Key events
The best of the rest …
Fifa has reached a settlement with former France midfielder Lassana Diarra in a player transfer rights case, the global soccer body said on Monday. Diarra had been seeking €65 million (£56m) in damages from Fifa and the Belgian FA after the European Union’s top court (CJEU) ruled in October that some world soccer body rules breached EU laws.
Fifa had fined Diarra €10m after the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid player left Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year contract in 2014.
“Following the global agreement they have reached, Mr Lassana Diarra and Fifa have settled all legal proceedings between them,” Fifa said in a statement. “Fifa has not made any admission of liability nor payment by way of compensation. Fifa will not be providing any further comment at this time.“
Diarra’s lawyers have yet to respond to a Reuters request for comment. Fifa later amended its transfer regulations after the CJEU ruling, adopting an interim framework on the calculation of compensation payable and burden of proof if there is a breach of contract.
The “Diarra ruling” has since prompted about 20 European national player unions to pledge their support to a Europe-wide class action against Fifa. Reuters
“What do we know about Luca Zidane besides the obvious?” asks Krishnamoorthy. “Sons of famous fathers always find it difficult to perform on world stage in general. Do you recall any exceptions?”
The Thuram brothers are decent ..
What does it actually take to win a World Cup? Talent? Tactics? A functioning democracy? Not necessarily.
As the 2026 World Cup begins, the largest ever, we analysed all 22 past tournaments to find the common threads that link every single champion.
From the tactical innovations that shocked the world to the political forces that fuelled past victories, history shows there are eight distinct ways to lift the famous trophy.
Sid Lowe has a natter with Spain head honcho Luis de la Fuente.
Krishnamoorthy emails: “I missed the last ODI of Malcolm Marshall when he played on 8th March 1992 in the Cricket World Cup. I had to miss it as I got married that day, the alternative did not exist.”
I hope your spouse appreciated the sacrifice.
Epidemiologists will be busy this summer sifting through sewage and social media with the goal of keeping soccer fans and the public safe from severe illness during the World Cup, one of the largest and most globally diverse mass gatherings ever anticipated.
A public health squad based in Washington, DC, plans to monitor wastewater and internet chatter to detect and track infectious diseases should they emerge in any of the US or Canadian cities hosting World Cup players, their matches, and millions of spectators, organisers said.
The 39-day event kicks off in Mexico on Thursday. More than 6.5 million fans are expected to travel from over 100 countries to witness 104 games in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The scale of the event and the globe-spanning travel involved pose a heightened risk of rapid disease transmission at a time when strained U.S. public health resources are coping at home and abroad with outbreaks of measles, Ebola and hantavirus, health security experts say.
Budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration, along with the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, have exacerbated those challenges, according to organisers of the new disease-tracking initiative. Reuters
A big exclusive from your friend and mine Tom Garry. What a story-getter than man is.
I am already looking ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Kiribati is hoping to be a part of before the country is lost to rising sea levels.
It does beg the question … when has sport made you miss a major family event?
I think this is a good place to start …
South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu missed the birth of his daughter this month due to his World Cup preparations, but the 35-year-old says he is determined to compensate for his absence with performances on the pitch.
Kim, who is set for his fourth World Cup appearance, acknowledged the emotional cost of being away from his family. “I am really sorry that I couldn’t be with my wife for the birth, and I want to bring home good results from here as my presents,” he told reporters on Sunday before a training session at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in Mexico. With more than 80 caps for South Korea, the experienced FC Tokyo goalkeeper faces competition for the starting spot from Jo Hyeon-woo.
The tournament also carries a sense of finality for Kim, who suggested this campaign may mark the end of his World Cup journey. Despite that, his enthusiasm has not dimmed.
“I’ve played at every World Cup thinking it could be my last. Given my age now, this one really does feel like my final one,” he said. “I am just as excited about my fourth World Cup as I was about my first one. The first match will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and so there will be some pressure. I will try to stay calm and just do what I can do.“ Reuters
Thank you very much, David. Let’s see what the next couple of hours bring us …
That’s my stint over. By the way, the Netflix documentary about France’s 2010 World Cup implosion – The Bus: A French Football Mutiny – is well worth a watch. Raymond Domenech is some character, isn’t he. Okay, with that, I’ll hand you over to Will Unwin.
More on Christian Eriksen as he recovers in hospital after collapsing in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. This is from PA Media.
Sunday night’s international friendly results: A few notes.
Greece 0-1 Italy. No-one cares. Neither are in the World Cup. For the record, Francesco Esposito got the winner after 17 minutes.
Morocco 1-1 Norway: This is more like it. Morocco, the surprise semi-finalists from 2022, face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C. Norway take on France, Senegal and Iraq in a tough Group I. This one took place at at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New York. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz put Morocco in front before Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard levelled with 15 minutes to go. Erling Haaland played 72 minutes.
Argentina 2-0 Honduras. We noted this earlier although didn’t mention the fact that Atletico Madrid attacker Giuliano Simeone got the second following Lautaro Martinez’s first-half spot-kick.
Another team guide to tuck into – Algeria. File them under ‘engima’. Riyad Mahrez, now 35, remains the main man as they tackle a World Cup group (J) featuring Argentina, Austria and Jordan.
Talking of the golden oldies, Luka Modric (4th on the below list) shows no signs of getting tired. The metronomic midfielder was on target for Croatia – England’s first World Cup opponents – in their 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Sunday night. Our Nick Ames was there.
If you think Messi is knocking on a bit, he’s not even one of the 10 oldest players at the 2026 World Cup. Modern science, eh.
FIFA published the top 20 last week and it’s an early win for Scotland.
1st) Craig Gordon – Scotland (43 years & 162 days)
2nd) Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (41 & 126)
3rd) Guillermo Ochoa – Mexico (40 & 333)
4th) Luka Modric – Croatia (40 & 275)
5th) Edin Dzeko – Bosnia and Herzegovina (40 & 86)
6th) Manuel Neuer – Germany (40 & 76)
7th) Vozinha – Cabo Verde (40 & 8)
8th) Fernando Muslera – Uruguay (39 years & 360 days)
9th) Yuto Nagatomo – Japan (39 years & 272 days)
10th) Hernan Galindez – Ecuador (39 & 73) 11th) Mahdy Soliman – Egypt (39 & 3)
12th) Lionel Messi – Argentina (38 & 352)
13th) Tim Ream – USA (38 & 249)
14th) Weverton – Brazil (38 & 180)
15th) Alberto Quintero – Panama (38 & 175)
16th) Johny Placide – Haiti (38 & 133)
17th) Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina (38 & 119)
18th) Gatito Fernandez – Paraguay (38 & 74)
19th) Stopira – Cabo Verde (38 & 22)
20th) Michael Boxall – New Zealand (37 & 297)
(Ages correct as of 11 June 2026).
Roger Milla was 42 at World Cup 1994 but the record for oldest player belongs to Essam El Hadary. The Egypt goalkeeper was 45 years and 161 days when appearing between the sticks in the 2018 group game against Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi will turn 39 during this World Cup. And while Qatar 2022 appeared to be the perfect ending for the Argentine legend, just maybe there is another glorious chapter waiting to be written, says Jonathan Wilson.
Another update on Christian Eriksen. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, has just posted the following on his Instagram feed:
“I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.”
Eriksen has shared the post.
More news from England. Declan Rice has been named vice-captain by boss Thomas Tuchel. Rice was one of the Arsenal contingent who arrived at England’s pre-tournament base in West Palm Beach on Saturday after they were given extra time to recover from their Champions League exploits. Tuchel is unsure if Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka will be involved against Costa Rica.
As for the skipper, Harry Kane has been playing down all the scare stories about players melting in the heat.
“The drinks breaks help. A lot of people talk about the heat but I don’t think it will be as big a factor as people say. Myself and a few of the boys felt fine in the first game. We’ve been training in it and it’s not been too bad. I think it’s easy just to say it’s going to be really tough as it’s different to what we are used to. But we are all athletes, we are professionals and have all played in warm-weather conditions before.”
Let’s go inside the England camp. David Hytner is one of our men in Tampa and here’s his latest report ahead of the Three Lions’ friendly with Costa Rica on Wednesday night. That game takes place exactly one week before England’s Group L opener against Croatia (17 June, 9pm BST).
“The nailed-on picks appear to be Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Which leaves some fighting to be done.”
Note that the above list doesn’t include Jude Bellingham. Will he get the nod over Morgan Rogers?
Our latest World Cup team guide focuses on holders Argentina. And it’s not just all about Lionel Messi.
“Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.”
Speaking of which, Martinez scored from the spot as Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly last night. Messi didn’t feature as Argentina wrap him in cotton wool after the skipper felt some muscle fatigue in his hamstring playing for Inter Miami on 24 May.
Positive update on Christian Eriksen after collapse
This was an alarming and upsetting development last night but thankfully the updates on Christian Eriksen are positive after he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. The former Manchester United midfielder, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in 2021, was quickly tended to by medics in Odense, while the referee abandoned the match early.
Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, said Eriksen was “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly … and walked off the pitch by himself”.
After the incident against Finland in 2021, during which Boesen led the successful resuscitation effort, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in his chest, which can reset the heart after a cardiac arrest. The device allowed him to resume his playing career at club and international level.
Speaking after Sunday’s incident, Boesen said: “The pacemaker responded as it should … He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”
Lamine Yamal could play in Spain’s opener
Good news for Spain. Rumours that Lamine Yamal may miss Spain’s first two World Cup group games (against Cape Verde and South Africa) may be wide of the mark.
The 18-year-old Barcelona winger was absent for the final six matches of the season due to a torn hamstring and hasn’t played since April. But, speaking to our very own Sid Lowe, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente gave this encouraging update:
“He’s getting better fast, hitting all the targets earlier. I think he’ll be able to play the first game, but that doesn’t mean [he will]. We’ll evaluate if he has to play a little bit, not play, wait for the second game.”
Iran’s World Cup squad landed in Mexico yesterday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff.
The squad spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Turkey, using their time there to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States. On the eve of their departure, the players finally received their US visas, according to Washington’s envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack.
Iran’s embassy in Turkey said support staff had been denied visas, however. Fifteen administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said.
All three of Iran’s Group G games will be held in the United States (Los Angeles and Seattle) but, adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday the squad had been notified that, under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches.
Iran’s football federation – whose chief, Mehdi Taj, was reportedly among those denied a visa – has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.”
Preamble
Good morning and, we can now actually say it, the World Cup starts this week! Woohoo!! With Mexico v South Africa getting us in play on Thursday at 8pm UK time, the countdown clock now shows ‘3 days, 11 hours’. That’s the first of 104 matches across 39 days (blimey!) so the window to get other stuff done in your lives (car tax, jet-washing patio, returning those summer sandals that didn’t fit/were a bad idea) is closing fast.
Our build-up continues right here as we go inside the England camp to reflect on their 1-0 hammering of New Zealand and look ahead to Wednesday’s friendly with not-in-the-World-Cup Costa Rica. And there’s a bundle of news, features and previews on everything else connected with this summer’s 2026 extravaganza in the USA, Mexico and Canada, including Scotland raising eyebrows with their first-half performance in the friendly against Bolivia and a fitness update on Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Right, let’s go!
