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Degenek: Pressure on Türkiye in World Cup Clash Against Australia

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Milos Degenek #2 of Australia addresses the media after a training session ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 at Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club on June 10, 2026 in Alameda, California. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images/AFP
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Milos Degenek #2 of Australia addresses the media after a training session ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 at Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club on June 10, 2026 in Alameda, California. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images/AFP
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Degenek: Pressure on Türkiye in World Cup Clash Against Australia

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Milos Degenek #2 of Australia addresses the media after a training session ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 at Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club on June 10, 2026 in Alameda, California. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images/AFP
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Milos Degenek #2 of Australia addresses the media after a training session ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 at Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club on June 10, 2026 in Alameda, California. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images/AFP

The weight of expectations will be on Türkiye 's shoulders when they return to the World Cup after 24 years for their Group D opener against Australia, Socceroos defender Milos Degenek said on Wednesday.

Türkiye have frequently featured in the European Championship, but have only played at the World Cup twice, making their debut in 1954 and then going on to finish third in their second appearance in ⁠2002.

By contrast, Australia ⁠have played in the last five World Cups, twice making it to the last 16.

"I think Türkiye 's got a lot of pressure as well because they haven't been to a major tournament World Cup since ⁠2002," Degenek told reporters ahead of Saturday's match in Vancouver.

"There's a lot hope on them and a lot pressure, but we're ready for that definitely."
Degenek was also in Australia's squad at the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and said their World Cup pedigree could prove decisive.

"I think this is 26 players (that) have never experienced a World Cup from the ⁠ Türkiye ⁠side," the 32-year-old added, according to Reuters.

"And we in our squad have, what, nine players that already have experienced a World Cup. So we've got a bit of experience in that regard...

"They've obviously got experienced footballers who play at the top level at the best clubs in the world... I'm saying we've got a little bit more experience in terms of national team competition football."

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Algeria Thrash Bolivia 4-0 in World Cup Warm-up

Algeria's Amine Gouiri, left, challenges for the ball with Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk during the international friendly soccer match between Netherlands and Algeria in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)
Algeria's Amine Gouiri, left, challenges for the ball with Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk during the international friendly soccer match between Netherlands and Algeria in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)
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Algeria Thrash Bolivia 4-0 in World Cup Warm-up

Algeria's Amine Gouiri, left, challenges for the ball with Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk during the international friendly soccer match between Netherlands and Algeria in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)
Algeria's Amine Gouiri, left, challenges for the ball with Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk during the international friendly soccer match between Netherlands and Algeria in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)

Algeria forward Amine Gouiri struck twice in their 4-0 win over Bolivia in an unbroadcast World Cup warm-up in Kansas City on Thursday.

Local media said coach Vladimir Petkovic preferred to play behind closed doors. However, Algeria’s state broadcaster said earlier that it would stream live "highlights" ⁠from the game ⁠on Facebook.

Aissa Mandi opened the scoring for Les Verts before the interval, while Petkovic made 11 changes at the break as Algeria scored ⁠three goals in five minutes.

Marseille's Gouiri made it 2-0 in the 56th minute with a stunning strike, before doubling his tally two minutes later.

Ramiz Zerrouki set up Anis Hadj Moussa, who scored the fourth goal after an hour. The 24-year-old winger struck ⁠again ⁠after helping Algeria beat the Netherlands in Rotterdam on June 3.

Algeria, who return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014, will begin their campaign against reigning champions Argentina on June 16 in Group J, before taking on Jordan and Austria.

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Iran Threatens to Stop World Cup Games if Faced with Unauthorized Flags or Slogans

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Iran v Gambia - Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Türkiye - May 29, 2026 Iran players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Iran v Gambia - Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Türkiye - May 29, 2026 Iran players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
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Iran Threatens to Stop World Cup Games if Faced with Unauthorized Flags or Slogans

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Iran v Gambia - Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Türkiye - May 29, 2026 Iran players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Iran v Gambia - Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Türkiye - May 29, 2026 Iran players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Iran threatened to halt its matches at the World Cup if unauthorized flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted at stadiums, Iranian media reported, citing Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, following criticism of the team’s presence at the tournament.

The World Cup begins on Thursday, with Iran opening their Group G campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. They next face Belgium at the same venue on June 21 before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

"We have informed FIFA that if unofficial flags are brought or slogans against the national team are chanted in the stadiums where Iran plays in the World Cup, the team manager will definitely be responsible for stopping the match," Donyamali said on Tuesday, according to Iranian media, Reuters reported.

"We have been assured that no disruptive incidents will occur in the stadium during the match against Egypt."

In April, protesters gathered outside the FIFA Congress in Vancouver called for Iran to be banned from the tournament, saying the team represents the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps rather than the Iranian people.

The Iranian team has also faced organizational challenges, with Iran’s football federation saying its ticket allocation was withdrawn days before the tournament, leaving supporters who had already made travel plans unable to attend their team’s matches.

The team, currently training in Tijuana, Mexico, will be able to enter the US the day before each match, the Department of Homeland Security said, amid a conflict that has added a geopolitical dimension to the tournament.

 

 

 

Sports

Soccer Offers West Bank Palestinians an Escape as the World Cup Kicks Off

File: Palestinian players leave the field after an Asian Group B World Cup qualifying soccer match against Oman at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan on June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/John Duerden)
File: Palestinian players leave the field after an Asian Group B World Cup qualifying soccer match against Oman at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan on June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/John Duerden)
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Soccer Offers West Bank Palestinians an Escape as the World Cup Kicks Off

File: Palestinian players leave the field after an Asian Group B World Cup qualifying soccer match against Oman at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan on June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/John Duerden)
File: Palestinian players leave the field after an Asian Group B World Cup qualifying soccer match against Oman at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan on June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/John Duerden)

As the FIFA World Cup gets underway on June 11, with Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia among the Arab nations set to compete, soccer remains both a passion and a struggle for many Palestinians in the Israeli- occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian national team came agonizingly close to qualifying for the tournament but fell just short of reaching the 48-team field. Still, the World Cup will be closely watched in the West Bank, where, for many young Palestinians, the game offers both an escape from daily pressures and the realities that surround them.

In the Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair, in the Masafer Yatta region south of Hebron, children play on a small soccer pitch bordered by barbed wire erected by Israeli settlers from the nearby Carmel settlement. During a recent game, a ball kicked toward the goal landed beyond the fence as young settlers passed by. The settlers took the ball away, ending the match.

Residents say such incidents are common. The community has lost dozens of soccer balls. Attempting to retrieve them can risk confrontation with settlers and, at times, Israeli soldiers.

Further north, in Nablus, children and teenagers from a local soccer academy train on a municipal stadium pitch that has fallen into disrepair. Along the sidelines, Palestinians from Gaza who held permits to work in Israel before the war watch the sessions as they hang clothes to dry. Stranded in the West Bank since the war broke out in October 2023, many have created makeshift homes in the stadium’s locker rooms, the facility's manager says, fearing they could be forced to return to Gaza.

The Palestinian Football Federation has halted league matches throughout the war, citing the precarious security situation in the West Bank, where the Israeli military frequently conducts arrest raids and has erected scores of checkpoints. Once-rowdy soccer stadiums are largely empty, with some neglected.

At Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in Al-Ram, home to the Palestinian national team, amateur players gather for training sessions. In Tulkarem, young players, some wearing national team jerseys, do the same. FIFA offered some funding to the Palestinian Football Association, but moved the national team's “home” matches to other countries, including Jordan, Qatar and Malaysia, due to security concerns.

In the absence of regular league play, training sessions have become one of the few remaining spaces for exercise, social interaction and a sense of normality.

As the world’s attention turns toward soccer’s biggest tournament, the game continues to provide moments of community, resilience and hope for Palestinians across the West Bank.