Cristian Volpato has been vaulted into Australia’s World Cup squad just days after confirming a switch of national eligibility from Italy, and four years after he declined an invitation to join the Socceroos ahead of the 2022 tournament.

Coach Tony Popovic included the 22-year-old Volpato in the 26-man squad announced Monday, Australian time. He and striker Tete Yengi were among 17 players selected in a World Cup squad for the first time.

Skipper Mat Ryan, with 104 international caps, and veteran Mathew Leckie were picked for a fourth World Cup, equaling the Australian record held by Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan.

“A range of factors has gone into selecting this final World Cup squad,” Popovic said in a statement. “Some difficult decisions had to be made … but it’s also a credit to all the players involved who worked extremely hard during an extended and challenging pre-camp.

“I’d like to acknowledge the players who contributed to our direct World Cup qualification but are not part of this squad.” 
The Sydney-born Volpato played for Italy’s Under-21 team but was eligible to make the switch to Australia under FIFA rules because he never played a competitive game for the senior Italy team. Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Volpato only joined the Socceroos camp in Los Angeles on the weekend, too late to participate in the 1-0 World Cup warmup loss to Mexico at Pasadena.

Australia will play another warmup game on Saturday against Switzerland at San Diego to finetune for Group D games against Turkey at Vancouver on June 13, the U.S. at Seattle six days later and Paraguay at Santa Clara on June 25.

Australia squad: 
Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Patrick Beach, Paul Izzo.

Defenders: Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Harry Souttar, Kai Trewin.

Midfielders: Cameron Devlin, Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe, Mathew Leckie, Paul Okon-Engstler, Aiden O’Neill.

Forwards: Ajdin Hrustic, Nestory Irankunda, Awer Mabil, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Cristian Volpato, Tete Yengi.

Sir Andrew Strauss has issued a stark warning to England Test captain Ben Stokes, asserting that his batting form will be crucial to the longevity of his leadership as the team faces a “high stakes” summer.

His comments come as England prepare to resume red-ball duties against New Zealand at Lord’s on Thursday, nearly five months after a tumultuous 4-1 Ashes defeat.

While Stokes’ captaincy remained secure after a winter review, his individual batting performance has been a concern.

Despite improved bowling returns over the past 18 months, the all-rounder averaged a mere 18.40 with the bat in Australia, registering just one century across his last 46 innings.

With Stokes turning 35 on day one of the first Test, head coach Brendon McCullum has indicated a tactical shift, dropping the captain to number seven, swapping places with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Sir Andrew, who captained England in 50 Tests, stressed Stokes must rediscover his run-scoring prowess to solidify his captaincy.

“It’s high stakes, but the stakes are always high and I don’t think you’d want it any other way,” he told the Press Association.

He elaborated: “I know the feeling when you are coming towards the back end of your career and you’re increasingly involved in strategic decisions, trying to get the best out of your team. But you also need to focus on yourself and make sure you are still performing well.”

Such a failure, Strauss cautioned, could “sap his energy and then it might be something that curtails the length of time that he can carry on for.”

He stressed: “His real challenge is to make sure he performs on the field, which means keeping himself fit and finding a batting method that allows him to put in those incredible match-winning contributions that he’s managed over the course of his career. I don’t think we saw a lot of that in Australia.”

Despite the challenges, Strauss noted: “Ben has got such great respect as a captain and his players want to play for him, so I think the question of how he can evolve things will really get his juices flowing.”

Beyond England’s Test fortunes, Sir Andrew also spoke about the enduring legacy of his late wife, Ruth, and the significant progress of the foundation established in her name.

Since the tragic death of his wife from non-smoking lung cancer in 2018, the Ruth Strauss Foundation has become a beacon of support, raising over £4 million, assisting more than 5,000 families grappling with an incurable parental diagnosis, and training over 1,750 healthcare professionals.

In a significant development, the foundation has announced a merger of its activities and staff with Maggie’s, a charity renowned for its network of 27 dedicated cancer care centres across the UK. Strauss will continue his vital work as an honorary patron of Maggie’s, leveraging the sport that defined his career for continued support.

“The cricket community has given us this extraordinary platform to tell our story, to explain what we do and bring to life some of those individual battles that the families are going through,” he explained.

Strauss highlighted the growing significance of the “Red For Ruth” initiative: “I think Red For Ruth has become part of the cricket calendar. It’s not just a day, it’s a moment where cricket combines with its incredible reach to provide social impact and to actually do something more than just providing entertainment for people.”

He expressed his ambition for the future: “We want to take what we’ve done now and make it bigger and better over time. I was very fortunate, as a result of my career and those amazing times I had in an England shirt, to have a public profile to launch the foundation and I’m incredibly proud of the fact that we’re now helping thousands of families that are going through this ordeal.”

The Ruth Strauss Foundation provides crucial resources and support, including one-on-one counselling, peer support groups, and online materials for families navigating an incurable cancer diagnosis.

On Friday 5th June, Lord’s, the Home of Cricket, will once again turn red for #RedforRuth to raise awareness and vital funds to help families facing incurable cancer. Further information can be found at www.ruthstraussfoundation.com.

Sparta Prague midfielder Hugo Sochurek was included in the Czech Republic squad for the World Cup after he became the youngest player for the national team in a warmup game against Kosovo.

The Czechs won 2-1 and 17-year-old Sochurek came on as a substitute on Sunday. Immediately after the game, coach Miroslav Koubek cut his initial selection of 29 to the final 26.

FC Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha, Mlada Boleslav forward Christophe Kabongo and Viktoria Plzen midfielder Tomas Ladra didn’t make the final cut.

“Probably the worst moment of my coaching career,” said Koubek, the 74-year-old veteran.

In good news for the Czechs, attacking midfielder Adam Hlozek of Hoffenheim, who has recently recovered from long-term calf and foot injuries, returned to the squad to play his first game for the national team since June and scored a goal.

The 23-year-old has played 42 international games, scoring five times.

The team was scheduled to leave for the United States later Sunday to play one more warmup against Guatemala in New Jersey on June 4.

The team mainstays included Lyon midfielder Pavel Sulc, Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick and West Ham midfield Tomas Soucek.

Koubek also included two Slavia Prague players – forward Tomas Chory and defender David Doudera – who were suspended for disciplinary reasons by the club for the rest of the season and transfer-listed.

During the World Cup, the Czechs will be based in Mansfield, Texas.

They will open the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada against South Korea on June 11 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Their other Group A opponents are South Africa (Atlanta, June 18) and Mexico (Mexico City, June 25).

The Czechs qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Czech Republic: 
Goalkeepers: Lukas Hornicek (Braga), Matej Kovar (PSV Eindhoven), Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague).

Defenders: Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranac (Hoffenheim), Stepan Chaloupek (Slavia Prague), David Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Ladislav Krejci (Wolverhampton), Jaroslav Zeleny (Sparta Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague).

Midfielders: Lukas Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Vladimir Darida (Hradec Kralove), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Michal Sadilek (Slavia Prague), Hugo Sochurek (Sparta Prague), Alexandr Sojka (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Pavel Sulc (Lyon), Denis Visinsky (Viktoria Plzen).

Forwards: Tomas Chory (Slavia Prague), Adam Hlozek (Hoffenheim), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen).

• Germany 4-0 Finland (1-0)
• Goals: 1-0 Undav (34′), 2-0 Wirtz (48′), 3-0 Undav (57′), 4:0 Musiala (63′)
• Attendance: 25,122

A day before Germany depart for America, Julian Nagelsmann’s team comprehensively beat Finland in Mainz thanks to an outstanding performance by striker Deniz Undav. The Stuttgart forward scored twice and assisted one to help deliver the expected result.

“We can keep going like this,” Nagelsmann said afterwards. “One of our strengths is that we always look like we can score.”

There’s not a lot to make of these games. Less than two weeks out from a World Cup is not the time to experiment tactically, and most starters are rested. These games are almost always about players avoiding injury and squad players pushing to start.

A confidence-boosting win

Jamal Musiala scored, which will be a big boost to his and the team’s confidence after the Bayern Munich man’s long injury layoff.

Lennart Karl was exceptional, and were it not for the post he might have a goal to his name. The Bayern teenager is pushing to start, remarkably, and in terms of squad places has moved Leroy Sane further down the pecking order.

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Nathaniel Brown’s attacking efforts — defensively he was hardly called into action — made Nagelsmann feel vindicated about his choice as he, too, delivered enough food for thought when it comes to which left back will start.

But otherwise, how much of true value can be taken from such a victory against the 73rd best team in the world? A brief look at recent history suggests that a pinch of salt is required.

Ahead of Euro 2024 two years ago, Germany narrowly beat Greece in an unconvincing and unsettling performance. At the home Euros though, Germany looked the best they had in years and were unlucky in their quarterfinal defeat to Spain.

Two years before that, in preparation for the Qatar World Cup, they played a friendly in Oman that they edged 1-0 but struggled in the heat and humidity of the gulf. What followed was a disaster as they failed to get out of their group with Japan, Costa Rica and Spain.

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With all of that in mind, the win and performance in Mainz is great but it also doesn’t necessarily mean anything in terms of how Germany will fare in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Undav keeps delivering

If anything, Deniz Undav was once again the story.

For the striker who was publicly dismissed by Nagelsmann in March despite scoring the winner, a move that the head coach later apologized for, to deliver another match-winning performance certainly makes his case to start even stronger. Furthermore, his jovial manners makes him an invaluable member of the squad as he, in some ways, has replaced the jokes and smiles that Thomas Müller once brought this group.

“If you score two goals and provide an assist, you don’t play yourself out of the team,” said Nagelsmann afterwards. Kai Havertz remains the starter, and his goal in Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat further underlines his big-game prowess, but having Undav as an alternative off the bench is quickly beginning to look like a real boost to Germany’s chances.

And so Germany will head to the airport, destination Chicago, as they prepare for one last friendly against hosts the USA before they settle into their base camp in North Carolina. From the end of that friendly to their World Cup opener against Curacao in Houston are just eight days. Germany’s World Cup adventure is already up and running.

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Edited by: Chuck Penfold

The United States secured an encouraging 3-2 victory over Senegal in a World Cup warm-up friendly on Sunday, with Christian Pulisic delivering a standout performance, scoring once and assisting another, before Folarin Balogun netted the decisive second-half winner.

Sergino Dest opened the scoring for the hosts just seven minutes in, converting a cross from Pulisic.

Pulisic then extended the lead in the 20th minute, demonstrating composure to finish from a tight angle after skillfully navigating past the goalkeeper.

This marked Pulisic’s first goal across all competitions since December and his first for the national team since November 2024. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino lauded the AC Milan winger’s first-half display.

“I think now we need to try to extend until 90 minutes. Happy for him also because after the long time, or few months, he scored again and this is important for our players,” Pochettino told reporters.

Senegal, however, pulled one back just before halftime when captain Sadio Mane capitalized on a swift counter-attack, finishing expertly after Habib Diarra’s through ball dissected the American defense.

Folarin Balogun saw an early second-half effort disallowed for offside, and moments later, Mane struck again, leveling the score in the 52nd minute after a defensive miscue.

Yet, the AS Monaco striker redeemed himself just past the hour mark, confidently meeting Tim Weah’s cross to restore the lead and secure the win for Pochettino’s squad.

The US, who are set to co-host the upcoming World Cup with Canada and Mexico, have one final warm-up fixture against Germany on Saturday before commencing their Group D campaign against Paraguay on June 12. Pochettino’s side will then go on to face Australia and Turkey in their group as they aim to qualify for the knockout rounds on home soil.

“It’s true that today is not an official game and doesn’t count (for) points but it’s important to get good feelings. We are still a little bit short in our preparation but I think we are going in a good direction,” Pochettino commented.

Senegal will kick off their Group I matches against France on June 16, followed by encounters with Iraq and Norway.

The dark clouds surrounding the broadcast future of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India have finally cleared, with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. on Monday securing an eight-year media rights agreement with FIFA.

The landmark deal gives Zee access to some of football’s biggest global events, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and several youth and futsal tournaments through 2034.

While the FIFA-Zee deal has been finalised, the exact valuation of the agreement is still unknown. However, as per earlier media reports, it is expected to be around $30-35 million.

FIFA World Cup 2026 headlines landmark deal

The biggest attraction of the agreement is the FIFA World Cup 2026, which kicks off on June 12 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Zee will bring football’s showpiece event to Indian audiences through its television channels and digital platform Zee5.

Rights portfolio extends till 2034

Apart from the men’s World Cup, Zee has acquired rights to a host of FIFA competitions across different categories. The package includes the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup from 2026 to 2030.

The broadcaster will also showcase every edition of the FIFA Men’s U-17 World Cup and FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup from 2026 to 2034. The agreement covers the FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cups in 2027, 2029, 2031 and 2033, along with the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cups in 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032 and 2034.

Additionally, Zee has secured rights for the FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cups in 2028 and 2032 and the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cups in 2029 and 2033. The package also includes FIFA documentary and original content for Indian audiences.

Zee strengthens sports ambitions

The agreement comes shortly after Zee launched four dedicated sports channels, underlining its intent to strengthen its presence in the sports broadcasting ecosystem.

Chief Executive Officer Punit Goenka indicated that football’s appeal across regions and demographics makes it a strong long-term investment. He suggested that Zee has focused on acquiring properties that combine immediate relevance with future growth potential and believes the FIFA partnership will help unlock greater value from the sport while supporting the company’s growth objectives.

The company expects the deal to strengthen its subscriber base across television and digital platforms while creating opportunities to attract new advertisers and audiences.

FIFA eyes growth in India

FIFA views India as a strategically important market due to its young population and growing interest in football. FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai suggested that Zee’s extensive broadcast reach and digital ecosystem would play a significant role in expanding the sport’s footprint across the country.

He indicated that the broadcaster’s understanding of local audiences and multi-platform capabilities would help bring FIFA competitions to fans across every region of India, further strengthening football’s presence in one of the world’s largest media markets.

Matches to be available across TV and digital platforms

All events covered under the agreement will be broadcast across Zee’s sports channels and streamed on Zee5. The company plans to offer viewers an immersive viewing experience across platforms, including coverage in multiple languages.

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has warned teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi about the challenges the batter could face going forward in his career. The 15-year-old wonderkid stunned the cricket fraternity with his terrific style of batting in the Indian Premier League. In 16 matches, he scored 776 runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.31. Despite starting slowly in multiple innings, the swashbuckling batter managed to keep a high strike rate, that too on a consistent basis.

Sooryavanshi’s season ended as Rajasthan Royals lost the Qualifier 2 game to Gujarat Titans by seven wickets.

While the batter impressed one and all with his batting, Zaheer said that the opposition bowlers would continue trying new tactics to get the better of him and he has to counter all of that for a successful career.

“For someone to have this kind of a season with 700-plus runs being scored. You can’t just bat in one fashion. You know, at some stage teams are going to figure it out. They’re going to try different things, and same was the case with Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Even today, GT was trying different tactics. They were trying to contain him by having mid-off, forcing him to play over mid-on. You’ve seen SRH trying to set a different field, so all those challenges, all those questions are going to be asked by different teams at different times, and you’ve got to stay on top of it,” said Zaheer on Cricbuzz.

Sooryavanshi got off to a careful start against GT in Qualifier 2 as RR kept losing wickets from one end. The southpaw timed his innings beautifully and smashed 96 off 47 with the help of eight fours and seven sixes.

“And that’s what has happened today as well. It was another example of wickets falling at the other end; he was not really able to get going. But look at the strike rate at which he’s batting. Slowish innings compared to what he’s been doing. But still managed to score 96 at a 205 strike rate. That’s phenomenal. So, you know, he’s got different dimensions to his game. He can play the situation, and that’s the exciting part. Like I said, it’s just about understanding more and more and having that sustenance. You know, if he’s able to just stay on this track, the records and the numbers will happen in due course,” Zaheer added.

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