Iran says that the country’s institutions are fully prepared for its national football team’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In a statement made to state broadcaster IRIB, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Wednesday that the Ministry of Youth and Sports ensured all necessary arrangements for the team’s effective participation in the tournament.

She also said the preparations were made under the directive of the sport minister, with a focus on providing the required facilities for a successful performance.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on April 16 that Iran is expected to participate in the upcoming World Cup, taking place from June 11 to July 19, noting that the team has qualified and expressed its willingness to compete despite the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.

“But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play,” he said of the Iranian team’s upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June.

“Sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said.

[Aljazeera]

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has been fined 15% of his match fee and handed one demerit point for saying the umpiring was biased during the second T20I against Nepal in Kirtipur.

Waseem himself was given out lbw first ball of the match and immediately expressed his displeasure with the decision, indicating the ball was swinging down the leg side. He made the said statement at the presentation ceremony after UAE lost by eight wickets.

It was his first offence in a 24-month period. He was found guilty of a Level 1 breach pertaining to Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

On-field umpires Buddhi Pradhan and Vinay Kumar, third umpire Durga Subedi, and fourth umpire Sanjay Sigdel levelled the charge against the UAE skipper.

Waseem admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Wendell Labrooy, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

[Cricinfo]

Bangladesh clinched their third ODI series in a row, after they beat New Zealand by 55 runs in the third ODI in Chattogram on Thursday. It was a come-from-behind series win, after the hosts lost the first match by 26 runs.

Bangladesh had also won their two previous ODI series – against West Indies in October 2025 and Pakistan last month. This is the first time they have secured three ODI series wins in a row, since their string of five ODI series wins across 2021 and 2022.

Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mustafizur Rahman had central roles to play and broke long-barren spells without milestones. Shanto reached his first ODI century in two years (and fourth overall), while Mustafizur got his first five-wicket haul in seven years. Litton Das, too, reached a fifty for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Shanto’s 105 off 119 balls included nine fours and two sixes, as he and Litton added 160 runs – a fourth-wicket record for Bangladesh against New Zealand. It was a rescue act after Bangladesh slipped to 32 for 3 in the ninth over. Will O’Rourke removed Saif Hassan with a subtle out-swinger in the first over, followed by both Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar dragging the ball on to their stumps.