April 4 – Dominica has become the second CONCACAF nation after St Lucia to come out and confirm it is backing Morocco for the 2026 World Cup despite being part of the same confederation as the rival United 2026 bid.
April 4 – With Qatar having already stated it is supporting Morocco for the 2026 World Cup, Saudi Arabia has said that it is going the other way as the race to clinch Asian backing hots up.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 30 – Gianni Infantino’s insistence that the voting process to choose the 2026 World Cup hosts will be scrupulously fair and clean has come under grave scrutiny amid suspicions of underhand tactics by FIFA over the scoring system being used to assess the two contenders.
April 3 – Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the UK and US of using the poisoning scandal to try and take the World Cup away from her country.
April 3 – The first signs that CONCACAF may not vote as a bloc in favour of the three-nation US-Canada-mexico 2026 World Cup bid have emerged after St Lucia became the first country in the region to announce publicly that it would be backing underdogs Morocco.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – As the two contenders to stage the 2026 World Cup await the all-important inspection visit from FIFA’s evaluation team next month, clear evidence has emerged that Europe will be split when the actual vote takes place on June 13.
March 29 – The fear of racism rearing its ugly head at the World Cup in Russia has intensified following alleged abuse directed at French players by Russian fans during a high-profile friendly this week.
By Andrew Warshaw in Casablanca
March 28 – The chairman of Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid has issued a firm challenge to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to play fair and remain neutral when the first open vote in the modern era to select the hosts takes place in June.
March 28 – The United 2026 bid are promising “an opening day like no other” to herald in a “new era in football”, with three games across the three countries – Canada, Mexico and the US.
By Andrew Warshaw in Marrakesh
March 27 – There’s no doubting Hicham El Amrani’s passion and self-belief. Or that the CEO of Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid is extremely well connected.
By Mark Baber
March 27 – Concerns the fall-out from the Skripal poisoning affair could spill over into the World Cup increased on Monday as Iceland announced its leaders would follow the UK’s lead in boycotting the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
Moscow – The Luzhniki Stadium, Russia’s flagship venue for this summer’s World Cup, has staged a successful second test-run, a much-anticipated friendly between Russia and Brazil. The stadium will host the opening game and the final of the World Cup.
March 23 – England manager Gareth Southgate says he has “no concerns” about security and safety at the World Cup in Russia despite the escalating diplomatic spat between London and Moscow over the poisoning of a former double agent on british soil.
March 23 – Alan Rothenburg, the man widely credited with bringing the 1994 World Cup to the United States and making such a success of it, says it is by no means a foregone conclusion that the tournament will go back to the USA – and its neighbours Mexico and Canada – in 2026.
March 22 – The diplomatic spat between Britain and Russia over the poisoning of a former double agent on British soil has plummeted to new depths after British foreign secretary Boris Johnson claimed Vladimir Putin will use this summer’s World Cup to glorify Russia in the same way Adolf Hitler used Berlin’s hosting of the summer games in 1936 as propaganda for the Nazi regime.