Neither the Women’s Super League nor West Ham United women’s team were aware of the restrictions placed on David Sullivan interaction with the team, the Guardian has learned.

n Sullivan, who is West Ham’s largest shareholder, has faced restrictions on his contact with the women’s team and their youth teams since 2023 because of a safeguarding investigation.

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The Football Association opened an inquiry in the same year after receiving a complaint, which the Guardian understands was an allegation of sexual misconduct unrelated to football.

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A bit of women’s football news: Mary Earps will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer at the end of her contract. Earps spent two seasons with PSG and has been strongly linked with a move to London City Lionesses.

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Here’s what Earps said about her time in Paris.

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n

A crazy, great experience. I’d say great because I’m leaving with such fond memories. I’ve met great people, I’ve trained at a world class facility, I’ve played at Parc des Princes.

n

And experience because I think it’s added to my growth as a player and as a person. I think that’s all you can ask for in life is to grow and to be a little bit better every day. That’s what I try to be.

n

I’ve got to play with some fantastic players from all over the world. I got to go to Africa for the first time with the final of the League Cup.

n

I think there’s been a lot of on-the-pitch experiences. I’ve had a lot of firsts as well. Off-the-pitch I’ve had a lot of big moments here in Paris. A lot of experiences which I’ll remember forever.

n

I’m leaving with my heart full and I’m so happy, privileged and lucky that I was able to have such a wonderful experience here.

n

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Omar Artan, the Somali referee who was barred by the United States government for the World Cup, has been picked to officiate Aston Villa versus Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup in August. The game will take place in Salzburg, Austria on 12 August.

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Artan got a hero’s welcome returning to Somalia on Wednesday days after he was refused entry in Miami by US authorities despite being picked by Fifa for World Cup duty, with officials claiming Artan had connections to terror organisations.

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Authorities in the French city of Toulouse have today announced a curfew for under-16s during “high risk” World Cup matches, after unrest marred celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain’s recent Champions League victory.

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The matches in question are all those involving France, games played by Morocco against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti, as well as a match between Tunisia and the Netherlands, the mayor of Toulouse said.

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The curfew will be in force from 10pm to 5am for minors under 16 unaccompanied by an adult in a central area of the southwestern city, centre-right mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc told a press briefing.

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The measure concerns only “a certain number of matches that we have selected with the prefecture, because we considered them to be high-risk,” he added, before saying he intended to “protect citizens and minors” and arguing there was a rise in juvenile delinquency in France’s fourth-largest city.

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Côte d’Ivoire home-based fans have been denied visas to the United States, the president of the national supporters’ committee, report AFP.

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The Côte d’Ivoire supporters group, said Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of the National Committee of Elephants Supporters (CNSE), which operates under the country’s Ministry of Sport, organises trips for the country’s small number of travelling fans to follow the team abroad.

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“The supporters have cancelled the trip because the US government does not want to see supporters from certain countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, on its soil. The United States has been clear with us, saying they do not want to see our supporters,” said Kouadio. “This situation hurts us deeply because it prevents us from fulfilling our sacred duty, which is to support our team.”

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From the club’s official website: “Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Martin O’Neill as Football Manager on a one-year contract with a one-year option.”

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O’Neill said: “It is once again a great privilege for me to continue as Celtic manager. Last season will live long in all our memories and to be part of that success has in a big way whetted the appetite to work again for more days like those and bring our supporters those moments.

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“I thank our fans for their ongoing support, it means everything to us. I look forward to being back at Celtic Park next season when we will come together and we will strive again to bring our fans the success which that support deserves.”

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Celtic’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, commented: “Time and time again Martin has shown his qualities and what he can bring to Celtic.”

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Thomas Tuchel was delighted with England’s performance in their final pre-World Cup friendly against Costa Rica last night, the Three Lions scoring three goals in a display that has boosted confidence before their tournament opener versus Croatia.

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With Jude Bellingham shining in the No 10 role behind Harry Kane, the Real Madrid man has probably done enough to start over Morgan Rogers in that first game. Tuchel kept his cards close to his chest, however, answering “maybe” when asked that exact question afterwards.

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“But we will always keep our cards in our hand,” he said. “We will not give any decisions away because my thoughts at the moment are not for Croatia, they’re for here today.

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“It was a very strong line-up but it was a very strong bench as well.”

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On the performance, he told ITV: “Tonight makes my mind very calm as we’re absolutely on the right way. The guys who came were super influential. The guys who came out were pushing from behind on the bench – exactly what we wanted.”

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}],”data”:{“alt”:”England head coach Thomas Tuchel applauds supporters”,”caption”:”Thomas Tuchel saw a confident display from his England troops in their final pre-World Cup friendly. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781170851000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”05.40 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781171100000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”05.45 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781171100000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”05.45 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”05.45″,”title”:”Tuchel says England on ‘right way’ as Bellingham call looms”,”contributors”:[] ,”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 11 Jun 2026 10.15 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 11 Jun 2026 03.27 EDT”},{“id”:”6a2a6f9e8f0824553e8c9380″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Wolves have their sights on the Gil Vicente manager, César Peixoto, after sacking Rob Edwards. Here’s the story:

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Greetings everyone. It’s here! The biggest, possibly most controversial and strangest World Cup yet. After months and years of chatter and hype, fear and loathing, we’ll actually have some football to get stuck into from this afternoon/evening. It’s coming up to 1am in Mexico City as the co-hosts enjoy their last sleep before it all starts. And where better to start than the Azteca Stadium, one of the most storied venues in the world, lit up by Pelé and Diego Maradona among others back in the day?

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Mexico, too, is a proper football country, though there’s no point pretending there haven’t been problems. The capital has been convulsed by strikes and demonstrations, and protesters may make their presence felt today. We’ll be across every element of the big kick-off as we count down to the opening ceremony and Mexico v South Africa. The show starts at 11.30am local time (6.30pm BST, 1.30pm ET) and will be headlined by Shakira, because it’s always headlined by Shakira, and Burna Boy.

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There’s plenty to get stuck in to before then, mind, not least the latest from the England camp, which will be a chipper place this morning after yesterday’s smooth 3-0 cruise against Costa Rica. Everything went pretty much to plan, aside from the brutal thunderstorm that delayed the kick-off. Jude Bellingham gelled nicely with Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon excelled and Ollie Watkins came off the bench to good effect. What could possibly go wrong?

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Oh, and Gianni Infantino said some self-justifying stuff about how we should all “chill” and not worry our pretty little heads about the multiple injustices piling up around his tournament. Let the fun begin.

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Key events

“Best World Cup opener?” muses Jakob Melgaard.“There can be only one: when Denmark beat Scotland 1-0 in Mexico ’86. Technically it may not have been the first game at the tournament, but it was for me: I was nine at the time and only allowed to stay up for the Danish games. (Which amounted to four life altering late nights: Scotland, Uruguay and Germany, and Spain. The last one scared me for life.)”

But Jesper, Jesper, Jesper, that’s lethal…

West Ham women’s team not told of Sullivan’s restricted access

Tom Garry

Neither the Women’s Super League nor West Ham United women’s team were aware of the restrictions placed on David Sullivan interaction with the team, the Guardian has learned.

Sullivan, who is West Ham’s largest shareholder, has faced restrictions on his contact with the women’s team and their youth teams since 2023 because of a safeguarding investigation.

The Football Association opened an inquiry in the same year after receiving a complaint, which the Guardian understands was an allegation of sexual misconduct unrelated to football.

Here’s more on the news that Omar Altan, the Somali referee who was barred by the United States government for the World Cup, has been picked to officiate Aston Villa versus Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup in August.

“Want to address two points on the liveblog – the best opening match and the claim that the best tournament is the first one you remember,” writes Phil Smith. “France ‘98 was the year me and my friends turned 18, we had just finished our A-levels and we pretty much had plans for house parties and pub watching sessions for every match. Didn’t get better than that, and the excitement as we gathered at my Scottish friend’s house for the opening game – Brazil beating Scotland 2-1 – still gives me goosebumps.”

Earps to leave Paris Saint-Germain

A bit of women’s football news: Mary Earps will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer at the end of her contract. Earps spent two seasons with PSG and has been strongly linked with a move to London City Lionesses.

Here’s what Earps said about her time in Paris.

A crazy, great experience. I’d say great because I’m leaving with such fond memories. I’ve met great people, I’ve trained at a world class facility, I’ve played at Parc des Princes.

And experience because I think it’s added to my growth as a player and as a person. I think that’s all you can ask for in life is to grow and to be a little bit better every day. That’s what I try to be.

I’ve got to play with some fantastic players from all over the world. I got to go to Africa for the first time with the final of the League Cup.

I think there’s been a lot of on-the-pitch experiences. I’ve had a lot of firsts as well. Off-the-pitch I’ve had a lot of big moments here in Paris. A lot of experiences which I’ll remember forever.

I’m leaving with my heart full and I’m so happy, privileged and lucky that I was able to have such a wonderful experience here.

Emails please!

What’s your favourite opening game at a men’s World Cup? I’d probably go for West Germany 0-0 Poland in 1978Argentina 0-1 Cameroon at Italia 90. Not much of a game, in truth, but a story like no other. It also created a new verb: to Massing.

France 0-1 Senegal in 2002 was arguably an even bigger shock. A word too for Argentina 0-1 Belgium in 1982 (please read this excellent piece on the iconic image of Diego Maradona taking on half of Belgium) and Germany 4-2 Costa Rica in 2006. That match was loads of fun and included a couple of screamers from my colleague Philipp Lahm and Torsten Frings. Also: I was 30 years old.

South Africa 1-1 Mexico in 2010 deserves a mention, mainly for Siphiwe Tshabalala’s goal. And though I wasn’t there, Sweden 3-2 Argentina in 1934 sounds like a belter.

Thanks Dom, hello everyone. Let’s start with some pharmaceutical-grade trivia on World Cup opening games. Which two teams met in the first game (or games) three times in 12 years?

Right, that’s the end of my second quickfire stint on today’s blog and here is Rob Smyth to steer you through the rest of the afternoon and build towards the big kick-off in Mexico City later.

Omar Artan picked to referee Uefa Super Cup

Omar Artan, the Somali referee who was barred by the United States government for the World Cup, has been picked to officiate Aston Villa versus Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup in August. The game will take place in Salzburg, Austria on 12 August.

Artan got a hero’s welcome returning to Somalia on Wednesday days after he was refused entry in Miami by US authorities despite being picked by Fifa for World Cup duty, with officials claiming Artan had connections to terror organisations.

Speaking of Canada, let’s check in on a nation preparing to host a World Cup for the first time. Some excitement and anticipation at last!

Any games that you’ve got your eye on over the coming days? Canada v Bosnia-Herzegovina at 8pm (BST) is definitely one I’ve pencilled in to watch tomorrow (Friday), and Brazil v Morocco at 11pm on Saturday will probably be worth feeling tired on Sunday for.

Legendary filmmaker Spike Lee has taken time out of his Knicks-viewing basketball schedule to attend Brazil’s training session in New Jersey, where Carlo Ancelotti got a guard of honour for his birthday.

“I want Brazil to win,” said Lee. “I’m here just for the practice, I have a game to see tonight.”

Come on Spike, at least pick a dark horse like Norway or Ecuador?

Some essential pre-WC reading! We’ve given you Barney Ronay talking about the time in 2018 he smelled Diego Maradona somewhere in a Moscow stadium, now enjoy him off his long runup, on Donald Trump’s MAGA-themed World Cup.

Heat-watch: The first game, of course, is in Mexico City, Mexico, between the host country and South Africa. Today’s temperature in the Mexican capital will peak at around 26C, which is 2.6 C lower than previous years.

Still, those pesky drinks breaks won’t be going away.

An email has landed from Krishna saying it might cheer me up, yet he’s referenced one of England’s all-time lowest World Cup moments …

Djed Spence recently said: ‘Luckily I play with my feet’ in response to his broken jaw. If we were nearby I would have told him ‘Look at Maradona (1986) and Henry (2009) – using your hands is more beneficial’.

Another Hand of God moment in this tournament might well prove the end of football altogether.

This is a fairly hopeful comment.

One of the basic laws of football is that the best World Cup is the first one you really remember, normally somewhere between the ages 9-12, so I’m hoping that all these nippers around the world aren’t aware of all the mess that we’re all thinking and talking about now and they create memories that they’ll never forget.
It probably won’t get any better than this for them.

The football in this tournament really really needs to start, and be good, because some of this off-pitch stuff is getting downright depressing.

Can anyone in the comments cheer me up and restore my World Cup fever levels, please …

French city announces curfew for under-16s during World Cup

Authorities in the French city of Toulouse have today announced a curfew for under-16s during “high risk” World Cup matches, after unrest marred celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain’s recent Champions League victory.

The matches in question are all those involving France, games played by Morocco against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti, as well as a match between Tunisia and the Netherlands, the mayor of Toulouse said.

The curfew will be in force from 10pm to 5am for minors under 16 unaccompanied by an adult in a central area of the southwestern city, centre-right mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc told a press briefing.

The measure concerns only “a certain number of matches that we have selected with the prefecture, because we considered them to be high-risk,” he added, before saying he intended to “protect citizens and minors” and arguing there was a rise in juvenile delinquency in France’s fourth-largest city.

Thanks John.

If you can say one thing about this World Cup, it’s that it feels truly global. The different time zones and therefore endless content, the (needless) expansion in terms of teams and fixtures, the political acrimony … it rather represents the world we live in, in 2026.

I shall pass back the reins to Dominic Booth.

Reminder: this is a World Cup shrouded in geopolitics.

Seven games, including Scotland versus Brazil, will be held in Miami, a little more than 200 miles from the north coast of Cuba. The Scottish Football Association expects 20,000 fans to travel there.

Eight nations have training camps in Florida, including England and Scotland. The first game scheduled in Miami – Uruguay versus Saudi Arabia – will be held on 15 June, and tens of thousands of fans are due to fly into the city.

More detail on Martin O’Neill: his Celtic deal is a new one-year contract as Celtic manager with the option for a further season. Confirmation of O’Neill ‘s appointment came hours after reports had claimed the news had been delayed amid uncertainty over his backroom staff.Assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham were reportedly offered wage cuts to remain part of O’Neill ‘s coaching team. There was no mention of other coaching staff in the club announcement.

Today’s TV guide is here, for the US, UK, Canada and Australia. I watched the 1998 World Cup on SBS in Australia, with the legendary Les Murray and Johnny Warren. Each ad break featured Ricky Martin singing La Copa Da Vida.

The World Cup will be the most lucrative sports event ITV has ever aired, the broadcaster has said, with bosses dubbing the expanded tournament a “six-week summer Super Bowl moment” for TV advertising.

ITV is airing 51 of the 104 matches across the men’s tournament, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, which is the biggest yet after an expansion from 32 to 48 teams.

Krishna gets in touch: “What will it take for the football nations to stand up together and boycott this World Cup? Fans have been denied visas, Iraqi striker Aymen was detained for 7 hours, Somalian referee Artan was sent back, Iran is being harassed in every possible way. What are we waiting for? Kane to be deported? Mbappe sent back? Ronaldo arrested?”

Côte d’Ivoire fans barred from US entry

Côte d’Ivoire home-based fans have been denied visas to the United States, the president of the national supporters’ committee, report AFP.

The Côte d’Ivoire supporters group, said Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of the National Committee of Elephants Supporters (CNSE), which operates under the country’s Ministry of Sport, organises trips for the country’s small number of travelling fans to follow the team abroad.

“The supporters have cancelled the trip because the US government does not want to see supporters from certain countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, on its soil. The United States has been clear with us, saying they do not want to see our supporters,” said Kouadio. “This situation hurts us deeply because it prevents us from fulfilling our sacred duty, which is to support our team.”

O’Neill confirmed as Celtic manager

From the club’s official website: “Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Martin O’Neill as Football Manager on a one-year contract with a one-year option.”

O’Neill said: “It is once again a great privilege for me to continue as Celtic manager. Last season will live long in all our memories and to be part of that success has in a big way whetted the appetite to work again for more days like those and bring our supporters those moments.

“I thank our fans for their ongoing support, it means everything to us. I look forward to being back at Celtic Park next season when we will come together and we will strive again to bring our fans the success which that support deserves.”

Celtic’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, commented: “Time and time again Martin has shown his qualities and what he can bring to Celtic.”

Barney Ronay shares a World Cup memory.

Charles Antaki joins in the Bracketology fun: “That’s an intriguing final from Kári Tulinius’s bracketing predictions – I’ve tried to work out how France and Cote D’Ivoire get there, and it does look plausible, at least. Cote D’Ivoire have to top their group, then beat the USA, Sweden and the Netherlands, and then somebody (Belgium?) to get to the final. France come second in their group, beat Ecuador in the first knockout stage, Brazil in the quarters, and Spain in the semis. A tough path for France, but not impossible, and a lot more entertaining than many other combinations. England do get knocked out by Spain along the way, sadly.”

Some facts and figures on World Cup tourism via Reuters.

• The costs, visa hurdles and the logistics of attending matches across 16 host cities in three countries have proved a deterrent. US travellers, in a country where soccer is less popular than in Europe, are not filling the gap.

• It is “overall a disappointment. There’s no other word that I can say,” said Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City. The association has cut its forecast for hotel room revenue tied to the World Cup by 60% to roughly $60 million, he said.

• Flight bookings from Europe into most host cities for June and July are down 3.8% on average year-over-year, according to Cirium, even after Europeans had already pulled back from travel to the U.S. last year. Bookings from Europe into New York, host of the July 19 final, have plunged 15.8%, Cirium said.

• FIFA had projected 1.2 million fans would descend on the city, but Dandapani said the New York hotel association is only expecting half a million.

• Even if ticket prices halve closer to key matches, last-minute demand may remain muted, as overseas fans still face the cost and complexity of booking travel and securing visas on short notice, said Dana Lattouf, CEO of Tickitto, a UK ticket distributor.

• Vacation rentals, which allow groups to split costs, are a rare bright spot. Airbnb told investors in May that the World Cup was on track to be its largest event ever, while data from short-term rental analytics firm AirDNA shows bookings are tracking higher in cities like Boston and Los Angeles, with hosts raising prices to capture last-minute demand.

• Booked average daily rates for rentals across host cities were $218, while travelers looking now would pay about $335 as of June 8, AirDNA said.

Ben Fisher has the latest on Wolves.

Edwards had been instrumental in planning for next season and even featured in the video announcing Raúl Jiménez’s return to the club on Tuesday evening. He was also a major factor in the signing of former England defender Kieran Trippier.

Together with the technical director Matt Jackson, Edwards was planning for further signings and recently attended a fans’ forum in which he outlined the need for a cultural reset following relegation.

Kari Tulinius gets in touch: “ I spent way too much time overthinking my way through the tournament with the Guardian’s Bracketology tool, and surprised myself by forecasting a final between France and Côte d’Ivoire. I do think the latter are being underestimated, but I’ll be flabbergasted if they make the final. But that’s where I ended up after predicting the results. I will say, one thing that surprised me about the exercise is how little needs to happen for the two sides of the bracket to be wildly unbalanced. It does look set up for a surprise finalist, even if it’s probably not going to be the Elephants.”

Kari knows his stuff, so his point on an imbalanced draw is worth considering.

On the Guardian app, in the Puzzles section, there’s a new game to play: On the ball: world stage. Today’s entry is gettable.

Still struggling with that Wolves news. Consider these quotes from, er, Tuesday, when Mexico striker re-signed. They’re from, yes, Rob Edwards.

“I was at the club when he was here before so was able to watch him and see what he did for this football club. Raul was a big part of our greatest times for a number of years. I know what he means to the football club and to the supporters, but this is not just an emotional signing. This is a signing because we really believe that he’s the right man to be able to help us achieve our aims, so we’re delighted to have him in.”

So, what happened?

Adrian Chiles

Let’s start with Adrian Chiles, sharing a World Cup experience from 2006.

Come the final, the proper Italy fans were to be seen packed into a small section behind one goal, the proper French behind the other. In those cheap seats, they clapped; elsewhere, the sponsors’ guests clacked their lanyards together.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening? It’s almost time.

Right, here’s John Brewin to take your World Cup fever up a notch or two. Enjoy.

And yes watching this video was largely how I spent my morning, thank you. (That and listening to Waka Waka).

Our Bracketology tool is worth a go if you want to plot your country’s path to glory. My England-centric head predicts a Three Lions win (obviously) but my less biased version has Portugal or France winning the lot. So there you go.

Tuchel says England on ‘right way’ as Bellingham call looms

Thomas Tuchel was delighted with England’s performance in their final pre-World Cup friendly against Costa Rica last night, the Three Lions scoring three goals in a display that has boosted confidence before their tournament opener versus Croatia.

With Jude Bellingham shining in the No 10 role behind Harry Kane, the Real Madrid man has probably done enough to start over Morgan Rogers in that first game. Tuchel kept his cards close to his chest, however, answering “maybe” when asked that exact question afterwards.

“But we will always keep our cards in our hand,” he said. “We will not give any decisions away because my thoughts at the moment are not for Croatia, they’re for here today.

“It was a very strong line-up but it was a very strong bench as well.”

On the performance, he told ITV: “Tonight makes my mind very calm as we’re absolutely on the right way. The guys who came were super influential. The guys who came out were pushing from behind on the bench – exactly what we wanted.”

Jonathan Wilson is in Mexico City right now trying to gauge the mood of a nation who themselves are wrestling with the notion of being tournament hosts. Amid street protests and a general pessimism around the football team, it’s not all rosy in the Mexican garden.

They, of course, host South Africa tonight in the World Cup opener, where hopefully the actual football takes centre stage.

I enjoyed this line from Jonathan’s piece:

At the airport a Fifa sign obstructs the view of the arrivals lane for those with foreign passports, which might seem an apt metaphor if immigration procedures, here at least, weren’t absurdly straightforward.

Thanks Tom, looks like a very short stint for me, but nice to bask in the buzz of the first day of a World Cup. For all the off-field shenanigans, it still feels exciting to me.

Right, time for a tactical substitution. I’m traipsing off now, and a match-ready Dominic Booth is coming on. Laters.

Merch news now, and fans of World Cup teams kitted out by Nike face the highest costs if they want to buy a replica shirt before the tournament kicks off this week amid a “striking” overall increase in prices.

Alongside the official match versions, which are retailing for as much as €160, manufacturers typically make “stadium”, or replica, versions aimed at supporters.

Zoe Wood’s full story:

There’s such a bewildering range of group games this year, at such a bewildering range of times, that many will have to rationalise what to watch. Happily, Opta Analyst’s Ali Tweedle has compiled a list of 10 to prioritise.

Morocco lose Aguerd and Ezzalzouli to injury.

News from Group C: Morocco will have to do without Nayef Aguerd and Abde Ezzalzouli in their squad, forced out through injury. The Saudi Arabia-based defender Marwane Saadane and striker Amine Sbai have been added as replacements, the Moroccan federation and Fifa confirmed.

Aguerd has not played since the start of March because of a groin injury, which required surgery. His recovery stalled in April when it was discovered that he had a fracture of his pubic bone. The Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahabi decided on Thursday that he would not be ready for this month’s tournament. The 24-year-old Ezzalzouli was hurt in a freak incident in the weekend’s friendly against Norway in Harrison, New Jersey.

BTL chat is thus far dominated by Gianni Infantino’s ritual pre-tournament torching of his own dignity. SonOfThe Desert offers this:

“Infantino is just absolutely wretched, isn’t he? An absolute nothing of a man, sucking up to tyrants because he thinks it makes him look strong.

”But you know what’s really annoying me? All those heads of national associations who could have unified around a candidate – anyone – to oppose Infantino and try and rescue Fifa from humiliation. Couldn’t be bothered though, could they? Might’ve had to do some actual work that way.

It’s about following the money. Infantino wins because he showers money on those whose votes he needs, so any rival needs to make them a better offer, somehow, but football in every region in the world is bereft of far-sighted unselfish leadership.

New York has temporarily renamed streets after Pelé and Thierry Henry, to the delight no doubt of its postal workers and delivery riders. AFP has more:

New York has honored two footballing greats by temporarily renaming streets after Thierry Henry and Pelé ahead of the World Cup kickoff …

Crowds gathered at West 50th Street and 6th Avenue in downtown Manhattan to mark the unveiling of “Thierry Henry Way” by city officials, according to FOX Sports.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona star, who was a member of the France squad that won the 1998 World Cup, made an appearance via video call.

The 48-year-old raised his profile in the United States after spending five seasons with New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer until 2014.

The city also renamed the intersection of Shea Road and Meridian Road, in the Queens borough, after Brazilian legend Pelé.

The street names will stay in place until 1 November.

Today in World Cup History: Appropriately, from a Mexican tournament – 40(!) years ago today, a Gary Lineker hat-trick in Bobby Robson’s hour of need and one of my favourite ever England goals.

Wolves target Peixoto after sacking Edwards

Wolves have their sights on the Gil Vicente manager, César Peixoto, after sacking Rob Edwards. Here’s the story:

There were more protests in Mexico City last night, these over the fate of the country’s “disappeared”, as AFP reports:

Hundreds of protesters returned to an area near Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on Wednesday night, hours before the opening ceremony of the World Cup was due to take place.

Most of the protesters were family members or relatives of “disappeared people” alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.

Police set up a one-mile (1.6km) security perimeter ahead of fans arriving on Thursday and said that they would allow peaceful protests, but only ticket holders would be able to access the stadium …

Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum “only cares about her soccer,” said protester Maria de Jesus Soria Aguayo, who has been searching for her son after he vanished in Veracruz state a decade ago.

“It’s disappearance after disappearance and (Sheinbaum) hasn’t done anything,” she told AFP.

The demonstrators chanted slogans and there were no direct confrontations with police.

A group of people placed colorful cempasuchil flowers – used in offerings to the dead – in the shape of a cross on the pavement.

Tom Garry

WSL: City sign Charles. Manchester City have agreed a £500,000 deal to sign the England full-back Niamh Charles from Chelsea, the Guardian understands, with the transfer expected to be completed soon.

The 26-year-old, who has 34 senior international caps for the Lionesses and scored a penalty during 2025’s European Championship final victory over Spain, has been with Chelsea since 2020 and has one year remaining on the three-year contract she signed in 2024.

Her arrival in Manchester comes amid the Spain left-back Leila Ouahabi’s exit from the club at the end of this month when her contract expires, and with Chelsea having signed the former Arsenal left-back, Katie McCabe.

Declan Rice got a ticking-off from his mum over his sunburn, the midfielder revealed after England’s win over Costa Rica last night.

“I think everyone has seen those photos, I was bright red in that photo shoot. My mum was killing me! Honestly, the first day we came, it was just getting used to that heat,” Rice said. “Coming from England where it’s hot-cold, all different types of weather, coming here and it’s always 30 degrees – it really does hit you in the face. After that week off, the first session was as bit cobweb-y but the next two days after that felt really good and tonight, playing 60, was all I was ever going to play but I was in a really good space, I could probably have played longer so I’[m really happy.”

He’s feeling in decent shape in general though, despite the most intense and gruelling of seasons at Arsenal. “I feel good as gold. Feel really fit, feel really strong. Had a couple of niggles throughout the season which I managed really well with the physios and the manager so I’ve come here in a really good place. I feel really confident. I think winning that Premier League for me, I have come here with a sense of confidence and a spring in my step. Now I have got over that line with Arsenal it has given me that confidence that we can come here and achieve big things as well. I’m really in a good place at the moment.

Rice made a point of praising the squad’s depth. “The boys that come off the bench is frightening. The link-up play, the passing, the chances they created, Rashy, Ebs [Eze] , Bee [Saka] , Morgan, Ollie, the attacking options, Kobbie, all players who want to take the ball forward and create chances and at the tournament whoever the manager starts, and whoever is on the bench, he has got the key message to us that everyone has got (the chance to make) an impact and you see that off the bench.”

Right, a huge chunk of overnight reading for you, if you’re getting up in Europe.

Jonathan Wilson in Mexico City sets the scene for the tournament and takes the temperature in the Mexican capital.

Jonathan Liew is on form, as ever, skewering Gianni Infantino’s cowardice.

Fifa has already articulated its worldview most eloquently. Indeed in continuing to parrot the phrase “football unites the world” like a malfunctioning pull-string doll, Infantino is tacitly expressing his opinion that there are people he simply does not consider part of the world, perhaps does not even consider human at all. And so to the jailed dissidents of Russia and the nameless migrant workers of Qatar we can add the imagined enemies of the Trump White House: whether Senegalese football supporters or reporters asking questions or a referee from Somalia embarking on the greatest honour of his professional life

Pablo Iglesias Maurer is similarly on point, after enduring Gianni’s press conference so we didn’t have to:

Our latest team guides spotlight Ghana and Panama:

And Sid Lowe talks to Mauricio Pochettino, who’s bullish about the USA’s chances:

Domestic news: Wolves have sacked Rob Edwards, Sky Sports is reporting, the manager paying the price for failing to stop the club’s slide to relegation from the Premier League. More to follow

Preamble

Greetings everyone. It’s here! The biggest, possibly most controversial and strangest World Cup yet. After months and years of chatter and hype, fear and loathing, we’ll actually have some football to get stuck into from this afternoon/evening. It’s coming up to 1am in Mexico City as the co-hosts enjoy their last sleep before it all starts. And where better to start than the Azteca Stadium, one of the most storied venues in the world, lit up by Pelé and Diego Maradona among others back in the day?

Mexico, too, is a proper football country, though there’s no point pretending there haven’t been problems. The capital has been convulsed by strikes and demonstrations, and protesters may make their presence felt today. We’ll be across every element of the big kick-off as we count down to the opening ceremony and Mexico v South Africa. The show starts at 11.30am local time (6.30pm BST, 1.30pm ET) and will be headlined by Shakira, because it’s always headlined by Shakira, and Burna Boy.

There’s plenty to get stuck in to before then, mind, not least the latest from the England camp, which will be a chipper place this morning after yesterday’s smooth 3-0 cruise against Costa Rica. Everything went pretty much to plan, aside from the brutal thunderstorm that delayed the kick-off. Jude Bellingham gelled nicely with Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon excelled and Ollie Watkins came off the bench to good effect. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, and Gianni Infantino said some self-justifying stuff about how we should all “chill” and not worry our pretty little heads about the multiple injustices piling up around his tournament. Let the fun begin.