ORLANDO, Fla. — This week the FIFA World Cup began in the United States, bringing with it all the familiar trappings of modern international sports: billion-dollar television contracts, eye-popping ticket prices, endless social media debate and the promise of a global audience.

For Orlando, however, the tournament’s arrival carries ...Read more

We don’t sit around the same fires anymore.

We don’t watch the same TV shows, or trust the same voices, either.

We haven’t had a “song of the summer” in years.

No, we’ve retreated so deep into our bespoke, glowing silos of aggravation and self-adulation that the outside world feels entirely alien.

But once every four years, the ...Read more

IRVINE, Calif. — It only took two words for one of the U.S. men’s soccer team’s most important players to get everyone talking.

“I’m ready,” star centerback Chris Richards said before Wednesday’s practice, and after a few days on the field, where he looked good in his recovery from torn ankle ligaments.

“It’s a World Cup, so ...Read more

During the Nazi occupation of Paris, the Gestapo frequently raided Pablo Picasso’s Left Bank apartment and studio at 7 rue de Grands-Augustins, a few steps from the Seine.

On one of the raids, sometime in 1940 or 1941, a Gestapo agent pointed to a photograph of “Guernica,” the Spanish artist’s masterpiece mural depicting the 1937 Nazi ...Read more

SANTA CLARA – Matt Greiner, the San Francisco 49ers’ ace groundskeeper, meticulously and slowly sprayed white paint on what typically serves as the Niners’ home sideline at Levi’s Stadium.

This time, Wednesday’s work was among the finishing touches for the FIFA World Cup.

Saturday’s noon match between Switzerland and Qatar marks ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — On the eve of the World Cup kickoff, FIFA President Gianni Infantino called for patience in the face of a series of crises that threaten to overshadow the start of the tournament, led by the case of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied entry into the United States.

On Thursday, Mexico faces South Africa at the ...Read more

MIAMI — This week and into July should remind us why we’re sports fans. Soccer’s quadrennial men’s World Cup intersecting with the crescendos of the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final should make it tough to complain. Whether your fandom is avid or casual, driven by money wagered or just by the glory of athleticism at its best, finding ...Read more

MEXICO CITY — The star-studded opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup will unfold Thursday afternoon in Mexico City.

The Mexican capital joins Guadalajara as the only cities to host games during three editions of the World Cup. Shakira will headline the pre-match spectacle alongside Mexican music stars Alejandro Fernández and Los Ángeles ...Read more

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry into the United States for the World Cup after enduring an 11-hour interrogation in Miami, according to media reports. Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, indicated Artan was suspected to having ties to a Somali militant group.

"We want to make sure we are ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to start Thursday with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City and South Korea taking on Czechia in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The tournament then heads north on Friday, with Canada facing Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto before the United States opens Group D play against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.

Here'...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Julian Ryerson hadn't learned to walk the last time Norway played in the World Cup. He was just 7 months old then, and if he had known his country was going to go 0 for the 21st century when it came to World Cup qualifying, he might have considered pursuing a sport other than soccer.

But that drought will finally end next week ...Read more

SEATTLE — This week, travelers from all around the world will descend on the United States and Seattle for the FIFA Men's World Cup, the monthlong soccer celebration unmatched in its size, scope and global interest.

The World Cup remains the most watched sporting event in the world. FIFA, the global governing body for the sport, announced ...Read more

CHICAGO — Local immigration advocates are calling for more welcoming visa policies for the World Cup tournament after members of the Iraqi national team were denied entry at O’Hare International Airport late last week.

Several members of the Iraqi team were detained for questioning on June 5 upon their arrival at O’Hare, the busiest ...Read more

IRVINE, Calif. — Most of the time in soccer, one of the first things a team does is set its starting goalkeeper. But for the U.S. men, it appears that will be one of the last things that happens.

Leading candidates Matt Freese and Matt Turner have said in recent days that they don’t know who will get the nod for Friday’s group stage ...Read more

IRVINE, Calif. — In January 1993, the U.S. men’s national soccer team arrived at its training facility ahead of the 1994 World Cup at a community park in Mission Viejo.

Torrential rains rendered the two grass fields unplayable. The clubhouse was three months from completion. Players changed across the street in a strip mall next to a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A strike that had the potential to disrupt the U.S. World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium has been averted, with United Here Local 11 and Legends Global, the stadium's food-service operator, agreeing Tuesday to a tentative deal.

The nearly 2,000 workers represented by the union, which includes dishwashers, concession workers, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — FIFA has revoked the ticket allocation for Iran fans at the team's three World Cup group games, the country's football federation said Tuesday.

Each federation for the 48 teams taking part in the World Cup typically receives and distributes 9% of stadium capacity. However, with Iran scheduled to begin play June 15 against New ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — A roster loaded with generational talent, a lengthy unbeaten streak, a successful qualification run highlighted by a convincing win against Argentina, a World Cup in the United States, a sexy pick to win in it all, belief, hope, dreams, aspirations, expectations.

It all seems so familiar.

It all seems so frightening.

Colombia’...Read more

LOS ANGELES — More men have been elected president of the United States than have played for the U.S. in a World Cup game on home soil.

It is among the rarest of achievements in a country that has achieved so much.

Two dozen Americans have flown to the moon, 116 have sat on the Supreme Court, 25 have run a mile in under 3:51 and 76 have won ...Read more