Stadiums

NEW YORK — Los Angeles, Toronto and Mexico City have been named among the host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time the tournament will be shared by three different countries.

World soccer governing body FIFA announced the 16 cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada — that were successful from the 22 bids put forward in a special event at the Rockefeller Center in New York on Thursday. However, there was no indication where the opening game or the final would be played.

When it comes to the biggest of soccer teams coming to USA 2022 and the resulting schedule of summer friendlies, it doesn't get much better than Manchester City versus Bayern Munich at 81,441-seat Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday, July 23.

PARIS - The Paris police chief said on Thursday that he might have been wrong when he said up to 40,000 Liverpool fans tried enter the Champions League final with fake tickets and that there was no scientific evidence to support the claim.

Didier Lallement added during a hearing in the French Senate that the police action around the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France was a "failure" both because fans were harmed and the image of France was degraded.

PARIS - Chaotic scenes at the French national stadium before and during Saturday night's Champions League final were branded a national embarrassment, while French ministers blamed Liverpool fans for the trouble.

The final between Liverpool and Real Madrid kicked off with a 35-minute delay after police tried to hold back people attempting to force their way into the Stade de France without tickets, while some ticket holders complained they were not let in.

The 2022 Champions League Final — the most anticipated match of the year featuring Real Madrid and Liverpool, two of the world's most-followed clubs — was delayed 36 minutes after chaos outside the Stade de France in Paris resulted in the closure of gates and the slow filtering of supporters into the Liverpool end.

The original postponement was for 15 minutes, although an additional 15 was later added, as UEFA initially blamed the late arrival of Liverpool fans for the delay.

The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spain, was awash in color and trembling with noise on Wednesday night as two of the world's most passionate fanbases delighted in a rare opportunity at continental glory in the Europa League final.