An Argentine footballer playing in Venezuela’s second division has suffered a devastating personal loss after last week’s powerful earthquakes claimed the lives of his wife and two children, according to CNN Español.

Lucas Trejo, 38, who plays for Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira, had spent days desperately searching through the rubble of his destroyed beachfront home in La Guaira for signs of his wife, Yanina, and their children, Aarón and Ainhoa, following the twin earthquakes that struck the country.

According to CNN Español, Trejo was attending a training camp with his club in Caracas when the earthquakes — described by the U.S. Geological Survey as a rare “doublet” because two major quakes struck just 39 seconds apart — rocked Venezuela. The player immediately travelled to La Guaira, approximately 18 miles north of the capital, only to find widespread devastation.

Trejo’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, told CNN Español that the footballer was “emotionally overwhelmed” by the tragedy.

“What he found was a horrific scene,” Ardiles said. “He found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been.”

For several days, Trejo combed through the debris alongside friends, teammates and volunteers while appealing for heavy machinery to assist in the rescue effort. A video circulated by fellow players highlighted the desperate need for additional equipment.

“Right now we only have one machine, but it’s not enough,” Venezuelan footballer Robert Garcés of Metropolitanos F.C. said in the appeal, according to CNN Español.

The search ended in heartbreak on Sunday when Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira confirmed the deaths of Trejo’s wife and children.

In a message posted on social media, the club said it “deeply mourns the irreparable loss” of the player’s family and offered its support during the difficult period.

“Lucas, you are not alone. Your family at Maritime La Guaira is with you,” the club stated alongside a family photograph.

The tragedy has resonated throughout the football community in Venezuela and beyond. According to CNN Español, the earthquakes have claimed the lives of several footballers and affected many others connected to the sport.

Among the victims was 18-year-old Yimvert Berroteran, regarded as one of Venezuela’s promising young talents. The Venezuelan national team and the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) confirmed his death on Friday. Berroteran had represented Venezuela at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Doha just months earlier and had recently featured for the country’s U-20 national team.

The disaster also claimed the lives of young players Víctor Palacios and Razan Sijaa, according to the FVF and their respective clubs.

Another footballer, Héctor Bello, lost his partner in the tragedy. Bello revealed on social media that she died while protecting their young daughter during the earthquake.

“I’ll make sure to remind our baby girl how wonderful you were and how much you loved her,” Bello wrote in an emotional tribute.

The wider humanitarian crisis continues to unfold. Venezuelan authorities reported on Sunday that more than 1,400 people have died, while thousands remain missing. Sports Village Square reports that a minute of silence was observed before World Cup matches during the group stage last week in honour of the earthquake victims.

The disaster has also affected foreign nationals. Chinese state media reported that eight Chinese citizens were among the dead, while Spain’s Foreign Ministry said at least nine Spanish nationals had been killed and more than 100 remain missing.

Rescue operations are continuing, although hopes of finding more survivors are fading as search efforts move beyond the critical first 72 hours after the disaster. Experts note that survival chances diminish significantly after that period, particularly in the absence of access to water.

As Venezuela mourns one of the deadliest natural disasters in its modern history, the football community is among those grappling with profound personal losses that extend far beyond the game.

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By Kunle Solaja, Lower Manhattan in New York

For a journalist covering the FIFA World Cup, each day is usually measured by match schedules, press conferences, mixed-zone interviews and filing deadlines. Yet, amid the excitement of football’s greatest spectacle, there are moments when one steps away from the stadiums and discovers places whose stories transcend sport.

Such was my experience during a visit to Lower Manhattan, home to the rebuilt World Trade Center and the solemn National September 11 Memorial.

Having covered World Cups across four continents and witnessed football’s remarkable ability to unite people of different cultures, languages and backgrounds, I found myself standing before a different kind of monument, one dedicated not to victory or celebration, but to remembrance, resilience and humanity’s capacity to rise above tragedy.

Dominating the New York skyline is the majestic  World Trade Center. Rising 1,776 feet into the sky, the gleaming tower stands as a powerful symbol of renewal after one of the darkest days in modern history. It occupies the site where the Twin Towers once stood before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, changed the course of history.

The soaring 102-storey One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, New York—the tallest building I have ever seen—stands as a striking symbol of resilience and renewal against the city’s iconic skyline.

As visitors from every corner of the world streamed through the complex, the atmosphere was strikingly different from the festive scenes that characterise World Cup venues. There were no chants, no drums and no celebrations. Conversations were softer, reflections deeper.

At the heart of the site lies the 9/11 Memorial, where two vast reflecting pools occupy the exact footprints of the former Twin Towers. Water cascades endlessly into the voids below, creating a setting that is both beautiful and profoundly moving.

Engraved around the pools are the names of nearly 3,000 victims who lost their lives in the attacks. Some visitors gently traced names with their fingers. Some family members left flowers beside loved ones’ inscriptions. Some put miniature American flags. Others stood silently, absorbing the enormity of a tragedy that continues to resonate around the world nearly a quarter-century later.

For someone whose professional life revolves around documenting sporting triumphs and memorable goals, the memorial served as a humbling reminder that some stories transcend competition, national rivalries and championship dreams.

The visit also highlighted New York’s remarkable resilience. Twenty-five years after the attacks, the area has been transformed into a thriving district of offices, cultural attractions, restaurants and public spaces. The energy around the World Trade Center reflects a city that refused to allow tragedy to define its future.

Standing at Ground Zero during the World Cup offered a powerful contrast between two expressions of humanity. One recalls a day that shook the world through fear and violence; the other celebrates an event that brings nations together through friendship, competition and shared passion.

Before my trip, my younger brother, Femi, also a journalist now based in Canada, repeatedly urged me not to miss the One World Observatory. He had visited years earlier as part of a sporting delegation and still spoke enthusiastically about the experience.

Perched atop One World Trade Center, the observatory is described as the highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. Spread across three floors of the 102-storey building, it offers breathtaking 360-degree views stretching nearly 45 miles in every direction.

Femi vividly described how landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty appeared almost miniature from that lofty vantage point. His stories painted such a compelling picture that I fully intended to follow in his footsteps.

Unfortunately, prudence intervened.

When I discovered that admission cost nearly $50, I decided, at least for now, to admire the tower from ground level. My brother would undoubtedly accuse me, as he often does, of bringing my legendary frugality all the way from Nigeria to America. He has long mistaken careful financial discipline for outright stinginess.

The teasing became even more justified when my host and former colleague at the defunct Concord Press of Nigeria, Kayode Ogunleye, generously offered to pay for the visit. Rather than accept the ticket, I jokingly suggested that he simply hand me the money and allow me to choose a more convenient day to make the ascent. Unsurprisingly, he declined the proposal.

Still, with several weeks of the World Cup remaining, I may yet return to Lower Manhattan and finally make the climb. If that happens, Femi will no doubt claim the achievement as a victory for his persistence rather than my curiosity.

Yet the World Trade Center is only one chapter in Lower Manhattan’s rich story.

Walking through the area, I was reminded that this district was once the gateway through which millions of immigrants first entered America. Nearby landmarks, historic streets and waterfront views tell stories that span centuries, making Lower Manhattan one of the most historically significant places in the United States.

As evening descended and the lights of the city illuminated the skyline, my thoughts inevitably drifted back to the World Cup and the matches that awaited. Yet the visit to Ground Zero left an impression that will endure long after the final whistle of the tournament.

For a travelling journalist, the World Cup is about far more than goals, trophies and headlines. It is also an opportunity to encounter the history, culture and spirit of the places that momentarily become the centre of the world’s attention.

And in New York, few places speak more eloquently about resilience, hope and the enduring strength of the human spirit than the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial.

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By Kunle Solaja, New York

The group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 has concluded in record-breaking fashion, with unprecedented attendance figures, massive fan engagement and a global celebration of football that has already made the tournament the biggest in the sport’s history.

According to a press release by FIFA, the first-ever 48-team World Cup attracted a staggering 4,644,549 spectators across 72 matches so far played in 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, setting a new benchmark for football’s premier event.

Over the course of 17 days, the expanded tournament brought together more nations, players and supporters than any previous edition, underscoring FIFA’s ambition of making the World Cup a truly global festival of football.

A total of 1,248 players representing 48 countries were registered for the tournament, with 999 taking part during the group stage. The expanded format has provided more nations with an opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest stage while delivering a broader range of matchups and storylines.

The impact of the tournament has extended well beyond the stadiums. FIFA reported that the FIFA Fan Festival programme, the largest in the competition’s history, has already attracted 5.5 million visitors across the host nations, creating vibrant gathering points for supporters unable to attend matches in person.

The scale of fan engagement has also been reflected in some eye-catching statistics. More than 300,000 hot dogs were consumed during the group stage alone. FIFA noted that if those hot dogs were placed end to end, they would stretch approximately 45 kilometres — roughly the distance between New York New Jersey Stadium and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

From packed stadiums and fan festivals to global television audiences and digital engagement, the opening phase of the tournament has highlighted the growing popularity of the World Cup and the success of the expanded 48-team format.

With the knockout rounds now underway, FIFA believes the first 17 days have laid the foundation for an even more dramatic conclusion to the competition.

The record-setting numbers underline the tournament’s status as football’s greatest show and suggest that the 2026 edition could become the most watched and most attended World Cup ever before the final whistle is blown in July.

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