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Iran announced its 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, and Sardar Azmoun, nicknamed the "Iranian Messi," was not on it. Coach Amir Ghalenoei had Azmoun dropped from Iran’s national soccer squad in March, and it was reportedly due to a social media post that angered Iranian authorities. Azmoun, a 31-year-old striker who is well known for his time playing for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma, posted a photo alongside the Emir of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is a known U.S. ally and has shown support for President Donald Trump’s involvement in the war...

Thousands of tickets remain unsold for the United States’ high-priced World Cup opener, with data captured by The Athletic and other sources suggesting that the game is not on pace to sell out at current prices and purchasing rates. As of Thursday evening, two weeks before the 2026 World Cup begins, there were more than 3,500 tickets available on FIFA’s primary portal for the June 12 match between the U.S. and Paraguay. There were also over 6,500 tickets listed on FIFA’s resale platform, meaning there are over 10,000 tickets available for the match, which was initially billed as one of...

The union which represents more than 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium has broken off negotiations with the stadium operators and plans to hold a strike vote next week ahead of the FIFA World Cup. UNITE HERE Local 11 represents workers at the venue who largely work in food and beverage concessions, including cooks, servers and bartenders. The group’s preparedness to call a strike vote was first reported by The Athletic in early April. The potential strike action threatens to impact eight World Cup matches at the venue, which is the home of the NFL’s two Los Angeles teams, the Chargers...

Iran will play all three of its Group G matches on American soil yet base its operations across the border in Mexico... Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, announced Saturday that the team's training base would relocate from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, a border city in Baja California. He cited visa complications and security concerns stemming from the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran that began on February 28. "We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States," Taj said in a video posted...

Team USA is getting ready to defend its goal against swarming World Cup attackers on the field next month – while Team Fed is deputizing local authorities to fend off swarms of potentially deadly drones in the sky. The US has appropriated $250 million this year to battle “nefarious and unlawful” drone use. “Drones are a big threat now. I think they take it very seriously,” said Rep. Robert Aderholdt (R-Alabama), a House Appropriations subcommittee chairman. “It’s a big deal. We’ve got all of this converging on New Jersey,” added Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.). “It’s a real challenge.” In...

The man who ran security at 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Games — where a bomber killed two and wounded more than 100 — warns that Iranian “sleeper cells” are likely plotting attacks during next month’s World Cup, as federal officials race to secure the 39-day competition. “I’m fairly confident there are Iranian sleeper cells or surrogate sleeper cells, and this would be an incredible opportunity for sleeper cells to attack,” Former LAPD Deputy Chief Bill Rathburn told The Post. His comments came after the feds warned about Iranian “prepositioned sleeper assets” in the US while the...

With Iran qualifying for the World Cup , Arad Ershad had visions of splurging on flights and tickets to attend one of the team’s upcoming first-round matches in Los Angeles. That changed when Ershad, a New York graduate student who grew up in Tehran, saw how many of the players he had adored since childhood failed to speak out following its theocratic leadership’s deadly crackdown on protesters in January. “It feels so bad that I do not want them to succeed. They were like my icons, my legends,” he lamented during a recent pickup soccer game on Long Island. “I...

The University of Washington's women's soccer team were humiliated last week after losing to a group of 14-year-old boys. Last season the Washington Huskies finished as the sixth-ranked team in women's college soccer following an impressive run to the Elite Eight stage of the playoffs, with their 15-3-7 record going down as the best in program history. Yet despite their incredible year in 2025, the Huskies were brought crashing down to earth after suffering an embarrassing defeat to Crossfire under-14 boys last Thursday. The scrimmage took place in Seattle on April 30, and ended in a 2-1 victory for Crossfire...

THE 2026 FIFA World Cup is posing a threat to the United States’ expected $30 billion boom. Hotel and flight sales have proven lacklustre with one million tickets still unsold ahead of the World Cup. Overseas soccer fans appear uninterested in attending the upcoming World Cup in the USA. International fans are choosing to boycott the tournament, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s US Hotel Outlook Report. Nearly 80 percent of hotels in nine American host cities claim that they are operating behind initial projections. It has been suggested that FIFA releasing 70 percent of its room blocks...

The delay in Dick Advocaat becoming Curaçao’s head coach might have been ominous but instead it was the foundation for glory. Frustrated by the national federation’s financial problems, he deferred starting until January 2024, when the problems were resolved and players paid, paving the way for a historic World Cup qualifying campaign. Curaçao will be the smallest nation – by land area and population – to play at the World Cup after their 0-0 draw in Jamaica on Wednesday. The Caribbean island has a population of 156,000, sinking the previous record holders, Iceland, which has about 400,000 inhabitants. Last month...

FIFA president Gianni Infantino affirmed on Thursday that Iran will take part in this summer’s World Cup despite the country’s current conflict with the United States. "Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and of course Iran will play in the United States of America," Infantino said during his opening remarks of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. "The reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility." Among the 211-member FIFA congress, Iran was the only absentee. DOOCY: The president...

THE 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be expensive for fans. Depending on what stadium your ticket is for — if you even got one due to exorbitant prices — transit and lodging costs are cripplingly high. This year’s World Cup was marketed as a tournament to get Americans excited about soccer and be a place where all fans could come and watch their countries compete. Instead, it has become a bidding war with both Fifa and local governments setting incredibly high prices. The cheapest tickets for less favorable games start at around $140 for a seat, but can...

Sometimes, doing what you believe is right comes with a cost. For former National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) midfielder Elizabeth Eddy Biggs, she knew that long before she ever hit "post." Mrs. Biggs officially announced her retirement Tuesday after an 11-year professional career. "I'm deeply thankful to God, my family, friends, teammates, staff, coaches and fans for this wild, wonderful journey, both full of blessing and growth," Mrs. Biggs said in a video posted to her social media. (Video: https://x.com/elizabetheddy2/status/2036553794373210317) And, in a conversation with OutKick on Monday, she said she's at peace with how everything unfolded — even if...

An athlete’s silent act of dissent can turn both her and her family into targets of intimidation under the rule of Iran’s radical Islamist regime. After refusing to sing the Islamic Republic’s anthem before a match in Australia, seven members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team sought asylum there, making a desperate choice no athlete should ever face. After the regime issued threats against the seven and jailed their families, five later withdrew their claims and left. And yet from the global capital of women’s soccer, there has been no public solidarity.

1 min video at link: FOX & Friends@foxandfriends“I know that families have even been detained. I know family members are missing.”An Australian official sounds the alarm for Iranian female soccer stars as more players reportedly pull asylum bids after reportedly facing heavy intimidation.“When you do break a contract as an athlete in Iran you can face the death penalty.”

Iran cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup following airstrikes against the country by the United States and Israel, the Iranian sports minister said Wednesday. "Given that this corrupt government assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," Ahmad Donyamali reportedly told Iranian state television. - President Trump says Iran 'welcome' at World Cup, says Infantino - Iraq coach Arnold asks FIFA to reschedule its WC playoff Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the first day of attacks. He has since been succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Iran was due to...

Five members of Iran's women's national team are seeking asylum in Australia following the team's participation at the AFC Asian Cup, and are currently safe and being cared for by local authorities. The players defected on Monday, a day after a 2-0 defeat to the Philippines, which would ensure the team would be eliminated in the group stage. The team was scheduled to depart Gold Coast, Australia, on Monday despite airspace restrictions in the Middle East because of the Iran War, which began on Feb. 28, after the team traveled to take part in the Asian Cup. The Iran War...

New York City doesn’t have enough hotel rooms for hordes of visitors coming to this summer’s FIFA World Cup and should suspend the current restrictions on Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms, business leaders told Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin on Friday. Groups including the Partnership for New York City and chambers of commerce for all five boroughs say the city must pause its short-term rental laws from June 1 to July 31 so more people can stay in the Big Apple during the games — along with celebrations for the country’s 250th anniversary and Fleet...

The Iranian women’s national soccer team made quite the statement on Monday night during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup, as they refused to sing while their national anthem played over the speakers at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. The players were in their customary line before their match against South Korea, when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, looking straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as it appeared there were jeers from the crowd. Later, applause erupted from those in attendance following the 3-0 South Korea victory. Iran’s manager, Marziyeh Jafari,...

Saturday’s major military attack on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces is impacting everything from international diplomacy to the game of soccer. The move by President Trump to strike multiple targets in Iran comes just months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. All three nations automatically qualify as hosts. Iran also qualified for the World Cup. One of the best teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Iran National Team finished atop Group A in the AFC World Cup Qualifying competition, sending them through at the first time of...