The July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey will be the first to include a Superbowl-inspired "Halftime Show," with performances from American veteran Madonna, the Colombian voice of the 2010 and now 2026 World Cup Shakira, and South Korean boyband BTS.
The United States has announced exemptions from visa bond payment requirements for FIFA World Cup ticket holders whose teams have qualified for the soccer tournament. In 2025, the Trump administration began requiring visitors to the US from certain countries to pay bonds of between $5,000 (€4,300) and $15,000 to obtain a tourist visa.
Hassan Seif al-Din never expected that, at the age of 65, he would be teaching martial arts to children in a football stadium in Beirut. But these are not normal times. The coach fled to Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium from Dahiyeh, one of the capital's southern suburbs, along with thousands of others.
Mexico will end the school year more than a month early, the country's education minister has announced, as it prepares to host the World Cup amid a scorching heat wave.
Colombian pop superstar Shakira has shared a minute-long clip of a new song, writing on social media: "From Maracana Stadium, here is 'Dai Dai,' the FIFA World Cup Official Song 2026."
Demand would be, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in January, equivalent to "1,000 years of World Cups at once." But with just a month to go until the start of the 2026 World Cup, tickets remain unsold for most matches, and it's unclear if any games have actually sold out.
The wait for a first Champions League title since 2020 goes on for Bayern Munich after holders Paris Saint-Germain knocked them out at the semifinal stage. A 1-1 draw in Munich on Wednesday completed a 6-5 aggregate win.
Lindsey Vonn arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Monday celebrating the opening of the "Costume Art" exhibition in New York City. The U.S. alpine skier is still recovering from a horrific crash at the Winter Olympics in February.
The women's pro basketball season begins May 8 without Napheesa Collier, who's recovering from surgery. Yet the Minnesota Lynx star's fingerprints are visible across the league. Collier played a notable role in negotiating a new contract that increased the players' share of WNBA revenues, just as those revenues have soared.
Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi, a decorated Italian race driver and later para-cyclist, has died suddenly at the age of 59, his family said in a statement on Saturday. "Alex fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by the affection of his loved ones," the statement said.
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), confirmed on Thursday that it will be cutting funding for its breakaway LIV Golf tour at the end of the current golf season, citing a change in investment strategy and "current macro dynamics" amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
After years of fleeing, fighting, advocating and training, Afghanistan's women have won the right to compete for football's biggest prizes as their country's official national team.