World Cup 2026: Will Morocco’s star rise, or will Beckham call the shots?

Serial bidders: Morocco’s last-minute bid for the 2026 World Cup will be their fifth, but questions are already being asked about the nation’s campaign. (Twitter)
Updated 13 June 2018
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World Cup 2026: Will Morocco’s star rise, or will Beckham call the shots?

  • Morocco concede that their bid lacks the ticketing and hospitality muscle of a North American World Cup
  • Morocco’s bid for 2026 was only cleared to advance to the runoff vote earlier this month

LONDON: You know the bidding war for the right to host the 2026 World Cup is getting serious when David Beckham is wheeled out to turn on the charm.

There is no more recognizable face in world football than the former England captain.

Now, in an entirely predictable move given that he owns a US Major Soccer League franchise, Beckham has thrown his weight behind the North American bid. 

Having Beckham lobbying is no guarantee of success, mind. Look what happened to England in the bungled bid for 2018: They received just two out of 22 votes. But that bidding process, for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, was later exposed as being riddled with greed, kickbacks, corruption and cover-ups.

FIFA are vowing this one will be different — and it needs to be. 

The awarding of the 2026 World Cup is the first on the watch of new president Gianni Infantino, and the process needs to be squeaky-clean, whiter than white, as it could well end up defining his reign. If the Swiss-Italian wants a second term as president — he will stand for re-election next June — this decision has to be transparent.

The process will certainly be different. For the first time FIFA will decide the hosts based on a majority decision of its 211-member federation’s leaders. In the past, the 24 people on the executive committee were the only ones who voted. 

Infantino does not get a vote, but his influence is wide-ranging. Moroccan bid leaders have publicly suspected him of favoring the joint US-Canada-Mexico bid. They let their disappointment be known when, in December, football’s most powerful man appeared to give his backing to the American-led bid.

“Joint biddings are certainly positive,” Infantino said at a conference in Dubai. “And let me say one more thing, to have Canada, the US and Mexico coming together for a joint project, already this is a positive message.”

There is also the worry for the North Africans that Infantino and US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati go back a long way: Their hometowns in Switzerland are just six miles apart. Gulati was also hugely instrumental in electing Infantino as FIFA president. Infantino owes the Americans, and lobbying to get them the World Cup could be a nice way of saying thank you. There is a feeling that the US are owed one after missing out on 2022.

Morocco will be entitled to wonder if their time will ever come if they fail in a fifth attempt to host the finals. They are turning into serial bidders — always the bridesmaid, but never the bride. They lost bids to host the World Cup in 1994, 1998, 2006, and 2010 to the US, France, Germany, and South Africa, respectively.

The one to South Africa, in 2010, hurt the most and cut the deepest. They thought they were nailed-on hosts until the disgraced Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president, reportedly received a $1 million bribe to endorse the South Africa bid and swing the vote. South African officials deny this. It has also been claimed that Morocco polled two more votes than South Africa, but FIFA engineered the results of the secret ballot, according to Ismail Bhamjee, a FIFA executive committee member. He was secretly taped claiming the process was corrupt. It was all a bit of a mess. Morocco were so burnt by the whole process that it has taken them almost a decade to put together another bid. But back they came for more.

Strangely, though, for a nation so used to the bidding process, Morocco had no website, no logo and no slogan for their latest proposal at the turn of the year. FIFA will want to see extensive evidence of planning given that this will be the first 48-team World Cup. The Moroccans have left their campaigning to the last minute, and high-profile ambassadors David Trezeguet, Lothar Matthaus, Roberto Carlos, Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, and El Hadji Diouf will have their work cut out to spread the word and lobby support for what would be the biggest sporting event ever held on the African continent.

Andres Iniesta has also been roped in to drum up support for their candidacy. The delayed nature of Morocco’s bid makes one wonder if they are instead setting their sights on the 2030 tournament. It is, after all, hard to see FIFA awarding the Arab world back-to-back World Cups.




“Football competitions as big as the World Cup deserve to be in great places” — David Beckham, former England captain

The three-pronged North American bid, on the other hand, was launched in April 2017 and they have had greater time to harness support. They have used it wisely. They are making a big play on the fact they have ready-made stadiums, world-class infrastructure and high-class accommodation. They are also trying to appeal to the bean counters at FIFA by claiming their bid will set revenue records, generating
$14.3 billion (boosted by an average ticket price of $431), almost double Morocco’s offering of $7.2 billion. 

“Money is one element (but) not the only element,” said Infantino earlier this month. Yet many of the 207 voting federations rely on the $1.5 million annual grant promised by FIFA over the next four years.

Morocco concede that their bid lacks the ticketing and hospitality muscle of a North American World Cup, but they are making a big play on the fact that a World Cup on their soil would be on the same time zone as western Europe and Africa, making it a more appealing option for big-paying broadcasters. While Mexico and Canada will host 10 games each in a widely spread North American offering, the Moroccans are trumpeting the fact that the host cities are located less than an hour’s drive from an airport, while the most remote host cities are separated by just 75 minutes, creating ideal travel logistics for both players and fans. 

Morocco believe they have already mobilized plenty of key votes. The 14 members of the FIFA confederation in Oceania have pledged their backing, while the North Africans are counting on significant support from African and Asian nations. Kenya, South Africa, France, Spain, Belgium and Russia have all declared their backing for the bid.

The worry for Morocco will be the findings of FIFA’s recent evaluation report. Not a single brick has been laid in nine of their proposed 14 stadiums, while the others require significant makeovers. The North American bid, on the other hand, has 17 stadiums already in operation. The Moroccans would also need to get to work on their training centers, with more than half yet to be built.

Morocco should be able to get its stadiums and infrastructure up to scratch in time, but by having everything in place now, the North American bid has a significant head-start. However, these evaluation reports can largely be taken with a pinch of salt — after all, Qatar won the 2022 World Cup after scoring poorly for that tournament. 

Bizarrely, Morocco might have an unlikely trump card in Donald, the US president, who some have claimed is damaging his own country’s bid and boosting the Moroccans’. His attempts to implement a travel ban on residents of six Muslim-majority countries will take some explaining by bid chiefs to FIFA. They will have cringed when Trump tweeted that it would be “a shame if countries we always support” opposed the US bid. “Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?” he wrote. Ouch. 

Morocco and the US went head-to-head for the right to host the World Cup in 1994. The US won, but the voting was closer than many expected, with Morocco picking up three fewer votes than the US. Observers reckon it could be even closer this time.


FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised decision-making on the 2026 World Cup host nation will be transparent — and Morocco’s bid leaders will hold him to his word.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised decision-making on the 2026 World Cup host nation will be transparent — and Morocco’s bid leaders will hold him to his word.


Riyadh to host leaders at New Global Sport Conference 2025

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. supplied
Updated 23 June 2025
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Riyadh to host leaders at New Global Sport Conference 2025

  • Event takes place in August at Four Seasons Hotel

RIYADH: Riyadh is to welcome global leaders from sport, electronic sports, and entertainment at the New Global Sport Conference 2025 on Aug. 23-24 at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation, the event coincides with the closing weekend of the Esports World Cup, the world’s largest event of its type.

Called “The Next Game — Building the Future of Gaming, Esports, and Sports,” the conference will bring together more than 1,500 industry leaders for keynotes, strategy sessions, and high-level networking.

Confirmed speakers include Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, president of the Saudi Esports Federation; Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28; Toshimoto Mitomo, Sony’s chief strategy officer; and World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. Senior executives from Activision, Sega, Bandai Namco, Disney, and CBS Sports will also participate.

Ralf Reichert, the CEO of EWCF, said the event was occurring at a time of transformation, and added: “As the boundaries between sports, e-sports, entertainment, and technology dissolve, this event becomes the premier global stage for leaders to explore new horizons and create groundbreaking collaborations."

Tickets are now available at www.newglobalsportconference.com. Additional speakers and the full programme will be announced soon.


New Al-Hilal kit unveiled in New York gives a nod to club’s heritage

Updated 23 June 2025
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New Al-Hilal kit unveiled in New York gives a nod to club’s heritage

  • The event featured a KidSuper x Puma Football tournament as Saudi giants continue their FIFA Club World Cup campaign

RIYADH: The new 2025-26 season Al-Hilal kit has been revealed by PUMA and American artist, fashion designer and musician KidSuper as the Saudi club continues its FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the US.

The strip pays tributed to the club’s “heritage, artistry and global ambition,” and takes its cue from its name — Al-Hilal means “crescent moon” in Arabic. The symbol is highlighted in toning blues with a glowing lunar graphic, while the goalkeeper’s jersey has an alpine snow base with blue and navy blue details.

To bring a regional flavor to the global collaboration, PUMA Middle East invited Zeynab El-helw — a Dubai-based fashion entrepreneur known for her bold, and distinct style — along with Shouq, a rising Saudi voice recognized for her expressive and forward-thinking fashion content, and Noura Joubran,  a content creator celebrated for her fusion of elegance and contemporary style, to New York City for the proceedings.

The three brought the PUMA x KidSuper Al-Hilal collection to life with a content shoot celebrating the fusion of fashion and football, while also highlighting the club’s growing global footprint and milestone presence at the FIFA Club World Cup.

The trio joined PUMA’s global team for an exclusive launch event, attended by creators, media and football fans, and which featured a KidSuper x PUMA football tournament. They also attended one of Al-Hilal’s Club World Cup matches.

Colm Dillane, aka KidSuper, said: “I’ve always wanted to merge the worlds of art and football, and with PUMA, we’re doing just that. This collection is about more than just the game. It’s about expressing yourself, taking risks, and standing out. Whether on the pitch or off, football is an art form, and this collection shows that.”

The collection also features limited-edition kits and lifestyle pieces for six other PUMA-sponsored clubs — Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, FC Salzburg, Mamelodi Sundowns, Palmeiras and Monterrey.


5 things we learned from Al-Hilal’s draw with Red Bull Salzburg at FIFA Club World Cup

Updated 23 June 2025
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5 things we learned from Al-Hilal’s draw with Red Bull Salzburg at FIFA Club World Cup

  • Frustration for Inzaghi, goalscoring issues and another goalkeeping masterclass from Yassine Bounou

DC: Al-Hilal dominated Red Bull Salzburg on Sunday night in the second group match of the FIFA Club World Cup. The match was played at Audi Field, a mere three kilometres south of the White House in Washington, D.C.

Yet while they ultimately failed to capitalise on possession, they could even have lost were it not for another superb performance from stand-out Yassine Bounou in goal.

The 0-0 draw means no team from Group H has yet confirmed their place in the Round of 16, but with Hilal facing bottom-placed CF Pachuca on Thursday and Salzburg facing Real Madrid, the Riyadh club will be quietly confident of progressing, as long as they can find the net.

Another draw and frustration for Inzaghi, but all is not lost

New coach Simone Inzaghi knew his Al-Hilal team could not afford to lose if they were to stand any chance of progressing to the knock-out stages of this revamped 32-team tournament. The Italian went as far as to publicly say that anything less than victory would void all that was achieved against Real Madrid on Wednesday. A stalemate then against Salzburg — with strong emphasis on the word “stale” — did little to clarify who might progress to the Round of 16. Inzaghi, however, must surely be privately if not publicly the happier of the two coaches. 

It was the fifth scoreless draw of the tournament so far, but it means Inzaghi’s side are alive going into the final Group H match with Mexico’s CF Pachuca. Now in third place with two points, the 2021 AFC Asian Champions League winners will progress should they win in Nashville by two clear goals. Madrid and Salzburg, tied on four points, will face off in Philadelphia with the Spanish giants’ plus-two goal difference giving them an edge should they draw.

Issues in attack continue

Inzaghi will be keen to sharpen his attack before Thursday. Hilal failed to fire against an Austrian side that conceded 27 goals in just eight games during this season’s revamped UEFA Champions League group stage. Yes, Aleksandar Mitrovic is missing, but Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo has scored 25 in 40 for the Riyadh club since joining last September. Getting the former Santos and Benfica forward firing will be key. Leonardo had Hilal’s best chance against Salzburg, but his shot was blocked by Jacob Rasmussen. 

This is the second successive match where Hilal have dominated possession, but struggled in front of goal. Brazilian Malcom and captain Salem Al-Dawsari combined to score 39 goals and claim 35 assists in all competitions last season, but it is now close to 200 minutes in the United States without the team bulging the net from open play. Against Salzburg in the heat, that drought rarely looked like ending. For all the possession and 18 shots at goal, they managed only four on target, only one from inside the penalty area, and none truly troubled Christian Zawieschitzky.

“It is natural for us to be unhappy about not scoring goals,” Inzaghi said. “This is a crucial match, and we put in a lot of effort, and we are working on improving and developing our performance as a team. We have only worked together for a week. I had a week in Saudi Arabia, and we have been in America for 10 days now. I am happy and convinced with all the decisions I have made.”

‘Bono’ stars again

While Inzaghi will be quietly content that his new charges can still progress, he must be thankful once again to goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, because despite Hilal’s dominance, only the Moroccan stopper prevented a tournament-ending defeat. Man of the match against Madrid, he replicated the feat in Washington with impressive saves from captain Mads Bidstrup and Karim Onisiwo, before saving his best for early in the second half. 

When Ghanaian striker Edmund Baidoo’s shot fell at the feet of substitute John Mellberg, the son of former Juventus midfielder Olof must have thought he would open the scoring with practically his first touch. His first-time drive from just a few yards out though was somehow repelled at point-blank range by Bounou before the loose follow-up was cleared off the line by Kalidou Koulibaly. It seemed like desperate defending, but it retained a clean sheet and ultimately secured a point.

Neves pulls strings and plays defence

Ruben Neves, who scored from the spot against Madrid, again showed his importance to the Riyadh club. The Portuguese midfielder expertly connected defence with attack, spraying passes wide to the likes of Al-Dawsari, Renan Lodi, Malcom, and Joao Cancelo. With nobody able to capitalise on the Portuguese playmaker’s distribution — including a first-half corner from which Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should have tested Zawieschitzky — Neves’s most important play arguably came early in the second half.

Samson Baidoo broke through and was ready to open the scoring before Neves showed he is more than just a clever passer, demonstrating surprising pace and a perfectly timed challenge to block the shot. When Hassan Al-Tambakti was forced off through injury, it was Neves who was dropped into the centre of defence alongside Koulibaly.

Inzaghi said post-match that while he believes Al-Tambakti just needs rest, he is happy with his defensive options in Ali Lajami and Khalifa Al-Dawsari for the next match should he not recover in time.

Heat a real hindrance

With the match described by some pundits as the most boring of the tournament so far, the temperatures certainly did not help. Kicking off at 6pm with the temperature at 32°C — and feeling much hotter — the intensity levels dropped the longer the game went on. In the hydration breaks players covered their heads and necks with cold towels, while others sought short refuge in the shade. 

The Salzburg side that looked so energetic and dangerous against Pachuca failed to turn up. With 25 minutes remaining, the Austrians’ coach, Thomas Letsch, removed Karim Onisiwo and Oscar Gloukh — his two goalscorers in the 2-1 win over Pachuca. If the move was supposed to reinvigorate the Salzburg attack, it fell flat. Hilal meanwhile looked leggy, which could be why the only efforts of note came from distance — Milinkovic-Savic and Joao Cancelo forcing comfortable saves from Zawieschitzky.

“One point is still OK,” Milinkovic-Savic told DAZN at full-time. “We did a lot of things nice. It was just missing the goal. We created, kept the ball, and defended well, so I’m happy. Let’s go to the last game — we need to win.”

Hilal’s final match is in Nashville with an 8pm local time kick-off, which will hopefully bring a little respite from the soaring temperatures. 


Gündogan has two goals, Haaland scores as Man City routs Al Ain 6-0 at the Club World Cup

Updated 23 June 2025
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Gündogan has two goals, Haaland scores as Man City routs Al Ain 6-0 at the Club World Cup

  • Man City produced a dominating performance that sent both the English club and Italian squad Juventus to the Round of 16

ATLANTA: lkay Gündogan had a pair of goals, Erling Haaland scored on a penalty and Manchester City locked up its spot in the knockout round of the Club World Cup with a 6-0 rout of Al Ain on Sunday night.
Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki also scored for City, which is trying to put an encouraging capper on a disappointing season.
The English powerhouse finished third in the Premier League after four straight championships and went down to Real Madrid in the knockout playoff of the UEFA Champions League.
With an entirely new lineup after a 2-0 win over Morocco’s Wydad in the group opener, Man City produced a dominating performance in Atlanta against an overmatched club from the United Arab Emirates.
The time of possession was a staggering 74 percent in favor of the English side, which outshot Al Ain 21-5.
Haaland buried the penalty for his 32nd goal of the season across all competitions after a video review found that Rami Rabia took down City’s Manuel Akanji in the area on a corner kick. Cherki, one of City’s high-profile signings, scored his first goal for his new club in the waning minutes.
The expected result sent Man City and Italian club Juventus (both 2-0-0) to the Round of 16 from Group G. Al Ain has been blown out twice, losing 5-0 to Juventus in its opener.
Manchester City is the reigning club champion, winning the title in 2023 under the former seven-team format.
Key moment
After Gündogan flicked in an early goal over the head of keeper Khalid Eisa, Echeverri assured this would be an easy night for City in the 27th minute. With a free kick from just outside the area, he curled a shot over the wall that left Eisa frozen on one knee while the ball ripped the back of the net.
Takeaways
Man City will face Juventus on Thursday in Orlando to determine which team claims the top spot in the group. Then the real work begins.
They said it
“We played a little bit better than the first game, especially in the second half, but still there are a few things you have to improve.” — Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.
“We know where our level is, but you cannot be happy ... because against this team, you must be disciplined from the first until the last second of the game.” — Al Ain coach Vladimir Ivić.


Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 29 points and Thunder beat Pacers 103-91 for NBA title

Updated 23 June 2025
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 29 points and Thunder beat Pacers 103-91 for NBA title

  • The Pacers without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury about seven minutes into the game
  • It’s the 2nd championship for the franchise, which first won the NBA title in 1979 when it was still the Seattle SuperSonics

OKLAHOMA CITY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished off his MVP season with 29 points and 12 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA championship, pulling away in the second half to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-91 on Sunday night.
Jalen Williams scored 20 and Chet Holmgren had 18 for the Thunder, who were pushed to a Game 7 brink in the NBA Finals — but finished off a season for the ages. Oklahoma City won 84 games between the regular season and the playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third-most in any season.
Only Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and the Bulls (87 in 2015-16) won more.
It’s the second championship for the franchise. The Seattle SuperSonics won the NBA title in 1979; the team was moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. There’s nothing in the rafters in Oklahoma City to commemorate that title.
Next October, a championship banner is finally coming. A Thunder banner.
It was not easy to secure.
The Pacers led 48-47 at the half even after losing star guard Tyrese Haliburton to what his father said was an Achilles tendon injury about seven minutes into the game. But they were outscored 34-20 in the third quarter as the Thunder built a 13-point lead and began to run away.
Bennedict Mathurin had 24 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, which still is waiting for its first NBA title. The Pacers — who were 10-15 after 25 games and were bidding to be the first team in NBA history to turn that bad of a start into a championship — had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the series, but they simply didn’t have enough in the end.
Home teams are now 16-4 in NBA Finals Game 7s. And the Thunder became the seventh champion in the last seven seasons, a run of parity like none other in NBA history.
Pacers forward Pascal Siakam was part of the Toronto team that won in 2019, Thunder guard Alex Caruso was part of the Los Angeles Lakers team that won in the pandemic “bubble” in 2020, Milwaukee won in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Pacers forward Thomas Bryant and Denver prevailed in 2023, and Boston won last year’s title.
The Thunder are the ninth franchise to win a title in NBA Commissioner Adam Silver 12 seasons leading the league. His predecessor, David Stern, saw eight franchises win titles in his 30 seasons as commissioner.