LOGISTICS NIGHTMARE: 48-TEAM WORLD CUP DRAW KICKS OFF COMPLEXITY
The draw begins planning for the 48-team, 104-match World Cup 2026, setting the stage for the most complex logistical challenge in football history.
The World Cup, with 16 more teams than in 2022, is coming to North America from June 11 to July 19. It's going to be the most complex one ever from a logistics point of view.
This Friday, there will be a huge ceremony at the Kennedy Centre by the Potomac River. Big names will be there, but Trump is expected to be the main attraction.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Trump are known to be close, and Infantino has visited the White House a few times.
Now, it's expected that Trump will get the first FIFA Peace Prize at the draw ceremony. Infantino said it's to recognise the great work of people who bring others together and give hope to future generations.
The choice of venue is also a nod to Trump, who made himself chairman of the Kennedy Centre earlier this year. The location also gives the U.S. capital a part in the World Cup after it was skipped as a match site.
Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart will host the ceremony. Village People, Andrea Bocelli, and Robbie Williams will perform.
Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, and Shaquille O'Neal will be some of the stars helping with the draw.
Trump is making the World Cup a key part of his second term and the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence next year.
He's also brought domestic politics into the prep, even saying he'd move World Cup matches from cities run by Democrats if he thinks they're unsafe.
Trump said recently, "I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who's great, and I would say, 'Let's move it.'" And he would do it.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be at the ceremony, too.
Of the World Cup sites, 11 are in the U.S., three are in Mexico, and two are in Canada.
Iran had said it wouldn't attend because the U.S. didn't give visas to some of its people.
Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj called the U.S. decision political. But then Iran said on Wednesday they would send reps, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei.
Lionel Messi's Argentina is the current champion, having won the World Cup for the third time in Qatar in 2022.
They'll be among the top seeds. Other top seeds include European champions Spain, five-time winners Brazil, France, Germany, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The three host countries also get a top seed.
Expanding the tournament has also opened the door for some first-time teams, like Cape Verde, Jordan, and Curacao.
But not everyone is happy. Former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter told CBS, "The monster has been turned loose," about the 48-team plan.
The teams will be in 12 groups of four. The top two from each group will go on, along with the eight best third-place teams, to the last 32.
For the first time, the draw will make sure the four highest-ranked nations are kept apart. Spain, Argentina, France, and England can't meet until the semi-finals if they all win their groups.
Six spots at the finals still need to be decided in the playoffs. The winners will be among the bottom seeds, so the top teams will want to stay away from Italy, which won the World Cup in 2006 but hasn't made the last two tournaments.
The first match will be at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The tournament will last nearly six weeks, with the final at MetLife Stadium just outside New York City.
Because it's so complex, teams won't know the full details of their match locations and times until Saturday, the day after the draw.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
