Haiti's record goalscorer Duckens Nazon was already strapped into his seat, the aircraft on the tarmac at Tehran airport ready to take off, when his phone lit up with a message from a friend playing in Israel.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic announced Monday a preliminary 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup, to be led by veteran Luka Modric, the key architect of the country's historic success in recent years.

Iran's football team arrived in Turkey on Monday for a training camp and to complete visa applications ahead of the 2026 World Cup, AFP correspondents said.

The son of former Argentine international Pablo Paz has opted to play for the world champions despite being born and raised in Spain.

Ghalenoei did not explain the reason for omitting Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, but Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the former Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma striker was left out due to injury.

When Giorgio Chiellini pulled down his jersey collar to show the referee his neck, the scene looked like a child complaining to a school teacher. This colossal Italian defender -- a man who, metaphorically, spent his entire career holding a knife to the throats of forwards -- was himself a silent victim that day. And the tooth marks of that predator were stamped on his shoulder.

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described as "excellent" and "constructive" the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Iran and the US cut diplomatic ties in 1980 and the players are expected to use their time in Turkey to complete the necessary procedures for obtaining visas.

Securing a place in the FIFA World Cup finals is usually a long, exhausting, and nerve-racking battle for any national team. Only after years of qualifying campaigns, intricate points-table calculations, and heart-pounding permutations does a team finally earn its ticket to football’s grandest stage.

France-born Ayyoub Bouaddi has been approved to play for Morocco less than a month before the 2026 World Cup kicks off.

South Korea's coach backed Son Heung-min to get back to goalscoring ways at his fourth World Cup after on Saturday naming the striker in his squad for the tournament.

Dangling above field level at the biggest stadium of the 2026 World Cup, eighteen giant metal arms flood a newly laid grass pitch in an eerie pink glow.

Lionel Messi's career seemed complete after he led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup, but the motivation to keep playing is still there for him and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the duo prepare to make history at this year's tournament in North America.

Haiti coach Sebastien Migne said Friday his team are targeting a place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup as he named a 26-strong squad for the tournament.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia named Romelu Lukaku in his World Cup squad on Friday despite saying Belgium's all-time record goalscorer was "out of shape".

Mitoma is one of Japan's best players and scored the winner in their 1-0 friendly victory over England at Wembley in March.

That day, the sky over Liverpool was heavy with clouds. A gentle breeze blew through the July afternoon, and the crowd at Goodison Park was sparse -- just over thirty-eight thousand.

Kylian Mbappe will spearhead France at the World Cup after national team coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday announced his 26-man squad for this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

At the centre of the uncertainty stood Conte Verde, the ship that would ultimately rescue FIFA’s dream. Carrying European teams across the Atlantic waves to Uruguay, the vessel became inseparably linked with the birth of the World Cup itself.

For Italy, absent from the tournament for a third straight time having failed to qualify, Balich's role ensures a presence on football's biggest stage - albeit this time behind the scenes.