The World Cup 2026 is almost upon us with just a day to go until the opening match in Mexico City – and Fifa president Gianni Infantino will give his pre-tournament press conference this evening.
Four years ago, this very press conference, Infantino made his infamous comments ahead of the Qatar World Cup, saying: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.” This time, there are plenty of issues for Infantino to address once again, including the sorry saga of a Somali referee denied a visa to enter the United States, with the Trump administration claiming that Omar Abdulkadir Artan was sent home because of links to “suspected members of terror organisations”. The Fifa boss’s response to the problems will be fascinating.
Meanwhile, England have been rocked by a Bukayo Saka injury worry on tournament eve. Thomas Tuchel’s side conclude their World Cup preparations for the tournament with a friendly against Costa Rica in Florida tonight, and the England manager revealed he had concerns over Saka’s readiness to play a full part in the campaign as he manages an achilles issue.
Follow all of the latest news and more with our live blog below:
Infantino hit with criminal complaint days before start of World Cup
It’s worth reminding:
Former Uefa president Platini, one of the most gifted footballers of the 1970s and 1980s, had been favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa chief in 2016 until the launch of an ethics probe into a payment he received from Blatter in 2011.
Platini was banned for eight years by Fifa’s ethics committee in 2015 – a sanction which was later reduced to four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Platini and Blatter also faced criminal proceedings regarding the payment, but both were acquitted by the Swiss federal criminal court in 2022 and then by the appeals court in 2025.
Now Platini has launched criminal and civil proceedings in the French courts over the matter, with Infantino one of the individuals named.
More here:
Gianni Infantino to speak at 7.30pm BST
It’s almost time…
What sorts of one-liners are we going to get from the Fifa president this time?
We’ll soon find out…
Your views on the US co-hosting the World Cup
One Independent commenter says: “Even though I love football I cannot get excited by this world cup, both FIFA and Trumps America disgust me. How can this tournament represent the football family?”
Another writes: “If FIFA had any backbone they would revise the schedule to relocate all games to outside the U.S.”
And a third says: “Boycott this charade.”
England in action tonight, one day before World Cup
It feels unusual to have a warm-up game one day before the World Cup starts, but England and Costa Rica will square off in Orlando, Florida tonight.
That friendly will kick off at 9pm BST, and in fairness, it’s one whole week before England’s tournament opener versus Croatia.
Gianni Infantino’s World Cup address edging closer…
T-minus one hour until the Fifa president says what he has to say, and… well… that could be anything, based on his address four years ago.
“Today I feel gay, today I feel disabled,” is immortalised, for all the wrong reasons.
I actually remember speaking to an Indy Sport colleague a few hours before Infantino’s World Cup launch press conference in 2022, and telling them that chaos was incoming.
I couldn’t have predicted what Infantino would say, though!
BREAKING: Kieran McKenna resigns as Ipswich Town coach
In club football news…
Kieran McKenna has just resigned as manager of Ipswich Town, after guiding them back to the Premier League ahead of the new season.
“Kieran McKenna will step down as Ipswich Town Manager after five seasons at the club,” read an official statement.
“Kieran has made the decision to step away from football management and dedicate time to his family, having been at the forefront of one of the most successful eras in the club’s history.”
It looks unlikely, then, that he’ll replace Marco Silva at Fulham.
Full story:
Inside the world of Infantino: ‘The ass-kissing of Trump got us nowhere’
The Fifa president looks excited. The hand is often extended from the heart, in that classic gesture of the evangelising Blair-like statesman. Trump smiles on, two leaders together.
Those who have been close to such meetings say it is a mix of “fawning and adoration” from Infantino, which is also why there is increasing disquiet among numerous senior Fifa figures. They don’t like how this has been going.
The relationship is one of a few areas where even someone as brazen as Infantino might now be caught in a bind. Trump weighs over this entire World Cup. One ad hoc decision can cause chaos. One impulsive social media post can cause commotion.
Full piece:
When we’ll hear from Infantino
Can he live up to the “Today, I feel…” performance of Qatar?
It will take something special.
We expect to hear from the Fifa president from about 19:30 BST, which gives him 90 minutes until England’s final warm-up against Costa Rica gets underway in Orlando.
Will Infantino still be on his platform at that time? You wouldn’t rule it out.
Why Lineker’s rival is not the BBC
Netflix ‘begged’ to stream 40 consecutive episodes of Lineker’s ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast during the World Cup, which will seek to challenge Gary Neville’s ‘Stick to Football’ for cut-through rather than the BBC or ITV.
Jamie Braidwood takes a look behind the scenes at the New York bachelor pad from where Lineker, Micah Richards and company will be streaming.
Read here.
