Iran’s national soccer team attended visa appointments in the Turkish ‌capital Ankara on Thursday ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the whole squad applying for Canadian visas and some players also submitting applications for U.S. entry.

The World Cup will be co-hosted ​by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Iran due to play ​all three of their group-stage matches in the United States.

Iran are ⁠scheduled to face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in ​Los Angeles before taking on Egypt in Seattle five days later. They would require ​access to Canada if they progress to the knockout rounds.

The whole squad attended appointments for Canadian visas, while some players who had not applied for U.S. visas before the Iran war also submitted ​applications in Ankara, an Iranian football federation official said.

Some foreign-based Iranian players joined the ​squad in Ankara before later travelling to the team’s training camp in Antalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean ‌coast, ⁠the official said.

Iran is holding a pre-tournament camp in Turkey after the Iranian domestic league was suspended following U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country that began on February 28, leaving many players short of match fitness.

The team trained in Antalya earlier ​this week as coach ​Amir Ghalenoei attempted ⁠to prepare his squad after most domestic-based players went seven weeks without competitive soccer during the suspension of the Iranian league.

Iran ​qualified early for the expanded 48-team World Cup, but preparations have ​been overshadowed ⁠by uncertainty over travel and security arrangements following the conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel.

Iran’s football federation had previously said U.S. visa applications for the team would be ⁠handled ​in Turkey after discussions with FIFA.

Iran are due to ​play Gambia in a friendly on May 29 before Ghalenoei names his final 26-man World Cup squad by ​FIFA’s June 1 deadline.

-Reuters

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Hull City will play Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League after Southampton failed ​on Wednesday to overturn their expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents.

Southampton were thrown ‌out of the final on Tuesday and handed a four-point deduction for next season, after they had beaten semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

“The original sanction of expulsion… remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026/27 Championship table and the reprimand in respect ​of all charges,” the English Football League (EFL) said in a statement.

The final will be at London’s Wembley ​Stadium on Saturday, kicking off at 3:30 pm local time.

Southampton had admitted the charge of illegally ⁠spying on an opponent within 72 hours of a scheduled match. The alleged spy was caught recording a Middlesbrough ​training session from behind a tree ahead of the first leg.

The south-coast club beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate to reach ​the final, considered the richest game in world soccer with 200 million pounds ($268.68 million) guaranteed over three seasons through broadcast revenue, sponsorship and parachute payments.

Although Southampton CEO Phil Parsons said the club accepted that there should be sanctions, he added that they could not ​accept one “which bears no proportion to the offence”.

Southampton also admitted to similarly filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December ​and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.

Middlesbrough had demanded Southampton be kicked out of the final to “protect the integrity of ‌the game” ⁠while threatening to take legal action if required.

“This is an extremely disappointing outcome for everybody connected with Southampton Football Club,” the Saints said in a statement after the verdict.

“We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, staff, commercial partners and the wider community who have given so much backing to the team throughout the ​season and we apologise once ​again to everyone impacted by ⁠this.

“Southampton Football Club has a proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuilt. That work begins immediately,” it added.

The legal ramifications ​could rumble on, with Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı suggesting his club should go straight ​to the Premier ⁠League because Middlesbrough had not qualified for the final on the field.

“The Southampton decision is arguably one of the most consequential sports disciplinary decisions to date, and certainly is in terms of its potential financial impact,” said Andrew Street, a partner ⁠at ​law firm BCLP.

“Sponsors, players, and other clubs will now be looking at ​the details of the decision and its implications.

“Commercial partners of Saints are likely to look at their options, including termination or claims for breach ​of any reputational damage clauses that sponsors often insist upon.”

-Reuters

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Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia scored stunning goals as Aston Villa ​outclassed Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday to end a 30-year wait for silverware and ‌earn their coach Unai Emery a record-extending fifth win in the competition.

Morgan Rogers added a third as Villa secured a first major trophy since they lifted the English League Cup in 1996, and their first victory in continental competition since they were European Cup champions in 1982 after ​defeating Bayern Munich in the final .

Back-to-back wins in the Europa League for Premier League clubs after Tottenham ​Hotspur were victors last season kept alive a rare continental hat-trick with Arsenal in the final of ⁠the Champions League and Crystal Palace to play in the Conference League decider.

“I feel amazing,” Tielemans told TNT. “We put in ​a shift, top performance, we had a great season, and to top it off with this, it’s amazing.

“We only had one ​day to practise, we did it on Monday, and it worked brilliantly tonight.

“It’s been a season with a lot of ups and downs. We started so so bad, our standards were very very poor but the way we turned things around was great, credit to the players, credit to ​the staff, we just kept working, kept believing, and we got the win in the end, Champions League next season and ​a trophy.”

TIELEMANS STRIKE

Villa took the lead on 41 minutes with a superb strike from Tielemans after Rogers’ floated cross from a short ‌corner was ⁠latched onto by the unmarked Belgian and his low volley arrowed into the net.

It was 2-0 seconds before halftime through another stunning goal, this time from Buendia. Freiburg allowed Villa too much space on the edge of their box and the Argentine playmaker curled a left-foot shot into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Noah Atubolu with no chance.

Rogers added the third on ​58 minutes when Buendia turned ​provider as his low cross ⁠into the six-yard box from the left was stabbed home at the near post.

Villa manager Emery kept up his remarkable record in the competition with a fifth victory, three with Sevilla, ​one with Villarreal and now with the English Villa.

Emery moved level with record-holders Carlo ​Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho ⁠and Giovanni Trapattoni on five European trophies.

Freiburg were hoping to win their first major silverware in their 122-year-old history but rarely threatened the Villa goal.

“The team believed until the end, but we faced an Aston Villa (side) with a lot of class. We are very ⁠proud of ​what we have achieved,” Freiburg winger Vincenzo Grifo said.

“We wanted to win ​this cup. Unfortunately we didn’t make it and this must be accepted. If you give space to players like Tielemans and Buendia … they made perfect shots. ​The first goal gave Aston Villa strength.”

-Reuters

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