The official photographer for the Iraq national football team, Talal Salah, was detained for 10 hours when trying to enter the United States with the rest of the Iraqi team and staff. Salah was eventually denied entry to the U.S. ahead of the 2026 World Cup, meaning the team will be without its official photographer for its first World Cup appearance in 40 years.

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ATLANTA, June 14 — Pedri watched his heroes Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta conquer the world from his family’s bar as a boy, now Spain’s latest midfield maestro is chasing the same dream.

The 23-year-old has already proven to be a fitting heir to Xavi and Iniesta at club level with Barcelona, winning three La Liga titles.

He was also part of the Spanish side that became European champions in Germany two years ago, although an injury in the quarter-final win over the hosts saw him miss the final stages.

Fitness problems had been a persistent problem after he burst onto the scene as a teenager.

After a superb breakthrough season in 2020/21, Pedri’s starring role as Spain reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 meant he played 73 matches for club and country, a toll which was too much for his developing body.

Barcelona turned to a specialist myopathy laboratory in the USA for solutions and a study of Pedri’s genetics helped create an individual plan that has brought him back to among the world’s best midfielders.

Alongside Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Pau Cubarsi he is part of another hugely talented generation of Barca youngsters that have helped the club overcome financial difficulties to remain La Liga’s dominant force.

‘Like a movie’

Unlike the others, Pedri was not a product of Barca’s fabled La Masia academy.

He made his breakthrough at Las Palmas as a 16-year-old and quickly broke into the first team after joining Barca in 2020.

Yet, his ability to keep possession and vision to cut defences open is reminiscent of Xavi and Iniesta in their prime.

“With Xavi or Iniesta I realised that they are prepared before they receive the ball,” Pedri said in a recent documentary on his rise to stardom.

“I learned that from a very young age and it was natural to me. What makes a good move is knowing what you are going to before you get the ball.”

He will be central to Spain’s attempt to match the feats of the golden generation that won the 2010 World Cup, in between two triumphs at Euro 2008 and 2012.

Back then Pedri watched on admiringly from a bar, founded by his grandad and run by his parents, in Tenerife that was also the first Barcelona supporters’ club on the Canary Island.

“Thanks to God I am living the dream that he had,” Pedri added of his Barcelona fanatic grandfather, who never got to see him play at the Camp Nou. “It’s like something from a movie.”

The next step on the Hollywood script would be for Pedri to make his mark on the World Cup and propel himself into the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or – the prize for the best player on the planet.

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente certainly has no doubt that Pedri deserves to be recognised among the world’s best.

“We don’t know what his best version is because he’s so good,” said De la Fuente, whose side are unbeaten in 31 competitive games heading into the World Cup. “He is limitless.”

Spain begin their World Cup campaign against debutants Cape Verde in Atlanta on Monday.

They will also face Saudi Arabia and two-time winners Uruguay in Group H. — AFP

MORELIA, June 11 — Five Mexican police officers were shot dead and five others wounded yesterday in violence-hit Michoacan state on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, local authorities said.

The officers were attacked by unknown assailants in an Indigenous region of the western state, which is plagued by cartel violence, the state government reported.

The pickup truck they were traveling in was riddled with bullet holes, according to images obtained by AFP.

The attack took place in the municipality of Nahuatzen, a region inhabited by the Purepecha people where the powerful Jalisco New Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates.

In May, the brazen murder of a small-city mayor, allegedly by the CJNG, prompted angry protests targeting symbols of the state, which many residents accused of failing to combat spiralling violence.

Michoacan’s capital Morelia is situated around 300 kilometers from both Mexico City and fellow World Cup host city Guadalajara.

The state’s security department said police were searching for the perpetrators of Wednesday’s attack.

Mexico’s government insists that there is no security threat to visiting World Cup fans.

Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and the United States. — AFP

Lexar has partnered with the Argentine Football Association ahead of this summer's World Cup to launch a storage collection range branded with the reigning champions' famous soccer jersey.

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With matches in 16 cities across the US, Mexico and Canada, players and fans face an array of weather-related challenges

With the 2026 World Cup now under way, all 48 teams face a common opposition: summer weather across North America. Matches will be played in 16 cities, from southern Mexico to Canada, with a range of weather risks possible at each venue.

Thunderstorms disrupted play before the tournament had even begun. England’s warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando was delayed by about an hour after storms brought lightning and heavy rain that waterlogged the pitch. Safety regulations at US venues mean play is suspended when lightning is recorded within roughly 8 miles of a stadium, not resuming until 30 minutes after the last strike.