Sport

Iraq seal final spot as FIFA World Cup 2026 line-up confirmed

Published

2 months ago

April 1, 2026

The line-up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is now complete, with Iraq claiming the final berth to cap off a historic and expanded qualification campaign.

Iraq secured their place with a decisive victory over Bolivia in the intercontinental play-off tournament at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, becoming the 48th and last team to qualify. The win places Iraq in Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway, setting up a challenging group-stage campaign.

Striker Aymen Hussein scored the crucial goal that sealed qualification and brought Iraq’s long journey to a triumphant conclusion.

The result also marked the end of an extensive global qualifying process that spanned 937 days, featuring 899 matches and producing 2,527 goals at an average of 2.8 per game.

Iraq’s campaign, which began in September 2023, culminated in one of the nation’s most significant football achievements in recent years.

Elsewhere, Europe’s remaining places were decided through tightly contested play-offs. Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye and Sweden all secured qualification after dramatic fixtures played across multiple cities, completing the continent’s representation at the tournament.

In another play-off clash held in Mexico, DR Congo edged Jamaica 1-0 in Guadalajara to book their place in Group K, where they are set to face Portugal in their opening match in Houston, Texas.

The play-off tournament also doubled as a test event for host venues in Monterrey and Guadalajara, which will stage matches during the World Cup. The fixtures drew strong crowds, with more than 160,000 fans attending across the games, offering an early glimpse of the atmosphere expected next year.

A historic expansion

The 2026 edition of the World Cup will be the largest in history, expanding from 32 to 48 teams for the first time. The tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time three nations jointly stage the event.

A total of 104 matches will be played across 16 host cities between 11 June and 19 July, with organisers expecting more than six million fans to attend. The expanded format aims to increase global representation, giving more nations from Africa, Asia and the Americas an opportunity to compete on football’s biggest stage.

The tournament is projected to reach a worldwide audience of around six billion people, underlining the sport’s vast global appeal. With the final qualification spot now filled, attention turns to final preparations, ticket sales, and minor scheduling adjustments ahead of what is expected to be the most inclusive World Cup ever staged.

FIFA says the 2026 tournament will showcase not only elite competition but also the unifying power of football across continents, cultures and generations.

Related Topics:ArianaNews featured FIFA Football Iraq Sport

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Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan play out stalemate in CAFA U-20 Championship

Published

16 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan’s U-20 national football team played out a 0-0 draw against Kyrgyzstan in the CAFA U-20 Championship on Sunday in Dushanbe.

The match marked Afghanistan’s fourth appearance in the regional tournament after earlier defeats against Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Afghanistan lost 3-1 to Turkmenistan in their opening match, followed by a 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan and another 2-0 loss to Tajikistan.

The draw against Kyrgyzstan earned Afghanistan its first point of the competition.

Sport

USA aim for strong home campaign at FIFA World Cup 2026

USA also enjoyed memorable campaigns in 1994 and 2002, reaching the Round of 16 on home soil in 1994 and advancing to the quarter-finals in Korea and Japan in 2002.

Published

18 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Ariana News

The United States will make its 12th appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 when it co-hosts the expanded 48-team tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

Placed in Group D, the Americans will begin their campaign on home soil hoping to improve on their Round of 16 finish at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Now coached by former Argentina international Mauricio Pochettino, the Stars and Stripes are preparing for a highly anticipated tournament after automatically qualifying as co-hosts.

Pochettino took charge of the national team in September 2024 following the departure of Gregg Berhalter. The experienced coach previously managed top European clubs including Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur.

The USA will open the tournament against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles before facing Australia in Seattle on June 19. Their final group-stage match will be against Türkiye on June 25 in Los Angeles.

The Americans have a long history at the World Cup dating back to the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930. Their best performance came in that first edition, when they reached the semi-finals before losing to Argentina.

USA also enjoyed memorable campaigns in 1994 and 2002, reaching the Round of 16 on home soil in 1994 and advancing to the quarter-finals in Korea and Japan in 2002.

At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the Americans progressed unbeaten from a difficult group featuring England, Iran and Wales before being eliminated 3-1 by the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

Former captain Landon Donovan remains USA’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with five goals across the 2002, 2006 and 2010 tournaments. Donovan also holds the national record for most World Cup appearances with 12 matches.

Among the most iconic moments in U.S. World Cup history was the shock 1-0 victory over England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, regarded as one of the greatest upsets in football history.

Another unforgettable performance came at the 2014 World Cup when goalkeeper Tim Howard made a tournament-record 16 saves against Belgium in the Round of 16, despite the Americans eventually losing 2-1 after extra time.

USA’s biggest World Cup victories remain the back-to-back 3-0 wins over Belgium and Paraguay during the 1930 tournament, with Bert Patenaude scoring the first hat-trick in World Cup history against Paraguay.

With home support behind them and a new era under Pochettino, the United States will hope to make a deep run at the 2026 World Cup and challenge some of the world’s top football nations on their own soil.

Sport

IPL: Chennai Super Kings drop to sixth place after defeat against Lucknow Super Giants

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2026

Ariana News

Chennai Super Kings slipped to sixth place in the IPL 2026 standings after suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Friday.

A blistering 38-ball 90 from Mitchell Marsh powered the already-eliminated LSG to a dominant chase of 188, making light work of the target on a slightly two-paced surface. Marsh and fellow Australian Josh Inglis stitched together a commanding 135-run opening stand, exposing CSK’s ineffective bowling attack.

CSK posted 187/5 after a composed 71 off 42 balls from young batter Kartik Sharma, who steadied the innings following an early collapse. Despite some assistance for seamers on the pitch, Chennai’s bowlers failed to capitalize, repeatedly overpitching or offering loose short deliveries that Marsh punished heavily.

The Australian all-rounder was especially brutal against pacer Anshul Kamboj, smashing four consecutive sixes and a boundary in a 28-run over during the powerplay. LSG raced to 86 without loss in the first six overs, with Marsh bringing up his half-century in just 21 balls.

Inglis contributed a fluent 36 before falling to Mukesh Choudhary, while Marsh narrowly missed out on a century after being run out in unfortunate fashion when a deflected straight drive from Nicholas Pooran crashed into the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Pooran then finished the chase in style, hammering four successive sixes off Kamboj to guide LSG home in just 16.4 overs. Kamboj endured a forgettable outing, ending with figures of 0 for 63 in 2.4 overs.

Earlier, Kartik Sharma rescued CSK after the top order struggled against LSG’s disciplined hard-length bowling. He shared a valuable 70-run partnership with Dewald Brevis, who chipped in with 25.

Kartik attacked spinner Shahbaz Ahmed confidently before expanding his strokeplay against the pacers, including back-to-back sixes off Prince Yadav. He reached his fifty with a six off Mohammed Shami in 35 balls before eventually falling to Ahmed.

LSG pacer Akash Singh played a key role early on, claiming three wickets and removing Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel with disciplined bowling.

The defeat leaves CSK stuck on 12 points from as many matches. They must now win their remaining two games and rely on favorable results elsewhere to keep their playoff hopes alive.

In the next IPL match, Kolkata Knight Riders will face Gujarat Titans today at 6:30p.m. in Eden Gardens in Kolkata. All matches will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television, bringing full coverage of every boundary, wicket, and turning moment to viewers nationwide.