Latest news with #FIFA2026
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Could Lionel Messi Face Lamine Yamal On South American Soil In 2026?
March 2026 could see Lionel Messi and South American champion Argentina take on Lamine Yamal and European champion Spain in the 'Finalissima' trophy. A 'Finalissima' For The Ages The 'Finalissima' is a one-off soccer match between the champion of Europe and the champion of South America. At the moment those teams are Spain, for its 2024 European triumph, and Argentina, for its 2024 Copa America victory. Organizers have finally penciled in a preliminary date for this game. The March 2026 FIFA international break. This would be the perfect FIFA 2026 World Cup warm-up match, and perhaps it would determine who will be the favourite for next summer's big tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Veteran Lionel Messi still captains Argentina, and 18 year-old Lamine Yamal is the hero of the Spanish national team. Messi is a Barcelona legend, and Yamal is the future of the club, who has just inherited the legendary number 10 jersey that Messi used to wear. These players represent so much in global soccer, and this could be the first and only time that they share the field. Where Will The Finalissima Be Played? Officials have not yet confirmed the location of the Finalissima match. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, England and Uruguay have all registered interest in hosting the event according to TYC Sports in Argentina. Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup when Argentina won the title and Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup. England, and Wembley stadium in particular, has hosted three Champions League finals since 2011. It also hosted the 'Euro 2020' Final in 2021 and the last version of the Finalissima, which took place in 2022. Argentina defeated Italy 3-0 that day. Montevideo, Uruguay is a romantic option for this fixture. The historic Estadio Centenario hosted the 1930 World Cup final when Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2. That was the first ever World Cup final. What's more, the stadium is set to close its doors for refurbishment ahead of hosting just one game at the start of the FIFA 2030 World Cup, to celebrate the centenary of the biggest tournament in international sports. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the majority of the 2030 tournament. However Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will all host one game each to kick-off the tournament in homage to the World Cup that took place on South American soil in 1930. The Finalissima could be the last match Uruguay stages at the Estadio Centenario before it closes to prepare for the next World Cup. When you consider that Uruguay and South America didn't win the bid to host the FIFA 2030 World Cup in its entirety, perhaps this would be a nice token. Europe hosted the last version of the Finalissima, so it seems fair that South America could host the event this time. Will There Definitely Be A Finalissima? There is an important caveat to this discussion. Teams can only play the Finalissima during the international window that falls between March 23rd and 31st, 2026. It's the only space in the calendar, so Argentina and Spain need to be available to play, but the European champion might still be playing World Cup qualifying fixtures. Argentina have already qualified for next summer's tournament, but Spain is just about to begin its FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying group. If Spain finish top of the group it will qualify automatically for the World Cup in November 2025. However if Spain fails to finish top of the group and enters the European World Cup play-offs, Spain will not be available to play the Finalissima in March 2026. Organizers can agree on a venue and date in principle, but until Spain finishes its FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November nothing can be guaranteed. What is certain is that if this game goes ahead it will be a monumental occasion in international football. Seeing Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal on the same pitch would be historic. If South America hosts the game, fans will elevate the vibrancy, passion, and noise around the fixture to a whole new level.
Hamilton Spectator
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
City staff to study ‘creative options' to get buses moving on Bathurst and Dufferin north of Bloor
City staff are going back to the drawing board to find a way to speed up transit on Bathurst and Dufferin streets north of Bloor without sacrificing parking spaces — at least not permanently. Council approved a motion Wednesday to study ways to bolster transit speed along that stretch of road temporarily to accommodate more commuters during next year's FIFA World Cup , which is expected to bring in an estimated 300,000 visitors. Originally, the RapidTO plan for the area would have permanently removed 138 paid parking spots on Bathurst and 128 on Dufferin to make dedicated bus lanes. Opponent s said this would hurt businesses , while c ommuters said they needed the lanes to escape traffic . Now, the city's transportation division is tasked with finding 'creative options' to give buses a boost on Bathurst and Dufferin, such as banning parking during rush hour and creating high-occupancy vehicle lanes while the international soccer tournament is in town next summer . Congestion has made many Bathurst bus riders late for work, Mayor Olivia Chow said during council. This is because they are frequently stalled along the route by drivers who 'run in to get something while blocking an entire lane of traffic.' 'One or two people end up blocking 60, 80, 100 transit riders,' she said. 'It doesn't work. It's causing a lot of frustration. It's making our service unreliable.' Councillors Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches–East York), Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) and James Pasternak (Ward 6, York Centre) voted against the motion to study the altered RapidTO plan. None of the dissenting councillors' wards overlap with the proposed bus lanes. 'I'll tell you what I think this is really about,' said Holyday. 'I think it's about the city of Toronto looking nouveau, looking progressive with these bright red lanes, so that all the FIFA visitors can say, 'Look at that! What a progressive city!'' Meanwhile, council approved setting up dedicated bus and bike lanes on Dufferin between Bloor and King West and on Bathurst from Bloor to Lake Shore Boulevard West, with a gap between Nassau and Dundas streets for Toronto Western Hospital. This was voted on separately and passed 18-5. 'RapidTO is about prioritizing people over cars,' said Coun. Jaamal Myers (Ward 23, Scarborough North), who is also TTC board chair. 'It's about ensuring our public transit system is reliable, fast, convenient and fair, especially as we get ready to host major events, such as FIFA 2026.' Speaking to reporters, Myers said it is 'intellectually dishonest' for his peers on council who claim to want to ease congestion to oppose a 'solution' to it. At council, he said while he commends residents and business owners who approached the city in 'good faith,' it should be noted that many who interceded in this project did so with ill intent, 'simply to delay these projects.' Last week, anti-Chow protesters at city hall said RapidTO would create a 'permanent, radical change to our infrastructure.' They also criticized the mayor's bike lane and shelter policies. Coun. Lily Cheng (Ward 18, Willowdale) recused herself from Wednesday's vote, citing a conflict of interest. Last week, Jason Hildebrand, husband of her chief of staff, spoke out against bus-only lanes on Dufferin at the mayor's executive committee. Removing parking spots, he said, would make life difficult for people with mobility challenges, like him and his mother.
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Can President Trump win over the soccer world?
Sports Can President Trump win over the soccer world? July 18, 2025 | 4:17 PM GMT After President Trump's appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup, fans wonder how big of an impact he will be in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Road closures, covered logos, VIP treatment: FIFA demands on Vancouver revealed
Details of the demands FIFA is making on the City of Vancouver and taxpayers in order to host the World Cup next year are finally becoming public.
Al Jazeera
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Chelsea's Pedro hits debut double in Club World Cup semi to down Fluminense
England's Chelsea defeated Fluminense of Brazil 2-0 to reach the final of the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup, with Blues debutant Joao Pedro netting twice against his boyhood club. The Brazilian forward, who was at Fluminense from age 10 until leaving for Watford in 2020, curled his new club in front at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday from the left side of the box in the 18th minute. The 24-year-old, who joined the Londoners from Brighton for $81.5m last week, sealed the win in the drilled effort that went in off the underside of the bar early in the second half. The Blues will face the winner of Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain, who play in the second semifinal on Wednesday. Temperatures were soaring in New Jersey, which will stage next summer's FIFA 2026 World Cup, ahead of the 3pm kickoff. A crowd of 70,556, which was only 10-15 percent short of capacity, attended the game, despite the 34 degrees Celsius (93F) at kickoff, with humidity that made it feel like 40C (104F). FIFA had, however, cut ticket prices from $473.90 to $13.40 last week. It did not take long for the action on the field to reach similarly heated levels soon after Pedro's opener, when Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah handled in his own area. Video Referee Assistant (VAR) intervened, and the original awarding of the penalty was overturned. Fluminense were incensed, but Chalobah's arm was in a natural position by his side. Fluminense's best opening came moments earlier, when Marc Cucurella was forced to clear Hercules's shot off the line in the 27th minute. Former Chelsea defender Tiago Silva, who appeared 113 times for Brazil, lined up against his former club since departing the London club last October. The 40-year-old was far busier than his former teammates in their defensive lines, with his keeper, Fabio, drawn into a number of saves. There was little the oldest player in the tournament, at 44, could do about either of Pedro's strikes, the second a brilliant finish following a counterattack early in the 56th minute. Cole Palmer set the move in motion by dribbling past three players before laying off for Enzo Fernandez, who in turn laid on to Pedro. Much like his first goal, where he took two steps to start to celebrate, then stopped and clasped his hands, Pedro showed respect to his former club by muting his response to both strikes. Chelsea will now seek to secure a second FIFA Club World Cup, following their 2021 victory. European teams will win their 12th straight Club World Cup title, and 17th in 18 tries, the lone exception a 2012 victory by Brazil's Corinthians over Chelsea. The London-based club has earned $88.4m to $103.8m for reaching the final, the amount depending on a participation fee FIFA has not disclosed.
