Football - Euro 2020 - Quarter Final - Switzerland v Spain - Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia - July 2, 2021 Then Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic applauds fans after the match. (Pool via Reuters)
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Algeria Extend Coach Petkovic’s Contract
Football - Euro 2020 - Quarter Final - Switzerland v Spain - Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia - July 2, 2021 Then Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic applauds fans after the match. (Pool via Reuters)
Algeria have extended Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic's contract until 2028, just days before the start of the World Cup.
Petkovic, 62, had been in charge of the Desert Foxes since 2024, taking over following Algeria's first round exit at the African Cup of Nations.
"The Swiss coach has managed some remarkable results since he took over," the Algerian federation said in a statement on Sunday.
Under Petkovic, Algeria have "won 21 matches, had four draws and lost only three matches", the federation added.
Algeria will line up in Group J at the World Cup alongside reigning champions Argentina, Austria and Jordan.
Petkovic was Switzerland coach from 2014 to 2021 and before that won the Italian Cup with Roma in 2013.
Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - June 7, 2026 Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli celebrates on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix. (Reuters)
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Antonelli Stays Cool to Win Chaotic Monaco Grand Prix
Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - June 7, 2026 Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli celebrates on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli stayed ice-cool to win a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix and extend his run of victories this season to five on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Italian built a commanding lead after starting from pole in his Mercedes but that evaporated after a late red flag to inspect a crumbling surface at the final corner following a crash that took out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
After a delay of around 40 minutes while repairs were carried out, the race resumed with a standing start, but Antonelli remained unfazed as he became the youngest ever winner of the iconic race.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was runner-up for the second successive Grand Prix with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar provisionally third, although he was one of a number of drivers under investigation for a variety of infringements.
Hamilton, who equaled the late Ayrton Senna's eight Monaco podiums, moved above Antonelli's team mate George Russell into second place in the standings, 66 points behind Antonelli.
"It's been an incredible weekend and an incredible race," said Antonelli, who was not even born the last time an Italian won the Monaco Grand Prix - Jarno Trulli in 2004.
"We had incredible pace and it all came so natural and that gave me the confidence to push."
A year after finishing last on his F1 debut at Monaco, Antonelli showed incredible poise to shrug off the red flag drama that meant he effectively had to win two races.
"I wasn't super keen on re-starting but once the notification came out, I just gathered my emotions and re-focused again. Once I got away and was P1 into the first corner I could enjoy the last few laps."
Makenzie Replaces Injured Yahya in Iraq’s World Cup Squadhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5281273-makenzie-replaces-injured-yahya-iraq%E2%80%99s-world-cup-squad
Football - International Friendly - Spain v Iraq - Riazor stadium, A Coruna, Spain - June 4, 2026 Iraq's Ahmed Yahya Mhmood Al Hajjaj in action with Spain's Pedro Porro. (Reuters)
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Makenzie Replaces Injured Yahya in Iraq’s World Cup Squad
Football - International Friendly - Spain v Iraq - Riazor stadium, A Coruna, Spain - June 4, 2026 Iraq's Ahmed Yahya Mhmood Al Hajjaj in action with Spain's Pedro Porro. (Reuters)
Iraq have called up Ahmed Hassan Makenzie to their 2026 World Cup squad to replace Ahmed Yahya, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury, the national team announced on Saturday.
"Based on the medical report, head coach Graham Arnold has decided to call up Ahmed Makenzie and register him in the final squad for the 2026 World Cup finals in place of Ahmed Yahya," the national team said in a statement on X.
The decision came as the Iraqi delegation arrived in Chicago in the early hours of the morning to prepare for the tournament.
The tournament marks Iraq's first appearance at the World Cup since their sole participation 40 years ago. They are set to compete in Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway.
Mexico City Chases World Record for Largest Mexican Wave Ahead of World Cuphttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5281263-mexico-city-chases-world-record-largest-mexican-wave-ahead-world-cup
A drone view of people participating in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest “Mexican wave” along Reforma Avenue as part of activities ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico, June 6, 2026. (Reuters)
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Mexico City Chases World Record for Largest Mexican Wave Ahead of World Cup
A drone view of people participating in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest “Mexican wave” along Reforma Avenue as part of activities ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico, June 6, 2026. (Reuters)
Thousands of people flooded one of the world's great urban boulevards on Saturday, attempting to set a world record for the Mexican wave — naturally, in the country that gave the beloved stadium ritual its name.
The event commemorates the 40th anniversary of the wave's debut during the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico, though its true origins are disputed, with American crowds also claiming early versions of it.
Mexico is now preparing to host the tournament, with kick-off on June 11, for a third time; it will become the first country to host or co-host the men's World Cup three times, following 1970 and 1986.
On Saturday morning, Mexicans and tourists had lined up on the Paseo de la Reforma, the artery that runs through the heart of the capital.
Hundreds wore the bright green jersey of the Mexican national team, waving flags and chanting "Mexico, Mexico!" as they threw up their arms in sequence, sending a rolling swell of motion through the crowd.
Guinness World Records already recognizes several categories of Mexican waves.
People participate in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest “Mexican wave” along Reforma Avenue as part of activities ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico, June 6, 2026. (Reuters)
The largest by participants involved 157,574 people in the United States in August 2008; the longest wave line consisted of 8,453 people in Portugal in 2007; and the longest timed wave was 17 minutes and 14 seconds, recorded in Japan in 2015.
A spokeswoman for the Mexico City government said the objective had been to set a world record for the largest Mexican wave outside a stadium.
"It's not about breaking a record, it's about setting one — this is something unprecedented," she said. "That's why Guinness took the evidence away to assess all the elements. There are many things they analyze."
Teresa Lopez, who had traveled to join the event, said she came for both the record and the team. "We came to participate in the biggest wave in the world and to support our national team," she said. "We are Mexican and we are very proud of our country."
Visitors from abroad were also swept up in the spirit. Tourist Vivia Shivers, who had come to the capital ahead of the tournament, said the occasion felt meaningful. "It's a special location, it's a contribution to a World Cup, and participating feels wonderful," she said.
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