crowd noise. “I fully expect this crowd to be extremely loud. And, they’re going to energize our group,” Roldan told reporters ahead of the match. “This is one of the loudest stadiums in the world when you think about Seahawks games or Sounders games. Just seeing the atmosphere for the Belgium-Egypt match earlier in the tournament, I fully expect the city of Seattle to come out and show out, and I think the guys are going to feel that type of energy.”

    Buoyed by the momentum of their opening triumph, Roldan says the squad is eager to reward the sea of home fans that will fill the stands and live up to the growing expectations surrounding the team. “What excites me is that the entire world, the entire nation is behind us,” he said. “I think that they enjoyed watching us play, and at the end of the day what we want to do is inspire and motivate the next generation. … We have to build off it, and that’s the truth. We can’t just talk about it: We have to show out against Australia.”

    But for all the excitement building in Seattle, there is a lingering cloud of uncertainty hanging over the squad: the fitness of star forward Christian Pulisic. Pulisic trained separately from his teammates for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday while recovering from a left calf injury, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed Thursday night that the attacker’s match availability is still undecided.

    Beyond the injury question, the U.S. is under no illusion about the test Australia will bring. The two sides last met in a friendly back in October, where the U.S. scraped by with a tight 2-1 win against a physically imposing Socceroos side – a contest Pochettino described as far from an easy warmup. To overcome Australia’s physical style, Pochettino says his squad will need to match the opponent’s intensity while staying disciplined. “I think we need to play on the edge of the line,” he said, “with not crossing the lines of the rules.”

    For Australia, the match is a chance to cement their place on the global soccer stage after a strong opening 2-0 win over Turkey. Center back Harry Souttar expects the U.S. to come out pressing hard from the opening whistle, just as they did against Paraguay. Australian head coach Tony Popovic says his scrappy, hard-working side is hungry to earn the respect of the global football community. “We want to earn our respect,” Popovic said. “We know that by our performances, we can put Australian football on the world map. And, that’s what we aim to do. We started off well against Turkey. Now, we want to back it up.”

  • A day of tears, scuffles & history as injury mars Canada’s moment

    A day of tears, scuffles & history as injury mars Canada’s moment

    Forty years after making their FIFA World Cup debut, Canada earned a long-awaited, history-making first tournament victory with a dominant 6-0 thrashing of Qatar at a sold-out, raucous Vancouver Stadium. The result leaves the Canadian side on the cusp of qualification for the knockout round of 32, an achievement many thought unthinkable for a nation that had never claimed a World Cup point before a 1-1 opening draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina. But what should have been an afternoon of unbridled celebration was quickly marred by a horrific career-interrupting injury to Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone.

    The fateful incident unfolded in the 53rd minute, with Canada already holding a comfortable 3-0 lead. Shortly after collecting a pass, the 24-year-old Sassuolo player was caught with a late, reckless challenge by Qatar’s Assim Madibo. The impact left Kone with a visibly broken leg, and his immediate reaction of anguish and shock made the severity of the injury clear to everyone in the stadium. Teammates rushed to his side in distress as the referee stopped play to allow medical personnel onto the pitch, while Madibo stood stunned, hands clasped to his head in disbelief. Tensions boiled over soon after, sparking a brief scuffle between the two sides as frustration over the hard tackle boiled over.

    Despite suffering an injury that has ended his 2026 World Cup campaign, Kone displayed remarkable composure and grit as he was stretchered off the field, lifting a thumb to the cheering crowd and waving to supporters to acknowledge their support. Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch later described the harrowing scene, noting that everyone in the technical area could hear the bone snap. “He’s at the hospital now preparing for surgery,” Marsch told reporters post-match. “Everybody’s a little shaken by this. Ismael is such a core part of this team, and this is a huge loss for us.”

    Even amid the shock and grief of losing one of their key players, the Canadian squad pulled together to stay focused on the match, just as Kone would have wanted. After the hydration break, during which Marsch was seen openly in tears, Canada pushed forward and scored three more goals to cement their lopsided win. Substitute Nathan Saliba, who stepped in for Kone after the injury, held up Kone’s jersey after scoring the team’s fourth goal as a tribute to his fallen teammate.

    Marsch confirmed after the final whistle that Madibo had visited the Canadian dressing room to apologize for the tackle, and he emphasized that he does not believe the challenge was made with malicious intent. “I don’t think he meant such a gruesome tackle, I don’t fault him for that,” Marsch said. “But I don’t understand the reaction from their bench.” Madibo was sent off for the foul, leaving Qatar to finish the match with nine men after Homam El Amin was also red-carded in the first half for a professional foul on Tajon Buchanan.

    The historic result puts Canada one point away from guaranteed knockout round qualification. The side will next face Switzerland, where a win will lock in first place in their group and allow them to remain on home soil for the knockout stage. Reflecting on the moment that defined the match beyond the scoreline, Marsch praised Kone’s character and the tight bond that holds the Canadian squad together. “It is a statement about Ismael, but also this is an incredible team. I have been telling people for years about the character of this group,” he said. “You got to see how everyone was crushed but we had to find a way to stay focused… In a moment like this, I don’t think they need me so much, they have each other.”

    Marsch added that Kone remains in good spirits despite the injury, and expressed confidence the midfielder would return stronger than ever. “He will be back stronger than ever and he will continue to have a great career,” Marsch said. “I said at the water break that he would want us to finish this game – and that is what the guys did.”

    After the final whistle, the team allowed themselves a brief moment to celebrate their landmark victory, gathering in a huddle before completing a lap of honor to thank the sold-out crowd of cheering Canadian fans. For Marsch, the result is a career-defining moment: he took over the Canadian job in May 2024, after being sacked by Leeds United a year prior and being passed over for the head coaching role with his native United States. He called the opportunity to lead Canada at a home World Cup a unique chance to redefine soccer in the country.

    “No-one will forget this. No Canadian will forget this day,” Marsch said. “It is an incredible, seminal moment in this country.”

  • Mexico becomes first country to reach knockout stage of World Cup, beating South Korea 1-0

    Mexico becomes first country to reach knockout stage of World Cup, beating South Korea 1-0

    GUADALAJARA, Mexico — In a tense Group A World Cup clash on Thursday, Mexico capitalized on a costly defensive mistake from South Korea to seal a 1-0 victory, cementing its place as the first nation to book a spot in the tournament’s knockout round. The result marks a standout turnaround for El Tri, which crashed out in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup and has now notched two consecutive wins on home turf in front of thousands of cheering, celebrating fans.

    The game-deciding moment came in the 50th minute, when a collision between South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and center-back Lee Gi-hyuk inside the penalty area left the ball loose at the feet of Mexico’s Luis Romo. With the net wide open, Romo slotted home the easy finish to put Mexico ahead.

    South Korea pushed hard for an equalizer in the final minutes of regulation, and nearly got it in the 87th minute. Striker Cho Gue-sung connected with a close-range header that was blocked by Mexican goalkeeper Raúl Rangel. When the rebound bounced straight back to Cho, Rangel stretched out his right arm to make a game-saving stop, stopping the ball from crossing the goal line and preserving Mexico’s clean sheet and lead.

    Following the win, Mexico sits atop Group A with six points from two matches, holding a three-point lead over second-place South Korea. The Czech Republic and South Africa played to a 1-1 draw earlier Thursday in Atlanta, leaving both sides with just one point, five points adrift of the tournament leaders.

    This 2025 World Cup marks the first iteration of the competition’s expanded 48-team format, which introduces a new knockout round structure: the top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, joined by the eight highest-ranked third-place finishers to form a 32-team round for the first knockout round.

  • ‘Even the coke is big’ – Foreign World Cup fans take in American culture

    ‘Even the coke is big’ – Foreign World Cup fans take in American culture

    As the 2026 FIFA World Cup brings thousands of international football supporters across North America, with three-quarters of all tournament matches hosted across the United States, many visitors are leaving the stadium stands to explore a side of American culture that has proven far more surprising than any on-pitch upset. For Ayoub Baghdad, a Moroccan fan who recently arrived in the U.S. to cheer on his national team, the most striking first impression had nothing to do with soccer, and everything to do with the sheer scale that defines everyday American life.

    “Everything is big, even the coke is big,” Baghdad said, noting that roadways, commercial trucks, and city buildings are far larger than the infrastructure he is accustomed to back in Morocco. He is far from alone in this observation: conversations with dozens of international fans reveal that the size of American consumer and public life has become one of the most talked-about unexpected takeaways of their trip, with viral clips flooding social media showing supporters reacting to oversized supermarket aisles, massive restaurant portions, and multi-purpose mega-retailers.

    Scottish vlogger Shaun captured widespread sentiment after a visit to Buc-ee’s, the beloved Southern U.S. convenience store chain that combines fuel, a full restaurant, a grocery store, and novelty merchandise under one roof. “A place like this could ONLY exist in America and I LOVE it,” he told reporters, echoing the wonder many visitors feel at the uniquely American approach to large-scale retail.

    Food has become a central part of many fans’ cross-cultural exploration, with visitors lining up to try chains and regional dishes they have only seen on television or in films. Ire Balogun, a traveler from Oxford, England, said he was caught off guard by how flavorful American food is compared to what he can get back home. “I’m surprised even with their fast food, there’s just so much more flavour. I’m sure it’s not good for you in many other ways … but the flavour comes through across the board, whether it’s Chinese or Hispanic food,” he explained.

    A group of Portuguese graduate students traveling from Madrid echoed that excitement, saying they have prioritized trying U.S. chain restaurants unavailable in their home countries, including Tex-Mex favorite Chipotle and celebrity-favorite burger chain Shake Shack, alongside small local eateries. “It what we are used to seeing in movies or TV shows,” said group member Lourenço Silva. “It’s a part of the experience of coming to the US.”

    Even small cultural norms have left an impression on visitors. Christian Boateng, a Ghanaian fan based in England, noted he was stunned not just by the oversized portions at American restaurants that left his group unable to finish their meal, but also by the common U.S. practice of excluding sales tax from listed retail prices — a system that works very differently from the standard pricing model in the United Kingdom. Many fans have also expressed surprise at the free perks U.S. restaurants regularly offer, from complimentary chips and salsa at Mexican eateries to free refills on soft drinks at nearly every dining establishment.

    Beyond food and size, many fans have noted a more muted overall World Cup atmosphere across the U.S. compared to past tournaments they have attended, including the 2018 Russia World Cup and 2022 Qatar World Cup. Balogun, who attended both prior tournaments, explained that this low-key energy is just another part of American culture: soccer has never claimed the title of the country’s most popular sport, and it is currently competing for public attention with the ongoing Major League Baseball season and ongoing conversation around the U.S.’s most-watched sport, American football.

    That competition between major sports even created an unexpected highlight for two England fans visiting New York City. Jason Barnes and Harry Beckley, traveling from Portsmouth, accidentally stumbled into a massive street celebration in Times Square after the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to claim their first NBA championship in 53 years. “It’s the craziest celebration I have ever seen or even been a part of,” Barnes said. “We know basketball is huge in America, obviously not so much in the UK. It was unreal… I might even start following basketball now because of it.”

    Unlike past World Cups where fans tend to stay close to match host cities and major coastal hubs, many international supporters this year are branching out into the American heartland to seek out one-of-a-kind “only in America” experiences. One group of Portuguese fans is heading to the Southern U.S., including Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas, to sample iconic regional cuisine. “We are gonna eat some more normal and more traditional American things like barbecue and maybe a seafood boil,” said group member Tomás Soares. “That’s the thing that like most of us are looking forward to.”

    While many fans note that travel and accommodation prices in the U.S. are higher than they experienced at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, most agree the experience is well worth the cost. Baghdad, the Moroccan fan, summed up the widespread perspective: “You can make your own budget to come watch maybe one game or two games and have the experience with you for your whole life because it is not gonna happen again.”

  • World Cup: New Zealand’s viral soccer star Tim Payne signs with Olimpia in Paraguay

    World Cup: New Zealand’s viral soccer star Tim Payne signs with Olimpia in Paraguay

    WELLINGTON, New Zealand — In a career turn that traces back to an unexpected viral spotlight during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, New Zealand men’s soccer defender Tim Payne has formally confirmed he will continue his professional career at one of South America’s most storied clubs, Paraguay’s Club Olimpia, on a one-year contract.

    Payne’s rapid rise from relative obscurity to global social media fame began when Argentine soccer influencer Valen Scarsini, known publicly by his handle El Scarso, highlighted him during the World Cup as the tournament participant with the smallest personal social media following. At the time, the defender had only 4,700 followers on his Instagram account. Within days of the influencer’s video going viral, that number skyrocketed to 5.8 million, turning Payne into an overnight name among soccer fans worldwide.

    This sudden surge in global profile caught the attention of professional clubs across multiple South American nations and North America, with sides from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Mexico all registering formal interest in securing Payne’s signature. On Friday, Payne verified an earlier report from the Associated Press confirming his deal with the Paraguayan giants, closing out a seven-year tenure with Australia’s A-League side Wellington Phoenix, where he made 149 first-team appearances.

    Reflecting on his departure from the only professional club he had called home for nearly a decade, Payne called the choice to move a difficult one. “To the fans, my teammates, and all those who have supported me throughout my career, through the highs and the lows, thank you,” he said in a statement Friday. “Without you I would not be here representing my country at the World Cup — the very pinnacle of the sport.”

    For Payne, the move to Club Olimpia represents a long-sought chance to test his abilities against elite competition outside of Oceania and Australia. “I’ve always pushed myself to be the best footballer I can be,” he explained. “To test myself at the very top of South American football, competing in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, is one of the most incredible opportunities I could have asked for as a professional.”

    Club Olimpia is no stranger to continental success, most recently claiming its 48th Paraguayan Primera Apertura title, cementing its status as one of the most decorated clubs in South American soccer. Payne highlighted the club’s legacy as a core reason he jumped at the opportunity. “Club Olimpia is one of the biggest clubs in South America, with an incredible history, passionate supporters and ambitions that match its stature,” Payne said. “I am looking forward to rising to that challenge.”