FIFA wants 'all teams participating' at World Cup after U.S. attack on Iran

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said his organization is focused on all teams participating at the 2026 World Cup in the wake of the United States' military strikes on Iran.

The U.S.launched missile attackson Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, with PresidentDonald Trumpcalling the mission a "major combat operation."

Iran has retaliated with attacks on U.S. air bases in the Gulf region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

The clash between the United States and Iran comes just months before Iran is scheduled to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Iran was drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Team Melli is scheduled to play two group stage games in Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and one in Seattle (June 26).

In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. attacks on Iran, Grafstrom said that FIFA is monitoring the situation but remains optimistic that the World Cup will go forward with Iran as planned.

"I read the news [about Iran] this morning the same way you did," Grafstrom said at the International Football Association Board's annual general meeting in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday.

Advertisement

"We had a meeting today and it is premature to comment in detail, but we will monitor developments around all issues around the world.

"We had the finals draw in Washington in which all teams participated, and our focus is on a safe World Cup with all the teams participating.

"We will continue to communicate as we always do with three [host] governments as we always do in any case. Everybody will be safe."

Visitors from Iran are already set to be barred from entering the United States for the World Cup. Iran was among 19 countries included in atravel banthat the Trump administration announced in June.

In December, Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj warned that some national team players and staff may also be denied U.S. visas for the World Cup due to their military background.

Several Iran national team players have served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of the Iranian military that the U.S. government has designated as aforeign terrorist organization.

TheU.S. State Department has not ruled out the possibilitythat some Iranian players could see their visas denied.

2026 World Cup: 20 players who will get you out of your seat

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:USA attack on Iran: FIFA responds to World Cup concerns

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

FIFA wants 'all teams participating' at World Cup after U.S. attack on Iran

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said his organization is focused on all teams participating at the 2026 Wor...

Read More

Seattle game breaks U.S. arena attendance record for women's hockey

A sold-out crowd of 17,335 fans at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena broke the U.S. attendance record for a women's hockey game on Friday night.

In the first game back from the Olympic break for both PWHL teams, the host Seattle Torrent fell 5-2 to the Toronto Sceptres.

The Torrent played without captain Hilary Knight, who led the U.S. women's team to a gold medal in the Milan Cortina Olympics. She was placed on long-term injured reserve due to a lower-body injury she suffered during the Games.

Advertisement

The previous record of 17,228 fans came on Jan. 18 when the Montreal Victoire faced the New York Sirens at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

The Torrent also broke their own attendance mark, set when 16,014 fans filled the Seattle arena for the expansion club's inaugural home opener on Nov. 28, 2025.

Overall attendance across the PWHL for the league's third season was up 17 percent through 61 games at the Milan Cortina Olympics break, according to the league.

--Field Level Media

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

Seattle game breaks U.S. arena attendance record for women's hockey

A sold-out crowd of 17,335 fans at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena broke the U.S. attendance record for a women...

Read More

“Heat 2”: What We Know So Far About the Classic 1995 Movie's Sequel

The 1995 crime film Heat starred Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and the late Val Kilmer

NEED TO KNOW

• In 2022, Michael Mann published his book Heat 2, serving as a prequel and sequel

• Heat 2 is being adapted for the screen, with production set to start in summer 2026

Heat 2is heating up!

The sequel to the 1995 crime classic,Heat, starringAl Pacino,Robert De Niroand the lateVal Kilmer, has long been in development.

For years, casting rumors have swirled about who would star in the film follow-up, and in February 2026,Christian Baleseemingly confirmed his involvement in the project.

The upcoming movie will be based on the 2022 novelHeat 2, which followed the characters before and after the events depicted in the 1995 movie.

"It's been my intention for a long time to do the further stories ofHeat," director Michael Mann toldDeadlinein January 2022. "There was always a rich history or back-story about the events in these people's lives before 1995 inHeatand projection of where their lives would take them after."

Here's what we know so far aboutHeat 2.

What isHeat 2about?

Heat 2is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Mann and Meg Gardiner. The book takes place in different years, serving as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 action epic.

Heat 2picks up right after the movie, with Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer's character in the film) escaping Los Angeles and making his way to South America and Southeast Asia, where he becomes involved with the international drug cartel.

Another part of theHeat 2the novel is set in 1988 Chicago, and follows Vincent Hanna (Pacino's character), on the trail of a sadistic killer named Otis Wardell.

The section of the book also shows how Hanna and Neil McCauley (De Niro) almost met in the Windy City years before their face-to-face in the 1995 film.

Heat 2jumps to the year 2000, where the characters and plots from the different timelines intersect, leading to an intense showdown in L.A.

In an August 2022Rolling Stoneinterview, Mann described theHeat 2book as "a global version ofHeat."

Who is in theHeat 2cast?

The 1995Heatfeatured a star-studded cast, and the sequel is also shaping up to have A-listers on its roster.

Advertisement

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have been rumored to be joiningHeat 2, and in February 2026, one actor, Bale, seemingly confirmed his involvement in the project.

According to anXpost fromGood Day Chicago's Jake Hamilton, Bale told him, "I'll be back in Chicago soon forHeat 2!"

Other actors who have reportedly been linked toHeat 2includeLeonardo DiCaprio,Adam Driver,Austin ButlerandBradley Cooper, perThe Hollywood Reporterin October 2025.

With the plots spanning multiple decades, Mann said "aging and de-aging" technology "will be very important in the film," perThe Playlist.

Who is directingHeat 2?

Mann, who directed the 1995 film, is returning to helmHeat 2.

He also co-wrote the book the upcoming movie is based on, but he wasn't originally aiming for the novel to be adapted for the screen.

"It wasn't the intention, but you can't separate the two," Mann toldVulturein December 2023. "I don't know how to write novels. I do know how to write and imagine screenplays, and I wanted the novel to have a cinematic pace and a story-driven structure to it."

"What became exciting was to have them not be the people they are inHeat,but to put them through the experiences that turned them into the people that they are inHeat," he continued.

When willHeat 2start filming?

Heat 2is due to start filming in August 2026.

In a December 2025 interview withThe Guardian, Mann said, "Listen, no picture happens until it's happening, but right now we're looking to start Aug. 3."

According to The Playlist, at the 2025 Lumiere Film Festival, Mann shared thatHeat 2is "an expensive movie to make, but I believe it should be made at the proper size and scale. It's going to shoot in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay and possibly some parts in Singapore."

Is there a release date forHeat 2?

As of February 2026,Heat 2does not have a confirmed release date.

Read the original article onPeople

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

“Heat 2”: What We Know So Far About the Classic 1995 Movie's Sequel

The 1995 crime film Heat starred Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and the late Val Kilmer NEED TO KNOW In 2022, Mi...

Read More

Australians Green and Lee move into the lead after 3 rounds of LPGA Singapore

SINGAPORE (AP) — Australians Hannah Green and Minjee Lee moved to the top of the leaderboard Saturday to lead by one stroke after three rounds of the HSBC Women's World Championship.

Singapore LPGA Golf

Green, the2019 Women's PGA Championship winnerand who won the Singapore tournament in 2024, shot a 4-under 68 and three-time major winner Lee 69 to post three-round totals of 11-under 205 at the SentosaGolfClub.

American Angel Yin (68) and Haeran Ryu (70) of South Korea were tied for third in the LPGA tournament.

With the final group on the eighth hole, six players were tied for the lead at 9-under. Yin took the lead for first time with a birdie from off the green on the 10th, displacing her fellow American Auston Kim, who had led after the first two rounds.

Kim had back-to-back bogeys on the seventh and eighth to fall out of the lead, but it could have been worse. After seeing her ball plugged in hazard off the green on the eighth hole and having to return to the fairway to hit her fifth shot, she sank a 20-foot putt for bogey to minimize the damage.

Kim finished with a 73 and was tied for sixth at 8-under, three behind Green andLee.

"Definitely, there are a lot of birdies to be made but it's very easy to make bogey," Green said. "So I think just limiting as many of those as possible.

Advertisement

"I've been hitting the ball into the greens, so if I can continue to do that, and even though I'm playing with Minjee, we are good friends, I don't want to get too caught up in what her scores are."

Yin said the margins were close in the third round.

"Good golf and good luck. Honestly there's nothing much you can do to it," Yin said. "There's a lot of instances today where it was like one hole, I made this unbelievable up-and-down. That's skill and luck to me. So get lucky and get good."

Lee won her first major in 2021 at the Evian Championship, her second at the U.S. Women's Open in 2022 andher thirdat last year's Women's PGA Championship.

Top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, who wonlast week's tournamentin her native Thailand, shot 70 Saturday that left her at 3-under. She was tied with defending championLydia Koand Brooke Henderson, who each shot 71, all eight strokes behind the leading Australians.

The 72-player, no-cut tournament is the second of three stops on the LPGA's early year Asian swing, with the final one next week at Hainan Island, China.

AP golf:https://apnews.com/hub/golf

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

Australians Green and Lee move into the lead after 3 rounds of LPGA Singapore

SINGAPORE (AP) — Australians Hannah Green and Minjee Lee moved to the top of the leaderboard Saturday to lead by one str...

Read More

Celtics post one of NBA's best offensive performances as they await Jayson Tatum's possible return

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics have been one of the NBA's hottest teams since returning from the All-Star break.

Nets Celtics Basketball

They can add one of the best offensive performances in league history to their list of accomplishments as they await a possible return of star Jayson Tatum to action.

Boston shot a season-high 66.7% (52 of 78) from the field in their148-111 winover the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. It was the second-best field goal percentage in team history, falling just short of the 67.9% they shot against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 21, 1984.

The Celtics also shot 64.7% from the 3-point line Friday, which equated to an80.8% effective field goal percentage– the highest in NBA history. Effective field goal percentage measures shooting efficiency by adjusting for the fact that 3-pointers are worth more than two-point shots

All-Star Jaylen Brown led the way, finishing with 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. But he got plenty of support from his teammates, with trade deadline acquisition Nikola Vucevic adding 28 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double as a member of the Celtics.

"I thought we just did a good job reading the game," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "I thought we made the right reads throughout most of the entire game. I thought tonight Vooch really looked comfortable in his offensive reads and his offensive screening. He unlocked a lot of stuff for us."

All 13 Celtics players scored in the game, with Boston committing only three turnovers after halftime.

"We just try to read the game and take what's there," Brown said.

Boston, winners of five of its six games since the All-Star break, will now wait to see if Sunday night's home matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers will mark the return of Tatum.

Advertisement

The game, originally scheduled to be played earlier in the day, was moved by NBC into an 8 p.m. primetime slot, creating speculation it could signal Tatum's plan to return.

It's been 41 weeks since Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon last May in the waning minutes of the Celtics' loss to the New Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics are required by the NBA to release an initial injury report by 5:00 p.m. EST on Saturday ahead of Sunday's home game against the 76ers.

After practicing with the Celtics' G League team two weeks ago, Tatum said he hadn't yet made a decision of whether he'd return.

"It doesn't mean that I'm coming back or I'm not, it's just following the plan. So it's just another step," Tatum said. "I don't know percentage. I just know I feel a little bit better everyday. I just try to focus on that."

Tatum said in the same interview that he is also mindful of not wanting to disrupt the progress of a Celtics team that at 39-20 currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

'I'm just hyper aware of what's going on. I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I'm also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well," Tatum said.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

Celtics post one of NBA's best offensive performances as they await Jayson Tatum's possible return

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics have been one of the NBA's hottest teams since returning from the All-Star break. ...

Read More

Want to congratulate US women's hockey Olympic gold? Call this number.

TheU.S. women's hockey teamis getting the recognition it deserves, this time thanks to adifferent type of phone call.

This week, the public relations firm Jennifer Bett Communications (JBC) andCosmopolitanlaunched a phone hotline for fans to leave voicemails congratulating the team on itsOlympic gold medal win.

It comes afterdays of controversyshrouded the team'sthrilling overtime victory over Canadaon Feb. 19.

After theU.S. men's hockey team accomplished the same featthree days later, PresidentDonald Trumpcalled the players to offer congratulations and acontroversial jokeabout the women.

When the president said he planned to invite the men's players to the White House, he added that he would also have to extend the same offer to the women's team. If he didn't, he said, "I probably would be impeached." Videos of the incident shared on social media showed the men's players laughing in response.

The call sparkedbacklash from fansandother athletesalike, who argued that the comment diminished the women's team's incredible feat.

In an effort to dial in on the gold medal moment, the new phone hotline is giving fans a way to celebrate the team.

"We launched this because we refused to let a single moment pass where these women felt their gold was anything less than the biggest story in the country. It's about closing the recognition gap — not with criticism, but with joy," Jennifer Meyer, the founder of JBC, said in an email statement to USA TODAY.

More:Hilary Knight says Trump's 'distasteful joke' overshadowing women's hockey gold

Relive USA's thrilling gold‑medal OT win and celebration over Canada

How to leave a voicemail for the U.S. women's hockey team

Fans can call 1-833-SHE-WON1, or 1-833-743-9661, to leave a voicemail celebrating the women's hockey team's gold medal win.

Advertisement

When dialed, the toll-free number prompts callers to leave a message congratulating the team. Meyer said her firm is monitoring the submissions "to ensure what reaches the players is a curated audio trophy of support."

JBC is also working to make sure the messages get to the team itself, Meyer said.

"We have a personal connection to the team and have already been in touch with the USA Hockey communications department to coordinate delivery," she said.

Callers include 7-year-old: 'I play hockey like you'

So far, the response to the hotline has been "overwhelming, in the best possible way," Meyer said.

Callers have ranged from youth hockey players, parents and other sports fans.

"The common thread in every message is pure, unfiltered pride. The response has turned this into a standing ovation in audio form," Meyer said.

Transcripts from some of the voicemails that JBC shared with USA TODAY echo the ovation.

"I am so proud of all of you. You guys are trailblazers. You guys are what I wanted to be when I grew up, but they didn't let girls play hockey back then. I am bursting with pride over what you've done. Congratulations. Don't let the haters win. We love you," one message said.

"Hi, my name is Claire. I'm seven years old. I play hockey like you. Congratulations for winning the gold," another said.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached atmelina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Dial in congratulations for US women's hockey team with this hotline

byMichael Cox

in

February 27, 2026

Want to congratulate US women's hockey Olympic gold? Call this number.

TheU.S. women's hockey teamis getting the recognition it deserves, this time thanks to adifferent type of phone call...

Read More