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Sheinbaum meets FIFA’s Infantino to review Mexico’s 2026 World Cup preparations

By The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum met on Monday with FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino to assess preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada in June and July.

Sheinbaum said on her social media account that she had breakfast with Infantino at the National Palace “because we are evaluating everything for the upcoming World Cup,” adding that “everything is going to be wonderful.”

The tournament kicks off on June 11 at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City with a match between the hosts and South Africa.

A friendly match between Mexico and Portugal was held at the Mexico City stadium last Saturday as part of the World Cup preparations. The event was marred by the death of a fan who fell from the second tier to the ground floor in the VIP box area.

“This inauguration is going to be historic, exceptional,” said Sheinbaum while holding a FIFA pennant alongside Infantino.

The FIFA president echoed Sheinbaum’s sentiments, assuring that the World Cup will be “a success for Mexico.”

Infantino has been in Mexico since last week when he attended two Intercontinental Cup playoff matches in Guadalajara and Monterrey. He was also in Mexico City over the weekend for events with the Mexican Football Federation.

Concerns arose following the violent events that occurred on Feb. 22 in several Mexican cities after the capture and death of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in southern Jalisco state.

Among the cities hit by the wave of violence was Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, which will be one of the three Mexican host cities for the World Cup, along with Mexico City and Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo León state.

Mexico is scheduled to host 13 World Cup matches.

In early March, Mexican authorities presented their security plan for the World Cup, called “Plan Kukulkán,” which will involve some 100,000 members of the military and police forces, both federal and local.

The plan includes specialized training for officials, planning and operational exercises, early warning systems, security measures around stadiums, airports, roads, and hotels.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes, threatens to end talks to end the war

By The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched drone and missile attacks Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to U.S. airstrikes that hit the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” could come to negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks. Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf that once carried a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas, without Iran's direct oversight sparked the crossfire now gripping the region. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday that it would expand a route near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz to allow for both inbound and outbound traffic — setting up a new flashpoint with Tehran. Iran insists it alone must govern the strait after the war, upending decades of the world considering that the strait was international waters free for all, despite its sitting in Iran and Oman's territorial waters. Tehran has twice attacked vessels going through the Oman route, backed by a United Nations agency, in recent days. Early Sunday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship at sea early Saturday morning. That ship, the Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku, carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, a key negotiator between Iran and the United States.
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