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August 13, 2026

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Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, speaks to the media during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Press Conference at Mexico City Stadium on June 10, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Analysis

FIFA in turmoil: Middle East takes center stage as Infantino fights to stay in power

Amid the backlash to FIFA President Gianni Infantino's controversial investment plan, upcoming World Cup hosts Morocco and Saudi Arabia have starring roles in the drama.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Ceuta

Explainer

Estimated 60,000 migrants cross from Morocco into Spanish territory: What we know

The influx of asylum seekers has left Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez grappling with the country’s worst migration crisis in years.

Latest News

Explainer

France-Morocco ties get an energy jolt as historic heatwaves pressure Europe

Director of European Affairs and Customs at La Poste Groupe Christelle Defaye-Geneste (L) and Morocco's Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour (R) sign agreements between La Poste Groupe and Barid Al-Maghrib, alongside France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu (C-L) and his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, during a meeting in Rabat on July 16, 2026.

France ends Morocco’s World Cup run as last Arab and African team standing

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 30: Kylian Mbappe #10 of France celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

An UN vehicle arrives to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) on May 13, 2013 in Laayoune, the main city in the disputed territory. Six Sahrawi activists arrested this month after pro-independence protests in Western Sahara said they were tortured by Moroccan police and made to sign confessions, Amnesty International charged on May 16. The Western Sahara is a highly sensitive subject in Morocco, which annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975 in a mov

Intel: Why Bolton’s Africa comments must be freaking out Morocco

Moroccan women walk along a narrow street in Mohamadia, Morocco, April 28, 2018. Picture taken April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RC136B5110C0

Equal inheritance still struggle in Morocco

While Tunisia gears up to become the first country in North Africa to achieve inheritance equality between men and women, the issue still stirs a nationwide controversy in Morocco.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks out as leaders arrive for a family photo at the G20 in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1CF27DCB60

Saudi Arabia's estrangement

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got into the G-20 group photo, but his brand remains very toxic.

Morocco eyes privatization to fill its budget deficit

The 2019 finance bill shows a return of the privatization process in Morocco as a step in the direction of opening up the economy, but economists believe this is the ultimate proof of a failing fiscal policy.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) speaks at the Capitol Hill National Security Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14236FD8D0

Congress seeks more control over North Africa counterterror program

Lawmakers want a coherent strategy for the desert region from the Donald Trump administration.

Middle East upheaval casts shadow over 'Arab NATO'

A regional military exercise hosted by Egypt excludes Qatar in a blow to anti-Iran unity.

Gazans flee to Europe, illegally

Palestinians are increasingly seeking to leave the Gaza Strip given the deteriorating living conditions, seeking refuge in Europe.

The Polisario Front soldiers drive a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon during sunset in Bir Lahlou, Western Sahara, September 9, 2016. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra SEARCH “POLISARIO” FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - S1BEUKRIISAA

Intel: How Morocco used anti-Iran rhetoric to score its first bill in Congress

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (L) walks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2018. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Morocco plays Iran card to get US support on Western Sahara

Morocco is alleging ties between Hezbollah and the Polisario Front to secure the Donald Trump administration’s support for its territorial claims on the disputed region.

Mideast migrants face increased discrimination in Italy

New Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is taking steps to stop illegal migration to Italy, but critics say his methods are fueling racism against Middle Eastern foreigners.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) speaks at the Capitol Hill National Security Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14236FD8D0

Congress seeks uptick in North Africa operations

The House Homeland Security panel chief wants to boost funding for counterterrorism in the Sahara region.

A wounded Palestinian boy is evacuated during a protest marking al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day), at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip June 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1DC5C1B3A0

Morocco helps ease burden on Gaza hospitals

Given the medical and humanitarian crisis crippling Gaza’s hospitals while the Great Return March continues, Morocco delivered an aid convoy that included a field hospital to ease the burden on the territory's overtaxed and underequipped health care services.