liveUpdated 3h agoFollow live with three weeks to go until the start of the 2026 World CupThe Athletic Live TeamMay 19, 2026 at 9:36 PM EDTThe countdown continues to the 2026 FIFA World Cup held across Mexico, Canada and the United States. Getty Images2026 World Cup — latest news and updatesThere is less than a month before the 2026 World Cup being hosted across North America gets underway.The news agenda remains dominated by spiralling costs facing fans hoping to attend matches in host countries Canada, Mexico and the U.S.Our 2026 World Cup hub is the best place to find all the latest news, analysis and predictions before the opening game on June 11.How our writers are feeling about the tournamentWorld Cup injury trackerBrazil name World Cup squad: Neymar recalled Getty ImagesNeymar has been named in Brazil’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, despite last playing for the international side in October 2023.The 34-year-old forward, who has spent the past 18 months at his boyhood club Santos, was named in Carlo Ancelotti’s 26-man list, announced at a glitzy gala evening in Rio de Janeiro on Monday evening.There had been a lengthy debate over Neymar’s inclusion in the squad, with polls suggesting the Brazilian public was evenly split on the matter. The forward will now play in his fourth World Cup.He had starred for the nation at their home 2014 tournament, missing the semi-final defeat by Germany through injury, before featuring again in 2018 and 2022, with Brazil eliminated at the quarter-final stage on each occasion.Bournemouth youngster Rayan also made the cut, along with Brentford striker Igor Thiago, but there was no place for Joao Pedro of Chelsea.2026 FIFA World Cup Panini sticker tips, quirks and the most valuable items so far Getty ImagesWhilst the FIFA World Cup remains the most coveted prize for the best players across the globe, there’s no greater achievement for fans than completing the painstaking Panini sticker album. For over 55 years, the Italian company has owned the FIFA rights, producing a sticker book set for every tournament since Mexico ‘70, but they’re set to lose their license in 2031, making this year’s edition the penultimate World Cup sticker album of the half-a-century run. Brace yourselves for peeling a lot of stickers. Panini probably didn’t want to shout about this, but this year has set a world record for the amount of stickers you need to complete a published sticker album. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams this year, a whopping 980 stickers are required.Portugal name World Cup squad: Cristiano Ronaldo set for sixth tournament Getty ImagesCristiano Ronaldo has been named in his sixth World Cup squad as part of an initial 27-man Portugal group for this summer’s tournament.No male footballer has ever appeared at six World Cups but Ronaldo, barring injuries, will achieve the feat in the coming weeks. Lionel Messi will join him with six appearances if called up by Argentina.Ronaldo features alongside Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nuno Mendes in a strong Portugal squad, named on Tuesday by manager Roberto Martinez.Four goalkeepers have been called up, with one due to be cut ahead of the final deadline.Greatest Of All Time: World Cup Upsets – USA, North Korea, Senegal and more World Cups are frequently remembered for magnificent goals, heroic performances and famous wins, but shock results play a huge role in our collective memory of the tournaments too. Here, then, is our attempt to quantify the five biggest upsets of all-time.This article is part of our Greatest Of All Time series. We will be looking back at previous World Cup tournaments and identifying the GOATs within a number of different categories. Part one on the greatest goals is here.First look: Sudeikis, Haaland and Yamal front blockbuster Visa World Cup ad With the 2026 World Cup just 24 days away, Visa has “tapped” actor Jason Sudeikis and star players such as Spain’s Lamine Yamal and Norway’s Erling Haaland for its new global campaign ahead of the summer tournament.On Monday, Visa launched its ‘Tap In’ campaign for the World Cup. It plays on the term used when a footballer simply puts the ball into the net to score and features stars in various scenes tapping their Visa cards to instantly upgrade their experiences.Having Sudeikis as the campaign’s centerpiece — and as himself, rather than Ted Lasso, the fictional character he portrays in the popular Apple TV series — is also a subtle way to reach a wide range of audiences. Visa said the campaign will also feature U.S. men’s national team captain Christian Pulisic, Mexican footballer Jorge Campos and legendary Argentinian sports broadcaster and commentator Andrés Cantor.The hope for Visa, as it is for all the companies betting on a World Cup bump this summer, is that customers will stay with it well beyond that final whistle on July 19.Speaking to World Cup ticket brokers Getty ImagesWith less than four weeks to go until the start of the men’s World Cup, The Athletic has been speaking to secondary ticket sellers in the U.S. who are working on the tournament market.“It’s legal. A service. I help people get tickets. I’ve never held a gun to anyone’s head,” says one who, like the others quoted in this article, spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to talk freely about the inner workings of an industry likely to play a key role in fans’ ability to attend World Cup matches in the U.S., Canada and Mexico this summer.“Nobody ever feels bad for me when I lose money.”Our conversations take place on Zoom with three brokers — as they all like to be called, rather than ‘touts’ or ‘scalpers’. “We normally think of guys who work the streets as touts or scalpers,” the first one adds.“I look at us no different than a travel agent, when you go on holiday,” says another. “If I know these tickets are going to come down, I’ll let you know.”They go through spreadsheets revealing millions of dollars of sales, orders and discounted tickets made available to the secondary market. They also discuss the number of tickets they believe are still available for the tournament and provide advice for fans negotiating controversial prices. Read more below.Lamine Yamal set to miss Spain’s World Cup opener Getty ImagesBarcelona forward Lamine Yamal is expected to miss the start of Spain’s World Cup campaign as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.Yamal, 18, is set to be sidelined for Spain’s group-stage opener against Cape Verde on June 15, and at this stage is a major doubt for their second match against Saudi Arabia on June 21, according to sources with knowledge of his recovery.Spanish Football Association (RFEF) sources say the association has been in touch with Barcelona and Yamal, with members of its medical staff making regular visits to Barcelona to monitor his progress.The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner up suffered the injury in last month’s La Liga victory over Celta Vigo, which ruled him out of the remainder of the club season.Barca said at the time Yamal will “follow a conservative treatment plan” and club officials met with the RFEF on Friday to discuss a rehabilitation programme for his return.Spain’s final World Cup group match is against Uruguay on June 26. Spain’s 26-man World Cup squad will be announced on Monday, May 25.Teachers in Mexico planning to strike during 2026 World Cup Getty ImagesTeachers in Mexico are planning to strike during the 2026 World Cup as they call for reforms to wages, pensions and the country’s education system.Education union the national coordinating committee of education workers (CNTE) said in a statement it would call for a national strike “within the framework of the World Cup” if its “non-negotiable” demands are not met.The union said it is demanding “dignified pensions, fair wages, job security, and an education that serves the people, not corporate interests”. The 2007 ISSSTE law is the particular target of protests, an act that restructured state worker pensions in the country.Mexico is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada. The Mexican school calendar will overlap with the majority of the World Cup, which takes place between June 11 and July 19.USMNT’s Aaronson, Richards suffer injury scares Getty ImagesU.S. defender Chris Richards and midfielder Brenden Aaronson both suffered injury scares on the penultimate Sunday of the English Premier League season, though both appear to have avoided major setbacks.A week before U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup roster, Richards landed awkwardly on his ankle after an aerial duel while playing for Crystal Palace against Brentford. Aaronson was replaced in the 59th minute after going down with what Leeds manager Daniel Farke said was a “dead leg” during his side’s victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.Farke and Palace manager Oliver Glasner both seemed to indicate that the injuries to their American players were minor.Glasner admitted he was “a little bit more concerned” about Richards than some other Palace players, while Farke said: “It was just a dead leg... he should be alright for the next game.”ICYMI: FIFA set to meet Iran soccer officials for talks Getty ImagesSome news you may have missed from Saturday...A FIFA delegation met officials from the Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) on Saturday to offer reassurance over the team’s participation at the 2026 World Cup in the United States.Sources briefed on the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated the meeting was scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, and the FIFA delegation was led by the federation’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.Iran’s participation at the World Cup has been in doubt since the American-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, which sparked a wider conflict across the Middle East.President of the FFIRI, Mehdi Taj, told reporters on Thursday, in quotes carried and translated by Reuters: “It’s a decisive meeting, meaning they have to give us some guarantees.”FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, has consistently said that Iran will compete at the World Cup as planned.In February, Iran’s embassy said it was negotiating with FIFA to move its World Cup matches from the U.S. to Mexico, though football’s world governing body said it had no intention of allowing the change.Plenty of recent squad announcements Getty ImagesAcross the last week or so, several national teams have confirmed their official squad for the 2026 World Cup.Tunisia dropped captain Ferjani Sassi, Ivory Coast left out Wilfried Zaha and Sebastien Haller, while South Korea made history with their announcement as Jens Castrop became their first foreign-born player of dual heritage at a World Cup.Castrop, 22, who plays for Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, had his international allegiance changed from Germany to South Korea in August 2025. Later that month, he received his first call-up, becoming the country’s first foreign-born, mixed-heritage player, according to FIFA.Croatia's Luka Modric, 40, is set for his fifth World Cup tournament.You can catch up on every team's roster for the tournament here.Welcome along to our 2026 World Cup news coverage Getty ImagesHello everyone and welcome to The Athletic, where the build-up to the 2026 World Cup is continuing.There is less than a month to wait until the world's best players arrive in North America shores to compete for the game's biggest prize: the World Cup trophy.Before then, our stellar coverage of all the latest on ticket prices, high transport costs and injury updates is accelerating, and all of that is featured right here.So stick with us throughout the week to stay as informed as you can be. It's great to have you with us!