live blog
Austria has to do without a Bundesliga star and Curacao dreams of winning against Germany. All news, stories and curiosities about the 2026 World Cup always updated in the live blog.
3:12 p.m
Austria has to open Bundesliga star waive
Big blow for Ralf Rangnick and Austria: leading player Christoph Baumgartner from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig is injured for the World Cup. All information:
2:21 p.m
A Caribbean country in football fever
Curacao is traveling to the USA as the smallest participant in World Cup history. The anticipation on the Caribbean island is huge despite some poor test match performances. And some people even dream of a surprise in the opening game against Germany.
1:41 p.m
The Sports show rules to the World Cup
Which third group will advance? What new rules apply at the 2026 World Cup? Until when are teams allowed to nominate players?
If new questions arise during the tournament, the sports show quickly provides answers, classifications and background reports. Here is our World Cup rules with a compact overview of the most important features of the tournament.
12:41 p.m
Secret favorite Norway is convincing even without Haaland
Despite the difficult Group I with Senegal and France, the Norwegian national team is likely to be a surprise candidate for some football fans. Yesterday, national coach Ståle Solbakken’s team proved that they have a high level even without top star Erling Haaland.
With a 3:1 (3:0) home win, Norway achieved its first victory of the World Cup year. Jørgen Strand Larsen (9th, 37th) and Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa (18th) scored in the first half. Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson prepared Larsen’s two goals. Former Dortmund player Alexander Isak scored a consolation goal for Sweden (76th).
12:02 p.m
Türkiye is doing magic and is already dreaming of winning the group
This is how it can go to the World Cup! Turkey has a good chance of reaching the knockout phase in the supposedly easier Group D with the USA, Paraguay and Australia. The last test match on home soil can be encouraging.
10:00 a.m
ARD documentary shows divided USA before the World Cup
The 2026 World Cup in the USA is more than a sporting event: it is taking place against the backdrop of political tensions and social fault lines. In “Playfield of Power” Ingo Zamperoni and Philipp Awounou meet people who show how closely football and politics are intertwined in Trump’s America.
The documentary will be available in the ARD media library from Thursday.
9:20 a.m
Now this one Sports show World Cup calendar download
The biggest World Cup ever begins next week. The Sportschau World Cup calendar provides an overview of all games, kick-off times and TV broadcasts.
A compact overview is also available at any time in our schedule of TV channels. The results will also be updated live here as the tournament progresses.