1. WORLD CUP 2026 — FIVE DAYS TO GO
The greatest show on earth is almost here. The 2026 FIFA World Cup — the first to feature 48 teams — kicks off on Thursday June 11 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles when co-hosts USA face Paraguay at 9pm UK / 9pm Ghana. For the first time ever the tournament is hosted across three countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico — spanning 16 cities. 104 matches will be played across 39 days, concluding with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Argentina are the defending champions. England, France, Spain, Brazil, Germany and Argentina are the leading favourites. The biggest pre-tournament story is injuries — a significant number of top stars are missing or doubtful, changing the complexion of the tournament entirely.
2. NEYMAR — GRADE 2 CALF INJURY, DOUBT FOR BRAZIL'S OPENER VS MOROCCO
Neymar is in a race against time to be fit for Brazil's World Cup opener. Brazil's national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed last week that the 34-year-old has suffered a Grade 2 muscle strain in his right calf — a two to three week recovery — casting serious doubt over his availability for their June 13 opener against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Neymar arrived in the USA with the squad and is receiving treatment at Brazil's training base in New Jersey, but has not trained with the group. The CBF confirmed they will replace him in the squad if he is not fit within 14 days. He dismissed injury concerns himself — "What problem?" he snapped when asked — but the medical verdict is clear. Brazil are already without Rodrygo (ACL) and Estevao (hamstring) — making their wide options very thin. Raphinha, Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius Junior carry the attacking burden. Ancelotti said: "He might play, he might not" when asked about a starting role even if fit.
3. YAMAL CONFIRMED FIT FOR SPAIN — OPENS VS CAPE VERDE JUNE 15
Good news for Spain and Barcelona fans. Lamine Yamal has been confirmed fit and included in Spain's final 26-man World Cup squad despite the hamstring injury that ended his club season in April. The 18-year-old has beaten his recovery timeline and will be available for Spain's Group H opener against Cape Verde on June 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Spain also face Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay on June 26 in their group. Yamal's presence transforms Spain's attacking threat — without him, their wide options are significantly diminished. He arrives at his second World Cup having already become a legend at his first, scoring in the Euro 2024 semi-final against France and assisting the winning goal in the final against England.
4. USA VS GERMANY — PRE-WORLD CUP WARM-UP TODAY IN CHICAGO
The United States host Germany in a final pre-tournament friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago today (2:30pm ET / 7:30pm Ghana). It is the co-hosts' final warm-up before their Group D opener against Paraguay on June 12. Germany open their World Cup campaign on June 15 against Ivory Coast. For the USA, Chris Richards is being assessed for an ankle injury suffered on May 17 — his availability for the Paraguay game is uncertain. For Germany, the big talking point is the return of Manuel Neuer, 40, who came out of international retirement to be their first-choice goalkeeper. Lennart Karl — the teenager who starred in Bayern's UCL run — is also in the squad after breaking into the Germany set-up this season. Both squads use the game as a final chance to settle lineups ahead of the tournament.
5. GHANA'S WORLD CUP GUIDE — GROUP L, QUEIROZ, AND THE KUDUS DOUBT
Ghana open their 2026 World Cup campaign in Group L, which also contains England, Croatia and Panama. Their fixtures: Panama on June 17 in Houston, England on June 21 in a venue TBC, and Croatia on June 25. Coach Carlos Queiroz, appointed in April after a lengthy search, has his work cut out — Mohammed Kudus remains a major doubt with a quad injury, and Mohammed Salisu is also unavailable. Without Kudus, the creative burden shifts heavily onto Antoine Semenyo and potentially Kamaldeen Sulemana or Ernest Nuamah, who is returning from a long injury absence. Ghana face a tough draw — England are one of the tournament favourites, Croatia are proven World Cup performers having reached two consecutive semi-finals, and even Panama present a physical challenge. Queiroz's immediate goal will be navigating the opener against Panama — a winnable game that Ghana must not drop points in if they are to have any chance of progressing from what is a difficult group.
