World Cup
How World Cup coaches reacted to final draw
Reaction to the 2026 World Cup draw that was conducted in Washington on Friday.
GROUP A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, European Playoff D
JAVIER AGUIRRE, MEXICO HEAD COACH
“There are no small opponents, we mustn’t get complacent, we have to work hard. We’ll have to wait to find out who our European opponent will be. We’ll be repeating our opening match (against South Africa) from 15 years ago and we’ll have to be ready.”
GROUP B: Canada, European Playoff A, Qatar, Switzerland
JESSE MARSCH, CANADA HEAD COACH
“I believe it’s a group we can win and I would have said that no matter who was in the group because I believe in our team, I believe in the strength of our team, I believe in the confidence in our team and playing at home will be a big advantage.
“We’re not going to (be) overconfident, we’re going to be very realistic, we’re going to stay focused, we’re going to go about it in machine-like performances day in and day out like we have the whole time we have been together.”
GROUP C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
CARLO ANCELOTTI, BRAZIL HEAD COACH
“We have strong rivals in the group and we have to work hard for the first game against Morocco. A draw is a draw. It could have been an easier draw, but it was a little more difficult. We have a clear goal of finishing first in the group.”
STEVE CLARKE, SCOTLAND HEAD COACH
“One of the big things in my head was no European teams so we’re playing three top sides from three different continents and that’s what the World Cup is all about. So I think it’s a really good draw.”
WALID REGRAGUI, MOROCCO HEAD COACH
“Playing against Brazil is a dream for everyone. It is an honour for us; Brazil is the country of football, and for Moroccans, it is an example. We have great respect for the Selecao, but let’s be honest, it will be a great game. May the best team win.”
GROUP D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, European Playoff C
MAURICIO POCHETTINO, U.S. HEAD COACH
“My message to the players is Paraguay, Australia and the other team (playoff winner) is going to be difficult. We need to prepare like each game is the final of the World Cup. Thinking we should win before we play the games is the wrong mindset.”
ALEXI LALAS, AMERICAN SOCCER GREAT
“If you believe in the soccer gods, you should be thanking them. This is not just a good group, this is a great group, and this is a group that you should expect this United States team, under Mauricio Pochettino, to win and go through. I don’t want to say it’s an easy group, but we also have to be realistic with what we got here.”
TONY POPOVIC, AUSTRALIA HEAD COACH
“Finally finding out exactly who we will be playing at the FIFA World Cup 2026 makes it all feel a lot more real. Now the real planning can begin. There is still a bit of unknown in drawing a team from UEFA Play-Off C, and we play them first – but we’re excited. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is always hard and we have a tough group, but we’re looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.”
GROUP E: Germany, Curacao, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador
DICK ADVOCAAT, CURACAO HEAD COACH
“It is a fantastic draw for Curacao. To play the opening match against a major football nation like Germany is of course wonderful. It is already so special to be on this stage with Curacao, and now we face three countries from different continents. All three teams are difficult opponents. We will see what it will bring us with Curacao. We will take it as it comes, but this draw is very good.”
GROUP G: Belgium, Iran, New Zealand, Egypt
HOSSAM HASSAN, EGYPT HEAD COACH
“Egypt has legitimate ambitions and a real chance to go as far as possible. We will focus on our work, and we have time after the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be a strong opportunity and preparation for the World Cup… along with the international break matches. Anyone who wants to go far and bring joy to the fans must work hard and stay committed.”
DARREN BAZELEY, NEW ZEALAND HEAD COACH
“It’s a good group. We had to wait for it, the last name out of the hat. Kept us waiting and waiting. It’s a good group, tough teams but we knew they were all going to be tough games. We’ve got a top-10 team in the world in Belgium and then a really good team out of Asia and then Egypt, who we know a little bit more about because we played them a couple of years ago. When you look across, there could’ve been some tougher groups, but we still know it’s a big challenge.”
GROUP F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, European Playoff B
HAJIME MORIYASU, JAPAN HEAD COACH
“I felt we were drawn in an extremely tough group. The Netherlands are one of the world’s top nations – they haven’t won one yet, but been to the final. Tunisia had nine wins and a draw in the qualifiers without conceding, very solid and astute. I want our players to make their presence felt in daily activities at their clubs to win the fierce battle for the World Cup squad. We have a shared goal of winning the World Cup – I know it won’t be easy, but I want us to prepare with confidence. We can definitely do it.”
GROUP H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
LUIS DE LA FUENTE, SPAIN HEAD COACH
“The fact that we are seen as favourites is a recognition of the level of Spanish football. Let’s appreciate that. But that doesn’t guarantee anything, and the praise won’t weaken us. Quite the contrary. We have a great responsibility, we want to do something important in this World Cup. And that means doing well in the group stage and continuing to move forward, because the matches will become increasingly difficult.”
GROUP I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2, Norway
ADRIEN RABIOT, FRANCE MIDFIELDER
“A fairly strong group, but as we know it’s a World Cup — the teams that are there deserve to be there, and we’ll have to fight to reach the next stage. We’ll need to be in good shape after a very long season, because the teams that will perform best will be those who are physically strongest.”
STALE SOLBAKKEN, NORWAY HEAD COACH
“We got a tough draw. France and Spain are the two best European teams, and Senegal, they have a good generation now. Of course, we can beat Senegal, and we can beat Bolivia, and we can on our maximum, maximum day take points from France. That’s the attitude we need to have when we go into this here.”
PAPE THIAW, SENEGAL HEAD COACH
“It’s always a pleasure to play against France. It’s a country we know well — for me, it’s my second home. Twenty-four years later, we face them again. In 2002, it went well for us. This will not be an easy match. We will be well prepared.”
GROUP J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
LIONEL SCALONI, ARGENTINA HEAD COACH
“We’re going to give it our all and try to do what we did in the last World Cup, which is to give everything we can, not give up on any ball. That’s what this team has been doing.”
VLADIMIR PETKOVIC, ALGERIA HEAD COACH
“In the first match against Argentina, we will not play as a defeated team. We are thrilled to face Argentina in the opening game, as that could serve as preparation for the next two matches, which will be very important. It’s a very exciting group.”
JAMAL SELLAMI, JORDAN HEAD COACH
“The group is strong, but we have our chances. Facing (Lionel) Messi is exceptional, but the World Cup does not recognise chances, Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. Motivation is important for the players, and playing against Argentina, Austria, and Algeria is a valuable experience. At global tournaments, there are no major gaps, and we hope to represent Jordanian football in the best possible way.”
GROUP L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
THOMAS TUCHEL, ENGLAND HEAD COACH
“It’s a difficult group and a difficult opening match against Croatia, they were the top seeds in pot two and Ghana from pot four is a regular in the World Cups and they have some of the best players like (Antoine) Semenyo and (Mohammed) Kudus playing in the Premier League with a lot of quality.”
-Reuters
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Dozens of Argentines who were denied visas to travel to the United States to see the World Cup will at least have a new free television channel to watch the games.
Argentine conglomerate Newsan promised to give out local brand Noblex televisions to the first 100 people who lined up on Wednesday outside its Buenos Aires office with paperwork in hand showing they had been denied a visa between January and June of this year to visit the United States.
“Give us your denied visa and take a free TV,” an advertisement on Instagram said.
One of the lucky winners was Tomas Vageller, a 24-year-old professional videogame player.
“I went to get a visa because we all think it will be Messi’s last World Cup,” he said. “It’s very sad I won’t be able to see it, but well, I’m leaving with a gift.”
People line up to show their U.S. visa denials to receive free television sets during a promotion by television manufacturer Noblex for people unable to travel to the World Cup due to visa rejections, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 10, 2026. REUTERS/ Tomas Cuesta
In three-time World Cup winner Argentina, soccer fever has been unusually tempered days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America – much less feverish than in 2022, which many saw as Argentina’s last hope to win the tournament under Lionel Messi’s leadership.
–-Reuters
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Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan returned home to a hero’s welcome on Wednesday after being barred from entering the U.S. for the World Cup, describing the decision as a matter of “fate” and urging his fellow Somalis not to lose heart over it.
Artan, Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become the first Somali to officiate at soccer’s global showpiece, but was turned back by U.S. Customs and Border Protection over the weekend.
The Trump administration said on Tuesday the U.S. had denied Artan entry for the World Cup because of his links to “suspected members of terror organizations”.
“What happened has happened and it was fate. I am grateful for the support FIFA gave me,” Artan told reporters after arriving in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
“Somalia is ours, whether things are good or bad. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope in our country,” he said. “I am now in my country, and there is no other place I want to be.”
‘WE REALLY FELT HIS PAIN’
Later on Wednesday, thousands of cheering supporters, some carrying flags and photos of Artan, poured into a stadium in Mogadishu, where he was the guest of honour at a game.
Many said they were bitterly disappointed by the U.S. decision but said Artan’s stature was undiminished in their eyes.
“As young people, we really felt his pain. We all also have dreams. He made such a huge effort to reach the stage he reached and was eventually let down,” student Abdulqadir Ali Abokor, 26, told Reuters.
“For us and for many around the world, he is… a champion, and this decision doesn’t make a difference,” he added.
“We are here to show him that we stand with him,” fitness instructor and former referee Abdi Abdulle Baasaale, 54, said.
Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who met Artan on Wednesday, said he had “won the hearts of millions and secured his place in history”.
“Omar Artan has done more than unite the footballing world; he has ignited hope in every child who dares to dream beyond the horizon. Dreams may be deferred, but they are never defeated,” Barre said in a post on X.
DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT
Artan’s ordeal has drawn global attention, with the head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressing solidarity with him.
“You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that. This won’t be the end of your story on the world stage,” Tedros, the first African to head the WHO, said in a post on X late on Tuesday.
The Trump administration’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern, opening a new tab before the World Cup, with Washington imposing a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.
Somali government officials and an official from the Somali Football Federation told Reuters that Artan had been issued a diplomatic passport.
“Artan was travelling on a diplomatic passport which we issued for the World Cup to ensure he didn’t face any obstacles,” a Somali diplomat at the embassy in Nairobi said.
A U.S. official said that Artan did not try to enter the U.S. on a diplomatic passport, without addressing whether he had one.
Somalia’s foreign ministry expressed “deep regret” over the U.S. decision in a statement issued on Wednesday. It said the Somali government had made unsuccessful diplomatic efforts to enable Artan’s travel.
A FIFA spokesperson said Artan would now not be able to train or officiate at the tournament, which is being held in the U.S., Mexico and Canada and starts on Thursday.
Without identifying Artan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a Somali national arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday and was deemed inadmissible because of vetting concerns.
An administration official later said CBP officials had determined that Artan was a threat to national security.
It was not clear which game or games Artan would have refereed, although such information is typically only announced two to three days in advance.
-Reuters
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the way soccer’s governing body had handled visa issues ahead of the World Cup, saying on Wednesday that it was working to find solutions but could not override government decisions.
Speaking on the eve of the tournament opener between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, Infantino addressed concerns surrounding Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was barred from entering the U.S. despite having a valid visa.
“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,” Infantino told a press conference.
“We are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation.”
The case has drawn attention to immigration challenges ahead of the June 11-July 19 tournament after U.S. authorities said Artan was denied entry because of his links to “suspected members of terror organisations”.
Infantino said FIFA was continuing to work behind the scenes to resolve outstanding issues but stressed that immigration decisions ultimately rested with national authorities.
“We always try to find solutions,” he said. “Sometimes, to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.”
Asked whether visa-related controversies had made him regret selecting the U.S. as one of the host nations, Infantino said he had no regrets.
“There are issues; it’s normal for an event of this magnitude,” he said. “Some come from the United States, some from Canada, some from Mexico. We deal with all of them.”
The FIFA president also pointed to Iran’s participation in the tournament as evidence of his organisation’s efforts to navigate complex political circumstances.
“People were saying Iran couldn’t come to the World Cup,” Infantino said. “I promised them they will come.”
He said ensuring Iran’s participation despite geopolitical tensions demonstrated football’s ability to bring people together.
WE WANT TO UNITE THE WORLD
The Swiss-Italian executive repeatedly returned to a message of unity, saying the World Cup could provide a welcome distraction at a time of global conflict and uncertainty.
“When Iran plays, the stadium will be full, and I hope there will be a positive atmosphere because this is football,” he said. “We want to unite the world.”
Infantino also defended FIFA’s ticket pricing after criticism from some supporters who argued that the cost of attending matches had become prohibitive.
FIFA has sold more than six million tickets for the tournament, which now has 48 teams, and demand has exceeded expectations by “a factor of 10 or more”, he said.
“The starting price at $60 is the lowest entry price of any of the American sports in the playoff phases,” Infantino said.
“If you sell it at a lower price point, it would have gone on secondary markets at much higher prices. Every dollar that comes in goes back to the development of football.”
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, which will become the first stadium to host matches at three men’s World Cups, with Infantino predicting one of the most competitive tournaments in the event’s history.
The FIFA president said factors including altitude, climate, travel and the expanded format would add further unpredictability before concluding: “Let the celebration begin.”
-Reuters
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