CHICAGO — The big crowd was buzzing, the fireworks were rising and local legend Jim Cornelison was belting out the national anthem in his famous way.

But the mood lasted barely 43 seconds after the U.S. men’s soccer team’s last World Cup tuneup kicked off.

That’s what the clock read when midfielder and longtime locker room leader Tyler...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — There already was plenty for Americans to digest as July 4, 1994, approached.

The nation was still reeling from watching O.J. Simpson’s white Ford Bronco charging down California highways with officers in pursuit.

Tonya Harding was being banned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association for her role in the attack on Nancy ...Read more

A few hours after Lionel Messi and the Argentine World Cup team checked into their training base in Kansas City, Mo., a series of thunderstorms pounded the area, knocking out power, felling trees and bringing flood and tornado warnings.

Hardly ideal conditions for the world's biggest soccer tournament. Yet that's likely just the opening salvo ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Tijuana, Mexico, is set to become the Iran national soccer team’s base camp for the next several days, with the delegation expected to arrive on Sunday.

Iran is one of 48 teams competing in the quadrennial FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. The team was ...Read more

CHICAGO — The U.S. men’s soccer team gave perennial power Germany a good game on Saturday in both squads’ last contest before the World Cup. But the four-time champions prevailed, 2-1, before a festive crowd of 63,636 that endured an early rainstorm before enjoying the rest of the day in the sunshine.

Kai Havertz and Leroy Sané scored ...Read more

CHICAGO — The crowd packed into Soldier Field. Chicago icon Jim Cornelison finished revving up the fans with his signature rendition of the national anthem. The stage was set for a wild send-off for the U.S. men’s national team before the FIFA World Cup begins next week.

And then Germany’s Kai Havertz scored a goal in the second minute.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nearly 2,000 food and beverage workers at SoFi Stadium voted overwhelmingly Friday to authorize a strike just a week before the venue will stage the first World Cup game on U.S. soil in more than three decades.

Negotiations on a labor contract between Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the cooks, dishwashers, concession...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the South American icon widely believed to be the best soccer player who ever lived disembarked from his plane in Kansas City, he promptly was swarmed on the tarmac on his way to conducting a news conference.

“He is engulfed,” as one observer described it. “Up come the cheerleading people, the press people, the ...Read more

MIAMI — The official start of the 2026 World Cup is six days away in Mexico City, but for the Haitian fans who sold out and electrified Nu Stadium in Miami Friday night for a warmup match against Peru, their World Cup had already begun.

Many of the fans cannot travel to Boston, Philadelphia or Atlanta for Haiti’s World Cup matches, so this ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Drink up, FIFA World Cup fans — it looks like you’ll be able to bring a water bottle to games this year, after all.

Now, FIFA said in a social media post Friday, fans going to World Cup 2026 matches in the U.S. and Canada will be allowed to bring “one, soft, plastic, 20 ounce (590ml), factory sealed disposable water ...Read more

MIAMI — When Haiti’s Les Grenadiers qualified for the country’s first FIFA World Cup in more than half a century, national team co-captain and center-back Ricardo Adé didn’t just limit his celebration to the field.

As he and his teammates headed back to their hotel in Curaçao after defeating Nicaragua in a World Cup home qualifier ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It wasn't too good to be true, but it was too good to remain true.

World Cup fans still reeling from FIFA's pricey water policy change have a new gripe: Soccer's governing body is demanding payment from about 60 people who secured tickets for free because of a glitch on the FIFA website during checkout.

FIFA confirmed the ...Read more

CHICAGO — At every U.S. men’s soccer team practice, a familiar ritual unfolds. Find the pack of journalists on the sideline, and spot them counting who’s on the field and who isn’t.

In the eight sessions of the pre-World Cup camp so far, the total has almost always been the same: 25 of 26 on the field, with injured centerback Chris ...Read more

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — There are 211 teams in FIFA’s global men’s rankings, spanning every corner of the globe. So the U.S. probably could have picked an easier opponent for its last World Cup tuneup game than the one ranked No. 10 and that happens to have four World Cup and three European championships on its mantle.

But fans and players ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We’ve already gotten a taste of the heat that is coming to KC this summer.

Temperatures haven’t been awful, but the humidity has made it feel miserable at times as the calendar is about to turn to summer. Even warmer weather is coming, and it could be toasty when the World Cup matches are being held at Kansas City ...Read more

NEW YORK — NYC will be closing midtown streets to regular traffic and the MTA will be taking steps to ensure more subway service on World Cup 2026 NYC match days, part of a regional effort to keep mass transit functioning amid an expected crush of soccer fans.

The agency’s chairman, Janno Lieber, announced Thursday that the MTA would be ...Read more

MIAMI — The biggest event in the world is a week away. I’ll not limit that to biggest sports event, because I believe the World Cup is larger than games or goals. It is what, once every four years, wields the power to unite the entire globe in a commonality and shared passion like nothing else can.

The United States is hosting the World Cup...Read more

Whether you plan to watch on television or in person, the 2026 World Cup will look a little different to fans.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) made changes to the official laws of the game, and they will be instituted at the World Cup. And FIFA has announced some tweaks to the game as well.

Here are eight rule changes to ...Read more

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — It did not take the goal Sergiño Dest scored against Senegal on Sunday to prove how well he fits the U.S. men’s soccer team’s tactics.

But it had taken a long time before then, because of how many games he missed because of injuries: a torn ACL in April 2024, a long rehab process after that, then minor injuries last ...Read more