A look at the Imran Mir-led Afghanistan A squad for the tri-nation series:

Imran Mir(c), Noor ul Rahman(w), Hassan Eisakhil, Bahir Shah, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Farmanullah Safi, Shams Ur Rahman, Khalil Gurbaz, Zahir Khan, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Mohammad Ibrahim, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Khalid Taniwal, Ishaq Rahimi, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai

The wait is finally over.

After years of preparation, billions of dollars in investment and months of anticipation, the 2026 Fifa World Cup will kick off on Thursday night with an extravagant opening ceremony in Mexico before the hosts take on South Africa in the tournament opener.

For Mexico, the occasion marks another chapter in football history. The country becomes the first nation to host matches in three separate World Cups, having previously staged the tournament in 1970 and 1986. This time, however, it shares hosting duties with the United States and Canada as football’s biggest spectacle expands to an unprecedented 48 teams and 104 matches.

Yet as the first whistle approaches, conversations around the World Cup are not limited to tactics, title contenders or star players. Instead, immigration disputes, soaring ticket prices, political tensions and fan protests have emerged as dominant themes in the build-up to the tournament.

And for millions of football fans in India, the next month could also mean sleepless nights.

Midnight kick-offs and early-morning finishes for Indian fans

The 2026 World Cup will be unlike any previous edition for Indian viewers.

Spread across 16 host cities and four time zones in North America, the tournament’s schedule is set to dramatically alter viewing habits. While the opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10.30 pm IST, the opening match between Mexico and South Africa will start at 12.30 am IST on Friday.

Over the next month, Indian supporters will need to navigate a demanding schedule, with matches stretching through the night and continuing into the early morning hours. Depending on the venue, games will begin anywhere between midnight and late morning IST.

For a country with one of the world’s largest football audiences, the tournament promises a month-long test of endurance as fans prepare to sacrifice sleep in pursuit of football’s biggest prize.

A World Cup under a cloud

The World Cup has traditionally projected itself as a celebration capable of uniting nations and cultures. This year, however, the tournament arrives amid extraordinary off-field turbulence.

The United States, which will host 78 of the tournament’s 104 matches, including every fixture from the Round of 16 onwards, is currently engaged in a military conflict with Iran — one of the participating nations. That geopolitical backdrop has amplified scrutiny of immigration policies and visa procedures.

In recent weeks, Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry into the United States despite being appointed for World Cup duties. Iraqi footballers and support staff were reportedly detained for questioning upon arrival. Iranian officials have also raised concerns over visa delays affecting members of their delegation.

The incidents have fuelled criticism from supporters, governments and football officials who argue that host nations carry a responsibility to ensure smooth access for players, officials and fans.

Outside the stadiums, protests have also surfaced in parts of Mexico, reflecting concerns ranging from ticket affordability to broader political issues surrounding the tournament.

The ticket price debate refuses to fade

If immigration has become one flashpoint, ticket pricing has become another.

No issue has generated more discussion among supporters than the cost of attending matches.

Fifa initially priced group-stage tickets from $140, while standard seats for the July 19 final in New Jersey climbed as high as $8,680. Hospitality packages surged to $73,200, while prices for some premium final tickets rose to $10,990 before later increasing to $32,970.

The governing body’s dynamic pricing model has attracted criticism from supporters’ groups and consumer organisations, which argue that football’s premier event is becoming increasingly inaccessible to ordinary fans.

For comparison, ticket prices at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar ranged from $69 to $1,607.

The controversy has become so prominent that Fifa President Gianni Infantino addressed the issue directly on the eve of the tournament.

“If you sell it at a lower price point,” Infantino said, “in this particular market it would have gone — which is perfectly legal in this country … in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organise secondary markets or black market activities and not to football.”

Infantino argued that Fifa’s pricing strategy was designed to keep revenue within football rather than allowing resellers to profit from demand.

The Fifa president also dismissed concerns over investigations launched by authorities in several US states.

“When it comes to these legal investigations or complaints that were made in some states in the US,” he said, “we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell six-and-a-half or seven million tickets we check what we do with the best lawyers, with the best experts.”

Immigration concerns reach Fifa headquarters

The Fifa president also faced questions about visa controversies involving teams and officials.

Addressing the case of Somali referee Artan, who was denied entry into the United States over unspecified security concerns, Infantino acknowledged Fifa’s limitations.

“We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we will speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax,” he said.

“We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.”

Artan had been set to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup.

Infantino defended Fifa’s efforts to ensure Iran’s participation despite the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Washington.

“I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America,” he said. “I don’t know who would have managed to do that.”

The Iranian team eventually shifted its training base to Mexico and plans to fly into the United States shortly before matches.

Bigger than ever before

Beyond the controversies lies the tournament itself.

The 2026 edition is the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 nations instead of 32 and expanding from 64 matches to 104. Fifa expects the competition to generate approximately $11 billion in revenue and attract billions of viewers worldwide.

Infantino went even further in his assessment.

The Fifa president described the World Cup as “the biggest event probably in the history of mankind”. Such claims may sound ambitious, but they underline the scale of the challenge facing organisers.

For the next month, football will dominate conversations across continents. New heroes will emerge, old rivalries will be renewed and one nation will ultimately lift the trophy in New Jersey on July 19 (July 20 according to Indian Standard Time (IST).

Yet as Mexico prepares to welcome the world for the opening ceremony, the tournament begins carrying more baggage than any World Cup in recent memory.

The football may finally be ready to start.

Whether it can reclaim centre stage from the controversies surrounding it remains the tournament’s first big question.

As a (mostly) lifelong Minnesotan, we love that we get all four seasons here. We’ll endure the negative temps because we love snow for the holidays, and while the spring can get soggy, it allows us to shed some layers and get excited for the summer, where we’ll spend the majority of our time on golf courses and lakes. Then comes the fall, our true underrated season, where it’s just about perfect.

And what, you might ask, does this have to do with this story? Let me explain.

The weather here is also extremely unpredictable, and that’s usually the case for Memorial Day. The frigid temps are gone but the heat wave of late July has yet to arrive. The weather usually falls somewhere in-between but varies wildly. That’s exactly what happened this Memorial Day weekend, when a quick trip up north — everyone goes “up north” here — encapsulated three different seasons in a three-day span. That was actually OK by me — it offered the chance to test out some new gear from Vuori.

Known for their premium, stylish and comfortable performance apparel, I snagged my first Vuori shirt a few months ago and loved it. I work from home and like to stay active, so it was a smart and seamless addition to my wardrobe. And some new items from the brand’s men’s golf collection arrived right before my Memorial Day getaway, which turned out to be the perfect testing grounds.

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Aim Short 8″

Our Aim Short is a fairway favorite that looks great with polos, sweaters, and t-shirts.

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On a 50-degree Saturday morning, the Aim Trousers were perfect for a lakeside coffee stroll, and they fit right in at the restaurant later that night. Lightweight and stretchy, they would have been great for the golf course, too, but when the weather morphed from spring to summer overnight, I changed to the Aim Shorts to hit the pitch-and-putt with the family.

The Aim Collection (both pants/shorts are 67% Polyester, 25% Cotton and 8% Elastane) is exactly what you’d want at a golf resort. Casual and comfortable enough to be on vacation, formal enough for dinner and drinks and perfect for any golf course.

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Strato Tech Hoodie

The unbelievably soft Strato Tee reinvented as a hoodie. This long sleeve layer is moisture-wicking, ultra-soft and ready for sprints and spring training.

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And the Sunday Element Half Zip — I love the Agate Green Heather option — perfectly complemented the Aim Trousers, while the Strato Tech Polo — so lightweight and comfy I felt like I wasn’t wearing anything — was the dressed-up casual look I needed for a nicer restaurant. Although my favorite item might have been the one I used for the car ride home, the uber-soft Strato Tech Hoodie. I found it ideal for travel-day comfortability, although you can also wear it on a run or out with friends.

Like everything from Vuori, you have options. And the best part? The timing. Father’s Day is fast approaching, and I never know what to ask for. This year? I finally have some great ideas. You can browse more from Vuori below.

AEW star Jon Moxley will take part in a huge street fight match later this week. His reign as the Continental Champion has been great so far. However, despite him playing fair, a group of stars are challenging him to bring out the beast inside the One True King. The Death Riders have been colliding with the Shane Taylor Promotions for the past few days following Double or Nothing.

On the Dynamite following the pay-per-view, the two factions crossed paths. Things escalated between them when Shane Taylor knocked out Jon Moxley with a huge punch. This attack almost led to the loss of the Death Riders. However, the former AEW World Champion recovered and won the tag team match.

On the latest edition of Collision, the Death Riders’ leader joined PAC and Claudio Castagnoli to take on Shane Taylor Promotion’s Carlie Bravo, Lee Moriarty and Shawn Dean. While Trish Adora tried to disrupt the match, Marina Shafir neutralised her, and the Riders stood tall again.

Tonight on Dynamite, the reigning Continental Champion put his title on the line against Shan Taylor. After many surprise attacks, the two stars finally locked horns. Despite his best efforts, Shane Taylor couldn’t defeat Jon Moxley. After the loss, Taylor decided to attack the Continental Champion. Along with him, the rest of the Shane Taylor Promotion took down the Death Riders.

After the brutal attack, Jon Moxley, who couldn’t speak clearly, claimed that Shane Taylor should have walked away after his loss. However, now that they chose violence, Daniel Garcia laid out a major match. He announced that the Death Riders will take on the Shane Taylor Promotions in a street fight match on this week’s Collision.

“Shane, you could have walked away tonight with your pride,” he said.

It will be interesting to see which faction stands tall later this week.

Please credit AEW and add an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use any quotes from the first half of this article.