Key events

52m agoPreamble

There were more protests in Mexico City last night, these over the fate of the country's "disappeared", as AFP reports:

Hundreds of protesters returned to an area near Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Wednesday night, hours before the opening ceremony of the World Cup was due to take place.

Most of the protesters were family members or relatives of "disappeared people" alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.

Police set up a one-mile (1.6km) security perimeter ahead of fans arriving on Thursday and said that they would allow peaceful protests, but only ticket holders would be able to access the stadium ...

Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum "only cares about her soccer," said protester Maria de Jesus Soria Aguayo, who has been searching for her son after he vanished in Veracruz state a decade ago.

"It's disappearance after disappearance and (Sheinbaum) hasn't done anything," she told AFP.

The demonstrators chanted slogans and there were no direct confrontations with police.

A group of people placed colorful cempasuchil flowers - used in offerings to the dead - in the shape of a cross on the pavement.

Tom Garry

WSL: City sign Charles. Manchester City have agreed a 500,000 pound deal to sign the England full-back Niamh Charles from Chelsea, the Guardian understands, with the transfer expected to be completed soon.

The 26-year-old, who has 34 senior international caps for the Lionesses and scored a penalty during 2025's European Championship final victory over Spain, has been with Chelsea since 2020 and has one year remaining on the three-year contract she signed in 2024.

Her arrival in Manchester comes amid the Spain left-back Leila Ouahabi's exit from the club at the end of this month when her contract expires, and with Chelsea having signed the former Arsenal left-back, Katie McCabe.

Declan Rice got a ticking-off from his mum over his sunburn, the midfielder revealed after England's win over Costa Rica last night.

"I think everyone has seen those photos, I was bright red in that photo shoot. My mum was killing me! Honestly, the first day we came, it was just getting used to that heat," Rice said. "Coming from England where it's hot-cold, all different types of weather, coming here and it's always 30 degrees - it really does hit you in the face. After that week off, the first session was a bit cobweb-y but the next two days after that felt really good and tonight, playing 60, was all I was ever going to play but I was in a really good space, I could probably have played longer so I'm really happy."

He's feeling in decent shape in general though, despite the most intense and gruelling of seasons at Arsenal. "I feel good as gold. Feel really fit, feel really strong. Had a couple of niggles throughout the season which I managed really well with the physios and the manager so I've come here in a really good place. I feel really confident. I think winning that Premier League for me, I have come here with a sense of confidence and a spring in my step. Now I have got over that line with Arsenal it has given me that confidence that we can come here and achieve big things as well. I'm really in a good place at the moment.

Rice made a point of praising the squad's depth. "The boys that come off the bench is frightening. The link-up play, the passing, the chances they created, Rashy, Ebs [Eze], Bee [Saka], Morgan, Ollie, the attacking options, Kobbie, all players who want to take the ball forward and create chances and at the tournament whoever the manager starts, and whoever is on the bench, he has got the key message to us that everyone has got (the chance to make) an impact and you see that off the bench."

Right, a huge chunk of overnight reading for you, if you're getting up in Europe.

Jonathan Wilson in Mexico City sets the scene for the tournament and takes the temperature in the Mexican capital.

Jonathan Liew is on form, as ever, skewering Gianni Infantino's cowardice.

Fifa has already articulated its worldview most eloquently. Indeed in continuing to parrot the phrase "football unites the world" like a malfunctioning pull-string doll, Infantino is tacitly expressing his opinion that there are people he simply does not consider part of the world, perhaps does not even consider human at all. And so to the jailed dissidents of Russia and the nameless migrant workers of Qatar we can add the imagined enemies of the Trump White House: whether Senegalese football supporters or reporters asking questions or a referee from Somalia embarking on the greatest honour of his professional life

Pablo Iglesias Maurer is similarly on point, after enduring Gianni's press conference so we didn't have to:

Our latest team guides spotlight Ghana and Panama:

And Sid Lowe talks to Mauricio Pochettino, who's bullish about the USA's chances:

Domestic news: Wolves have sacked Rob Edwards, Sky Sports is reporting, the manager paying the price for failing to stop the club's slide to relegation from the Premier League. More to follow

Preamble

Greetings everyone. It's here! The biggest, possibly most controversial and strangest World Cup yet. After months and years of chatter and hype, fear and loathing, we'll actually have some football to get stuck into from this afternoon/evening. It's coming up to 1am in Mexico City as the co-hosts enjoy their last sleep before it all starts. And where better to start than the Azteca Stadium, one of the most storied venues in the world, lit up by Pele and Diego Maradona among others back in the day?

Mexico, too, is a proper football country, though there's no point pretending there haven't been problems. The capital has been convulsed by strikes and demonstrations, and protesters may make their presence felt today. We'll be across every element of the big kick-off as we count down to the opening ceremony and Mexico v South Africa. The show starts at 11.30am local time (6.30pm BST, 1.30pm ET) and will be headlined by Shakira, because it's always headlined by Shakira, and Burna Boy.

There's plenty to get stuck in to before then, mind, not least the latest from the England camp, which will be a chipper place this morning after yesterday's smooth 3-0 cruise against Costa Rica. Everything went pretty much to plan, aside from the brutal thunderstorm that delayed the kick-off. Jude Bellingham gelled nicely with Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon excelled and Ollie Watkins came off the bench to good effect. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, and Gianni Infantino said some self-justifying stuff about how we should all "chill" and not worry our pretty little heads about the multiple injustices piling up around his tournament. Let the fun begin.