First look at preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
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Evening Standard
a day ago
- Evening Standard
Why was Triple H with Donald Trump?
The event, which included former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, golfer Bryson DeChambeau, and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, among others, took place as the US gets ready to host the 2025 Ryder Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup, and 2028 Summer Olympics—all of which are significant feathers in Trump's cap for his second term.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Las Vegas reportedly set to host 2026 World Cup draw on 5 December
Las Vegas is set to host the 2026 Fifa World Cup draw on 5 December, according to multiple reports, marking the second time the Nevada city will stage the tournament's group-stage ceremony. But despite widespread speculation, the Sphere will not be hosting the event due to a scheduling conflict. Sources told ESPN that Las Vegas was chosen over candidate cities in Canada and Mexico, though Fifa has not yet confirmed either the date or location. The draw will assign the 48 participating nations into 12 groups of four, reflecting the first time the men's tournament will feature an expanded 48-team field and span three host countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. Las Vegas previously hosted the World Cup draw in 1994, the last time the tournament was held in the United States. That year's ceremony was staged at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a venue that is unavailable this time around. Allegiant Stadium, home to the NFL's Raiders, was also passed over as a World Cup match site during the host city selection process. The 11 US cities selected for 2026 are divided into three geographic regions. New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami and Atlanta comprise the East; Kansas City, Dallas and Houston make up the Central region; and Los Angeles, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area represent the West. Mexico's venues include Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City, while Toronto and Vancouver will host matches in Canada. Mexico, Canada and the United States have already been placed in Groups A, B and D respectively. The tournament will conclude on 19 July 2026, with the final set to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. While early reports pointed to the Sphere – a state-of-the-art, 17,500-seat venue boasting a 54,000-square-meter wraparound LED screen – as the frontrunner to host the draw, sources close to the venue confirmed to the Guardian it is unavailable due to a previously scheduled concert. That, along with the Convention Center being booked, leaves the final venue for the draw still unannounced. Pedro Cedillo, a Pachuca executive involved in World Cup preparations, told ESPN: 'I understand it will be in Las Vegas, and that's where we need to be present.' Fifa has yet to comment on the venue or timing of the event.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
The World Cup winner who quit football to help next generation
It's not every day that a World Cup winner walks into a coffee shop in central there is no crowd, no signing autographs or selfies with fans. Things have turned out differently for Curtis Anderson. Anderson, a former Manchester City goalkeeper who helped England win the Under-17s Fifa World Cup in 2017, is able to sip his flat white in relative peace as he explains why he gave up his dream and became a financial adviser the 21 players who triumphed in India eight years ago, Anderson is the only one who is no longer playing football at any most in his current field, Anderson is using his experiences in the game to help young professional footballers whose shoes he once stood in. Anderson works for an independent financial adviser, where he heads the sports of his time is spent exclusively with athletes - mainly footballers - helping them make informed financial decisions to maximise their earnings from a short career."You can literally change people's lives by taking money stresses away," Anderson tells BBC Sport."People don't understand simple things around finance so making things clearer for people and helping them keeps me motivated."I want to help as many people as possible. I'm so passionate about helping young football players."Not too long ago, the 24-year-old was in the same position as those he now helps. So how did he end up here? 'The spark had gone' On 28 October 2017, Anderson became a world months on from spending England's European Under-17 Championship campaign on the bench, Anderson didn't miss a minute as Steve Cooper's side reached the final of the U17 World Cup in had a squad including future Premier League regulars Phil Foden - who was named player of the tournament - Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marc Guehi, and produced a remarkable comeback to beat Spain 5-2 after trailing 2-0."We were so relaxed and confident, nobody panicked," Anderson recalls."We pulled a goal back then went into half-time thinking 'we've got this'. There was no one getting stressed or going crazy in the dressing room."Anderson was on top of the world but, by his own admission, he became impatient. Anderson sought a move away in search of more minutes, but was still at City when the transfer window closed after a loan move to a Championship club fell few options on the table, Anderson decided to join American side Charlotte Independence of the United Soccer League on a permanent basis in March 2019. It was a decision he came to regret - three months later, the manager who signed Anderson was sacked, and he found himself out of favour."I look back and think, at 18, what was I in a rush for?" says Anderson."I was in such a desperate rush to do everything. I came off the back of the World Cup and expected everything now. I was looking at other young players, what they were doing, and not really valuing the path that I was on."Playing for City and England, my trajectory would have been straight up."After a year on the books at Wycombe Wanderers, Anderson dropped down into non-league before retiring in 2023."The spark of football just wasn't really there," he says."I didn't have the same drive and love for it that I had five years earlier, I was happy to do my day job. The decision to fully stop playing came quite easily." 'Football gave me everything' Like most footballers, Anderson started first taste of football came in his home town of Barrow-in-Furness, where he played both outfield and in goal for the under-six team coached by his long he was scouted by Blackpool, where he played until the two Manchester giants came United and City both wanted the 11-year-old, but he and his family were swayed by the latter's plans for the state-of-the-art City Football from a small town in Cumbria to a new city and an elite club was a daunting experience, but one Anderson feels helped him develop as a person and switch careers years later."Being in a high performance environment every single day, where you try to achieve the highest level, working as hard as you can and being called out if you're not at the level - not many kids are exposed to that," he says."It shapes you as a person. When I look back at my football career, people ask me if I regret it but absolutely not. "Football gave me absolutely everything, in terms of exposure and the opportunity to mature really young." 'I have no regrets' When the coronavirus lockdown left Anderson unable to find a new club, he started wondering how the money he had earned at City had dwindled away."I remember being 17 and not knowing what to do with the money, it was a daunting thing," he passed accountancy and finance exams after contacting the Professional Footballers' Association for decided that path wasn't for him, which led to him shadowing a financial adviser near his parents' house. He's worked in financial planning and advice ever since, turning down several offers to return to the Football League as his heart wasn't in new pursuit provided a level of control and security - as well as purpose - that playing lower-league football could not."At Wycombe, I'd get questions from older players," he says. "I realised there is a lack of education and support about finance in football. "There's not enough education, guidance and support for young people with high earnings."If you're a lower-league player, your immediate priority should be to plan for life after football. If you've got that sorted, you can set yourself and your family up for years."I look at what I know now and feel like I need to help as many people in football as I can."But when he sees his former England team-mates succeeding at the top of the game, does he have any regrets?"I'm proud to see them doing so well, I don't sit there and think I wish I was doing that, or what could have been," he says."I've got no regrets and I'm not envious. I just stopped enjoying it. If you offered to put me in their situations now, playing week-in week-out in the Premier League, I wouldn't trade that for what I'm doing now."When I look at my football career, it gave me the opportunity to do what I do now. There aren't many financial advisers under 25 - or not many good ones anyway!"
