Ask why there’s been so much violence in the middle east these last three years and you’ll be told it’s because of October 7.
Ask why October 7 happened and you’ll be called an antisemite.
Ask what specifically transpired on that day and you’ll be called a conspiracy theorist.
#Iran captain Mehdi Taremi on the #WorldCup2026:
“This is a disastrous World Cup. As professional players, we cannot play a competition under these conditions. It is neither right nor fair. If FIFA thinks this is fair, that's their problem, but it isn't. Who is supposed to solve this problem for us? FIFA? The United States? I don't know! Give me a name. FIFA President Gianni Infantino came into our dressing room after the first match against New Zealand and said he was going to solve all the problems, but in reality, FIFA did nothing.
In response to the question, ‘Do you feel that the World Cup organizers, including FIFA and U.S. officials, would prefer Iran to be eliminated from the tournament?’, I say this: We have to fight against absolutely everything. We can't stay in the country, we travel and go through immigration checks every time we want to play a match. Now we can't stay in Seattle and have to return to Tijuana. They have done everything they could to eliminate us. So from our perspective, yes, I think that's what they want. They want us out of the tournament.”
Lumumba Vea, DR Congo's most iconic supporter, will miss the Leopards' decisive World Cup match against Uzbekistan after failing to obtain a U.S. visa. Stranded in Mexico, he was forced to return home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, meaning he'll also miss any remaining matches if DR Congo advances. I've seen enough. This is the worst-organized World Cup I've ever witnessed.
Paul Weller addresses the idea that politics and music should be kept separate, and once again speaks out in support of the people of Palestine (in the most Weller way possible)
We cannot allow the charge of genocide in Gaza to be obscured by accusations of antisemitism. Antisemitism is hatred of Jewish people; criticism of Israel is criticism of a state with military and political apparatus capable of committing genocide. The two must not be conflated.
Bosnia fans’ chant for Palestine echoed through the whole stadium as Bosnia and Herzegovina booked their place in the next round of the WC.
Whatever attempts are made to silence it, solidarity with Palestine keeps finding its way into football’s biggest stages. Even in the U.S.