Iran captain Mehdi Taremi has criticised Fifa for the impact that his nation’s war with the US has had on preparations for their first game World Cup 2026 against New Zealand tonight, having been forced to move their base to Mexico, visa issues plaguing members of their delegation and travelling fans being stripped of match tickets.
“I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup,” said Taremi. “This kind of tension, it undermines that joy and it undermines the message of Fifa and our people, which is that football brings about peace. I feel like this World Cup could have provided a better atmosphere than it has.”
Iranian protesters have vowed to disrupt the match to show their displeasure at the brutal ruling regime, with plans to boo the anthem and turn their backs to display currently prohibited pre-revolutionary flags. If that happens, there is a chance the match could be halted, with Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei under specific instructions from the country’s government to stop play if pre-revolutionary flags are brandished or if negative chanting is audible.
Elsewhere, Fifa’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup has called for the removal of a video review official after he appeared to make a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign. Shaun Evans, an Australian official, was seen making an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg ahead of Germany’s clash with Curacao. The gesture, with thumb and forefinger touched in a circle and other fingers outstretched, was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League in 2019.
Meanwhile, as England continue to build up to Wednesday’s game with Croatia, Jordan Henderson has leapt to the defence of teammate Jude Bellingham, claiming external criticism is way off the mark. “I know a lot gets written in the media and I really find it hard to read sometimes because I just know how big an influence he is on this team, how good a teammate he is off the field,” said Henderson. “And what he gives us is just something really special, he really gives us the X-factor in our team. We all know what he can do, and how much we all love him inside the camp, and I suppose that’s the main thing.”
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Spain vs Cape Verde – follow live
The first game of the day is just kicking off as one of the pre-tournament favourites, Spain, begin their campaign against minnows Cape Verde.
You can follow that one with our match-specific live blog here:
The surreal possibility hanging over Iran’s perilous World Cup campaign
For the first time in World Cup history, a host nation is at war with one of the participants, while Iran’s opening match against New Zealand this evening looks set to be the site of protests against the regime by Iranian emigrants and Iran’s head coach has been instructed by the government to stop the match if negative chanting against them is heard.
It could be quite the occasion…
Kieran Jackson has delved into the issues surrounding the most surreal and perilous World Cup campaign in history
The surreal possibility hanging over Iran’s perilous World Cup campaign
World Cup Fan Festival in Houston to be closed as wild weather continues to hit tournament
The popular World Cup Fan Festival in Houston, Texas is to be closed on Monday amid flood warnings in the area, as extreme weather continues to cause issues at the tournament.
The flood warning runs through to Wednesday, when Portugal open their campaign with their first Group K game against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston.
The Houston Stadium has a roof and it is not expected that the weather will affect the fixture itself, but local organisers have opted to close the fan festival on Monday in anticipation of poor weather.
John Stones reveals his ‘greatest achievements’
Former Manchester City defender John Stones described his ability to continually bounce back from recurring injury setbacks is one of his “greatest achievements”.
The 32-year-old was named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup despite injuries preventing him from playing a full season for his club in the last couple of years.
He was restricted to 18 appearances for Manchester City last season and revealed in October that he considered retiring as a player.
Potter delighted with Isak-Gyokeres combination
Sweden coach Graham Potter was impressed by the chemistry between strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres after they tore Tunisia’s defence to shreds in a 5-1 victory in their World Cup opener.
Both players scored a goal and created a host of other chances as the Swedes cruised to victory.
“Individually, of course, they are top players but I think together they can be a real threat,” said Potter after the game.
“I think they’ll get better and better the more they play; they complement each other very well. I’m really pleased. We know the quality of the individuals in the front positions but they needed a team to function.”
Manchester United receive lucrative deal for Amazon ‘All or Nothing’ documentary
Manchester United have signed a record-breaking deal with Amazon for an All Or Nothing documentary on Michael Carrick’s team this season.
The behind-the-scenes show marks a new direction from United, who have traditionally been reluctant to grant outsiders access.
But they claim they have agreed the highest fee for any comparable sport documentary for the Prime Video show, which will be broadcast in the summer of 2027, which is likely to be in excess of £10m.
It will help their finances, with the club owing more than £1bn and recently taking out a $550m bond at a higher interest rate.
Shooting for the Amazon documentary will begin in pre-season and will cover the women’s and academy teams as well as the men’s side.
The unwanted Premier League reality exposed by Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne’s World Cup showdown
For two ageing greats who contested an epic rivalry over years, the World Cup could provide a last duel. Not Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – or not definitely, anyway, given the number of results required to ensure that Portugal actually do meet Argentina in the Kansas City quarter-final – but Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.
They have met in the Community Shield, the Champions League and the Carabao Cup but theirs is primarily a Premier League battle. Now for the north-west of the United States not the north-west of England. They meet in Seattle as captains of Belgium and Egypt and arguably the Premier League’s two best players of the last decade.
There are cases for Harry Kane and Virgil van Dijk, one for Erling Haaland that is based on a much briefer stay in the division, but De Bruyne and Salah allied creativity with class, assists with goals, medals with magnificence, individual exploits with collective achievement.
Richard Jolly analyses a final showdown between two Premier League greats:
Uruguay blame Fifa after flight chaos hurts plans for World Cup opener
Uruguay’s national team have blamed Fifa after a chaotic start to their World Cup campaign following the delay to their travel from their Mexico base to Miami for their first match.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have travelled to Cancun for final preparations before getting their World Cup underway against Saudi Arabia on Monday but the squad were left waiting as their prepared plane didn’t have clearance to fly to the US. The problem facing the team was reportedly due to issues with paperwork for the aircraft which meant it had not been approved to take the route from Cancun to Miami.
The Uruguayan FA maintained Fifa was responsible, while adding in a statement: “Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15pm.”
A Fifa statement read: “Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team’s departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed. The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused.”
Fifa urged to remove World Cup VAR official over alleged white supremacist hand gesture
Fifa’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup has called for the removal of a video review official after he appeared to make a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign.
Shaun Evans, an Australian official, was seen making an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg when the official broadcast of Germany’s opening game against Curaçao on Sunday cut pre-game to show the team of video review analysts.
Though the game was played in Houston, video officials work in Dallas at the World Cup broadcast centre. The gesture, with thumb and forefinger touched in a circle and other fingers outstretched, was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League in 2019.
Doku’s baby dilemma
Belgium star Jeremy Doku is due to become a father for the first time while the World Cup is still on, and wants to be at the birth, creating a potential dilemma for the team.
The 24-year-old winger is one of the key men for Belgium, who open their World Cup campaign against Egypt in Seattle this evening, and plans for him to leave the United States and return home for the birth of his child are being put in place, Belgian media reported.
Doku told reporters his wife Shireen is due in the second week of July, when the tournament has reached the quarter-final stage, and if Belgium are still involved, he wants to be at the birth.
