Fermín López set to miss the World Cup for Spain after fracturing foot

May 18, 2026 | 9:43 AM

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain midfielder Fermín López is set to miss the World Cup because of a fracture on his right foot.

Barcelona said Monday the 23-year-old López will need to undergo surgery to treat the injury sustained in the team’s Spanish league match on Sunday.

The club said “López suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in the game against Betis. The player will undergo surgery.”

Barcelona did not give a time frame for Lopéz’s recovery but he was not expected to be fit in time for next month’s World Cup. Spain makes its debut against Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta.

López was in Spain’s squad that won the 2024 European Championship, as well as in the under-23 team that won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He scored six goals at the Olympics, including two in the final against host France.

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

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
July 23, 2026 | 2:09 PM

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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