WORLD CUP 2026

7 June, 2026

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

WORLD CUP 2026: Countdown Diary

The 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America is fast approaching, and the Star Sports team is bringing you every major story, breaking update, squad announcement and tournament talking point in our World Cup Countdown Diary.

THE COUNTDOWN TO WORLD CUP 2026 IS ON!

🏆 2 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Tuesday 9 June

❌ Somali referee Omar Artan says he was subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview before being denied entry to the United States for the World Cup despite holding the “right papers” and “right visa”.

Artan, who was set to be the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals, was dropped from the list of officials on Monday after he was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport.

A Fifa statement on the decision said: “Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.

“Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.”

🇫🇷 Michael Olise stole the show as he scored a hat-trick in France’s 3-1 win over Northern Ireland last night. The 2024 runners up enjoyed a winning send-off to the World Cup and ensured Didier Deschamps’ final game as manager on home soil ended positively, with a dominant performance against a young visiting side.

🎙️ England Legend Frank Lampard joined The Inside Channel to discuss England’s squad and share his major tournament memories, including ‘the goal that never was’ against Germany in South Africa! Click below for our episode:

THE INSIDE CHANNEL: Frank Lampard Exclusive | Who played their way into England’s Team? | Scotland’s friendly row | EP 2

🏆 3 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Monday 8 June

🇪🇸 Spain wrapped up their pre-World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Peru in Puebla, Mexico. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring inside two minutes before Pedri doubled the lead, with a Pedro Gallese own goal sealing the win despite a consolation strike from Jairo Vélez.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice will be England’s vice-captain for the World Cup.

Rice, who has just helped Arsenal win the Premier League for the first time since 2003-04 and reach the Champions League final, earned 72 caps for the Three Lions and will be one of the most experienced players in Thomas Tuchel’s starting line-up and filled in as captain during Harry Kane’s absence for the October friendly against Wales, when Ollie Watkins replaced Kane in the England attack.

🏆 4 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Sunday 7 June

🇮🇷 Iran’s squad landed at their new base in Tijuana, Mexico, amidst a major visa row with the US government. While the players finally received clearance, multiple key administrative staff—including federation chief Mehdi Taj—were denied visas, forcing the team to negotiate flying into Los Angeles on matchdays only.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England ground out a tight 1-0 win over New Zealand in their warm-up clash in Tampa. Harry Kane scored the only goal with a header deep in first-half stoppage time, though Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled to truly find their rhythm in the blistering Florida heat.

🏆 5 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Saturday 6 June

🇧🇷 Brazil secured a 2-1 victory over Egypt in Cleveland. Bruno Guimaraes opened the scoring early before teenage star Endrick added a second-half winner, though an apparent muscle injury to right-back Wesley dampened the celebrations.

🇦🇷 Argentina rested Lionel Messi but still cruised past Honduras 2-0 in Texas. Lautaro Martinez stole the show by scoring the opener and providing a sharp assist for strike partner Giovanni Simeone to wrap up a comfortable tune-up.

🇺🇸 The United States suffered a close 2-1 defeat to Germany at a packed Soldier Field. Antonee Robinson scored a stunning equaliser off the crossbar, but Leroy Sané struck in the 57th minute to hand Mauricio Pochettino his first loss.

🏆 6 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Friday 5 June

💧🇬🇧 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says FIFA’s decision to stop fans bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup stadiums is “wrong” and was “about making money.”

FIFA’s code of conduct for ticket holders had previously permitted an empty, transparent, reusable bottle of up to one litre capacity to be brought in, but as first reported by The Athletic, an update to ticket holders on June 2 confirmed reusable bottles were no longer permitted.

🇺🇸 Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards of the USA is unavailable for Saturday’s friendly against Germany. Richards has a continuing ankle problem, and may yet miss out.

“He’s still not ready to compete and to play,” Mauricio Pochettino said ahead of a training session. “We have the next few days to assess him … and then make a decision.

🎟️ 💵 Fifa has cancelled World Cup tickets for about 60 fans who were able to mistakenly purchase them for free due to a website error, and world soccer’s governing body is now asking for them to be paid in full.

The affected fans were notified on Wednesday about tickets that were “allocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process“.

“The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount. FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused.”

🏆 7 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Thursday 4 June

🇬🇭 England’s group opponents Ghana drew against Wales in Cardiff. Substitute Caleb Yirenkyi tapped home a clever 66th-minute opener, but Lewis Koumas broke the Black Stars’ hearts with a thumping 93rd-minute equalizer to snatch a dramatic 1-1 draw.

💵 FIFA has confirmed a website glitch has left dozens of fans getting free tickets for the World Cup 2026. Football’s world governing body confirmed to Sky News’ Rob Harris that around 60 supporters had secured seats at “0 USD” following a checkout error. The World Cup organisers also said “The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount,” it said.

🏆 8 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Wednesday 3 June

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 No kilts for the Tartan Army! The Scotland squad will not repeat the show-stopping arrival of the 1998 team after the players decided against wearing a kilt before their opening World Cup match versus Haiti.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is poised to make his England debut in the forthcoming World Cup warm-up games in the United States. This comes as they await the arrivals of Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson following their involvement in European finals.

🏆 9 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Tuesday 2 June

🇨🇭 Switzerland’s World Cup squad travelled to the United States without Breel Embolo on Tuesday after the forward’s Esta authorisation was placed under review.

The 29-year-old, who has scored 23 goals in 85 games for his country and played in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, was convicted in 2023 of making multiple threats and handed a suspended fine, leading to a review of his Esta – an automated system that determines if an international visitor is eligible to enter the US without a traditional visa.

In a statement, the Swiss Federation said: “We are currently in contact with the relevant authorities and expect that Breel will either join the team later today or travel tomorrow and join the squad then.”

🇹🇷 Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler, who picked up the Champions League Revelation of the Season award, has been named in Turkey’s 26-man World Cup squad. Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and Brighton defender Ferdi Kadioglu have also been included in head coach Vincenzo Montella’s final squad.

🏆 10 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Monday 1 June

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The England squad officially reported to their pre-World Cup training camp in Palm Beach, Florida. Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott was flown in to train along with the wider squad after a fine end to the season with Bournemouth, ahead of upcoming warm-up friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica. 17-year-old Liverpool forward Rio Ngumoha, and Fulham’s Josh King will also train with the official squad.

🇺🇸 Meanwhile, the United States Men’s National Team kicked off their warm-ups with a 3-2 victory over Senegal. Star man Christian Pulisic emphatically snapped a six-month international goal drought, netting a clinical right-footed strike and providing an assist to kickstart Mauricio Pochettino’s pre-tournament preparations with a welcome confidence boost.

🏆 11 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Sunday 31 May

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Manchester United wonderkid Tyler Fletcher has been called up to Scotland’s World Cup squad, replacing Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour after the former Chelsea star was forced to withdraw through injury.

🇺🇾 Meanwhile, Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez has been left out of Uruguay’s World Cup squad despite scoring six goals in just 11 MLS appearances this season. The Uruguay legend and all-time leading goalscorer misses out in one of the biggest selection decisions ahead of the tournament.

🏆 12 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Saturday 30 May

🇨🇦 Canada manager Jesse Marsch has included Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies, despite his recent injuries, in what he described the best 26-man squad “ever assembled” by co-hosts Canada for this summer’s World Cup.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland boss Steve Clarke says he is “100 per cent worried” about Billy Gilmour after the midfielder hobbled off injured against Curacao on the eve of the World Cup.

🏆 13 days to go… 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇺🇸
Friday 29 May

🇦🇷 Argentina have announced their World Cup squad, which, as expected, features Lionel Messi in what surely will be his last ever World Cup. After winning the 2022 tournament after a thrilling final against France, can they go back-to-back?

#SelecciónMayor Con toda la fuerza de los argentinos 💪🏻🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/84Lh03BgxH

— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) May 28, 2026

📱 Tim Payne has become an unlikely viral star after Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini urged fans to make the New Zealand defender a World Cup hero. Payne’s Instagram following skyrocketed from fewer than 5,000 to more than one million in just days after he was identified as the “least-known player” at the tournament.

🇧🇷 Brazil forward Neymar will not play in his country’s upcoming friendly matches and could also miss their World Cup opener. The 34-year-old has been ruled out for “two to three weeks” with a calf injury.