Sports
World Cup 2026: MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to host World Cup final on 19 July

MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the 2026 World Cup final on 19 July, while Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will stage the opening group game on 11 June.

Mexico is one of three countries co-hosting the expanded 48-team tournament along with USA and Canada which will last a record 39 days.
They have hosted two World Cups in 1970 and 1986, while the US hosted in 1994.
Canada are first-time hosts and their opening game is in Toronto on 12 June.
The United States will play their opening match at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles also on 12 June
The Azteca was the venue for Argentina striker Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 2-1 win against England in the 1986 quarter-finals and has a capacity of 83,000.
MetLife Stadium, home to American football teams the New York Giants and New York Jets, is based in New Jersey’s East Rutherford and can hold 82,500 fans. It was one of the host stadiums for the 1994 World Cup.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino, alongside comedian and actor Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and celebrity Kim Kardashian, announced the plans on Sunday and also revealed the third-place play-off match will take place in Miami.
The quarter-finals onwards will be held in US cities, with Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston hosting last-eight matches, while the semi-finals will be in Dallas and Atlanta. Dallas will host a record nine matches.
The draw for the World Cup is expected to take place towards the end of 2025.
The tournament will last 10 more days than the 2022 edition in Qatar.
In total, 16 cities have been chosen including Monterrey and Guadalajara in Mexico, and Vancouver in Canada.
Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle and San Francisco are the other US host cities.
Only one city, Guadalajara, will not host a knockout game.
Teams are likely to face a large amount of travel between games.
The shortest distance between a quarter-final and a semi-final venue is just over 500 miles from Kansas City to Dallas while the longest – between Los Angeles and Atlanta – is just under 2,200 miles.
Infantino said “players and fans have been at the core of our extensive planning for this game-changing tournament” and it will be a tournament that will “not only set new records but also leave an indelible legacy”.
Fifa said the schedule was drawn up in consultation with stakeholders including national team coaches and technical directors.
The governing body says teams will have three days of rest for 103 of the tournament’s record 104 matches.
“The tournament’s innovative match schedule will serve to minimise travel for teams and fans alike, while the number of rest days between fixtures will be maximised,” the governing body said.
The new format will feature 12 four-team groups and a last-32 knockout round for the first time.
The tournament hosts will play the group stage in their own countries, with the US staying on the West Coast with two games in LA and one in Seattle.
Canada will play one group stage game in Toronto followed by two in Vancouver while Mexico will play twice at the Azteca and once in Guadalajara.
Sports
Club World Cup: All Round of 16 fixtures revealed [Full list]
Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Miami, in what has been dubbed the Lionel Messi Derby, while Flamengo square up against Bayern Munich.

The 16 teams remaining in the 2025 Club World Cup to compete for the trophy have been confirmed.
This follows the conclusion of the Group H games in the early hours of Friday.
Real Madrid defeated Salzburg 3-0, with goals from Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde, and Gonzalo Garcia.
The result saw Xabi Alonso’s men finish in top spot and they will face Juventus in the last 16.
Al Hilal beat Pachuca 2-1 and will take on Manchester City.
In other fixtures confirmed prior, Inter Milan face Fluminense and Monterrey are up against Borussia Dortmund.
Benfica play Chelsea on Saturday, while Palmeiras will clash with Botafogo in an all-Brazilian affair.
Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Miami, in what has been dubbed the Lionel Messi Derby, while Flamengo square up against Bayern Munich.
(The Sun)
Sports
Nigerians Set for June 28 Olympic Day Celebrations
The celebration will feature a variety of non-competitive sporting activities such as jogging and walking, designed to encourage calorie burning, muscle toning, and overall wellbeing.

Seventeen Nigerian states have confirmed their participation in the 2025 Olympic Day celebrations.
The event will take place across the country on June 28.
The annual event, which promotes the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, has gained momentum in recent years, with organisers expanding activities to encourage wider public participation.
This year, states including Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Taraba, Enugu, Delta, Kwara, the Federal Capital Territory, Anambra, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Kogi, Gombe, Osun, Imo and Lagos, home to the secretariat of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, will host a series of community-based events aimed at promoting health and fitness.
The celebration will feature a variety of non-competitive sporting activities such as jogging and walking, designed to encourage calorie burning, muscle toning, and overall wellbeing.
Sports
Amuneke Urges FG: Give rest of ‘94 Eagles their houses
Amuneke’s comments come as the Federal Government continues to fulfil its three-decade-old promise of house allocations to members of the 1994 Super Eagles squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

Former Super Eagles winger Emmanuel Amuneke has called on the Federal Government to expedite the distribution of houses to the remaining members of the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad, confirming that he received his allocation long ago.
“They should hand over to the others now. Let them do it.”
Amuneke’s comments come as the Federal Government continues to fulfil its three-decade-old promise of house allocations to members of the 1994 Super Eagles squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
The government recently presented an allocation letter for a house in Abuja to former striker Efan Ekoku, who was represented at the brief ceremony by his niece, Lisa Jenifer Nwagbogun.
The Director and Head of Department, Public Building and Housing Development, Pemi Temitope, presented the letter on behalf of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development.
He described the move as part of the government’s commitment to rewarding the patriotic service of the team, which brought honour to the nation three decades ago.
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