Livramento ruled – Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the World Cup with a muscular injury from training, with England calling up Trevoh Chalobah as his replacement. Ghana has moved to challenge Canada’s refusal to issue a World Cup visa to Thomas Partey, asking for an injunc
When Tino Livramento’s muscular injury in training cast doubt over England’s World Cup plans. it wasn’t just a setback for Thomas Tuchel’s squad. It set off a chain reaction across the tournament—one that shows how quickly match-day hopes can turn into court filings. visa deadlines. and new call-ups.
Livramento is now ruled out of the World Cup, with Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah called up as his replacement. Tuchel’s decisions have already been shaped by his preference for flexibility and specialists. and this one carries that logic as well: Chalobah is not being lined up as a direct like-for-like “replacement” for Livramento’s versatility across flanks. The adjustment leaves questions hanging for fans—particularly given how Livramento’s ability to play off either flank and act as first reserve behind Reece James and Nico O’Reilly had been viewed as part of the tournament balance.
In the same breath, the England camp is dealing with a separate fitness uncertainty around Bukayo Saka. Saka said on Monday that he is “ready to go,” while also conceding he is gambling on his fitness to play for England, with Thomas Tuchel saying Saka’s fitness is being monitored.
While England brace for their opening tournament week. the spotlight has shifted to Ghana and the legal fight surrounding Thomas Partey. Ghana’s government has gone to Canadian federal court seeking to overturn Ottawa’s refusal to issue a World Cup visa to Partey. who is facing trial in Britain on rape charges.
The hearing was set for Tuesday morning. with Ghana pursuing an injunction application that could allow Partey to play against Panama on Wednesday in Toronto. Ghana’s Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa described Canada’s decision as “high-handed and extremely unfair. ” saying Partey is a “key member of Ghana’s senior national team.”.
Accra has sent an official “note of protest” to Ottawa over the move and has formally asked Canada to review the decision, according to Ablakwa. Canada’s foreign ministry has not responded to a query regarding its response to Ghana’s protest.
Partey is a Villarreal midfielder who previously played for Arsenal. He has pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022.
Elsewhere in the Americas, the visa pressure has taken a different form. Iran’s Mehdi Torabi is reported to have had his US visa expire after Iran’s opening 2-2 draw against New Zealand on Monday. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Torabi only had a single-entry visa rather than a multiple-entry visa. with Iran staying in Mexico and travelling into the US for their matches.
“Following the national team’s trip to Los Angeles for the match against New Zealand and the conclusion of that game. Torabi’s visa has now expired. ” IRNA reported. The Iranian Football Federation said it has taken steps to obtain a new visa so Torabi can accompany the national team in upcoming matches. while World Cup organisers and the US have not yet commented.
For the people at the centre of these stories, the tournament doesn’t arrive as a clean slate. It arrives as timing: injuries in training, decisions made across borders, deadlines that don’t pause for football.
Around one of the tournament’s opening matches, Iran’s frustration was already on public record. After the 2-2 draw with New Zealand. head coach Amir Ghalenoei hit out at Fifa and hinted at resentment toward the US government after being told they needed to leave Los Angeles immediately. Ghalenoei said: “We’ve spent so much time commuting in the air. They didn’t even give us time to recover after the game today. They said we had to leave immediately.” He also said the team were asked to return to Tijuana and that they were “really troubled by that. ” adding: “They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles.”.
That same match produced a wider atmosphere of urgency. The Iran captain Mehdi Taremi described the treatment as “disaster” and said Fifa president Gianni Infantino had been in the dressing room offering to “help” the team. Footage published on X showed Infantino telling players: “you are stronger than everything. ” adding that the team were “writing history. the whole world is watching you.” The report also said Infantino told players he would do what he could to ensure more of the Iranian delegation—who did not receive visas—could travel to the USA for their remaining group games.
Even with different countries, different offices, and different rules, the pattern is hard to miss once these facts sit side by side: the World Cup is being decided not only by tactics and training, but by access—who can travel, who can play, and how fast decisions are made when a deadline hits.
World Cup 2026 England Tino Livramento Trevoh Chalobah Bukayo Saka Ghana Thomas Partey Canada visa Canadian federal court Thomas Partey rape charges Iran Mehdi Torabi US visa expiry Mehdi Taremi Amir Ghalenoei