With World Cup starting Thursday, stay up to date with USA TODAY Sports' soccer insiders.

The researchers saw many strange animals — many believed to be new to science — living off the whale carcasses.

Alexander Hassenstein/ Germany’s national team players have offered free transport for their supporters’ travel to the final group game of the World Cup. The Germans are due to face Ecuador in New Jersey on June 25th,

Gianni Infantino has spent years currying favor with President Trump to ensure the smooth running of the tournament. But as the games kick off, the FIFA president has come under fire for their relationship.

The green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag are blanketing parts of Mexico City as the country’s capital gets ready to host the opening match of the World Cup this Thursday.

Certain World Cup tickets in these five U.S. host cities cost more than the average monthly mortgage payment, with the final at MetLife Stadium starting at $7,256.

The expected travel boom from the World Cup is looking like it will be a city-by-city, match-by-match test of pricing power.

Five young men thought they were going to Cambodia to intern at a casino. Instead they say they became enslaved in one of the world’s most sophisticated fraud networks.

FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to begin Thursday. MetLife Stadium, which will host eight matches, including a group stage match on Saturday and the final on July 19, has undergone a transformation. MetLife is no stranger to hosting big events, including the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, and last summer's Club World Cup, but the World Cup is different.

But which World Cup players have roots near you? Our postcode lookup includes present day superstars and past greats from all four home nations since 1950 – discover how many have come from your local area. England stars hail from Torquay to Blyth, with many players still closely tied to where they grew up.