World Cup 2026 news live updates: Latest updates on tickets and more as March qualifiers approach – The New York Times

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There are less than 100 days to go until the start of the 2026 World Cup across North America.
News is breaking every day about this summer's tournament and there is no better place to follow it all than here at The Athletic.
Along with our live coverage, our 2026 World Cup hub is a useful to place to find the latest reports and analysis.
Given how much is on the line, your club remains the priority in the build-up to a World Cup.
The tournament isn’t a distraction — it’s a motivator. Clubs benefit, with form a positive byproduct from players pushing themselves to be at the tournament.
It’s the season after the World Cup where clubs suffer. It used to take me about six months to physically and emotionally recover.
You’ve pushed hard to make the squad; it’s difficult to be mentally fresh and go again when pre-season lands.
That’s the key now we're less than 100 days before the tournament: concentrate on yourself and your club — the World Cup will take care of itself.
Expect manager Jesse Marsch to bring a large roster to his March camp, which could mean as many as 30 players. The coaching staff wants to get one last look at as many potential contributors as possible before June.
Marsch and Canada Soccer have engaged in informal discussions over extending him as coach before the World Cup, and the sense is that things are continuing to trend in that direction.
Canada is hopeful for Davies’ participation in March, in what would be his first national team camp in a year. There’s also the matter of determining where he will play.
Davies likely wants to play higher up the pitch in an attacking role. He has the pace, dribbling and crossing abilities to make a difference in the final third. But Canada sees Davies at his best at left-back.
New kits will be launched in mid-March, too, likely right before the friendlies. It sounds like Canada is swinging for the fences in the hope of appealing to a wide audience.
It’s likely to unveil three kits, ones that are red, white and black, with the latter said to be drawing rave reviews from the players.
On a snowy Tuesday evening in Massachusetts, the local select board of Foxboro once again bared its teeth over a $7.8 million gap in World Cup security funding.
After a remarkable, and at times tetchy session at Foxboro Town Hall, FIFA was left no closer to securing the entertainment license required to hold games at the Gillette Stadium during this summer’s World Cup.
The Kraft Group, the venue’s owner, has effectively sub-licensed the venue to FIFA during the tournament, meaning it is FIFA which requires the entertainment license.
Yet FIFA, despite being the applicant for the license, was not directly represented at the event.
Dr. Mark Elfman, a select board member and chiropractor by trade, told The Athletic in a short interview he had not been surprised by the lack of progress. “I was expecting the same bulls***… They didn’t give us any more information. It’s sad. It should have been done months ago.”
The World Cup, which FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed will drive over $11 billion in revenue for the organization, finds itself scrapping over $7.8 million — just over three months away from the tournament's start date.
Sixteen cities spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada will host the World Cup’s 104 matches across a 39-day period this summer.
The World Cup is a huge operation, costing each host city hundreds of millions of dollars and leading to big changes to environment and infrastructures, so the three host nations are as ready as they can be to host arguably the greatest sporting show on earth.
For some, the build-up to the 48-team tournament is passing without conflict or controversy.
But for others, there have been tensions and disagreements over funding, concerns over security, fan festivals scrapped and, in the case of Guadalajara, serious unrest after widespread cartel violence last month.
With 100 days to go until the tournament kicks off in Mexico City on June 11, our reporters look at the key storylines in each of the 16 host cities. Read below for more…
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Guadalajara, Boston and New York: The key storylines around the World Cup’s 16 host cities
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he doesn’t care if Iran participates in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host.
Iran has qualified, and is scheduled to play matches in Los Angeles and Seattle, but its participation has been thrown into doubt by the American and Israeli military assault that has killed Iranian leaders and triggered a widening conflict in the Middle East.
The attacks have raised questions about whether Iran will send a team to the World Cup or whether the U.S. government might restrict the Iranian team’s participation.
Trump, in an interview with Politico, was asked about the subject. “I really don’t care (if Iran participates),” he reportedly said. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”
His statement clashes with the message that FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, has sent over the past year as it attempted to reassure the world that everyone, from players to fans, would be “welcome” at the tournament.
The World Cup trophy has been on a tour around Zapopan in Mexico, one of the host venues for this year's tournament near the city of Guadalajara.
Come June, 48 nations will be competing to get their hands on the iconic piece of silverware — the biggest prize in men's football.
These were the scenes in Guadalajara, Mexico yesterday as the countdown clock approached 100 days to go.
The Akron Stadium in Zapopan, a suburb west of the city, is set to host four games during the tournament, though the atmosphere has been tense following widespread cartel violence in late February.
“At FIFA Mexico, we are closely monitoring the situation in Jalisco (State) and remain in constant communication with the authorities,” a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic about the situation in the region.
“We will continue to follow the actions and directions from the different government agencies, aimed at maintaining public safety and restoring normalcy.”
The ongoing U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran have plunged the Middle East into uncertainty.
The bombing of several major Iranian cities, which U.S. President Donald Trump told the New York Times is “intended” to last “four to five weeks” if necessary, has killed the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and also sparked retaliatory attacks.
In that context, the consequences for this summer’s men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico may seem trivial.
Yet the events of the past 48 hours have raised questions about whether Iran will send a team to the tournament or if the U.S. government — which has already barred Iranian nationals from traveling to the States, though with an exemption for sports teams — would restrict Iran’s participation.
Mattias Grafström, general secretary of FIFA, football’s world governing body, said Saturday that “of course, our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”
And a FIFA source with knowledge of the matter told The Athletic on Sunday that no plans have changed.
GO FURTHER
What happens if Iran do not play at the World Cup?
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a torn meniscus in his right knee, the club has confirmed.
Surgery is set to follow, which is expected to see the Brazil international sidelined for up to a year, ruling him out of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
“Following tests carried out today on our player Rodrygo by Real Madrid’s medical services, he has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn outer meniscus in his right leg,” a club statement read.
On a personal level for Rodrygo, missing the World Cup will also be a huge blow.
He was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s two first Brazil squads as manager but returned for the October and November international breaks, scoring twice in a friendly against South Korea and providing an assist against Senegal.
He played in all five of his country’s games at the 2022 World Cup, but saw his penalty saved in the quarter-final shootout which Brazil lost to Croatia.
FIFA will sell all tickets to this month’s World Cup qualifying playoffs in Mexico for less than $20, a sharp departure from its controversial prices for the actual World Cup.
The playoffs, set for March 26 and March 31 at World Cup stadiums near Guadalajara and Monterrey, will fill two of the last six spots at this summer’s tournament.
In one, Jamaica faces New Caledonia at Estadio Akron, with the winner advancing to meet the Democratic Republic of Congo five days later. In the other, Bolivia plays Suriname at Estadio BBVA, with the winner facing Iraq.
FIFA launched ticket sales for both on Tuesday morning, and said in a news release shared with The Athletic that prices would range from 200 to 300 Mexican pesos, which is roughly $11.30 to $17.
Read more about the significance of the playoff ticket sales here.
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FIFA selling World Cup qualifying intercontinental playoff tickets for less than $20
With 100 days until the World Cup kicks off, 24 of our journalists based in North America and Europe and pulled together a comprehensive guide to the tournament.
From beginners’ questions to on-field action, off-field organization, tickets, costs, politics and more, we have you covered here.
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100 World Cup 2026 questions answered: What to know about soccer, USMNT, tickets and more
Who are you most excited to see at this summer's World Cup?
With 100 days to go, 100 members of staff here at The Athletic have had a go at answering that question.
They were encouraged to not all pick Lionel Messi (three still did), and quite surprisingly there were also two votes for Endrick.
My choice was a little boring but was a decision borne out of no one else picking him before me.
📝 Kylian Mbappe has regularly done his best stuff on the World Cup stage. It would be remiss to presume anything other than the 2024 Golden Boot winner being a protagonist again this year.
You can have a look at our full list at the link below.
GO FURTHER
World Cup 2026, 100 days to go: 100 staff choose the players they’re most excited to watch
Good morning! And welcome along to The Athletic where our rolling coverage of the 2026 World Cup continues.
The last couple of weeks have been busy with this summer's tournament in mind as a result of tensions in Mexico and the Middle East, while match tickets remain a hot topic among fans.
We will include the updates on each of those topics in this live coverage throughout the week, so stick with us.

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