Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It was the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, before succumbing to Lionel Messi's Argentina in a classic.
We are now just hours away from the start of the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with all 48 teams having made their way to North America with dreams of glory driving them. All of the pre-qualifying favourites made it safely through, including Spain, Brazil, England, France and defending champions Argentina.
Robert Lewandowski is said to have been left deeply affected following the tragic and sudden death of Poland assistant coach Jacek Magiera. The Barcelona striker, who remained on the bench during Saturday's 4-1 derby win over Espanyol, took to social media to pay a heartfelt tribute to his long-time colleague and friend. The 49-year-old tragically died after falling ill while jogging.
Dejan Kulusevski has issued a defiant blast to his international rivals as he enters the final stages of a gruelling rehabilitation process. The Tottenham winger has not featured since May 2025 after suffering a right kneecap injury, but even with his World Cup participation hanging in the balance, he is refusing to lower his expectations for Sweden’s summer campaign.
Al-Wakrah
