FIFA announced on Friday (May 8, 2026) that it will hold separate ​opening ceremonies before the first ‌game in each of the three ​host countries for this ⁠year’s World Cup, which is being held in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The ‌biggest World Cup in history kicks off on June ‌11 in Mexico City, where ‌Grammy ⁠Award-winning Mexican pop band Mana ⁠will be performing as part of a lineup that also includes Alejandro Fernandez and ​Belinda, FIFA said ‌in a post on X.

According to sources, Canadian singers Alanis Morissette, Michael Buble, Alessia Cara and Bangladeshi ‌American Sanjoy, who is a ​Los Angeles-based DJ, will perform ahead of Canada’s opening group ⁠stage match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.

Later that ‌day, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry will headline an opening ceremony ahead of the U.S. team’s match against Paraguay in Los Angeles, where Atlanta rap star Nayvadius Wilburn, better ‌known as Future, will also perform, the ​sources said.

This year’s World Cup marks the second time the ⁠global soccer showcase is being co-hosted ⁠by multiple countries. The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by ‌South Korea and Japan, with the former staging the opening ceremony. (Reporting ​by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Frenchman Herve Renard told AFP on Friday (April 17, 2026) he has been relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia coach, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.

Renard, 57, returned for a second spell as Saudi coach at the end of 2024, having led them at the last World Cup in Qatar, including to a famous win over eventual champions Argentina in the group stage.

Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian ‌women’s football delegation slip their minders to claim asylum, but one has changed ​her mind and decided to go back to Iran, the country’s interior minister ⁠said on Wednesday (March 11, 2026). Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced in parliament the squad member’s decision to return home, after five players from the team were granted asylum a day earlier.

A player and a support staff member accepted ‌the government’s open offer of aid on Tuesday evening (March 10).

“One of the two who had made the decision to stay last night had spoken to some of the teammates ‌who had left, and had changed her mind,” Burke told parliament.

“In Australia, people are able ‌to ⁠change their mind, people are able to travel. And so, we respect the context ⁠in which she has made that decision.”

It was not immediately clear who had decided to return to Iran.

Mr. Burke said the rest of the players have been moved to a safe location after the member contacted the Iranian embassy, giving away ​their location. Concerns about the players’ safety ‌grew after Iranian state television labelled the team “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing the national anthem during the women’s Asian Cup match in Australia earlier this month.

The two additional members of the delegation — 21-year-old striker Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staffer Zahra Soltan Moshkehkar — were removed from ‌the rest of the team with the aid of Australian Federal Police before they ​boarded a domestic flight to Sydney.

Iran women’s soccer team players granted visas in Australia amid safety fears

Before leaving the country, Australian officials separated the remaining team from their Iranian minders at Sydney airport and informed them of their ⁠options before they flew out of Australia. All those that made it to the airport elected to return to Iran.

“What we made sure of was that there was no rushing, there was no pressure. ‌Everything was about ensuring the dignity for those individuals to make a choice,” Mr. Burke said during a media briefing in Canberra.

Fear for families

Mr. Burke said some players had asked him about the possibility of aiding their family members leave Iran.

“Obviously, when people are permanent residents, there are rights that they have in terms of sponsoring other family members. But all of it only becomes relevant if people can get out of Iran in the first place,” he said. Some discussed their options with family ‌but declined the offer to remain in Australia. The team has since reached Kuala Lumpur on their way to ​Iran. The Iranian team’s campaign in the tournament started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali ⁠Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament on Sunday.

A group of Iranians living in Australia gathered to ⁠protest against the Iranian government and surrounded the players’ bus in Gold Coast when they left the hotel for the airport.

Many also turned up at the Sydney airport on ‌Tuesday evening while they were being transferred to the international terminal, television footage showed.

The office of Iran’s general prosecutor said on Tuesday the remaining members of the team were invited back ​to the country “with peace and confidence,” Iranian media reported.