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US President Donald Trump commented Sunday on Netflix’s effort to acquire storied Hollywood studio Warner Bros., saying the streaming giant already has “a very large market share” and “it could be a problem.” “I’ll be involved in that decision,” Trump said upon arriving at the Kennedy Center Honors awards ceremony, referring to the decision facing federal regulators weighing the nearly $83 billion deal that has raised antitrust concerns and ire among Hollywood’s elite.Trump also lavished praise on Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who recently visited the White House, saying “he’s done one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies.”If completed in its currrent form, Netflix would absorb competing streaming platform HBO Max and Warner Bros. studios, which has produced film classics including “Casablanca” and “Citizen Kane,” over the decades, as well as more recent blockbusters like “Barbie.”The acquisition would give Netflix a massive catalog, with a vast array of content, including the Harry Potter films, the Lord of the Rings saga, and the superheroes of DC Studios — Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, for starters.But Netflix won’t be getting television channels if the deal goes through, like Discovery and CNN, which would be spun off from Warner Bros. prior to the sale.Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery officially put itself up for sale in October after receiving multiple unsolicited offers, beating out cable operator Comcast and media group Paramount Skydance.Paramount’s chief David Ellison is a major backer of Trump. 

Hollywood’s awards season shifts into high gear Monday when nominations for the Golden Globes are unveiled, with hit musical “Wicked: For Good,” Shakespeare family tragedy “Hamnet” and period horror movie “Sinners” leading the charge.Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged “One Battle After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and mid-century sports dramedy “Marty Supreme,” starring Timothee Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, are also top contenders.The Globes, set for January 11, are widely seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards, and the top Globes hopefuls are already on many insider short lists for the Oscars.The Golden Globes offer separate awards for dramas and comedies/musicals — widening the field of stars who could walk the red carpet, and fueling the suspense. “The headline of this year is: Comedy is where the drama is,” Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis told AFP.”Wicked: For Good” will battle for top comedy-musical honors with “One Battle After Another” and “Marty Supreme.”Also in the comedy mix is apocalyptic satire “Bugonia,” the latest quirky effort from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, featuring his frequent collaborator Emma Stone, who is tipped for a nomination along with co-star Jesse Plemons. For Davis, “Wicked” — the blockbuster conclusion of the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical — is “still probably the populist choice” with wide appeal.Ariana Grande, as the bubbly pink-clad Glinda, and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, as the green-skinned Elphaba, are awards hopefuls again this year, even though Erivo was surprisingly cut from the Critics Choice Awards short list.For Davis, the best actress category for the Globes, and looking ahead to the Oscars, will be a “Murderers’ Row,” with a glut of worthy candidates.Each main category will have six nominees, not five as in past years. – ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Sinners’ lead dramas -On the drama side, the top contenders all delve into the past. “Hamnet,” from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao, stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, who tries to forge a career as a playwright while his wife Agnes — played by Jessie Buckley — contends with the perils of plague and childbirth in Elizabethan England.The film, based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, draws on evidence that the couple had a son named Hamnet — a name that scholars say would have sounded indistinguishable from “Hamlet” at the time.”Sinners,” from “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, stars Michael B. Jordan as twins in the criminal underworld who encounter a sinister force as they return home to racially segregated Mississippi in the 1930s.The film was a runaway box office success, and Jordan seems sure to secure a nomination. It led the nods for the Critics Choice Awards on Friday with 17.”It has so much going for it — it’s a big moneymaker, it was a culturally significant hit,” explained Davis, who added he “will not sleep a wink” until Coogler gets an Oscar nomination for directing.Also in the running is Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of “Frankenstein,” starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.Oscar nominations are due on January 22, so the picks for the Globes should begin to more clearly sketch out the road to the Academy Awards. The Globes also honor the best in television, with the top Emmy nominees — “Severance” and “The Pitt” for the dramas, “The Studio” and “Hacks” for the comedies, and searing limited series “Adolescence” — expected to dominate the nominations. Actors Marlon Wayans and Skye Marshall will announce the main nominees for the 83rd Golden Globes from 1315 GMT Monday. The Globes are in year three of a revamp, and last year’s gala hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser was a hit with audiences, with more than 10 million tuning in.Glaser will return as host of the January 11 gala in Beverly Hills.

It is not a teenage dream, it’s Instagram official: pop star Katy Perry has posted a photograph of herself cuddling with Canada’s former prime minister, as secure a confirmation as any that the celebrities are dating.The 41-year-old “California Gurl” slipped the picture, showing the pair cheek to cheek in front of a colorful autumn backdrop, into a series of images on her Instagram account, which boasts 202 million followers.Her simple caption for the series posted late Saturday — which also includes video clips of the couple trying sushi — reads simply: “tokyo times on tour and more,” and features emojis including flowers and a red heart.Neither Perry — singer of mega hits like “Hot n Cold,” “Roar” and “I Kissed a Girl” — nor Trudeau have made public comments about their relationship. But Trudeau, 53, was seen at a Perry concert in July, and celebrity news website TMZ further fueled rumors when it aired video of the two hand in hand on a night out in Paris in October to celebrate the singer’s birthday.Trudeau served as prime minister from 2015 to 2025 as leader of the Liberal Party. On Thursday Trudeau reposted a photograph of the pair posing with Japan’s former premier, Fumio Kishida, and his wife Yuko.”Great to see you @kishida230. Katy and I were so glad to have the chance to sit down with you and Yuko,” Trudeau wrote.

Horror video-game movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” proved jump scares can still rake in the cash with a debut that ruled North American theaters, industry estimates showed Sunday.The second film in Universal’s “Freddy’s” franchise — about animatronic characters at a pizza shop, the tween girl (Piper Rubio) who befriends them, and the murderous if cheesy events that follow — brought in $63 million in the Friday-through-Sunday period, Exhibitor Relations reported.It earned another $46 million internationally.”Critics’ reviews are poor, but the genre is immune to reviews,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.”The audience score is more important, and it’s very good for a horror picture, although not as good as the first pic.”Sliding to second spot was another sequel, Disney’s feel-good animated film “Zootopia 2.”The buddy cop comedy featuring a menagerie of talking animals battling stereotypes earned $43 million, for a two-week total of $220 million and a worldwide haul nearing the $1 billion mark.Dropping one spot to third place, with $16.8 million in its third weekend, was “Wicked: For Good,” Universal’s second chapter in the musical saga of Oz’s most notable witches — the green-skinned, outcast Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and popular pink-wearing Glinda (Ariana Grande).The “Wizard of Oz” retelling is based on the long-running Broadway musical, itself adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.”JUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution” landed in fourth spot in its debut. The anime-based tale of violent sorcery released by GKIDS earned $10.2 million.In fifth with $3.5 million was Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” the third installment in the crime heist franchise. Rounding out the top 10 were:”Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” ($3.3 million) “Eternity” ($2.7 million)”Hamnet” ($2.3 million)”Predator: Badlands” ($1.9 million)”Merrily We Roll Along” ($1.2 million)

While the US Federal Reserve’s final interest rate meeting this year could see an unusual amount of division, financial markets view a third straight interest rate cut as nearly certain.When the Fed last met in October, Chair Jerome Powell asserted that another rate cut in December was “not a foregone conclusion,” pointing to “strongly differing views” within the central bank.Minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting showed many officials expect a further uptick in underlying goods inflation as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bite.But recent comments from leading Fed officials also reflected support for cutting again because of a weakening labor market, even though inflation is still above the Fed’s two percent target.Next week’s outcome in the “deeply divided” Fed was “too close to call,” UniCredit said, also acknowledging that favorable comments from New York Fed bank chief John Williams towards a cut were a notable “intervention.””As one of the most senior members of the (Fed committee), it seems unlikely Williams would have said this without Powell’s prior approval,” UniCredit said.Policymakers generally hold rates at a higher level to tamp down price increases, but a rapidly deteriorating jobs market could nudge them to slash rates further to boost the economy.”Usually, as you get closer to a policy meeting, it becomes quite apparent and transparent what the Federal Open Market Committee is going to do,” said Nationwide Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic, referring to the Fed’s rate-setting committee.”This time is very different,” she told AFP late last month.Financial markets rallied following Williams’ statement on November 21 that rates could go lower in the “near term.”Futures markets currently show more than 87 percent odds that the Fed will cut rates to between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent, according to CME FedWatch.- Dearth of data -The Fed moved into rate cutting mode this fall, with rate cuts both in September and October.But a government shutdown from October 1 through November 12 sapped the central bank of most of the key data points for assessing whether inflation or employment is now the bigger priority.The latest available government data showed the jobless rate crept up from 4.3 percent to 4.4 percent in September, even as hiring beat expectations.While delayed publications on September’s economic conditions have trickled out, the US government has canceled full releases of October jobs and consumer inflation figures because the shutdown hit data collection.Instead, available figures will be published with November’s reports, but only after the Fed’s upcoming rate meeting.The US personal consumption expenditures price index rose to 2.8 percent on an annual basis in September, from 2.7 percent in August, according to delayed data released on Friday.The “Fed faces a bit of a paradoxical situation,” said EY-Parthenon Chief Economist Gregory Daco. “The Fed says these decisions will be data-dependent, but there isn’t a lot of data to go on.”Daco expects a “weak majority” to favor another interest rate cut, but believes there could be multiple dissents.- Looking beyond Powell -Besides Wednesday’s decision, the Fed will also release projections for its 2026 economic and monetary policy outlook.Next year will already mark a period of significant change with the conclusion of Powell’s tenure as chair in May.Trump, who has relentlessly criticized Powell for not cutting rates more aggressively, signaled this week that his chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett could succeed Powell.Hassett has appeared to be in lockstep with Trump on key economic questions facing the Fed. But if appointed, Hassett could also face pressure from financial markets to buck the White House on interest rates if inflation worsens.”The institutional constraints often end up leading appointees towards some level of political independence,” said Daco, noting decisions require a board majority.Whomever Trump picks will need to be confirmed in the US Senate.While UniCredit predicted “political interference will have a modest impact on Fed policy,” deeper consequences cannot be ruled out.”We have not assumed Trump will get de-facto control of the Fed,” UniCredit said, adding that such an outcome is “a non-negligible risk.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under mounting pressure from scandals surrounding strikes on alleged drug boats and his use of Signal to discuss sensitive military information, sparking growing criticism and calls for him to quit.Hegseth — a former Army National Guard major who went from Fox News co-host to leader of the world’s most powerful military — is no stranger to controversy and was only narrowly confirmed by the Senate earlier this year.The strikes on alleged narcotics smugglers — especially an incident in which survivors of an initial attack were subsequently killed — and his use of commercial messaging app Signal to talk about an impending operation in Yemen, have fueled further opposition to Hegseth.”He’s in another difficult position. In fact, his two big problems have now merged,” said Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.”But he seems to retain (US President Donald) Trump’s confidence, even as he’s lost support of some Republicans. So I don’t think he’s in… (a) fatal situation,” Cancian said.Jim Townsend, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy during the Obama administration, said Hegseth is “on thin ice,” and that Trump has “a secretary of defense that is giving him lots of headaches.”Townsend agreed that Hegseth is unlikely to be fired immediately, but said if something happens that “really riles up the Republican Party” or embarrasses Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, “they’ll probably try to move him somewhere else.”- Yemen strikes -Hegseth came under fire during his confirmation process over alleged financial mismanagement at veterans’ nonprofits where he previously worked, reports of excessive drinking, and allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in California.His time as secretary of defense has also been marred by scandals, including one related to strikes on Yemen that were launched in mid-March.The Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor-in-chief had been inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which officials, including Hegseth, discussed the upcoming operation. The Pentagon chief sent messages on the timing of strikes hours before they happened and information on aircraft and missiles involved.The incident sparked an investigation by the Pentagon’s independent inspector general’s office, which concluded in a report released Thursday that Hegseth’s actions could have resulted in “potential harm to US pilots.”- Targeting alleged drug boats -Another controversy stemmed from a September 2 attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Pacific. An initial strike left survivors, with a follow-up attack killing those two people.Hegseth and the White House have repeatedly said the decision for the second strike was made by the operational commander, Admiral Frank Bradley, rather than the defense secretary.Lawmakers attended a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this week in which they were shown extended video footage of the incident — only a brief part of which has been publicly released — but there are conflicting views about whether the follow-up strikes were justified.The footage showed “the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors — bad guys, bad guys — but attacking shipwrecked sailors,” said Democratic Representative Jim Himes.Republican Senator Tom Cotton — another briefing attendee — described all four strikes on the boat as “entirely lawful and needful,” and said the survivors were attempting to flip the drug-laden vessel back over and “stay in the fight.”Hegseth has faced calls from some Democratic lawmakers for his resignation or firing over the follow-up strikes and the Signal controversy, but his job seems safe for the moment.Cancian, however, said that another scandal could push the Trump administration to remove him as defense secretary.”If there’s maybe another one after this…the White House might lose its patience,” he said, describing the controversies that have already occurred as “very embarrassing.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has vowed to go to Norway to pick up her Nobel Peace Prize, defying a warning from Caracas that she would be a fugitive if she did so.The head of the Nobel Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, told AFP on Saturday that Machado — who lives in hiding in her country — promised him she would make the ceremony, which is to take place in Oslo on Wednesday.”I was in contact with Machado last night (Friday) and she confirms that she will be in Oslo for the ceremony,” Kristian Berg Harpviken said.”Given the security situation, we cannot say more about the date or how she will arrive,” he said.He added, on NRK radio, that “nothing is ever 100-percent sure, but this is as certain as it can possibly be”.Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told AFP last month that Machado, 58, would be considered a “fugitive” if she travelled to Norway to accept the peace prize, which she was awarded on October 10.The December 10 date of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony coincides with the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite who left most of his fortune to be used for prizes for people who have brought “the greatest benefit” to humanity.Opposition activism in Venezuela has been muted since the arrest of some 2,400 people during protests that followed the most recent reelection of President Nicolas Maduro in July 2024.Machado has accused Maduro of stealing the election which she was banned from standing in, a claim backed by much of the international community.Machado, in hiding since August 2024, is a supporter of US President Donald Trump who himself has long coveted the prestigious Nobel peace award. Trump and so far been unsuccessful, despite intense lobbying on his behalf.Since returning to the White House for his second term in January, Trump has insisted that he deserved the Nobel for his role in resolving numerous conflicts.- ‘Decisive support’ -The White House even lashed out at the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it gave the award to Machado, claiming it had placed “politics over peace”.However, Machado swiftly dedicated her award not only to the “suffering people of Venezuela”, but also to the US president who, she said, had lent “decisive support of our cause”.”More than ever we count on President Trump,” she wrote on X.Trump has since became the recipient of a different peace prize: one created by the world football association FIFA and handed to him at the 2026 World Cup draw Friday.A smiling Trump called the award “truly one of the great honours of my life”, and claimed again that “we saved millions and millions of lives”.Machado agrees with Washington’s assessment that Maduro heads a drug cartel, and has welcomed a beefed-up US military presence in the region, which has seen strikes on alleged drug boats.Trump’s administration insists it is effectively at war with alleged “narco-terrorists”. But Maduro has accused Washington of using drug trafficking as a pretext for “imposing regime change” in Caracas.Maduro has rejected a “slave’s peace” for the region, amid mounting fears of US military action against his country.The months-long US military campaign has so far killed at least 87 people dead in more than 20 strikes, including a “double-tap” strike in which two men clinging to the wreckage of their vessel were killed.

The path to glory at the 2026 World Cup has now been laid out after the contenders discovered their tournament fate at Friday’s draw ceremony in Washington which was dominated by Donald Trump.The US President received FIFA’s new peace prize on stage at the Kennedy Center prior to the draw for the first 48-team World Cup, which offered kind starts to the tournament for holders Argentina and much-fancied Spain in particular.While the make-up of the groups was revealed along with the potential path through the knockout rounds for all the potential winners, the precise schedule for the competition will only be confirmed later Saturday.FIFA president Gianni Infantino will unveil the venues and kick-off times for all games from 1700 GMT, after which the teams will be able to focus on fine-tuning their preparations with barely six months left until the World Cup kicks off on June 11.Lionel Messi’s Argentina begin their defense of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 by facing Algeria, and will also play Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J.Reigning European champions Spain will kick off their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.”We want to do something big at this World Cup and that means making sure we do well in the group stage, then carrying on from there,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.Thomas Tuchel’s England, seeking to win a first World Cup since 1966, will be expected to top Group L ahead of 2018 finalists Croatia, Ghana and Panama.Two-time winners France face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I, which will be completed by a play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.For the first time, the draw was done in such a way as to ensure the four highest-ranked nations were kept apart — Spain, Argentina, France and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, if all top their groups.- ‘Can’t get carried away’ -However, the path to that stage — with an extra knockout round now following the group phase — looks perilous.If the top seeds all win their groups, England could find themselves playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 and then Brazil in the quarter-finals, before a semi against Argentina.Other possible match-ups include France and Germany being on a last-16 collision course and a potential meeting between Messi’s Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals.”You cannot get carried away with building your way with who you are going to meet if you win the group, if you are second or whatever,” insisted Tuchel. “You just focus on the group, this is what you do.”The tournament will be held across the USA, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in 2022. While the US will host most matches, including the final at the MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada.The opening game sees Mexico play South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.The host nations have experienced turbulent relations since Trump came to power but he brushed that aside on Friday. “We’ve worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding,” Trump said after receiving his peace prize from Infantino.- ‘Like 104 Super Bowls’ -Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco will meet in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti — Scotland and Brazil will meet for the fifth time at a World Cup.Germany’s opponents in Group E will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Portugal face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner.The United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia and a European play-off winner in Group D.”Our first game is the final of the World Cup. And the second needs to be the final of the World Cup. That is the mentality, the mindset that we want to build,” said USA coach Mauricio Pochettino.The top two teams in each group advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.”It will be the greatest World Cup ever,” Infantino claimed. “This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month — this is the magnitude of what we are organizing.”

An advisory panel appointed by President Donald Trump’s vaccine-skeptic health secretary voted Friday to stop recommending that all newborns in the United States receive a hepatitis B vaccine.The move to end the decades-old recommendation is the panel’s latest contentious about-face on vaccine policy since its overhaul by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this year.US health authorities previously recommended that all babies, not just those born to mothers believed to have hepatitis B, receive the first of three vaccine doses just after birth.The approach aimed, in part, to prevent transfers from mothers who unknowingly had hepatitis B or had falsely tested negative, and had virtually eradicated infections of the potentially deadly liver disease among young people in the country.After delaying the vote by a day, the panel on Friday passed its new recommendation for “individual-based decision-making,” in consultation with a health care provider, when children are born to mothers testing negatively for the disease.The decision to vaccinate at birth should “consider vaccine benefits, vaccine risks, and infection risks.”Trump hailed the move as “a very good decision” on his Truth Social platform.But the new recommendation was immediately condemned by several medical groups who noted widespread shortcomings in US maternal health screening as well as the possibility of infections from others.”This irresponsible and purposely misleading guidance will lead to more hepatitis B infections in infants and children,” American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan J. Kressly said in a statement.The vote was 8-3. Trump-appointed officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expected to formally adopt the recommendations at a later date.The panel also voted to recommend that babies who are not vaccinated at birth wait at least two months to get the initial dose, and that blood tests be done to measure antibodies before a second dose.- Panel overhaul -After becoming health secretary, Kennedy sacked every member of the once-staid Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), replacing them with figures whose vaccine-skeptic views track more closely with his own.It has since set to work on reviewing prior recommendations — already tweaking advice on Covid-19 and measles shots.Medical experts fear the push could further contribute to declining vaccination rates in the United States.The panel on Friday also began a broader review of the childhood vaccination schedule, and sparked further controversy by allowing testimony from lawyer Aaron Siri, a close Kennedy associate known for spreading unfounded theories on the subject.While Trump vocally supports Kennedy’s policies, some in the Republican Party have pushed back, notably Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy.Cassidy, a medical doctor, condemned the ACIP decision, noting the original recommendation was never “a mandate” to get the jab.CDC officials “should not sign these new recommendations and instead retain the current, evidence-based approach,” he said on X.Cassidy’s expression of alarm, like his prior statements against Kennedy, provoked criticism after he provided the key vote to confirm the health secretary in February.- ‘Do no harm’ -The United States had urged universal vaccination at birth against hepatitis B since 1991, advice also recommended by China, Australia and the World Health Organization.But several ACIP members argued that Friday’s decision would align the United States with other economically developed countries such as France and Britain.The repercussions of the ACIP’s vaccine recommendations are broad because federal guidelines often dictate whether vaccines are paid for by health insurance companies in the United States, where a vaccine can cost hundreds of dollars.But the committee’s influence is waning amid withering criticism from the US scientific and medical community, with Democratic-led states announcing they will no longer follow its recommendations.Ahead of the vote, Cody Meissner, one of the few dissenting voices on the advisory committee, urged his colleagues not to change the current recommendations. “Do no harm is a moral imperative. We are doing harm by changing this wording,” he warned.

Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain were handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony at which US President Donald Trump received FIFA’s new peace prize.The event at the Kennedy Center in Washington started the final countdown to the tournament, six months out from the first-ever 48-team World Cup.Lionel Messi’s Argentina will begin their defense of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 by facing Algeria, and will also play Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J.Heavily-fancied Spain, the European champions, will kick off their campaign against first-time qualfiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.”All the praise will not weaken us, quite the opposite,” insisted Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. “We want to do something big at this World Cup and that means making sure we do well in the group stage, then carrying on from there.”Thomas Tuchel’s England, seeking to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966, will hope to win Group L that features beaten 2018 finalists Croatia as well as Ghana and Panama.Two-time winners France, meanwhile, face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I, which will be completed by an intercontinental play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.For the first time, the draw was done in such a way as to ensure the four highest-ranked nations were kept apart — Spain, Argentina, France and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, if all four top their groups.However, the path to that stage — with an extra knockout round now following the group phase — looks perilous for some of the contenders.If the top seeds all finish first in their groups, England could, for example, find themselves playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 and then Brazil in the quarter-finals, before a last-four clash with Argentina.- ‘Can’t get carried away’ -“You cannot get carried away with building your way with who you are going to meet if you win the group, if you are second or whatever,” said Tuchel. “You just focus on the group, this is what you do.”The tournament will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in 2022. That means a total of 104 matches, compared to 64 games last time.While the US will host the majority of matches including the final at the MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada.The three hosts have experienced turbulent relations since Trump came to power but he brushed that aside. “We’ve worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding,” Trump said after receiving his peace prize from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.”It is truly one of the great honors of my life. It is such an honor to be with Gianni. He has done such an incredible job,” Trump added.Trump seized the limelight, even dancing when the Village People performed, but Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum were also in attendance.The event was co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and American actor and comedian Kevin Hart. NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal were among the stars who helped conduct the draw.- ‘Like 104 Super Bowls’ -Co-hosts Mexico will take on South Africa in Group A in the opening game of the tournament at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco came out together in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti.Germany’s opponents in Group E will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner.Co-hosts the United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia and a European play-off winner in Group D.The top two teams in each group advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.”It will be the greatest World Cup ever,” Infantino claimed. “This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month — this is the magnitude of what we are organizing.”Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kick-off times on Saturday.