FIFA World Cup 2026 - players.bio

US primed to plant flag in ‘home’ World Cup opener vs. Paraguay

IRVINE: The long-awaited World Cup opener on home soil Friday promises to contain deep shades of red, white and ‌blue for the United States men’s national team. Manager Mauricio Pochettino might be from Argentina and goal-producing forward Folarin Balogun grew up in England after he was born in New York City, but star playmaker Christian Pulisic does hail from the All-American chocolate bar-producing town of Hershey, Pennsylvania The home fans are ready to embrace all of it when the USMNT takes on Paraguay to kick off Group D play Friday night in search of a sweet result. It will be the first World Cup match on US soil in 32 years, when the 1994 Final was played just up the road in Pasadena. It was another eight years of waiting after the joint hosting bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico was accepted. The 26-man USMNT squad selected by Pochettino is evenly divided between 13 players with previous World Cup experience and 13 first-timers. And yet even those who have been there before know this one will be different. “You say it’s not our first rodeo, but it’s our first one on home soil.

With fighting spirit, South Korea’s beauty triumphs over Czech set-piece beasts

GUADALAJARA, Mexico: ‌It was the tale of “Beauty and the Beast” that lit up the Estadio Guadalajara on Thursday, with South Korea’s prettier, stylish football triumphing over the Czech Republic’s rugged, route-one tactics in an adrenaline-fueled World Cup encounter. South Korea were more than worthy of the 2-1 win, showing their trademark indomitable spirit with a come-from-behind victory to join Mexico atop Group A, all packed into the scintillating second half of a match the Asian side dominated. The Koreans had their game plan and stuck to it, taking it to the Czechs throughout, with silky, intricate play and precision passes that put their opponents on the back foot. Talisman ‌Son Heung-min ‌got the lion’s share of the chances, yet — frustratingly — ‌none ⁠of the goals. South ⁠Korea demonstrated their World Cup pedigree, present in 11 successive tournaments and unbeaten in qualifying with a whopping 40 goals scored, delivering on Thursday an early message of intent that a deep run could be on the cards. Son worked seamlessly with the impressive Lee Kang-in and Lee Jae-sung to create a host of first-half chances, with the trio combining darting runs through the middle with a ⁠succession of dangerous pass-and-go moves that they just could ‌not finish. Brute strength and gargantuan throws But in ‌a game of stark contrasts, it was the Czechs and their direct, physical play who ‌scored first through Ladislav Krejci just before the hour with a perfectly ‌timed header from a 35-meter, slingshot-like throw from Vladimir Coufal. South Korea were buoyed by a largely Mexican crowd in Guadalajara that was clearly rooting for them. They kept cool heads and levelled eight minutes later, when Hwang In-beom picked up Lee Kang-in’s

Bruised Brazil face Morocco in heavyweight World Cup opener

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Brazil begin their latest hunt for a long-awaited sixth World Cup crown on Sunday with little room for a gentle landing, facing up-and-coming Morocco in a Group C opener that will test the side’s ability to cope with a lengthy injury list.

Saudi Pro League star Quinones gets World Cup goal tally started

RIYADH: Al-Qadsiah winger Julian Quinones got FIFA World Cup scoring off the mark as he netted the tournament’s first goal and helped co-host Mexico defeat South Africa on Thursday.

Mexico beat South Africa to kick off World Cup

MEXICO CITY: Mexico ignited their World Cup party with a dominant 2-0 victory over nine-man South Africa on Thursday as the biggest ever edition of the global footballing showpiece kicked off at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament and veteran striker Raul Jimenez added a second as the co-hosts’ bid for qualification from Group A got off to smooth start. South Africa meanwhile never looked like spoiling the opening day fiesta, and finished with only nine men after Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off. The Mexican-colored red, green and white smoke from pre-game fireworks had barely dissipated before Quinones fired the hosts into the lead on nine minutes, drilling a low shot through the legs of South Africa’s goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams. A deafening roar cascaded down from the stands of the Azteca, the footballing cathedral that became the only stadium to host games at three different World Cups. South Africa coach Hugo Broos had warned his players to be ready for the intimidating atmosphere created by a capacity 80,824 crowd at the imposing concrete arena. But South Africa’s players looked to have a bad case of stage fright as Mexico’s fans greeted each completed pass with a raucous chorus of “Ole!” in the opening minutes. Sithole seemed particularly affected, being caught in possession trying to play out of the back for Quinones’ opening goal. Sithole’s miserable afternoon ended with a 49th minute dismissal after bundling over Mexico’s Brian Gutierrez when clean through on goal. Mexico rammed home their advantage in the 67th minute, with a fine counter attack culminating in Roberto Alvarado crossing for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jimenez to nod

Japan captain Endo withdraws from World Cup due to injury, retires from internationals

TORONTO: Japan captain Wataru Endo has withdrawn from the World Cup squad due to injury in a blow for the Samurai Blue, with the midfielder also announcing his retirement from international football. Endo, who endured an injury-hit season with Liverpool, has been ‌replaced by ‌Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Shuto ‌Machino, ⁠the Japan Football ⁠Association said in a statement. “Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,” Endo ⁠said in a social media ‌post. The 33-year-old ‌said he was frustrated at not ‌being able to participate in ‌the showpiece event but took pride in the team’s growth since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “With ‌this campaign, I will be retiring from the national team.

Qatar seek redemption vs. Swiss after woeful debut

SANTA CLARA, California: Qatar take on Switzerland in their World Cup opener on Saturday eager to shake off the pressure of expectation, coming in as back-to-back Asian champions with an urgent need to make amends for a dismal debut as hosts of the 2022 tournament.

Haiti alter World Cup uniforms following FIFA pushback

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti World Cup uniform manufacturer Saeta ‌Sports has altered the Caribbean nation's home, away and third jerseys three days prior to kickoff of their first World Cup match in response to concerns from FIFA that visual imagery on the shirt could be interpreted as a political message. The original designs from the Colombian manufacturer included imagery that appeared to show soldiers carrying the Polish national flag, presumably a tribute to Polish Legionnaires ‌who defected ‌from Napoleon's French army to aid the ‌Haitians ⁠during the Haitian ⁠Revolution from 1802-04. The revised tops shown in FIFA's official team portraits have the same collar and sleeve patterns but with solid colors beneath them rather than the imagery at the bottom of the shirts.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Sport News

US primed to plant flag in ‘home’ World Cup opener vs. Paraguay

With fighting spirit, South Korea’s beauty triumphs over Czech set-piece beasts

Bruised Brazil face Morocco in heavyweight World Cup opener

Saudi Pro League star Quinones gets World Cup goal tally started

Mexico beat South Africa to kick off World Cup

Japan captain Endo withdraws from World Cup due to injury, retires from internationals

Qatar seek redemption vs. Swiss after woeful debut

Haiti alter World Cup uniforms following FIFA pushback