Nigerian Afrobeats sensation, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has been named among an all-star lineup of global music stars set to headline the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

Joining him on stage at the Los Angeles Stadium are South African star Tyla, American rapper Future, pop icon Katy Perry, Brazilian singer Anitta and BLACKPINK member LISA.

FIFA disclosed this in a statement posted on its official handle on Saturday.

According to the football governing body, three opening ceremonies will be held separately across the three host countries, with the United States’ celebration scheduled for Friday, June 12, 2026.

The ceremonies will also hold on June 11 in Mexico City and on June 12 in Toronto, Canada.

FIFA said the celebration would combine football, music and entertainment in what it described as a “historic summer” across the North American countries.

“For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, a new benchmark will be set as three spectacular opening ceremonies unfold across Mexico City (11 June), Toronto and Los Angeles (12 June), as Canada, Mexico and the United States come together to launch the greatest show on earth,” the statement read.

It added, “Global superstars Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla will headline the celebrations in Los Angeles, with additional world-renowned artists still to be announced.

“Together, they will bring the sound of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to life for a global audience, delivering a high-energy spectacle that reflects the scale, ambition and cultural power of the tournament itself,” it added.

The organisation also stated that the Los Angeles ceremony would begin 90 minutes before kick-off, with fans encouraged to arrive early for pre-match entertainment and activities.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the lineup reflected the cultural diversity of the United States and the unifying power of music.

“This opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become.

“The lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture, while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country,” Infantino said.

FIFA also announced that the ceremony would be produced in partnership with Balich Wonder Studio and would feature large-scale visuals, immersive storytelling and live performances centred around the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a record 104 matches across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The tournament will begin on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City and end with the final on July 19, 2026, at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

Aprokorepublic

Nigeria has set a new African record in the mixed 4×100 meters relay race.

The quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Omokwe blitzed to the record time of 40.24 seconds on Saturday in one of the event’s heats at the World Athletics Relays in Gabrone, Botswana.

Nigeria finished fourth in the race but reached the relay final after securing one of the two non-automatic qualification spots. As a result, the athletes booked the country’s place in the mixed 4×100 relay at the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

The final of the mixed 4x100m will be held on Sunday at 4:05 pm Nigerian time.

However, Nigeria failed to make the final in the five other events.

The team finished fifth in the men’s 4x100m, while the women did not finish after a baton exchange howler. The women’s team was depleted by
the late withdrawal of Rosemary Chukwuma, Blessings Ogundiran and Anita Enaruna.

In the 4x400m races, Nigeria finished third in the mixed category, and the men’s and women’s teams finished sixth in their respective heats.

Nigeria will have another opportunity to try for tickets to the World Athletics Championships in the repechages on Sunday.

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Brazil forward Endrick has revealed that he does not want his child to follow his footsteps by playing football because he wants them to have a ‘peaceful life.’

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian UK, the Lyon forward, who is currently on loan from Real Madrid, highlighted the intense pressure and toxic nature of professional football, stating it is “not a nice place.”

He further expressed a preference for his future child to pursue careers in medicine or law.

The 19-year-old is expecting a child with his wife Gabriely at the end of the year, and even with the couple unaware of the baby’s sex, the player has insisted he doesn’t want them to follow in his footsteps in football.

“I hope he or she becomes a great person, a great human being. And that he sees me off the pitch as a normal person, not as Endrick the footballer. Football isn’t a nice place. It’s a very tough environment. I hope he or she becomes a lawyer, a doctor or anything else, and can be happy in his own world,” he said.

Furthermore, he also cited handling social media, criticism, and injuries as reasons for his remark, reflecting on the harsh conditions attached to professional football.

“I had a complicated injury and lost a lot of time. It kept me away from many matches, training and work. I couldn’t compete. When you get injured, you lose everything. You lose the chance to fight for a place. These are things beyond my control.”

“I was really afraid. I cried several times. That’s something you do in private. I didn’t know how to deal with my injury, what to expect. You don’t know if you’ll have a relapse, if you’ll keep your strength, if you’ll come back weaker. That affects you a lot. You get scared of the future. But I knew I had to keep going. If I’d had another injury, I’d have gone through the whole process again. I knew that when I came back, I’d have to give it my best,” he added.

Endrick also thanked Jude Bellingham for making him feel welcome and supporting him during his initial struggles at Real Madrid.

“Bellingham was really important to me. He made me feel welcome at the club. I didn’t speak English very well, but he spoke to me, tried to speak a bit of Spanish, was by my side and gave me advice.

“His friendship was important to me in my beginning at Real Madrid. That really had an impact on me. I had a certain impression of him before I arrived, but he was completely different. He’s an incredible player and an incredible person too, especially when it comes to friendship. That’s what impressed me the most about him,” he said.

After stalling at Real Madrid, where he played only three times in six months, Endrick has found form on loan at Lyon and is desperate to make Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad.

He added, “My first desire is to play the World Cup. I need to be there. That’s my first thought. Before thinking about the title, I need to do my job well at Lyon. I’m focused here. I need to play well in these remaining games to secure my place. My dream is to play the World Cup and help my country. I’ll do my best to help Brazil.”

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FIFA is considering a significant change to its disciplinary rules ahead of the expanded FIFA World Cup, aiming to reduce the number of players suspended for accumulated yellow cards

As reported by BBC Sport on Monday, the proposal would introduce a second amnesty point in the tournament, wiping all yellow cards at the end of the group stage as well as after the quarter-finals.

Under current regulations, players are suspended after receiving two yellow cards across a sequence of matches, a system that can see key players miss crucial knockout fixtures.

With the World Cup set to grow from 32 to 48 teams, the number of matches required to reach the latter stages will increase. Teams will need to play an additional round, meaning players could feature in up to six matches before the semi-finals. FIFA believes this raises the risk of suspensions for relatively minor offences, with more players potentially missing high-stakes games.

Rather than increasing the suspension threshold to three yellow cards, FIFA officials feel introducing two cut-off points is a fairer solution. Under the proposed system, players would need to receive two bookings within a shorter span of matches—either during the group stage or across the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—to trigger a ban.

The change is designed to preserve discipline while ensuring that major matches are less likely to be decided by the absence of top players due to accumulated cautions.

The proposal is expected to be discussed at an upcoming FIFA Council meeting, where a final decision on the rule adjustment could be made.

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The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has approached William Osula over a possible switch to represent the Super Eagles.

Osula, who is currently on the books of the Premier League club Newcastle United, is eligible to represent Nigeria through his father.

The 22-year-old was born to a Danish mother, and French-Nigerian father.

The striker has always identified with his Nigerian roots, even though he has featured for Denmark at the youth level.

Osula earned his first Denmark’s senior invitation for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March, but failed to make an appearance for the country.

Football journalist, Farzam Abolhosseini reported on X that the NFF has already made initial contact with the forward.

It remains to be seen if Osula will be willing to represent Nigeria at the senior level.

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Chelsea Football Club have sacked Head Coach Liam Rosenior following a run of bad results, the latest being a 3-0 loss to Brighton on Tuesday night.

The club expressed gratitude for Rosenior’s professionalism and integrity since his appointment midway through the season, but acknowledged that recent performances have not met expectations.

Calum McFarlane has been named Interim Head Coach until the end of the campaign, supported by Chelsea’s existing backroom staff. The club emphasized its focus on securing European qualification and progressing in the FA Cup.

Chelsea confirmed that the decision was not taken lightly and that a long-term appointment process will follow, aimed at bringing stability to the managerial role.

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The World Athletics (WA) has ruled against Favour Ofili’s attempt to switch national allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) announced the WA ruling in a statement on Thursday.

The WA’s national review panel rejected Ofili’s application because it was part of attempts by the Turkish Athletics Federation (TAF) to “induce recruited athletes to switch nationality abruptly and primarily for mercenary reasons.”

Ofili was one of eleven foreign athletes whose applications were submitted by Turkey to WA for allegiance switch.

In its ruling, WA said Turkey’s recruitment process undermines the integrity of national competitions and discourages countries from developing homegrown talent.

The athletics governing body added that the attempt also risks replacing local talent with imported competitors.

Ofili began the process of her nationality switch in 2025. The 23-year-old’s decision followed her accusations of neglect and career sabotage against AFN.

Ofili could not participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics because the Nigerian Olympic authorities failed to inform her of the minimum drug-testing requirements for competing in the event.

Another administrative error prevented Ofili from representing Nigeria in the 100m event four years later at Paris 2024, as the Athletics Federation of Nigeria failed to submit her name on time.

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Iran and Egypt have jointly raised objections to plans by local organisers in the United States to brand their 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage clash as an LGBTQ-themed “Pride Match.”

The match, scheduled to take place in Seattle, Washington, on June 26, was earlier announced by the local organising committee as part of the city’s annual Pride Weekend celebrations.

However, following last week’s World Cup draw that placed both nations in the same group, officials in Tehran and Cairo have formally rejected any attempt to associate the fixture with LGBTQ support activities.

President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, told Iran’s ISNA news agency that both countries had lodged objections, describing the planned branding as an “irrational move that supports a certain group.” Iranian state television also reported that Tehran intends to submit an appeal to FIFA.

Homosexuality is criminalised in Iran under Islamic law. In Egypt, while not explicitly outlawed, same-sex relations are frequently prosecuted under laws relating to “debauchery.”

In a separate statement, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said it had written to FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom, rejecting “in absolute terms” any activities linked to LGBTQ advocacy during the match. The EFA argued that such initiatives conflict with the “cultural, religious and social values” of both nations and insisted the event should remain strictly focused on football.

The Egyptian federation also referenced FIFA’s statutes on political and social neutrality, saying matches should not be used to promote causes deemed sensitive or divisive.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico will mark Iran’s seventh appearance at the tournament. The country has no diplomatic relations with the United States, a rift that dates back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent hostage crisis.

Iran had initially threatened to boycott the tournament draw due to visa restrictions affecting members of its delegation, before later reversing the decision.

Meanwhile, Taj disclosed that some Iranian players could face visa complications linked to their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which the U.S. designated a terrorist organisation in 2019. He said contingency plans were being made to ensure the team can field replacements if needed.

AFP

Key stakeholders in Nigerian volleyball have renewed calls for stronger involvement of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) in the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA), as the 27th edition concluded in Jos.

Although the volleyball event was not on the NVBF’s official calendar, senior officials of the federation, including Technical Director Timothy Samuel, were on ground to assess proceedings. Samuel commended the organisation but noted that earlier engagement with the federation could have strengthened the technical quality of the competition.

NVBF North Central Zonal Representative, Bolcit Barshep-Amakiri, acknowledged logistical constraints but said the standard of play remained encouraging. She regretted the absence of national coaches, noting that several emerging talents went unscouted because the federation was not formally integrated into the process.

National Beach Volleyball Coach, John Iwerima, stressed that the federation has historically supported NUGA, citing past editions where equipment and technical backing were provided. He praised the atmosphere at the Naraguta Campus venue and urged stakeholders to build on the momentum ahead of Calabar 2026.

Chairman of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Sports Council, Prof. Dereck Orji, described volleyball as one of Nigeria’s fastest-rising sports and called for university competitions to be upgraded to national standards. He emphasised the need for early talent recruitment and sustained private-sector involvement.

Nasarawa State University won gold in the men’s event, while Bayero University Kano clinched the women’s title.