Antonia Toro is a sophomore who has yet to declare a major. Antonia can be reached at antonia.toro@tufts.edu.
With less than 100 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, Iran’s participation in the tournament has been thrown into serious doubt following escalating conflict in the Middle East.
With 112 days until the World Cup, even the CVS in Davis Square is stocking tournament merchandise. I sat down with two Tufts students to hear what the tournament means to them.
In our last edition, we discussed a possible German boycott of the 2026 World Cup, proposed by a senior member of their football federation in response to President Donald Trump’s criticism of European alliances and his attempts to acquire Greenland.This past week, the German Football Federation met to discuss the boycott. The conclusion: A boycott will not happen.
After German politician Jürgen Hardt raised the possibility of Germany boycotting the World Cup, Oke Göttlich, a vice president of the German Football Association, publicly expressed his support for the idea. Against the backdrop of growing tensions between the United States and Europe — discernible during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos — both figures argue that a boycott could be justified by concerns over European autonomy and the threat posed by the United States.
This weekend, FIFA announced it received approximately 500 million ticket requests through its World Cup pricing system. The most sought-after matches include Mexico vs. South Africa, the tournament’s opening match, as well as Colombia vs. Portugal, Mexico vs. South Korea and the final match on Sunday, Jul. 19 in East Rutherford, N.J. Participants in FIFA’s ticket lottery who requested specific matches will receive notification of their allocation no earlier than Feb. 5.
The FIFA Final Draw is complete, and if you missed it, you missed quite the show. The 2026 World Cup draw ceremony managed to pack in more unexpected moments than most tournaments deliver in their entirety. Among the notable moments: President Donald Trump receiving a freshly-created peace prize, FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s subsequent effusive praising of Trump and the actual draw being conducted by a distinguished panel of North American sports icons including Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal. Talented athletes all, though their combined professional football experience totals precisely zero.
Welcome back to the “Road to the World Cup.” We’re now just 203 days away from the inaugural match at the Estadio Azteca. Recent developments have been coming fast, so let’s get straight to them.
Mexico is not simply relying on its history as a two-time World Cup host (1970 and 1986); it is actively working to modernize its security infrastructure. Mexico City, which will host the tournament’s inaugural game at the Estadio Azteca, recently selected the firm Amper to lead a technological modernization of its centers of Command and Control (C5) specifically in preparation for the World Cup. This update, involving new infrastructure and the latest version of the GEMYC-D system, aims to enhance public safety and optimize operations across the metropolis.
FIFA revealed the new World Cup soccer ball on Thursday. Named TRIONDA, it features three colored waves: green for Mexico, red for Canada and blue for the United States. For much of the World Cup’s history, World Cup balls have symbolized host nations.
The World Cup is less than a year away. In this column, I will review the most pressing challenges the tournament faces across all its venues in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
