Combination image of France’s Kylian Mbappe, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Norway’s Erling Haaland in action during the 2026 World Cup
| Photo Credit: AP

Harry Kane was central to England’s comeback.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Mexico players celebrate after the World Cup round of 32 football match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City on Tuesday (June 30, 2026).
| Photo Credit: AP

Shortly after his team beat Senegal, Norway star Erling Haaland said he didn’t care all that much about its next game against France.

The rest of the soccer world sure does.

One of the marquee matchups of the World Cup takes place in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday, when Haaland and the Norwegians face France and Kylian Mbappé.

Mbappé, one of the world’s best strikers, has scored four goals in two games to push his World Cup total to 16, two behind Lionel Messi’s record.

Haaland has put on a show in his first World Cup, scoring twice each in wins over Senegal and Iraq.

This is a matchup even casual soccer fans won’t want to miss.

Also on Friday, Spain can clinch Group H against Uruguay, which likely needs a win to keep its knockout-stage hopes alive. Belgium faces New Zealand in what is likely a must-win for both sides.

The winner of Group G will likely be decided when Egypt meets Iran in Seattle.

Senegal also faces Iraq in a game both sides need to win to have a shot at advancing to the knockout stage as a third-place team.

Cape Verde on the verge of knockout stage berth

Cape Verde has made quite an impression its first World Cup.

The island nation off the western coast of Africa pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest surprises by playing pre-tournament favourite Spain to a scoreless draw in its opener. Cape Verde followed that up by scoring its first goals of the World Cup in a 2-2 tie against Uruguay.

Next up could be a monumental achievement for the Blue Sharks: a spot in the knockout stage.

Beat Saudi Arabia in Houston, and Cape Verde will finish no worse than second in Group H. Even a draw could be good enough to get the Blue Sharks out of the group, a monumental accomplishment for a nation of about 500,000 people and about 15 million new Instagram followers.

“It’s in our hands,” defender Roberto Lopes said. “We have to go and take it,” he added.

Iran, Egypt play for Group G win in Seattle’s World Cup Pride Match’

The Egypt-Iran match will likely determine the winner of Group G.

The game in Seattle has an awkward backdrop.

By coincidence, the game will be a “Pride Match” in Seattle, coinciding with the city’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.

Egypt and Iran are two of the most repressive places in the world for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and both sides tried to get the celebrations cancelled, to no avail.

Iran also has faced multiple hurdles playing in the United States in this World Cup due to the war in the Middle East. The Iranians had been forced to travel only on game days from their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, but U.S. officials eased restrictions to allow the team to travel two days before the match against Egypt.

Uruguay facing must-win against Spain

One of the highlight matches of the group stage takes place in Guadalajara, Mexico, with European champion Spain taking on South American powerhouse Uruguay, which will be in danger of not advancing if it loses.

Uruguay was held to draws by Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, and now only a win against favourite Spain will ensure the team moves on to the next round. A draw or a loss will leave Uruguay’s fate dependent on other results.

Spain will advance with a draw, but only a win will secure La Roja first place in Group H.

Deschamps to miss France’s match against Norway following mother’s death

France assistant coach Guy Stéphan attended Thursday’s pre-match news conference in place of coach Didier Deschamps, whose mother recently died.

The 57-year-old Deschamps is currently in France and will miss the team’s final group-stage match against Norway on Friday. Deschamps previously announced he is stepping down as France coach after the tournament, 14 years after taking the job.

Stéphan said his thoughts continue to be with Deschamps and his family.

“He is very affected,” Stéphan said. “I have a lot of exchanges with him, even just a few minutes ago. I will strive to make the situation as normal as possible and to prove worthy of the trust he places in me.”

William Saliba and Marcus Thuram sat out France’s training session to rest. Stéphan said Saliba also won’t be available on Friday.

Published – June 26, 2026 12:46 pm IST

Uruguay’s Rodrigo Zalazar, Rodrigo Aguirre and Mathias Olivera look dejected after their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match with Cape Verde, in the Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S., on June 21, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Papa, why is India not playing in the World Cup?” Kattabomman held up a newspaper page showing the details of all the FIFA teams, groups, and schedule of matches.

I was dreading this question ever since Katta was born. I knew it would come up one day. For Indian parents — but not necessarily for parents of other nationalities — it was another equivalent of “where do babies come from?”. If you are a father, you could sense an unspoken accusation, derived, you realise, from an unmet expectation.

Every single day in school and outside, children hear that India is the best, and Indians are the greatest. Also, kids of this age expect their Papa to have all the answers. If anything needs fixing, Papa would know how to fix it. But not this though: India’s inevitable absence at the football world cup defies India’s greatness as well as Papa’s. Don’t ask which Papa.

This column is a satirical take on life and society.

I was acutely conscious that a lot depended on my response to Katta’s innocent query. It could shape the answer he will give his great-grandchildren when they ask him, 76 years hence, “Great-grandpa, why isn’t India playing in the 2102 football World Cup?”

I don’t remember asking my own father this question. But Appa had obviously given it much thought. He had his own theory and never missed an opportunity to air it. He believed India would have easily qualified for the World Cup and also won it more times than even Brazil, provided the rules were slightly modified.

A football team, he said, should have the option to deploy 11 ‘by-runners’, just like how a cricket team can do for an injured batsman. The runners need not be of the same nationality as the football team. So the Indian football team should have the option of hiring, say, 11 Argentinian by-runners — but only for its forwards, defenders, mid-fielders, and goalkeeper. “Once the running and kicking part is outsourced, Indians will be unbeatable in football,” Appa liked to say. “That’s why we are so good at cricket. Not much running, and after each run, you get a few minutes’ rest.”

But I told Katta the truth. “We are not in the World Cup because we did not qualify.”

“Why didn’t we qualify?”

“We weren’t good enough,” I said.

My mother, who till then had been quietly reading the Bhagavad Gita, piped up. “Dei, what is that new country which has qualified? Kurkure or something.”

“It’s Koora khao,” Katta said.

“It’s Que-ra-sao,” Wife said.

“How do you know,” I was shocked. “You don’t even follow football. Or any sport for that matter.”

“I do follow geography,” she said. “Can any of you point out Curaçao on the world map?”

As Katta and I looked at each other, Amma said, “Wherever it is, do you know its population? 1,56,000!”

“That’s the population of Besant Nagar,” I said.

“That’s the population of Lajpat Nagar,” Wife said.

“So, it’s like Lajpat Nagar has its own team in the World Cup but India doesn’t?” Katta wanted to know.

“Sort of,” I said. “But we did qualify for the World Cup once. In 1950. When it was held in Brazil.”

“Did we win, Papa?”

“Nope,” I said. “But we were in the same group as Italy, Sweden and Paraguay. Imagine! India could have played Italy in Brazil! But we didn’t even go.”

“So India has never played a single match in the football World Cup?”

“Never,” I said. “1950 was the only time we were in grave danger of participating. We accidentally qualified because all the other teams in our qualifying zone withdrew.”

“That’s the only way India can qualify,” Wife said.

“Don’t be so cynical,” I said. “At least not in front of Katta.” I never forget my patriotic duty to uphold national pride in front of the younger generation. “If India has never played in the World Cup, there is good reason for it.”

“Really?” she said. “Do enlighten us.”

“Do you know which country invented football?” I said.

“Brazil? Argentina?”

“Football was invented by England,” I explained. “A country that enslaved us for 200 years. Why should we imitate whatever they do? That’s why from the time we got independence, till today, every four years, India has courageously defended its record of never playing in the football World Cup. Isn’t that something to be proud of?”

“But Papa,” I could literally hear the wheels turning inside Katta’s head, “wasn’t cricket also invented by the British?”

“That’s enough questions for one day,” I said. “This is not a press conference.”

The author of this satire is Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Published – June 18, 2026 01:40 pm IST

Samuel Moutoussamy. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo, left, celebrates teammate Caleb Yirenkyi’s goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Ghana and Panama in Toronto, Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for his sixth World Cup as if it were his first, said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez as he hailed the 41-year-old as “an example and a reference for football.”

Armed with a richly talented generation, Portugal are among the favourites to win the World Cup for the first time.

Ronaldo’s continued presence in Martinez’s team has sparked debate over whether he is still a positive influence.

No one can match the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s 143 international goals. But he has failed to net in his last nine matches at major tournaments and offers little in a defensive role when the opposition are in possession.

Martinez, though, has no doubt he remains Portugal’s best option up front.

“He is an example and a reference for football. For all those children on the street who begin to feel the love for sport, following the example of Cristiano Ronaldo is wonderful,” Martinez told a press conference ahead of Portugal’s World Cup opener against DR Congo.

“It is his sixth World Cup, but I can say that internally it seems to be his first World Cup in terms of intensity, in terms of emotional output, of how important it is for him to be prepared to lead the group.”

“Within the team he is a vital player because he is the finisher, he is the player in the penalty area, he is the player who has those movements that can open spaces for other players. Within our attacking game, his numbers reflect the importance he has.”

Bruno Fernandes said his first experience of a major tournament as a child came on home soil, when a 19-year-old Ronaldo helped Portugal reach the final of Euro 2004.

“All of us in this national team we have grown up watching Cristiano Ronaldo play and for us it’s such an honour to play next to him now in the same team,” said the Manchester United captain.

“We’re all here to support him and to support Portugal to go as far as possible.”

‘Dreaming not forbidden’

Fresh from winning Premier League player of the year accolades, Fernandes is part of one of the strongest midfields in the World Cup.

Vitinha and Joao Neves have recently won a second consecutive Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, while Bernardo Silva is set to join Real Madrid after a trophy-laden nine years at Manchester City.

“We have a very strong team, great individual quality, and beyond the individual quality and the strengths that we have as individual players, I think we are a very cohesive team, a very united team,” added Fernandes.

“Obviously our dream is to be there (winning the World Cup) and I think that dreaming is not forbidden.”

Portugal will also face tournament debutants Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K.

Martinez, though, warned against looking beyond DR Congo after the shock Spain suffered in being held 0-0 by Cape Verde in their opening match.

“We’ve got very little to win tomorrow from the outside. If you win against Congo, it’s expected. If you win by one, it’s a big problem. If you draw, it’s a catastrophe. If you lose, this is the end of the world,” said the Spaniard.

“They come with no expectations, they are enjoying being here. We’ve seen incredible performances from teams like Qatar, Cape Verde, exemplary performances, that shows you that there are no easy games in a World Cup.”

Martinez also confirmed reports he is set to leave his role after the World Cup when his contract expires.

“My contract ends after the World Cup. This is not news, this is just a fact,” he added.

“We’re now focused on finishing the work that we’ve begun three-and-a-half years ago.

“When I came to Portugal the focus was to try to win everything, but most importantly to prepare for the World Cup.”

Published – June 17, 2026 10:57 am IST

The Federation Internationale de Football Association, known worldwide by its acronym FIFA, is the most powerful sports body outside the International Olympic Committee. It is the global custodian of football — popularly called ‘the beautiful game’ — and conducts the World Cup, the most prestigious single-sport competition in the universe.

What started in 1930 as a 13-team tournament has now grown into a behemoth. The ongoing edition in the U.S., Canada and Mexico is the 23rd World Cup, and features a record 48 teams and 104 matches.

Founded in 1904 in Paris, FIFA started with seven members — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and Spain. Its original mandate was to bring structure to the international game, organise fixtures, and agree on a common set of rules.

The British associations in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, which predated FIFA and had already set in place organised football in their territories, joined FIFA starting in 1905. Though the equation was stormy in the initial decades — with the First World War and disputes over monetary compensation for amateur players competing at the Olympics leading to the British associations’ withdrawal on multiple occasions — it stabilised after the Second World War and has remained so until now.

After Jules Rimet took over as president in 1921, FIFA was in charge of football at the Olympics for the first time at Paris 1924. The success of that, and of the event four years later in Amsterdam, prompted FIFA to think of a tournament of its own.

The inaugural World Cup was born in 1930 and was held in Uruguay, the nation which won the Olympic golds in 1924 and 1928. The in-form team, unsurprisingly, also became the first world champion. Since then, such has FIFA’s growth been that it now has 211 members, more than the UN. At its core, it is a non-profit organisation that “oversees and promotes the development of football at every level”. But it is also among the richest bodies. At the end of 2025, FIFA’s reserves, according to its own financial report, amounted to $2.69 billion. Cape Verde, which is competing in North America this summer and is the third-smallest nation ever to qualify (population less than six lakhs), has reserves of $0.78 billion (data from 2024).

Generous powers

Understandably, the FIFA president, who sits atop this edifice, wields enormous power, and with a generous term limit of three four-year periods (consecutive or otherwise), he or she can make decisions that can have lasting consequences. Prior to 2016, term limits weren’t enforced. In fact, for 41 years from 1974 to 2015, FIFA just had three presidents — Englishman Stanley Rous for more than 12 years, Brazil’s Joao Havelange for a little over 24, and Swiss Sepp Blatter for more than 17.

Before that, Frenchman Rimet — whose name the World Cup trophy carried from 1950 to 1970 — was at the helm for 33 years (from March 1921 to June 1954). Current president Gianni Infantino has been the leading man since early 2016. It is this structure which allows a FIFA president to turn the organisation into a personal fiefdom, which has given rise to most controversies. The bosses have never shied away from striking friendships with problematic political figures and authoritarian regimes in search of big capital.

FIFA, by virtue of being a non-profit, is duty-bound to redistribute its revenues to member nations. Prima facie, it’s a democratic move, and even noble, considering that the money ensures the sport’s survival and development in many countries. But this dole has often been weaponised in return for votes to keep the head in power for perpetuity. Every FIFA member, big or small, has a vote and is directly involved in electing the president.

The 1934 World Cup was held in Benito Mussolini’s Italy. The 1978 edition was conducted in Argentina, under dictator Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla’s rule and Havelange’s blessings. Rous was unwavering in his support for Apartheid South Africa, while Blatter dangled the monetary carrot to the developing world to keep his throne for as long as he did.

It is ironic that Infantino would preside over a FIFA which has remained unchanged. He vaulted to power, promising reforms after serious corruption charges related to the allotment of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively, brought down Blatter’s house of cards.

But he has since cultivated relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, and attracted a deal worth $1 billion from Saudi Arabia, the country which will host the 2034 World Cup. In 2019, he accepted the Russian Order of Friendship medal from Mr. Putin. Last December, FIFA created the first-ever Peace Prize — literally out of nowhere — and awarded it to Mr. Trump.

Infantino has also moved to extend his term beyond the 12-year ceiling that was brought in at the Extraordinary FIFA Congress in early 2016 in the aftermath of the corruption scandal. The 56-year-old has said his first three years in office (2016-19) were from Blatter’s unfinished term and hence would not stop him from being re-elected in 2027.

At the ongoing World Cup, FIFA has been heavily criticised for its cavalier attitude regarding American immigration authorities’ arbitrary actions in denying entry to fans, match officials, and team personnel alike. Most notable was the rejection meted out to Somalian referee Omar Artan, the best men’s referee from Africa in 2025.

Limits of influence

Infantino has defended FIFA by saying there are limits to how much the governing body can influence an individual country’s immigration policies. But a decade ago, when Mr. Trump had signed an executive order banning immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, Infantino had declared that “there is no World Cup” if supporters and officials do not have access.

While increasing the number of teams in the World Cup to 48 will help enlarge the game’s footprint, the FIFA Club World Cup bloating to a 32-team affair starting 2025 from a modest seven outfits earlier further entrenches FIFA’s power. The competition, which has replaced the Confederations Cup as a World Cup preparatory event, ran for a month in the U.S. last summer, a slot otherwise reserved for players’ rest and recuperation.

Reportedly, there is an urge to make it biennial, and the $85 million Chelsea received as prize money for winning in 2025 is a big enough perk for the participants to agree.

All of this highlights a fundamental conflict at the heart of FIFA’s functioning. On the one hand, it is the guardian of the sport, defines laws, puts in place the rules and is expected to act impartially in disputes between its members. At the same time, it has tournaments to sell and a partially self-imposed obligation to generate revenue, forcing it to turn a blind eye when those like the U.S. err.

Can such a system, where the referee is also a player, stay true to the cause?

Published – June 14, 2026 01:14 am IST