The closer it gets to summer season, the more people around the globe become interested in the sport of football and more precisely – the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The upcoming tournament will take place for the first time in the 48-country format which is why many are already starting to wonder how it will be prepared and organized. Recently, Mexico City was visited by the FIFA delegation who inspected one of the tournament venues – Estadio Azteca. Not long ago the famous venue underwent significant renovations for what will be its third opening match hosting.
The month of April brought new events that show the tournament is becoming closer. Late March and early April were dedicated to the inspections of the new stadiums by the FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The tour came to the end with the official opening ceremony of the famous and historic Colossus of Santa Úrsula.
Testing the Waters in Orlando and Beyond
Meanwhile, all the participating teams are trying to find the most effective way of preparing for the competition. This month, on April 9th, the English Football Association made an important decision. The “Three Lions” will travel to the United States for their pre-tournament games. One of the matches is planned to take place in Orlando City where the team will play a friendly against Costa Rica in Inter&Co Stadium.
This move is not accidental since there is a growing tendency in the international football to organize so-called “southern camps” in the United States for the purposes of warming up to the North American climate. Choosing Florida and Kansas City for the basecamp means that the English coach Thomas Tuchel has found the right place for the intensive training process that awaits him. “Inter&Co Stadium offers an electric atmosphere,” commented President of Business Operations for Orlando City Jarrod Dillon.
The Human Cost of the Countdown
Not everything is going smoothly however. At the end of March, a huge shock was announced to the world football community. The United States forward Patrick Agyemang suffered from a career-ending ankle injury during the practice on April 7th. The player was immediately excluded from the squad of American footballers, reminding everyone of the fragility of the World Cup ambitions and how easily can the dream of competing in the tournament slip away because of injuries.
As for the coaching side, on April 5th, Gennaro Gattuso resigned from the position of the head coach of Italy after failing to lead the team into the tournament. On the other hand, Infantino recently had a meeting with the President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussing the country’s “surprise” football prospects.
As we approach the mid-month point, it is worth mentioning that the FIFA World Cup becomes a reality more and more every day. The new stadiums are almost completed while the players still have some time to make sure they stay fit enough for the tournament.