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FIFA World Cup
Tickets for the playoffs in Mexico that will determine two of the final World Cup berths are being sold by FIFA for less than $17, far less than the $4,185 to $8,680 FIFA is charging for this year's final in New Jersey. FIFA put tickets on sale Tuesday for the games on March 26 and 31 in Guadalajara and Monterrey involving Bolivia, Congo, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname. Tickets are priced at 200 Mexican pesos ($11.30) for the March 26 semifinals and 300 pesos ($16.95) for the March 31 finals. In Guadalajara, Jamaica plays New Caledonia on March 26 and the winner plays Congo on March 31 for a World Cup berth. In Monterrey, Bolivia faces Suriname on March 26 and the winner goes up against Iraq five days later.
Iran's place at the men's World Cup in three months' time was put in doubt Monday amid an escalating Middle East conflict sparked by the soccer tournament's co-host the United States. Iran is due to play its three group stage games in the U.S. - two in Inglewood, California, then in Seattle - from June 15-26. Cities in Canada and Mexico also will host some of the 104 games. The U.S. and Israel have targeted Iran in coordinated attacks since Saturday that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens more senior officials. It provoked an Iranian response that aimed missiles at U.S. allies including 2022 World Cup host Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which FIFA has picked to stage the 2034 edition. "What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope," said Iran's top soccer official Mehdi Taj, a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation. It is unclear if the state-backed Iranian soccer federation could refuse to sen
Scotland supporters can wear their kilts in all their customary glory at the World Cup. The Scottish Football Association told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it had reached agreement with FIFA for sporrans the traditional fur or leather pouch worn in front of the kilt to be permitted at games despite contravening security limits for entry into stadiums in the United States, which is co-hosting the June 11-July 19 tournament with Canada and Mexico. Scotland has been drawn in Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti with two games in Boston and one in Miami. "FIFA have confirmed that sporrans will be permitted into the stadiums following the standard search and inspection procedures and will continue to work together with the Scottish FA to educate their matchday staff as they prepare to welcome fans to Boston and Miami," Scottish FA spokesperson Graeme Thewliss said. Officials are restricting World Cup ticket holders to only bringing clear see-through bags, or small bags tha
A jacket worn by football legend Pele in the 1966 World Cup has become a hit among fans of pop singer Bad Bunny since he borrowed it from a collector's sports merchandise store and used it in his recent concerts in Sao Paulo, in his first performances on Brazilian soil. Bad Bunny's tribute to the three-time World Cup winner, who died in 2022 at age 82, also included a change in the lyrics of the song MONACO, sung by the Puerto Rican artist as "scoring a goal after Pele and Maradona" instead of "Messi and Maradona." Cassio Brandao, the owner of the Alambrado Futebol e Cultura store, seeks historical soccer memorabilia and jerseys and has more than 7,000 of them. He owns 115 items that belonged to Pele and was involved in Bad Bunny's choice for the jacket. "He took very good care of the piece. It came back only with sweat, wet with sweat, but it was perfect, in the same condition. They were very careful. It returned in the same suitcase," Brandao said. Pele's official Instagram later
Major League Soccer opens its 31st season this weekend, kicking off one of the most consequential two-year stretches in the league's history. There's the impact of the World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer, then, in 2027, MLS will switch to a summer to spring schedule to align more closely with its international counterparts. MLS will take a seven-week break for the World Cup from May 25 to July 16. Many of the league's stars, including Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and LAFC's Son Heung-min, are expected to play in the tournament. MLS is hoping after that to see the so-called "World Cup Bump," or a surge in interest that both men's and women's leagues often experience around soccer's premier tournament. "The World Cup will accelerate the growth of the sport across North America in ways we've never seen before. Major League Soccer is uniquely positioned at the center of that moment, with all 13 host cities in the U.S. and Canada home to MLS clubs," Commissio
Soccer fans were able to apply for tickets to watch specific matches at next year's World Cup for the first time on Thursday as FIFA opened up its latest phase of sales. Following last week's draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published. That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place. Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups. Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for. The third phase of ticket sales is called the Random Selection Draw and fans will be informed if they have been ...
Soccer fans have accused FIFA of a "monumental betrayal" after latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate. The governing body allocates 8% of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans. And a list published by the German soccer federation revealed prices ranged from $180-$700 for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680. Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA's claims of $60 tickets being available, while the target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games. Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as extortionate. This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is, it said in a statement. The English Football ...