World Cup
Spanish City, La Coruña, Withdraws from Hosting 2030 World Cup Matches
The Spanish city of La Coruña has announced that it will no longer pursue hosting matches at the 2030 FIFA World Cup, opting instead to focus on a long-term redevelopment of its main sports infrastructure.
Mayor Inés Rey confirmed the decision during a press conference attended by Deportivo La Coruña president Juan Carlos Escotet and Valentin González Formoso, head of the provincial council.
“We wanted La Coruña to be a host city for the World Cup, but not at any cost,” Rey said. “The circumstances we faced recently required a calm evaluation of what is truly best for the city. This decision does not close a door; it opens a new stage.”
Rather than concentrating resources on staging matches during the tournament, city authorities and football officials have agreed to undertake a major renovation of the city’s sporting facilities. Central to the project is a full modernisation of the historic Riazor Stadium, home ground of Deportivo La Coruña, along with upgrades to the surrounding sports complex.
Rey explained that the decision followed a careful assessment of the long-term benefits for the city. While hosting World Cup matches would have brought global attention, she said the city needed a project that would serve residents well beyond the short duration of the tournament.
“The World Cup would have been important for a few days,” the mayor said. “But the project we are launching today is designed to serve the city for decades.”
Formoso described the redevelopment initiative as a joint commitment among local institutions to improve infrastructure that the city has needed for years.
“Our commitment to this project is absolute,” he said. “La Coruña deserves clear investment in its sports facilities, and we hope this effort will also be reflected in sporting success.”
Escotet also welcomed the agreement, saying the plan represents a positive step for both the club and the city.
“We aim to create a space that generates value every day of the year,” he said. “This project goes beyond sport. It is about responsible and sustainable development for the city.”
With the withdrawal, La Coruña becomes the second Spanish city to step aside from hosting matches at the 2030 tournament, following the earlier decision by Málaga to drop out of the hosting race. The World Cup will be jointly organised by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal.
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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday that it has not received any official communication from the Iran Football Federation indicating that Iran intends to withdraw from the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Iran have already secured qualification for the expanded 48-team tournament, scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. The team is currently scheduled to play two group-stage matches in Los Angeles and another in Seattle.
Speculation about Iran’s participation intensified after the country’s sports minister reportedly suggested it would be impossible for the national team to attend the tournament following recent U.S. airstrikes carried out alongside Israel against Tehran. The strikes were said to have killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, escalating tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said last week that Iran would be welcome to compete at the World Cup, but expressed concerns about the safety of the team if it participated.
Responding to the situation, AFC General Secretary Windsor John said the continental body had not received any formal withdrawal notice from Iran’s football authorities.
“It’s a very emotional moment. Everybody’s saying a lot of things,” John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
“At the end of the day, it’s the federation that should decide if they’re playing, and as of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup.
“They are our members, and we want them to play. They qualified, and we hope they will resolve whatever issues they have and be able to participate.”
An official withdrawal by Iran from football’s global showpiece would be unprecedented in the modern era and would force FIFA to determine a replacement team for the tournament urgently.
The 2026 World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19.
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Egypt will play Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Jeddah on March 27 after both sides shifted their international‑window training camps from Qatar due to travel disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, the federations said on Sunday.
Qatar had planned to stage a wider football festival this month that would have included the ‘Finalissima’ between Spain and Argentina. Still, the event was scrapped after UEFA cancelled the match due to regional instability.
The Saudi federation said their squad would now train in Jeddah and Serbia and play an additional friendly away to Serbia in Belgrade on March 31 as part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Egypt said the Jeddah match was arranged to ensure strong preparation for the finals in North America later this year, thanking Qatar for its initial efforts to host the festival.
Egypt will play in Group G in the June-July tournament alongside Belgium, Iran and New Zealand. At the same time, Saudi Arabia are drawn in Group H with Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.
-Reuters
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World Cup
Mexico City’s Zocalo breaks Guinness World Record for largest soccer class ahead of World Cup
Thousands of Mexicans packed the heart of their capital on Sunday to kick, pass, and celebrate their way into the record books, turning one of the world’s most iconic public squares into the largest football class ever recorded.
Mexico City’s Zocalo — a vast stone plaza that has witnessed revolutions, earthquakes and papal visits — hosted 9,500 people for a roughly 40-minute mass training session that shattered the previous Guinness World Record, set in Seattle with 1,038 participants.
“We registered 9,500 people today, so I have the fortune of telling you that as of now, you are ‘officially amazing’, congratulations,” Guinness World Records judge Alfredo Arista said at the end of the class.
“Today we broke this great Guinness World Record, more than 9,000 people gathered and showed that we are capable of achieving the extraordinary and the impossible,” said Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada after receiving the award.
“With this record, the city sends a message to the world: ‘Sport, soccer, is the universal language, a language of peace that needs no translation.’ Congratulations Mexico City, today we kick off the World Cup,” she added.
The event forms part of a broader campaign dubbed the “Social World Cup”.
In the crowd were families in green, white and red jerseys, children clutching black and golden footballs, elderly neighbours stretching alongside professional coaches as instructors led drills under a clear morning sky, with the sound of cathedral bells in the background.
Among those present on the stage were members of the Mexico women’s team that won the 1971 Women’s World Cup, an unofficial tournament held in Mexico City that drew some of the largest crowds in the history of the women’s game, as well as former male players like goalkeeper Oscar “El Conejo” Perez.
A RECORD WITH A SHADOW
However, the celebration had undertones of national tension.
“I’m excited about the World Cup, but there are a lot of political issues in the country right now,” participant Paulina Rosas told Reuters, reflecting the concerns of many Mexicans amid recent cartel violence.
Last month, the Mexican army killed Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho ‘, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This triggered reprisals across multiple states, bringing Guadalajara — one of the three Mexican cities hosting the World Cup — to a near standstill.
For weeks, there has been uncertainty, with President Claudia Sheinbaum even reinforcing that there will be security guarantees.
Despite this, people are still hopeful about Mexico’s third time hosting the World Cup. Co-hosted with the United States and Canada, the tournament will begin with an opening match at the Estadio Azteca on June 11.
“If we maintain this spirit, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it,” Rosas added.
That spirit was evident outside the main square, where the festive atmosphere continued. People played “cascarita”, an informal form of football around the perimeter, while many were dancing to the rhythms of a “batucada” percussion band.
“The class was pretty simple, and a lot of people here don’t even know how to play football, but that wasn’t the point, it’s about the people, the community,” said 67-year-old Pedro Garcia.
For many of those standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Zocalo on Sunday morning, it felt like a warm-up for what is to come in June.
-Reuters
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