Friday’s opening game in the U.S. at SoFi Stadium in California comes against the backdrop of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, mounting political violence in President Trump’s orbit and growing fears of artificial intelligence-fueled disruptions.

In most nations hosting the World Cup, soccer is a fixation.

Pushing back on U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments, Iran’s national soccer team says “no one can exclude” it from playing in the men’s World Cup in the United States.

President Donald Trump says he doesn't think it'd be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year's World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he has “complete confidence” in Mexico as a World Cup co-host despite days of cartel violence in the country that has left at least 70 people dead.

Victor Wembanyama will be aiming for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

“The introduction of the vaccine and the rollout of the vaccine, it’s definitely good news for everybody,” 2022 World Cup chief executive Nasser Al-Khater said in an interview with the AP. The pandemic has prevented the event being staged in the host nation as would usually happen before a World Cup. Qatar used the seven-team Club World Cup in December 2019 that was won by Liverpool to test footballing infrastructure. “The rest will be completed by the end of the year (2021), beginning of 2022,” Al-Khater said. “The World Cup has definitely been a catalyst to looking out into workers rights and standards,” Al-Khater said.

Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco are expanding their family! The soccer stars are expecting a baby girl next year, they announced on Instagram on Wednesday. The news comes three months after Morgan helped lead the women's national soccer team to victory, earning their fourth total FIFA Women's World Cup championship in July. "Cant wait to meet my baby girl - @hanaasano ," Carrasco captioned his own post, which included the couple's two dogs. RELATED CONTENT:USA Women's Soccer Team are Living Their Best Lives at NYC Parade Following World Cup WinAlex Morgan on Paving the Way for Female Athletes After Big ESPY Award Win (Exclusive)

ET's Lauren Zima caught up with Morgan backstage after her first big win, where she expressed how honored she was to receive yet another major trophy. During her acceptance speech, Morgan touched on the importance of helping other female athletes and investing in women. We see you, @alexmorgan13 pic.twitter.com/MZPo5HiD8V ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2019As for how she feels about the support from other female athletes and now paving the way for others, Morgan said, "It's incredible." Later during the ceremony, Morgan and her teammates once again took the stage that night to accept the Best Team award, where they thanked their fans for all their continued support. From a parade in NYC to the ESPYS in LA, it's been a whirlwind day for the USWNT pic.twitter.com/z3voFFnZ7o ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2019Kevin Winter/Getty ImageFor more on the U.S. Women's soccer team, watch below.