Carib Scope

博客

  • Mbappe, Dembele head up France squad for 2026 World Cup

    Mbappe, Dembele head up France squad for 2026 World Cup

    PARIS, France – Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, French national team head coach Didier Deschamps has officially announced his 26-man roster for the tournament, with superstar forward Kylian Mbappe set to lead the side in what will be Deschamps’ final major competition in charge.

    The 2018 World Cup-winning coach, who will step down from his post following this summer’s tournament, delivered a largely predictable squad list when speaking to reporters Thursday, with few unexpected calls or omissions that shook up pre-tournament speculation.

    Despite sustaining a thigh injury last month that forced him to sit out several critical closing matches of Real Madrid’s La Liga campaign, 27-year-old Mbappe has secured his place in the squad and is widely expected to wear the captain’s armband for Les Bleus. He will anchor a star-studded attacking unit that also includes reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Paris Saint-Germain’s exciting young prospect Desire Doue, and Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.

    One of the most notable first-time call-ups goes to 22-year-old playmaker Rayan Cherki, who capped a standout debut season with English Premier League side Manchester City by earning his spot in the World Cup roster. On the defensive end, Arsenal’s William Saliba, another French talent plying his trade in the Premier League, has been tapped to bring physical stability and organizational leadership to the backline.

    Only four players from Deschamps’ 2018 World Cup-winning squad in Russia will return for this edition: full-back Lucas Hernandez, defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante, Mbappe, and Dembele. Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser stands as the only uncapped player included in the final selection, a surprise rise for the young shot-stopper who has impressed domestically this season.

    Deschamps emphasized in an interview with French broadcaster TF1 that roster construction prioritized collective fit over individual talent, saying: “It’s a squad. Not necessarily the 26 best players. It’s about balance and how the team comes together.”

    A handful of high-profile players missed out on selection, most notably Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. Chevalier moved to the Parc des Princes in a high-profile summer transfer from Lille last year, but has failed to unseat the starter and now sits as second-choice at the club. Deschamps acknowledged Camavinga’s likely disappointment, noting the midfielder struggled through an injury-plagued season with limited playing time at his club. “I’ve got decisions to make and a squad to put together,” he added.

    Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike was also not considered for selection, after a season-ending Achilles injury ruled him out in April. For Deschamps, this announcement marks the seventh and final major tournament squad he will select as France’s head coach, ending a 14-year tenure in charge of the national side. Addressing speculation about his post-tournament plans, he downplayed concerns: “It’s been part of my life for 14 years running. But if people are worried, I’m not retiring [from public life]. I’ll have a life of my own. The World Cup is the most important thing right now.”

    France will kick off their Group I campaign on June 16 against Senegal, before subsequent group stage matches against Iraq and Norway as they aim to lift their third World Cup title in 18 years.

    ### Full 2026 France World Cup Squad
    **Goalkeepers**: Mike Maignan (AC Milan, Italy), Robin Risser (Lens, France), Brice Samba (Rennes, France)
    **Defenders**: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa, England), Malo Gusto (Chelsea, England), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool, England), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace, England), Jules Kounde (Barcelona, Spain), William Saliba (Arsenal, England), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich, Germany)
    **Midfielders**: N’Golo Kante (Fenerbahce, Turkey), Manu Kone (Roma, Italy), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan, Italy), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid, Spain), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
    **Forwards**: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco, France), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City, England), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, Germany), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, Spain), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace, England), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan, Italy)

  • Residents of Draxhall Country Club frustrated with board over ‘poor governance’

    Residents of Draxhall Country Club frustrated with board over ‘poor governance’

    A simmering conflict over mismanagement and lack of transparency has erupted into open crisis at the exclusive Drax Hall Country Club gated community in Jamaica’s St Ann parish, where disgruntled homeowners say years of flawed governance have created a toxic living environment that has pushed multiple residents to sell their properties and prompted one homeowner to file a major lawsuit seeking accountability.

    For successive boards of the community’s Homeowners Association (HOA), dysfunction has been the norm, according to Dr. Tanika O’Connor Dennie, a homeowner and former 2021 HOA board member who has been a leading voice for reform. She told Jamaica’s Observer Online that the pattern of exclusion and opaque decision-making stretches back to her tenure on the board, when the newly selected chair unilaterally cut off all other board members from shared official email accounts, blocking access to financial records and core community updates. A small clique of five board members held informal pre-meetings to pre-determine outcomes on key votes and decisions, shutting out the two members pushing for open communication and full transparency, she explained.

    That culture of closed-door governance has carried over to the current board chaired by Andrew Sewell, O’Connor Dennie alleges, with financial records restricted to a tiny circle of insiders. Critics who demand accountability and transparency are targeted with personal attacks rather than professional responses, she claims, while board members improperly use official community resources for personal gain and conduct association business via private email accounts to avoid public scrutiny.

    The HOA’s election process is also rigged to entrench the current clique in power, according to O’Connor Dennie. Board members rely on a proxy voting system that allows them to canvass disengaged homeowners who do not participate in the community’s WhatsApp group and are unaware of ongoing disputes or governance issues. In many cases, insiders effectively select their own candidates by securing blank proxy votes from uninformed residents, she says, ensuring they retain control of the board year after year.

    Beyond the procedural dysfunction, homeowners say the HOA’s mismanagement has left critical long-standing infrastructure issues unresolved, putting the community’s reputation and property values at risk. A key perimeter wall was damaged years ago, O’Connor Dennie notes, and despite repeated resident requests, no repairs have been completed. Unnecessary spending has also drained community funds that could have been allocated to critical repairs, while qualified board members who could drive progress have been pushed out over personality conflicts.

    Another resident, Sandra Williams, pointed to a recent 35 percent jump in monthly maintenance fees over a short period that has left homeowners paying far more with no visible improvements to community services. Maintenance fees have risen from $8,500 to $13,000 Jamaican dollars in recent increments, Williams says, but residents have no way to track how their money is being spent. She questioned a $420,000 monthly landscaping contract, noting that most on-site work is completed by the community’s own employees, with only a single external worker performing basic lawn mowing. Residents who ask for details about spending are harassed and gaslit on community chat groups, she says, while long-overdue repairs to the community’s main access road remain unfinished.

    Williams added that widespread frustration has already driven residents away, with some selling properties at below-market rates just to escape the toxic environment created by ongoing governance conflicts. Many absentee homeowners choose only to rent out their properties rather than engage with the HOA, she says, after growing tired of fighting for reform that never comes. Repeated formal complaints and letters to the HOA board have yielded no changes, leaving most residents feeling powerless to address the issues.

    Misha Powell, an attorney and Drax Hall homeowner who practices in the United States, has taken matters into her own hands, filing a 2025 lawsuit against Draxhall Country Club Limited and multiple current and former HOA directors over ongoing breaches of governance rules. The lawsuit is currently working its way through the Jamaican court system, and Powell says her goal is to force HOA leaders to adhere to legal and procedural rules, and to make clear that unaccountable governance can result in personal financial penalties for directors.

    Powell echoed other residents’ claims of critical unresolved infrastructure issues, including the collapsed perimeter wall. She alleges that the board was warned of structural weaknesses in the wall years before Hurricane Melissa brought it down, and has since refused to commission a structural engineer to assess and repair the damage, leaving that section of the community perimeter compromised. She also pointed to a raw sewage issue that she flagged for the board more than four years ago, when she was still a director. At the time, the board reached out to the community developer, Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and other experts to develop a repair plan, but when the next board took over, the issue was abandoned entirely and no work has been completed to date.

    Powell is now calling on Jamaican policymakers to introduce comprehensive, national legislation to regulate gated communities and strengthen oversight to protect homeowners, particularly as more Jamaicans living overseas plan to return to the country for permanent retirement and residency.

    As of press time, Observer Online reports that multiple attempts to reach HOA chair Andrew Sewell via phone and text for comment on the allegations have gone unanswered.

  • Lifting Cuba blockade ‘simpler’ way to help than aid, says president

    Lifting Cuba blockade ‘simpler’ way to help than aid, says president

    HAVANA, Cuba – In a pointed rebuke of Washington’s latest policy toward the Caribbean island, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel publicly called on the United States Thursday to abandon its decades-long economic blockade of Cuba, arguing that lifting the restrictive trade measures would address the country’s deepening hardship far more effectively than the conditional aid package recently proposed by US authorities.

  • Kintyre Holdings expands manufacturing capacity with new chemical plant and water bottling assets

    Kintyre Holdings expands manufacturing capacity with new chemical plant and water bottling assets

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica-based investment firm Kintyre Holdings Limited has closed a strategic $40 million-plus all-equity acquisition that adds three key operational assets to its fast-growing manufacturing subsidiary, BOLD Manufacturing & Distribution. The transaction encompasses a functional chemical manufacturing facility, a fully outfitted five-gallon water bottling plant with integrated purification technology, and an existing white label production contract for chemical manufacturing, marking another major milestone in the subsidiary’s rapid expansion trajectory.

    Unlike many early-stage acquisitions that require years of ramp-up to generate income, all newly purchased assets are already revenue-generating, company officials confirmed in a Thursday press release. The acquired chemical plant will immediately support production of industrial and consumer chemical products, which will be distributed through existing partner Miracle Corporation alongside a pipeline of new distribution agreements being developed across high-priority regional markets.

    The addition of the five-gallon water bottling operation expands BOLD Manufacturing’s growing presence in Jamaica’s expanding domestic water distribution market, building on a separate acquisition the firm announced in recent months. That earlier purchase added a fully automated small-format bottling facility capable of end-to-end production of 500ml, 750ml, and 1-litre bottled water. Industry projections estimate the new small-format plant can support $75 million worth of 500ml bottled water output per month, cementing BOLD’s status as a fast-rising competitor in Jamaica’s manufacturing and consumer goods sectors.

    Taken together, the two acquisitions have allowed BOLD to transition to a fully vertically integrated manufacturing structure, cutting direct production costs significantly while boosting operational efficiency, production scalability, and end-to-end product quality control.

    Adrian Smith, Kintyre’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer who also serves as head of BOLD Manufacturing & Distribution, highlighted that the subsidiary has already begun generating revenue from the new assets, with products already on retail shelves across Jamaican markets. “We remain extremely bullish on expanding our manufacturing capabilities and delivering high-quality products to consumers while building a scalable and sustainable operation,” Smith said. “These acquisitions position us to lower operating costs, strengthen our supply chain and accelerate our long-term growth strategy.”

    Smith emphasized that Kintyre’s core strategy centers on building tangible, income-generating assets that deliver sustained value for shareholders while expanding domestic manufacturing capacity across Jamaica. Donovan White, a director on Kintyre Holdings’ board, said the leadership team has already met all performance targets laid out for BOLD Manufacturing last year, earning full board confidence.

    “The Board of Kintyre Holdings is very satisfied with the direction the company is headed in, and BOLD Manufacturing is meeting the targets that were presented to the board of directors last year,” White noted. “We continue to support and advise the leadership team of Kintyre as the company builds out a diversified investment holding company with strong growth potential.”

    Kintyre officials confirmed the firm is in the final stages of rolling out its expanded manufacturing operations, and remains optimistic that divisional revenue will continue to strengthen in coming quarters. The latest round of acquisitions aligns with the holding company’s long-term vision of building a diversified portfolio of high-performing businesses across manufacturing, consumer goods, and industrial sectors across the Caribbean.

  • Incumbents see vote totals rise as COI support surges at polls

    Incumbents see vote totals rise as COI support surges at polls

    Fresh off Tuesday’s general election in The Bahamas, unofficial vote counting reveals a mixed political landscape where long-serving and sitting parliamentarians have largely held onto their seats, while a rising third party has gained significant traction across multiple constituencies. According to preliminary data compiled and reviewed by The Tribune, many incumbent MPs from both the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the Free National Movement (FNM) not only retained their electoral districts but also grew their raw vote shares compared to the 2021 general election. At the same time, the Coalition of Independents (COI) has recorded substantial gains in nearly every constituency tracked, marking a notable shift in voter sentiment toward alternative political options.

    One of the clearest examples of incumbent growth can be found in the Elizabeth constituency, where PLP incumbent JoBeth Coleby-Davis secured a decisive re-election victory. Across 14 polling divisions, Coleby-Davis captured 2,308 votes, a 22 percent increase from her 2021 total of 1,893 votes when she first ousted then-FNM incumbent Duane Sands. This cycle, she defeated FNM challenger Heather Hunt, who finished with 1,285 votes. Even in this solidly PLP-held seat, the COI saw its support more than double: candidate Donna Dorset Major took 544 votes, up from just 204 votes the party earned in Elizabeth in 2021.

    In Bamboo Town, PLP incumbent Patricia Deveaux successfully defended her seat against FNM chairman Duane Sands, though her vote total dipped slightly to 1,716 from 1,790 in 2021. Deveaux defeated Sands, who earned 1,352 votes, in a high-profile contest that pitted the sitting MP against the FNM’s top party official. For the COI, candidate Maria Daxon — who ran in the constituency in 2021 — saw her support jump nearly 80 percent, rising from 378 votes to 677 this cycle.

    Veteran PLP politician Glenys Hanna Martin secured a historic sixth consecutive term in Englerston, capturing 1,913 votes across 10 polling divisions. While her total was down from 2,249 in 2021, she still won by a wide margin over FNM candidate Heather McDonald (348 votes) and COI contender Faith Percentie (385 votes). The FNM’s vote share in Englerston fell from 498 in 2021, while the COI more than doubled its support, growing from 163 votes to 385 in this election.

    Across multiple FNM-held constituencies, incumbents also grew their support, matching the trend seen in PLP-held seats. In St Anne’s, FNM incumbent Adrian White retained his seat with 2,346 votes, up from 2,007 in 2021. PLP challenger Keno Wong earned 1,402 votes, an increase from the 1,253 votes the PLP took in the district in 2021, while the COI’s Graham Weatherford earned 346 votes, nearly doubling the party’s 2021 total of 172. In Sea Breeze, PLP incumbent Leslia Miller-Brice boosted her vote total from 2,448 in 2021 to 2,911 this cycle, defeating FNM challenger Trevania Clarke-Hall, who earned 929 votes (down from the FNM’s 1,090 in 2021). The COI’s William Knowles took 565 votes, more than doubling the party’s 2021 total of 276 in the district.

    This pattern of growing incumbent support and rising COI support also extends to Grand Bahama, the country’s second-most populous island. In East Grand Bahama, FNM incumbent Kwasi Thompson increased his vote total from 2,090 in 2021 to 2,342 this cycle, edging out PLP challenger Monique Pratt, who earned 1,912 votes — an increase from the PLP’s 1,686 votes in 2021. COI candidate Dexter Edwards earned 498 votes, up from 372 for the party in 2021. In Marco City, FNM leader Michael Pintard secured re-election with 2,534 votes, up from 2,340 in 2021. His PLP challenger Edward Fields II earned 1,399 votes, down from the PLP’s 2,021 in 2021, while COI candidate Jillian Bartlett increased the party’s vote total from 298 in 2021 to 365 this cycle.

    As unofficial counting continues, the preliminary results highlight two key takeaways from the 2024 general election: sitting MPs from both major parties have largely retained their hold on their constituencies, even as the COI has emerged as a competitive alternative that has expanded its voter base across every region of the country.

  • Duartian Institute raises sovereignty concerns over U.S. deportation agreement

    Duartian Institute raises sovereignty concerns over U.S. deportation agreement

    A prominent Dominican civic organization has launched formal pushback against a newly signed bilateral agreement between the Dominican Republic and the United States that allows the Caribbean nation to temporarily host third-country nationals deported from U.S. soil, raising sharp questions about national autonomy and compliance with domestic immigration law. The Duartian Institute, a respected civic body focused on national governance and constitutional issues, argues that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) poses tangible risks to the Dominican Republic’s sovereign authority and runs counter to the country’s longstanding immigration statutes.

    Wilson Gómez Ramírez, president of the Duartian Institute, described the bilateral deal as an “excessively accommodating” move by Dominican government officials. Under current Dominican law, he explained, only two groups are legally permitted to enter the country: Dominican citizens returning home, and foreign nationals who have completed the full consular visa process to gain entry. Accepting third-country deportees sent from the United States, Gómez Ramírez stressed, creates unaddressed constitutional and legal ambiguities that could undermine the country’s legal framework.

    Beyond legal concerns, the institute’s leader also called out the poor timing of the agreement, pointing to the ongoing mass migration pressures the Dominican Republic already grapples with, driven by the deepening political and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Haiti. Gómez Ramírez argued that taking on new, unplanned migration responsibilities directly contradicts the Dominican government’s ongoing efforts to crack down on irregular migration across its border. The civic leader also called for a transparent national public debate over the planned use of Dominican military airports and the entry of foreign aircraft to carry out the deportation transfers laid out in the MOU.

    In its formal appeal to national leadership, the Duartian Institute has called on Dominican President Luis Abinader to launch a full review of the actions taken by administration officials who negotiated and approved the agreement. The organization is pushing for Abinader to ensure that all future decisions shaping the country’s migration policy align closely with the Dominican Republic’s constitution, domestic laws, and core national interests.

  • Caricom observers say Bahamas election reflected the will of the people

    Caricom observers say Bahamas election reflected the will of the people

    GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The nine-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) Election Observation Mission (CEOM) has released its preliminary findings from The Bahamas’ recent general election, confirming that the Caribbean nation’s electorate was able to exercise their democratic right to vote in a calm, organized process earlier this week.

    Deployed at the formal invitation of Dame Cynthia A Pratt, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the observer mission brings together electoral specialists from nine Caricom member states: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. Backed by technical and administrative support from the Caricom Secretariat, the mission launched its on-the-ground operations in The Bahamas on May 5, with activities set to wrap up officially this Friday.

    In the lead-up to election day, the CEOM conducted extensive outreach across Bahamian society, holding consultations with a wide range of political, civil society, and community stakeholders to evaluate the state of pre-election preparations. On voting day itself, mission observers were distributed across the country’s two most populated islands – New Providence and Grand Bahama – where they tracked every stage of the electoral process, from the opening of polling stations and in-person voting protocols to the closure of polls and the final counting and tabulation of ballots.

    Across their deployment, observers visited all five constituencies on Grand Bahama and 22 constituencies on New Providence, monitoring procedures at a total of 317 individual polling divisions. The mission’s preliminary report notes that the vast majority of polling locations received their election staff and required materials on schedule, allowing voting to begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. local time. Only a small number of stations faced minor start-up delays, the report adds.

    CEOM observers also confirmed that a sufficient number of police personnel were deployed across all polling sites to maintain order, and that accredited party agents from every competing political party were present throughout the voting period to oversee proceedings. At nearly all stations, voters had ready access to full voter lists and dedicated information clerks trained to help electors locate their assigned polling divisions. Election workers were praised as courteous and well-trained, especially in their support for elderly and disabled voters seeking to cast ballots.

    While the mission did document a small number of minor inconsistencies in the application of standardized electoral procedures across some sites, officials emphasized that these issues were isolated in scope and did not interfere with the overall flow or integrity of the voting process.

    Voter turnout followed a predictable pattern throughout the day, the mission found, with steady streams of voters arriving during morning hours and in the period just before polls closed, while midday saw a lull in activity. The vast majority of polling stations closed on schedule at 6:00 p.m. local time, with a small number extending operating hours by a short margin to make up for earlier delayed openings.

    Beyond voting, CEOM observers also monitored post-closing processes including the counting of ballots, sealing of used ballot boxes, and secure transfer of all electoral materials to designated holding facilities. The mission confirmed that ballot boxes were opened publicly and transparently in the presence of party agents, election officials, and observers, with preliminary results shared publicly in full compliance with established electoral rules.

    In its formal interim statement, the CEOM said it was satisfied that the 2024 general election accurately reflected the will of the Bahamian people. “The polling day workers performed their duties professionally and must be commended,” the mission said, extending similar praise to police for their professional conduct and to Bahamian voters for turning out in an orderly fashion.

    The mission also commended the Parliamentary Registration Department for its successful administration of the entire electoral process, and thanked the Bahamian public for upholding a peaceful environment across election day. A full final report, including detailed findings and targeted recommendations for future electoral improvements, will be submitted to the Caricom Secretary-General in the coming weeks.

  • Haiti gang violence displaces more than 5,000 — IOM

    Haiti gang violence displaces more than 5,000 — IOM

    A devastating new wave of gang violence has torn through residential neighborhoods north of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, forcing more than 5,000 residents to flee their homes since Sunday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has confirmed. The outbreak of bloodshed is the latest escalation of a years-long crisis that has kept the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation trapped in chronic instability, as heavily armed criminal organizations control large swathes of territory and carry out widespread human rights abuses including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, looting, and mass kidnappings. The country’s security collapse accelerated dramatically in early 2024, when coordinated gang attacks destabilized the government enough to force the resignation of Haiti’s unelected prime minister.

    Local human rights advocate Fritznel Pierre told Magik 9, a Port-au-Prince-based radio station, on Wednesday that the latest surge of violence, which erupted on May 10, has left widespread destruction in its wake: private residences have been ransacked and burned to the ground, while local commercial shops and public schools have been extensively vandalized. For medical providers operating in the conflict zone, the scale of casualties has overwhelmed existing care capacity. “We’ve never seen so many gunshot victims in such a short period of time,” explained Sarah Chateau, operations director for the medical humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF) in Haiti.

    As gang clashes spread across northern neighborhoods, multiple medical facilities have been forced to halt services and evacuate all clinical and non-clinical staff. Chateau told AFP that MSF’s facilities have absorbed a flood of patients transferred from other clinics that were forced to close, including Fontaine Hospital, which sits close to the center of the ongoing clashes. “Every time we open the gates to admit new patients, there are members of the public rushing to come inside,” she said. Even facilities that remain operational are not safe from crossfire, Chateau added, describing the chaotic evacuation of patients from other facilities as an extremely high-stress operation, with stray bullets falling across the area even within medical facility perimeters. “We weren’t any safer inside. One of our security guards was hit by a stray bullet,” she confirmed.

    On Wednesday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, reported that medical teams have treated more than 40 people for gunshot wounds in less than 12 hours. He added that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is currently mobilizing a coordinated cross-agency humanitarian response to meet the urgent needs of displaced residents and injured civilians, though operations remain challenging amid the rapidly shifting and highly volatile security situation.

    The international community has attempted to address Haiti’s security crisis for more than a year: the UN approved a multinational security support mission in 2023 to assist under-resourced Haitian police in pushing back against gang expansion, but the deployment has been hampered by chronic underfunding and inadequate equipment, leading to inconsistent results. Later that year, the UN Security Council voted to restructure the mission into a more heavily resourced anti-gang intervention force. To date, a 400-strong military contingent from Chad has already arrived in Port-au-Prince to support the operation.

    This latest outbreak of violence is the second major displacement event in Haiti’s capital so far this year. Clashes across the same northern districts in March and April displaced nearly 8,000 people, according to UN data, underscoring the persistent deterioration of security even after the deployment of international support.

  • Scientists warn ‘gruelling heat’ could impact quarter of World Cup games

    Scientists warn ‘gruelling heat’ could impact quarter of World Cup games

    On Thursday, a group of leading climate scientists issued a stark public challenge to global soccer governing body FIFA, warning that climate change has drastically amplified extreme heat risks for the upcoming 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup set to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. New analysis from climate research network World Weather Attribution (WWA) projects that nearly one quarter of all 2026 tournament matches could be contested under dangerously hot conditions, a sharp increase from the 1994 U.S.-hosted World Cup held on the same continent.

    As heat-related health concerns have grown, FIFA has already pre-emptively introduced mandatory cooling breaks during each half of matches scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19 across 16 host stadiums. But WWA’s assessment argues that existing mitigation measures may not be sufficient to address the heightened risks driven by human-caused global warming.

    “Players and fans face a much higher risk of gruelling heat and humidity at the 2026 World Cup compared to the 1994 tournament on the same continent,” the network said in its official statement.

    WWA’s statistical analysis estimates that 26 out of the tournament’s 104 total matches could see Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) readings hit at least 26°C. WBGT is a widely used metric that accounts for combined impacts of heat, humidity, solar radiation and wind to gauge how well the human body can cool itself, making it the gold standard for assessing heat-related health risk. Global footballers’ union FIFPRO has formally recommended mandatory cooling breaks once WBGT hits 26°C, as heat strain becomes a measurable safety threat for competing athletes at this threshold.

    Of the 26 high-risk matches identified, 17 will be held in venues with built-in cooling infrastructure that can reduce hazard levels for both players and spectators. The remaining nine high-risk matches are set for stadiums without temperature control systems. By comparison, WWA projects that only 21 matches would have crossed the 26°C WBGT threshold during the 1994 World Cup, underscoring how far heat risk has risen in three decades amid rising global average temperatures.

    The most alarming finding from the analysis centers on the most extreme heat category: five 2026 matches are projected to hit 28°C WBGT or higher. FIFPRO guidelines state that matches should be delayed or rescheduled to cooler times of day when WBGT reaches this threshold, as heat poses severe health risks to all people in attendance. This represents a near doubling of extreme heat risk compared to 1994.

    WWA co-founder Friederike Otto, who also serves as a climate science professor at Imperial College London, emphasized that the danger extends far beyond on-pitch athletes. “It’s dangerous for players, but of course there are also the fans who might gather outdoors and they are at even more risk because they will not be taken care of by a lot of medical doctors,” Otto explained.

    Only three of the 16 2026 host stadiums — located in Dallas, Houston and Atlanta — are equipped with full air conditioning systems. According to WWA’s projections, more than a third of matches with a 10% chance of exceeding 26°C WBGT will be held in these uncooled venues.

    Even the tournament’s showpiece final, scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, is not immune to risk. WWA calculates the final has a one-in-eight chance of hitting 26°C WBGT, and a 2.7% risk of crossing the 28°C cancellation threshold. “That the World Cup Final itself — one of the biggest sporting occasions on the planet — faces a non-insignificant risk of being played in ‘cancellation-level’ heat should be a wake-up call for FIFA and fans,” Otto said.

    The warning has already drawn high-profile backing from senior international climate officials. Simon Stiell, executive secretary of United Nations Climate Change, shared the assessment on social media and amplified its core message. “The risk of dangerous heat has doubled” since 1994, which will put “players and fans at risk”, he said. Stiell added: “We must move faster to protect the game we love and everyone who watches it. That means doubling down on the decisive shift to clean energy.”

    When contacted by Agence France-Presse for comment on the new analysis, FIFA highlighted the suite of preventive measures it has already put in place to address heat risks for the 2026 tournament. Among the safeguards outlined, FIFA noted that it “will continue to monitor conditions in real time, integrating Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and Heat Index surveillance, and stands ready to apply established contingency protocols should extreme weather events occur.”

  • Madonna, Shakira, BTS to headline first World Cup final half-time show

    Madonna, Shakira, BTS to headline first World Cup final half-time show

    The 2026 expanded FIFA World Cup, the largest iteration of the tournament in history with 48 competing nations, is set to add a groundbreaking new cultural centerpiece to its decider, FIFA announced Thursday in a press briefing. When the tournament culminates on July 19 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, the first-ever World Cup final halftime show, curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, will take the stage headlined by three of the biggest names in global music: pop legend Madonna, Colombian international icon Shakira, and Korean pop sensation BTS.

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino called the three co-headliners global trailblazers whose work unites audiences across borders and age groups, expressing the governing body’s pride in welcoming them to this historic first for men’s World Cup. The star-studded lineup will also include surprise guest appearances from beloved characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets, with the entire event serving as a platform to advance FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative that aims to raise $100 million during the tournament to support children’s access to education worldwide.

    For the artists involved, the opportunity carries deep personal and global meaning. Madonna called the chance to perform in support of expanding global education a deeply meaningful experience, while BTS emphasized in a joint statement that music acts as a universal language of hope and global harmony, noting the group was honored to leverage the World Cup’s massive global audience to connect with millions and advance the cause of children’s education. Shakira, who has a long-standing connection to FIFA’s flagship tournament, will take the stage to perform the 2026 World Cup’s official song, “Dai Dai”, which is scheduled for its full official release Thursday.

    Shakira is no stranger to World Cup audiences: she created and performed the iconic 2010 tournament anthem “Waka Waka”, and most recently headlined the halftime show for the 2024 Copa America final in Miami. Last week, she gave fans a first preview of her new World Cup track in a 67-second teaser video filmed at Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracanã Stadium. In the clip, which was shared across FIFA’s official social channels, Shakira stands on the Maracanã pitch holding Trionda, the official 2026 World Cup match ball, performing snippets of “Dai Dai” in English alongside backup dancers wearing colors representing participating nations including the United States and Colombia. The teaser ended with a rallying cry: “We’re ready!” The track was produced in collaboration with Nigerian Afrobeat star Burna Boy. The teaser came weeks after Shakira drew a crowd of 2 million fans to a free open-air concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach.

    The 2026 World Cup, the first edition of the tournament co-hosted by three nations (the United States, Canada, and Mexico), will kick off on June 11, with three separate opening ceremonies, one hosted in each host nation: the first will take place in Mexico on opening day, followed by ceremonies in Canada and the United States the next day. A host of other global music stars will perform across the three opening events, including Katy Perry, Future, Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, J Balvin, and Blackpink’s Lisa. Infantino also added that FIFA has plans to transform New York’s iconic Times Square for a major fan engagement event during the tournament’s final weekend.

    While the announcement has generated widespread excitement among football and music fans alike, it has also sparked questions over logistics, particularly regarding the length of the halftime break. Infantino first unveiled plans for a “world-class halftime show befitting the biggest sporting event on the planet” last year, and the concept was tested at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, also hosted at MetLife Stadium. That trial run saw the halftime break extend well beyond the 15-minute regulation break mandated by tournament rules, leaving fans and analysts wondering how the longer show will impact the flow of the final. To date, FIFA has not released any official details on the scheduled run time for the 2026 final halftime performance.