Iraq’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has completed the lineup of 48 nations for the tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Lions of Mesopotamia edged Bolivia 2-1 on Tuesday to win the second final of the FIFA Playoff tournament in Mexico. In the first final earlier, Democratic Republic of the Congo beat Jamaica 1-0.
In the other games, Turkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden and Czechia were the final four teams to complete the European quota of World Cup qualification.
Widely considered the most famous sporting event in the world, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be its biggest ever. Forty-eight nations will play instead of the usual 32, with 104 matches in 16 venues across the three host nations.
Argentina will look to defend the trophy lifted by iconic captain, Lionel Messi at Qatar 2022. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will make their debut.
The World Cup’s first game will be a throwback to 2010 when Mexico take on South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City in a replay of the tournament opener then. Football fans will hope the opening goal this year matches the screamer scored by Lawrence Tshabalala from the South African hosts then. (AlJazeera)
A deadly attack by armed bandits disrupted a wedding celebration in Kahir village, located in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, leaving at least 13 people dead and several others abducted, while scores of others were injured.
Police authorities in the state have confirmed the incident, saying that they are still gathering full details, including the number of abducted victims.
According to a community leader, Musa Adamu, the incident occurred around 11:47 p.m. on Sunday.
He said the attackers, who arrived in large numbers and were armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the venue and began shooting indiscriminately at guests inside the hall.
Several attendees sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the General Hospital in Kagarko, while those with more critical wounds were referred to facilities in Kaduna.
Residents said the gunmen operated for nearly an hour without resistance. During that time, they reportedly looted nearby shops, making away with food items, provisions, and drugs from a local chemist.
A manhunt for the attackers has also commenced with a view to arresting them and bringing them to justice, according to Police authorities.
Kaduna is one of the states in the North-West that has been under the siege of gunmen known as bandits.
Other states include Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina.
Apart from bandits, another terror group – Lakurawa – has been blamed for many of the attacks on communities in parts of Kebbi and Sokoto states.
Its members stage raids from their forest base, rustling livestock and imposing “taxes” on locals.
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the United States military, carried out an air strike in Sokoto last Christmas that had targeted members of the group and “bandit” gangs.
Nigeria is also grappling with other armed groups that have compounded its security challenges in the north of the country.
Military crackdowns have yielded few results.
The conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to fight these groups.
But the coalition has lost steam in recent years after the withdrawal of Niger due to a diplomatic spat with Nigeria following a 2023 military coup in Niger.
Earlier this month, the United States began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to the country’s soldiers in fighting the jihadist groups.
The US Africa Command said 200 troops were expected to join the deployment overall. (Channels)
Tiger Woods was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence after his Land Rover traveling at “high speed” on a residential road clipped a truck and rolled onto its side.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods was able to crawl out of passenger side and was not injured.
“He did exemplify signs of an impairment,” Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken “some type of medication or drug.” He said Woods agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test and was arrested.
Under Florida law, he would have to spend eight hours in jail before he could post bail.
Budensiek said the sheriff’s office will follow the law regardless of who has been accused of a crime. He said Woods was being held in jail but separate from others.
“He’s not going to be with other inmates that could hurt him or try to capitalize on what he did,” he said. “He’ll pay the price, but he’s not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail.”
It was the second time Woods has been arrested for a DUI not as a result of the influence of alcohol. He said he took a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him in 2017 asleep behind the wheel of his car, the engine still running and its driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty then to reckless driving.
President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law is dating Tiger Woods, was asked about the golfer when he landed in Miami on Friday afternoon for an investment summit.
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.”
The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. not far from where Woods lives on Jupiter Island.
Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30 mph (48 kph) speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.
The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck but clipped the back end of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side.
The sheriff said Woods was “cooperative, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.” He said Woods has the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities “will never get definitive results with what he was impaired on.”
Woods’ manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
This was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods said later doctors considered amputation. He also previously sustained multiple injuries to his left knee and his back during his golf career.
Woods returned from multiple back surgeries to win the 2019 Masters for his 15th major. His 82 titles on the PGA Tour is tied for the career record with Sam Snead. Since that LA crash, he has played 11 tournaments without being closer than 16 shots to the winner the four times he was able to finish 72 holes.
Friday’s arrest comes as Woods was trying to decide if he was fit enough to play the Masters, which starts April 9. He also was to be in Augusta, Georgia, on April 5 to unveil a golf course project with Masters chairman Fred Ridley.
Woods also was days away from what was described as a “soft deadline” to decide whether to be the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland.
Woods, 50, had been working his way back to golf from a seventh back surgery in September.
His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and that kept him off the course all season even before the back surgery. He managed to play in his indoor TGL golf league on Tuesday night.
He has remained deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chair of the Future Competition Committee that is restructuring the model of the tour. (JapanToday)
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has announced its official look, and it’s a blast of bold colors.
The graphic patterns and color palettes will be used to identify everything from credentials to staff uniforms to signage to competition venues and the athletes village.
The concept announced Monday is based on a California superbloom, a phenomenon that occurs every 10-15 years in the spring and results in a vibrant explosion of wildflowers across hills, valleys and deserts.
The LA28 design team studied past Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the 1984 Los Angeles Games, to inspire the look.
The orange Bird of Paradise, the city’s official flower, inspired the primary colors used in the concept as well as the 13 blooms that make up the full Superbloom. Graphics were built on a precise grid, with visual density reduced closest to fields of play to keep athlete focus unimpeded.
“We wanted the look to feel like Los Angeles itself,” Geoff Engelhardt, LA28 head of brand design, said in a statement. “LA is a city of incredible creativity, sitting at the intersection of sport and entertainment, and the Games will bring the world together here in 2028.”
On Monday night at Intuit Dome, where basketball will be played in 2028, fans attending the Los Angeles Clippers game will be greeted by a digital display of the LA28 look on the outdoor plaza’s giant screen. Inside, a video will play unveiling the look. (JapanToday)
Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 Tuesday night on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth.
Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin America crowd. Meanwhile, left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits through the seventh.
Bobby Witt Jr. walked with two outs in the eighth and Bryce Harper drove the second straight changeup from Andrés Machado over the center-field fence for a two-run homer that tied it. Harper slowly trotted around the bases and took time at third to salute coach Dino Ebel.
Luis Arraez walked against Garrett Whitlock starting the ninth. Pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second just ahead of catcher Will Smith’s throw and came home when Suárez doubled to the left-center gap. Suárez spread his arms wide and pointed to the sky at second base while teammates streamed from the dugout to greet Sanoja at the plate.
Daniel Palencia struck out two in a perfect bottom half to finish a three-hitter and get his third save of the WBC, striking out Roman Anthony to end the game. Venezuelans ran onto the infield to celebrate as the Americans stared while leaning on their dugout railing.
Despite a heralded roster of stars led by Aaron Judge, Harper and Paul Skenes, the U.S. lost its second straight final of baseball’s premier international event and remained without a title since 2017. Judge was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the championship game.
Ahead of a matchup with political overtones, players and coaches avoided discussing the government turmoil between the nations, heightened when the U.S. military captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in January. The sellout crowd at loanDepot park was heavily pro-Venezuela, with some booing American players during the introductions.
Venezuela became the second Latin American nation to win the WBC, after the Dominican Republic in 2013. The U.S. took the title in 2017 and lost the 2023 final to three-time champion Japan on this same field.
While the U.S., Japan and the Dominican Republic got much of the attention ahead of the sixth edition of the 20-nation event, Venezuela’s success was not that surprising. Sixty-three players born in Venezuela appeared on Major League Baseball opening-day rosters last year, second-most from outside the U.S. behind the Dominican Republic’s 100.
Venezuela went ahead in the third inning against McLean, getting the start because Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers decided the two-time Cy Young Award winner would make only a first-round appearance.
Salvador Perez sliced a first-pitch single and Ronald Acuña Jr. walked with one out. The runners advanced when McLean bounced a curveball, and Garcia followed with a sac fly to center.
Abreu doubled the lead when he drove a fastball 414 feet to center. His helmet fell off when he rounded second and he hopped in excitement as he neared the plate, where he was greeted by a line of teammates.
Rodriguez allowed one hit in 4 1/3 innings before Venezuela turned to its bullpen.
U.S. players had arrived at loanDepot park in game-worn U.S. Olympic hockey jerseys coordinated by outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jack Hughes, who scored the gold medal-winning goal against Canada last month.
In a darkened ballpark filled by fans wearing wristbands with festive blinking lights, Judge and Arraez led the teams down the foul lines for the introductions while carrying their nation’s flags. (JapanToday)
After a four-year break, K-pop supergroup BTS returned Saturday with a massive, free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police locked down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle that drew tens of thousands of fans.
“Annyeonghaseyo! We’re back,” RM, the band’s leader, told the crowd, using the Korean word for “hello,” as they opened with “Body to Body,” setting off delirious screams from fans waving purple-and-red light sticks and thrusting smartphones into the air.
All seven members of the band — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts.
The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a global tour spanning dozens of shows across the United States, Europe and Asia, which analysts say could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue per quarter.
The hourlong concert came after the group on Friday released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” which sold nearly 4 million copies in its first day, said the band’s management company, HYBE. The company also said RM had injured his ankle during a rehearsal, but he still performed with modified choreography.
The BTS concert, which began at 8 p.m., drew several tens of thousands to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others who watched on screens nearby. The show was streamed live on Netflix.
“It will be amazing because it’s been so long that BTS (was) not with us,” Dallila Di Tullio, a 32-year-old fan from Italy, said before the concert, calling it a once-in-a-century event.
BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army.” It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”
Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of BTS’ return as a full-group would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix’s animated sensation “KPop Demon Hunters.”
The dark streets blazed with light as waves of fans sang and cheered from cordoned sections, a jubilant scene that unfolded under an unusually heavy police presence managing the crowds.
“I still vividly remember how, at our last Busan concert a few years ago, we asked you to wait for us. Thank you so much for coming here like this,” Jin said.
The group performed songs from their new album, including “SWIM,” alongside hits like “Dynamite” and “Butter.” Some members appeared to tear up while thanking fans who braved the chilly night, before holding hands and bowing to the crowd to close the show.
Police and city officials closed nearby streets and roads, halted the area’s subway and bus services, and sealed off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounted to a full-day shutdown of the district.
Thousands of police officers maintained a tight perimeter around the performance venue, channeling the crowds with a maze of fences and buses. Concertgoers began queuing by midday to secure spots along nearby roads, passing through security checks and metal detectors at designated entry points. The restrictions forced nearby shops to close and police to use their buses to shuttle wedding guests to a nearby venue.
“I was hoping to (see) if we can go through some holes or be around. Apparently we cannot because they will be asking people to move,” said Bernice Sanchez, a 52-year-old fan from Switzerland, as she looked for a place to wait.
While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls went too far and undermined the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul’s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.
Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert came about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those monthslong rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.
The new BTS album, “ARIRANG,” takes its name from a centuries-old folk song, regarded as an unofficial anthem in both Koreas, whose themes of separation, longing and quiet resilience have echoed across generations.
Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace provided a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday’s show, which was highlighted by lighting effects that bathed the palace gate and walls in purple, red and blue.
Suga told the crowd that the album’s title and the decision to perform in Gwanghwamun reflected the group’s focus on identity. RM said the band focused on making music that felt true to themselves as they reconvened to work on the new album.
“We wanted to show who we are and how we can come together,” he told the crowd.
South Korean officials, including current President Lee Jae Myung, expressed hope that the event would promote the country’s culture and soft power.
The group’s comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most able-bodied men to serve 18 to 21 months under a conscription system aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea. BTS members began serving in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.
Some analysts say the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour could become the biggest K-pop tour ever by scale and revenue, with 82 shows planned globally in stadiums of around 50,000 seats. Ha Jae-keun, a cultural critic, said BTS was likely to have a “second heyday,” as they maintained a highly powerful fandom and would benefit from the broader international ascent of K-pop.
“We will do our best to give everything we got,” J-Hope said. (JapanToday)
Joseph Kent, former director of director of the US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), is reportedly under probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over allegations of classified information leaks.
The NCTC serves as the primary US government organisation for integrating and analysing terrorism-related intelligence from across federal agencies.
Kent resigned from his position on Tuesday over America’s involvement in the ongoing Iran conflict, saying he could not support the war against Tehran in good conscience.
“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he said in a statement.
A report by Semafor said sources within FBI revealed that Kent is facing probe over allegations that he improperly shared classified information.
One of the sources said the probe predates Kent’s departure having been in progress for months.
According to the New York Times, the probe came after a coordinated Trump administration effort to discredit Kent as untrustworthy and disloyal.
On February 28, Israel launched what they called pre-emptive missile strikes on Iran. Hours after the announcement, President Donald Trump said the strikes were in collaboration with the United States.
Iran has continue to exchange strikes and counterstrikes with the US-Israel fighters. (TheCable)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country is prepared to host Iran’s first-round matches at the 2026 World Cup if needed due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Iran’s participation at this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been in doubt since the war began last month, with President Donald Trump warning that Iranian players’ safety would be at risk if they travelled to the U.S.
Iran’s football federation has opened talks with FIFA about potentially relocating its matches from the United States, though the global governing body has so far maintained that the tournament’s schedule remains unchanged.
Asked directly if Mexico was open to hosting the matches, and if the decision will purely come down to FIFA logistics, Sheinbaum told a press conference: “Yes.”
“Mexico maintains diplomatic relations with every country in the world, therefore we will wait to see what FIFA decides,” she added.
Iran’s place at the tournament was thrown into question after the U.S. and Israel launched a massive offensive against the Islamic Republic, which responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israeli territory and American targets across the Middle East.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino initially said that Trump had given assurances that the Iranian team — scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, followed by Egypt in Seattle — would still be welcome.
But the Republican president then triggered uproar last week after stating that Iran’s football team should not travel to the tournament “for their own life and safety”.
Iran hit back at Trump’s comments saying that “no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup”.
Iran were the second Asian team after Japan to qualify for the World Cup, securing their place almost a year ago as they topped their qualifying group.
On Monday, Iranian soccer chief Mehdi Taj wrote on social media: “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America.
“We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
Iranian soccer authorities “are currently discussing with FIFA whether it is feasible — since they were originally scheduled to go to the United States — to see if they can” move Iran’s games to Mexico, confirmed Sheinbaum. “The matter is under review and we will provide an update in due course.”
When contacted by AFP on the matter, FIFA said it was “looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025”.
“FIFA is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including IR Iran, to discuss planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026,” a spokesperson said.
The Iran team’s base camp for the tournament is currently slated to be located in Tucson, Arizona.
Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, on Monday denounced “the U.S. government’s lack of cooperation regarding visa issuance and the provision of logistical support” for the Iranian delegation ahead of the World Cup, in a statement published on the embassy’s website.
Should Iran not take part in the World Cup, it is not yet clear which country might replace them. (JapanToday)
An overnight blast against an exterior wall of a Jewish school in Amsterdam did not cause any injuries, Mayor Femke Halsema said Saturday, denouncing “a cowardly act of aggression”.
An investigation has been opened and the incident comes after nighttime attacks this week in front of synagogues in the Belgian city of Liege and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.
Haslema condemned the attack in a statement, noting that Amsterdam’s Jewish community has been “increasingly often confronted with antisemitism and this is unacceptable.”
“A school must be a place where children can attend classes in complete safety. Amsterdam must be a place where Jews can live in safety,” she said.
The police and fire departments quickly arrived at the scene of the blast in Buitenveldert district in the south of Amsterdam, the statement said.
“The material damage is limited,” the mayor said.
The police have CCTV footage of a person placing the explosive device, Halsema said.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the incident “terrible” on X and said “Antisemitism has no place in the Netherlands.”
“I understand the anger and fear this provokes, and I will quickly meet with the Jewish community. It must always feel safe in our country,” he added.
Israel’s foreign ministry also weighed in on X, saying: “In the Netherlands, an antisemitism epidemic is raging.”
“Where will the next attack be? The Dutch government needs to do much more to fight antisemitism,” the ministry wrote.
Following a similar attack Friday on a synagogue in Rotterdam, Jetten had condemned any act of violence or intimidation against the Jewish community or any other religious minority.
Four men suspected of being involved in the Rotterdam attack have been arrested, Dutch authorities announced Friday.
The series of attacks on synagogues comes after the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran, a conflict that has since broadened across the Middle East.
On Monday, an explosion shook a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liege before dawn, causing some damage but no injuries.
It was strongly condemned by Belgian politicians and European Union officials.
On Thursday, a man rammed his car into a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, sparking a blaze.
The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, died Friday from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” an FBI official told reporters.
Media reports have indicated his relatives were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in recent days.
Amid increasing violence and threats against the Jewish community in the United States, there has been a boost in demand for security services specifically protecting Jews, with officers stationed at schools, campuses and other buildings. (Channels)
US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged other nations to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint for global oil supplies disrupted by the Mideast war.
Trump, who has said the United States will soon start escorting tankers through the strait, posted on Truth Social that “Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.”
The US president added: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area.”
Iranian strikes have all but halted maritime traffic in the strait, through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass. It is just 54 kilometers (34 miles) wide at its narrowest point.
With oil prices spiking, Trump was asked Friday when the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. “It’ll happen soon, very soon,” he said.
In his post on Saturday, Trump asserted that Iran’s military capability had been eliminated but he conceded that it was still able to attack the strait.
“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are,” he wrote.
As he urged nations to send ships to the strait, he added that “the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!” (Channels)
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