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Congo Returns to World Cup in High Style After 52 Years Away

The soccer stars’ sharp black suits with leopard-print details are a nod to a long history of “sapeur” fashion.

© Troy Taormina/Reuters

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s men’s soccer team arriving in Houston last week to play in the World Cup.

War Loomed Over Past World Cups, Too

16 Giugno 2026 ore 15:21
Here’s a look back at times when international conflicts seeped into soccer’s biggest tournament.

© Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

Iranian fans during the World Cup match between Iran and New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Monday.

Why Team Iran Is in a Tough Spot at the World Cup

16 Giugno 2026 ore 07:21
At its first game in Los Angeles, the men’s national team drew spectators who weren’t coming for the soccer, but rather to protest the regime in Tehran.

© Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

Fans holding Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles on Monday.

Why Team Iran Is in a Tough Spot at the World Cup

16 Giugno 2026 ore 07:21
At its first game in Los Angeles, the men’s national team drew spectators who weren’t coming for the soccer, but rather to protest the regime in Tehran.

© Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

Fans holding Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles on Monday.

‘We’ve Arrived!’: Cape Verde Fans Exult in World Cup Draw With Spain

15 Giugno 2026 ore 21:53
Cape Verde, a tiny island nation off the West African coast, is among the smallest countries to ever qualify for the World Cup. Fans marveled that it held the line against a tournament favorite.

© Brett Davis/Imagn, via Reuters

For supporters of the Cape Verde national team, just making it to the World Cup and playing Spain, one of the world’s top-ranked teams, felt like history in the making.

Jaded and Exhausted, Many Iranians Shrug at World Cup

The successes of Iran’s national soccer team used to be a source of celebration. Now, many Iranians can barely muster the energy to care.

© Daniel Cole/Reuters

Members of Iran’s national soccer team training in Carson, Calif., on Sunday. Many Iranians say their problems are too big these days for them to care much about how the team does.

Iran’s World Cup Team Arrives in U.S. After Months of Uncertainty

15 Giugno 2026 ore 12:59
The war had stirred doubts about the team’s participation in the tournament. It is set to play New Zealand in a Los Angeles area stadium on Monday.

© Andre Penner/Associated Press

Iran’s players arriving at a stadium near Los Angeles on Sunday.

Team Curaçao Arrives at the World Cup With Much of the Island in Tow.

14 Giugno 2026 ore 20:41
Qualifying for the world’s biggest sporting event meant everything for residents of the Caribbean island country.

© Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Curaçao qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history. The country’s fans, decked out in blue, came to watch their team take on Germany.

The Secrets of a Soccer-Turf Master

14 Giugno 2026 ore 20:51
John Sorochan, a turf scientist at the University of Tennessee, has led the yearslong, multimillion-dollar effort to develop perfect playing fields for the 2026 World Cup.

Curaçao Is the Smallest Country Ever to Reach the World Cup

Competing for the first time, Curaçao is brimming with joy. Most of the Caribbean nation’s team was born and raised in the Netherlands, but residents say the players represent them.

Soccer players and artists at a celebration this month in Curaçao, a Caribbean island and constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curaçao Is the Smallest Country Ever to Reach the World Cup

Competing for the first time, Curaçao is brimming with joy. Most of the Caribbean nation’s team was born and raised in the Netherlands, but residents say the players represent them.

Soccer players and artists at a celebration this month in Curaçao, a Caribbean island and constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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