The Group ‘A’ clash marks a return to the World Cup stage for the iconic venue that hosted matches in 1970 and 1986, while also reviving memories of the 2010 tournament opener, when South Africa held Mexico to a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.

This time, the hosts arrive as clear favourites and know victory could prove crucial to their hopes of finishing top of a group that also includes South Korea and the Czech Republic, who will also be in action later on Thursday at the Guadalajara Stadium.

Mexico have gone unbeaten in their last eight matches, equalling the longest unbeaten run they have taken into a World Cup and providing further encouragement for Javier Aguirre’s side ahead of the tournament.

The atmosphere is expected to be festive as more than 80,000 fans pack the renovated Azteca for the first match of the expanded 48-team tournament, but the occasion will bring its own pressure for a side expected to make the most of home advantage.

South Africa, meanwhile, are back at the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010 and coach Hugo Broos believes his largely domestically based squad can surprise more fancied opponents.

The Belgian, who faced Mexico in the 1986 World Cup, acknowledged the challenge posed by the opening-day atmosphere but said his players must remain focused.

“For us it will be a fantastic experience,” he said. “It is very important that we keep ourselves to the game plan and don’t listen to what is happening in the stands.”

South Africa’s preparations were disrupted by visa issues that delayed the arrival of several members of the travelling party, costing them valuable time to acclimatise to conditions in central Mexico.

Yet Broos’s side emerged from a difficult qualifying campaign and will hope to frustrate the hosts once again, 16 years after earning a draw in the last World Cup opener involving the two nations.

For Mexico, however, anything less than three points would be viewed as an early setback in a tournament they hope will finally deliver a breakthrough on home soil.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026

The 38-year-old Messi had not featured for Argentina in the build-up to their title defence after injuring a hamstring playing for Inter Miami in late May.

He came on as a substitute with 20 minutes left to huge acclaim from a capacity 88,000 crowd against Iceland in Auburn, Alabama, and his clever through ball played in Lautaro Martinez, who was fouled in the box.

Messi, who drove Argentina to their third World Cup crown in Qatar four years ago, lashed in the penalty as the reigning champions eased to a 3-0 win.

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico starts on Thursday and Argentina’s first match is on June 16, against Algeria in Kansas City.

The biggest-ever World Cup, with a bumper 48 teams, has been dogged in the lead-up by controversies including fans and officials being barred entry, steep ticket prices and a U-turn after FIFA initially banned fans from bringing refillable water bottles into stadiums.

Somali referee Omar Artan said the “biggest dream of my life” had been ripped away after he was turned back at the US border.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told The New York Times from Istanbul, where he returned after being refused entry in Miami. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

Artan said he was subjected to an 11-hour interview with border officials at Miami International Airport and then taken to a holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Turkiye.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” he added — an assertion confirmed to AFP by a Somali government advisor.

A US State Department official alleged to AFP that the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations,” therefore “making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States.”

Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football, would have been the first Somali to referee at a World Cup.

“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told journalists.

Mexico City protests

Concerns were rising that the opening match in Mexico City on Thursday could be disrupted by social unrest.

On Tuesday a protest blocked an avenue leading to the Estadio Azteca, where Mexico will face South Africa in the curtain-raiser.

As international fans flooded into the three tournament co-host countries, Mexico is grappling with chaotic teacher protests in its capital.

Thousands took part in Tuesday’s demonstration following a week of action that President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a “provocation.”

“As if to say, ‘Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,’” she told a press conference.

A police blockade prevented the demonstrators from reaching the stadium.

Sheinbaum has said that the opening match was “guaranteed,” though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to repress the demonstrations.

Her government has favored dialogue with the protesting teachers, but to no avail.

“We’re going to continue our struggle,” said protester Austreberto Flores.

With thousands of officers deployed and concrete barriers set up around the venue, protesters rallied on the street for around three hours before dispersing.

Mexico City’s security chief Pablo Vazquez said in a statement that the movement had been peaceful.

The teachers have called for demonstrations on Thursday that will also include families of so-called “disappeared” people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.

Messi cameo

Along with Spain, France and England, Argentina are among the favourites to win the title.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named an experimental starting line-up against Iceland, with Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister joining Messi on the sidelines initially.

Messi is set to feature in his sixth World Cup and allayed fears he may not be ready with a supreme 20-minute cameo.

In France on Tuesday, the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose World Cup preparations have been disrupted by concerns over the Ebola outbreak, lost 2-1 to Chile in the other warm-up match which was played behind closed doors.

The friendly was originally due to be played in a city in southern Spain, but the mayor refused to host the match due to concerns over the virus. It was instead held in Orleans without spectators.

DR Congo play in Group ‘K’ alongside Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan. Games in that section will be staged in the United States and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Iraq concluded their warm-up campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Venezuela. Cristian Casseres and Jesus Ramirez scored a goal each in either side of the half. Iraq finished the match with 10 men after forward Ali Youssef was shown a straight red card in the 72nd minute.

Iraq will begin their Group ‘I’ campaign against Norway on June 17 before facing France and Senegal. Venezuela is not a participant in this year’s tournament in North America.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia was held to a goalless draw against 10-man Senegal.

Saudi Arabia begin their World Cup Group H campaign against Uruguay on June 16 before facing Spain and Cape Verde. Senegal, meanwhile, will open their campaign against France.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026

WASHINGTON: The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup on Tuesday defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team.

“To this point we’ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the task force, said at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington.

“No players, no coaches have been denied,” Giuliani said. “There have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason.”

A US State Department official told AFP late on Tuesday that the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations,” therefore “making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States”.

Giuliani, the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, was asked specifically about the decision to bar Somali referee Omar Artan from entering the country.

“We’re striking that balance between making sure that any bad actors that…try to come into the country under the guise of the World Cup will not get access to the United States,” he added.

Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football, would have been the first Somali to referee at a World Cup. He was turned back at the Miami airport.

Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration as part of a broader immigration crackdown.

Iran, who will play their three group games on American soil, were forced to switch their training base to Mexico due to the ongoing military conflict with the United States.

The Iranian football federation said on Tuesday that its allocation of tickets for supporters had been revoked and some team support staff were denied visas.

Giuliani said “all the Iranian coaching staff is coming in” but there are “some Iranian officials that are not coming in — again for very good reason”. He said he “can’t get into the particulars” but “there are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches”.

Giuliani said Trump wants to make sure that there is a “level playing field” for all of the teams taking part in the World Cup “while also making sure that people that are directly working, let’s say, with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) have no ability to access the United States of America”.

The White House envoy also said there were currently “no credible threats” to the tournament but the intelligence community is “tripled up” and will continue to monitor the situation “between now and whenever the final goal is scored on July 19.”

Meanwhile, Iran threatened to halt its matches at the World Cup if unauthorised flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted at stadiums, following criticism of the team’s presence at the global event.

“We have informed FIFA that if unofficial flags are brought or slogans against the national team are chanted in the stadiums where Iran plays in the World Cup, the team manager will definitely be responsible for stopping the match,” Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said on Tuesday, according to Iranian media.

“We have been assured that no disruptive incidents will occur in the stadium during the match against Egypt.”

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026

For five cricket grounds, including Shalimar, Diamond, National, Banigala, F-9 and Bhutto Cricket Ground, CDA will acquire the services of PCB for the preparation of pitches, provision of other facilities, and care of grounds.

The PCB will use these grounds for first-class cricket matches and for its other professional tournaments. Other than PCB events, the CDA said grounds will be available for local players.

When contacted, Member Environment Abdullah Khurram Niazi said: “The grounds in question will remain part of CDA, PCB will repair, prepare pitches and will take care of these grounds and in return they will use them for PCB matches like first-class matches and grade II events. For the rest of the year, the grounds will be available for local players,” he said, adding that no individual will be allowed to charge a fee from CDA’s grounds and academies.

Civic agency retains control of grounds with PCB to only manage, prepare pitches for access to first-class, grade II events, says official

“We have a complete plan for revamping cricket grounds and cricket academies in Islamabad,” he said, adding that CDA will get input from a couple of former test cricketers as well.

The member environment said the civic agency would also set up cricket academies for age-group cricketers, and the same would be outsourced through a competitive process with a fee cap to avoid exploitation. However, he said a dedicated academy for women’s cricket and children would be run by CDA itself.

“Money-making from sports facilities is not our purpose; we want to provide maximum chances to youth to play cricket and other sports. We will take steps to ensure free grounds for club cricketers,” he said. However, he added that the CDA will charge corporate sectors for using these facilities, and “we will ensure transparency in this process too through digitisation”.

Mr Niazi, who is also a former first-class cricketer, said besides cricket, special focus would also be paid on the promotion of football, hockey and other sports.

“CDA has large resources, which should be utilised for the betterment of citizens,” he said, adding that he has also planned a number of tournaments of various games.

“I am also planning to hold competitions sector-wise, like G-6 cricket or football team playing against G-7 teams. Hopefully, people of Islamabad will see major change in Islamabad,” Mr Niazi said, adding that on the direction of the interior minister and the chairman CDA, a number of sports activities have been planned.

It is relevant to note here that in the past, several cricket grounds of Islamabad were in possession of some individuals, who used to charge heavily, depriving professional cricketers.

However, some years ago, CDA retrieved all its grounds and started renting them out through online booking against Rs15,000 per day. Under this process, it was difficult for professional club cricketers and players associated with academies to arrange Rs15,000 per match. However, recently, CDA stopped renting out grounds.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026

It was only Bangladesh’s second ever ODI victory against Australia, following their famous 2005 upset in Cardiff.

Mosaddek capped a fine all-round performance, bagging two wickets to walk away with the man-of-the-match award.

Chasing 285, Australia were reeling at 191-9 in 42.2 overs, still needing 93 runs off 46 balls with one wicket in hand, when a fierce thunderstorm forced the players off the field at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Bangladesh were declared winners via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.

Cameron Green top-scored for the visitors with an unbe­aten 52 off 66 balls but found little support as Bangladesh’s pace attack ran riot.

Taskin Ahmed struck on the first ball, bowling opener Matt Short for a duck.

Mustafizur Rahman then removed Marnus Labusc­hagne for just one off the second ball of the second over to leave Australia reeling at 2-2.

Cooper Connolly (35) survived a reprieve when Tanzid Hasan put down a chance at second slip off Mustafizur, and the opener steadied the innings briefly before being castled by an arm ball from Mosaddek.

Captain Josh Inglis fell for 19, edging a short ball from Rana to the keeper, while Alex Carey was bounced out by Rana for 47 as he attempted to rebuild alongside Green.

Australia’s lower order, including Matthew Renshaw, debutant Liam Scott and Xavier Bartlett, offered little resistance, leaving Green stranded at the crease.

Earlier, Mosaddek laid the platform with his 70-ball knock on his return to international cricket after four years, hitting seven fours and three sixes.

Bangladesh also benefited from six dropped catches by a sloppy Australia, four of them off Mosaddek.

Opener Tanzid Hasan and number three Najmul Hossain Shanto made vital contributions, with the left-handed pair hitting half-centuries.

Tanzid struck 54 off 44 balls before Nathan Ellis removed him in his second spell.

Shanto, continuing his rich vein of form, made 67 off 86 before a soft dismissal ended his innings.

The pair put on 96 runs for the second wicket off 91 balls after Australia struck early, with Ellis accounting for Saif Hassan (5) who edged to second slip where Labuschagne took a simple catch.

Australia threatened to seize control when Renshaw’s part-time off-spin proved surprisingly effective, removing Litton Das (7) with a return catch before also accounting for Shanto.

But Mosaddek steadied the innings, first adding 75 with Towhid Hridoy, before late partnerships of 20 with Tanvir Islam and 45 with Taskin to ensure a competitive total.

Ellis was the pick of the Aust­ralia bowlers with 3-38, while Scott and Renshaw claimed two wickets each.

Scoreboard

BANGLADESH:

Saif Hassan c Labuschagne b Ellis 5

Tanzid Hasan c Bartlett b Ellis 54

Najmul Hossain c Connolly b Renshaw 67

Litton Das c&b Renshaw 7

Towhid Hridoy c Ellis b Bartlett 31

Mosaddek Hossain not out 86

Mehidy Hasan lbw b Scott 3

Tanvir Islam c Scott b Ellis 5

Taskin Ahmed c Ellis b Scott 20

EXTRAS (W-6) 6

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 284

DID NOT BAT: Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-10 (Saif), 2-106 (Tanzid), 3-125 (Litton), 4-140 (Najmul), 5-215 (Towhid), 6-219 (Mehidy), 7-239 (Tanvir), 8-284 (Taskin)

BOWLING: Bartlett 10-0-62-1 (3w), Ellis 10-1-38-3 (1w), Scott 8-0-57-2 (1w), Green 4-0-31-0 (1w), Short 3-0-14-0, Renshaw 8-0-35-2, Zampa 7-0-47-0

AUSTRALIA:

M. Short b Taskin 0

C. Connolly b Mosaddek 35

M. Labuschagne lbw b Mustafizur 1

J. Inglis c Litton b Nahid 19

A. Carey c Litton b Nahid 47

C. Green not out 52

M. Renshaw lbw b Mosaddek 2

L. Scott c Towhid b Nahid 2

X. Bartlett c Tanzid b Nahid 1

N. Ellis c Mosaddek b Mustafizur 8

A. Zampa not out 6

EXTRAS (B-5, W-13) 18

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 42.2 overs) 191

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Short), 2-2 (Labuschagne), 3-51 (Inglis), 4-91 (Connolly), 5-128 (Carey), 6-135 (Renshaw), 7-138 (Scott), 8-140 (Bartlett), 9-156 (Ellis)

BOWLING: Taskin 5-0-28-1 (2w), Mustafizur 5.2-0-24-2 (2w), Nahid 10-0-41-4 (5w), Mehidy 6-1-23-0, Mosaddek 10-1-37-2 (3w), Tanvir 6-1-33-0 (1w)

RESULT: Bangladesh won by 86 runs (DLS method).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mosaddek Hossain

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2026

Set a revised target in a rain-curtailed contest, Pakistan were left struggling at 62 for 5 in nine overs when persistent showers brought an early end to proceedings at Derby, handing Scotland a comfortable win after their commanding total of 191 for 5.

Earlier, captain Kathryn Bryce led from the front with a blistering unbeaten 94 off 43 deliveries, capitalising on a crucial reprieve early in her innings to propel Scotland to a strong finish after a steady start.

Pakistan, who opted to field, began promisingly, keeping Scotland to 41 without loss in the powerplay. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal provided the breakthrough shortly after the first drinks interval, trapping Katherine Fraser clean bowled with an arm ball.

Bryce capitalised on the missed opportunity when she was dropped early by Nashra Sandhu, striking 11 fours and three sixes in her innings.

The Scotland captain accelerated in death overs, as she added 50 runs in the final three to push her side past 190. Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs, although Tasmia Rubab, Sadia and Ayesha Zafar managed a wicket each.

Pakistan’s fielding lapses further compounded their problems, with misfields allowing Scotland to maintain pressure.

In response, Pakistan’s batting effort faltered from the outset. Rachel Slater struck twice in quick succession during the powerplay, leaving Pakistan reeling at 45 for 3 and unable to recover meaningful momentum.

The top order failed to settle against disciplined Scottish bowling, with wickets falling at regular intervals as the required rate climbed rapidly. Captain Fatima Sana remained unbeaten on 12 when rain returned to halt play with Pakistan well behind the revised DLS target.

With no further play possible, Scotland were declared winners by 41 runs under the DLS method, extending their strong form in the warm-up fixtures.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2026

KARACHI: The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup may well have different features this time: 48 teams competing against each other instead of 32, and the event held for the first time jointly by three countries — Canada, Mexico and the United States played across 16 various cities — the enthusiasm among football fans in Lyari’s Ali Mohammad Mohalla is as lively as ever without an ounce of change in football frenzy.

If you are a lonely fan of any other country not Brazil, a slogan in support of your favourite country will invite countless Brazilian fans surrounding you, asking questions while drawing comparisons from friendly internationals or qualifying round matches when low-ranking teams heralded defeats on your favourite team. And if you are lucky enough to be joined by another supportive fan of your team, the argument turns rather interesting.

A similar troubling situation emerges when 16-year-old Fra­nce fan Ghulam Rasool finds himself in a predicament until his colleague Naveed reaches and raises slogans ‘France will win’ to support him when he is silently surrendering to questions and counter-questions by Brazilian fans.

“The French squad is inimitably strong, this team. I don’t claim this. Fabulous strikers such as Mbappe and his many fit comrades are enough to tell us about the team’s strong position in the tournament,” Rasool, mustering up courage after Naveed joined him, replied to one of the Brazilian fans.

While the fans of Brazil dominate the Ali Mohammad Mohalla, they also remain worried about the performance and line-up of the team, featuring only a few star players. The toughest match to conquer will be against Morocco that Brazil will face on June 13.

“Indeed, the Brazilian team line-up seems weak this time, but the match against Morocco will be a decisive one. If Brazil surmounts this challenge, I can firmly say the team will be performing well or even victories are not out of reach in other matches,” argues Sakhi Dad, a 65-year-old Brazilian fan.

Interestingly, the heated debates among fans not only confine themselves to merely footballing experiences, but they go as far as accusing FIFA to have been favouring teams. This accusation is particularly peddled by the Brazilian fans to suppress the Argentinian ones.

Liaquat Baloch, a Brazilian fan, has even coined the word ‘FIFATina’ describing the fav­our the world football governing body has given to Argentina.

“How come a team always gets unnecessary penalty kicks in matches at decisive mom­ents?” Liaquat asks an Argenti­nian fan, alluding to 2022 FIFA World in Qatar where the team received record five penalties, the last one given during the final against France.

These arguments, says Shahmurad, a Saudi Arabian team supporter, are just bubbles. After a few movements, you will see them all celebrating together the joyous moments, while they had a heated debate a few minutes ago.

Bearing celebration cost on their own

At a distance of almost half a kilometer from Ali Mohammad Mohalla lies the Saifi Lane in Baghdadi where Khalid, 45, is busy in adorning the street with various flags. He and his colleagues have painted almost 40 flags on walls, and now figuring out how to hang some bantings across the busied Agra Taj main road. Khalid has been a football fan since 1994, but had got engaged in World Cup celebrations since 2022.

“I and my fellows have been managing events before and during World Cup matches. Things for the visitors seem quite joyous, but they entail a financial cost as well. I have spent around Rs200,000 this time just on purchasing team flags,” he says. “Sometimes, we have received financial aid from town chairmen, but this time we are on our own.”

Deserted ‘Bambasa’ street

The name ‘Bambasa’ Street actually comes from Kenyan city Mombasa. After a man of Kenyan origin arrived in Lyari from Mombasa before the partition, the street has been since named after the city. However, with the passage of time, the actual name has been mispronounced as Bambasa. Even the residents of the street are unwilling to budge an inch from replacing the initial B with M.

Unfortunately, this time the street, which has been a very famous location for the World Cup celebrations, trails the Saifi Lane and Ali Mohammad Mohalla.

“We have been waiting for the painter, but has been too busy to attend our calls. Besides, the painter has demanded hefty amount for painting the walls. We are on it. We will figure out a way to manage the cost,” says a football fan requesting not to mention his name.

However, back in Ali Mohammad Mohalla, fans continue to engage in debates, each fan coming with a unique defensive argument to supplant his opponent.

“None of the teams will bring the Cup to Lyari. None of us will be benefiting from the wins of the favourite teams. But the joys that football brings to Lyari are the only moments that people of Lyari celebrate and keep close to their hearts,” says Sakhi Dad.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2026

Gaddafi Stadium was the venue for the second and third one-day internationals (ODIs) between the Green Shirts and the Aussies. Pakistan won the low-scoring third ODI by four wickets to clinch the three-match series 2-1.

“It was tough to score runs in the low-scoring game and this proved to be the decisive factor in match referee Graeme La Brooy’s report,” the ICC said about the Lahore stadium in a press release.

“The pitch was slow and low and made scoring runs very difficult. It did not suit a One Day International game as batters had to spend more time to settle in. It helped spin very early in the match and continued the same way throughout,” La Brooy said.

The ICC also rated the Lord’s pitch in London, which hosted the first Test between England and New Zealand, as “unsatisfactory” based on Match Referee Andy Pycroft’s report.

“There was plenty of excessive seam movement throughout the Test and the ball also kept extremely low on several occasions. The bounce was variable throughout as 16 wickets fell on the first day and 17 on the second. There was simply an over-balance in favour of ball against bat caused by the pitch,” Pycroft said.

Both Lord’s and Gaddafi Stadium pitches “received one demerit point each under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process”.

The match referees’ reports were forwarded to the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), respectively, and they have 14 days to appeal against the sanction.

“There are no previous demerit points for either venue,” the ICC noted.

The series was played on predominantly low, spin-friendly tracks in Rawalpindi and Lahore, where the tourists largely struggled with the bat.

During the third ODI, Australia were bowled out for 157. Pakistan successfully chased the modest target, although not without several anxious moments, as the pitch offered considerable assistance to the bowlers and made batting difficult throughout the contest.

Some former players and analysts had criticised the surfaces prepared for the series, saying they were tailor-made to favour the home team. However, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed the criticism.

After the Green Shirts’ win over Australia, Shaheen defended the pitch strategy, saying: “When you have to play against such a team like Australia, you have to prepare such pitches because your objective is to win the series.”

“When we visited Australia, they prepared green pitches because they were playing against an Asian team and believed those conditions would favour them. Despite that, under Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy, we won the series there,” the skipper recalled.

A FIFA spokesperson said Artan would not be able to train or officiate at the World Cup — which kicks off on Thursday — after he was not allowed to enter the United States over the weekend.

Somalia’s government said it had unsuccessfully ​tried to negotiate with the US and FIFA so that Artan could enter the country and it was saddened ​by what had happened.

“His international achievements are a source of honour and pride for the Somali people,” ⁠Somalia’s sports ministry said in a statement.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Somali Football Federation (SFF) expressed sadness over the ​situation, calling Artan’s appointment a milestone for the country that resulted from years of dedication, professionalism and integrity.

The SFF said it has ​not received an official explanation as to why Artan was denied entry to the US, adding that it is working closely with FIFA and the relevant authorities to understand the circumstances of the situation.

FIFA says not involved in immigration policies

A senior Somali official told Reuters that diplomatic efforts were continuing ​to try to get Artan into the US for the tournament, but declined to share further details.

A FIFA spokesperson said the organisation “is ​not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed ‌at present”.

Artan ⁠said in a statement that despite the circumstances, he was in a positive mood and focused on the next challenges of his refereeing career.

“I would like to thank FIFA and CAF (Confederation of African Football) for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future,” he said.

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.

US policies raise concerns ahead of world cup

Without naming him, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement that a Somali national arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul ​on Saturday and was deemed inadmissible due to vetting concerns.

The agency did not elaborate on those ​concerns, but said ⁠the referee underwent routine additional inspection before being denied entry.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” the CBP said.

The Trump administration’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern ahead of ⁠the World ​Cup. Last year, Washington imposed a sweeping travel ban on citizens of 12 ​countries, including Somalia.

Artan, who was named CAF’s Best Male Referee for 2025, had a valid visa, according to media reports.

A record eight players aged 40 or older have been selected to play at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States — one more than at all the past 22 tournaments combined.

The previous entrants in this rarefied category include six goalkeepers and Cameroonian striker Roger Milla, who remains the oldest man to score at the finals after netting at 42 in the 1994 tournament.

Milla’s achievement won’t be bettered this time around, but the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Edin Dzeko will be looking to join him in the over-40 World Cup goalscorers’ club.

The oldest player of all at the 2026 finals will be 43-year-old Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who, if he plays, will slot into second spot in the all-time list of oldest World Cup competitors behind Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who was 45 when he kept goal for Egypt against Saudi Arabia in Volgograd in 2018.

Gordon, however, is expected to back up first-choice Angus Gunn.

Ronaldo is the oldest outfield player at 41 and participating in a record sixth World Cup, a distinction he shares with 40-year-old Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and Lionel Messi, who turns 39 later this month.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said he would be relying on Ronaldo’s vast experience above all else.

“None have lived what he has in the number of decisive games he’s played over his career,” Martinez said. “He also brings experience in decisive moments that nobody else in the squad can match.”

This tournament’s other over-40s players include goalkeepers Vozinha from debutants Cape Verde, and 2014 World Cup winner Manuel Neuer, who is hoping to be ready to play for Germany against Curaao in Houston on Sunday after struggling with a calf injury.

Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera celebrates his 40th birthday next Tuesday, the day after Uruguay take on Saudi Arabia in Miami in their first Group H match.

While Messi and Ronaldo have each had injury issues in recent months, their reputations will be under no threat: Messi led Argentina to glory at the last World Cup, while Ronaldo already has behind him the remarkable record of scoring in all five tournaments he has played at.

“I’m very excited to see them,” said Sadegh Galavi as he watched the players’ bus leave the airport in Tijuana, cheered on by about a dozen fans.

Galavi, a mechanic and resident of this city on the US border, did not hesitate to get up at dawn to welcome the team when it landed at 5:00 am.

“My national team is coming to my city, and being here is a small thing I can do just to welcome them,” the man in his thirties told AFP, proudly wearing the white jersey with green and red trim of the Iranian side, known as “Team Melli.”

The gesture felt especially important because the tournament is beginning under difficult circumstances for Iran.

While the players obtained the visas necessary to enter the United States and play their group-stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle, not all delegation members received them.

About 15 accompanying officials were denied visas, including Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj, who previously served in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, designated a terrorist group by Washington.

“It makes no sense to me,” Galavi complained. “Sport is supposed to be a symbol of peace, so when you mix politics and sports, it doesn’t work.”

The visa controversy is the latest chapter in the drama surrounding Iran’s team at this unusual World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Since the first Israeli and American strikes against Iran in late February, the war has created repeated uncertainty over Team Melli’s participation.

Never before had a nation competing in the tournament been at war with one of the host countries, and Tehran long left open the question of whether its team would be allowed to play.

The insistence of FIFA ultimately prevailed. But two weeks ago, rising tensions prompted the Iranian federation to announce that the team would stay in Tijuana rather than in Tucson, Arizona, as originally planned.

With all these off-field developments, can the Iranians play their best football against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt and finally advance from the group stage — a feat they have never achieved.

Sina Moghadam has no doubts, and displays unwavering faith in his team.

“Iran’s history goes back thousands of years. Things like this only make us stronger; they won’t destabilize the team,” boasted the Iranian-American, who had traveled from San Diego, just across the border in California.

LACK OF ‘FAIR PLAY’

Waving an enormous Iranian flag, the retired self-described “patriot” said he was hoping for a match between Iran and the United States in the knockout stage — a blockbuster encounter that would become the political spectacle of the tournament.

“I hope they’re going to kick the US team’s ass,” he laughed as the players’ bus disappeared from view.

Escorted by a large convoy of heavily-armed Mexican police and military personnel, the team arrived to find extensive security measures around its hotel as well as at the entrance to Estadio Caliente, where Iran is scheduled to train.

The security presence offered some reassurance to Hossein Nikyar, who had driven overnight from Los Angeles with his son to herald the team’s arrival.

“It’s safer for them to be here than in Los Angeles anyway, because many Iranians in LA are royalists who want to take down the government,” said the engineer in his forties.

Nikyar already has tickets to see Iran play in Los Angeles. But even before the tournament begins, he cannot hide his bitterness.

“FIFA claims that there’s no politics in the World Cup, and it’s all about the football fair play,” he sighed. “But in fact, we see that it’s not true.”

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026

“The most iconic match of the most iconic tournament in the world deserves to be watched in the most iconic park in the world,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters.

Tickets will be free and allocated via a lottery system. Governor Kathy Hochul said the state has allocated $6 million to finance the watch party.

“This is the summertime go-to spot for New Yorkers, and now it’ll be the city’s front row seat to that beautiful game,” Hochul said.

The final will be played just outside the city at the MetLife Stad­ium, rebranded the New York New Jersey Stadium during the World Cup to comply with FIFA sponsorship rules.

The tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the Unite States begins on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026

The roadmap was announced at a press conference addressed by PFF Chief Operating Officer Shahid Niaz Khokhar, alongside Media Director Umaid Wasim.

Shahid said the plan had been developed in consultation with all four provincial football associations, regional bodies and other stakeholders, adding that implementation was tentatively scheduled to begin in July.

He stressed that district-level competitions would form the backbone of the new structure and were essential for producing competitive national teams across all age groups.

“District championships will help identify talented players, strengthen local football ecosystems and create clear pathways for footballers to progress through the national system,” he said.

Under the initiative, the PFF will launch District Football Championships (DFCs) across the country, which will also be used to identify constitutionally compliant clubs and weed out inactive or non-existent entities from the domestic structure. The federation said it would extend full support to ensure smooth organisation of the events.

To support implementation, the Pakistan Football Referees Association (PFRA) has been tasked with preparing an updated database of registered referees for district football associations.

The federation also announced administrative reforms at provincial and regional levels, including the appointment of dedicated general secretaries to improve governance and operational efficiency.

Under the approved framework, Provincial and Regional Football Associations will submit a panel of three candidates for the post. Joint interviews will then be conducted by the PFF and the relevant association president before final appointments are made, Shahid explained.

He added that funding for the initiative had been secured from FIFA and the AFC through the efforts of PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani.

Youth development remains a key pillar of the roadmap, with preparations under way for the National Under-17 Championship, tentatively scheduled for September–October.

Under the proposed format, each Provincial Football Association will field two teams, while each Regional Football Association will enter one. Players born between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012, will be eligible, with departmental players also allowed to participate.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026

The red-ball camp, featuring 22 players, will run from June 8 to July 10, while the white-ball camp involving 27 players will be held from June 15 to Sept 18.

According to the PCB, players who were part of Pakistan’s recently concluded One-day International series against Australia and have been selected for the red-ball camp will join the training programme from June 15.

The camps have been designed to help players prepare for future international commitments as well as domestic competitions. Participants will work on their technical skills and fitness under the supervision of national and NCA coaching staff, assisted by PCB medical personnel.

The board said players would also take part in one-on-one sessions with coaches aimed at improving their understanding of the technical and physical demands of international cricket.

Among the notable players selected for the red-ball camp are Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Imam-ul-Haq, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Abbas.

The white-ball camp squad includes Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Haider Ali and Usman Khan.

The PCB noted that the NCA had recently conducted separate red-ball and white-ball camps ahead of Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh and the ODI series against Australia, respectively.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei complained on arrival at Tijuana airport that “we should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting.”

He added: “Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected — which I think for us it was not the case.”

The dispute erupted just days before Thursday’s kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

After departing from their training camp in Turkey a day earlier, the Iran team landed around 5 am (1200 GMT) Sunday in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, AFP journalists there witnessed.

The squad and their coaching staff left their plane amid tight security which included a contingent of Mexican national guard troops. Just a handful of fans waving Iranian flags were present at the airport to welcome them from a distance.

The Iranian team will be based in Tijuana throughout the tournament, despite playing their entire group stage in the United States — two games in Los Angeles and another in Seattle as they tackle New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group ‘G’ on June 15, 21 and 26.

When they do play in the US, it will be the first World Cup to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.

‘Upset’

Ghalenoei thanked FIFA for its efforts to help secure entry, but said “we are upset about this behaviour. It has certainly never happened before.”

Team captain Ehsan Hajsafi said he wanted to convey his grievance to FIFA about the delay in getting US visas. “Why so late?” he demanded.

Hajsafi stressed the difficult backdrop for the team’s participation, as “in the last year, we experienced two imposed wars in our country.”

But he stated “the team is 100% ready” and believed “we can advance” in its group matches.”

Another player, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, said the team’s condition was “positive” after a good training camp. “We are surely doing all we can to prepare for the first game against New Zealand.”

Iran’s team spent nearly three weeks at the training camp in Turkey, using their time there to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States.

On the eve of their departure for Mexico, the players finally received their US visas, Washington’s envoy to Turkiye Tom Barrack said on X late Friday.

But Iran’s embassy to Turkey said support staff had been denied visas — 15 administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said.

The embassy slammed what it called “deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team” and called for FIFA “to hold the US accountable for violations of its rules.”

Adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday the squad had been notified that, under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches.

“We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” Iran’s envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.

That appeared to contradict what the team’s spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi told state TV earlier.

“The visas issued for the national team are multiple-entry visas, and the national team will arrive at the match venue one day before the first game and, for the following games, two days prior to each match,” Alavi said.

FIFA rules for World Cups stipulate that a team’s coach must give a news conference on the eve of the match at the venue where the game will be played.

US WARY OF ‘TERRORISTS’

Iran’s Football Federation — whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa — has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.”

A US administration official did not directly address the matter of those whose visas were refused, saying only: “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses.”

In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them,” suggesting some had ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist.

Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have reported.

Daniel Mercado, working at a taqueria eatery near the heavily-guarded Tijuana hotel hosting Iran’s team said he regretted the politicization of the sport. “They shouldn’t mix football and politics — they are two very different things,” insisted the 38-year-old.

The Middle East war erupted when the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28. An April 8 ceasefire, which largely halted the fighting, has come under strain from recent exchanges of fire.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026

The busy day of friendlies saw some of the biggest stars on display, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinicius Jr and Mohamed Salah playing, but three-time champion Argentina opted to rest Lionel Messi against Honduras in Texas in a game where forward Lautaro Martinez shone with a goal and one assist for a 2-0 win. Simeone scored the second for Argentina.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said that despite playing some of his younger squad members, his team showed they have a solid identity as the defence of their crown approaches.

“Maybe it could have been done better, but as for the team’s hallmark, its identity, I think it remains intact,” Scaloni said. “That’s the most important thing. That’s what we’re looking for, in the end, not to break that identity.”

Five-times champion Brazil beat Egypt 2-1 in Cleveland with Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes scoring early from inside the box and Olympique Lyonnais forward Endrick adding in the second half after an assist from Barcelona’s Raphinha.

Zico scored for Egypt, while Salah played the first half and seemed to be in good form.

There was some drama with Brazil and AS Roma right back Wesley leaving the field in tears after what appeared to be a serious muscle injury in the left leg, which might take him out of the World Cup. Teams can change players up to one day before their first games.

In Tampa, Harry Kane’s first-half header earned England a 1-0 win over New Zealand, while there was also a victory for Scotland as teams fine-tune ahead of the tournament’s kickoff next week.

With England manager Thomas Tuchel rotating his entire team at halftime and handing minutes to 22 players in the scorching 32-degree Celsius (90-degree Fahrenheit) heat, the result was secondary to the process.

But Kane’s clinical finish with a glancing header into the bottom corner from Djed Spence’s cross offered a timely reminder of the skipper’s importance to their hopes to win a second Cup.

“We’re here for preparation more than the result,” said Kane after his 67th goal of the season for club and country. “It’s the best shape I’ve ever been in my career. I’m excited, can’t wait for it to get started.”

Earlier, four-times world champions Germany secured a ninth win in a row with a 2-1 victory over World Cup co-hosts United States in Chicago.

Kai Havertz headed in Joshua Kimmich’s free kick to give them a second-minute lead, but the Americans snatched a stunning equaliser when Antonee Robinson thundered in a volley after defender Jonathan Tah had headed away a corner.

But Leroy Sane rifled in from 12 metres to restore Germany’s lead in the 57th minute.

Despite the loss coach Mauricio Pochettino said he was impressed by the character shown by his side.

“Overall, I think it was a good performance. I am happy with the performance of everyone. We play one of the most important teams in the world,” Pochettino told reporters.

“I think we need to be happy with that. We compete, (we were) unlucky, I think it was as an even game… It was an amazing challenge for us to see how we react, how we show character, how we show togetherness, how we start to play under pressure.”

Meanwhile, Portugal defeated Chile 2-1 in an ill-tempered clash in Oeiras where both teams finished with 10 men as Rafael Leao and Ivan Roman received their marching orders.

Goncalo Guedes gave the home side the lead before Bruno Fernandes added a second from outside the box. Lucas Cepeda scored a late consolation for Chile.

“We were superior in the 90 minutes, we managed to control the game very well, especially having a lot of the ball in the last third,” Fernandes told RTP.

Elsewhere, a much-changed Scotland scored all their goals in the first half as they romped to a 4-0 success over Bolivia in New Jersey.

Che Adams bagged two to go with strikes from Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay in an impressive performance.

Switzerland and Australia drew 1-1, while Bosnia and Herzegovina were held to the same scoreline by Panama.

Australia coach Tony Popovic said he was confident his side could “punch above our weight”.

“If you ask every Australian, they expect to be right at the end because we always feel that we can punch above our weight,” he said. “We’ve proven that time and time again in all sports, and we’ve done it in football. So we’ve shown what we can do.”

In Qatar four years ago, Australia made it through the group phase and gave eventual champions Argentina a scare in the last 16 before going out to a brave 2-1 defeat.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026

The second seed became the first German man to win a major tournament since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 win after four hours and 16 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

It was Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland Garros after some heartbreaking near misses in his career.

Both players appeared to struggle with nerves at various points in the match, especially Cobolli during an error-strewn first set.

But Zverev’s greater experience showed in a deciding set that was far tenser than the scoreline suggested, as he managed to get over the line.

The world number three was not always in control, making 54 unforced errors, but did enough to finally shed the tag of being one of the best players to have never won a major.

Cobolli made a nervy start and appeared to be struggling to deal with the occasion as the first set quickly got away from him in 39 minutes, making 16 unforced errors.

He managed to settle into the match with three successive holds of serve in the second set and then made his move out of nowhere to break in the seventh game.

Zverev had been completely untroubled on serve previously, but produced a scrappy game featuring two double-faults and a wild forehand on break point before turning to gesticulate angrily towards his coaching staff.

Cobolli started to grow in confidence and served out the set to breathe life into the final.

A higher-quality third set disappeared from Cobolli’s grasp in the 10th game, though, as from 30-0 up, he lost four points in a row, including a poor forehand that flew well wide on set point.

Cobolli hit straight back with a break in the opening game of the fourth set.

He could not pull away in the set, though, as both players ended up being broken twice, including Cobolli when he served for it at 5-4.

But the Italian rallied himself to push it into a tie-break, which he took to force a decider with a blistering forehand winner on his second set point.

Following a delay before the start of the final act after Cobolli left the court, Zverev struck first blood with a break in the first game.

Cobolli’s hopes were finally all but extinguished when he missed a break-back point and then dropped serve again to slip 3-0 down.

Zverev staved off three more break points in the fourth game and eased to victory from there, falling to the clay in celebration after Cobolli shanked an overhead on his second match point.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026

“I’m supporting Iran because it’s always the champion!” she said, sporting a bracelet in the green, white and red of the national flag. “This year, it will be number one out of all the countries!”

Holding a shopping bag containing a national team jersey, her mother explained that Helma was set to appear in a video clip supporting Iran’s side, adding: “We came to buy Team Melli outfits for the shoot.”

But after weeks of war with Israel and the United States — one of the co-hosts of this year’s tournament — not to mention persistent economic hardship and stuttering efforts to bring the conflict to a final close, not every Iranian shares the grade-schooler’s excitement.

At a shop in the same district, 17-year-old employee Houman said Portugal jerseys were the bestsellers, with Spain and Brazil also popular.

“This World Cup is different for Iranians,” he said. “I don’t see the same enthusiasm as past editions.”

Team Melli’s aspirations on the field have been overshadowed by what has been an especially trying year for Iranians. It began with anti-government protests — described as foreign-backed riots by the government — that rights groups say were met with a deadly crackdown.

Then came the US-Israeli strikes that launched the war, which only worsened an economic crunch defined by hyperinflation and a currency freefall.

The national team has also faced challenges of its own, with its US visas held up until the night before their departure.

Iran’s squad has had to change its base for the tournament to Mexico, and even with the visas, they must enter and leave US soil on the same day as any match, Tehran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday.

‘No excitement at all’

Shervin, a 42-year-old photographer from Tehran, was among those finding it difficult to get excited about the football.

“In Iran, no one truly cares about football now, just as no one seems to care about the hardship and difficult living conditions of the Iranian people,” he told AFP journalists based in Paris. “It makes me angry.”

Iran’s first World Cup match will be played in Los Angeles against New Zealand.

“The situation looks particularly difficult for the national team players, who have to play in a country Iran is in conflict with,” said Mohammad Pahlevan, an 18-year-old high school student wearing an AC Milan jersey.

Still, Team Melli “got lucky” with its draw, he added. “They can make it out of the group stage this year.”

Meanwhile, Ali, a self-professed football fanatic from the northern city of Tonekabon, said he wasn’t in the mood this year after decades of fandom.

“As someone who has loved football and followed every World Cup since 1994, it’s heartbreaking to realise that I feel no excitement at all for the upcoming tournament,” the 49-year-old told Paris-based AFP journalists.

Ill-famed for turf wars and drug trafficking, Lyari is also known as ‘Mini Brazil’ because while the negatives divide the community, football unites it.

The narrow winding alleys of Lyari permit the children and youth playing football here to give short passes mostly and become great dribblers of the ball. Their playing style resembles that of Brazilian players. Their looks resemble too and to enhance that particular feature you’ll find most youngsters sporting the hairstyles of their favourite Brazilian players.

This reporter must have run into five or six Neymar look-alikes just because of the hair.

With giant screens being installed and walls painted with flags, youngsters sport their favourite footballers’ hairstyles

Still, over time, there has been some change in opinions.

Abdul Waheed, a popular football coach and entrepreneur, said that earlier the people of Lyari had a favourite team, Brazil, which they all associated with. “But now, you’ll find the lovers of football here associating with particular players rather than teams. The fan following for a player is what brings them closer to the teams,” he said.

“For example, the Neymar fans are drawn to Brazil, the Messi fans cheer for Argentina and the Ronaldo fans are all for Portugal,” he explained. “That’s how the craze for Brazil in Mini Brazil has dropped from 100 per cent to 80 per cent,” he added.

The kids playing football at the Al Usmani Sports Academy, which include girls, are mostly Brazil fans. Ali Mohammad, Tanya Faisal, Umme Safa Abdul Majeed, Safa Shakeel and Sonia are all loyal Brazil fans but there are also Abdul Aziz and Saima who are willing to bet that Portugal will do better than Brazil in this World Cup.

“What to say about Portugal, Brazil will lose its very first match against Morocco on the 14th, you’ll see,” said Abdul Aziz.

“Every four years, as the football World Cup approaches, Lyari’s entire mood changes. The place just comes alive like no other. With big screens installed in all the grounds, parks and even at intersections and crossroads, we forget all our troubles to just enjoy the game despite there being no scope in football in this country,” Abdul Waheed points out.

Abdul Rasheed is a local painter and decorator in Lyari’s Baghdadi area. But during this time he diverts all his energies to painting flags of the participating nations in the World Cup on neighbourhood walls. Of course, Brazilian flags take up entire building walls. “Brazil has its own charm but I do paint other flags too besides painting portraits of various star players of different teams,” he said.

World Cup fever has reached a high temperature in Ali Mohammad Mohallah in Lyari’s Kalri area where there is no wall left that does not have a flag or a popular footballer on it.

Tied to strings, different country flags, too, fluttered away. An Iranian flag on a tall pole on the roof of a building also flapped in the evening breeze. “This year it deserved the highest point,” smiled Yasir Ali, a neighbourhood youth.

He also said that he along with other kids went around collecting money for the flags, paint and decorations. “The shopkeepers in the area happily donated 50, 100 or 200 rupees for decorating our lanes and alleys. It is not every day that you have the World Cup,” he smiled.

Among the flags was a Pakistan flag, which raised a question. He said. “People don’t realise that Pakistan is also always participating in the FIFA World Cup as all the footballs used in the over-a-month-long competition are made in Pakistan,” he reminded.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026

NEW CHANDIGARH: Centuries by skipper Shubman Gill and K.L. Rahul led India to a commanding 368-3 on the first day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan on Saturday.

Rahul made 100 off 165 balls and put on a second wicket partnership of 139 with Sai Sudharsan, who scored 81, after India elected to bat first in New Chandigarh.

Sudharsan and Rahul departed before Gill finished the day on 103 in an unbeaten stand of 121 with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was on 50 not out.

Gill reached his 11th Test ton with a single off Mohammad Saleem and raised his bat to acknowledge the applause of a sparse crowd at India’s newest Test venue.

Rahul, who top-scored for his IPL team Delhi Capitals in the recent T20 tournament with 593 runs in 14 matches, registered his 12th Test hundred.

But the right-hander was out the next ball when he attempted an expansive drive off pace bowler Zia-ur-Rahman only to be caught at short extra cover.

“I’m really happy that I could get some time in the middle and make that switch from T20 to Test cricket,” said Rahul. “That was the most pleasing thing.”

Gill kept up the pace after Rahul’s dismissal, hitting Saleem for two straight boundaries and ended the day with 11 fours and a six.

The left-handed Pant also took on the bowling attack when he hit three sixes in one over by spinner Abdul Malik before bringing up his 19th Test half-century.

Rahul earlier hit 11 fours in a composed knock as he and left-hander Sudharsan frustrated the Afghan opposition bowling on a hot and sunny day.

Saleem had Sudharsan caught behind for 81 after the number three registered his third Test half-century with a four.

Sudharsan was dropped on 20 and 59 but made the most of the reprieves, hitting 13 fours in 104 balls.

“We always rue missed chances. But the guys stuck at it really well,” said Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus. “Credit to India, they did what they needed to do.”

Rahul was almost caught behind off Zia on 16, but the umpire turned down the appeal and Afghanistan did not ask for a review.

Saleem removed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for 24 after the left-hander attempted a flick down the leg side only to be caught behind.

Debutant left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote nearly got a wicket in his first over after Sudharsan edged the ball to first slip but Rahmanullah Gurbaz dropped the catch.

India, ranked third in the world Test rankings, are looking to bounce back after suffering a 2-0 defeat to South Africa at home in November.

The match is not part of the World Test Championship cycle but is still an important game for Afghanistan, who played their first five-day game in India in 2018.

Scoreboard

INDIA:

Y. Jaiswal c Afsar b Saleem24

K.L. Rahul c Gurbaz b Zia100

S. Sudharsan c Afsar b Saleem81

S. Gill not out103

R. Pant not out50

EXTRAS (LB-5, NB-4, W-1)10

TOTAL (for three wickets, 85 overs)368

STILL TO BAT: D. Jurel, W. Sundar, M. Suthar, K. Yadav, M. Siraj, P. Krishna

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-41 (Jaiswal), 2-180 (Sudharsan), 3-247 (Rahul)

BOWLING: Zia 15-2-61-1, Omarzai 14-3-42-0, Saleem 13-1-67-2, Kharote 20-0-95-0, Malik 6-0-37-0 (4nb), Shahidi 17-0-61-0

AFGHANISTAN: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Zia-ur-Rahman, Mohammad Saleem

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026

LONDON: Ollie Robinson continued to prove a thorn in New Zealand’s side, taking two quick wickets, as England moved closer to victory in the first Test during what little play was possible here at Lord’s on Saturday.

Rain and bad light meant fewer than 10 overs were bowled on the third day of this three-match series.

But that was enough time for the 32-year-old Robinson to take two wickets for no runs in four balls as New Zealand slumped to 53-5 in their second innings.

The Black Caps added two more runs before rain, which meant there was no play before lunch, returned at 1310 GMT on Saturday.

The umpires finally abandoned proceedings for the day at 1629 GMT, with a handful of spectators still braving the bad weather as the floodlights pierced the gloom in northwest London.

At 55-5, New Zealand need 199 more runs to reach a victory target of 254 in what is the 150th Test staged at Lord’s — the most at any ground.

On only five occasions have the Black Caps successfully chased a higher total to win a Test. Only four sides have made more in the fourth innings to win a Test at Lord’s.

Opening batsman Devon Conway was 19 not out, with wicket-keeper Tom Blundell unbeaten on two at stumps.

New Zealand were struggling at 36-3 at Friday’s close after England paceman Gus Atkinson struck twice — dismissing captain Tom Latham and Will O’Rourke for ducks — while fast bowler Josh Tongue dismissed key batsman Kane Williamson who made 18.

England’s strong position in their first Test since a 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia owed much to debutant Emilio Gay.

The opener top-scored with 57 in England’s second-innings total of 226 — a valuable contribution in a low-scoring game where the pitch has favoured the fast bowlers throughout.

New Zealand were bowled out for just 113 in their first innings, with recalled seamer Robinson taking his Test-best figures of 5-39 following more than two years of England exile.

With grey skies, allied to a lively pitch, once more proving helpful to the pacemen, he was soon back in the wickets again.

Rachin Ravindra had made just eight when he was undone by a brilliant Robinson delivery that angled in and then nipped away before clean bowling the squared-up left-hander, the ball hitting the top of off stump to leave New Zealand 53-4.

In his next over, Sussex captain Robinson removed Daryl Mitchell for a duck when the batsman was given out lbw to a full-length ball that pitched on the line of middle and leg stumps.

Mitchell reviewed but replays confirmed he had been in front of his stumps playing all round an attempt to flick the ball away. His dismissal was upheld on umpire’s call, with Mitchell’s exit the 22nd wicket in under three days’ play to have fallen as a result of being bowled or leg before – evidence of the challenging conditions confronting batsmen on both sides.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 140 (H. Brook 56; K. Jamieson 5-62):

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings) 113 (K. Jamieson 38 not out; Robinson 5-39)

ENGLAND (2nd Innings) 226 (E. Gay 57; N. Smith 6-70)

NEW ZEALAND (2nd Innings, overnight 36-3):

T. Latham c Brook b Atkinson0

D. Conway not out19

K. Williamson lbw b Tongue18

W. O’Rourke b Atkinson0

R. Ravindra b Robinson8

D. Mitchell lbw b Robinson0

T. Blundell not out2

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-5, NB-2)8

TOTAL (for 5 wkts, 21.3 overs)55

STILL TO BAT: G. Phillips, N. Smith, K. Jamieson, M. Henry

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Latham), 2-29 (Williamson), 3-36 (O’Rourke), 4-53 (Ravindra), 5-53 (Mitchell)

BOWLING: Atkinson 6-1-16-2 (1nb), Robinson 9.3-1-18-2 (1nb), Tongue 6-2-15-1

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026

“All fans will be permitted to bring in one, soft, plastic 20 ounces (590ml), factory-sealed disposable water bottle into any FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the US and Canada,” World Cup chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi, said in a video posted on FIFA’s X account.

The announcement, which FIFA called a “clarification” of its water bottle policy, came two days after FIFA said that refillable water bottles wouldn’t be allowed.

That was a change to their official stadium code of conduct that could force thirsty supporters to pay for bottled water.

FIFA justified the move on safety grounds, “to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.

“Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums,” FIFA said in a statement to AFP.

On Friday, FIFA said that those concerns remain valid.

Schirgi said that “fans will not be permitted to bring in hard sided, reusable water bottles due to safety and security reasons,” showing examples of bottles that will and won’t be allowed. Forecasters have warned that fans could face health risks from extreme heat at open-air venues during the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A report published by the World Weather Attribution research group last month estimated that 26 of 104 games at the World Cup are likely to be played in conditions where the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) exceeds 26 degrees.

WBGT is a measure of heat stress on the human body which combines temperature, humidity, wind and sunlight.

At last year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where fans complained of searing temperatures, supporters were also barred from bringing water bottles into venues.

FIFA has noted that misting stations, fans, hydration stations and cooling tents would be available in “the stadium footprint”.

Bottled water inside the venue will be sold at prices which “remain consistent with other events held at each stadium,” FIFA says.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026

ANTALYA: Iran’s World Cup squad left Turkiye for Mexico on Saturday, taking off under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington after the US refused to issue visas for some of the team’s support squad.

The dispute erupted just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The team took off around 6:10 pm (1510 GMT) for Tijuana in northwest Mexico, where they will be based for the duration of the tournament, on what was expected to be a 20-hour flight, Iranian state TV reported.

The team “took off this evening for Mexico to participate in the World Cup after” training in Turkiye, it said.

Team Melli had spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Antalya, using their time in Turkiye to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States.

On the eve of their departure for Mexico, the players received their US visas, Washington’s envoy to Turkiye Tom Barrack said on X late Friday.

But Iran’s embassy to Turkey said a “large” number of managerial and executive staff and others had been denied visas, prompting a furious response.

“You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level,” the embassy wrote on X on Saturday.

“FIFA must hold the US accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran’s national football team.”

Iranian state TV said the players and their technical staff had received visas, but 15 others on the administrative and management side had not. It said the matter would be followed up in Mexico.

Iran’s Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, also hit out, describing the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form”.

“By extending its hostile behaviour towards the Iranian nation into the field of sport, the… US government has deprived Iran’s national team of…

the opportunity to compete without discrimination,” it said, pledging to pursue the matter with FIFA.

‘ABUSE THIS SYSTEM’

In response, a US administration official confirmed that “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued”.

Without directly addressing the matter of those whose visas were refused, the official added: “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.”

In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them”, suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist.

Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have said.

Tensions over the Middle East war have complicated the US visa issue for Iran’s Team Melli, who shifted their World Cup base from Tucson in the US state of Arizona to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

The war began after the US and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28. An April 8 ceasefire, which largely halted the fighting, has come under strain from recent exchanges of fire by the US and Iran.

Team Melli will be based in Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, but all three of their group stage matches are due to be held in the United States.

Iran, who are in Group ‘G’, will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Ahead of their departure, Iran played a final friendly against Mali in Antalya on Thursday, which they won 2-0. They played a first match on May 29, beating Gambia 3-1.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026

The 19-year-old Russian beat Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest Roland Garros women’s singles champion since Monica Seles, then aged 18, won her third straight title in Paris in 1992.

With her first-ever major crown, Andreeva also became the first player, man or woman, born after 2005 to win a Grand Slam.

The Coupe Suzanne Lenglen will now take centre spot in Andreeva’s burgeoning trophy cabinet, which already features two WTA 1000 titles.

“I’ve been watching Roland Garros on TV since I was very, very young, so it’s also a big dream of mine to win this tournament and I honestly cannot believe that I’m holding this trophy right now,” Andreeva said on court, before thanking her team and notably her psychologist.

“Congrats to Maja for these amazing three weeks, passing through qualies, winning so many matches, beating so many great players.”

Defeat at the final hurdle brought to an end an astonishing run which started in qualifying for Chwalinska, who won nine matches in the French capital to become the first qualifier to reach the final in the Open era.

“I will definitely not forget these three weeks,” she said. “Paris will stay forever in my heart.”

However, the world number 114’s career will now be on a different stratosphere as she will climb to 21 in the rankings and be assured of competing regularly in tennis’ biggest tournaments.

“Congrats to Mirra, you’re such an incredible player. You’re so young and talented, it’s so annoying,” Chwalinska said.

“Congrats to you, congrats to your team for an amazing job, and I wish you all the best in the future.

“I wish (the spectators) could see a better match today, but Mirra was just too good for me, so I guess it’s her fault.”

True grit

Chwalinska displayed some early nerves as she dumped two serves straight into the net on the very first point of the match.

Both players seemed to be struggling with the occasion, a situation not helped by blustery conditions on centre court, as four consecutive breaks of serve started the match.

First Chwalinska then Andreeva held as they continued to probe each other in their first meeting.

The Russian dug in and moved back into the ascendancy as she showed the greater consistency of the pair to win the next three games.

Two Andreeva errors and an unplayable drop shot gave the Pole the chance to instantly wipe out that advantage but the teen showed serious mettle to pull off a battling hold and at 3-0 the writing looked on the wall for Chwalinska.

Andreeva then rattled through the next two games to move to the brink.

But Chwalinska refused to give in and held to make it 5-1, before breaking Andreeva as she served for the match.

However, the new world number six was not to be denied as she pounced in the very next game to claim the biggest trophy so far of her fledgling career.

A backhand winner sent her crumpling to her knees as she surpassed her coach Conchita Martinez’s 2000 runner-up finish at Roland Garros.

The winner of that duel, Mary Pierce, was present for the trophy ceremony, a fact not lost on Andreeva despite it taking place nearly seven years before her birth.

“I don’t know if I should thank you, Mary, as you beat my coach here in the final,” she quipped.

“But I’m joking of course, thank you so much! “

The Unite Here Local 11 union, which represents about 2,000 stadium food and beverage workers, is demanding better pay along with assurances that federal immigration agents will not be allowed to enter the venue.

A whopping 96 per cent of voters approved the strike call, meaning they have the green light to walk off the job at any time, with the World Cup due to open on Thursday.

“Contract negotiations with stadium food service operator Legends Global and FIFA have not had significant progress on key economic and workplace safety issues,” the union said in a statement.

New talks are scheduled for Monday, ahead of the first World Cup match on US soil on June 12 at SoFi.

Cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and others are represented by Unite Here.

SoFi Stadium — the world’s most expensive sports venue, which opened in 2020 at a cost exceeding $5 billion — will host eight World Cup matches.

“If we’re forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos,” said union co-president Kurt Petersen.

The union has demanded that workers be allowed to walk out if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel come to SoFi during World Cup matches and create “a reasonable fear for their safety.”

ICE has faced sharp criticism from human rights organizations for their sometimes brutal raids in various US cities, including Los Angeles.

Stadium workers have also expressed concerns about being forced to share their personal information with FIFA, football’s world governing body, to get World Cup accreditation — amid fears that data will be shared with ICE.

“The FIFA World Cup will generate enormous profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and security,” stadium bartender Cesar Zamora said in a statement provided by the union.

“We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, I’m ready. “

Sooryavanshi, 15, is fresh off a breakout campaign in the Indian Premier League in which he topped the scoring charts with 776 runs in 16 matches, while also breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a season.

His performances for the Rajasthan Royals made him the first player in IPL history to be named both the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Best Emerging Player, with many tipping him for a spot in the senior Twenty20 International side.

Selectors also fired Suryakumar Yadav as captain following a poor run of form, just three months after he led the country to World Cup glory at home.

Should Sooryavanshi go on to make his debut against either Ireland or England, he would become the youngest player to represent an Indian men’s senior team, bettering great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut aged 16.

“We’ve seen what he can do, towards playoffs, almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals,” selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar told reporters.

“Not just this season, had a great start and to back it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure, he’s a game-changer. We’ve got high hopes of him and he has picked himself.”

Agarkar added that Iyer, who replaces Suryakumar Yadav, had been appointed captain after guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the Indian Premier League title in 2024, while also leading other franchises in the league.

Iyer last played a T20I in 2023.

“Led a team to (IPL) title, his own performances have been good. He was close to being part of the World Cup squad, in my opinion, he was a ‘stand-out candidate’,” Agarkar added.

India play Ireland in two T20Is later this month, before a five-match series against England in July.

The BCCI also named their squad for this year’s men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Japan, which includes veteran bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

The Asian Games men’s competition will begin on September 24, with the final scheduled for October 3.

T20I Squad for Ireland and England series: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The Green-shirts defeated Australia by four wickets in a low-scoring third ODI to win the series 2-1 at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday night.

The hosts chased a moderate 158-run target in 41.5 overs for the loss of six wickets as Babar Azam top-scored with an 84-ball 40. Earlier, Shaheen (3-30, eight overs), Abrar (2-19) and Shadab Khan (2-28, nine overs) restricted the tourists to a below-par total despite a fighting 65 by captain Josh Inglis.

The hard-earned victory gave Pakistan a 2-1 series win — their third successive ODI series victory over Australia — after they won the first match by five wickers in Rawalpindi. Australia levelled the series by winning the second game by 41 runs, also staged in Lahore.

The series was played on predominantly low, spin-friendly tracks in Rawalpindi and Lahore where the tourists largely struggled with the bat.

As some former players and analysts, criticised the surfaces – prepared for the said series – were tailor-made to favour home team, Shaheen dismissed such criticism.

“When you have to play against such a team [like Australia], you have to prepare such pitches because your objective is to win the series,” Shaheen said while talking to reporters in the post-match media conference at the Gaddafi Stadium.

“When we visited Australia, they prepared green pitches because they were playing against an Asian team and believed those conditions would favour them. Despite that, under Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy, we won the series there,” the skipper recalled.

The Pakistan skipper noted that the 50-over ICC World Cup 2027 is still 14 to 15 months away and that the team had ample time to fine-tune its preparations.

“We also have Test cricket coming up, and some of our Test players featured in this [ODI] series. Playing on such challenging pitches provided valuable match practice,” he said.

Shaheen revealed that despite changes in the playing XI over the past year, the management has largely retained a core group of players.

“Although there have been changes in the team, there has not been a major change in the pool of 20 players we have identified,” he said.

He acknowledged that the pitches used during the Australia series were demanding but expressed confidence that Pakistan would be better prepared for similar conditions in the future.

“As we move closer to the [2027] World Cup, the team will gain more experience on pitches similar to those found in South Africa and Zimbabwe,” he noted.

Shaheen confirmed that Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique remain part of Pakistan’s World Cup plans, adding that the final squad would likely be finalised about a month before the tournament.

INGLIS LAUDS AUSSIE FIGHTING SPIRIT

Meanwhile, despite the disappointing result, Inglis praised Australia’s fighting spirit during Pakistan’s chase in the series decider.

“I thought the boys never stopped having a crack the whole time. We all believed we were still in the game and could still win it. Everyone applied themselves really well in that second innings,” Inglis said after the match.

The captain accepted responsibility for the middle-order collapse and admitted he should have stayed at the crease longer.

“I’ll hold my hands up. I’m accountable for that collapse. If I had stayed there another 10 or 15 overs and taken the game deeper, I think we would have got to a really good total,” Inglis said.

He also pointed to costly run-outs and poor communication between the wickets as major factors behind Australia’s downfall.

“Run-outs don’t help, especially on wickets that are tough to bat on and tough to start your innings. We saw in Pakistan’s innings as well that once you get a wicket, momentum can quickly swing your way,” he said.

Inglis also defended Australia’s decision to bat first, citing previous experiences in Pakistan where batting became more difficult as matches progressed.

“During the T20 series we played here [in Pakistan] before the World Cup, the wickets got harder to bat on as the games went on. We felt batting first and putting runs on the board was the right option,” he said.

The wicketkeeper-batter maintained that a score above 200 would have been highly competitive on such surfaces.

“In the second ODI, we scored 230 and won comfortably. Anything over 200 is a very good score on these wickets.”

Inglis described the conditions as extremely challenging, with variable bounce, spin and reverse swing making stroke-making difficult throughout the innings.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026