By Kunle Solaja.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has firmly dismissed reports suggesting that Walid Regragui has stepped down as head coach of Morocco’s national team, the Atlas Lions.

In a brief statement issued, the federation described the claims as false, responding to widespread media speculation that Regragui had expressed a desire to resign due to exhaustion following the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign.

 Some reports also linked the Moroccan coach to possible offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Speculation about Regragui’s future was further fuelled by comments he made in earlier press conferences before the AFCON final match, in which he suggested he would consider stepping aside if he failed to win the AFCON with Morocco. He made similar remarks following Morocco’s early exit from the tournament in 2024.

However, the FRMF moved quickly at that time to reaffirm its confidence in the coach, insisting that he remained the right man to lead the Atlas Lions forward.

The federation also revealed that its president, Fouzi Lekjaa, has held several meetings to review Morocco’s AFCON 2024 participation.

According to the FRMF, Lekjaa acknowledged the shortcomings of the campaign but stressed the importance of maintaining stability and continuity within the national team setup.

He underlined the need to preserve the Atlas Lions’ “deserved status” to meet the expectations of Moroccan fans, with a clear focus on the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations, which Morocco is set to host.

With the federation’s latest statement, the FRMF has sought to put an end to speculation and reaffirm its backing of Regragui as Morocco looks ahead to its next competitive challenges.

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FIFA has unveiled Canada Celebrates, a nationwide community programme designed to take the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ beyond the stadiums and into cities and towns across the country.

The initiative, which will run from 11 June to 19 July 2026, coincides with the tournament Canada will co-host alongside Mexico and the United States. It is billed as a first-of-its-kind celebration aimed at uniting football fans from coast to coast during what FIFA describes as the biggest World Cup in history.

Delivered through a series of free, one-day events, Canada Celebrates will feature live match viewings, football-themed activities, cultural showcases, music and food, transforming public spaces into vibrant fan zones.

FIFA said the programme is designed so that more than 75 per cent of Canadians will be within a two-hour drive of at least one celebration stop, ensuring wide national participation beyond the host cities of Toronto and Vancouver.

The programme will officially kick off on 11 June with simultaneous events in British Columbia on the west coast and Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast. In total, up to 40 stops are planned across the country, reflecting Canada’s cultural diversity and football-growing communities. Fans at each location will be able to follow the tournament through live match feeds.

FIFA Vice-President and Concacaf President Vittorio Montagliani said the initiative was created to reflect Canada’s passion for football and its tradition of rallying around major global sporting events.

“Canada Celebrates was created to recognise the passion for football that runs across Canada and to bring the energy and excitement of the FIFA World Cup directly into our communities,” Montagliani said. “Hosting the FIFA World Cup is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and marks the beginning of the next chapter for football in Canada.”

In the build-up to the tournament, Canada Celebrates will also align with the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola, allowing fans to see the original FIFA World Cup Trophy in seven Canadian cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto. The tour begins on Thursday, 29 January, with further details available via Coca-Cola’s official platforms.

Coca-Cola Canada General Manager Andy Buckingham said the partnership aims to bring the emotional power of the World Cup closer to fans.

“The FIFA World Cup brings fans together through moments of unmatched passion, emotion and connection, and Coca-Cola is proud to help bring that excitement home,” Buckingham said.

FIFA added that the programme will bring together stakeholders from across the Canadian football ecosystem, including professional leagues such as Major League Soccer, the Canadian Premier League and the Northern Super League, alongside Canada Soccer and grassroots clubs.

Their presence at each stop is intended to inspire young players and deepen the sport’s footprint nationwide.

More details, including the full list of participating communities, are expected to be announced in the coming months.

The FIFA World Cup 2026, running from 11 June to 19 July, will feature 48 teams, 16 Host Cities across three countries and a record 104 matches, making it the largest edition of the tournament to date.

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• *Bookings rise despite ICE-related violence in the US
• *European travel to the US dipped post-2024 election
• *Hotel occupancy in Mexico City rises ahead of matches

Flight bookings to North America, especially the US, have surged since the World Cup match schedule was released in December, even as European travel to the United States has dipped following President Donald Trump’s election and heightened border scrutiny, according to data published on Tuesday by travel technology firm Amadeus.

The data, obtained by Reuters, showed that 18% of reservations made since the schedule announcement were by British travellers, with overall bookings rising despite concerns over recent violence linked to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detentions, including incidents in Minneapolis that have unsettled some potential visitors.

European travel to the United States declined after the November 2024 election, as tougher checks at border crossings deterred some tourists.

However, World Cup-related demand has bucked that trend, particularly among fans from England and Scotland, according to Amadeus and World Cup travel analysts.

Of all bookings made for the tournament period — June 11 to July 19, when matches will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico — 37% were recorded in the month following the draw.

The data does not yet indicate whether more recent U.S. immigration raids have affected bookings for 2026, and analysts caution that major sporting events do not always translate into a broad tourism boom, citing the 2024 Paris Olympics as an example.

“The tournament is a chance to see the most talented football players in the world and fans will go almost anywhere to watch the finest, whatever the policies and politics of the host country,” said travel analyst Paul Charles, chief executive of consultancy The PC Agency.

“However, safety is a key factor too, so visitors will be hoping that calm prevails in host cities and that their travel insurance will remain valid for their planned trips in June and July,” he added.

Amadeus data showed the largest single-day spike in bookings was for the opening match in New York City between Brazil and Morocco, which generated more than 2,500 flight reservations.

Hotel bookings in Canada and Mexico have also climbed. In Mexico City, average hotel occupancy on nights ahead of three scheduled matches has risen to 21%, compared with 4% for the same period last year, the data showed.

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