Gaza Soccer Player Who Dreamed of Competing in World Cup Can Now Barely Watch It

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across North America, millions of soccer fans around the world are gathering in stadiums, homes, and cafés to watch the tournament. In Gaza, however, where war and its aftermath continue to shape daily life, the World Cup feels distant for many residents. Some are unable to watch matches due to electricity and internet outages, while others have lost the…
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Iran’s Soccer Team Forced to Return to Mexico Immediately After First Game

Members of Iran’s national soccer team expressed frustration about their treatment after they were told the team needed to leave Los Angeles immediately after playing their opening World Cup game against New Zealand on Monday night. After a 2-2 draw in their opening game with New Zealand Monday night, Iran’s team was forced to fly back to Mexico rather than remain in Los Angeles and do a…
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FIFA Proposes Opening Match Between Israel and Palestine for Youth Tournament

FIFA has proposed a match between Israel and Palestine as the opener for a youth tournament set to begin in the U.S. in September in the international body’s latest reactionary move. The tournament will be for soccer players aged 15 and under, and is open to all of FIFA’s member states. This includes Russia, which has been banned from FIFA tournaments since the start of its invasion of…
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Anti-Austerity Protests Rock World Cup Kick-Off in Mexico

We continue our World Cup coverage in Mexico City, where local protesters are using the global event to bring attention to their causes. A sit-in by a teachers’ union is targeting World Cup festivities. And “the mothers of disappeared people have been protesting, trying to reach the stadium in the far south of the city,” says José Luis Granados Ceja, who covers Latin America for Drop Site News.
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Scared of ICE, Angry at Trump, and Facing Red Tape, Many Are Skipping World Cup

Since Donald Trump’s second inauguration, the number of international travelers visiting the United States has fallen by more than 5 percent. The number of Canadians visiting the country has plummeted by more than 20 percent. All told, the fall-off in international tourism has translated into a decline of $8.4 billion in tourists’ spending in the U.S. The World Travel and Tourism Council…
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Iran’s Soccer Team Says US Revoked Its Ticket Allocation Ahead of World Cup 

Iran’s soccer federation says that its ability to issue tickets for the World Cup has been revoked, just days before the start of the tournament — an announcement that comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s draconian border policies have posed hurdles for tournament participants from around the globe. Under regulations set by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, each team receives 8…
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