Overview
- The expanded tournament of 48 teams and 104 matches begins on June 11 with a new FIFA rule package that forces treated players off the pitch for a minute, tightens substitution timing, adds five‑second restart counts, expands VAR review powers and resets yellow‑card counts after the group stage and quarterfinals.
- MagentaTV holds exclusive rights to stream all 104 matches while public broadcasters ARD and ZDF will show a limited free‑to‑air selection that includes every German game, leaving many high‑profile fixtures behind a paywall.
- FIFA confirmed that Somali referee Omar Artan will not officiate after U.S. authorities refused his entry, removing one nominated official and raising questions about how visa decisions affect match staffing.
- The Iranian Football Federation reports that U.S. organizers withdrew its allocated tickets for Iran’s U.S. group games, a move that could effectively prevent Iranian fans from attending those matches.
- Host cities are taking operational steps to ease opening‑day strain—Mexico City ordered schools closed and urged remote work—while fans face higher travel costs, shifted kickoffs to late hours for European viewers, and increased uncertainty about attendance and access.