WORLD CUP

There’s a push for the cities awarded games for the 2026 World Cup to commit to livable wages, and equitable hiring and worker protection.

The city is already a regional sports hub with relatively cheap housing. Attention from hosting the ultimate soccer event could help make it the next migration hot spot for the US.

This is a story focused on the landing of the World Cup in Houston in 2026

Briana Scurry's soccer jersey from the 1999 Women's World Cup is at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The United States will play Japan and Saudia Arabia in its last two World Cup warmups.

In November 2017, after the Houston Astros won the World Series, there was a big parade in downtown Houston.

The term has been thrown around a lot because of what people perceive is taking place with the new LIV golf league.

Here are all 16 cities in the U.S, Mexico and Canada set to host World Cup matches in 2026, including two venues in the Lone Star State.

Sixteen U.S. cities will host games, including Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Miami.

Games will take place at NRG Stadium, one of 11 U.S. sites where matches will be played.

Houston, we’ve got a World Cup coming!

The U.S., Canada and Mexico will host the first-ever 48-team World Cup. Sixty of the matches will be played at stadiums across the U.S.

FIFA, the world’s governing body of soccer and organizer of the World Cup, will announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup during a 5 p.m. ET event in New York City.

This is a big week for the city of Houston as we all wait for FIFA’s decision regarding United States host cities for the 2026 World Cup.

Australia qualified for a fifth straight World Cup after a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Peru in their intercontinental playoff on Monday. The teams failed to score in regulation and extra time at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, and goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, sent on as a substitute for captain Mat Ryan in the dying seconds of extra time, proved to be the star for Australia by saving the last penalty from Alex Valera. “I’m not a hero,” Redmayne said.

Australia and Peru, which both qualified for the last World Cup via intercontinental playoffs, are ready to play off for a spot in Qatar when soccer’s marquee tournament kicks off in November. Back in 2017 Peru beat Oceania champion New Zealand and Australia beat Honduras to book their places in Russia. Unlike those home and away encounters, this is a one-off, winner-takes all match in Al Rayyan, Qatar late Monday.

U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter did not have forward Christian Pulisic and midfielder Tyler Adams dress for a World Cup warmup against 170th-ranked Grenada in the CONCACAF Nations League.

Ecuador has kept its place at the World Cup.

Members of Wales' LGBTQ+ supporters group refuse to travel to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

In the Welsh capital, rivalries were put aside as a message of peace in English and Ukrainian was displayed on screens in the Cardiff City Stadium.

Jesús Ferreira failed to convert a pair of first-half chances as U.S. forwards kept up their goal-scoring struggles and the Americans played a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in their second of four World Cup warmup matches this month.

Ukraine has missed out on qualifying for the World Cup after the war-disrupted team was beaten 1-0 by Wales in the European playoff final for the FIFA soccer showpiece.

The Ukrainian footballers exempted from military service are trying to complete the mission to lead their country to the World Cup.

Ukrainian refugees in Wales are to be given 100 free tickets for the countries' World Cup play-off.

Ukraine is riding a wave of global goodwill as the victim of Russian aggression and its players' intense motivation to reward the nation was clear.

U.S. captain Christian Pulisic was critical of the level of American support from the crowd of 19,512 at TQL Stadium during a 3-0 win over Morocco on in the first of four World Cup warmup matches in June.

Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 in a pulsating World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal on Wednesday.

Panama has replaced Iran as Canada's opponent for a World Cup prep exhibition on Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian Soccer Association announced Iran as the opponent for the friendly on May 12, then canceled last week following criticism by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ukrainian soccer star Oleksandr Zinchenko couldn’t hold back the tears as he tried to explain what it means to represent his country’s national team at this moment, with a spot at the World Cup within reach.

Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman is switching affiliation from Germany to the United States and is among 27 players invited to the Americans’ next-to-last training camp ahead of the World Cup.

Female referees will make World Cup history this year by working games at a major men’s tournament for the first time in Qatar.

The agreement follows complains from the women's team that they were paid less for a "superior performance."

The move ends years of often acrimonious negotiations.

Los Angeles' Angel City Football Club is the largest female-led ownership group in professional sports. Jamie Yuccas shows us how the team is trying to elevate women's sports.

In just one night of observing, scientists detected a new record-breaker, the most distant megamaser known to date.

The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup is for sale for the first time.

The U.S. will play England the day after Thanksgiving.

The United States will play either Ukraine, Wales or Scotland in its World Cup opener, then meet England and Iran in its return to the tournament.

As the 2030 World Cup hosting race takes shape, South American soccer officials said Friday they are still working on a four-nation bid that would celebrate the tournament's 100th birthday in its first home in Uruguay. The emotional pull of playing games in 2030 at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo that hosted the 1930 final — won by the home team — is an advantage for South American soccer body CONMEBOL, its president Alejandro Dominguez said in Qatar. Respect for Uruguay’s place in World Cup history is reflected by speculation in Europe that UEFA’s expected 2030 co-hosting bid from Spain and Portugal could also include games in the South American country.

The most controversial World Cup ever will feature in Qatar the most politically charged matchups.

A senior Qatari leader overseeing security for the World Cup has told The Associated Press that rainbow flags could be taken from supporters.

Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams had relief on their faces as they headed straight from the stadium for a charter jet to Europe and weekend club games.

On the eve of the World Cup draw, Qatar's chief organizer says “nobody accepts any sort of suffering" that his country has tried to prevent with changes to labor laws.

Following the Americans' 5-1 blowout against Panama last weekend, the U.S. team merely had to avoid losing to Costa Rica by six goals or more.

Following the Americans' 5-1 blowout against Panama last weekend, the U.S. team merely had to avoid losing to Costa Rica by six goals or more.

A Norwegian soccer official has delivered a scathing criticism of World Cup host Qatar and FIFA to an audience of executives on the eve of the tournament’s draw.

It will be their first World Cup tournament since a loss to Belgium in July 2014.

The U.S. will learn on Friday which three nations it will face in the group stage of the World Cup, which starts Nov. 21.

The U.S. will learn on Friday which three nations it will face in the group stage of the World Cup, which starts Nov. 21. The men's team returns after a 2018 loss that broke its qualifying streak.

The United States men are returning to the World Cup after the anguish of missing the 2018 tournament, clinching a berth for this year’s championship in Qatar despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on the final night of qualifying.

Ricardo Pepi, Kellyn Acosta, Tim Weah and DeAndre Yedlin returned to the starting lineup as U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter made four changes for the Americans' final World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica.

Brazil is about to overtake top spot in the FIFA rankings and Argentina hasn't lost a single match in 1,000 days. It's clear the two South American soccer powers have more than just Neymar and Lionel Messi going for them as they head to the World Cup in Qatar hoping to end 20 years of European domination. Brazil has already broken the points record in South American qualifying with 45, six points ahead of second-place Argentina — even before the two meet for a final game that was suspended last year.

A World Cup like no other in its 92-year history will take shape this week at an unprecedented tournament draw.

American soccer’s harrowing memory of the loss in Trinidad 4 1/2 years ago remains omnipresent, if no longer raw.

Christian Pulisic struggled in January, was played out of position by Chelsea and even was benched for a World Cup qualifier against Honduras.

Christian Pulisic scored his first international hat trick, leading the United States to the brink of returning to the World Cup with a 5-1 rout of Panama.

Christian Pulisic scored his first international hat trick, leading the United States to the brink of returning to the World Cup with a 5-1 rout of Panama on Sunday night. Pulisic converted two penalty kicks during a four-goal burst in the first half that also saw Paul Arriola and Jesús Ferreira score, then boosted the lead to 5-0 on memorable goal with two brilliant touches that evaded a pair of defenders. With fans still fretting after the Americans' failure to reach the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. assumed a commanding position to qualify for the November tournament in Qatar.

Lionel Messi says he will reconsider his future in soccer later this year but said it's likely “many things will change" after the World Cup in November and December in Qatar. Messi's comments came after Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 on Friday in the remaining match of the penultimate round of South American World Cup qualifying.

With a dazzling 14-touch run.

All at once, Gio Reyna showed the promise of the U.S. national team’s future and the frustration of its present. Just back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for more than half a season, the young American midfielder entered Thursday night's World Cup qualifier in the 60th minute. In the match's most memorable moment, the 19-year-old ran onto a ball poked loose by Walker Zimmerman outside the U.S. penalty area and sprinted half the length of the field on a dazzling run of 14 touches.

It was a disaster for soccer in Italy when the national team missed out on the last World Cup.

The U.S. and Mexico finish in an intense scoreless draw played before a half-capacity stadium due to sanctions imposed over fans' anti-gay slurs.

The United States escaped a half-full Estadio Azteca with a gritty 0-0 draw against Mexico and moved into position to all but clinch a World Cup berth with a victory at home against Panama this weekend.

With games against Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, a spot in the tournament is far from certain.

Nearly five years after the United States men’s national soccer team famously blew a spot in the 2018 World Cup by losing to a vastly inferior Trinidad and Tobago squad in October of 2017 in the final game of qualifying, the moment of redemption has finally arrived for the Americans.

After failing to qualify in 2017, the U.S. men's soccer team has three crucial qualifying games coming up in the next week. Here's everything you need to know.

Gio Reyna has a chance to play at Azteca for the first time Thursday night, when the U.S. faces El Tri in the start of the last trio of World Cup qualifiers.

Next week’s World Cup draw will have some of its seedings skewed because of Russia’s war with Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Henrik Kristoffersen has clinched the men’s slalom title in the last event of the World Cup ski season.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s standout World Cup season has ended by letting the giant slalom title slip away to Tessa Worley.

Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been denied.

The American downhill skier may not have won a medal in Beijing, but he got the most style points by far

The team made the unusual annoucement Wednesday, a day before U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter is scheduled to issue his roster. "Josh Sargent has been named on the reserve list for the USA’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches," Norwich tweeted. A 22-year-old from O'Fallon, Missouri, Sargent was on the roster for the first three qualifiers in September, starting at El Salvador and Honduras, and appearing as a second-half substitute against Canada.

Mikaela Shiffrin increased her lead over Petra Vlhová in a close race for the overall title by winning the downhill at the World Cup Finals.

Mikaela Shiffrin increased her lead over Petra Vlhová in a close race for the overall title by winning the downhill on Wednesday at the World Cup Finals. Shiffrin had barely raced downhill this season — two World Cup events in December and then last month's Beijing Olympics. The American put down a clean run on the new Eclipse course to earn the victory and 100 World Cup points.

The ban on Russian soccer teams from European competition has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Russian soccer federation has appealed to have its FIFA and UEFA bans frozen and other punishments overturned.

The letter has become widely regarded as a symbol of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian military vehicles participating in the invasion have donned the letter.

FIFA has intervened to allow foreign players and coaches based in Russia to leave their clubs, although only for the rest of the season.

Ivan Kuliak is facing disciplinary action from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) after appearing to wear a Russian war symbol on the podium at a World Cup event in Doha.

Mikaela Shiffrin has stretched her lead in Alpine skiing's overall World Cup standings by finishing fourth in a giant slalom.

Excluding Russia from the sports and art worlds over its war against Ukraine threatens Putin’s image in the way economic and political sanctions cannot.

The suspension includes qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, which were supposed to happen in three weeks.

The suspension includes qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, which were supposed to happen in three weeks.

Russia's soccer teams were suspended from international play by the sport's governing bodies due to the Ukraine invasion. The ban means no World Cup for Russia.

The IOC also withdrew the Olympic Order it gave Vladimir Putin in 2001, and other Russian officials since.

The International Olympic Committee has made a sweeping move to isolate and condemn Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Swiss skier Priska Nufer has got a breakout win at age 30 in a World Cup downhill on home snow at Crans-Montana.

Russian skiers are not welcome to compete in Norway.

Russian skiers are not welcome to compete in Norway because of “violations of international law and attacks on the Ukrainian people,” the Nordic country's ski federation said Saturday. “The Norwegian Ski Federation’s message to Russia and Russian athletes is crystal clear; We do not want your participation!” it said in a statement. Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine since Thursday requires “international condemnation and sanctions,” the Norwegian federation said.

A behind-the-scenes scuffle is taking place for American soccer’s leadership.

Her uncharacteristic performance at the Beijing Olympics was among the most surprising developments of the entire Games.

FIFA has dismissed a protest filed by the Jamaica Football Federation over its 1-1 draw with the United States in a World Cup qualifier on Nov. 16. In a 34-point, eight-page decision, FIFA's disciplinary committee said Jamaica failed to notify the match commissioner of the protest and failed to make a payment of 1,000 Swiss francs (then $1,075) to accompany the protest. Jamaica said Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderón improperly failed to call a hand ball in the first half, when Reggae Boyz claimed Chris Richards should have been penalized for a ball that struck him in the penalty area.

The U.S. Biathlon team has never won an Olympic medal — the only U.S. athletes not to do so. New innovations may lead to a medal finish in the combined cross-country skiing and target shooting event.

El Salvador's national soccer team plays its World Cup qualifying match against Canada Wednesday night — with several players and coaches from the United States.

The Pillow Fight Championship, PFC, held its first televised event and crowned its first ever winners.

Ski racers settling into the start gate for Alpine World Cup events in the Rocky Mountains in early December squinted through sunshine that carried the temperature toward 50 degrees and glanced down at a course covered with pristine — and manufactured — snow. If they looked up and across the way, beyond the finish line, they saw adjacent hills that were brown and barren as can be, with nary a trace of powder or any indication that this was a setting for athletes who would be heading to the Beijing Olympics that begin Feb. 4. It is a troubling reality and — given their own reliance on the production of snow, continent-hopping flights powered by diesel fuel and other environment-unfriendly offshoots of their careers — hard-to-reconcile push-and-pull for many of those who will be competing in Alpine skiing or freestyle skiing or snowboarding or Nordic combined events or other outdoor sports that helped put the disappearing “Winter” in Winter Games.

Asia could confirm its first participants in the World Cup — along with host Qatar — on Thursday with Iran and South Korea both within reach of securing their places. Iran is on top of Group A with 16 points from six games with South Korea two points behind in the second of the two automatic qualification spots, eight ahead of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in third. Only the top two are guaranteed a place at the World Cup that kicks off in November.

Thousands of the world's best athletes are getting ready for the Beijing Winter Olympics. These top Americans should be on your list to watch.

Many of the world's best athletes are preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics​ in February. These are some of the top ones to watch.