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[PRESS RELEASE – Mahe, Seychelles, June 10th, 2026] Whale.io has launched native Prediction Markets for the 2026 World Cup, giving players direct access to match betting backed by a combined $90,000 prize pool – including a $40,000 USDT raffle and five weeks of $10,000 weekly sports tournaments. Whale.io is giving users the chance to turn […]

The ​United States has denied entry to soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been expected to be the ‌first Somali to officiate at a match in the World Cup. A FIFA spokesperson said Artan would not be able to train or officiate at the World Cup — which kicks off on Thursday — after he was not allowed to enter the United States over the weekend. Somalia’s government said it had unsuccessfully ​tried to negotiate with the US and FIFA so that Artan could enter the country and it was saddened ​by what had happened. “His international achievements are a source of honour and pride for the Somali people,” ⁠Somalia’s sports ministry said in a statement. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Somali Football Federation (SFF) expressed sadness over the ​situation, calling Artan’s appointment a milestone for the country that resulted from years of dedication, professionalism and integrity. The SFF said it has ​not received an official explanation as to why Artan was denied entry to the US, adding that it is w...

The FIFA World Cup has become a multibillion-dollar trading event before its June 11 kickoff, with prediction-market traders nearly split on whether Spain or France should be treated as the team to beat in the tournament. Polymarket data show Spain and France each trading near a 16% implied chance of winning the tournament, ahead of […] The post World Cup prediction markets hit $2B before kickoff as Spain and France go head to head appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Can AI help predict the winner of the 2026 World Cup? We put seven of the best models to the test.

In a Tehran neighbourhood dotted with shops selling football jerseys and sporting goods, 10-year-old Helma was already feeling World Cup fever. “I’m supporting Iran because it’s always the champion!” she said, sporting a bracelet in the green, white and red of the national flag. “This year, it will be number one out of all the countries!” Holding a shopping bag containing a national team jersey, her mother explained that Helma was set to appear in a video clip supporting Iran’s side, adding: “We came to buy Team Melli outfits for the shoot.” But after weeks of war with Israel and the United States — one of the co-hosts of this year’s tournament — not to mention persistent economic hardship and stuttering efforts to bring the conflict to a final close, not every Iranian shares the grade-schooler’s excitement. This handout photograph taken and released by Iran Football Federation Press Office on June 6, 2026 shows Iran’s national football team posing at Antalya Airport in Turkiye before boarding a plane ahead o...

[PRESS RELEASE – Stockholm, Sweden, June 4th, 2026] Decentralized prediction market platform lets participants launch their own World Cup markets, trade with leverage of up to 2.5x, and earn fees on the markets they create. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to begin on June 11, Premu, a decentralized prediction market platform, is highlighting […]

The Iranian Football Federation requested the change after the war broke out. The team is scheduled to play two group-stage games of the World Cup in Los Angeles and one game in Seattle. Iranian officials reported earlier this month that the players and staff had not yet received U.S. visas

He is set to feature at a record sixth World Cup

Iran is set to participate in the World Cup in the United States, with its team expected to play two games in Los Angeles, which is home to the world's largest Iranian expatriate community. The White House reportedly declined to comment on FIFA's expected ban

FIFA's chief is set to meet officials from Iran's Football Federation in Istanbul, where he is expected to offer 'reassurance' over the Islamic Republic's participation in the 2026 World Cup, although some of its players are allegedly IRGC members

Indian veteran Virat Kohli said he has nothing left to prove and would consider playing the 2027 One-Day International (ODI) World Cup only if he can still contribute meaningfully. The 37-year-old, who retired from Twenty20 Internationals after India’s 2024 World Cup triumph and ended his 123-test career last year, is now active only in the ODI format. Kohli played 13 ODIs last year, scoring 651 runs, and returned to the Indian Premier League after last representing India in January. He has already struck one century in the current IPL season. Asked about his prospects for the 2027 World Cup, Kohli said he remains ready to represent India but would not pursue selection unless convinced he could add value. “If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of and the environment feels like I can add value I’ll be seen,” Kohli said on a podcast of his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore. “When I arrive to play, I put my head down, I work as hard, if not harder, than anyone else. And I play the game in the ...

World awaits Iran response to peace deal

A new era of on-chain trading transparency. Atlas Live enables traders to analyze token concentration and spot potential rug pulls. Now in real time. A new era of on-chain trading transparency. Atlas Live enables traders to analyze token concentration and spot potential rug pulls. Now in real time. Odense, Denmark, May 6, 2026 – InsightX, the on-chain safety and analytics platform, launches Atlas Live, the world's first real time token holder map. InsightX is best known for Atlas, a holder visualization tool used by millions of traders each month. It simplifies token ownership at a glance, with clustering patterns revealing potential coordinated wallet activity. Atlas is integrated across major platforms including Pump.fun, Axiom, Terminal and GMGN. Read more

Most of the integrations are aimed at fighting deepfakes as the rise of AI-generated content makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish humans from AI. Worldcoin fell 13.4% to roughly $0.28 on Friday as World, the identity-focused company led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, unveiled several new integrations for its “proof of human” stack, which uses iris-scanning technology to verify identities. Video conferencing tool Zoom is integrating World’s Deep Face authentication to prevent deepfakes, while electronic signature platform Docusign is adding World’s ID verification tech to digital agreements, World said on Friday. Dating app Tinder is also expanding its World ID verification to US users. “As AI agents increasingly act on behalf of real people, the infrastructure to prove a human stands behind each agent becomes critical,” World said. No more deepfakes on video calls. @worldnetwork identify verification on @Zoom. pic.twitter.com/0ap0IOKR6H Read more

Украинский портовый оператор TIS вернул себе 100% контроля над терминалом в порту "Пивденный" и буксирным бизнесом, разорвав партнерство с арабской корпорацией DP World. Причиной такого дорогостоящего шага стало создание арабскими инвесторами совместного предприятия с российской государственной корпорацией "Росатом", что грозило украинской компании международными санкциями и остановкой работы.

LAHORE: Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on Aug 19 in this year’s hockey World Cup, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) anno­unced on Wednesday. The 2026 World Cup is expected to showcase top-quality hockey, with fans set to witness thrilling and competitive encounters during the event to be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The game’s international governing body unveiled the schedule of the World Cup, featuring teams from 16 nations, being staged from Aug 15 to 30. Former four-time World Cup winners Pakistan are placed in pool ‘D’ alongside England, India and Wales. The Green-shirts, who will be competing in a World Cup after eight years, begin their campaign in the event with a match against England on Aug 15 at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. Pakistan in their second pool-stage match face Wales on Aug 17 at the same venue before locking horns with India two days later. Pakistan secured qualification for the mega event by reaching the final of the qualifier held ...

The new toolkit from Sam Altman's startup lets AI agents prove they are backed by a unique human while interacting with websites, APIs and other online services. World, the identity network co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has released AgentKit, a developer toolkit that allows AI agents to prove they are linked to a verified, unique human through World ID when interacting with websites and online services. The system integrates World ID’s proof-of-human identity with the x402 micropayments protocol started by Coinbase and Cloudflare, allowing agents to pay for access to online resources while presenting cryptographic proof that they are linked to a verified human credential. The x402 protocol allows agents to pay small fees to access websites, APIs and other services. According to an announcement, the ecosystem has processed more than 100 million payments across applications, APIs and AI agents since launching in 2025. Read more

World said some estimates suggest agentic commerce could reach $3 trillion to $5 trillion by 2030, with agents accounting for up to 25% of U.S. e-commerce.

Iranian officials have said that, since U.S. President Trump himself stated he could not ensure the Iranian team's safety, they have asked FIFA to move their games to Mexico, a 2026 World Cup co-host

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said gold in 2028 on cricket’s return to the Olympics was the country’s next big aim after extending their T20 domination with back-to-back World Cup titles. Co-hosts India hammered New Zealand by 96 runs in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday to be the first team to retain the T20 World crown and first to win it three times. It was also the first time a team have won the title on home soil, and they did it with a brand of fearless, attacking cricket. “It has been very special,” Suryakumar told reporters at a celebratory midnight press conference, as fans across the country flooded into the streets. “And definitely the next goal is Olympics, Olympic gold, and also the T20 World Cup that year.” Los Angeles 2028 will see cricket return to the Olympics for the first time since 1900. Led by then-captain Rohit Sharma, India won the T20 World Cup two years ago in Barbados for their first major title since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Rohit and fellow stalwart Virat Kohli retired from the s...