Captain Tim Ream of the USA speaks to the media at a press conference during a training session ahead of the 2026 World Cup on June 08, 2026 in Irvine, California. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The top national soccer teams from countries around the world have traveled to North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Thursday, and are preparing for a packed schedule of matches in cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
As Argentina looks to defend their championship title and fans prepare to watch all the on-pitch action for the expanded 48-team tournament, here’s a rundown of what you need to know about the draw format, host cities, schedules and more.
How many teams are competing in World Cup?
There are 12 groups of four teams representing 48 nations — 16 more than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
When do World Cup matches start?
The group stage begins Thursday, June 11, when Mexico hosts South Africa for the World Cup opener at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
There will be an opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. local time, and the match kicks off at 3 p.m.
There are 104 games to be played throughout the tournament, spanning 39 days.
The U.S. Men’s National Team plays its first 2026 World Cup game against Paraguay on Friday, June 12, with a 6 p.m. scheduled kickoff time at SoFi Stadium in California.
What are the U.S. host cities for FIFA World Cup?
Atlanta; Boston; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Miami; “New York New Jersey” (East Rutherford, New Jersey); Philadelphia; Seattle; and the San Francisco Bay Area will all play host to the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup draw explained: Format, groups and schedule
At the World Cup draw in December, teams were separated into 12 groups, labeled A-L.
The U.S. was placed into Group D alongside Australia, Paraguay, and Turkey, which earned the final spot in the group after a win over Kosovo in the UEFA playoffs in March.
In the group stage of the tournament, all teams are guaranteed three matches — one against every team in its group — with the top two teams from each guaranteed to advance. The eight best third-place teams will also advance. Other teams are eliminated.
With the expanded tournament this year, 32 surviving teams will make it out of the group stage and into single-elimination series of winner-take-all matches, known as the knockout round, all the way to the final.
In this stage, matches that result in a tie after full time will have 30 minutes of added time split in two 15-minute halves and a penalty shootout decider.
The round of 16 will take place July 4-7.
The first quarterfinal match is at Boston Stadium on July 9 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, followed by a match at SoFi Stadium Inglewood, California, on July 10. July 11 will see quarterfinal matches at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Semifinals matches will be played July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and July 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
When is the World Cup final?
The World Cup final will take place July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium, referred to in this tournament as New York New Jersey Stadium.
Who are the defending World Cup champions and favorites to watch this year? Argentina, led by star forward Lionel Messi, is currently ranked No. 1, according to FIFA.
Spain, France, England and Portugal follow in sequence to round out the Top 5 spots ahead of the World Cup kickoff.
According to the latest expert power rankings released by ESPN on Tuesday, which were assembled by a 20-person voting panel, Spain — with its 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal — is the top team to watch this year.
Crews have suspended the search for a missing 5-year-old girl who was swept away in the ocean in Laguna Beach, California. (KABC)
(LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.) — Crews have suspended the search for a missing 5-year-old girl who was swept away in the ocean in Laguna Beach, California, the Coast Guard said on Thursday, as the mayor called the situation “heartbreaking.”
The girl went missing at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday near Treasure Island Beach, Laguna Beach officials said. She was with her mother and a sibling near the shoreline when the three of them were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions, the city officials said.
Bystanders ran into the ocean and were able to rescue the mother and one of her children, but the 5-year-old remained missing, officials said.
The search and recovery effort continued on Wednesday, with rescuers working “under challenging and hazardous ocean conditions, including large surf, powerful currents, and limited underwater visibility,” city officials said.
The search ended Wednesday evening after rescuers worked more than 30 hours and covered more than 90 square miles, the Coast Guard announced.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the child’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in a statement. “Suspending a search is an extremely difficult decision.”
“This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community,” Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the young victim’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss.”
“I am incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our Marine Safety, Fire, and Police personnel, as well as every agency that assisted in this effort,” the mayor added. “These men and women put themselves in harm’s way, entering the same dangerous ocean conditions in an attempt to bring this young girl home to her family.”
Convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony is seen in a mugshot released by Texas Department of Criminal Justice, June 10, 2026. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)
(FRISCO, Texas) — Karmelo Anthony, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday.
In a one-page document filed with the court in Collin County, Texas, Anthony said he could not afford an attorney for the appeal and asked the court to appoint one.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice also released a new photo of Anthony, 19, in which he’s seen sporting a shaven head and wearing a sleeveless tunic.
He was transferred to the Wallace Pack Unit, a prison near Navasota, just outside of Houston, according to Texas officials, where he will begin his 35-year imprisonment sentence, as he is now in state custody.
Anthony was found guilty of murder over the fatal stabbing of Metcalf, another teen, at a high school track meet last year.
The deadly stabbing occurred at a Frisco Independent School District stadium on April 2, 2025, during a track and field competition involving multiple schools in the district.
Police said Metcalf, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School, was stabbed during an altercation under his school’s tent in the stadium bleachers.
Witnesses told officers that the two got into an argument over Anthony, a then-17-year-old student at Frisco Centennial High School, being under Metcalf’s school tent during the rainy track meet, according to the arrest report.
Multiple current and former students recounted the incident during the trial.
One witness testified that Anthony was asked to leave the tent about 15 times. Some witnesses recalled Anthony saying, “Touch me and see what happens,” during the altercation. Another witness quoted Metcalf as telling Anthony, “I’m not going to fight you.”
Witnesses recounted that Metcalf shoved or nudged Anthony, who was sitting on the bleachers, before Anthony stabbed him with a pocket knife. The blade perforated Metcalf’s right ventricle, and he was pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital.
Prosecutors called the stabbing “senseless” and “plain and simple murder,” while the defense argued that Anthony acted in self-defense.
The jury began deliberating midday Tuesday before reaching the guilty murder verdict in three hours, according to a court spokesperson. The jurors also could have considered manslaughter, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years.
The same jury reached a decision on the sentence after several more hours of deliberation on Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Este Haim, Taylor Swift, and Mariska Hargitay react during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift was one of the many lucky celebrities who got to witness the Knicks’ historic comeback during Game 4 of the NBA Finals at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night — and she brought her celebrity pals with her.
Taylor and Mariska Hargitay, who appeared in Taylor’s video for “Bad Blood,” sat next to each other at the game wearing matching t-shirts that read “Stevie Knicks,” with a K.
Taylor’s friends Alana and Este Haim of the band Haim were also there, wearing different punning t-shirts: Alana’s read “Knickelback” with a K, while Este’s read, “Knicole Kidman” with a K.
Taylor’s other connection with Mariska Hargitay is that her Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character inspired the name of Taylor’s cat, Olivia Benson.
Taylor flew from LA, where she’d attended the Toy Story 5 premiere Tuesday night, to attend the game. She’ll be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night, along with Alanis Morissette, KISS and Kenny Loggins, among others.
Motorists drive through rainfall as a storm delivers heavy rain to the region on February 16, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — El Nino conditions are present and expected to strengthen in the coming months, bringing potentially significant impacts to our weather, the upcoming hurricane season and global temperatures, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA issued an El Nino Advisory on Thursday, meaning El Nino conditions are observed and expected to continue. Its latest forecast calls for a strong El Nino to likely develop in the fall, with a 63% chance of a very strong El Nino between November 2026 and January 2027, which could rank among some of the strongest such events on record.
NOAA also noted that stronger El Nino events only make certain impacts more likely and do not always guarantee strong impacts.
El Nino refers to the warmer-than-average phase of the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural cycle where sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean rise and fall. The cooler-than-average phase is called La Nina, while near-average conditions are known as ENSO-neutral.
NOAA ranks the strength of El Nino events by measuring the sea surface temperature departure from average (anomaly) across this region, classifying events as weak, moderate, strong or very strong.
Forecasters say confidence in a strong to very strong event later this year has increased now that the spring season has passed. This is largely because spring in the Northern Hemisphere is when sea surface patterns across the tropical Pacific Ocean are in a transitional phase contributing to lower model accuracy.
“We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Nino event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement.
While adjectives such as “super” and “extreme” are popular ways of describing the strength of an El Nino event on social media, NOAA and the WMO classify the strength as weak to moderate, strong, and very strong. The WMO noted in a recent statement that “the term [[super]] is not part of standardized operational classifications.”
El Nino and La Nina events occur at irregular intervals, typically every 2 to 7 years. El Nino has been somewhat more frequent than La Nina in past observations, but both phases vary in timing and intensity from one cycle to the next.
As Earth’s climate warms, however, identifying and measuring these events becomes more challenging because temperature differences are superimposed on the long-term ocean warming trend.
“As the climate warms, interpreting anomalies becomes more challenging,” said Dr. Tim Stockdale, principal scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). “Rising background temperatures can make recent El Nino events appear stronger than they are, and La Nina events seem weaker.”
To address these challenges, NOAA and ECMWF updated the way they measure El Nino and La Nina this year, using a new index which compares sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific to global tropical ocean conditions rather than just that region’s historical data. NOAA calls this new method the Relative Oceanic Nino Index (RONI), which helps remove the effect of overall ocean warming.
The WMO notes that there is no evidence that human-amplified climate change increases the frequency or intensity of El Nino events.
Typical El Nino impacts across the United States
Impacts from El Nino, similar to La Nina, tend to be most consistent and pronounced from late autumn through early spring following the event’s onset, NOAA says. There is usually a delay between the onset of the event and many of the associated effects.
Experts caution that the impacts on weather patterns are nuanced. Each season is different, and typical El Nino conditions don’t always materialize.
“Every El Nino is different in terms of timing, magnitude, and geographic extent, and such differences lead to variability in the impacts — on temperatures and rainfall, for example — on a global scale,” Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior staff researcher at Columbia Climate School, said.
Typically, during El Nino, the northern half of the United States and parts of Alaska are more likely to see warmer-than-average temperatures, with near- to below-average temperatures favored along the southern tier of the U.S., most likely from Texas to the Southeast.
For precipitation, wetter-than-average conditions are typically observed along the southern tier of the U.S. in parts of California, the Southwest, Gulf Coast and Southeast. Below-average precipitation is frequently observed across parts of the northern Rockies, south-central Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions.
El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the southern Rockies, south-central Plains, mid-Atlantic and coastal areas of the Northeast, with below-average snowfall favored in the northern Rockies, northern Plains and Great Lakes regions.
El Nino’s influence on hurricane season activity
El Nino conditions often suppress tropical activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds. In the Eastern Pacific, the opposite occurs, with favorable conditions supporting above-average hurricane season activity.
This was reflected in NOAA’s hurricane outlook released on May 21, with the agency predicting below average tropical activity for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season with above average activity likely in the eastern Pacific.
“El Nino increases convection (thunderstorms) across the eastern and central Pacific, which causes downstream wind shear over the Atlantic from strong upper-level winds,” said Andy Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies.
Vertical wind shear, which refers to changes in wind speed and direction with height in the atmosphere, is often a primary factor in below-average hurricane season activity. Strong vertical wind shear can tear a developing tropical system apart or even prevent it from forming, NOAA says.
“The rising motion over the Pacific also leads to increased subsidence (sinking air) over the Atlantic, which suppresses thunderstorms and tropical cyclone development,” Hazelton added.
El Nino’s impact on tropical activity will largely depend on how quickly it intensifies. Even so, El Nino is only one of several important variables which influence tropical activity.
Other factors, such as sea surface temperatures, also play an important role in tropical cyclone development and strength. Unseasonably warm ocean waters can partially offset the effects of unfavorable atmospheric winds, according to forecasters.
Global temperature records could be challenged again
2024 ranked as the planet’s warmest year on record, following the last El Nino event, which emerged in mid-2023 and persisted through spring 2024, according to NOAA. However, the return of El Nino means global temperature records could be challenged again in the near future, depending on its peak intensity and duration.
While global air and sea surface temperatures are currently falling short of new record highs, climate scientists warn this pause is unlikely to last. Record highs in global average temperature often occur during El Nino years, combined with the long-term global warming trend driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
“Warmer ocean temperatures associated with El Nino, together with its tendency to favor warmer conditions in many areas, often contribute to warmer than normal global annual temperatures,” Jon Gottschalck, Chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said.
According to NOAA, 2025 ranked as the third-warmest year on record globally, trailing 2024 and 2023. The slightly lower ranking came amid recent La Niña conditions, which typically cause a temporary dip in global average temperatures.
There is usually a delay between the onset of El Nino and its peak impacts on global temperatures, NOAA says. As with the most recent event, its greatest influence often occurs in the months after it peaks, which can keep global temperatures elevated into the following year.
According to the latest outlook from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the likelihood that 2026 will rank among the five warmest years on record is about 98.5%, while the probability of it becoming the warmest year is less than 1%. However, those odds could rise significantly in 2027, depending on how the event unfolds.
This photograph shows a Ukrainian long-range drone launched by servicemen of the 9th Kairos Battalion of the “Madyar’s Birds” from an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on May 16, 2026. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow again in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to the city’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, marking the fourth consecutive day of Ukrainian long-range attacks on the Russian capital.
Sobyanin said in posts to Telegram that at least 15 Ukrainian drones were intercepted en route to the capital overnight, with no damage or casualties reported. Emergency responders were dispatched to sites where drones crashed or debris fell, Sobyanin said.
Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, announced on Telegram that temporary flight restrictions were introduced at two of the capital’s four international airports — Vnukovo Airport to the southwest of Moscow and Zhukovsky Airport to the southeast of the city.
The drones targeting Moscow were among at least 330 Ukrainian drones reported to be shot down by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
Rosaviatsiya said that flight restrictions were also introduced at airports in the cities of Sochi and Gelendzhik on Russia’s Black Sea coast, plus in the city of Krasnodar in southern Russia. All three cities are in the Krasnodar Krai region.
Regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post to Telegram that a “drone hazard” warning was in effect for the entire territory.
Drone debris, Kondratyev said, hit an apartment building in the city of Krasnodar resulting in a fire and injuring two people. Several homes in the district of Seversky, to the southeast of Krasnodar, were also damaged by a drone attack with one person injured, Kondratyev said.
But Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that a major oil refinery in the region was also targeted in the overnight attack.
The Afipsky Refinery, Kovalenko said, “has been damaged and a fire broke out on its premises.” The facility sits just south of Krasnodar and has already been attacked twice by Ukrainian drones — first in February 2025 and again in March 2026.
Russia continued its own long-range strikes into Ukraine overnight into Thursday morning. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 221 drones in its latest barrage, of which 195 drones were intercepted or otherwise suppressed.
Both missiles and 21 drones impacted across nine locations, the air force said.
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates after his team’s 107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The New York Knicks pulled off a record comeback against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, overcoming a 29-point deficit to win by a single point.
The win — one of the biggest comebacks in NBA finals history — spurred celebrations in star-studded Madison Square Garden and on the streets of New York City where large crowds had gathered to watch.
The Knicks’ return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 has transformed each game into one of the hottest tickets in New York, attracting actors, musicians, athletes and other public figures eager to witness the action in person.
Among those spotted inside the sold-out arena was Taylor Swift. The singer traveled cross-country from Los Angeles — where she performed live at the world premiere of “Toy Story 5” on Tuesday night — to New York to attend the game.
Wednesday night’s game marked the second NBA playoff game Swift has attended this postseason.
She and her fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce, sat courtside at a May 23 Eastern Conference finals game in Cleveland between the Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Also in attendance at MSG were Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, Adam Sandler and Nas.
The crowd’s energy extended beyond the game itself as fans packed the Garden for another memorable Finals atmosphere.
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You’ll soon be able to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash at home. The third film in the James Cameron franchise will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+ on June 24 …
Ryan Murphy’s new show, The Shards, now has a release date. The drama series, based on the bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis, will premiere on FX and Hulu on Aug. 5. The show follows a group of privileged teens at an elite prep school in 1980s Los Angeles. The cast includes Igby Rigney, Homer Gere, Kaia Gerber, Evan Rachel Wood and Wes Bentley …
Glenn Close, Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman will be receiving honorary Oscars at the 2026 Governors Awards. The awards will be presented on Nov. 15 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles …
As tickets go on sale for the new live-action version of Disney’s Moana, the final trailer is here, featuring Dwayne Johnson as the egotistical demigod Maui. It hits theaters July 10. Disney is the parent company of ABC News …
