Reports: Gio Reyna in, Diego Luna out of USMNT World Cup roster - ESPN
Gio Reyna will be included in the United States' 2026 World Cup roster, while midfielder Diego Luna is among the notable absentees, according to multiple reports.
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DR Congo stick to pre-World Cup plan to meet Denmark, Chile in friendlies
KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of Congo have no plans to change their warm-up preparations for the World Cup despite a warning from the United States that the team must isolate for 21 days before arriving in the country, a team official said on Saturday. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed to ESPN on Friday that the Congolese delegation needed to maintain a bubble where they are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry after a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in the central African country. The Congolese team are to be based in Houston at the tournament and will play an opening Group K fixture against Portugal on June 17, followed by matches against Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and against Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta. “We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani said. “We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer.” But a team spokesperson said that at this stage there was no change to their schedule in the coming weeks, which includes a friendly against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on June 3 and another against Chile in Cadiz, Spain, six days later. The team had planned a three-day trip to Kinshasa next week as a celebratory send-off before heading to their first World Cup in 52 years but that was canceled before the US warning. “We have kept our training program.
Iran to base World Cup camp in Mexico after switch from Arizona
WASHINGTON: Iran will base their squad in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during this year’s World Cup after soccer’s world governing body FIFA approved a request to move the training camp from Arizona, the head of Iran’s football federation said on Saturday. “We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States,” Iran’s soccer federation President Mehdi Taj said in a video posted on its Telegram social media account. Taj added that the move would help avoid visa-related complications and that the squad would be able to travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran will play their first two Group G matches in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26. “The total distance between us and the venue of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight,” Taj said, adding that Tijuana was closer to their match venues than the team’s previously planned camp in Arizona. Iran has faced uncertainty for months over travel and security arrangements for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iranian officials said this month that their players and staff had yet to receive US visas less than a month before the start of the tournament. Taj said FIFA had been asked for guarantees over visas, security and the treatment of the Iranian delegation. The World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19.
Congo team must isolate to enter United States for World Cup amid Ebola outbreak
Health officials at U.S. airports are implementing enhanced Ebola screenings for travelers arriving from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is working with airlines to identify possible exposures following over 130 deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases in Africa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticized the response efforts of the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO).
DR Congo will not change World Cup preparations despite US warning
May 23 : The Democratic Republic of Congo have no plans to change their preparations for the 2026 World Cup despite a warning from the United States that the team must isolate for 21 days before arriving in the country, a team official said on Saturday.
Bettiol solos to win Giro stage 13, Eulalio still in pink
ALESSANDRIA, Italy, May 22 : Italian Alberto Bettiol attacked at the top of the final climb to ride solo to victory on stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia in Verbania on Friday, five years after his last stage win, with Portugal's Afonso Eulalio maintaining the overall lead.
Pep ‘made me believe I could be a coach’, says Kompany
BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said former mentor Pep Guardiola, who announced on Friday he is leaving Manchester City, gave him the belief to become a manager. Speaking in Berlin ahead of Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart, Kompany — who captained City under Guardiola for three seasons — said working with the Catalan coach was “a gift.” “I have my own personality and my own character, but the trust and belief that I could become a coach: for that, I owe gratitude to Pep,” Kompany said. “And that is just how great his influence is. “I maybe wasn’t his best friend in the dressing room, or maybe I wasn’t always loved, but I had an incredible belief in his style of leadership.” In a decade at City, the former Barcelona and Bayern manager won the Premier League six times and the Champions League alongside a glittering array of silverware. Kompany won back-to-back Premier League titles under Guardiola in 2018 and 2019. Since taking over as Bayern boss in 2024, the Belgian has led the club to two Bundesliga titles in a row. He can grab a third major honor as coach this weekend. Kompany said the public misunderstood Guardiola and his focus on tactics. “Far too much is said about tactics or technique or whatever else.
US says Congo team must isolate before arriving for World Cup
WASHINGTON: Due to an Ebola outbreak in their country, members of Congo’s national soccer team must isolate before entering the US for the World Cup. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed to ESPN on Friday that the Congolese delegation must maintain a bubble where they currently are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry. Congo is in Group K for this summer’s World Cup in North America. Its first game is against Portugal on June 17 in Houston, followed by matches against Colombia on June 23 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and against Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta. “We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani said, per ESPN.