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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than a year away from the opening match in Mexico’s Estadio Azteca, kicking off the first FIFA World Cup that will be hosted by three nations.
After Canada, the United States and Mexico qualified as host nations, 12 nations remain fighting it out for three automatic qualifying positions. Below are all four teams in Group A and their form heading into the final qualification stage.
Panama
Panama are strong favourites to qualify for what would be only their second FIFA World Cup.
Their only previous appearance came in 2018, when they placed second in the fourth round of CONCACAF qualifying, behind Costa Rica, and thus qualified for the final round, known as the ‘Hexagonal’.
Due to the United States losing away to Trinidad and Tobago in the final match of the ‘Hexagonal’, and Honduras’ 3-2 win over Mexico not being enough, Panama snatched the final qualification spot.
They were placed in group G, however, placed as the worst team in the tournament, losing 3-0 to Belgium in their first-ever World Cup game, 6-1 to England and a narrow 2-1 loss to Tunisia in the final group match.
Los Canaleros, which translates to the Canal Men, is ranked as the 33rd-best team in the world and is managed by former Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen. Christiansen was appointed in 2020.
Panama has been in incredible form. In last year’s Copa America held in the United States, Christiansen’s side finished second in the group, placing above and knocking out Bolivia and the United States.
More recently, Panama, also on US soil, reached the final of the Concacaf Nations League, beating Costa Rica in the quarter-finals over two legs and the United States in the semi-final.
This came through a 90+4th minute strike-through Cecilio Waterman, who is the striker for Chilean league leaders Coquimbo Unido.
El Salvador
El Salvador have qualified for the FIFA World Cup in two editions, in 1970 and 1982. In both editions, they were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.
Los Cuscatlecos are currently ranked as the 81st-best side in the world. They qualified for the final round after finishing as the runners-up in Group F, behind Suriname.
That being said, Los Cuscatlecos are in good form, going unbeaten in their last five matches, scoring in each match. Albeit, this is to weaker opposition.
They are under the management of 69-year-old Hernán Gomez, who was appointed by the El Salvador Football Association earlier this year.
Gomez has formerly managed other national teams such as his home nation of Colombia between 1995-1998 and 2010-2011, Ecuador between 1999-2004 and 2018-2019 and Honduras between 2021-2022.
He was also the manager for Panama between 2014-2018, where he led Los Canaleros to their first-ever FIFA World Cup.
Los Cuscatlecos will compete in the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer, in Group B alongside the 2026 World Cup co-host nations Canada, Honduras and Curacao.
Guatemala
Guatemala is the 106th best-ranked nation according to the FIFA Men’s World Rankings and is aiming to qualify for its first-ever FIFA World Cup.
Despite never qualifying for a previous tournament, La Furia Azul has reached the final round of qualification on four occasions. They have also qualified for the Gold Cup 20 times, winning it once in 1967.
Guatemala is managed by Luis Fernando Tena, the former Mexican caretaker manager in 2013. Tena has also managed top Mexican sides such as C.D. Guadalajara, Club América and Cruz Azul on four occasions.
La Furia Azul finished third in Group A Round 1 of the CONCACAF Nations League, placing behind Costa Rica and Suriname, with the latter they were level on points.
In their last five matches in all competitions, Guatemala have only won twice.
They are in Group C of the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer, in a group containing Jamaica, Panama and Guadeloupe, who are unbeaten in four of their last five matches.
Suriname
Suriname is the second-lowest-ranked side left in the final stage of qualification according to the FIFA Men’s World Rankings.
The nation, which competes within the North American football confederation despite being situated within the continent of South America, is ranked as the 137th best ranked side in the world, just below Botswana and the Central African Republic.
They are managed by Stanley Menzo, a former goalkeeper who spent a decade at Ajax, appearing in more than 300 official matches for the club.
Within this spell, Menzo won nine major honours. He also represented the Netherlands in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1992, albeit failed to make an appearance.
This is Menzo’s second spell managing Suriname, returning to “De Natio” in 2024 after a short spell managing Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan.
Suriname has been in great form, finishing top of Group F in CONCACAF’s second qualifying round, winning three games and drawing one. They even finished above El Salvador, the 81st-best-ranked team in the world.
On top of this, Suriname finished second in the CONCACAF Nations League, just behind World Cup ever-present Costa Rica. Despite this, they lost 4-0 on aggregate to Canada who have been in fantastic form following the appointment of Jesse Marsch.
That being said, “De Natio” has been in fantastic form recently. They will compete in the Gold Cup this summer alongside Costa Rica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic in Group A.
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Minus goalie Stefan Frei, Sounders to take on Sporting KC
The Seattle Sounders will be without their captain when they travel to Kansas City, Kan. to face Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei was injured late in second-half stoppage time in a 1-1 draw with the visiting Columbus Crew last Sunday and is in the league's concussion protocol. Andrew Thomas will start for Frei as the fifth-place Sounders (8-6-6, 30 points) attempt to move up the Western Conference standings. Sporting KC (6-10-5, 23 points) are in 11th place, three points out of a playoff spot. "We all know the risk that we run when we step on the field," Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas said. "It comes with the job. Stef is a symbol of what we're all supposed to be. He puts his body on the line for the team, and he would do it again if the play was there." Saturday will mark the Sounders' first road game since June 8 at Vancouver, as Seattle played three FIFA Club World Cup matches at home, plus MLS games against Austin FC (a 2-0 victory) and Columbus. "It's always tough to go (to Kansas City) in the summer, especially. It's gonna be hot, it's gonna be humid," Sounders forward Jordan Morris said. "They started off the season a little bit rough, but they've turned things around." This will be the first time since the Sounders joined MLS in 2009 that they'll face Sporting KC without Peter Vermes on the hosts' sideline. Vermes, who started coaching that season, was let go earlier this year. Thanks to forward Dejan Joveljic, who is tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals, Kansas City is 6-5-4 under interim coach Kerry Zavagnin. Joveljic opened the scoring in a 2-1 victory July 4 at Colorado, extending SKC's unbeaten streak to three matches (2-0-1). "Each week we've taken a few steps forward," Zavagnin said, "and that's put us in a better position than we were a few months ago."
Mavs' Cooper Flagg speaks out after Summer League debut
Dallas Mavericks rookie and No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg contributed 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes in his Las Vegas Summer League debut Thursday as the Mavericks edged the Los Angeles Lakers 87-85. Flagg added three steals and a block. He went scoreless during the second half and finished 5-for-21 from the floor. "Not up to my standard, but I'm going to regroup; I'm going to be all right," Flagg told ESPN postgame. "This is a new feeling, new environment, new teammates, but the guys settled down." Lakers second-year guard Bronny James missed a potential go-ahead trey in the closing seconds. Los Angeles' Cole Swider led all scorers with 22 points to go with 10 rebounds. Ryan Nembhard paced Dallas with 21 points and Miles Kelly followed with 17. The main attraction, though, was undeniable. Fans at the Thomas Mack Center buzzed when Flagg got touches as well as during his early, sporadic defensive matchups against James, who scored his team's first five points and finished with eight. Speaking during halftime of ESPN's broadcast, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd lauded Flagg's moxie during his unofficial professional debut. "I think when you have someone like Cooper who can handle, who can shoot, who can pass, you want the ball in his hands," Kidd said. "He's a great decision-maker. He did that at Duke and also in high school. So, you get to see it tonight. He's going to have some mistakes. We all did; we all threw it in the stands once in a while, but I think just his poise as an 18-year-old is incredible." Dalton Knecht (15 points) and DJ Steward (14) also scored in double figures for the Lakers. Darius Bazley grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Lakers defenders double-teamed Flagg upon receiving a pass in the backcourt after Dallas won the opening tip. Addressing the sequence at halftime, Kidd said, "I think that's out of respect." Flagg missed his first two field goal attempts but found his rhythm following a short breather in the first quarter. He scored six straight Mavericks points between the 4:35 and 2:49 mark, netting his first field goal on a running, one-hand dunk after securing a steal at the other end of the floor. Flagg shot 5-for-15 in the first half with three rebounds and one assist. "He's handled the ball, he's gotten wide-open shots for teammates, he's finished," Kidd said. "I think you've seen a lot of what he can do in this league."
Chargers RB Najee Harris injured in fireworks incident
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New England Patriots Linked to Trading Intriguing Player Before 2025 Season
The New England Patriots are closing in on the start of training camp after having a very aggressive offseason. Everything started with management’s decision to fire Jerod Mayo from his position of head coach immediately after the final game of the 2024 NFL season. To replace him, the Patriots quickly moved on Mike Vrabel and brought him back to New England to be the team’s new head coach. After that, the Patriots focused on roster moves. They brought in quite a few new pieces, including key players like Stefon Diggs, Harold Landry III, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis III, Morgan Moses, Milton Williams, and Mack Hollins. With the season coming up quickly, a surprising player has come up as a potential trade candidate for New England. New England Patriots Linked to Trading Intriguing Player Before 2025 Season Enzo Flojo of ClutchPoints has suggested that veteran running back Antonio Gibson could be a trade candidate. The move would make sense, as the Patriots have both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson ahead of him on the depth chart. “From a strategic standpoint, moving Gibson could net the Patriots a mid-to-late round draft pick and open up opportunities for their young backs to shine,” Flojo wrote. “For a team in transition, these are the kinds of calculated moves that could pay dividends both now and in the future.” Gibson played a decent sized role for New England during the 2024 season. He appeared in 17 games. During those 17 appearances, Gibson carried the football 120 times for 538 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He also caught 23 passes for 206 yards. While this is just an idea with no reporting about the Patriots actually looking to trade Gibson, it’s something to keep an eye on. If Henderson lives up to the hype and is ready to play right off the bat, Gibson would become much more expendable. Expect to hear rumors around the NFL start picking up in the near future. As training camp and preseason action heats up, New England might start getting calls with interest in players like Gibson.
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