FIFA reported an attendance of 44,985 for Thursday’s World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, but swathes of empty seats around the stadium renewed concerns over ticket pricing and demand for the expanded tournament.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX raised the $75 billion it targeted in a hotly awaited IPO on Thursday, selling shares at a fixed price of $135 that valued the space, satellite and AI company at $1.77 trillion.
British defence minister John Healey quit on Thursday over a months-long dispute over military spending, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit the resources that are needed to keep the country safe from mounting threats.
The European Cockpit Association plans to publicly call on European regulators on Friday to close a loophole that it says airlines use to avoid labor laws – hiring pilots and cabin crew through outsourcing agencies, rather than as direct employees.
Hopes grew on Friday for peace between Iran and the United States after President Donald Trump said a deal could be signed as soon as this weekend, even as Tehran said it had not made a final decision on a pact.
A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for charges linked to his ordering an incursion of military drones over North Korea to help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 martial law declaration.
South Korea rallied from a goal down to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and make a winning start to their World Cup Group A campaign, much to the delight of their fans and the sizeable local Mexican support they enjoyed in a festive Guadalajara on Thursday.
Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has died at 47, the royal palace said on Friday, after multiple health problems and nearly four years in a coma.
Iran conducted open training at their World Cup base camp on Thursday in Tijuana, where the team arrived amid geopolitical tensions that have threatened to overshadow the world’s biggest sporting event.
Mexico got the World Cup party started as the co-hosts swept away South Africa 2-0 on Thursday in a tempestuous clash with three red cards as the pyrotechnic smoke of the opening ceremony gave way to a cloud of red mist at a rocking Azteca stadium.