October 10 – FIFA‘s motto is ‘For the Game. For the World’. Yet, as ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup skyrocket before the draw has been made or a ball has even been kicked, that slogan feels increasingly out of place.
October 9 – Saudi Arabia took a big step towards the 2026 World Cup finals and one of the two remaining Asian qualifying slots with a 3-2 win over Indonesia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Riyadh.
October 8 – Israel’s World Cup qualifier next Tuesday in Italy is a flashpoint in a geopolitical storm. As the Azzurri prepare to host Israel at the Stadio Friuli in Udine next week, the buildup has been defined by protests, politics, and painful questions about the rights and wrongs of invasions and the war in Gaza.
October 8 – As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup gathers pace, TV deals are being inked worldwide. In Germany, the battle for free broadcast rights was intensified after Deutsche Telekom snapped up the exclusive rights on its pay-TV online channel, MagentaTV.
October 5 – While the failure of Iranian FA officials to be granted US visas to attend the World Cup draw made headlines last week, the State Department was announcing that it will increase staffing at a number of US embassies and consulates to cope with the extra demand expected in applications to enter the country for World Cup matches.
The State Department said last Thursday that it will send hundreds of additional consular officers to “designated countries”.
October 5 – The deciders for the last two automatic AFC slots for the 2026 World Cup will be played over the next 10 days with the six remaining teams divided into two winner takes all groups of three.
October 5 – FIFA’s ticket resale platform for the 2026 World Cup has sparked outrage after launching with the most expensive prices in the history of the tournament. Some tickets have already been listed for tens of thousands of dollars, far beyond the reach of ordinary fans.
October 3 – Iran’s FA president Mehdi Taj and national team manager Amir Ghalenoei have reportedly failed to obtain a US visa to attend the World Cup draw on December 5 in Washington D.C.
October 3 – Adidas has unveiled the official match ball for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, launching it in spectacular fashion on the Las Vegas Sphere last night in Nevada.
October 3 – The Oval Office is a news-producing factory, with U.S. President Donald Trump leading the charge in pushing policy and strategy, however, he has been reminded that when it comes to the World Cup, the final word belongs not to Washington, but to FIFA.
October 2 – Kansas City has a dream to become America’s soccer capital. From the rise of Sporting KC to the brand-new CPKC Stadium for the Kansas City Current, the city is a permanent fixture on the football map. Now, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup just months away, the organising committee is putting the pedal to the metal.
October 2 – European fans tuning in to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada may need to adjust their sleep schedules with FIFA considering amended kick-off times to battle the searing North American summer heat.
October 2 – For months, there had been whispers in Buenos Aires that Argentinians might be left staring at a black screen when the 2026 World Cup rolls around. The prospect of Lionel Messi defending their title in North America without millions of fans at home able to follow the action on free-to-air TV at home was unthinkable.
October 2 – Tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have officially gone on sale, even though no one knows the exact schedule until the draw on December 5. Out of 4.5 million lottery applicants, a lucky few have now been granted the first chance to buy seats in FIFA’s very own ‘Wheel of Fortune’ system of ticket access.
September 30 – World players’ union FIFPRO has once again raised the issues of player workload and welfare ahead of next summer’s World Cup as the organisation continues to await talks with FIFA.