“Howdy officers.”

This would be a good time to learn about the fine teams of Qatar …

… and Switzerland.

In April 2026, police issued a $1,000 street-vending ticket to a senior resident, weeks before formal restrictions went into effect. The new temporary bylaw, in effect from 13 May to 20 July to coincide with the World Cup, is designed, in part, to ensure Vancouver meets its “operations, safety, security, branding and brand protection obligations to Fifa,” which includes presenting a ‘clean and welcoming environment,‘ It gives the city expanded powers over street vending, noise, graffiti removal, and management of public space within two kilometres of the stadium.

I am not sure all the flags are strictly accurate but it’s a wonderful sight in Brazil.

I would watch a cartoon version of England’s World Cup campaign.

Justin Kavanagh emails: “Good to see that England have been reunited with their ball shoes. It’s a Cinderella story from the land of Disney!”

Will help with the rights sale.

Earlier this week, Clutch the Bald Eagle and Maple the Moose – the mascots for the United States and Canada respectively at this year’s World Cup – helped Peruvian police in a drugs raid.

It is warm in Dallas.

Toronto police arrested two men “associated with a Bosnian fan group” during Canada’s World Cup-opening 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Toronto Police Service confirmed in a statement that the men, from Germany and aged 25 and 27, were both arrested and charged for assaulting a peace officer after forces were called to an altercation in the stands at the Toronto Stadium around 2:20pm local time on Friday.

The Toronto Police Association warned on X: “We’re glad you’re here to enjoy the World Cup but please do so safely. Never put your hands on a police officer. They will arrest you. You will be charged. Our holding cells do not have TVs. You will miss the game you came to enjoy.” PA Media

When Roberto Lopes was originally contacted by the Cape Verdean football association on LinkedIn, he did what many people do with unsolicited messages on the professional social media platform - he ignored it, almost costing him the chance to play at the 2026 World Cup.

The teak-tough, Irish-born central defender thought the message in Portuguese was spam and did not bother replying. It was only when he received a follow-up message in English that he realised it was an offer to play international football for Cape Verde, who take on Spain in their opening World Cup group game on Monday.

“Nine months later they messaged me back in English asking if I had thought about the proposal, and it was only then that I did what I should have done originally and Google-translated the original message asking if I would be interested in declaring for Cape Verde,” a laughing Lopes told Reuters in a telephone interview prior to the tournament.

“It was a weird angle to come at (via LinkedIn); it was explained to me afterwards that they had difficulty contacting my club, but when I saw the opportunity was there in front of me, I was 100% behind it from the minute one, and we got working on getting all the necessary documentation across.” Reuters

We had an interview with Brentford’s Igor Thiago in January where he said: “This World Cup feeling is very exciting. I’m very hopeful about being part of it, I’ve always dreamed of playing in a World Cup. It’s something I only saw other people experiencing on television, but now I’m close to experiencing it myself.”

I think he could have a huge impact for Brazil after a fine season in the Premier League.

“Hi Will,” says Simon McMahon. “A wild party, you say? Well you know as well as I do what that means.”

What happened to “Yes sir, I can boogie”?

Tony Popovic knows most people expect Turkey to beat Australia in their World Cup opener, but says his side ‘deserve to be respected’, writes Jack Snape.

I think David Raum likes tattoos.

I believe that the former Celtic defender Darren O’Dea is going to join Toure at Slovan. That’s my sort of managerial team.

Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is set for his first managerial role at Slovan Bratislava after joining the Slovak champions on a three-year contract on Saturday.

Ivory Coast’s Toure, 43, spent the last two-and-a-half years as an assistant coach at the Saudi Arabia national team, helping them qualify for their third straight World Cup.

Toure will replace Vladimir Weiss, who led Slovan to six straight Slovak First Football League titles before taking charge of the Slovakia national team.

“My predecessor deserves great respect for what he’s achieved with Slovan. I want to build on that while also bringing something new and unique of my own,” Toure said in a statement. “With Slovan, I want to play dominant soccer, win games, and control matches so that we can delight our fans.“

Slovan have won the league in the last eight seasons in a row. Reuters

Thanks Rob, a man who knows my life like the back of his own hand. We are going to turn the final two hours into a wild party.

It’s time for me to tag in Will Unwin, whose whole life has been building to these next two hours. Thanks for your company, see you soon.

The 2026 World Cup: a festival of football; a moment to revel in upsets, spectacular goals, stars made, and reputations ruined; a test of Didier Deschamps’s unshakable addiction to Adrien Rabiot. But also: a celebration of America; a chance for Fox Sports to prove the haters wrong; a social experiment to see how long Thierry Henry can last on set with Alexi Lalas before resorting to physical violence. “This is going to be filled with American fans,” Lalas shrieked as Los Angeles Stadium began to swell with spectators before the US’s opening match against Paraguay. “This is going to be bursting at the seams with America!”

Not the World Cup

Daniel Kretinsky, the owner of Royal Mail, is set to overtake David Sullivan as West Ham’s largest shareholder after agreeing to buy an additional stake in the club from the Gold family.

The Czech billionaire has moved to increase his power at West Ham after Sullivan stepped down as a director and co-chair of the club last weekend, before a joint investigation by the Times and Panorama reporting on seven women accusing him of abusing his power and preying on them for sex in claims that date back to the 1980s and 90s.

The last time Scotland played at a men’s World Cup, against Morocco in 1998, Andy Robertson was four years old, John McGinn was three, Scott McTominay was one and don’t get me started on Ben Gannon-Doak.

Should you be desirous of live World Cup action, Australia are playing South Africa in a heavyweight contest at the T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Football Daily is here, on the weekend

The story so far

• Mexico 2-0 South Africa

• South Korea 2-1 Czechia

• Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

• USA 4-1 Paraguay

On this day in 2002… Brazil put five past Costa Rica.

Another plug for this piece by Jacob Steinberg and Dave Hytner on Declan Rice, who has become such a key man for England and Arsenal.

On this day in 1990… Ruben Sosa endangers low-flying aircraft.

“Afternoon Rob,” chirps Simon McMahon. “Permission to get excited? Last time Scotland played a match in the World Cup finals I was 26 and about to become a father. I didn’t think I’d have to wait 28 years before father and daughter could watch them do it again together. Their record in previous openers might not be great, but we didn’t have Lyndon Dykes before.”

I’m so glad you’re watching it together. What’s the plan? Been on the Tin since sunrise? A tactical sleep during Brazil v Morocco? They’re only the support act so you won’t miss much.

England have recovered the majority of the training equipment stolen in an astonishing heist on Friday. Gear including players’ boots (or cleats, as one local news site in the US had it) was taken from a truck transporting the equipment from Florida to England’s tournament base in Kansas City.

Kansas City police said two people of interest were detained on Friday night. Investigations have progressed since then.

I remember the great Scott Murray highlighting the F-word after one of Jurgen Klopp’s first games as Liverpool manager. They’d won 4-1 (I think) at the Etihad, and in his post-match interview Adam Lallana said it had been “fun”.

It was notable because it’s not a word you hear very often in elite sport, which is sad. But there was plenty of fun in Los Angeles last night.

Brazil begin their World Cup against Morocco tonight. They’ll be without the injured Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who will instead be in the United States as a fan.

I’m going to the US to follow the team closely and maybe meet my teammates and the staff to bring positive energy. Above all, I am going as a fan of the Brazilian national team. When the game kicks off, I will get nervous, be focused on the game, watching the patterns of play and wanting Brazil to score goals. And, when they score, there will be a mixture of happiness and relief because I know that the whole country expects the Seleção to win the whole tournament.

On this day in 2006… a Kaka cracker gets the holders off to a winning start.

The ball is magic, remember. Just keep watching the ball. On a lovely soft powder blue night in Los Angeles the World Cup produced an opening act on its US front that might have been conjured by the whirling hands of Gianni Infantino himself, a Fifa president who increasingly has the air and the mannerisms of an elite celebrity stage magician. Or at the very least, of a man who appreciates the power of the show.

It turns out California really does know how to put on one of those. There was even a moment before kick-off that seemed to capture the cosmically strange nature of the entire Fifa multiverse. A little later the headline act Katy Perry would appear in a silver bustle and perform on a podium alongside a 10-year-old TikToker.

Before that we got the Korean pop sensation Lisa, who has 105 million Instagram followers, or 102.5 million more than the USMNT, backed by a troupe of men performing surprisingly sexualised hip thrusts and groin grabs that no doubt express, on some deeper level, the value of international team sport.

Adjacent to this a man in a tracksuit appeared holding aloft a golden ball, like some ancient deity hoisting God’s gonad on his shoulders. At which point an enormous golden Fifa sign appeared, all four letters at least 50ft high, winched down out of the ether like a vision of divine grace – if not the most ludicrous sporting spectacle of all time, then surely the most ludicrous yet.

On this day in 1982… Ossie Ardiles takes a short free-kick.

This is such a great idea. Anyone fancy a kickabout on Whitstable beach tonight?