FIFA Power Ranking leaders after Matchday 4️⃣🔥 at World Cup 26™Matchday 4 of World Cup 26™ is done, so here is who performed best according to the official FIFA Power Rankings.Group EGermany 7-1 CuraçaoAttacking Impact: Deniz UndavGermany striker Deniz Undav produced one of the finest attacking displays of the tournament so far, coming off the bench and contributing to three goals.His attacking score of 8.16 underlines just how impactful Undav was to Julian Nagelsmann's side.Creativity Influence: Florian WirtzFlorian Wirtz was the lynchpin of Germany's creative output on Sunday, floating between the lines and scoring 7.96 on FIFA's Rankings.The Liverpool man completed 15 progressive passes in the match and was involved in 11 attempt-at-goal sequences. Defending Influence: Livano ComenenciaIt was a historic occasion for Curaçao but despite conceding seven goals, Livano Comenencia impressed with his defensive influence.Comenencia bagged a score of 7.49 thanks to 12 possession regains and ranking first for blocked shots.Group FNetherlands 2-2 JapanAttacking Impact: Crysencio SummervilleDutch winger Crysencio Summerville was sensational all evening against Japan.His left-footed goal just after the hour mark gave the Netherlands a 2-1 lead and saw him come away with a score of 9.0.Creativity Influence: Ryan GravenberchWith a score of 8.34, it was Ryan Gravenberch who led the way in creativity influence.The Liverpool midfielder provided two assists and was always in those half-spaces causing problems between the lines.Defending Influence: Jan Paul van HeckeWith his ability to win aerial duels and play out from the back, Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke topped the defensive charts here with a score of 8.0.With four blocks and seven possession regains, the Dutch centre-back was a rock from minute one.Group ECôte d'Ivoire 1-0 EcuadorAttacking Impact: Amad DialloAmad Diallo was the difference between the two sides thanks to his winner in the 90th minute.It wasn’t just his goal that earned the tricky forward a score of 9.1, though; Diallo looked dangerous every time he touched the ball.Creativity Influence: Yan DiomandeYan Diomande was the beating heart of Côte d'Ivoire thanks to his progressive passes, ball progressions and one-on-one ability.A score of 8.0 was totally deserved for the RB Leipzig star.Defending Influence: Wilfried Singo Wilfried Singo was ranked number one for interceptions, blocks and tackle threat, giving him an overall defensive influence of 7.8.The 25-year-old was a colossus at the back for his side and was more than deserving of top marks and a clean sheet.Group FSweden 5-1 TunisiaAttacking Impact: Yasin AyariTwo goals from midfield helped Yasin Ayari bag an attacking impact score of 8.4.The 22-year-old's goals capped off a brilliant performance that put Sweden at the top of Group F.Creativity Influence: Hannibal MejbriThey may have lost the game but Tunisia midfielder Hannibal Mejbri led the way with a creative influence score of 8.1.His 12 progressive passes and 11 midfield unit line breaks helped the Burnley man come out on top here.Defending Influence: Yasin AyariNot only was Ayari top of the attacking rankings, but the defensive ones too.The Swede earned a score of 7.0 thanks to five blocks, three tackles won and nine possession regains - a sensational all-round performance.At the FIFA World Cup 2026™, FIFA launched a new individual player ranking system based on data collected during matches. The FIFA Power Rankings provide objective, data-driven insight into player performance.All outfield players will receive a score between 0-10 in three categories (attacking, creativity and defending). Goalkeepers will be scored in two categories: in possession and defending the goal. A ‘Power Ranking Classification’ will be produced after each match round, showing the top 100 players in each category. The Power Ranking is considered as a measure of match and tournament performance: each player receives a score for each match and for their overall performance in the tournament.

More shelter and extra seats will be provided at this year's Royal Ascot, with the 5-day event starting on Tuesday.An additional 1,580sqm of shade and rain cover has been installed, while 1,789 more seats have been provided - an increase of almost a fifth from last year.A new circular structure, which has been used at the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium, has also been installed in the Village enclosure.Spokesperson Will Aitkenhead said the extra seating was "due to customer feedback from last year".In 2025, dozens of people required medical assistance because of heat-related illness.Temperatures reached 29.7C (85F) but organisers said they were expecting it to be cooler this week.Free water will again being provided, with 25 hydration stations on site.More news from BerkshireWatch the latest episode of South TodayListen to the latest news from Berkshire More on this story Racecourse's 'substantial' solar system completedTicket touts outside Royal Ascot to be fined Related internet links Royal Ascot

Iran coach after opening draw with New Zealand: 'Our team is the most oppressed in the whole World Cup' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.INGLEWOOD, Calif. – They went home neither as winners or losers, but the point is, they went home. (Sort of.) That was not the plan for Iran’s national soccer team following their World Cup opener Monday night, but planning seems to be the most elusive ingredient of their participation in this tournament.The bus with IR Iran across the side was waiting for the team inside LA Stadium following the 2-2 draw with New Zealand that left both tied atop Group G, ahead of Belgium and Egypt. The players, at one point, had anticipated that vehicle would return them to the hotel where they spent the night before this matchup.Instead, they were ordered to return to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately following the postgame activities: the mixed zone where players complained to reporters, the press conference where head coach Amir Ghalenoei again shared his frustration with the world.“We don’t know why they’re returning us, to be honest,” Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. “It’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us. We were supposed to come in two nights before the game, and they didn’t permit it, and we were supposed to stay here tonight and recover. Our team is, perhaps, the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup.”To be entirely accurate, there was a point where it did not seem as though would be permitted to enter until game day. That changed late last week, which Andrew Giuliani – who is in charge of World Cup issues for the White House – called a “goodwill gesture” that was ostensibly presented to allow Iran to compete on even terms.MORE:Iran wants 'peace, joy and victory' at the World CupAnd so they did, although probably not in the way the Iranians had in mind.They entered with the No. 20 ranking in the world and were matched against the No. 85 New Zealand squad, and twice Iran had to recover from deficits in order to salvage the draw. Which is not to say they played poorly; they also had one clear chance bang off the post and a goal erased because of an offside call. And this wasn’t an entirely miserable experience. They were loudly cheered by a majority of the crowd through much of the night, although several fans told Sporting News in advance they were there to support the team and not the government in place.“Look, despite the circumstances, because of what we’ve been going through, I think our players were very dynamic, although they suffered from fatigue because of the commuting,” Ghalenoei said.“This game and this atmosphere were actually a very important point … There were many Iranians here. They wholeheartedly encouraged us, and I think that is going to be a starting point.”MORE:Iranians in support of national team shout a clear messageIran was behind inside 7 minutes, on the first of two goals from Elijah Just, who plays professionally in Scotland. But the most impressive player on the night, veteran Iran right back Ramin Rezaeian, scored to tie it in the 32nd minute by aggressively pursuing a rebound and placing it past goalkeeper Max Crocombe.Iran had an advantage in shots, expected goals and touches in the opposing box, but the first their opportunities to win was misspent on a shot in the 23rd minute by striker Mehdi Taremi, who ignored several teammates on a clear break in order to launch his own shot and saw it slam into the right post and bounce harmlessly clear. And the second was blown in added time of the first half, when a free kick led to a header directly into the goal, but the assistant referee ruled Ali Nemati had jumped offside like a sprinter trying to beat the starter’s pistol.“This is part of football. We have to sit tomorrow. We have to analyze our weaknesses and convert them to strengths,” Ghalenoei said. “It was one of the best games of our WC. The fans enjoyed it. It was a very good atmosphere. I have 50 years experience, and this time, the experience was very positive for me. I was very happy with the support, with the fans who were supporting the Iranian players.”New Zealand never has won a World Cup game. This is their third appearance, along with 1982 and 2010, tying each game in the latter tournament but going home after group play. Head coach Darren Bazeley could not seem to decide whether he was more pleased with the team’s performance or disappointed they’d missed a chance to make history by failing to account for Iran’s right flank. An impressive switch from midfielder Saman Ghoddos on the left to to the opposite sideline put Rezaeian in position to send a perfect cross to Mohammad Mohebi, who headed it home.“Second goal, we got sort of split in midfield, we couldn’t stop the cross and we don’t pick up in the box, which is disappointing because I thought the two center backs were outstanding throughout the game,” Bazeley said. “We came here to win, and today we were so close to making history.“And hurts, because the game’s now finished. We got a point. We’re in the tournament. You see the table now: 1, 1, 1, 1, all four teams are in it. But it gets tougher.”No doubt Iran would insist it’s tougher for them. It’s fairly standard for American sports teams to travel not long after a game, if they’re on a road trip and heading to another destination or if such a trip is complete and it’s time to return home.For Iran, it seems to be more about the idea that they don’t know from day to day – or even inside a more compact time frame – what their schedule will be. Their training camp site wasn’t changed from Arizona to Mexico until weeks before the World Cup began. It wasn’t certain they would be in the U.S. on the day before the New Zealand game until Sunday, the day they traveled here.Ghalenoei blamed some of his substitution decisions on cramping that affected players, most notably Taremi, who left after 80 minutes. The next game for Iran is Sunday against Belgium, again here in the LA area.“We haven’t had time to adjust because of the travel, and many of our players, they have cramps, and that’s why we have to substitute them,” he said. “So tomorrow, they will be examined by our medical staff, and they will tell us which players will be ready to play. The delayed arrival, forcing us back, they are making the situation more difficult. We’re facing more hurdles, but we are not going to let that stop us from doing our best.”MORE:World Cup draws make 68-year history

Steelers-Dolphins trade proposal makes too much sense to ignore originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to improve on all fronts over the next few months, hoping this team will be better than we've seen over the past few years. Unfortunately for the Steelers, they seem to have more questions than answers at the moment, and there's even a feeling that some of their top players could be available. At the same time, the Steelers are expected to add a few veteran players, including a recent trade proposal with the Miami Dolphins for Jordyn Brooks.“Trade for Miami linebacker Jordyn Brooks. The Dolphins aren’t going anywhere, and Brooks has one season remaining on his contract. He was an All-Pro and led the NFL in tackles last season and at 28, ought to be ready to cash in one last time. Does he want to spend it playing for a moribund team that has already traded most of its best players? The Steelers could bring him in and give him a contract extension right now,” Alan Saunders wrote.Brooks has been one of the more underrated players in the NFL over the past two seasons, as he led the league in combined tackles and solo tackles last year with 183 combined and 99 solo. Not that tackles are the perfect stat to show how good a player is, but he's definitely had a lot of promise, and at only 28 years old, there's no reason to think he's suddenly going to be bad in the near future.More NFL news:Deion Sanders make feelings on Browns, and son Shedeur very clearJalen Hurts news could lead to trade with JetsLamar Jackson response to Myles Garrett trade shows Browns messed up againDeshaun Watson responds to boos Cleveland fans have given himDeshaun Watson quieted all doubt about him and Shedeur Sanders relationship

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Elijah Just made history as the first New Zealand player to score two goals in the World Cup. It wasn't quite enough for the team from the bottom of the world to pull off its first-ever win.The All Whites held Iran to a 2-2 draw on Monday night in the Los Angeles area, the fourth draw in World Cup play for New Zealand, which was unbeaten in the 2010 edition with three draws.“I think that may be our best performance ever,” coach Darren Bazeley said. “We came here to win and we were so close to making history.”The All Whites had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 thanks to Just, who blew kisses to a crowd that included FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his second goal. Chris Wood, the Kiwis' best known player, assisted on both goals.“I think we showed today that we’re a dangerous team,” Just said. “You can’t be disappointed. A point in the World Cup is always tough to get.”The 26-year-old winger came into the World Cup off a strong season with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, where he was a contender for player of the year.“It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve known him a really long time,” Bazeley said of Just's performance. “He showed the world how dangerous he can be. He’s of slight build, but he gets into pockets, turns and reacts quick. I think a lot of people are probably watching that today and saying, ‘He’s a good player.’ This is going to help him a lot.”Just had his parents, brother, uncle and girlfriend in the crowd, which was dominated by Iranian fans, which was to be expected given that Los Angeles is home to the largest population of Iranians outside of their home country.“Walking out the adrenaline was really high,” Just said. “Once the game started you kind of calm down a little bit. We were quite good with the ball. We dealt with the occasion really well. The players were really brave. Overall, it’s the performance we needed.”Before the World Cup expanded to 48 teams for this edition, the All Whites had only qualified twice for the sport's global showpiece, in 1982 and 2010. They have never advanced past the group stages.The team spent the day watching other World Cup matches, including underdog Cape Verde playing to a draw against powerhouse Spain. That left Bazeley thinking it could be his team's day.New Zealand, which entered the tournament as the lowest ranked qualifier at 85th, is better known as a rugby union powerhouse.Just's performance in challenging Iran, which was heavily favored, gave the All Whites a jolt of confidence and a lot more attention with two group stage matches remaining.“He's an amazing player and he's so dangerous when we get him going forward,” defender Finn Surman said. The All Whites' next chance to notch their first World Cup victory comes Sunday, when they play Egypt in Vancouver, British Columbia.“It’s potentially changed people’s view on us and what they kind of expect from us,” Surman said. “We still think we can be better. We know we can be better.”___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

If there was any doubt that Seattle is a soccer city, today’s official World Cup kickoff put them to rest.Egyptian fans were dancing in the street on Monday afternoon, celebrating a 1-1 draw with Belgium.Seattle stadium was packed with 66,775 fans in attendance, leaving less than 200 empty seats. “The Emerald City” is welcoming fans from around the world and Seattleites say they’re impressed by the soccer transformation, especially along the waterfront.“People are going to get to see a lot of the beauty of Seattle when they walk up and down here,” says Molly.“And, through Pioneer Square too,” the American fan continued. “It looks awesome.”We ran into one Seattleite whose parents are visiting from Mexico.“The whole city’s like a super different city. Super vibrant,” says Diana, who’s cheering for Team Mexico.“Everyone’s having fun. Everyone’s out!”Diana and her parents attended Monday’s match as did Julie, who’s also headed to the Team USA – Australia tilt (Friday).And, she’s confident in her compatriots.“They’re gonna win this game,” says the Seattle native. “There’s no question. There’s no question.”She said she’s just as certain the Americans will hoist the world’s most coveted trophy on July 19th.“We’re gonna win the whole thing. We’re gonna win the whole thing!”If you don’t have tickets for Friday’s big game, there’s still plenty of fanfare around the Sound.That includes the perfect way to wrap up Matchday 1, with a drone show next to the Space Needle, which was a unique and completely free display, showing the score in Seattle on gamedays.“This is a city filled with joy right now. And, it just feels so incredibly great,” touts Tammy Canavan, President and CEO of Visit Seattle. “So, we’re excited for the rest of the month.”Team USA’s next match against Australia is this Friday, kicking off at noon, followed by a Mariners’ home game against the Boston Red Sox just after 7pm.

NEW DELHI: The India A vs Sri Lanka A match in the Tri-Nation A Series in Dambulla had everything - controversy, confusion, heated exchanges, a Super Over and even a tense confrontation involving teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.While Sri Lanka A eventually emerged victorious in the Super Over on Monday, much of the post-match attention shifted to Sooryavanshi after videos of the dramatic scenes went viral on social media.Sooryavanshi involved in heated exchangesAfter the match ended in a tie, confusion prevailed over whether a Super Over would be played as fading light became a concern. India A captain Tilak Varma was seen engaged in lengthy discussions with the umpires, insisting that the game continue and be decided through a Super Over.In a video doing the rounds on social media, Sooryavanshi can first be seen joining Tilak in questioning the officials. As the discussions intensified, India A coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar stepped in and pulled the youngster away from the umpires.Moments later, Sooryavanshi appeared to urge Tilak to walk away from the discussion and was seen physically nudging his captain away from the boundary ropes as the argument continued.— AbhiMSD_07 (@AbhiMSD_07) The drama did not end there.Following Sri Lanka A's victory in the Super Over, Sooryavanshi was involved in a heated exchange with a Sri Lankan player. The confrontation briefly escalated before teammates intervened and separated the players.— Maina_Singhx77 (@Maina_Singhx77) Super Over decides thrilling contestEarlier, Sri Lanka A found a way to get over the line after an emotionally charged contest.Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan produced a superb final over in regulation time, conceding only four runs when Sri Lanka A needed five to win, forcing the match into a Super Over.However, Arshad's Super Over proved expensive as Sri Lanka A scored 16 runs, aided by a wide and a no-ball.Chasing 17 for victory, India A sent out Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge. But Sri Lanka pacer Kugathas Mathulan kept his composure under pressure and restricted the duo to just nine runs to seal a memorable win for the hosts.Sooryavanshi's promising start continuesThe 15-year-old Sooryavanshi once again showed glimpses of his talent at the top of the order, scoring 21 runs against Sri Lanka A.The youngster had earlier made 14 in the opening game against Sri Lanka A before following it up with an impressive 44 against Afghanistan A.

It is only June, but the buzz coming out of Santa Clara is already hitting a fever pitch around veteran receiver Mike Evans.Tight end George Kittle has already been fawning over the San Francisco 49ers' biggest offensive addition of the year, recently claiming that Evans is "cooking" everyone in practice. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk has joined the praise frenzy as well.Speaking on NFL Network, Juszczyk couldn’t stop raving about the newest weapon in Kyle Shanahan’s arsenal."Mike has been so impressive, and I feel like that's saying so much because we were expecting so much," Juszczyk said. "Your expectations are already high, and I feel like he's already exceeded that. He has been unguardable at practice. Red zone has been an absolute problem.""Expectations are already high and I feel like he's already exceeded that."@JuiceCheck44 on the addition of WR @MikeEvans13_pic.twitter.com/fTcnIPJrMP— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 12, 2026Evans comes to the 49ers after a sensational career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught for more than 1,000 receiving yards in his first 11 seasons with the team but missed all but eight games in 2025 after a few injuries.Now, he joins his new club as the likely No. 1 target for Brock Purdy. Evans, alongside Ricky Pearsall, 2026 second-round De'Zhaun Stribling and Christian Kirk, gives Purdy a great collection of skill position players to work with with Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Mike Evans has 'already exceeded' the high expectations of 49ers stars

Where to watch Fever vs. Tempo today: Channel, time, TV schedule, live stream for Caitlin Clark WNBA game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Indiana Fever will host the Toronto Tempo for a matchup at home as the 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup winds down.Caitlin Clark and the Fever return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on a three-game winning streak, having just defeated the Sun on the road, 85-75. Clark and Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana in the franchise's final visit to Mohegan Sun Arena, with 25 and 19 points apiece.Meanwhile, the Tempo are recovering from a disappointing defeat against the Dream, 102-77 at home. Despite strong performances from Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey, Toronto just couldn't keep up with a red-hot Atlanta offense. The loss of rookie guard Kiki Rice to an ankle sprain has also been tough to overcome for the expansion team.Both of these squads are no longer in contention for the Commissioner's Cup title, but a win still means much for the future of their seasons. Here's everything you need to know about Fever vs. Tempo today, including TV channel and streaming options for the WNBA game.Where to watch Fever vs. Tempo today: TV channel, live streamTV channel: USA NetworkLive stream:DIRECTVFever vs. Tempo will be broadcast nationally on USA Network. Fans and cord-cutters can also stream the action live on DIRECTV.Catch every game – try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live MLB, March Madness, soccer and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1, and NFL Network—all included with DIRECTV.Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.What time is Fever vs. Tempo today?Date: Tuesday, June 16Time: 7 p.m. ET The Fever and Tempo will go head-to-head on Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. ET. The matchup will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.Indiana Fever schedule 2026Here's a look at the Fever's next five matchups.DateMatchupTime (ET)June 16vs. Tempo7 p.m.June 18vs. Dream7:30 p.m.June 20at Dream1 p.m.June 22vs. Mercury8 p.m.June 24vs. Mercury7:30 p.m.Toronto Tempo schedule 2026Here's a look at the Tempo's next five matchups.DateMatchupTime (ET)June 16at Fever7 p.m.June 19at Sun7:30 p.m.June 22at Dream7:30 p.m.June 25vs. Sparks7 p.m.June 27vs. Mercury2 p.m.Related LinksLatest WNBA news and rumorsWNBA scores, schedule 2026WNBA standings 2026

Argentina vs. Algeria projected lineups, starting 11 for Lionel Messi's opening World Cup 2026 Group I game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.JUMP TO:Argentina projected starting 11Algeria projectedstarting 11Argentina and Algeria World Cup rostersArgentina vs. Algeria odds, predictionHow to watch Argentina vs. AlgeriaDefending champions Argentina begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup slate with a Group J matchup against Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday.Led by the legendary Lionel Messi in what is certainly his final World Cup, the Albiceleste are gunning to be the first nation to repeat as World Cup champions in over 60 years. The last team to accomplish such a feat was Brazil in 1962, having won their first title four years prior.The 38-year-old Messi is chasing the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record in the process, as he sits on 13 career goals at the FIFA tournament, five behind leader Miroslav Klose. Kylian Mbappe, who is 11 years younger than Messi, is also on 14 and looking to reach such a mark.Algeria were ranked 28th in the world by FIFA coming into the 2026 tournament, having enjoyed a strong warm-up slate where they surprised the Netherlands in a 1-0 victory before blanking Bolivia by a 4-0 score.The Sporting News brings you a look at the projected starting lineups for both teams, as well as an overview of their World Cup squads, plus odds, predictions, and how to watch the game.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsArgentina projected starting 114-3-3, right to left: 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 4. Montiel, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 25. Medina — 7. De Paul, 20. Mac Allister, 24. E. Fernandez — 10. Messi, 22. L. Martinez, 16. AlmadaInjured: Balerdi (calf), Acuna (muscle), Tagliafico (knock)Suspended: NoneLionel Messi will be supported by his usual cast of buddies, as this Argentina roster is very similar to the one that triumphed four years ago in Qatar.The biggest absence is that of Marcos Acuna, as the left-back was felled by a muscle injury while playing for his club River Plate. Leonardo Balerdi was also forced to withdraw from the World Cup roster in the lead-up to the tournament after sustaining a calf problem in training.Franco Mastantuono was left off the roster after a tough season at Real Madrid, as was Alejandro Garnacho, who was involved in 2022 but did not make the squad this time around after Chelsea struggled in the Premier League this past campaign.Algeria projected starting 114-2-3-1, right to left: 23. Zidane (GK) — 3. Abada, 2. Mandi, 21. Bensebaini, 15. Ait Nouri — 6. Zerrouki, 19. Bentaleb — 7. Mahrez, 8. Aouar, 18. Amoura — 9. GouiriInjured: Ghezala (shoulder)Suspended: NoneAlgeria were forced to replace defender Ayoub Ghezala on their World Cup roster after he sustained a shoulder injury in mid-May that required surgery. They are also without AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer who struggled with muscle injuries this past season on loan at Dinamo Zagreb and was not selected.Head coach Vladimir Petkovic actually made a number of big calls to leave veterans off the roster this summer. Other recognizable names not included were 37-year-old Islam Slimani, 34-year-old Baghdad Bounedjah, and 36-year-old Yacine Brahimi, all of whom sport 70 or more international caps but have not been called in since 2025.They do have one big name in the squad in Riyad Mahrez, who will captain the side. There's a famous last name as well, as goalkeeper Luca Zidane is the son of France legend Zinedine Zidane.Argentina and Algeria World Cup rostersHere are the names on the Argentina and Algeria World Cup rosters. All caps and stats are correct as of the date of their announcement in May 2026.MORE:Every World Cup squad for all 48 participantsArgentina World Cup squadMORE:A complete breakdown of Argentina's 2026 World Cup squadHead coach: Lionel ScaloniPosNo.NameClubAgeCapsGK23Emiliano MartinezAston Villa (Premier League, England)3359GK1Juan MussoAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)323GK12Geronimo RulliMarseille (Ligue 1, France)347DEF6Lisandro MartinezManchester United (Premier League, England)2826DEF25Facundo MedinaLens (Ligue 1, France)277DEF26Nahuel MolinaAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2858DEF4Gonzalo MontielRiver Plate (Primera Liga, Argentina)2938DEF19Nicolas OtamendiBenfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal)38130DEF13Cristian RomeroTottenham Hotspur (Premier League, England)2849DEF2Marcos SenesiTottenham (Premier League, England)293DEF3Nicolas TagliaficoLyon (Ligue 1, France)3375MID8Valentin BarcoStrasbourg (Ligue 1, France)212MID7Rodrigo De PaulInter Miami (MLS, United States)3285MID24Enzo FernandezChelsea (Premier League, England)2540MID11Giovani Lo CelsoReal Betis (La Liga, Spain)3065MID20Alexis Mac AllisterLiverpool (Premier League, England)2744MID14Exequiel PalaciosBayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany)2738MID5Leandro ParedesBoca Juniors (Primera Liga, Argentina)3177MID18Nico PazComo (Serie A, Italy)218FWD16Thiago AlmadaAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2514FWD9Julian AlvarezAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2651FWD15Nicolas GonzalezJuventus (Serie A, Italy)2850FWD21Jose LopezPalmeiras (Brasileirao, Brazil)253FWD22Lautaro MartinezInter Milan (Serie A, Italy)2875FWD10Lionel MessiInter Miami (MLS, United States)38198FWD17Giuliano SimeoneAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2311Algeria World Cup squadHead coach: Vladimir PetkovicPosNo.NameClubAgeCapsGK16Oussama BenbotUSM Alger (Ligue 1, Algeria)312GK1Melvin MastilStade Nyonnais (Challenge League, Switzerland)261GK23Luca ZidaneGranada (La Liga, Spain)286DEF3Achref AbadaUSM Alger (Ligue 1, Algeria)266DEF15Rayan Ait-NouriMan City (Premier League, England)2427DEF5Zineddine BelaidJS Kabylie (Ligue 1, Algeria)279DEF17Rafik BelghaliHellas Veronia (Serie A, Italy)2311DEF21Ramy BensebainiBorussia Dortmund (Bundesliga, Germany)3181DEF26Samir CherguiParis FC (Ligue 1, France)274DEF13Jaouen HadjamBSC Young Boys (Super League, Switzerland)2316DEF2Aissa MandiLille (Ligue 1, France)34116DEF4Mohammed Amine TougaiEsperance de Tunis (Ligue 1, Tunisia)2628MID8Houssem AouarAl Ittihad (Pro League, Saudi Arabia)2719MID19Nabil BentalebLille (Ligue 1, France)3158MID14Hicham BoudaouiNice (Ligue 1, France)2632MID10Fares ChaibiEintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga, Germany)2328MID22Ibrahim MazaBayern Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany)2015MID24Yacine TitraouiCharleroi (Pro League, Belgium)225MID6Ramiz ZerroukiFC Twente (Eredivisie, Netherlands)2851FWD18Mohamed AmouraVfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga, Germany)2644FWD12Nadhir BenboualiGyor (NB 1, Hungary)262FWD20Adil BoulbinaAl Duhail (Stars League, Qatar)2310FWD25Fares GhedjemisFrosinone (Serie A, Italy)231FWD9Amine GouiriMarseille (Ligue 1, France)2621FWD7Riyad MahrezAl Ahli (Pro League, Saudi Arabia)35113FWD11Anis MoussaFeyenoord (Eredivisie, Netherlands)2413Argentina vs. Algeria prediction, betting oddsDraftKings (USA)Argentina win-245Draw+360Algeria win+800Both teams to scoreY: +130 N: +165Over / Under 2.5 goalsO: -105 U: -120Argentina -1.5 goals+115Algeria +1.5 goals-150Prediction: Argentina 2-0 AlgeriaArgentina do not pummel opponents, as it is not in their DNA. Instead, they are the best in the world at slowly strangling the life out of the opposition, and Algeria are the next team on their list.While Algeria are a quality side that enjoyed a positive pre-tournament showing, they will find life exceedingly difficult against Argentina, who are methodical and ruthless in their approach. Messi is the man pulling the strings, of course, Where to watch Argentina vs. AlgeriaTV channel: FOXLive stream: fubo,Fox One, Fox Sports app/websiteThis match will be broadcast nationally on Fox in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up a for a FREE trial.Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesJames Dolan made a wild sacrifice request to New York Knicks players before their 2026 NBA championship run.The Knicks owner delivered the message in an April 3 speech that was later released on the Roommates Show podcast, hosted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.Dolan urged the roster to leave nothing on the table as New York prepared for a playoff run that ended with the franchise’s first title since 1973.Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesJames Dolan asked Knicks players to make unusual sacrificeDolan told the Knicks that winning the championship would change how they were remembered for the rest of their lives. He also urged players to focus on their diets, sleep and overall discipline during the postseason.The most unusual part of the speech came when Dolan jokingly suggested another sacrifice for the 10-week playoff run.“I had this idea that maybe you should give up s– for the next 10 weeks. The Spartans, they denied themselves, right, so they can have an edge. Get the edge.“Go home, talk to your wives. Don’t tell them it was my idea. But let them know what this is going to be like, what this commitment is going to be like.”The comment was part of a wider message about commitment before the Knicks began the postseason.Dolan also told players that their wives and significant others would receive rings if New York won the championship. The Knicks went on to win their next four regular-season games before resting starters in the final game.Dolan speech came before Knicks ended 53-year title droughtThe speech was delivered with five games left in the regular season. New York then went 16-3 in the playoffs and recorded a 13-game postseason winning streak.The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA championship since 1973. Dolan told the team during the April speech that the roster had a rare opportunity.“This team can win it all. I don’t know if you understand what it would mean for you to win the championship this year. … It would be life-changing for all of you.”He also referenced the team’s coaching change from Tom Thibodeau to Mike Brown and said the organization believed the roster was good enough to win.Dolan urged players to follow Brown during the playoff run and commit fully to the team’s approach.“Your coach has the answers to what we need to do in order to win. You have to take his guidance. Dedicate yourselves to correcting the things that he has pointed out to you. You got to leave nothing on the table. You must go for it.”Read more:What Kobe Bryant’s wife had to say about Jalen Brunson after Knicks clinched NBA titleFrench Montana reaches out after Knicks celebrations leave New York cab driver devastatedSkip Bayless shares bold take on Jalen Brunson’s place among today’s NBA elite

🎥 World Cup highlights: another favourite slips up, Iran and NZ thrillOn paper, the duel between Iran and New Zealand that took place tonight was probably one of the least attractive of the entire World Cup. But really only on paper. After a lively 90 minutes, the teams drew 2:2.Things were a little less spectacular between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. In the 1:1 draw, however, the next big favorite suffered a setback. Just a few hours earlier, Belgium had already dropped points in a 1:1 draw against Egypt.But of course, these results still don't come close to the level of Cape Verde's sensational result against Spain...This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 06: Leon Goretzka of Germany looks on during the international friendly match between United States and Germany at Soldier Field on June 06, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images When reports surfaced that MLS side Chicago Fire was pursuing Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka, it immediately raised questions about what comes next for the German international. At 31 years old, Goretzka certainly has the résumé to make a lucrative move to Major League Soccer, but recent reports indicate that he is still prioritizing opportunities in Europe before considering a jump across the Atlantic.Per transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Goretzka is going to put his focus on European clubs — at least for now:🚨 Despite approaches from MLS, Leon Goretzka gives priority to European clubs for his next move.Available as free agent and ready for a new chapter.That decision makes a great deal of sense. While Goretzka’s time at Bayern Munich appears to be coming to an end, he remains a proven player at the highest level. He has won multiple Bundesliga titles, lifted the Champions League trophy, and remains a member of Germany’s World Cup squad. There is little reason to believe he cannot still contribute to a club competing in one of Europe’s top leagues.Interest from clubs across Europe has reportedly remained strong, with teams in England and Italy frequently linked to the midfielder over the past year.Chicago Fire may still have a chance if European options fail to materialize, but Goretzka appears determined to test himself at the highest level for a few more years. For a player who has spent nearly a decade competing for trophies at Bayern Munich, that competitive ambition is hardly surprising.If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor… Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:New, improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community posts

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Shortly after opening World Cup play with a disappointing 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night, Iranian players and coaches slammed the treatment that their team has received in the U.S. so far.They argued that Iran was at a competitive disadvantage because the team was ordered to fly into Los Angeles on the eve of the New Zealand match and fly straight back to its base camp in Tijuana late Monday night. “They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei told reporters through an interpreter. “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have timefor recovery, (but) we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.”Neither Ghalenoei nor Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi specified who demanded Iran leave the Los Angeles area earlier than it wanted rather than maximizing recovery by spending the night. “My friend, I’m a player,” Taremi said. “I’m not the president of the federation. I cannot answer that question because I don’t know that.” World Cup hub | Viewer's guide | Power rankings | Predictions | Players to watchIran’s nightmare travel schedule is a product of geopolitical tension with the U.S. throughout a months-long war between the two nations. The U.S. declined to host the Iranian national team for the entirety of the World Cup even though all three of Iran’s group stage matches are on American soil, the first two in the Los Angeles area and the final one in Seattle. While FIFA rejected Iran's request to have its group stage matches moved to Mexico, the parties last month reached a logistical compromise to allow Iran to stay as close to the U.S. as possible. FIFA granted Iran permission to move its training camp from Tucson to Tijuana, a Mexican city adjacent to the California border.The 140-mile trip from Tijuana to Los Angeles on Sunday took five hours, Taremi said. When asked the cause of the delay, Taremi hinted that security checks were the primary issue. “It’s a bad situation,” Taremi said. “We just try to rise above the situation. From two months ago, last month, we have had a lot of problems. It’s so bad and it affects our team.” Iranian players raised some of these issues with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in their locker room after the match, Taremi and teammate Mohammad Mohebi said. Infantino, according to Taremi, responded that he wants to try to help. The other complaint from Iranian players has been the visa situation for their traveling party. All 26 Iranian players have received entry into the U.S., but some support staffers and Iranian soccer officials planning to accompany the team were rejected. "What we're not going to allow," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month, "is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the [Islamic Republic Guards Corps] or things of that nature."Countered Taremi on Monday, “I think FIFA has to help us more than this. ... Everything is a disaster, actually, for us.”Iran faced a pair of one-goal deficits against New Zealand but fought back to salvage a point against the lowest-ranked of the 48 teams in the World Cup field. Mohebbi scored the tying goal in the 64th minute, powerfully heading home a perfect cross from teammate Ramin Rezaeian.After the game, Mohebbi argued Iran was not at its best because the travel schedule had taken its toll. “We get tired, you know?” he said. Taremi hoped for help from FIFA now that Iran and the U.S. have reached a tentative deal to end the war. “If they help us, we would much appreciate that,” Taremi said. “If no one helps us, doesn’t matter. We have to stay back-to-back behind each other.”

📲 Tuesday's schedule: cup brings debuts for France, Argentina and NorwayWORLD CUP4:00 PM - France vs. Senegal - Globo, SBT, SporTV, NSports, Globoplay (GE TV) and YT (CazéTV)7:00 PM - Iraq vs. Norway - YouTube (CazéTV)10:00 PM - Argentina vs. Algeria - YouTube (CazéTV)1:00 AM - Austria vs. Jordan - Globo, SporTV and YouTube (CazéTV)BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - SERIE B8:00 PM - Fortaleza vs. América-MG - ESPN, XSports and Disney+This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

President Donald Trump waves to reporters as he arrives for the G7 summit, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2026-06-16T00:51:12Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on Capitol Hill said Monday they need more information about the agreement between the United States and Iran announced by President Donald Trump, and some are expressing skepticism as they ask the White House for details. The agreement announced Sunday to end the war in Iran, set for a ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva, is centered around reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the United States’ naval blockade in the region, along with financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks. But Senate Republicans and Democrats who returned to Washington on Monday said there were still many unanswered questions about the deal and they need thorough briefings before it is finalized. “I just don’t know enough about it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters in the Capitol. “Even the people who follow this stuff closely up here don’t know that much about it.” Congressional leaders and intelligence committees generally receive higher-level intelligence briefings before rank-and-file members, and they are notified of major developments before they are announced. But Thune said he had not been personally briefed on the deal. “I think that my understanding of what it entails — and, again, not having seen anything — it would require, I think the issues are going to be compliance, and how are you going to enforce that,” Thune said. Read More Thune’s concerns were echoed by several other GOP senators. “If it’s a secret deal then how can I take it seriously?” asked Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Vice President JD Vance told ABC News on Monday that the White House would release the text this week, “and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations.” Senators have questions about detailsTrump has not yet explained how his agreement will address Iran’s nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is in compliance and who will destroy or remove highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer.A memorandum of understanding also includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds, sanctions relief and a $300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran if Tehran meets certain benchmarks, senior U.S. officials told reporters Monday. But the document has not been released. Thune said he wants to know more about the conditions on the financial incentives for Iran. He said the deal would be a “good one” if the incentives are conditioned upon Iran winding down its nuclear program and getting rid of the enriched uranium, “preventing them from having a nuclear capability in the future.”Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he is hopeful but “until you see the final document, it’s hard to make an assessment.” “I go into it very skeptical of the government of Iran,” Kennedy said. “They learn to lie before they learn to talk. So any agreement we make with them has to have guardrails. It has to have a way to judge through independent inspection if they’re doing what they say they’re doing.” Senate could have a vote Under the Iran nuclear agreement review act passed by Congress during the Obama era, any deal the U.S. reaches concerning Iran’s nuclear material must be submitted within a certain amount of time to Congress for review. But it is up to Congress whether that happens — it is not required. President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, was submitted for what’s called a vote of disapproval in the Senate. The outcome did not roll back the agreement, but put the senators on record with their support or opposition. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and a longtime hawk on Iran, has appeared skeptical over the emerging agreement. He said he is “pulling for a deal” but Congress will need to review and vote on it, and he wants to see the memorandum that the two countries have agreed on. “The way Iran describes it, it’s awful. The way we describe it, it makes sense to me,” Graham, R-S.C., said. “Let’s look at it and see what it actually is.” Graham has said he wants Vance, whom he called “the architect of the deal,” to present it to lawmakers. Vance responded to Graham on Monday, saying in the interview with ABC that he would “caution Lindsey Graham and anybody else not to believe the hard-liner propaganda in Iran, but to believe what’s actually in the agreement.”Even though Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is the son of the last supreme leader, and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard still has significant authority in Iran, Vance told CNN in a separate interview that “fundamentally, it is a much different group of people.” He insisted that the conflict had unlocked much more direct communication with high-level Iranian officials and that the relationship was “fundamentally transformed.” Next steps in Congress unclear Most Senate Republicans said they want to review the deal, but it was still unclear whether they would have a vote, or if Congress could pass it. Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri said he doesn’t think an up-or-down vote is necessary. “You have the camp that wants us to lose and then you have a camp that wants a forever war,” Schmitt said. “President Trump’s not in either one of those camps, and neither am I.”Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he expects the Senate will get the final say. But he praised Trump for making “the single most consequential decision of his presidency” by attacking Iran.“I think he made America safer,” Cruz said. “The president as commander in chief acted decisively to stop that ayatollah from getting nuclear weapons.”Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican who serves on the Intelligence Committee, said he expects there are still many more steps to the process before any package would come to Congress for review.“Seems like early reports are showing that this is kind of the first step,” he said. “Once we have a final agreement, we need to take it up and pass it. … If you want a long-term agreement it’s got to be law.”Democrats ask what has changed Democrats questioned how the deal will improve upon the U.S. position before the war — and how it differs from Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal.“For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,” Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said there are more questions than answers, including what happens to the Iranian nuclear program and sanctions on Iranian oil. Trump has spent “tens of billions of dollars” and service members and Iranians have died, “and he still cannot explain how one family in Massachusetts is better off,” Warren said. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said an end to what has been a costly and unpopular war would be a good resolution, but he wants to hear more details. “An off ramp is good because it was a war that should have never been started,” he said. ___Associated Press writers Michelle Price in Washington and Bill Barrow in Alpharetta, Georgia, contributed to this report. JOEY CAPPELLETTI Cappelletti covers Congress for The Associated Press. He previously reported on Michigan politics for AP. twitter mailto

A small motorboat passes anchored vessels in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Thursday, June 11, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)2026-06-16T04:08:38Z EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — The naval mission for the Strait of Hormuz that U.S. allies are proposing as a follow-up to a deal to end the Iran war would aim to reassure crews and shipping insurers that vessels can safely navigate the narrow waterway again, by removing any explosive mines and potentially providing military escorts.France and Britain have been working on the plans for months. French President Emmanuel Macron floated the idea back in March when the war was raging, saying warships could escort tankers and container ships through the maritime chokepoint when the conflict dies down.U.S. President Donald Trump told Macron on Monday at the Group of Seven summit that he doesn’t see a need for “much help” because the strait is “going to be open” thanks to the tentative deal with Iran.“But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You’d be a great country to do it,” Trump told the French leader.Here’s a closer look at the envisioned mission that U.S. allies are pitching to speed the return of oil and gas supplies: US allies float it as a next step to the Iran dealIn a statement welcoming the framework deal that would extend the U.S.-Iran tentative ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. allies said they “are committed to playing our part” to urgently reopen the waterway “with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation.”The statement was issued by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Italy, later joined by Canada — all members, with the United States, of the G7 club of nations.They proposed “a strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations.” How they say it could workFrance’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is already in the region. Macron dispatched it first to the eastern Mediterranean in early March and then onward through the Suez Canal to the Arabian Sea.Other nations deployed in the region that could quickly help include the Netherlands, Italy and the U.K., Macron said.The French leader told Trump that French fighter aircraft could take part in observation missions over the vital waterway as soon as Tuesday, followed “within 48 hours” by frigates “and within two to three days, the aircraft carrier.” Read More “Of course, all this supposes that it is desired and requested,” Macron said. “Perhaps it will not be wanted and perhaps it will not be necessary. But in any case, it reflects our willingness to help.” Mine-clearing vessels would aim to rid the waterway of those underwater dangers for shipping that can be rocket-propelled, cabled or sit on the seabed and be triggered by sound, movement or light. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Trump said mines have been found and that efforts to locate others continue but that the strait “is already partially opened.”The U.K.'s Royal Navy has made a point of showing off the specialist expertise it could offer, welcoming reporters aboard a vessel, the RFA Lyme Bay, as it waited off the coast of Gibraltar last month to be deployed. Allies have escort-mission experienceFrench, American, British and other naval crews already have experience of escorting civilian ships through hostile fire in the region. They previously defended cargo vessels through attacks in the Red Sea carried out by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.French frigates used machine guns, cannons and sophisticated air-defense missiles to fend off Houthi strikes. The French frigate Alsace downed three ballistic missiles in the Red Sea in 2024 as it was escorting a container ship. The ship’s commander at the time, Capt. Jérôme Henry, told the AP that being on the receiving end of the potentially deadly strikes was unnerving and exhausting. The sea battles also took a toll on U.S. Navy ships and personnel.If deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, naval crews would be hoping for fewer dangers if the ceasefire holds. But with Iran still believed to be armed with stocks of missiles, drones and other weaponry, warships’ defensive systems could be used to fend off any attacks if the ceasefire breaks down.“Once there is a ceasefire, the need for a naval mission is significantly reduced,” said Max Bergmann, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank. “A U.K.-French naval presence will no doubt have some security benefits. It might raise the stakes for Iran to rekindle the war; it demonstrates European commitment to Gulf states; and it might reassure shipping and insurance companies,” he said. “But we should not overstate its utility.”Joint French-British planning for the mission has involved nations as far afield as Australia, South Korea and Japan, Bahrain and Qatar in the Gulf, Canada, and more than a dozen in Europe.A meeting of defense ministers and other representatives that France and Britain convened last month about the plans brought together 38 countries.___Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Evian-Les-Bains contributed.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, left, greets U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)2026-06-16T04:05:32Z EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations face a packed agenda on their first full day Tuesday, including challenging discussions on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and addressing the Middle East crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in attendance at the invitation of host France.The Ukraine talks come on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran. In recent weeks, the Iran conflict has overshadowed the war in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched more than four years ago.Trump said he had good conversations on Sunday with both Zelenskyy and Putin. “Now that this (Iran) is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he said, speaking during a bilateral meeting Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron said he’ll seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement. Hours before the start of the G7 summit, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a barrage that killed 11 people and set fire to a religious landmark.Tuesday’s discussions in the French spa town of Evian-les-Bains also include a work session focused on “ending crises and ensuring stability in the Middle East.” Leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are to join the talks. Trump has been frustrated by a lack of movement toward Ukraine-Russia resolutionThe attacks on Ukraine’s biggest cities came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke separately by phone with Trump on Sunday, the U.S. leader’s 80th birthday. The exchange suggests Washington hasn’t given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor in 2022.“The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well,” Macron said on French television.While campaigning for a return to the White House, Trump claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. He has since acknowledged it has proved much harder than he initially thought it would be. Read More Ukraine on Monday officially started European Union membership negotiations, launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it fights a Russian invasion.Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends. Its best guarantee would be membership in the NATO military alliance, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen, and others are wary of it joining while the war continues. Iran war has been a flashpoint between Trump and European leadersIn recent months, Trump has had sharp disagreements with Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over his failure to consult them before the decision to go to war in Iran. Trump has threatened reprisals, including drawing down U.S. troops in all four countries, all members of the NATO military alliance, for their lack of support.Despite those disagreements, the tone in Evian should be rather measured, as U.S. allies seek rapid progress that could ease the economic impact of rising oil prices caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.“I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now, and very importantly the oil is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump said. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Ahead of their meeting at the G7, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement congratulating the United States, the Iranian government and the mediators on what they called a “diplomatic breakthrough.” Canada also signed the statement. The leaders said it was vital for detailed negotiations to take place and for the deal to be quickly implemented so the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened to tanker traffic. Macron later said France and other Western partners are “ready to take action very quickly” to help reopen the strait peacefully. France and Britain have championed a mission to restore maritime security in the strait as soon as conditions allow.Trump, however, appeared to downplay the need for a large international military deployment. “I don’t think we’re gonna need much help,” he said during his meeting with Macron. “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You’d be a great country to do it.” What’s next on the agendaOn Tuesday, in addition to a working session that includes Zelenskyy, Trump will participate in meetings that include sit-downs with the emir of Qatar and the president of the UAE before attending a cultural performance and a dinner with the other G7 leaders.The G7 includes France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Other guest nations at this summit including Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea were invited to participate in some discussions as partner countries alongside G7 members.___Petrequin reported from London. SYLVIE CORBET Corbet is an Associated Press reporter based in Paris. She covers French politics, diplomacy and defense as well as gender issues and breaking news. twitter SAMUEL PETREQUIN Petrequin has been covering sports and news for the Associated Press for 25 years. He is based in Paris. twitter mailto

FILE -A Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle Discovery that landed on Oct. 24, takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, bound for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Nov. 2, 2000, in Southern California's Mojave Desert. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)2026-06-16T04:12:20Z EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — For decades, a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert has been a hotbed of some of the most innovative flight research in the U.S.From a test pilot breaking the sound barrier to a space shuttle touching down, aviation history has often been made at Edwards Air Force Base, about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles.There has also been tragedy, like the one that unfolded Monday when a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at the base and burst into flames, killing all eight people aboard.Here’s a closer look at Edwards Air Force Base and some of its notable moments: History made at the baseWithin months of officials establishing a permanent base to train combat flight crews at the vast desert site, it made history.In 1942, test pilot Bob Stanley flew the U.S.'s first jet-powered aircraft. He took off from the base’s dry lake bed that served as a naturally long runway, which was vital for the first-generation turbojet engines known for “flaming out,” according to the base.Five years later, the site was where Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager pushed an orange, bullet-shaped Bell X-1 rocket plane to a speed of Mach 1.05 and broke the sound barrier, achieving a major aviation milestone. His feat was kept secret for about a year when the world thought the British had broken the sound barrier first. The 1960s brought the fastest manned airplane — reaching Mach 6.72 — and the first airplane to fly above 314,000 feet (95.7 kilometers), earning its pilot astronaut wings, according to the base.In 1981, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen landed the Space Shuttle Columbia on that same dry lake bed, making history as the first orbiting space vehicle to leave Earth using rocket power and come back on an aircraft’s wings. Read More Base remains at the cutting edge of flight researchDescribed as an “irreplaceable national asset,” these days Edwards Air Force Base remains at the center of a significant portion of the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft test and development efforts.All Air Force aircraft are tested there, along with some Navy and Army aircraft, according to the base.“Arguably, more major milestones in flight have occurred at this base than anywhere else in the world,” according to the base.It’s run by the 412th Test Wing, which also conducts developmental testing of Air Force weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their life span.In 2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards with a new, modernized radar system. A test team planned to conduct ground and flight test activities on the aircraft. It was unclear if that was the same aircraft involved in Monday’s crash. Tragedy strikes during test missionThe B-52 bomber crashed during a routine test mission on Monday, according to military officials. The aircraft was supporting the “radar modernization program,” Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference. The people on board included government contractors and uniformed military. There were two employees of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the company confirmed.It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. An investigation is underway.

French President Emmanuel Macron walks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Photo via AP)2026-06-16T04:01:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) — For eight years, the United States has waged economic war on China, slapping big taxes on Chinese products before they enter America.But the campaign hasn’t dented China’s industrial prowess.The world’s second biggest economy is exporting more products than ever. It’s just redirecting them away from the U.S. tariff wall and toward more open markets in Europe and elsewhere in Asia.The shift in Chinese trade risks creating a European sequel to the China Shock that wiped out hundreds of thousands of factory jobs in the American heartland in the 2000s and contributed to the political upheaval that put Donald Trump in the White House twice.Despite U.S. sanctions, China last year notched a record global trade surplus — an astonishing $1.2 trillion.Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Chinese exports are “literally killing a large part of the European industry’’ and admitted that Europe was “slow to see that.’’ The Europeans are clear-eyed now. China’s trade practices will be near the top of the agenda this week as leaders of the G7 rich democracies gather in Évian-les-Bains, France. In briefings last week, French officials indicated that they hope to come out of the summit with a plan to tackle the China threat. One possibility is that the European Union and others will build a higher tariff wall of their own against Chinese imports. Currently, the EU imposes relatively low tariffs on China under World Trade Organization rules — though it hits specific Chinese products with higher ones (up to 35% on electric vehicles, for example). Read More “China’s export surge, unless its leaders rein it in, will provoke a protectionist wave against Chinese imports worldwide,’’ said Maurice Obstfeld, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. “All the more so if the current disruptions around the Iran war persist and cause a sharper global slowdown.’’ Economist Taylor Wang at HSBC warned this month that a China-EU trade dispute could threaten Chinese exports; Europe accounted for a big share of China’s exports of electric vehicles, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries.The Europeans also hope to persuade Trump to stop targeting U.S. allies like the European Union and Canada with punitive tariffs and to start working with them instead to counter China. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. China Shock 2.0 is different — and more disruptiveThe first China Shock started around 2001 when the Chinese joined the World Trade Organization and gained low-tariff access to the lucrative markets of the United States and Europe. In the United States, many factories couldn’t compete with low-cost Chinese textiles, furniture, electronics and other manufactured goods.Economists David Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, David Dorn of the University of Zurich and Gordon Hanson, now at Harvard, found that competition from China had led to the loss of 2.4 million American jobs.China Shock 2.0, as it’s come to be known, is playing out differently.The first time around China was still emerging as a major player in global commerce. Now it dominates world trade and manufacturing. China accounted for just 4% of global goods exports in 2000. Now its share is 16% — the highest in the world — making Beijing’s trade policies far more consequential.China has also upped its game, exporting sophisticated products like EVs and batteries, advanced machinery, software, scientific instruments and putting it in direct competition with the richest countries in the world. For example, Chinese exports now compete with nearly 58% of the exports from the 21 European countries that share the euro currency, up from 46% in 2000, according to a paper last month by researchers at the Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.“The second China shock is characterized by its companies running the board on manufacturing exports -- from low-tech, low-wage to high-tech high value-added industries,” said economist Eswar Prasad of Cornell University. “This is directly hitting advanced economies where it now hurts the most″ — high tech industries such as EVs and high-end robotics that many countries “had been counting on for a manufacturing revival.’’ Germany has taken a hit from Chinese exportsGermany has been hit hard. German companies once grew fat on exports to China but the situation has reversed: China now sells more goods to Germany than it buys. And German companies are struggling to compete with the Chinese rivals in industrial machinery, construction equipment, cars and chemicals – all mainstays of Germany’s export-oriented economy.Partly because of the competition from China, Germany’s economy has stagnated, shrinking in 2023 and 2024 and growing just 0.2% last year.The United States is less vulnerable than it was in the 2000s. Trump’s tariffs have kept out a lot of Chinese products. Exports of Chinese goods to the United States dropped 37% from January through April this year, versus the same period of 2025, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. The United States is also in a stronger economic position because it produces its own energy — unlike the EU and Japan — and is enjoying a boom in productivity and investment in artificial intelligence.Despite Trump’s tariffs and diminished sales to the United States, China is benefiting from soaring demand for its low-cost EVs and from AI investment, which generates sales of Chinese electrical components and machinery for data centers.Exports from China to the 27-nation EU climbed 16.4% in January to May from a year earlier. For France, that meant that its trade deficit with China, according to Beijing’s customs statistics, rose to $5.3 billion from $3.3 billion a year earlier.Chinese policies contribute to the problemEconomists say China’s policies encourage factories to overproduce and consumers to underspend. For example, state-run Chinese banks pay low interest rates to savers but offer cheap loans to government-owned manufacturers. A flimsy social safety net pressures Chinese families to save, not spend, to build a financial buffer against old age and medical problems.Obstfeld said the policies are partly meant to keep factories busy and workers employed. “The result is an excess domestic supply of manufactured products, which must be exported abroad,’’ he said. So low-priced Chinese products flood world markets and threaten to put European and other factories out of business.Beijing also has encouraged companies to compete ruthlessly against each other at home. “The rest of the world is ill prepared to compete with these apex predators,’’ Autor and Hanson wrote in a New York Times column last year.China has repeatedly promised to rein in overproduction and encourage consumer spending – as the United States and other countries have urged for decades. That would make its economy less reliant on exports and its consumers better off. It would also give U.S. and European an expanding market to sell into. “The leadership has long said this is a goal,’’ Obstfeld said, “but they have been slow to act as if they mean it.’’“Beijing has been relying on the rest of the world to address its overcapacity problem,” said former U.S. trade negotiator Wendy Cutler, now senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “However, this unsustainable situation may soon change if the EU and others take steps to halt Chinese imports, following the U.S. lead.’’___AP Business Writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong, AP Chief Correspondent John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.Kurtenbach reported from Bangkok and McHugh from Frankfurt, Germany ELAINE KURTENBACH Based in Bangkok, Kurtenbach is the AP’s business editor for Asia, helping to improve and expand our coverage of regional economies, climate change and the transition toward carbon-free energy. She has been covering economic, social, environmental and political trends in China, Japan and Southeast Asia throughout her career. twitter mailto

Ranking Juventus Midfield Targets: Ambition, Risk & Potential Game-ChangerAfter missing out on Champions League qualification, record-time Serie A champions Juventus are preparing for a massive summer overhaul. Despite Dusan Vlahovic’s imminent departure, head coach Luciano Spalletti is particularly keen on reinforcing the midfield department.Juventus desperately lacked creativity this past season. Not even a decent-looking average of 1.6 goals per game was enough to mask the problem. To better illustrate the depth of the issue, newly crowned champions Inter outscored the Bianconeri by a staggering 28 goals in Serie A.Needless to say, heads are about to roll.Once considered among the most reliable deep-lying midfielders in Serie A, Teun Koopmeiners joined Juventus from Atalanta in a €60 million deal in 2024. Fast forward two years, and the Dutch star looks set to leave Turin as a flop, with the club ready to cash in on the 28-year-old.Khephren Thuram is unlikely to face the same fate, even though Inter have earmarked him as one of their potential targets to strengthen their midfield options. However, it’s hard to discard this transfer just yet, especially if Cristian Chivu’s charges fail to sign Roma talisman Manu Kone.Captain Manuel Locatelli seems safe, but after registering just two assists across 36 league outings last term, he’s not exactly the beacon of creativity Spalletti needs to steer Juventus back on track. Widely expected to dip into the market in search of a more progressive profile, the Bianconeri have already identified several reinforcements.Without further ado, let’s rank the top three.#3 Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid)No stranger to Serie A, Brahim Diaz enjoyed a superb three-year stint at AC Milan before returning to Real Madrid in 2023. However, after failing to secure regular first-team football at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Moroccan playmaker could leave La Liga in the coming months.Ambidextrous and technically gifted, Diaz would likely be an immediate upgrade on Edon Zhegrova and Koopmeiners, who are heading for the exit. For context, the diminutive star garnered eight assists in 30 league games last season, three more than the entire Juventus midfield combined.Yet, Diaz won’t come cheap. Although his contract in Madrid expires at the end of next season, Los Blancos have slapped a substantial €40-45 million price tag on his shoulders. As if that’s not concerning enough, Premier League giants Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly vying for his signature.Given the circumstances, this transfer is unlikely to happen. Let’s give this a 3/10.#2 Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City)Another former Milan player has found himself on Juventus’ shortlist heading into the summer transfer window. Only a year after leaving the Rossoneri to join Manchester City in a deal worth £46.5 million, Tijjani Reijnders could return to Serie A. Aware of City’s readiness to negotiate the transfer, Juventus have entered the race.Reijnders was a beast at Milan. During his two-year stint at San Siro, he established himself as one of Europe’s finest midfielders. Skilled, fast, and lethal in front of goal, the 27-year-old is a prototype of an ideal modern-day midfielder. But for some reason, he has failed to settle at the Etihad Stadium.After a promising start to his Premier League career, Reijnders fell down the pecking order, with Pep Guardiola leaving him rooted to the bench in the second half of the 2025/26 season. Reluctant to play second fiddle at any club, the Dutchman could request a transfer this summer.Man City might be willing to listen to offers for Reijnders, yet prising him away from the Etihad will be anything but straightforward. However, if the Turin heavyweights are serious about restoring their status among Italy’s elite, this is precisely the type of ambitious move they should pursue.All things considered, it comes in at a solid but unspectacular 5/10.#1 Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan)Inter went to great lengths to fend off Atletico Madrid’s advances last summer, perhaps driven by Chivu’s pre-season vow to rekindle Davide Frattesi’s career at Giuseppe Meazza. Since the Romanian coach failed to live up to his word in 2025/26, the time has finally come for the former Sassuolo man to part ways with the Nerazzurri.Despite his bit-part role at Inter, Frattesi remains a household name in Serie A and a permanent fixture in the national team’s setup. In addition, Spalletti is a long-term admirer of the 26-year-old, whom he coached during his time in Italy’s dugout. The pair could reunite at the Allianz Stadium this summer.In fact, talks between the clubs are already underway. Inter’s €30 million asking price could be a stumbling block, although a figure close to €25 million could be enough to seal the deal. Yet, time may be a critical factor here, especially now that Nottingham Forest have revived their interest in Frattesi.With Frattesi preferring to stay in his homeland and Spalletti ready to offer him an escape route from Meazza, we’re looking at a solid 7/10.

“I do what’s right for me and my career”: James Trafford hints at Man City exit to be England’s No.1James Trafford has accepted that he may need to leave Manchester City if he is to become England's number one goalkeeper.Trafford signed for Manchester City from Burnley in a £30m deal last summer, with expectations of becoming the club's first-choice goalkeeper. However, the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma later in the transfer window condemned Trafford to second choice.The 23-year-old made only fourPremier League appearances for the Cityzens, though did feature prominently as Pep Guardiola's side won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.Trafford is currently with the England squad at this summer'sWorld Cup, where he will provide competition and cover for Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson.Speaking ahead of England's opener against Croatia tomorrow, Trafford admitted he needs regular football at club level if he is to challenge for a place in Thomas Tuchel's side.Newcastle United, Leeds United, and Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs linked with a move this summer.James Trafford admits Manchester City frustration has been 'very tough'“I don’t think there has been a goalie start for any of the top nations that isn’t a number one at the club, so going off history, I’d say, yeah,"he said.“You never know. Whether I move, whether I don’t move, I do what’s right for me and my career.“It’s obviously been very challenging the past season, but looking back, I’ve learned so much, I’ve developed so much.“I thought I’d had a lot of experiences up to this point in my career, but this was a new experience for me in everything. It was obviously very tough.“Some days were harder than others, but the one thing I wanted to keep doing was keep winning the day and just improving every day, and because I kept doing that I came out of the season having played a part in winning the two trophies.“It was a very challenging season, but I learned a lot for myself and for going forward in my career.”

The smiles said enough. After Thomas Tuchel’s first training sessions with England, one of the players’ assessments was instant.“That’s what an elite environment is supposed to feel like.” The squad still have a great respect for Gareth Southgate, but they all knew Tuchel’s coaching was closer to what they’re used to at club level. The system was instantly more sophisticated, with more depth to triangulated moves, and more integrated pressing.Tuchel, on the other side, was greatly enjoying the sessions. He was getting even more excited about the potential of the team.Thomas Tuchel in England training at the team's base in Kansas City (Getty)You could see all of this as he was walking around England’s camp in Kansas City this week, grabbing players as they went by, the energy increasing as Wednesday’s opening game against Croatia in Dallas got closer.Tuchel is loving this. It’s why he quickly signed on for Euro 2028, even if that tempered the idea that he was specifically brought in to win this World Cup.On exactly that, some of Tuchel’s predecessors might caution that he’s only loving it so much because he’s only experienced one side of the role. It’s all gone too well. Even the criticism that came after last summer’s 3-1 defeat to Senegal was nothing like what actually happens with a bad tournament performance; what Sir Alf Ramsey described as “this feeling of loneliness” that comes with the England job.Most of his successors have felt much worse than that. Ramsey also said there was a constant sense that “history was watching”, but so is everyone else – especially during a World Cup.Sir Alf Ramsey remains the only manager to lead England to World Cup glory (Getty)No one needs to retread all the old stories about Graham Taylor being mocked up as a turnip or a “drained” Kevin Keegan admitting he wasn’t good enough in a toilet.All of this is why it has long been known as England’s “impossible job”, and there's a considerable irony in how it’s become a dream role for a German.There might be all manner of historic overtones and undertones to that, but this is just about the now.Tuchel is “all in”. Part of that is because that’s his attitude to any job, but there was already more to this one. He “loves” England.The romance was instantly sparked on becoming Chelsea manager in 2021. Tuchel occasionally chuckles when thinking of one of his first games, the empty crowds of Covid allowing him to hear everything that Chris Wilder shouted at Oliver Burke in a 2-1 win away to Sheffield United.“F**king Burkey,” Wilder shouted. “It was always f**king Burkey,” Tuchel later laughed.This was real football, the German thought, and football that even without the crowds he would quickly love.It was around then that Tuchel dreamed of winning everything at Chelsea, and then maybe taking the England job, but he didn’t really consider it anything more than a nice idea.It seemed much more remote than that when he left Stamford Bridge in September 2022, but such experiences eventually played into a feeling by the summer of 2024 that he couldn’t go through the same cycle again in the club game; that he couldn’t just go to another super club.Tuchel kisses the Champions League trophy after leading Chelsea to glory (PA Wire)Tuchel nevertheless knew he “wanted to be close to the Premier League”.The eventual approach from the Football Association in September 2024 took him by surprise but he quickly saw it made complete sense.This was actually exactly what he had been looking for, without even realising.The very “rhythms” of the job suited him – right down to where he could live.Tuchel absolutely loves London, considering it home. He’s felt an affinity since first doing the London Eye with his daughter when at Chelsea, then visiting the Natural History Museum. At the time, he wore his Covid mask, with glasses on and cap down. Now, he’s much more open.Tuchel can be spotted whizzing around London on a Lime bike, heading into some of his favourite Soho gastropubs. He will occasionally have a Guinness – usually a half – or sip a small glass of wine, but doesn’t actually drink much. One birthday was celebrated with a Colin the Caterpillar cake, which he enjoys.Outside such simplicities, Tuchel has embraced the cultural scene, becoming friendly with restaurant owners and musicians.If he isn’t as interested in learning from other sports as his predecessor, the 52-year-old is constantly keen to discuss how leaders in other industries run their teams.He enjoys the work of the author Simon Sinek, and especially the importance of “clarity of purpose”.Nothing in football offers clarity like the ambition of winning the World Cup.And, for Tuchel, that trophy is currently all he sees – a feeling he has tried to impart in his players.If there is a fair debate to be had over whether a major country like England should have looked to a foreign coach, one huge reason that Tuchel is enjoying the job so much is precisely because he is foreign. He is unencumbered by the wider responsibilities of the role, or its deeper meaning to English football. It is not a vocation to him, in the way it was to Southgate. Tuchel doesn’t bother with all the extraneous elements, the state-of-the-nation stuff, because he doesn’t see it as relevant. He simply sees an excitingly talented squad, with a brilliant chance of winning the greatest of trophies. The timing helps in other ways, beyond the quality of the team.Harry Kane leads his teammates in training (PA)The scrutiny that used to come with the England job is now super-focused on the super clubs, at least outside tournaments, leaving him even more space between international breaks. That has also mitigated against the hierarchical tensions Tuchel faced in previous roles, and better freed the more engaging and mischievous sides of his personality.Tuchel, in the words of numerous players, is “a laugh”. He’s even joked with some about active love lives.A word commonly used about him is “tactile”.Tuchel is very warm with his players, and often hugs them. He stays in touch with even those out of the squad, sending them messages when they’re not playing.That is complemented by a willingness to tell them exactly what he feels. There’s no interlocutor. He can be hilariously dismissive.When one former player was considering a move to the Bundesliga, Tuchel lambasted him for wanting easy “assists against Greuther Furth”, a German minnow.His attitude to Harry Kane is of course different, since he knows the England striker is desperate to win the Champions League.Tuchel can empathise there, especially since the FA’s offer quickly drew out his own fascination with the World Cup.It was something Tuchel never really considered due to how “irregular” it is for most coaching careers, but he's now giddy about it.Even watching the first week of this World Cup, and the sense of occasion and “edge” at these huge stadiums has made him feel the “electricity”.Tuchel directs his players during training (Getty)That England are in the penultimate game of the first round has only added to the anticipation.So does the country’s centrality to perhaps his favourite World Cup.Back in Belgrade for September’s 5-0 win over Serbia, Tuchel was seen clutching a copy of Pete Davies’ book All Played Out: the Full Story of Italia ’90. He said at the time he watched that World Cup “like crazy”, pretending to be Chris Waddle “with the collar up in my garden” even as a 17-year-old.“This was something magical.”You can instantly see that energy the players are feeling, that only grows as it gets closer to the big game. “It’s normally the stuff that I personally enjoy the most,” Tuchel said last week, “when you feel that you’re alive.”Many of his predecessors know that excitement can be killed by one goal, or one bad performance.For now, though, all Tuchel knows is the joy. This is maybe what it’s supposed to feel like.It maybe took a German to remind England of that.

World Cup 2026: England face tough test in Group LEngland head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the third favourites with the bookmakers to win the tournament.While odds of 13/2 for the Three Lions to lift the trophy may be tempting for sports bettors, their previous record in major tournaments is concerning.The Three Lions’ only previous success in the World Cup was on home soil in 1966. They have never won the European Championship and generally come up short when the heat is on.Thomas Tuchel’s side will fancy their chances of progressing to the knockout stage having been drawn alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama.However, anyone who thinks that winning Group L is a foregone conclusion would be wise to keep a lid in on their expectations. Read on as we preview England’s group.World Cup Group L scheduleJune 17England vs Croatia – Dallas (9.00 pm)June 18Ghana vs Panama – Toronto (12.00 am)June 23England vs Ghana – Boston (9.00 pm)June 24Panama vs Croatia – Toronto (12.00 am)June 27Panama vs England – New York/New Jersey (10.00 pm)Croatia vs Ghana – Philadelphia (10.00 pm)World Cup Group L teamsEnglandThe Three Lions have plenty of talented players in their squad and will be backed by a sizeable army of fans in North America this summer.They have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals when the tournament has been staged in the Americas, but are still one of the top teams in the outright betting market.Their opening group stage game against Croatia is a potential banana skin, and it would be foolish to think that Ghana and Panama will roll over in their other fixtures.Although England fans will hope that Tuchel’s pragmatic approach pays dividends, they could be set for more heartache over the next few weeks.CroatiaCroatia have been overlooked as potential World Cup winners, despite finishing second and third in the last two editions of the tournament.They defeated England in the semi-finals at Russia 2018 and have pushed them extremely hard in three subsequent meetings since then.Veteran playmaker Luka Modric still has the ability to control proceedings in the middle of the park and could leave England chasing shadows.Croatia are perfectly capable of finishing ahead of England in the group, which would make their potential route to the final even tougher.GhanaGhana have been a regular fixture at the World Cup in recent times, having qualified for five of the last six tournaments after first featuring in 2006.They sacked manager Otto Addo just 78 days before the start of the latest edition, replacing him with Carlos Queiroz on April 13.Queiroz is familiar with English football from his time at Manchester United and is adept at building teams who are difficult to break down.With players such as Thomas Partey, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams in their squad, Ghana have the ability to make life difficult for England.PanamaIt would be fair to say that Panama are approaching their second World Cup with far greater ambitions than their first outing in 2018.Manager Thomas Christiansen has set his sights on beating Ghana in their first game, which would boost their chances of progressing to the round of 32.Panama’s compact defensive structure and work ethic can make them tough to beat, particularly in climate conditions which will favour them.They possess a genuine threat from set-pieces, which is a factor that the rest of the teams in the group would be well-advised not to underestimate.

France predicted XI v Senegal: Désiré Doué and William Saliba to startThere are two big questions for France going into their FIFA World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday night.The first pertains to who will start on the left wing. Marcus Thuram started there against the Ivory Coast in a World Cup warm-up, however, it was Désiré Doué who started against Northern Ireland. He struggled and there have been reports that Bradley Barcola may be preferred to his Paris Saint-Germain teammate. However, L’Équipe understands that it will be Doué who gets the nod. With Michael Olise being pushed out to the right, Ousmane Dembélé will likely start in the No.10 role. The second question mark pertains to the fitness of William Saliba. The Arsenal defender continues to contend with a back injury but is expected to start for Les Bleus against Senegal.France likely line-up v SenegalMike Maignan; Théo Hernandez, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé; Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni; Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise; Kylian Mbappé. (L’Éq)GFFN | Luke Entwistle

San Francisco police are offering $250,000 to anyone who can help identify the person(s) who targeted six white gay men and murdered them during the late night and early morning hours of nights between late January 1974 to June 1975. Investigators don’t think Investigators believe that a serial killer met the men before killing them near the Ocean Beach area, a 3.5-mile stretch of Pacific coastline along the city’s western edge. Police also think that the suspect may have traveled by car through the southeastern U.S. to San Francisco, CBS News reported. Related Police identify 12th victim buried on estate of closeted Republican murderer Investigators have also identified a possible person of interest in connection to the murders who may have been linked to two violent attacks that occurred in July 1975 at the Fox Plaza Apartments near the city’s Civic Center below Mid-Market. This individual is still alive and lives in the Bay Area. Local police are reportedly working with the FBI to compare similarities between other murders in the nation during the same time span. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The murders in question resulted in the deaths of The first victim, 49-year-old Canadian-American Gerald Cavanaugh, 27-year-old drag comedian Joseph “Jae” Stevens; 31-year-old German immigrant Klaus Achim “Claus” Christmann; 52-year-old U.S. Postal Service lawyer Warren Andrews; 32-year-old nurse and military veteran Frederick Elmer Capin; and 66-year-old Swedish-American immigrant Harald Gullberg. A San Francisco Police Department poster asking for information related to the murders of six white gay men during 1974 and 1975. | SFPD Back in 2019, police referred to the suspected murderer as the “Doodler” because a victim who survived one attack said the man identified as a cartoonist and was doodling during their conversation at a late-night diner, WLS reported. Police said he usually met the men at late-night bars and restaurants and sketched the men before having sex with them and stabbing them. Police said the killer was a clean-shaven African-American male, about 5’11” with a lanky build who was in his early 20s during the mid-1970s. The suspect would be in his mid-70s now. At the time of the murders, witnesses were hesitant to testify because, at the time, homosexuality was criminalized, which could result in widespread social stigma, incarceration, and even commitment to mental institutions. Homosexuality was decriminalized in California on January 1, 1976, when the Consenting Adult Sex Bill (Assembly Bill 489) took effect to repeal the state’s sodomy and oral copulation laws for adults. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Seoul saw dueling LGBTQ+-focused events over the weekend, with tens of thousands showing up for the South Korean capital city’s annual Pride festival while anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators gathered for a counterprotest less than a mile away. The Seoul Queer Culture Festival Organizing Committee estimated that some 50,000 LGBTQ+ people and allies attended the 27th annual event, according to The Chosun Daily. Related Parents in Korea share heartwarming deposition in support of legalizing daughter’s same-sex marriage While the festival was once again banned from its previous home, Seoul Plaza, under anti-LGBTQ+ Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the mood at the event and its centerpiece parade was joyful, The Guardian reported. “The biggest purpose of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival and the parade is visibility,” chief organizer Yang Sun-woo told Reuters. “Taking part is a way of declaring that queer people are everywhere around you.” Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “I hope this festival will help more LGBTQ couples who have been hiding come out, and one day will be able to get married,” 28-year-old Jeon Young-je told the outlet. “This is the one time of year people feel they can truly show who they are,” filmmaker Jay Park told The Guardian. “Until a few years ago, many came covering themselves up, afraid of being seen.” As the outlet notes, while homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, it is stigmatized and LGBTQ+ people in the country lack basic legal protections. Lawmakers have blocked a comprehensive anti-discrimination law for nearly two decades, thanks in large part to the country’s influential Protestant minority. But President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has made passing a law guaranteeing protections for the LGBTQ+ community — along with women and racial minorities — a priority. “Korean politicians have always treated minority issues as an afterthought, people not worth their votes,” Park said. “Stop pretending we don’t exist. Pass the anti-discrimination law.” -At the same time, thousands of protesters gathered less than half a mile away for their own rally and march, advocating against passage of an LGBTQ+-inclusive anti-discrimination law and same-sex marriage. Organizers Geukrok Hanbangpaje, a conservative Christian group, estimated that 30,000 anti-LGBTQ+ advocates participated in the “Marriage Between Men and Women, a Healthy Republic of Korea” rally, according to The Chosun Daily. However, Reuters reports that the number was closer to 15,000, according to data provided by the Seoul city administration. One pastor who spoke at the rally encouraged the crowd to “break the attempt to legalize homosexuality, which wears the face of humanism,” according to The Chosun Daily. Despite opposing each other in the same city on the same day, participants in the two events managed not to clash with each other, Reuters reported. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

A employee works at a cash register in a grocery store in Schaumburg, Ill., Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)2026-06-16T04:07:25Z NEW YORK (AP) — A tentative deal to end the Iran war makes it reasonable to ask how soon prices will drop for gasoline, groceries, airline tickets and other items that got more expensive during the conflict. Not so fast, experts say.Even after oil starts flowing again from the Middle East, it could take a while for consumers to see a difference at local fuel pumps, supermarkets and other places they shop, according to economists and industry analysts.Fighting over the Strait of Hormuz disrupted not only supplies of crude and refined fuel but also the supply chains for fertilizer, food and even footwear. Businesses expect higher costs to linger, which means their customers might need to prepare for that too. “It is not clear, despite three months of war, that anything has been achieved that makes the American consumer better off,” Brett House, an economist who teaches at Columbia Business School, said. “In fact, by almost any measure, not just the American consumer, but the world, is worse off as a result of this attack.”If the deal between the U.S. and Iran holds, here’s how experts see the war’s effects receding — or not — in the weeks ahead: US motorists can expect some gas price relief Following news of the tentative agreement, oil prices fell Monday to about $80 for a barrel of U.S. benchmark crude. That compares to $67-per-barrel before the war and the price of over $120 a barrel reached earlier in the conflict. Refineries typically pay for crude oil a month or more in advance, so even after oil prices drop, they won’t immediately be processing cheaper products. “The tendency of gasoline prices to fall slowly is partly because the raw material takes weeks to work through the system until it’s delivered to consumers,” said Michael Lynch, a distinguished fellow at the nonpartisan Energy Policy Research Foundation. In places without enough refining capacity to meet their needs, such as the West Coast of the U.S., gas prices will take longer to drop, said Mark Barteau, a professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Texas A&M University. Read More In some Asian and African countries that rely more on oil from the Middle East, the supply shock led to school and government office closures and instructions to work from home, according to the International Energy Agency. “The bottom line is that getting back to ‘normal’ will be a lengthy process involving many parties and countries,” Barteau said. “Getting an agreement between the U.S. and Iran to open the strait is just the beginning.” Flights won’t get cheaper right awayIndustry experts have spent months warning that even if the war ended, travelers should not expect airfares to go down immediately. Airlines typically buy fuel in advance, adjust their schedules gradually and price tickets based heavily on demand, meaning lower oil and jet fuel prices can take weeks or months to get factored into the cost of commercial flights. “I think it’s unlikely that we’re going to see a retreat or reduction in the cost of flying at any point this summer,” Columbia’s House said. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Fuel surcharges that some airlines outside the U.S. added are one of the first areas where passengers might get a reprieve, said Gordon Ho, a professor at the University of Southern California’s business school. “Consumers are going to say, ‘Wait a minute, why are you still charging me a fuel surcharge?’” Ho said. Pressure on grocery prices will likely continueReopening the strait is unlikely to deliver instant relief at the grocery store, according to David Ortega, a professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University. Fuel accounts for roughly 15% to 30% of the total cost of food, according to the Independent Grocers Alliance, a grouping of 7,500 global supermarkets.But it can take months for an energy shock like the one caused by the Iran war to wind through the food supply chain and raise grocery prices. And once prices go up, it takes them a long time to come back down, especially when the future is unpredictable, Ortega said.“We’re likely still looking at inflationary pressure on food in the coming months,” Ortega said. “There’s still a good deal of uncertainty about how the reopening will unfold, and it will take time for fuel, diesel and retail fertilizer prices to come back down.”Rabobank, which is based in the Netherlands, said it expected war-related food price inflation to peak sometime next year in Europe. In the U.S., grocery prices are expected to rise 3.2% this year, which compares to a historical average of 2.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers remain strapped for fertilizerReopening the Strait of Hormuz would also be a welcome change for farmers and the production of food globally. Roughly 30% of the world’s fertilizer passed through the waterway before the war began. Prices soared as the supply was effectively cut off, and shipments probably will take a long time to return to pre-war levels. The consequences of the shortage facing farmers now may only intensify down the road, regardless.Many farmers around the world are going through planting seasons without the fertilizer they need or paying sky-high prices for both fertilizer and fuel needed to produce and transport their products. The World Food Program of the United Nations expects this to have a “devastating impact” on crop yields — and consequently, food prices and the availability of food — for months to come. Retailers don’t anticipate a cost reprieveU.S. retailers that sell shoes were encouraged to see falling gasoline prices, hoping they would mean Americans have more money to spend on back-to-school shopping, said Andy Polk, senior vice president of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America trade group.However, shoe companies anticipate their own costs staying higher for the foreseeable future, Polk said. The group’s members keep a two- to three-month inventory of finished products, but their next orders may include suppliers charging more for materials, he said. Most of the footwear sold in the U.S. is imported, and Polk said he expects shipping costs to remain higher for the rest of 2026 and 2027.U.S. tariffs imposed last year have made it more difficult for shoe sellers to absorb higher costs or pass them on customers, he said. In May, footwear prices were 5.2% higher than the same month a year earlier, according to government figures. Shipping industry costs ers expect a slow recoveryJudah Levine, head of research at the freight booking platform Freightos, said the Straight of Hormuz closure has affected about 2% to 3 % of the total volume of container ships that are used for global shipping, but higher oil prices and disruption have impacted the shipping industry more broadly.Josh Steinitz, chief strategy officer of the business logistics platform ShipStation Global, said consumers might notice higher shipping costs and more out-of-stock items online until the end of the year.“I think fuel surcharges, which then flow into shipping costs, which then get passed along to consumers, are still going to be with us for quite sometime from many of the major carriers,” Steinitz said.___ Associated Press writers Cathy Bussewitz, Anne D’Innocenzio, and Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York, Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report. MAE ANDERSON Anderson reports for The Associated Press on a wide range of issues that small businesses face. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

Employee of a foreign exchange dealing company work under an electronic board showing the stock index of Japan's Nikkei 225, in Tokyo Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)2026-06-16T04:43:05Z TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly gained and Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 briefly topped 70,000 for the first time Tuesday before trimming early gains after the Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate to 1%. The quarter percentage point hike took the benchmark rate to its highest level in three decades. By early afternoon, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.6% at 69,713.05, while South Korea’s Kospi moved further into record territory, gaining 2.1% to 8,721.64. The Shanghai Composite gained less than 0.1% to 4,100.53. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3% to 8,892.10 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 1.3% to 24,533.35. In Taiwan, the Taiex was up 0.6%, while India’s Sensex picked up 0.5%. On Monday, stock markets rallied worldwide and oil prices eased after the United States and Iran reached a tentative deal to get the global flow of crude going again. The S&P 500 rose 1.7% and the Dow climbed 0.9% to a record. The Nasdaq composite jumped 3.1%. Brent crude fell 4.8% on expectations that the agreement might reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where much of Asia gets its oil supply. But some analysts urged caution, noting many issues remain uncertain. Negotiations with Iran are expected to continue over the next 60 days. Even after Hormuz reopens on Friday as expected, it will likely take months for the energy industry to get back to full speed. Oil prices have declined recently on hopes for an extension of the ceasefire in the war, falling from the $100 plus levels they were at a few weeks ago. Before the war, oil was trading at about $70 a barrel. Read More Early Tuesday, benchmark U.S. crude was down 9 cents at $80.66 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, declined 24 cents to $82.93 a barrel. In share trading Monday, U.S. stocks related to the artificial-intelligence industry soared. Micron Technology rallied 10.8%, and Advanced Micro Devices rose 7%. Nvidia’s climb of 3.5% was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward because the AI chip company is Wall Street’s most valuable company, giving it more weight on the index than any other. SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company that also owns the AI company xAI, rose 19.6% in its second day of trading on Wall Street. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. In the bond market, Treasury yields eased on hopes that lower oil prices will remove pressure on central banks to raise interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.47% from 4.48% late Friday. In currency trading early Tuesday, the U.S. dollar was nearly unchanged at 160.33 Japanese yen. The euro cost $1.1580, down from $1.1592. ___AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed to this report.Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama YURI KAGEYAMA Kageyama covers Japan news for The Associated Press. Her topics include social issues, the environment, businesses, entertainment and technology. twitter instagram facebook mailto

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks during his swearing-in in the East Room of the White House, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2026-06-16T04:01:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Ever since Kevin Warsh was nominated by President Trump in late January to lead the Federal Reserve, a question has lingered: Will he seek to raise interest rates to tame inflation or cut them as Trump has long demanded? On Wednesday, Warsh may provide the first hints of an answer when he oversees his first Fed policy meeting as chair and holds a news conference afterward. Bond markets, which can swing sharply on a chair’s pronouncements, will be watching particularly closely for any signs of which way he leans. “We expect the press conference to be pivotal,” Jonathan Pingle, an economist at investment bank UBS, wrote in a note. “This will be Kevin Warsh’s first public appearance as Chair. ...We do not really know what his policy views are.”Economists say Warsh will likely aim for a neutral approach, largely because he is taking over the Fed at a challenging time. Rising inflation has made it all but impossible for the Fed to cut interest rates anytime soon, which could stimulate growth and further raise prices. Hiring has improved noticeably since the beginning of the year, removing another key rationale for rate cuts. And the other 11 policymakers on the Fed’s rate-setting committee — including Warsh’s predecessor, former chair Jerome Powell — are split on whether an increase in the Fed’s key rate will be needed or if it can stay unchanged. High inflation puts Fed in tough spotOil prices have fallen sharply on news that the U.S. and Iran have reached an initial deal to end their war, which could eventually cool inflation. Yet it’s unclear whether a permanent agreement can be reached. “The right thing to do now is wait and see,” said William English, an economist at the Yale School of Management and a former top Fed economist. Inflation has jumped to a three-year high of 4.2%, the government said last week, mostly because of higher gas prices. Even Trump has backed off a bit from his relentless demands for lower rates, and instead has argued that rate hikes — which the Fed undertakes to cool the economy and slow inflation -- aren’t necessary. In an interview earlier this month on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said, “Kevin is fantastic and I want him to do whatever he wants,” but added, “there’s no reason to raise rates.” On Wednesday the Fed is widely expected to keep its key rate at about 3.6%, where it has remained since last December. When the Fed reduces its rate, over time it can lower other borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans, and business loans. Read More Changes likely to dash hopes for those seeking lower ratesStill, some changes are expected, which will disappoint those hoping for lower borrowing costs: The Fed is likely to drop language that suggests its next move will be a rate cut, and instead adopt wording that is more neutral. Several Fed policymakers in recent weeks have said that the Fed’s most likely next move is a hike, rather than a cut.The central bank is also scheduled to release its quarterly economic projections on Wednesday, which include forecasts for how the Fed’s key rate will change over the next three years. In March, those projections suggested the Fed would cut its rate once this year. Yet on Wednesday they will likely show no change in 2026, with maybe one or two cuts next year, economists say. Warsh has criticized the projections for providing too much “forward guidance” to financial markets and leading Fed officials to stand by their forecasts for too long, even as the economy changes. Fed watchers will look closely to see if Warsh participates in the quarterly projections. If he doesn’t submit his own forecasts, it could be a sign he will seek to get rid of them entirely in the coming months. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Warsh to bring a new approach to Fed leadershipOutside of policy, Warsh is expected to bring a different style to the Fed than Powell, people who’ve worked with him say. He wants Fed policymakers to give fewer speeches, have more debates behind closed doors, and will likely avoid commenting on the daily ups and downs of the economy. Powell was relatively plainspoken and straightforward, while Warsh has suggested he sees the famously oracular Alan Greenspan, the Fed’s chair from 1987 to 2005, as a model. “He’s just going to say less, because he doesn’t find that stuff very helpful,” said Robert Tetlow, a former senior policy advisor at the Fed.Randall Kroszner, an economist at the University of Chicago who served on the Fed’s governing board from 2006 to 2009, when Warsh was also a governor, said the new chair would likely focus on bigger-picture questions, such as how AI will impact the economy. He will avoid thornier issues, such as whether tariffs raise inflation, which Powell was willing to address. By avoiding such hot-button issues, the Fed could attract less negative attention from the White House, Kroszner said. “He’s going to stay away from those,” Kroszner added. “If the Fed is to maintain its independence, it needs to maintain its focus.” While seeking Trump’s nomination, Warsh called for “regime change” at the Fed and criticized the central bank for not preventing the 2021-22 inflation surge, when prices jumped 9.1% in a year, the biggest spike in four decades. Yet Kroszner said that Warsh will likely to seek to build consensus around changing things like the Fed’s communications policies, rather than imposing them. So far, former Fed officials say he hasn’t sought to fire top staff. “He’s not there to break things,” Kroszner said. During his Senate confirmation hearing in April, Warsh said he would focus on quelling inflation.“Inflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it,” he said then. If he acts on that sentiment by keeping rates unchanged — or even raising them — Trump could end up disappointed in another Fed chair. He often threatened to fire Powell, whom he also appointed, for not cutting rates deeply enough. “There’s at least a risk here that six months down the road, Trump is fulminating about how he didn’t get what he wanted from Warsh, and he’d like to fire Warsh,” English said. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

District of Columbia mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George walks down a street while canvassing in a Washington, neighborhood, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Brown)2026-06-16T04:08:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in the nation’s capital head to the polls on Tuesday to select party candidates for mayor and the district’s delegate to Congress, an election taking place as Washington undergoes major change under President Donald Trump’s administration.The primary marks the first time in a generation that D.C. residents will vote for a new mayor and delegate in the same election. And in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, that party’s winner is expected to come out on top in the general election in November.The most prominent race is for mayor after Muriel Bowser, who was first elected in 2014, decided not to seek a fourth term. Democratic front-runners Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie are hoping to replace her. The district’s long-serving congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is also stepping down, with top candidates council member Brooke Pinto and at-large council member Robert White Jr. vying for the role. Republican Denise Rosado, an immigration lawyer, is running unopposed. The primary will include rank choice voting for the first time, which D.C. election officials have warned could delay results for days. Trump looms large over the voteCentral to all the campaigns has been the city’s fraught relationship with the Trump administration and the federal government. The city has limited autonomy and federal leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council.That autonomy has been further squeezed under Trump, who launched a federal law enforcement surge last summer and sent in the National Guard for an ongoing, open-ended deployment. Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government also roiled the capital region, costing thousands of people their jobs. He has also been reshaping the city by removing or renovating storied landmarks and putting his name or image on buildings. Trump just last week threatened a new federal takeover of Washington, when asked about his response to a potential victory by Lewis George, a democratic socialist. Read More “Maybe we’d take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” he said. Bowser found herself walking a fine line between staying in Trump’s good graces and responding to the concerns of constituents, many of whom said she didn’t push back hard enough on Trump’s actions.Republicans in Congress meanwhile have used their oversight authority to challenge the local government’s limited autonomy. “We are the capital of the United States, and it’s an incredibly symbolic place, this city,” said Amanda Huron, a professor at the University of the District of Columbia who teaches courses on D.C. history and politics. She said it’s important to remind the public that what the federal government does to its capital city is a harbinger of “how it’s going to treat the rest of the country as well.” Federal intervention, affordability among candidates’ top prioritiesLewis George, in responding to questions sent by The Associated Press, said her top priority is addressing “the affordability crisis here in DC, which the Trump administration has only made worse by unjustly firing federal employees en masse and militarizing our streets.”McDuffie said his top priority is public safety. He would add 1,000 police officers over four years and take a public health approach to violence reduction that would include a focus on mental health. Other candidates for mayor include former council member Vincent Orange and Hope Solomon, a former federal contractor who lost her job because of cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency.Some residents have expressed concern on how Trump will react to pushback. Pat Wheeler, who lives in Washington, said candidates must be realistic. Trump still has enormous power over the Republican Congress and could easily order members to take steps against the city’s home rule authority, she said.Five people are seeking to replace Norton, who is finishing her 18th term representing D.C. in Congress. Norton, 89, faced heavy pressure to stand down by critics, including her former chief of staff, who said she was diminished and not capable of mounting the defense the moment called for against Trump. Pinto and White both say their top priority for the city is self-governance along with affordability for middle and working class residents.Other candidates seeking the Democratic spot on the ticket include Trent Holbrook, a former Norton staffer; Kenney Zalesne, the former Deputy National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee; and Gregory Jaczko, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives for a faith town hall with Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Oct. 23, 2024, in Zebulon, Ga. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2026-06-16T04:01:27Z WASHINGTON (AP) — An endorsement from President Donald Trump is worth a lot in Republican primaries. But is it worth more than $100 million in Georgia? Can it propel a sitting congressman past an insurgent outsider in Alabama? Can it transform a candidate into a front-runner in Oklahoma?Trump has been at the center of this year’s midterm campaigns, and his influence will be tested in different ways on Tuesday as four states and the District of Columbia hold primaries.Among Democrats, the primaries will hinge on longstanding divides between progressives and moderates as the party tries to chart the best path forward to November.Here are a few things to watch as voters go to the polls in Alabama, California, the District of Columbia, Georgia and Oklahoma. How much is a Trump endorsement worth?Nothing is certain in politics, but a “complete and total endorsement” from Trump is about the surest path possible to winning a Republican primary.Rick Jackson is testing that truism in his campaign for Georgia governor. The health care tycoon, who faces Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a runoff, has given his campaign more than $100 million to try and convince Republican primary voters to overlook Trump’s advice.Trump endorsed Jones more than a year ago and reiterated his support last week, praising Jones’ “Courage and Wisdom” in a social media post on June 8. Rarely has the power of Trump’s endorsement been tested against such a lopsided spending disparity. Jones finished first with 38% and Jackson second with 33% in the May 19 primary. Now the election to lead one of the nation’s pre-eminent battleground states will be decided by the voters who didn’t back either of them. Read More Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s Republican primary for governor will test Trump’s endorsement in a different way. There, the president weighed in late, throwing his support two weeks ago to former state Sen. Mike Mazzei among a crowded field without a clear front-runner. The race will go to a runoff if no candidate gets a majority.Trump is used to getting his way, but earlier this month his choice for governor of Iowa, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, lost to Zach Lahn in the state’s primary. MAGA becomes the insider movement, and faces an outsiderTrump rose to power as an outsider, the head of a “Make America Great Again” movement keen to bulldoze the old political order. But now the onetime insurgent sits atop a sprawling establishment. What happens when he endorses an insider candidate?That question is at the heart of the Republican primary runoff for Alabama’s open Senate seat. Trump is backing U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, a three-term congressman who has promised to be “a warrior for President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda” if elected. He faces former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, who is presenting himself as a Washington outsider, trying to harness the same anti-establishment fervor that propelled Trump to power in order to defeat Trump’s preferred candidate. Alabama is a Republican stronghold, so whoever wins the primary will be heavily favored to prevail in November over either candidate in Tuesday’s Democratic runoff, business owner Dakarai Larriett and lawyer Everett Wess.The seat is being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the Republican nominee in the race for Alabama governor. DC mayor’s race features a democratic socialist and a new voting systemOne of the leading Democratic contenders in the District of Columbia mayor’s race, Janeese Lewis George, describes herself as a democratic socialist, a political denomination that became more prominent with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns.George’s bid for the party’s nomination is not so far removed from democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani ’s upset victory for New York City mayor last year. And, as in New York, the race has drawn national attention, including the president’s.Trump indicated days before the mayoral primary election that he might take over the city if George eventually wins, saying “we won’t put up with it.” George called Trump’s threat “an attack on democracy itself.” The city’s relationship to the president is a focal point of the campaigns as Trump has exercised broad power over Washington, D.C. That’s included an open-ended deployment of National Guard troops in the streets and his culling of the federal workforce, a chunk of the city’s jobs. Some residents were frustrated that the current mayor, Muriel Bowser, didn’t push back enough on the administration. Part of George’s platform on her website, which heavily focuses on affordability, is to “protect Home Rule” with “leaders that stand up and fight back, not shrink in the face of injustice.” George and another Democrat, Kenyan McDuffie, who’s focused on public safety, are two of the seven candidates whose race will be the first decided with D.C.’s new ranked choice voting system. Like a handful of other places, D.C. voters will rank the candidates on a ballot, and if none cross 50% of the popular vote, then residents’ second choices come into play. That happened in Maine, where election officials started counting ranked-choice votes for governor and a key House race three days after election night. In D.C., election officials have warned the new system could delay results by days. Election denial looms over race for Georgia secretary of stateSix years ago, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resisted Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud and his request to “find 11,800 votes” to overtake Democrat Joe Biden. Now, in the first open election for the seat since Raffensperger’s defiance, the two Republicans in the runoff echo Trump’s falsehoods to varying degrees.Candidate Vernon Jones, who was previously elected to the statehouse as a Democrat but switched parties and aligned himself with Trump, has said he believes there were “irregularities” and “violations” and that he stands “with those who believe there was election fraud.” Of four key points on Jones’ campaign platform, three have to do with election management, including stronger voter identification rules and requiring voting in person with limited exceptions. Jones’ runoff opponent, State Rep. Tim Fleming, has tiptoed around the topic, saying there were “irregularities” in 2020 but adding that he’s “not running on conspiracy theories.”Still, of the seven platform points on his campaign website, four are focused on election management and one says that the state should “make it impossible for the Left to cheat in our elections.”Skepticism of elections flared up recently in California after Trump made a baseless claim that Democrats were somehow cheating to defeat a Republican candidate for governor and another for Los Angeles mayor.Soon after, the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, led by Trump appointee Bill Essayli, said it was opening fraud investigations related to the elections.A special election to fill Eric Swalwell’s seat after sexual assault allegationsEric Swalwell resigned from the U.S. House in April after a woman alleged that he had sexually assaulted her twice, saying she was too intoxicated to consent to sex in both cases.The Democrat has denied the accusations, but he dropped out of the race for California governor and resigned from Congress. That’s what prompted a special primary election Tuesday, where both Republican and Democratic candidates will compete to serve out Swalwell’s term until January. If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote Tuesday they’ll win outright, otherwise the top two contenders will go to a runoff election on Aug. 18. The Democratic candidates, who are favored to win in the blue district covering several East Bay cities, include Aisha Wahab, a state senator, and Melissa Hernandez, a Bay Area Rapid Transit director.It’s a competition between the more progressive Wahab, who is established in California politics, and Hernandez, a local politician who sits closer to the political center. To lower costs, Wahab takes aim at “corporate profiteering” and argues for an expansion to social safety nets; Hernandez focuses on local job growth and supporting small businesses.Both candidates also ran in the regular primary election for Swalwell’s seat and will face off in the general election in November. Whoever wins that race will take over next year.___Cooper reported from Phoenix and Bedayn from Austin, Texas. JONATHAN J. COOPER Cooper is a national politics reporter based in Phoenix. He previously covered news and politics in Arizona, California and Oregon. mailto JESSE BEDAYN Bedayn is a national politics reporter based in Austin, Texas. mailto

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: Elijah Just #11 of New Zealand celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between IR Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first few days of this World Cup, contrary to my own expectations. The crowds have been lively, the games have been fun, and the fever is catching all around this vast country. It’s early days still, barely halfway through the first set of group stage games, but so far … so good.And today is set up for further fun, with both finalists from four years ago and one of the more popular dark horse candidates all beginning their journeys.Giddyup!FRANCE vs. SENEGALBeaten finalists four years ago. Champions the four years prior to that. Ever-expectant, World Cups tend to go either great, or downright disastrous for France. Champions 1998, 2018. Didn’t win a game 2022, 2010. Runners-up 2006, 2022. Didn’t even qualify 1990, 1994.One of those disasters began with defeat to Senegal in the opening match of the 2002 tournament.Senegal, who’d go all the way to the quarterfinals that year, and to the Round of 16 four years ago, won the most recent Africa Cup of Nations back in January, but then had the title stripped from them by administrative decision two months later. That doesn’t take away from the quality in their squad, or the ambition with which they arrive.Date / Time: Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 3pm EDT; 8pm BSTVenue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USAReferee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK); elsewhereStreaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)Chelsea interest: Malo Gusto has established himself as a regular for France over the past year and should see plenty of minutes from head coach (and former Chelsea player) Didier Deschamps. Meanwhile, history’s most adorable midfield destroyer, N’Golo Kanté is back, reestablishing himself in the selection since late last year. He even came back to Europe from Saudi Arabia, on loan to Fenerbahçe for whom he would play most every minute, to ensure his place.In the other corner of this heavyweight bout, we’ve got ex-Chelsea tower of power Kalidou “K2” Koulibaly and the big towel himself, Édouard Mendy. And we’ve also got everyone’s favorite agent of chaos, Nicolas Jackson. Will the Good Nico or the Bad Nico show up? Spoiler alert, they’re the same Nico. And let’s not forget about Mamadou Sarr, unlike the coaches at Chelsea after he got recalled from Strasbourg in January.IRAQ vs. NORWAYIraq have only ever been to one World Cup before, Mexico 86, when they lost all three of their games. Norway haven’t done much better either, though they did reach the Round of 16 in 1998, which was their most recent appearance. They are a popular pick for tournament dark-horses this year as Erling Haaland gets to play in his first World Cup.Date / Time: Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 6pm EDT; 11pm BSTVenue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA, USAReferee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK); elsewhereStreaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)Chelsea interest: No Chelsea players, current or former, on either team. We did make a play for Norway’s Antonio Nusa back in 2023, but failed to turn his head. The young winger would join RB Leipzig the following summer; he’s still there, for now.ARGENTINA vs. ALGERIAArgentina are looking to become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to repeat as World Cup champions. Their team is largely unchanged from four years ago, with a whopping 17 players returning. The one big absence is Ángel Di María, who’s retired from international duty.Argentina began the 2022 tournament by losing to Saudi Arabia, 2-1 in a big shocker, so they are unlikely to panic even if Algeria pull off an upset here. Date / Time: Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 9pm EDT; 2am BST (next day)Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO, USAReferee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); ITV 1 (UK); elsewhereStreaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); ITVx (UK)Chelsea interest: This list starts with Enzo Fernández and ends with Valentín Barco. (Barco’s not yet officially a Chelsea player, just as Enzo hasn’t left yet by any means, but let’s assume the expected outcomes are going to be the actual outcomes sooner or later.) And yes, Lionel Messi is still around as well.AUSTRIA vs. JORDANIt’s often the least-heralded matchup that produces the most entertainment in a day. Austria were surprisingly good at the last Euros, reaching the round of 16 while Jordan were runners-up at the last Asian Cup (losing to Qatar) in 2023. Only one Europe-based player for Jordan, to add to the mystery.Date / Time: Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 9pm PDT; 5am BST (next day)Venue: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA, USAReferee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)On TV: FOX Sports 1, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK); elsewhereStreaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)Chelsea interest: Former Chelsea man Carney Chukwuemeka switched allegiance from England to Austria earlier this year, and has already made three appearances for the country of his birth (born in Vienna before moving to England at a young age). Carnz has managed to stay healthy this season, making a career-high 38 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, which is nice to see.

“We push each other”: Saka embraces fight with Arsenal teammate Madueke for England placeBukayo Saka has said he and Noni Madueke 'push each other' to improve as the pair compete for a place for England and Arsenal.Saka and Madueke are in the rare position as club teammates who are competing for the same position at international level.Thomas Tuchel has named Saka and Madueke as his options for the right-wing at this summer'sWorld Cup, with both battling to be named in the team for tomorrow's opening fixture against Croatia.It's a rivalry that has continued from club level, after Madueke made the move to Arsenal from Chelsea last summer. The duo helped the Gunners to Premier League title success last season.Despite the competition, Saka has said their personal battle has no impact on the close relationship between them. The 24-year-old said Madueke is 'like a brother' and that each wishes only the best for the other."It's quite unique, two players that play in the same position to be as close as we are,"Saka said."I don't really know how it works, but it works. Noni is like my brother on and off the pitch. We push each other and we speak every day."We have that mutual respect for each other and we want each other to do well."The good thing is that we play on the same team and that if one of us is doing well it is good for the other."

🗞️ Spain disappointed, France and Argentina dream: Tuesday's front pagesThe global sports press is crying out over the first major shock of the 2026 World Cup. The Spanish national team recorded a disappointing goalless draw against a modest but well-organized Cape Verde side, setting off alarm bells and opening the tournament with a worrying lack of cutting edge and sharpness in front of goal.While Luis de la Fuente’s men lick their wounds and are left with no margin for error, the spotlight immediately shifts to the much-anticipated debuts of the last two world champions, France and Argentina, who take the stage today ready to devour the tournament.The unexpected 0-0 dominated the national headlines. MARCA leads its front page with a blunt "HUGE FLOP," pointing to the Spanish side’s lack of ideas and freshness against the African wall.Along similar lines of frustration, Sport highlights a loud "WHAT A LETDOWN!" in yellow letters, noting that the national team lacked fluency and accuracy.For its part, Mundo Deportivo describes the stumble as a "RED ALERT," while As goes as far as calling it a "HISTORIC DISAPPOINTMENT," emphasizing how 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha frustrated Spain’s attackers.Cape Verde and a historic featCape Verde’s achievement echoed loudly across the international front pages. The American newspaper The Washington Post gives space to Vozinha as a globe-trotting hero ("A hero for Cape Verde"), detailing his seven crucial saves amid Spain’s onslaught.In Portugal, newspaper Record runs the emphatic headline "VOZINHA SILENCES SPAIN," praising the historic point earned by the "Blue Sharks" in their first-ever World Cup match.Argentina and France enter the frayWith no time for lament, media attention turns to the great heavyweights making their debut this Tuesday. French newspaper L'Équipe dresses its front page in Les Bleus’ colors under the slogan "ENTREZ DANS LA LUMIÈRE" ("Step into the light"), analyzing Deschamps’ men’s much-awaited opener in New York against an always dangerous Senegal.On the other side of the Atlantic, Argentine newspaper Olé captures its captain’s excitement with the headline "THE DREAM BEGINS," highlighting the start of Lionel Messi’s sixth World Cup at 22:00 against Algeria, a clash also described by As as the start of "The Last Dance."This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty ImagesThe FIFA World Cup produced a rare piece of history on Monday after four matches ended in draws on the same day.It was the first time that had happened at the tournament since June 15, 1958, according to The Athletic.The sequence involved Spain, Cape Verde, Egypt, Belgium, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Iran and New Zealand.Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP via Getty ImagesWorld Cup sees four draws in one day for first time since 1958The run began when Cape Verde held Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta.That result was notable because Cape Verde are making their World Cup debut, while Spain entered the tournament as European champions and one of the highest-ranked teams in the world.Egypt and Belgium then drew 1-1 in Seattle. Emam Ashour gave Egypt the lead before Belgium levelled through an own goal shortly after Romelu Lukaku had entered the match.Uruguay and Saudi Arabia also drew 1-1 in Miami. Maximiliano Araujo scored an 80th-minute equaliser for Uruguay, leaving both teams with a point from their opening fixture.The fourth draw came at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Iran and New Zealand played out a 2-2 result. That completed the first World Cup day with four draws since 1958.Group H left wide open after unusual World Cup sequenceThe two Group H fixtures were Spain against Cape Verde and Uruguay against Saudi Arabia.Both matches ended level, meaning all four teams finished the day on one point. Spain and Cape Verde drew 0-0, while Uruguay and Saudi Arabia drew 1-1.The results left the group evenly balanced after the first round of matches. Iran and New Zealand’s 2-2 draw came in Group G.Iran are still aiming to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. New Zealand remain without a World Cup win after seven matches at the tournament.Iran are due to face Belgium in Los Angeles next, while New Zealand are scheduled to meet Egypt in Vancouver.Read more:World Cup 2026 Group L guide: England face Croatia, Ghana and PanamaFox may make over $250 million from FIFA World Cup ads viewers cannot avoidMarcelo Bielsa dismisses viral World Cup photoshoot controversy with six words

Iran and New Zealand flags are displayed ahead of the 2026 World Cup G match between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium (Etienne LAURENT)Solemn silence during the national anthem and howls of joy after the goals: in Tehran, Iranians followed their team's first steps on American soil in the World Cup with curiosity through the night.Most in the Iranian capital were asleep when the match against New Zealand kicked off at 4:30 am.But in one of the few cafes open to broadcast the match, there was already a buzz of excitement.Around 40 football fans were discussing their team's chances in a World Cup being played under the shadow of the war between Iran and co-hosts the United States.Among the early risers were many women with dyed or bleached hair, some of whom were not wearing headscarves."I and my friend think (the Iranian team) will advance to the next stage, and I hope that it happens," Shiva Sharifi, a 21-year-old teacher, wearing a wrist band in the colours of the Iranian flag, told AFP.Despite the early hour, the venue was packed as plates piled high with tomatoes, cheese and omelettes were served to hungry football fans.- Excitement swells in Iran -The match came a day after the announcement of a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington for an immediate end to the deadly conflict and economic turmoil triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February."It doesn't make any difference because it is temporary," Aryan Ghaee, 31, who was at the cafe with friends, said of the agreement.The crowd were quickly distracted from discussion of the war when a commentator on state television exclaimed: "Oh my god, our flag right in the middle of Los Angeles!" as a huge green, white, and red banner bearing the symbol of the Islamic Republic was unfurled at the stadium before kick off.Several hundred opponents of the Islamic Republic were already at the stadium, some of whom had the old Iranian flag, from before the 1979 Revolution, adorned with a lion and a sun.Iranian authorities, who consider this symbol unacceptable, had threatened to stop the match if these banners enter the stadium."Anything can happen," but "the players are prepared for any eventuality," state television warned, as it kept close-ups of the crowd to a minimum."I think football and politics should be separate from each other and the two should not have anything to do with each other," Shiva, focused on the match, told AFP."(The Iranian team) started a bit weak but then they found a good motivation after the first goal," scored by Ramin Rezayan (32nd minute), she said.New Zealand led twice but Iran equaliser in the 2-2 draw sparked cheers and hugs in the cafe, while some waved flags.- 'Worst preparation' -Abolfazl Kazemi, a 24-year-old employee, said he was upset."Our players are stressed" and tired, he said.The path to the World Cup in North America has been difficult for Iran as the war raged on, with coach Amir Ghalenoei branding his team the "most oppressed" in the World Cup.After the opening game in Los Angeles, Ghalenoei said his players were told they had to travel back to their Mexico training base immediately."They delayed our arrivals, they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery," said Ghalenoei, whose side were forced to switch training camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana.The United States also refused visas to about 15 members of the coaching staff for their three group matches, which are all being played in the United States."That's what Uncle Trump put us through," lamented Abolfazl Kazemi, referring to the US president, though the atmosphere at the cafe remained relaxed and joyous.Owner Ali Sadr said he decided to gather "friends and enjoy the game, especially now with these special conditions that exist in the country, the war, and other things".pdm/ane/dh

Ryan Hall has fond memories of playing alongside Rob Burrow [Steve Jones/BBC]A friend and former teammate of Rob Burrow said there is "still plenty of work we have got to do for the MND community" ahead of a charity fixture in his memory.Ryan Hall was given a tour of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, based at Seacroft Hospital, on Monday.It comes as the Rhinos prepare to host their annual MND Awareness game in memory of Burrow, who died with the disease in 2024 aged 41."Even though Rob has passed and the centre is up and running it doesn't mean the job is over," said Hall, who was a teammate of Burrow's from 2007 to 2017."There's still plenty of work we have got to do for the MND community," he added.Rhinos, who currently sit top of Super League, will pay tribute to Burrow when they host Hall's former club Hull KR at Headlingley Stadium on 26 June.The hosts will wear a specially designed shirt for the clash featuring a blue cornflower, which the club said had "become a symbol of MND because of its fragile appearance but hardy nature".The shirt was designed by Cath Muir, an artist living with MND, with £10 from each sale going towards the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, which opened in November.For Hall, whose mother-in-law worked as an MND nurse at Leeds General Infirmary, visiting the centre was a bittersweet experience.'Special bond'"It's not a great reason why his name is being used but it's used in the best way possible because everyone knows a bit more about MND now," he said.Hall and Burrow were Rhinos teammates for a decade until the latter retired in 2017. Hall recalled the "little things" Burrow did for younger members of the team - like covering the cost of a coffee after training for those not earning a senior salary - which "showed what sort of bloke he was"."Them little things translate onto the pitch," said Hall, now 38 and in his second spell with the club."When you go through some highs and lows in your rugby career you create a special bond. The rugby doesn't finish on the rugby field, you create friends for life."Hall added: "Kev [Sinfield] has been doing what he's been doing and we have been doing what we have been doing because it's the right thing to do for a mate."Sinfield and Rob Burrow became friends while playing at Leeds Rhinos together [PA Media]He reserved praise for Sinfield, another former teammate, who last week received a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours.Sinfield has raised more than £11m to aid research and support families affected by MNDisease since Burrow's diagnosis with the incurable condition in 2019."It couldn't go towards a better bloke," said Hall."I speak for all the Rhinos that we are so proud of him for doing everything he has done."Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. More on this story Sinfield knighted and six Lionesses made MBEs'Don't waste a moment' - Rob Burrow's final messageAs it happened: Rob Burrow Leeds MND centre opens doors

Kylian Mbappe explains how his life has changed since joining Real Madrid: ‘I can live more freely’As France prepare to begin their World Cup campaign against Senegal, Kylian Mbappe has offered a rare glimpse into his life away from the pitch, discussing everything from his adaptation to Real Madrid to the painful memories that still linger from the 2022 World Cup final.In an extensive appearance on Le Parisien ahead of his tournament debut, the Real Madrid superstar reflected on his first months in Spain, his relationship with fame and the challenges that come with being one of the most recognisable footballers on the planet. According to comments made during interviews with his France teammates and later with Le Parisien, Mbappe is enjoying a very different lifestyle in Madrid compared to the one he experienced in Paris.Opening up on his life at Real MadridSince completing his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, much of the attention has focused on Mbappe’s performances on the pitch. However, the 27-year-old revealed that one of the biggest changes has actually come away from football.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Le Parisien (@leparisien)Discussing his day-to-day life in the Spanish capital, Mbappe explained that he has been able to enjoy a level of freedom that was difficult to find during his years in France.“I’m prepared to be famous; I have to deal with that.”The Real Madrid forward then highlighted how life in Madrid has allowed him to enjoy ordinary experiences once again.“I’m very happy in Madrid; I can live more freely than in France. I can go out on the street without security. “I can live my life and make plans that I didn’t make before. It’s good. I do very normal things, more than people think.”The 2022 World Cup heartbreakWhile much of the interview focused on the present, one topic inevitably brought Mbappe back to the most painful moment of his international career.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Le Parisien (@leparisien)The Real Madrid star was asked about France’s dramatic defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final, a match in which he produced one of the greatest individual performances ever seen in a final but still ended up on the losing side.Reflecting on that experience, Mbappe admitted the memories remain difficult to process.“It’s very difficult to lose a World Cup final. It’s a competition that takes place every four years. Many of the players from that match are no longer in this World Cup. “That’s the cruelty of it – to think we went through all that only to lose on penalties. I don’t believe in luck; penalties aren’t a lottery. “It’s a technical skill, but it remains the cruellest way to lose a World Cup final,” he concluded.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The teams that are ranked 61st, 67th and 85th in FIFA's world rankings all were heavy underdogs in their first matches at the World Cup.They all played Monday. None of them won. None of them lost, either.Through five days and 16 matches of soccer's biggest extravaganza ever, the underdogs are proving to be very tough to beat. All four matches on Monday ended in ties — the most in a single day of men's World Cup play since 1958 — and all of them technically could be considered upsets as well.The biggest win (that wasn't a win) of all saw Cape Verde — ranked No. 67 and in its World Cup debut — hold No. 2 Spain, a favorite to win the whole thing, 0-0 in what easily has been the biggest shocker of the tournament to this point.“It means everything,” said Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito, who simply goes by Bubista.The other Monday results:— No. 85 New Zealand, the lowest-ranked team out of the 48 qualifiers entering the World Cup, tied No. 20 Iran 2-2.— No. 61 Saudi Arabia tied No. 16 Uruguay 1-1.— No. 29 Egypt tied No. 9 Belgium 1-1.For Monday's underdogs, the ties were a pretty big deal. But even they knew what the Cape Verde score meant in the grand scheme of things.“The draw involving Spain,” Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said, “may be the biggest surprise in this World Cup.” Four years ago, the Saudis opened with a shocking win over eventual champion Argentina.The World Cup isn't like the NCAA tournament. Nobody is eliminated or assured of advancing no matter the outcome of their first match. But if this event was more like March Madness, it's certain that plenty of brackets would already be busted.Spain was -1500 to beat Cape Verde according to odds posted just before the match started Monday. Those are overwhelming odds, ones that mean bettors would have had to wager $1,500 just to profit $100. And oddsmakers in Las Vegas said Spain was picked to win in a slew of parlays, all of which were quickly doomed.“This shows how difficult it is to play (the first game) in a World Cup,” Uruguay's Maxi Araújo said. “We've seen that they are difficult — not only in our group, but in many groups.”He's right. And there's not much margin of error now in Groups F and H.Teams are guaranteed three group-stage matches at the World Cup, one against each of the other three teams in their group. The top two finishers in each of the 12 groups are assured of reaching the knockout stage; the eight best third-place teams also will advance.But in Group F (New Zealand, Iran, Belgium and Egypt) and Group H (Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Cape Verde), everyone has exactly one point with two matches left. Teams get three points for a win, no points for a loss.“A lot of positives to build on,” New Zealand’s Elijah Just said.The upsets-that-were-ties trend didn't start Monday. There were two other significant ones earlier in the tournament: No. 56 Qatar tied No. 19 Switzerland 1-1, and No. 64 Bosnia and Herzegovina tied No. 30 Canada 1-1.Through the first 16 matches, eight ended in ties. The other two weren't exactly of the shocking variety: No. 18 Japan was a slight underdog going into its 2-2 tie with No. 8 Netherlands, and No. 6 Brazil and No. 7 Morocco — as would be expected, given how close they are in the world rankings — tied their opening match 1-1.There's been only one match through Monday where a team was 10 or more spots below its opponent in the FIFA world rankings going in and won: No. 33 Ivory Coast beating No. 23 Ecuador 1-0.Not exactly a shocker. But some of these ties would qualify as such.“Football is like that,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “There are no small opponents here.”___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Will the Washington Commanders make another move at wide receiver before the 2026 season begins? Everyone assumes they will, especially when the San Francisco 49ers move on from Brandon Aiyuk. But what if Aiyuk's red flags are too much for the Commanders? Or, what if Washington doesn't want to wait on the 49ers to release Aiyuk?There is another prominent wide receiver available with a long track record of success and ties to the DMV. Stefon Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and is coming off a season in which he led the AFC champion New England Patriots with 85 receptions and 1,013 receiving yards. Diggs has also expressed a desire to return home to the Washington area. With the NFL closing its personal conduct policy investigation into Diggs last week, he's free to sign anywhere. He recently spoke to Fox 5 DC on Monday, where he discussed playing for the hometown Commanders. “I never realized how many fans it was back home until I was a free agent and people were like, ‘Are you going to come back home?'" Diggs told Fox 5, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "Especially when they see me back. I’m like this, I’ve been living here for my whole life. I’ve been living here for 10 years. They was just like this, ‘Oh, we never see you.’ I was like, ‘Man, y’all wasn’t looking.’ It’s a lot of hopes. We’re kind of figuring it out, working through some things. I did have a small piece of me, like, ‘Damn, it would be great to come home and play in front of the fans I used to play in front of as a young adolescent in college, and just kind of doing something for the city.’ Hopefully, things do work out. We’ll see how it goes."Stefon Diggs on playing with the #Commanders: “It’s a lot of hopes. We’re kind of figuring it out, working through some things. I did have a small piece of me, like damn, it would be great to come home and play in front of the fans…” (via:@fox5dc) pic.twitter.com/uIFwOU7w57— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 15, 2026That sure sounds like a man who wants to play in Washington. Diggs grew up nearby in Montgomery County, Maryland, and played collegiately at the University of Maryland, only minutes from Northwest Stadium. The Commanders have Terry McLaurin back healthy, but, as we've seen so many times over the years, plenty of questions beyond him. There is hope, though. First, you have rookie third-round pick Antonio Williams. Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane are another year older, while Washington is excited about former Titans first-round pick Treylon Burks. The returning Dyami Brown is also in the mix. While the Commanders should be excited about some of the younger receivers on the roster, Diggs offers them something they currently lack outside of McLaurin. He's also not going to cost a lot and will not require a long-term commitment. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Stefon Diggs makes his case for 2026

🤯 No lettering in stock! Which 3️⃣ Germany shirts you can't orderThe DFB team celebrated a successful start with seven goals against Curaçao. World Cup euphoria is also slowly arriving in Germany. At least, it seems that quite a number of DFB jerseys have been sold in recent weeks. Supplier Adidas is currently dealing with delivery problems. As a result, the jerseys of three current DFB players cannot be ordered online. The reason is that the letter V is currently out of stock. This means that jerseys with the names of Kai Havertz, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Deniz Undav are not available for purchase at the moment. (Photo: Adidas online shop)However, that does not mean that this trio can no longer be worn on the nation’s backs at all. Fans simply need a little patience or can have their DFB jersey of choice customized at a local store. The Adidas flagship store on Ku’damm in Berlin, for example, is not affected by the supply problem. There, jerseys with any name printing can be picked up by Friday, just in time for Germany’s next match against Ivory Coast.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

As the final whistle rang out around the Atlanta Stadium, the cameras cut to Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.Tears streamed down the 40-year-old's face as the magnitude of what he had just achieved was starting to sink in, after his side's 0-0 draw with World Cup favourites Spain.The stands erupted and thousands of Cape Verde supporters, who had carried their team with relentless noise for 90 minutes, celebrated together - hugging, dancing, and relishing the result.On the pitch, players raced towards each other in complete joy. Even the neutrals had been swept up in the occasion - by full-time, many were celebrating too.Against European champions Spain, veteran goalkeeper Vozinha had delivered the performance of his life to earn a heroic clean sheet and the most memorable result in his country's history."I cried because I grew up with my grandparents," said Vozinha after being awarded player of the match. "Unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything for me, everything for my life."And also because of my mum. She didn't manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we didn't manage on time. I would like her to be here."He added: "Our best weapon is our unity. Regardless of the player who arrives today, or the player who is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength."Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we have teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country."2,500 passes since Spain's last World Cup goal - key stats as Cape Verde stifle group rivals'Greatest feeling ever': Cape Verdeans tell BBC of joy at holding Spain to drawWorld Cup debutants Cape Verde earn stunning draw against Spain'It's been a dream since I was a child'For Vozinha, this moment had been a lifetime in the making.Born Josimar Dias, the Cape Verde goalkeeper has spent his entire career chasing the dream of playing at a World Cup.When it finally arrived, it came with history attached. At 40 years and 12 days, he became the oldest player to appear in a nation's debut World Cup match, surpassing the record set on Sunday by Curacao's Eloy Room.In fact, only Egypt's Essam El Hadary was older when making their World Cup debut.It is a remarkable milestone in a career defined by perseverance."I started playing professional football when I was 25 years old, in 2012. It was too late for a person like me," said Vozinha."I thought about leaving the national team, but then I continued because of this dream."The performance is a performance for everyone. I am the man of the game, but this award is for all my colleagues, because without them, nothing is possible. And I will continue to work for the team and for the people."Cape Verde lies nearly 600km off the west coast of Africa, a beautiful but isolated archipelago where opportunities for young footballers are limited. Growing up in Mindelo, Vozinha faced challenges from the outset."I was one of the best keepers on my island, but I was small," he recalled. "Even when I performed well, I wasn't selected because of my height."Like many players before him, he eventually left for Portugal, the country's former colonial power, in search of opportunity. That decision marked the beginning of a career that would take him across Slovakia, Angola, Moldova and Cyprus. Now Vozinha plays with Portuguese second-tier side Chaves. Even Vozinha's name carries a piece of footballing history. His father had hoped to call him 'Valdano', after the Argentina and Real Madrid great Jorge Valdano, but the Cape Verde authorities refused. Instead, he was named Josimar after the Brazil defender who rose to prominence at the 1986 World Cup.Decades later, on another World Cup stage, Vozinha has created history of his own. Vozinha made seven saves in Cape Verde's 0-0 draw against Spain [Reuters]'Vozinha has lit up this game'Roared on by thousands of Cape Verde supporters, he stood firm against Spain's relentless attack, making seven crucial saves - the only goalkeeper over 40 years of age to have made more in a World Cup match was Pat Jennings with 10 on his 41st birthday for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986.Each save was greeted like a Cape Verde goal by those in the stands in Atlanta.Away from the ground, he was becoming a viral sensation, too - rising from 50,000 followers on Instagram to more than 5m after CazeTV - the YouTube channel which has the World Cup rights in Brazil, urged their watchers to follow him."That is crazy," he remarked to reporters when told about it afterwards.Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said the goalkeeper "lit up this game". "He has been absolutely brilliant," Nevin told 5 Live. "He's done it at 40 years of age. Every single camera is on him, all his players are pointing to him. It is a beautiful moment."Cape Verde spent the vast majority of the game in their own 18-yard box - not all of it, and when they broke they were brave and they broke in numbers."To do that and to keep that level of concentration, you don't do that if you're a bunch of individuals, you only do that if you're a team."Lee Dixon on ITV added: "It's absolutely fantastic. A brilliant performance. They deserve that point more than anything and Spain almost don't deserve a point. They walk off disappointed but the night is Cape Verde's."What a performance from every single one of them, the centre halves, the full-backs, that man there [Vozinha] crying - I'm almost crying myself."For a nation of just over half a million people, the third smallest ever to qualify for a World Cup, this was a result of immense significance.In the stands, their supporters matched that intensity. Clad in blue and waving red, white and blue flags, they sang and danced throughout, lifting their team through every difficult moment. By full-time, neutrals had been won over. Cape Verde's story had become everyone's story.A small island nation, no larger than Sheffield, had captured the imagination of the football world.VAR official says hand gesture was 'involuntary, subconscious twitch'Tunisia sack Lamouchi just one game into World CupWorld Cup fixtures and group standings

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 15: Lamine Yamal of Spain looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Cabo Verde at Atlanta Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images) | Getty Images Lamine Yamal has reacted to Spain’s World Cup draw with Cape Verde on Monday that saw the Barcelona star make his return from injury.The teenager played the last 19 minutes of the game and looked lively on his first appearance since April. Although the game ended in disappointment for Spain, Yamal is staying calm.“First game of the World Cup and we add a point. We know that this is a long competition and that the goal is still far away, but we’ll keep working and everything will turn out as we hope, no doubt about it,” he posted on Instagram.“I want to thank God for allowing me to play again after the injury, and also to my family for always being by my side, supporting and accompanying me every step of the way.”View this post on InstagramSpain and Yamal will now switch focus to facing Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Saudi Arabia opened up their tournament with a draw against Uruguay, meaning all four teams in Group H have a point after the first round of matches.

Dwight Yorke: Former Man United striker in frame for new coaching jobFormer Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke could be on the cusp of landing his next managerial role.Man United careerAfter spending nine successful seasons at Aston Villa, Yorke moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 1998.He took to life in Manchester like a duck to water as he scored 29 goals in his first season as United won an historic treble.Yorke would spend just four seasons at United, scoring 65 goals in 152 appearances for the Red Devils.Before retiring, he had spells at Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and finally Sunderland.Managerial careerIn July 2022, Yorke was appointed manager of Macarthur Bulls but was sacked in January 2023.He had to wait a while longer for his next bite at the cherry in management, but in November 2024 he was named manager of his national side, Trinidad and Tobago.Yorke left the role earlier this year after his side failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.New opportunitySky Sports report that Yorke is in the frame for his next managerial opportunity.The news station asserts that, “Dwight Yorke has had talks with Kaizer Chiefs about their vacant manager’s job.”They stress that, “the club’s ex-assistant Fernando Da Cruz is the favourite to take over the South African side but his appointment has yet to be confirmed and former Premier League striker Yorke is another name Chiefs have spoken to during their managerial search.”Yorke has been praised for his work with Trinidad and Tobago in terms of raising fitness standards and helping reconnect the team with their supporters.Therefore, Sky Sports have revealed that the Jamaican national team are also likely to make an approach for his services.online pollsThe Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Liverpool closing in on brilliant double transferLiverpool are closing in on a brilliant double transfer. Liverpool are clearly entering a new chapter, and the fingerprints of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards are already starting to appear all over the club's decision-making.Last summer felt like the first real sign that Liverpool were thinking beyond the immediate future. Rather than making short-term fixes or patching up weak areas, the club appeared to be laying the foundations for the next great Liverpool side. It was the beginning of a rebuild, even if it didn't always feel like one on the surface.A number of players who had been key figures during the Jurgen Klopp era moved on, bringing an end to a cycle that delivered some of the most memorable moments in the club's modern history.It was never going to be easy replacing that generation, but Liverpool's recruitment team seem determined to look forward rather than dwell on the past.What's been most noticeable is the age profile of the players being targeted. Liverpool are investing heavily in youth, potential and long-term development. The idea appears to be building a squad that can grow together over the next five to seven years rather than constantly needing major surgery every couple of seasons.Aside from Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong, almost every arrival has been 23 or younger. Even then, Isak and Frimpong still fit comfortably into the club's long-term plans. At 26 and 25 respectively, both are entering the prime years of their careers and should have plenty of their best football ahead of them.There is little indication that Liverpool are about to change course either this summer. If anything, this summer looks set to continue the same trend. Players such as Adam Wharton and Yan Diomande have already been heavily linked with moves to Anfield, and both fit the profile Liverpool appear to be prioritising.The message from Hughes and Edwards is becoming increasingly clear.Liverpool are not simply building a team for next season. They are trying to build a squad capable of competing for the biggest honours for years to come, creating a sustainable model that can keep the club at the top of English and European football long into the future.As a result, there is now a growing pool of prospects within the academy and under-21 ranks who will be looking to make the jump to senior football.And there will be more talents coming to Anfield ready to make their mark.This summer has seen Liverpool agree a deal for Samuel Martinez from Colombia. Xavier Parker from Manchester City looks likely to join the Reds, and now the club is also closing in on a brilliant double deal.According to Peter O'Rourke Liverpool are now getting close to signing both Everton winger Josh Chigwada and Wolves goalkeeper Zach Trinder.The two England U15 internationals are very highly rated.Chigwada is regarded as one of the best in his age-group, and is comfortable playing on either wing. He became the youngest debutant for Everton's U18 team of all time last season.Trinder is regarded as the best young goalkeeper at academy level in England, and he is someone who attracted interest from another of clubs.There's also room for them to come to Liverpool in their particular age-groups. Josh Abe is the U18 winger for the club but he's going to be moving up to the U21s and the first-team, giving Chigwada a clear pathway.Liverpool also released several U16 and U18 goalkeepers this summer which again clears the pathway for Trinder.

FIFA World Cup 2026: A Look at The Debutantes2026 sees the latest instalment in the quadrennial celebration of the global game - a cause for celebration among football fans and punters assessing the latest betting offers ahead of the big kick-off on Thursday, 11 June. North America is the destination for what promises to be one of the biggest and best editions of the World Cup to date.Whether the 2026 World Cup is the best can only be judged in time. However, it is undoubtedly the biggest. A record-setting 48 teams will take part, representing a 50% increase on the 2022 finals, while the total number of games is up from 64 to 104.Contained within the 48 nations are a host of World Cup stalwarts, including previous winners Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Spain, and Uruguay. However, for four of the nations setting sail for the USA, Canada, and Mexico, this will represent a step into new territory. For those unfamiliar with the footballing stature of Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, here we take a closer look at the four World Cup debutantes.Cape VerdeFIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 68Manager: Pedro BritoGroup Opposition: Uruguay (17), Spain (3), Saudi Arabia (61)An archipelago nation of ten volcanic islands, Cape Verde has an estimated population of 530,000 – roughly the same as Liverpool.The Blue Sharks' qualification sparked a week-long party and, win, lose, or draw, the good times look set to continue in Atlanta, Miami, and Houston. Lacking any household names, Cape Verde relies on defensive organisation, spirit, and bursts of creativity from a squad gathered from the islands and throughout Europe. Former skipper Brito is the mastermind behind this unlikely success story, while powerful centre forward Dalien Livramento earned national hero status with his goalscoring exploits in qualifying.CuracaoFIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 83Manager: Dick AdvocaatGroup Opposition: Ecuador (24), Germany (10), Ivory Coast (34)With a population of 155,000, the Caribbean island of Curacao is officially the smallest nation to ever reach the World Cup finals. That represents a monumental achievement for the team nicknamed the Blue Wave, but they face a true baptism of fire against Germany in their opener.Compact, well-organised, and a threat on the break, Curacao may need to lean heavily on a disciplined approach if they are to navigate a tricky section. Manager Fred Rutten boasts extensive European club experience, particularly in the Netherlands, which may come in handy as a significant percentage of the squad plays in the Dutch league.In a squad lacking obvious star quality, UK fans may recognise ex-Aston Villa man Leandro Bacuna and Sheffield United’s Tahith Chong.JordanFIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 63Manager: Jamal SellamiGroup Opposition: Austria (23), Argentina (2), Algeria (28)The scenes in Amman rivalled those in Cape Verde when Jordan secured their qualification. Facing three sides whose combined FIFA World Ranking is less than their own 63, the draw hasn’t been kind. However, Jordan may take heart from fellow Arab nation, Saudi Arabia, who stunned Argentina in the Group phase in 2022.Moroccan boss Jamal Sellami has instilled a real sense of discipline and camaraderie in a squad which has been hit by the loss of forward Yazan Al Naimat. More encouragingly, fellow striker Ali Olwan has recovered from his own injury issues, and winger Musa Al Taamari arrives on the back of an excellent season with Rennes.A repeat of Jordan's appearances in the finals of the 2023 Asian Cup and 2025 Arab Cup seems unlikely, but the Chivalrous Ones will hope to achieve at least one shock result in the Group phase.UzbekistanFIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 50Manager: Fabio CannavaroGroup Opposition: Colombia (13), Portugal (5), DR Congo (45)The first thing to note about Uzbekistan is their manager. Yes, the man in the hot seat is the very same Fabio Cannavaro who lifted the trophy in 2006. The former Italian captain only arrived post-qualification as the Uzbekistan FA sought a big-name appointment ahead of the finals.In keeping with their manager, Uzbekistan relies on a highly disciplined defensive set-up, with a swathe of clean sheets paving the way to qualification. Keeping Colombia and Portugal out will be a tall order, but they will at least be set up to be tough to break down.Standout names in the squad include Man City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, who marshals the defence, and all-time top scorer Eldor Shomurodov, who carries much of the attacking burden.

Barcelona homegrown star gets major boost after Real Madrid complete another defensive dealAlejandro Balde’s situation at Barcelona appears to have taken a significant turn in recent days. According to a report from SPORT, Marc Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid has effectively strengthened Balde’s position at the Catalan club and reduced uncertainty surrounding his future.For several weeks, Barcelona had been linked with a possible move for Cucurella as the club evaluated options at left-back. Those rumours inevitably raised questions about Balde’s long-term role, especially after a challenging period that saw the academy graduate lose momentum both at club and international level.Now, however, the landscape has changed dramatically. With Cucurella choosing Real Madrid, Balde has been handed a valuable opportunity to prove that he remains the right solution for Barcelona’s left flank.Cucurella transfer changes Barcelona’s plansCucurella has decided to sign for Real Madrid. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)It must be remembered that Barcelona never viewed the left-back position as the most urgent issue to address this summer, despite the speculation surrounding Cucurella.The Spanish international had been open to returning to Spain, and his name frequently surfaced as a potential replacement for Balde. However, the prolonged uncertainty over Barcelona’s plans ultimately pushed Cucurella towards a move elsewhere, with Real Madrid securing his signature.That outcome has significant implications for Balde, as while Barcelona are working on multiple transfer operations, the club now appears prepared to continue trusting the La Masia talent rather than entering the market for a new starting left-back.Balde facing important pre-seasonDespite this positive development, the outlet assures that Balde’s position cannot be considered completely untouchable. Balde’s future seems secured for now. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)Like several members of the squad, he could still become involved in transfer discussions if the right offer arrives.However, the defender’s current intention remains to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place.Since Balde has missed out on the World Cup squad, he will enjoy a different summer compared to many of his Barcelona teammates currently involved in international duty. Without World Cup commitments, he is expected to return to the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on July 13 for the start of pre-season preparations.That extra time could prove crucial as he looks to rebuild confidence and re-establish himself within Hansi Flick’s plans.

Norway's Erling Haaland is a big chess fan (Vincent Carchietta)Chess legend and avid football fan Magnus Carlsen predicted on Tuesday that Norway would "hammer" Iraq in their World Cup opener -- and could go on to reach the quarter-finals.The highest ranked chess player of all time is in Hong Kong this week to play in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships beginning Wednesday. But the Norwegian and devoted football fan will push his preparation for the tournament to one side to keep a close eye on the World Cup, despite the time difference from North America meaning some matches will kick off in the early hours. Norway, back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, begin their group campaign against Iraq at 6:00 am Hong Kong time on Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday).Despite the early hour, Carlsen will be tuning in to watch his countrymen -- spearheaded by talismanic attacker Erling Haaland, who loves a game of chess when not banging in goals."I will be up early anyway, so I will 100 percent watch the game live," Carlsen told AFP.Football follower Carlsen did not think the World Cup would be too distracting when his WR Team defend their world blitz crown this week and look to add the world rapid title."At this point I don't really wake up or stay up for World Cup games. But, when it's Norway (I do) 100 percent," added the five-time world champion, who is a huge fan of Real Madrid.Football and chess have become surprise bedfellows in recent months, with many players at the World Cup taking to the ancient board game in their spare time.Norway goalscorer Haaland has recently invested in a ground-breaking new chess tour.Egypt forward Mo Salah said he was "addicted" to the game, while Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard and England striker Eberechi Eze are keen players, with the latter winning an amateur tournament in 2025.- Chess, football crossover -The games are more similar than people might think, said Carlsen."Strategy, chess and football, it's not that different really," he said."It's about trying to control certain areas. Of course, football is a much more dynamic game and there are certain random elements that may come in."But the core principles are the same -- like being able to switch from one side to another, like often overloading and then switching the play, probing certain areas and controlling the middle."Certain teams, like Arsenal, they like to have as little left to chance as possible and to have their gameplay resemble a game of chess."As much as I don't like watching that team, I can appreciate the thought behind it."Carlsen has high hopes for Norway after they dominated a World Cup qualifying group containing Italy by winning all eight games to reach the finals for the first time in 28 years. Haaland bagged 16 of free-scoring Norway's 37 goals in their qualifying campaign, with many created by the midfield driven by Odegaard.Carlsen expects the goals to keep flowing from the chess-loving Norwegians."First of all, we will hammer Iraq in the first game and then we'll pretty much be through after that," Carlsen predicted.Norway then face potentially tougher Group I games against Senegal and France, but the chess grandmaster expects them to reach the knockout phase.- 'Slight underdogs' -"My current prediction is that we will make it to the round of 16 and, from there on, it's probably we're going to be slight underdogs," he said.Carlsen said it would be fascinating to measure Norway's form against the world's best at the global showpiece."I think it's very hard to say, to be honest," said Carlsen of what to expect from manager Stale Solbakken's squad."I think there's a very clear first tier of a few teams," said Carlsen. "And then I'm not sure whether Norway is kind of towards the bottom side of that second tier or we're in the third tier."But I think the quarter-finals are a somewhat realistic goal and, you know, once you get there, anything can happen."dh/lga

Who does Lionel Messi play for? What to know about soccer star's team at World Cup 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Few athletes have captivated soccer fans quite like Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar has spent more than two decades dazzling audiences around the world, establishing himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has enjoyed remarkable success at both club and international level, winning league titles, UEFA Champions League trophies, Copa America crowns and the FIFA World Cup.As Messi prepares for another World Cup campaign with Argentina, The Sporting News takes a look at the club and country he represents heading into the 2026 tournament.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsWho does Lionel Messi play for in the World Cup?Messi represents Argentina at the World Cup, wearing the iconic No. 10 shirt once made famous by Diego Maradona.The superstar forward has been a fixture of the national team setup since making his senior debut as a teenager in 2005. Since then, he has become Argentina's all-time leading appearance-maker and goalscorer, recording 199 caps and 117 goals for La Albiceleste while helping the nation win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, two Copa America titles and the 2022 Finalissima.As captain, Messi remains the focal point of Argentina's attack and one of the most influential players in international soccer as the reigning world champions look to defend their crown at the 2026 World Cup.Has Lionel Messi ever won a World Cup?Yes. Messi won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina in 2022, helping his country defeat France in one of the most dramatic finals in tournament history.The Argentine captain played a leading role throughout the competition, scoring seven goals and providing three assists as La Albiceleste lifted the trophy for the third time. Messi was also awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.What club team does Lionel Messi play for?Messi plays for MLS side Inter Miami, having joined the club in July 2023 following the expiration of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain.The Argentine superstar spent the majority of his professional career with Barcelona, where he won 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies and established himself as one of the greatest players in soccer history. Following his departure from the Spanish giants in 2021, Messi spent two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain before making the move to the United States.Messi has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards during his career, the most of any player in the history of the honor. Since arriving at Inter Miami, he has helped raise the profile of both the club and Major League Soccer while continuing to add to one of the most decorated careers in soccer history.MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:Last time the World Cup was in United StatesRevisiting the first World Cup in 1930Most World Cup wins by countryFuture World Cup locations for 2030 and beyondGuide to host countries, cities for 2026 World Cup