NPR World Cup Coverage

The World Cup isn't the only global soccer event of note. Check out the Grannies International Football Tournament.

Two people have been detained in connection with the theft of equipment from the England national team's vehicles during their move from a pre-training base in Florida to Kansas City, where they have their permanent World Cup base camp.

On Friday, FIFA blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses. Levi's Stadium staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.

The World Cup is drawing attention to soccer's growing popularity in Canada. Soccer has surpassed hockey and all other sports in youth participation, according to a recent report by Jumpstart, a Canadian charity. Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Thursday he has "felt a real momentum behind this team and behind this moment."

Moira Brown, perhaps the oldest of Scotland's Tartan Army of soccer fans, will be in Boston when Scotland's team plays against Haiti on June 13. "I'm the luckiest person in this world," she says.

FIFA has introduced several changes to the laws of soccer for the World Cup. These include efforts to eliminate time-wasting and to ensure potentially game-changing officiating mistakes are corrected.

The U.S. is opening its 2026 World Cup on Friday evening against Paraguay. For the 26 Americans on the team, this match is the culmination of years of hard work and training.

Striker Folarin Balogun knocked in two goals, the second a one-on-two stunner to the upper corner of the net to end the first half. For the Americans, it was an impressive start to a home World Cup.

With a record 48 teams and 1,248 players, there's an endless number of stats about the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here are a few to get you started.

The 2026 World Cup is being played in New Jersey, but in Queens, New York, home to immigrants from all over the world, soccer is not just a sport. It's a way of life.