Entertainment
New Zealand players willing to play World Cup opener against Iran outside US
New Zealand soccer players have said they would be willing to play Iran outside the United States in their opening match at the 2026 World Cup, as uncertainty persists over the fixture amid geopolitical tensions.
Iran were one of the first nations to qualify for the finals but their participation has been in doubt since the US-Israeli conflict with the Islamic Republic broke out at the end of February.
Team Melli are scheduled to play all three of their opening-round group matches in the US, with their June 15 opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles, but the Iranian soccer federation has threatened to boycott fixtures on US soil.
New Zealand are preparing as if the Los Angeles match will go ahead but players said on Wednesday they could accommodate a switch outside the US if necessary.
Netherlands-based midfielder Ryan Thomas said Iran had earned their spot at the World Cup, and the All Whites would be able to manage the extra attention generated by the match.
“They deserve to be there as qualifiers,” he told Reuters.
“If we’ve got to play them in Mexico or Canada, then yeah, we play them there. It’s not really a big deal for me.”
During the June 11-July 19 World Cup, New Zealand will be based in the southern California city of San Diego, which is a short drive to the Mexican border.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week her country would be open to hosting Iran’s World Cup fixtures although the final say on any venue switch would be FIFA’s.
Australia-based winger Kosta Barbarouses said players would leave it up to “the people in charge” to make a decision on the match, but did not think a switch would harm New Zealand’s campaign.
“I don’t think it would derail our preparation at all,” he told Reuters.
“We’ve got a base before our first game, anyway. So, yeah, I don’t see why not.”
Security worries
Fifa has declined to comment on the possibility of switching the venues for Iran’s games but said it was in contact with the Iranian soccer federation and looking forward to teams competing as per the current match schedule.
Iran also play Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle during the group phase.
Barbarouses, a 36-year-old father of two, acknowledged concerns about security for the New Zealand-Iran match in Los Angeles but said he trusted authorities to ensure the safety of players and their families as the All Whites play their first World Cup since the 2010 finals.
“I understand there will be worries for people but I just think with the magnitude of the event, I would love to have family there,” the Western Sydney Wanderers winger said.
“I would feel safe for them to be over there. I don’t think they’d miss it.”
Thomas said the New Zealand players’ nerves would be high before the match, but that was normal for any opener at a major tournament.
“Obviously there’s a big buildup prior to the first game,” the 31-year-old said.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see how we deal with that, but I’m confident in the group to deal with it on the pitch.”
Entertainment
Savannah Guthrie is returning to “Today” show on April 6, NBC says
“Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie will return to the program on April 6, host Hoda Kotb announced on the program’s Friday broadcast.
The investigation into the disappearance of Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, is still continuing. In an interview on “Today,” Savannah Guthrie made a tearful plea for someone “to do the right thing” and share information to help solve the case.
It has been nearly two months since authorities believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home after she was last seen on the night of Jan. 31.
In a portion of the interview with Kotb that aired Friday, Savannah Guthrie said she wants to return to the show “because it’s my family.”
“I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real. And my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful,” Guthrie said.
She added, “I consider this my family, my greater family, and when times are hard, you want to be with your family and I want to be with my family. And so, I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I’ll belong anymore, but I would like to try.”
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday, Feb. 1, the morning after she had dinner at her daughter Annie’s house and was dropped off back at her own home for the night. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News he believes she was abducted in the middle of the night, and he has also said family members and their spouses have all been ruled out as possible suspects.
Evidence later showed that a doorbell camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home disconnected at 1:47 a.m. Images and video retrieved from the camera system’s data and released by the FBI showed a man in a face mask, gloves and backpack at her door overnight.
No suspects have been named in the case. The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery. The FBI is also offering a separate reward of $100,000.
Savannah Guthrie’s appeals
Savannah Guthrie has made several appeals for people with information about her mother to come forward, including a tearful plea in a two-part interview this week on “Today.”
“We are in agony. We are in agony,” an emotional Guthrie told Kotb in a clip released Wednesday. “It is unbearable, and to think of what she went through, I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night, and in the darkness, I imagine her terror, and it is unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought.”
She and her siblings have also released video pleas on social media.
As authorities continued to search for her mother, Guthrie stepped back from her duties at NBC, including dropping out of hosting the network’s 2026 Winter Olympics broadcast last month.
“Someone needs to do the right thing,” Savannah Guthrie said in Wednesday’s clip. She also said, “I will not hide my face, but she needs to come home now.”
Entertainment
Prince William bold decision keeps Harry up at night: ‘No mercy’
Prince Harry has been losing sleep over Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s future risks, particularly following his estranged brother Prince William’s recent powerful move.
The Prince of Wales’ bold decision regarding Andrew caused serious tension for the Duke of Sussex about his and little Sussex’s royal future.
Royal commentator Tom Bower, in his book Betrayal: Power, Deceit And The Fight For The Future Of The Royal Family, made several claims, and one is about Harry’s growing fears for Archie and Lilibet’s titles in William’s reign.
After witnessing the royal family, especially William’s stern actions against Andrew after he portrayed the monarchy in a negative light, Harry anticipates the future King’s wrath.
Tom penned, “The tremors of the unprecedented sanctions against Andrew must have shocked Harry. In public, he remained silent. In private, he realised that his own royal status was no longer invincible.”
The royal expert warned, “Clearly, William was taking no prisoners. Once he was crowned as king, his brother might well show no mercy to him and Meghan.”
Harry knows that the Prince and Princess of Wales still have grievances regarding the Sussexes’ bombshell move to air their family’s drama to the public.
Talking about Meghan, Tom said, “William would undoubtedly rail against her disloyalty. He might even strip Archie and Lilibet of their titles.”
Entertainment
Megan Thee Stallion teases new song with Cardi B: ‘Definitely gonna happen’
Megan Thee Stallion is excited to collaborate with Cardi B again.
The Grammy-winning rapper has been on a career high this week, making her Broadway debut as the first female Zidler in Moulin Rouge, and a surprise new collaboration with Nickelback on the Cheetos Dill Pickle promo song, Pickle’s Back.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday, March 25, Megan teased what’s next: a long-awaited collaboration with her “girl,” Cardi B.
“Don’t worry about that, don’t worry about that,” she said with a smirk when asked about a possible collaboration with the Bodack Yellow rapper. “This is going to happen again. This is definitely going to happen again. Now, when it’s going to happen, I’m not telling you,” she teased.
The hip-hop icons first collaborated on Cardi’s 2020 hit, WAP. Three years later, they came together for Bongos. More recently, they reunited on stage at Cardi’s ongoing Little Miss Drama tour during a stop in Megan’s hometown of Houston, Texas.
“It was great, I love performing with Cardi,” Megan told ET about the performance. “She’s amazing. Every time we link up, it’s like, we don’t have to see each other for a long time, but every time I see her it’s like, I just saw you yesterday. We just pick back up where we left off from. That’s my girl,” she gushed.
“We’re both authentic, and we both are ourselves. We just both like to laugh, so we don’t really take anything too seriously,” Megan added.
Cardi also gushed over Megan following the performance, sharing a picture of the duo backstage on her Instagram Stories and writing, “I love you so so so so so sooooooo much.”
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