With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just hours from kickoff, the tournament dominated headlines across multiple outlets. The Hindu published a comprehensive guide to the 16 stadiums across the host cities, noting the event’s unprecedented scale: 104 matches spread across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Meanwhile, a quirky AI trend went viral. OpenAI’s ChatGPT sparked a social media phenomenon dubbed “#MessiMode,” in which users upload selfies and ask the AI to style their hair in the colours of their national flag. The trend was promoted with an image of Lionel Messi himself apparently issuing a voice command, blending World Cup excitement with the era’s inescapable AI fascination.
Not all the pre-tournament news was lighthearted. Norway’s Dagbladet reported that Haiti’s national team was told, just days before the tournament begins, that they must change their kits — a last-minute headache for a team already facing long odds on the pitch.
