Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… eographical spread.At the start of the World Cup in June, Infantino told Brazilian TV "we have had discussions about expanding to 64 teams" for the tournament's centenary in 2030, which will be held across multiple countries (hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco, as well as Paraguay …
With more matches, World Cup shatters attendance and TV recordsThe Standard
… -finalists Belgium (eighth, up 1) move ahead of their neighbours the Netherlands (ninth, down 1) while co-hosts Mexico (10th, up 4) return to the top 10 for the first time since March 2022 at the expense of Germany (12th, down 2), who were knocked out of the World Cup by Paraguay …
World champions Spain supplant Argentina to top FIFA rankingsCitizen Digital
… Four-time winners Germany were eliminated by minnows Paraguay in the last 32 of the World Cup in June, having crashed out at the group stage of the 2018 and 2022 editions. …
Germany World Cup exit reveals structural failures, says Leverkusen bossCitizen Digital
… y AFP July 15, 2026 08:45 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter France forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates with his coach Didier Deschamps after winning the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Paraguay …
Spain's ex-PM unrepentant on France football team remarkCitizen Digital
… The 2030 edition will be mainly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the three opening matches to be hosted by Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to celebrate the centenary of the competition. …
Infantino opens door to 64-team World CupCitizen Digital
… Klopp has been the DFB's preferred candidate to succeed Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned following Germany's round-of-32 World Cup exit after losing on penalties to Paraguay. …
Klopp reaches 'understanding' to take over as Germany coachThe Standard
… e of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation, and the World Cup continues to bring the very best out of him.After netting braces in the group-stage wins over Senegal and Iraq, as well as the last-32 defeat of Sweden, he got the only goal from the penalty spot against Paraguay …
Mbappe strikes again as France beat Morocco to reach World Cup semi-finalsCitizen Digital
… The Americans had captured the nation's imagination by topping their group ahead of Australia, Paraguay and Turkey, and beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last-32 but, once the whistle blew on Monday, the gulf between them and Belgium quickly became apparent. …
When the hype met reality: Why the U.S. World Cup run ended against BelgiumThe Standard
… Paraguay frustrated them for 70 sweltering minutes in Philadelphia until a video review awarded Desire Doue a penalty, and Kylian Mbappé does not miss penalties that carry his country. …
Mbappe v Hakimi: Friends off the pitch, rivals in the quartersThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeFrance coach Didier Deschamps revealed Wednesday that an appeal against a yellow card shown to Michael Olise in the World Cup last-16 win over Paraguay had been rejected by FIFA. …
France lose appeal against Olise booking at World CupThe President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said the 2030 World Cup final will be held in Benslimane, near Casablanca, at the $1-billion Hassan II stadium being built with a projected capacity of 115,000. FIFA has not yet announced the venue, with Spain and Morocco competing to host the match.
11 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said the 2030 World Cup final will be held in Benslimane, near Casablanca, at the $1-billion Hassan II stadium being built with a projected capacity of 115,000. FIFA has not yet announced the venue, with Spain and Morocco competing to host the match.
11 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Meta said Wednesday it has begun testing Community Notes in 16 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, a crowdsourced system modeled on Elon Musk's X, designed to replace the professional fact-checking program it runs with partner organizations across the region.
9 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Democratic Republic of Congo said Thursday it would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, joining a small group of countries including the United States in recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the contested holy city. The announcement followed a visit by President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss strengthening diplomatic relations.
4 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Democratic Republic of Congo said it would relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, joining a small group of countries including the United States in the symbolic step. President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met and spoke of strengthening diplomatic relations, though no timeline was given for the move.
3 September 2026 · The Standard →
France's Gael Monfils, playing on his 40th birthday, advanced to the second round of the US Open with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 victory over Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo. Monfils, who will retire after this season, entertained the New York crowd with his trademark showmanship before the crowd sang "Happy Birthday."
2 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The FIFA national team ranking indicates each country's standing in world football and influences World Cup draw seeding and competition structures. Spain leads the ranking after winning the World Cup, and FIFA now provides live provisional ranking updates during matches.
2 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Antonio Rudiger announced his international retirement on September 1, 2026, two months after playing in the World Cup. The 33-year-old made 86 appearances for Germany and said he wanted to focus on club football with Real Madrid.
1 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Brazilian winger Allan Elias, 22, has joined Manchester City from Palmeiras on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £34 million. Allan came through Palmeiras' academy and made 96 first-team appearances, scoring four goals and contributing three assists in 21 matches this season.
31 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Ukrainian Automobile Federation has filed a formal complaint with the International Automobile Federation's Ethics Committee challenging the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian drivers competing under their national flags and anthems, citing that the Russian Automobile Federation maintains offices in Crimea and in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, territories recognized as Ukrainian by the international community.
29 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
FIFA president Gianni Infantino received backing from South American football figures during a visit to Colombia, where he attended the inauguration of the Colombian president. The visit comes as Infantino faces a crisis at world football's governing body, including loss of confidence from UEFA following backlash against his plan to allow private investment in the World Cup.
8 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
South American football's governing body CONMEBOL welcomed FIFA's withdrawal of its private investor plan but expressed concern about FIFA's repeated unilateral actions.
7 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The U.S. will begin under head coach Mauricio Pochettino with friendlies against Peru on September 26 in Orlando, Chile three days later in St. Louis, Mexico on October 3 in Glendale, Arizona, and Canada in St. Paul, Minnesota.
5 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela's political transition will take months, not years, seven months after former leader Nicolas Maduro's capture in a US military raid. Delegates of interim President Delcy Rodríguez and opposition members are scheduled to hold their first round of talks this week in Caracas.
5 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
FIFA is considering expanding the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams for the 2030 edition and plans to appoint an independent agency to assess the impact of this expansion on the tournament.
1 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 40, said it is "very likely" he will retire at the end of the upcoming season, citing the potential of the current squad as a reason to continue playing this year.
29 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Juergen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, has been appointed Germany's national football team head coach with a contract through the 2030 World Cup, following Julian Nagelsmann's resignation after the team's third consecutive early World Cup exit since 2014.
24 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Jurgen Klopp is widely expected to formally become the head coach of the German men's national football team, with the German Football Association calling a press conference for Friday morning at its Frankfurt headquarters.
23 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has acknowledged that a 64-team World Cup could be examined after the current 48-team tournament concludes. Expanding the tournament further would have significant logistical and financial implications, potentially reducing the commercial value of qualifying competition.
22 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish football league, accused FIFA of acting "irresponsibly" over discussions about a possible 64-team World Cup in 2030, saying FIFA is destroying the football industry—which generates tens of thousands of jobs—for an event lasting 40 days involving only a minority of players.
21 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Spain replaced Argentina atop FIFA's world rankings after beating the finalists 1-0 in the World Cup final in New York. France finished third in the rankings after losing the third-place play-off to England 6-4 in the United States.
21 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Spain became world champions after beating Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final in New York on Sunday, reclaiming the top FIFA ranking they had surrendered in April. France finished third, beaten 6-4 by England in the third-place play-off, with England ranked fourth.
21 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The 48-team 2026 World Cup, held in the US, Canada and Mexico, set a stadium attendance record of 6.81 million spectators across 104 matches and broke previous TV viewership records "many, many times over," according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. FIFA projects record revenues exceeding seven billion euros for 2026, a 56 per cent increase from 2022.
21 July 2026 · The Standard →
Spain replaced Argentina at the top of the FIFA rankings released Monday after defeating them 1-0 in the World Cup final. France ranks third, England fourth, Brazil fifth, and Morocco sixth.
21 July 2026 · The Standard →
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro attributed Germany's World Cup exit to structural, political and cultural problems, citing insufficient youth development investment and bureaucratic delays in infrastructure projects. Carro noted fewer players are coming through to the top level despite Germany's outstanding individual talent.
15 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Mariano Rajoy defended himself with sarcasm rather than apologizing after earlier comments saying France's national football team had "no French players" sparked accusations of racism and hatred from politicians in both countries. In a new column, Rajoy did not directly address his earlier remark but sarcastically thanked authorities for the attention they paid him during the World Cup.
15 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the federation will examine a 64-team World Cup format after the 2026 tournament, citing the success of the current 48-team expansion and the need for the competition to be inclusive of all nations and regions.
13 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The German Football Federation announced it has reached an "understanding" with Jürgen Klopp on key contract points for him to become the new Germany coach, pending approval from his current employer, the Red Bull Group. Discussions are set to continue next week.
11 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant curling finish after an earlier missed penalty to lead France to a 2-0 victory over Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final, with Ousmane Dembele adding a second goal. France will face Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals next Tuesday in Dallas.
10 July 2026 · The Standard →
The United States, co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, were eliminated in the Round of 16 after a 4-1 defeat to Belgium. Despite widespread marketing hype and optimism, the analysis suggests the higher-ranked Belgian team was simply the better side on the day.
9 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
France and Morocco will meet in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026, revisiting their 2022 semi-final encounter in Qatar where France won 2-0. Morocco advanced by defeating Canada 3-0 while France edged Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16.
9 July 2026 · The Standard →