Organizers of the Afghanistan Wrestling Premier League have announced that the inaugural tournament will now be held from July 20 to July 29, 2026, in Kabul.

The competition had originally been scheduled to take place from June 1 to June 10.

Officials said the event will continue to be hosted at the AGDPES Gymnasium in Kabul, with matches expected to take place daily from 18:00 to 21:00.

Ariana Television Network (ATN), which recently secured exclusive broadcast rights for the league under a five-year agreement with the Afghanistan Wrestling Federation, will air the matches live across the country.

The inaugural season of the Afghanistan Wrestling Premier League is expected to feature around 350 wrestlers from across Afghanistan competing in 10 weight categories as part of 10 regional teams.

Organizers say preparations for the tournament are ongoing and that the postponement is intended to ensure better arrangements for teams, athletes and event operations ahead of the league’s launch.

The Wrestling Premier League is regarded as a major step toward creating a more structured national competition for wrestling in Afghanistan, one of the country’s most popular traditional sports.

Officials also hope the tournament will help provide greater exposure for Afghan wrestlers and contribute to the long-term development of the sport nationwide.

Mexico City Stadium has been confirmed as the venue for the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with hosts Mexico set to kick off the tournament on June 11, 2026.

FIFA announced that the historic stadium in the Mexican capital will become the first venue in history to host three World Cup opening matches, having previously staged the opening games and finals of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the biggest edition of the tournament to date, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Mexico will play all three of its group-stage matches on home soil.

After opening the tournament in Mexico City, the team will play its second group match at Estadio Guadalajara on June 18 before returning to Mexico City Stadium for its final group fixture on June 24.

The stadium will also host a Group K match between Uzbekistan and Colombia, along with one Round of 32 match and one Round of 16 fixture.

Located in Mexico City, the stadium has a capacity of 83,000 and was originally opened in 1966. It is widely regarded as one of world football’s most iconic venues, having hosted legendary players such as Pelé and Diego Maradona during previous World Cup tournaments.

The stadium currently serves as the home ground for Mexican clubs Club América and Cruz Azul, while also hosting matches for the Mexican national team.

Mexico City Stadium also hosted the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2011, where a crowd of nearly 99,000 spectators set a tournament attendance record.

Canada will make their third appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2026 as co-hosts alongside the United States and Mexico, with the national team hoping to secure its first-ever victory at football’s biggest tournament.

Drawn in Group B, Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland during the group stage of the expanded 48-team competition.

Under head coach Jesse Marsch, the Canadians are aiming to build on the experience gained at Qatar 2022 and push beyond the group stage for the first time in the country’s history.

Marsch, a former Major League Soccer player and experienced coach in both North America and Europe, took charge of Canada in May 2025. His coaching career has included spells with Montreal Impact, New York Red Bulls, Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United.

Canada qualified automatically for the 2026 tournament as one of the three host nations. The upcoming edition will be the largest World Cup ever staged, featuring 48 teams.

Canada’s previous World Cup appearances came in Mexico in 1986 and Qatar in 2022. In both tournaments, the team exited at the group stage.

At Mexico 1986, Canada suffered defeats to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union in their first taste of World Cup football.

More than three decades later, Canada returned to the tournament in Qatar after topping the final round of Concacaf qualifying. Despite impressive performances, the team lost to Belgium, Croatia and Morocco and again failed to advance.

One of the defining moments in Canadian football history came during the match against Croatia at Qatar 2022, when Alphonso Davies scored the country’s first-ever World Cup goal with a powerful header just minutes into the game.

Davies remains Canada’s only World Cup goalscorer to date and is expected to play a leading role in the team’s 2026 campaign.

Canada’s overall World Cup record stands at six matches played, six defeats, two goals scored and 12 conceded. The team will now look to take advantage of home support and a talented squad as they seek a historic first win on football’s biggest stage.