Sport

Can Women's Football Reopen North–South Dialogue?

North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC is due to play a South Korean women's team in Suwon on May 20 — the first time Pyongyang has permitted its athletes to travel to the South in more than seven years.

Tiny Elversberg's Historic Rise to the Bundesliga

Where is Elversberg? Elversberg is a small town north-east of Saarbrücken in the small state of Saarland, south-west Germany. As part of Spiesen-Elversberg, the town has a population of around 13,000 but Elversberg alone has just 7,000 people living in it. There is no train station and just three bakeries. What is Elversberg's back story?

Why FIFA Misread India and China’s World Cup Markets

Just weeks from the start of the 2026 World Cup, India is without a broadcasting deal. Talks are reportedly ongoing, with time zones and cost expectations clear stumbling blocks, but there is also a feeling that FIFA has misunderstood its two biggest markets.

FIFA Misreads India and China as World Cup Markets

Just weeks from the start of the 2026 World Cup, India is without a broadcasting deal. Talks are reportedly ongoing, with time zones and cost expectations clear stumbling blocks, but there is also a feeling that FIFA has misunderstood its two biggest markets.

Madonna, Shakira and BTS to Headline World Cup Halftime

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.

US Waives Visa Bonds for World Cup Ticket Holders

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.

Martial arts bring hope to displaced families at stadium

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.

Ticket prices likely to fall, but traveling fans left behind

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.

Bayern Eliminated by PSG in Champions League Semifinal

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.