Test yourself on the week of June 20: Colombia votes, Starmer resigns, and Rutte meets with Trump.
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Test yourself on the week of June 20: Colombia votes, Starmer resigns, and Rutte meets with Trump.
By Drew Gorman, a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
Mikel Oyarzabal, no. 21 of Spain, in action challenges for the ball with Diney Borges, no. 3 of Cape Verde, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Cape Verde at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta.
Mikel Oyarzabal, no. 21 of Spain, in action challenges for the ball with Diney Borges, no. 3 of Cape Verde, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Cape Verde at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on June 15. Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images
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June 26, 2026, 1:29 PM
The World Cup is underway! Have you kept up with headlines off the field, too?
Have feedback? Email [email protected] to let me know your thoughts.
The World Cup is underway! Have you kept up with headlines off the field, too?
1. Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s presidential runoff election on Sunday. Which world leader endorsed him ahead of the vote?
De la Espriella has promised to build megaprisons like those in El Salvador, though experts warn that approach is unlikely to work in Colombia, Christina Noriega wrote last week.
2. Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down from his role as U.K. prime minister. When was he first elected?
Starmer’s timidity upon entering office doomed him from the start, John Kampfner argued in May.
3. Authorities in South Sudan on Monday set a date for the country’s first election since achieving independence in 2011. In what month is the vote set to occur?
The contest, originally planned for 2015, has been postponed five times due to internal strife, FP’s Allison Meakem wrote in January.
4. What action did China take on Tuesday, a day after Taiwan began a five-day military exercise?
Meanwhile, the Philippines has warned that China may be moving to take permanent control of the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, FP’s Joseph Rachman reports in Southeast Asia Brief.
5. NATO chief Mark Rutte sat down with Trump on Wednesday ahead of the alliance’s leaders’ summit next month. Rutte’s ability to sweet-talk Trump has earned him what title?
Rutte’s attempts to keep the United States fully committed to NATO have hampered Europe’s ability to become strategically independent, FP’s Stephen M. Walt argued in February.
6. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman began a three-day state visit to China on Wednesday as part of his first international trip since taking office. What is notable about the visit?
Dhaka’s relationship with New Delhi has soured since the 2024 ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, FP’s Michael Kugelman writes in South Asia Brief.
7. The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow states to do what?
As insecurity increases domestically, Nigeria also finds itself at the center of a geopolitical battle between the United States and China, Patrick Egwu wrote last November.
8. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament on Thursday that his government was exploring ways to strengthen a recent ban on what?
Social media bans can be effective but are not a silver bullet to mitigating the negative consequences of social media use, James Paterson argued last July.
9. After Cape Verde’s stunning 0-0 draw against Spain in the country’s first-ever World Cup appearance, the Blue Sharks orchestrated another draw, 2-2, against a different soccer powerhouse on Sunday. Against which team did Cape Verde play?
The team from the small African nation also scored its first-ever World Cup goals against Uruguay, the Guardian reports.
10. In further World Cup news, which player set the all-time record for most goals scored—18—in the competition on Monday?
Messi has scored all of Argentina’s goals in the World Cup so far, leading the country to 3-0 and 2-0 victories against Algeria and Austria, respectively, the Athleticreports.
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Drew Gorman is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
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