Sports

FIFA To Announce 2026 World Cup Host Cities June

Published

3 years ago

May 20, 2022

FIFA plans to announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup in North America on June 16 in New York, football’s global governing body said Friday.

The contenders for what are expected to be at least 16 venues include 17 stadiums in 16 US cities, with the Los Angeles area submitting both SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena – site of the 1994 World Cup final.

FIFA are expected to select three venues each in Mexico and Canada for the first World Cup with three co-hosting nations, with the remainder to be in the United States, where 60 games are planned including all from the quarter-finals.

FIFA awarded the tournament — which will be the first 48-team World Cup — in June of 2018.

The venue selection process has since been slowed by the pandemic.

Venues under consideration in Mexico include the iconic Estadio Azteca as well as stadiums in Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Canada’s bidders include Toronto’s BMO Field as well as venues in Edmonton and Vancouver.

In addition to the Los Angeles-area venues, US hosting hopefuls include Dallas, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, New York/New Jersey, Foxborough in Massachusetts, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

FIFA said the decision on venues, which in the US include an array of state-of-the-art NFL stadiums as well as iconic venues like the Rose Bowl, will take into account broader factors including general infrastructure and financial impact as well as sustainability.

The final decisions will aim to “lay the foundations for the tournament to be delivered successfully across all three countries,” said FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, who is also president of regional governing body CONCACAF.

AFP/PUNCH

Sports

NPFL: Bendel Insurance Announce Departure Of 25 Players

Published

24 hours ago

August 5, 2025

Editor

Bendel Insurance have announced the departure of 25 players ahead of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, season.

Captain Meyiwa Oritseweyinmi, Austin Ogunye, and Bernard Ovoke are among the top stars who have left the Benin Arsenal.

Other key players, who left the club are Moses Abioye, Uche Collins, Michael Enaruna, and Uche Collins.

The Benin City club are expected to make new signings to replace the departed players before the commencement of the new campaign.

Insurance finished in a respectable fifth position last season with 56 points from 38 games.

They will face El-kanemi Warriors in their opening fixture of the new season.

Sports

PHOTO: Okocha Hosts Ex-coach Clemens Westerhof In Lagos

Published

4 days ago

August 2, 2025

Editor

Nigerian football icon Jay-Jay Okocha recently hosted his former Super Eagles coach, Clemens Westerhof, at his Lagos home.

Westerhof, who posted photos from the visit on Instagram on Friday, called it an “unforgettable night of my life” and thanked Okocha for his warm hospitality.

Westerhof, a Dutch national, managed the Nigerian national team from 1989 to 1994.

Under his leadership, the Super Eagles won their second Africa Cup of Nations title in 1994 and made their FIFA World Cup debut the same year, impressively topping a group that included Argentina, Bulgaria, and Greece.

Okocha made his national team debut during Westerhof’s tenure and later became one of Nigeria’s most iconic footballers.

Sports

Transfer: Atalanta Hold Lookman Back From Inter Milan Move

Published

5 days ago

August 1, 2025

Editor

Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has again told his Italian side, Atalanta, about his desire to leave this summer.

The camp of the Super Eagles’ forward conveyed the player’s decision to the club on Tuesday after Inter presented a written proposal of €42m plus €3m add-ons.

Atalanta are insisting on €50m valuation for the Nigerian international and there is no green light to the move as of now, according to football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.

Meanwhile, as earlier reported, Lookman’s international teammate, Victor Osimhen will land in Istanbul on Wednesday with medical scheduled for Thursday at Galatasaray.

Meanwhile, Álvaro Morata has been waiting for Osimhen’s arrival so as to leave the club and did not train with the team on Tuesday. The Spaniard wants to join Italian side, Como.

Ronano reports that Morata has no intention to stay at Galatasaray and is only keen on the Como move.