World Cup Daily Report - 2026-05-07

Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said he will meet FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the next three or four days to seek assurances that Iran will be respected at the 2026 World Cup in the United States. Canada, which is co-hosting the tournament with the U.S. and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, refused Taj entry last week because of his links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, escalating the diplomatic tension around Iran's build-up.

Taj has already warned Iran could pull out if FIFA cannot guarantee respect for the country's institutions in the U.S., where the team will be based and play all of its matches. That makes this more than a routine administrative dispute: it is now a direct participation issue for one of the tournament's qualified teams.

President Donald Trump criticized the cost of World Cup tickets after learning that American fans are being quoted four-figure prices even for the cheapest seats at some matches. In a phone interview with The New York Post, Trump said, 'I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn't pay it either,' a comment that added political heat to an already angry debate over FIFA's pricing.

Multiple reports on May 7 highlighted the same backlash, with one article noting that 75 percent of group-stage tickets cost more than $300 and another describing fans who paid premium prices only to receive disappointing seat assignments. The criticism is especially sharp because the tournament is being staged in North America, where FIFA is trying to sell the event as more accessible than previous editions.

Adidas launched its 'Backyard Legends' World Cup campaign film on May 7, bringing together Lionel Messi, Bad Bunny and Timothée Chalamet in a five-minute street-football story designed to build hype for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Other stars including David Beckham, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Trinity Rodman and Zinedine Zidane also feature across the campaign, giving the ad unusual crossover power between football, music and film.

The campaign matters because it is one of the first major global marketing pushes of the final countdown to the 2026 World Cup, which is about a month away. By centering a neighborhood game rather than a stadium spectacle, Adidas is selling the tournament as culturally mainstream and youth-driven, with Messi and Bad Bunny providing the star pull and Chalamet giving it Hollywood reach.

Shakira announced on May 7 that she will provide the soundtrack for the 2026 World Cup, teasing a new track called 'Dai Dai'. The 49-year-old Colombian star has long been associated with football's biggest stage, and her return gives FIFA a globally recognized anthem as the tournament heads toward its June start across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The music announcement is significant because World Cup campaigns often lean on an anthem to define the emotional identity of the event. With Shakira fronting the project again, FIFA gets instant nostalgia and international reach, especially in Latin America and among fans who remember her previous tournament-era crossover hits.

Ronaldinho was in Toronto on May 7 promoting Friday night's Living Legends Match at BMO Field, where Brazilian greats will face former Toronto FC players. He appeared alongside Adriano and said the city had earned a gold star despite the colder weather, turning the event into a nostalgic pre-World Cup celebration rather than a competitive fixture.

The match is being used as a test event ahead of the tournament, giving organizers a chance to stage a high-profile football occasion before the World Cup arrives. Ronaldinho's presence matters because it helps connect local promotion with global star power, a useful formula for building attention in a host market that will be central to the summer's atmosphere.

Canada enters Group B with Switzerland, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the pressure is on the co-hosts to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. All three of Canada's group matches will be played on home soil, which should create large red-clad crowds and a real advantage if the team can handle the expectation.

The preview is important because Canada is one of the tournament's host nations but still carries the burden of proving it belongs among the world's established sides. A breakthrough at home would be a milestone for Canadian soccer, while failure would keep the narrative focused on potential rather than progress.