Fanduel New Customer Offer: Up to $1,000 in Bonus Bets
FIFA World Cup Trophy (Photo by Mandel NGAN – Pool/Getty Images)
Pope Leo said he plans to support the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving the USMNT an unusual high-profile supporter before the tournament begins.
Speaking to a journalist aboard a flight from Rome to Madrid, Leo said he would “certainly support the U.S.” and wished the team well, though he added that he did not know how many games he would be able to watch.
The U.S. are co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico and will play Paraguay, Australia and Turkey in Group D.
Leo, the first U.S. leader of the Catholic Church, is originally from a Chicago suburb but spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru. He previously said he would support Peru over the United States in a soccer matchup, but Peru did not qualify for this year’s World Cup.
The pope also weighed in on Spanish club soccer, saying that while “the pope is for all teams,” Robert Prevost is for Real Madrid.
FULL 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
A World Cup prediction model with a strong recent track record is attracting attention before the 2026 tournament.
German mathematician and economist Joachim Klement, whose model correctly picked Germany in 2014, France in 2018 and Argentina in 2022, has projected the Netherlands to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Klement’s model uses factors such as FIFA rankings, population size, GDP per capita, football culture and randomness. This time, it projects the Netherlands to beat Portugal in the final, with England and Spain losing in the semifinals.
The Netherlands have reached three World Cup finals but have never won the tournament, finishing runner-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
Klement, however, has warned against treating the projection as anything close to certainty. Speaking to Der Spiegel, he described the exercise as “like playing the lottery.”
Still, after three straight correct picks, the model gives fans another storyline to follow as the World Cup approaches.
Unionized workers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, have voted to authorize a strike days before the venue hosts the United States’ World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12.
The vote does not guarantee a walkout, but it gives roughly 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks and dishwashers the option to strike if contract talks remain stalled with the stadium’s food service provider, Legends Global.
UNITE HERE Local 11 said workers are seeking better pay, job security and protections related to subcontracting and potential immigration enforcement around World Cup events.
Legends Global said it has a long-standing relationship with the union and remains committed to reaching an agreement through negotiations.
SoFi Stadium is one of the key U.S. World Cup venues and is scheduled to host multiple matches during the tournament.
U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has ruled Chris Richards out of Saturday’s friendly against Germany as the center back continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
Richards injured his ankle on May 17 while playing for Crystal Palace and has not appeared since. He missed Palace’s final Premier League match of the season, the UEFA Conference League final and the USMNT’s friendly win over Senegal on Sunday.
Pochettino said Richards is training but is “not ready to compete and to play,” adding that the defender is still in the recovery process.
Richards will be assessed over the next several days before the USMNT decide whether he can be available for their World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12.
Iran’s World Cup players have received visas to enter the United States, a U.S. official told Reuters, easing one of the major logistical concerns before their first match of the tournament.
However, Iranian media reported that some administrative staff members still had not received visas. According to Tasnim, those affected include executive director Mehdi Kharati, federation secretary general Hedayat Mombini and media director Mohsen Motamedkia.
The unresolved visa situation comes after Iran moved its World Cup base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, with the team expected to keep its time in the United States as limited as possible.
Iran are scheduled to open Group G against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, where they will also face Belgium before playing Egypt in Seattle.
FIFA has changed its World Cup stadium policy again, confirming that fans will be allowed to bring one sealed disposable water bottle into matches in the United States and Canada.
Under the updated rule, each fan can enter with one soft plastic, factory-sealed bottle of up to 20 ounces, or 590 milliliters. Hard-sided and reusable bottles will still not be allowed because of what FIFA described as safety and security concerns.
The change follows criticism from supporters’ groups, public officials and politicians after FIFA’s stadium code of conduct was updated earlier in the week to ban reusable water bottles. Previous guidance had allowed fans to bring an empty, transparent reusable bottle of up to one liter.
The issue has become especially sensitive because the 2026 World Cup will be played across 16 stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with several host cities expected to face high summer temperatures.
FIFA said it is working with host cities and local authorities on heat-mitigation measures around venues, including hydration stations, misting areas, fans and cooling tents. However, reusable bottles remain banned, meaning the policy is likely to stay under scrutiny once fans begin arriving for matches.
Saturday features one of the strongest pre-World Cup friendly schedules of the final preparation window.
Several World Cup teams are in action, including Portugal, the United States, Germany, England and Brazil, as they continue final tuneups before the tournament begins on June 11. Defending champion Argentina are also preparing for an important friendly against Honduras, with Lionel Messi’s fitness now one of the biggest storylines of the final week before kickoff.
Portugal face Chile at 1:45 p.m. ET, with Roberto Martinez’s team using the match as another chance to sharpen its attack before the group stage. Chile did not qualify for the World Cup, but still offers Portugal a useful test against a competitive South American opponent.
One of the top games of the day comes later, when the United States face Germany at 2:30 p.m. ET. For the USMNT, it is a major final test against one of Europe’s strongest teams before the pressure of a home World Cup begins. Germany, meanwhile, get another opportunity to measure themselves against one of the tournament hosts.
England continue their World Cup preparations against New Zealand at 4:00 p.m. ET. The match gives Thomas Tuchel another chance to evaluate his squad before England begin their tournament campaign, while New Zealand continue preparations for their return to the World Cup stage.
Brazil are also on the schedule, facing Egypt at 6:00 p.m. ET in another notable friendly involving two World Cup teams.
Argentina’s situation is also worth watching. Manager Lionel Scaloni said Lionel Messi is improving from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring and has already trained partly with the group. Messi suffered the injury on May 25 while playing his final match for Inter Miami before joining Argentina’s camp.
Scaloni said Messi could receive minutes in one of Argentina’s final two friendlies, either against Honduras on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, or against Iceland on Tuesday in Auburn, Alabama.
Argentina open their World Cup title defense against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City before facing Austria and Jordan in Group J.
Scaloni also said Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina, Nico Paz and Gonzalo Montiel are training separately while recovering from injuries, and Argentina do not want to take risks with them in the friendlies. He added that Argentina would replace any player on the 26-man roster if the staff determines that player is not fully available for the tournament.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, and this live blog will be our home for daily tournament updates from now through the final.
We are launching it five days before the opening match with the latest World Cup news, friendly results, squad updates, injury reports, team preparations, odds movement and major storylines from the final stretch before kickoff.
Once the tournament begins on June 11, this page will be updated every day with the latest fixtures, scores, results, standings and key developments. During the group stage, we will track every group, every result and every qualification race. When the World Cup moves into the knockout stage, the focus will shift to the bracket, elimination games, upset alerts, star performances and the road to the final.
Over the next six weeks, we will follow the biggest stories from the first 48-team World Cup, with daily updates on matches, results, standings, injuries, team news, odds, qualification scenarios and major talking points from across the tournament.
This blog will also highlight the key storylines around the host nations, title contenders, breakout players and teams trying to make history at the biggest World Cup ever.
Check back daily for live updates throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA will allow sealed water bottles at World Cup games in the U.S. and Canada after backlash over heat and fan safety concerns.
FIFA canceled dozens of World Cup ticket orders after a website error allowed fans to secure seats without being charged.
White House Task Force Executive Director Andrew Giuliani says preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been underway for years as officials tackle unprecedented security challenges.
Betting Options100
Product Features94.72
Bonuses & promotions89.25
Reliability & Trust98.86
Payments90.57
Player Experience90.53
Betting Options100
Product Features97.72
Bonuses & promotions86.25
Reliability & Trust92.86
Payments86.57
Player Experience88.53
Betting Options100
Product Features90.72
Bonuses & promotions89
Reliability & Trust91.86
Payments80.57
Player Experience89.53
Rated <b>4.6</b> out of 5
Review us on
Never miss an insight
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the most relevant insights on sports entertainment.
Copyright © 2026 RG. All Rights Reserved.View all disclaimers
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive compensation when users click on operator links. This does not influence our content.
Publisher: RG.org is owned and operated by MetaReviews Inc., company number 7704087 at 8 THE GREEN, STE B, DOVER, Kent County, DE, 19901
Leave a Reply