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BRUSSELS, May 15 : Belgium can ill afford to do without Romelu Lukaku at the World Cup, coach Rudi Garcia said as he explained the inclusion of their all-time top scorer in a 26-man squad on Friday.
BRUSSELS: Romelu Lukaku’s efforts to recover from injuries seem to have paid off after the Napoli striker was included in Belgium’s World Cup squad Friday. Lukaku, midfield great Kevin de Bruyne and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois are set to play their fourth World Cup campaigns. Lukaku has 124 games for Belgium, de Bruyne 117 and Courtois 107, making them some of the most experienced players on any team at the World Cup. They all trail 37-year-old defensive midfielder Axel Witsel, also heading into a fourth tournament.
(fixes spelling of Belgium in headline, no change to story)
WASHINGTON: The United States said Wednesday it would ease its system of demanding bond payments of visa applicants for certain fans seeking to come for the World Cup. Under one of President Donald Trump’s many initiatives to crack down on migration, the United States has begun asking people from 50 developing countries to hand over anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 for a US visa, refundable once they return home. The State Department said it would waive the bonds for team members competing in World Cup matches in the United States as well as for fans from competing countries who already have tickets and signed up for a priority system set up for visas. “We remain committed to strengthening US national security priorities while facilitating legitimate travel for the upcoming World Cup tournament,” said Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs. She said the Trump administration wanted to organize the “biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history.” “Today’s announcement from the US State Department further demonstrates our ongoing collaboration with the US Government and the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup to deliver a successful, record-breaking and unforgettable global event,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement. Five countries that qualified for the World Cup are among those whose nationals are required to pay visa bonds: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia. At least two other countries that have qualified for the soccer showcase have seen nearly total bans on entry into the United States under Trump: Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and Iran, which the United States and Israel attacked on February 28. The Trump administration has also
TEHRAN: Iran’s football federation chief on Thursday said no visas had yet been issued for the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, state media reported. “Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has still not been resolved,” the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying. “We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas.
May 14 : Iran hosted a World Cup departure rally attended by thousands of fans in Tehran's Enqelab Square on Wednesday night even if concerns remain about the team getting into the United States and competing at the tournament.
May 14 : New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley included veteran defender Tommy Smith in his World Cup squad in a throwback to the 2010 finals in South Africa, while naming Australia-based rookie midfielder Lachlan Bayliss.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11, which means we will soon know which 26 players will be representing each country in this summer's big event.