Iraq's World Cup striker, Aymen Hussein, was held and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago's O'Hare airport after arriving with the squad early on Saturday, an Iraqi sporting official said.

Balerdi was named in Argentina's 26-man squad last week after consistent performances with Olympique de Marseille, with whom he made 36 appearances across all competitions.

The 2026 World Cup will showcase more than star power. It will stand as a testament to resilience, adaptation, and careers built to last--proof that in modern football, greatness can endure longer than ever before.

His inclusion in the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 represents a victory in a race against time, which began in August 2023 when he suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle during pre-season with Alaves in Spain.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy added.

France drew 35% of the vote in the May 11-June 5 poll to add a third star to their badge, edging out Spain on 31% - broadly in line with betting platforms like Polymarket - a result that would return Europe to the pinnacle of international football.

In three-time World Cup winner Argentina, soccer fever is unusually tempered less than two weeks before the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America.

There is a particular silence that settles over the defeated.

"Lenny tore a muscle bundle today in the final training season and is ruled out because of this injury. Have a good recovery, we're thinking of you," the DFB said on Instagram.

FIFA said Friday it will allow fans to bring one "soft, plastic" disposable water bottle into World Cup venues after its ban on refillable bottles sparked an outcry.

Iran's football squad have been granted visas to enter the United States so they can play in the World Cup, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack confirmed Friday.

The FIFA World Cup is football’s grandest stage. Every four years, when the world's biggest sporting spectacle returns, even the game's greatest stars are willing to push themselves to the limit for a place in their national squad.

Morocco’s heroics at the last World Cup mean they carry a heavy burden of expectation into this month’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., which threatens to hamper their chances.

City are followed by German champions Bayern Munich with 18 players, while Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain share third place with 16 players each.

Spain, one of the favourites to lift the World Cup, were held to a 1-1 draw by Iraq in a warm-up match in La Coruna on Thursday, fielding a heavily rotated lineup.

France, who are one of the World Cup favourites, will play another friendly against Northern Ireland in Lille on Monday

At the very top of that scale stands Austria’s goalkeeper Florian Wiegele, who reaches an extraordinary 2.05 metres (approx. six feet nine inches).

New Zealand footballer Tim Payne met the influencer behind his stunning viral fame on Wednesday, presenting him with a team shirt after gaining almost five million Instagram followers in a week.

Co-hosts Canada will look to capitalise on home support and a talented generation led by Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan as they chase a first-ever World Cup victory and historic progression beyond the group phase.

A trophy was in his hands. Golden, heavy, gleaming. But his eyes were not on that trophy; they were on the thing that, in just a few moments, would be handed to Germany. The World Cup. So close. Close enough to touch, yet untouchable.