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

6 months 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.

Related Topics:featured FIFA Football USA World Cup 2026

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Afghanistan trail Zimbabwe by 180 runs at stumps on day two of second Test

Published

10 hours ago

November 14, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan ended the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at 159 for six after 48 overs, trailing by 180 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Zimbabwe, who resumed day two with a strong position after reaching 250 for five on the opening day, were bowled out for 339 in 114.5 overs in their first innings.

Afghanistan faced a challenging task in reply but managed to score 159 runs while losing six wickets by the close of play.

With a deficit of 180 runs and four wickets remaining, Afghanistan will look to build a stronger batting performance on day three and reduce the gap.

The second Test remains finely poised, with Zimbabwe holding the advantage heading into the third day.

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Debutant Naseer Khan strikes four as Afghanistan fight back against Zimbabwe in second Test

Zimbabwe were well placed at 201 for one after nearly 58 overs, but Naseer triggered a middle-order collapse, taking three wickets in eight overs. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 12 during that period, and slipped from 201 for 1 to 250 for 5 at stumps.

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan fought back against Zimbabwe on the opening day of the second Test in Sharjah, with debutant left-arm spinner Naseer Khan Maroofkhil claiming four wickets to halt Zimbabwe’s strong start.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Zimbabwe made a solid start through Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran, who put together a 98-run opening partnership. Naseer broke the stand with his first delivery after lunch, trapping Curran lbw for 44.

Kaia then combined with Brendan Taylor for another strong partnership, adding 102 runs for the second wicket. Both batters reached half-centuries before Naseer turned the game around.

Kaia, batting on 96, was trapped lbw while attempting a slog sweep. In his next over, Naseer dismissed Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett for a duck before Ziaur Rahman took a tumbling catch to remove Wessly Madhevere, who was caught at long-off after attempting to loft a delivery that stayed low.

Zimbabwe lost further momentum as Taylor and Antum Naqvi adopted a cautious approach following the three quick wickets. The pair added just 21 runs in nine overs before Naqvi struck a six off Naseer.

Taylor moved into the 90s with a boundary off Naseer, but Ziaur Rahman ended Naqvi’s 44-ball stay on eight runs, having him caught at first slip.

Taylor remained unbeaten on 96 at stumps, while Tafadzwa Tsiga was not out as Zimbabwe closed the day at 250 for five, leaving the second Test finely poised.

Sport

Argentina clinch futsal gold after defeating Portugal in Dakar 2026 final

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Ariana News

Argentina claimed their first-ever men’s futsal gold medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Portugal in the final.

The closely contested match at Dakar Arena saw both teams enter the final with perfect records, having won all three of their group-stage matches. However, Argentina emerged victorious, with captain Lorenzo Sampedro scoring the decisive goal six minutes before the end of regular time.

Argentina’s triumph adds another chapter to the country’s Olympic football success, following the gold medals won by its men’s football team at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Argentina head coach Mariano Alberto Gomez praised his players for their performance, saying they had represented their country with pride after a lengthy preparation and participation in several tournaments.

Portugal’s Joao Carvalho expressed disappointment at missing out on gold but praised his team’s journey, saying the final was decided by small mistakes.

Earlier, Morocco secured the bronze medal after defeating Afghanistan 2-1 in the third-place playoff.

Afghanistan came close to forcing a late comeback, scoring with just 13 seconds remaining, but Morocco held on to secure third place.

Morocco coach Zakaria Kairi said winning an Olympic medal was a significant achievement for his young players, despite the team falling short of its original target of reaching the final and winning gold.

The results confirmed Argentina as futsal champions, Portugal as runners-up and Morocco in third place at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.