FIFA has announced an 11-member Technical Study Group for the 2026 World Cup, with former players and coaches set to analyse matches and decide the winners of major individual awards during the tournament.

The panel was unveiled on Monday during a virtual media briefing monitored by The Nation ahead of the competition, which begins next month at Estadio Azteca.

The group will be led by FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbühler and includes former Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta, ex-Germany striker and coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, former Ghana coach Otto Addo, Costa Rica legend Paulo Wanchope and Brazilian World Cup winner Gilberto Silva.

Others on the panel are Tobin Heath, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Jayne Ludlow and Aron Winter.

FIFA said the group will also decide the winners of the Golden Ball, Golden Glove and Best Young Player awards during the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams for the first time, with 104 matches scheduled across the competition.

“The TSG captures the heartbeat of global football.

“By blending expert observation with cutting-edge data, this team will provide the official record of how football is played at the highest level in 2026,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

A betting investor, John Egbokhan, has urged Nigerians, especially youths, to explore opportunities within the nation’s expanding betting and gaming industry responsibly.

Egbokhan gave the advice on Monday during an interview, where he discussed regulation, taxation, and industry prospects.

He described Nigeria’s betting market as one undergoing major transformation, driven by legal reforms, fiscal policies, and increased government oversight.

“Nigeria’s betting industry is entering a defining period, shaped by tax reforms and regulatory changes affecting operators and everyday players,” he said.

He explained that sports betting remained legal since the enactment of the National Lottery Act in 2005.

According to him, the federal regulatory framework historically placed oversight under the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

“The commission was responsible for licensing operators and monitoring lottery and gaming activities across the country,” he stated.

He, however, noted that recent legal developments had significantly changed the industry’s regulatory structure.

Egbokhan said a 2024 Supreme Court ruling shifted primary gaming oversight to state governments, reshaping the regulatory landscape.

“States are now assuming greater control over betting and gaming activities within their jurisdictions,” he said.

He cited Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority as an example of growing state-level oversight.

“This decentralised system means operators and players must pay closer attention to state-specific rules and compliance obligations,” he added.

Egbokhan also highlighted the increasing influence of taxation on betting activities, particularly within Lagos State.

“In Lagos, a five per cent withholding tax on gaming winnings now applies at payout, directly affecting bettors’ earnings,” he explained.

According to him, the deduction takes place before winnings reach players, making tax awareness increasingly important.

“Bettors must understand how their earnings are calculated and how statutory deductions affect their final payouts,” he said.

Egbokhan noted that while taxation could boost government revenue, it also introduced new complexities.

“Operators still face licensing fees, revenue levies, and other compliance obligations across multiple jurisdictions,” he explained.

He said many Nigerians remained unaware of how taxes are applied or how to verify licensed betting platforms.

“As regulation becomes more fragmented, understanding the rules is becoming just as important as participating in the activity itself,” he said.

Egbokhan urged youths to approach betting as a regulated economic activity, not merely entertainment.

“There are business opportunities in technology, analytics, compliance, and investment within gaming, but responsible participation must always come first.”

West Ham are set to contact referees’ body the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) over their late equaliser being disallowed against Arsenal.

The Hammers had appeared to have dealt a significant blow to the Gunners’ title hopes as well as boosting their own Premier League survival prospects when Callum Wilson struck in stoppage time on Sunday.

But after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the goal was ruled out for a foul by Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

West Ham will raise concerns and request further explanation from PGMO following the controversial decision.

The Gunners went on to win 1-0, taking them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and making West Ham’s future that bit more uncertain as they sit in 18th place, with Tottenham Hotspur a point above them before the host Leeds on Monday.

Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes VAR “did a really good job” in disallowing the goal.

“It’s a clear foul,” Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney Show.

“You’re going to obviously get a lot of people saying they think it should have stood because it’s controversial and probably all the Manchester City players, staff, fans are going to say it should have stood. And then you’re going to get all the Tottenham fans, players, and staff saying it shouldn’t have stood and of course the Arsenal fans and stuff.

“But it’s a clear foul. I think you can clearly see the arm crosses his face and it impacts him getting to the ball. So I think it’s the right decision.

“It’s the one time I actually think VAR has done a really good job in such an important game.”

Despite being satisfied the correct decision was made, Rooney lamented the advantage goalkeepers get inside their own area.

“I think where VAR is consistent and the referees are consistent – and I hate it – is you go anywhere near the goalkeeper and it’s a foul,” he said.

“You go anywhere near the goalkeeper and you give a foul. Throughout my career as a player, I’ve had a dislike for goalkeepers because of that reason. I think because they can jump with their arms and so they have got a big advantage and normally they come out with their knees and the studs down your back and stuff.

“But I think it is consistent with goalkeepers that [if] you go near them, they normally get a free-kick.”

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann on Match of the Day: “I don’t think anyone would want to trade places with Darren England. Nobody would want to be sitting in that chair. He stepped up to the plate, he made the right decision and it’s the biggest VAR call in Premier League history.”

Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given on Match of the Day: “The thing that grates [on] me is we have seen on numerous occasions with Arsenal this season, goalkeepers and defenders getting blocked off and the goal stands. Everyone is frustrated about the consistency of the refereeing decision. Why are some goals allowed to stand and this was disallowed? There is so much at stake at the bottom of the league and the very top.

“The other thing is Gabriel is holding, Odegaard is holding, Trossard is holding before the foul even happens on Raya. When does the referee decide that’s the foul he wants to pick and not the previous foul?”

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy on Match of the Day: “The controversy and discontent around West Ham not being given the goal is because it’s Arsenal. They can’t be held accountable for decisions in the past.

“The VAR officials have got to say what they see and it’s a clear foul. Just because it’s Arsenal we shouldn’t get it distorted.”

Former West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green on BBC Radio 5 Live: “It is a foul. You are looking at two players fouling the goalkeeper. There have been so many of these this season, it has been such a talked-about topic, there has been such inconsistency with it so for it to come down to this is huge.

“It just feels like for VAR, for West Ham, for Arsenal in particular with their set-pieces, has been the topic of the season.

“In isolation – foul. There were five or six fouls going on at the same time in there but it’s where the ball landed. Then you think about consistency – there hasn’t been any.”