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FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said the World Cup is "too big" and that the 2026 tournament will go on as planned despite ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas on Monday, Schirgi was specifically asked about Iran, whose participation in the World Cup is uncertain due to the war waged on the country by Israel and the United States.

"At some stage, we will have a resolution, and the World Cup will go on, obviously," Schirgi said, per NBC 5 in Dallas. "The World Cup is too big, and we hope that everyone can participate that has qualified."

Schirgi said that FIFA is monitoring the situation in the Middle East closely while working with federal and international partners to evaluate daily developments.

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FIFA said last week that it is keeping an eye on events in Iran just months ahead of the start of the World Cup in June. Iran qualified for the tournament through its participation in the Asian Football Conference.

Iran is scheduled to play Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G. Two of the games are set for Los Angeles, one in Seattle. Schirgi said that FIFA has been in contact with Iran's soccer federation but declined to provide details of those conversations.

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, with 48 nations competing across three countries. The United States will host games in 11 cities, Mexico in three and Canada in two.

FIFA officials were in Dallas for the announcement of plans for the city's fan festival, with the International Broadcast Centre inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center still under construction. Schirgi said the IBC will operate around the clock during the World Cup and is expected to bring between 3,000 and 3,500 media members to Dallas.

--Field Level Media

The Baltimore Ravens seem committed to maximizing Lamar Jackson's championship window, the Philadelphia Eagles still have A.J. Brown's contractual rights and the Seattle Seahawks let their Super Bowl MVP walk in free agency.

But beyond the obvious implications of 2026 NFL free agency's biggest moves, what are the underrated implications of this year's cycle?

In light of the NFL's legal tampering window opening Monday, following an active week of trades and high-profile scheduled releases, here are Yahoo Sports' winners and losers from the beginning of free agency:

Winners

Kenneth Walker's chance at a Super Bowl MVP repeat:In order to repeat as Super Bowl MVP, you've got to repeat on the Super Bowl stage. And while the Seattle Seahawks showed they could go all the way this season, the Kansas City Chiefs in the Patrick Mahomes era have shown they can go all the way and then get back there again. So insigning with the Chiefs in free agency, Walker didn't settle for money without a chance to be competitive. He joined a team that values playing at your best on the biggest stage, which Walker did both in a 135-yard, 5-yards-per-carry Super Bowl performance as well as his 116-yard, three-touchdown performance in a divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers.Monday's news that tight end Travis Kelce will return to the Chiefsfor another year, per multiple reports, further suggests the 2026 Chiefs can still contend even if they are retooling their roster.

Dallas Cowboys' secondary:The Cowboys hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker to shore up a defense that allowed more points and more passing yards than any group in 2025. They valued Parker's résumé of developing young defensive backs, including Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the last two years with the Philadelphia Eagles. But one aid to the young DBs' development was an excellent defensive front.Trading a 2027 fourth-round draft pick for edge rusher Rashan Gary on Mondayadds a proven veteran to a group that also has Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa. That should help the Cowboys' secondary, which won't need to cover as long. "Rush and coverage working together is a beautiful thing," one Cowboys source told Yahoo Sports. An AFC assistant added: "Gotta give Jerry [Jones] and crew credit for being aggressive. With the way the offense played last year, if they can get the defense right, there's a legitimate shot to make a run."

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Bills' chance to smooth over their Keon Coleman mess:Keon Coleman's limited production since the Buffalo Bills selected him in the 2024 NFL Draft has been unideal. But arguably more toxic to the Bills' passing game was a January news conference in which team owner Terry Pegula acted like the leadership still in place didn't want Coleman — even as the receiver remained on Buffalo's roster. The direct relationship may still need mending. But the Bills took a step toward placating the fan base wondering why a front office that failed to stock the team with adequate receiver talent outlasted former head coach Sean McDermott. TheBills are trading 2026 second- and fifth-round picks for Chicago Bears receiver DJ Moore, per multiple reports, in a transaction that can become official Wednesday. Moore's four 1,100+ yard seasons across Chicago and the Carolina Panthers show the type of receiver he can be. And while his production and catch percentage fell off his final year in Chicago, his familiarity with head coach Joe Brady's play-calls from their time in Carolina will help hasten his acclimation to a team with an MVP quarterback and a sense of urgency.

Sauce Gardner's lockdown coverage:The Indianapolis Colts acquired Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline because of his ability to lock down receivers. Last week, he wanted to lock down one of his own team's wideouts. Gardner posted to X: "should I lock Alec Pierce in my basement and force him to sign the contract papers?" The Colts' decision to tag quarterback Daniel Jones rather than Pierce seemed like it might cost them their player. Instead, on the cusp of what seemed like a chance to hit the market,Pierce and the Colts reached a four-year deal worth a reported $116 million. The decision may have cost the Colts fellow wide receiverMichael Pittman Jr., whom they promptly traded to the Pittsburgh Steelersafter paying up for Pierce. But Gardner's public plea came true. He tweeted Monday: "it worked chat".

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Fernando Mendoza, in part:Full disclosure, the Indiana quarterback and presumptive first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft earned his spot on the losers list first. More on that in a minute. But by Monday afternoon, he warranted a winning recognition too as theLas Vegas Raiders signed center Tyler Linderbaum to a record-breaking contractworth $27 million per year and $60 million guaranteed, per multiple reports. Protecting quarterbacks in the NFL is one of the most integral keys to ensuring a quarterback grows rather than falters. As a high-caliber, veteran center, Linderbaum doesn't only guard against pocket-collapsing defensive tackles. He'll also help Mendoza transition from college playbooks to pro protection schemes. He can help cover Mendoza's physical and mental blind spots as he develops. The Raiders had to bid high for Linderbaum, and Mendoza should celebrate.

The Broncos' salary cap department:When the Denver Broncos decided to shoulder an $85 million dead cap hit for Russell Wilson two years ago, they set the unenviable record for the largest dead cap hit in NFL history. Thanks to the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos will soon no longer hold that distinction. TheDolphins are expected to release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, absorbing a $99.2 million dead cap hit to do so. Adding insult to injury: The Dolphins are making this move during a year of a weak rookie quarterback class. So while the Broncos were able to balance Bo Nix's rookie salary against Wilson's dead cap hit, theDolphins will be paying Malik Willis more than $20 million a year on a three-year dealworth up to $67.5 million, with $45 million guaranteed. Even with the chance to spread out both quarterbacks' cap hits over multiple years, the Dolphins will still be investing heavily in one room while needing to bolster several others.

Matthew Stafford's chance at another ring:When Matthew Stafford accepted his MVP award on stage with his four daughters last month, the now 38-year-old confirmed he'll return for another run with the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks edged the Rams in the NFC championship game by 4 points, despite Stafford's 374-yard, three-touchdown performance. That's because Seattle was able to pick apart the Rams' weakness: their secondary, particularly their cornerbacks. Now, Los Angeles is pivoting from its strategy to hope a strong defensive front will elevate a shaky secondary. The Rams instead traded for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and signed Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson to add talented players with playoff experience. Neither came cheap. As long as Stafford stays healthy, that should position the Rams right back in the strongest group of contenders ahead of the 2026 season.

Losers

Fernando Mendoza, in part:We stand by our belief that the Linderbaum signing was one of the most important moves the Raiders could make to help Mendoza develop if and when they draft him first overall. But high-ranking personnel executives across the league often say that the best schematic recipe for young quarterbacks isn't to give them top-tier weapons at wideout; rather, it's to give them a strong defense and run game to take the pressure off the quarterback that shootouts are needed to win. So while theRaiders' haul of two first-round draft picks for Maxx Crosby made sense with their team life cycleand could pay dividends in the medium- and long-term, Crosby's move to the Baltimore Ravens will not help Mendoza's early career. Facing the Raiders looks easier this week than it did last. "Maxx was [the] most disruptive player I've had to game-plan against since Aaron Donald," one offensive coach told Yahoo Sports. "Every play. Every down. Game wrecker." In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson is celebrating.

Rebuilding teams in search of veteran QBs:Stick with us here, but Malik Willis and Sam Darnold are among quarterbacks who have created a low-key trend. The pattern: Quarterbacks looking for their footing should go to winning teams with strong play-callers, not only because of the development they'll receive there but also because of the staff connections that will bolster their future market. While Darnold had a larger body of work when he hit free agency last year, the Seahawks' willingness to invest in him still came in large part because of then-offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's ability to vouch for Darnold from their overlapping year in San Francisco. Signing with the Dolphins, Willis is experiencing something similar: The decision-makers who saw him developing behind the scenes and evolving in practice were most willing to pay him. Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley practiced against Willis last year while Hafley was Green Bay defensive coordinator and now-Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was in Green Bay's front office. That gave Willis a payday when a shifting market materialized less competitively for his services than initially warranted. QBs on the market this year should take note: Winning staffs are more likely to produce the next wave of decision-makers.

Howie Roseman's asking price, so far***:The Philadelphia Eagles' interest in shopping receiver A.J. Brown is no secret. But general manager Howie Roseman's asking price for his wideout appears too steep at this step. Roseman wants a first- and a second-round pick, per multiple reports, which has not materialized as receivers including Moore and Pierce settle into their 2026 homes. It's possible that Roseman's asking price could become more palatable as the week goes on and the receiver supply dwindles. The New England Patriots still seem to make the most sense as a trade partner: Brown played for Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee; the Patriots released Stefon Diggs, creating a hole in their receiver room; and the Patriots' first-round pick would be at No. 31, which could make that part of the package more palatable. This conversation is far from over, warranting the asterisks here. But if the Eagles and Roseman wanted it settled early in order to make subsequent moves accordingly, their bet on early bidders lost.

Jets' chance to continue making history:The New York Jets defense managing to secure zero interceptions in 2025 will remain hilarious to everyone except the Jets and some of their fan base. Prior to that, no team in the NFL had recorded fewer than two interceptions dating back to the Jets' establishment as a team in 1960. Extending that streak to two years would also be funny, but the Jets' free agency moves suggest they'll instead begin rebuilding a defense from which they willingly dealt Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. New upgrades include edge rusher Joseph Ossai, linebacker Demario Davis and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. With the bevy of draft capital from recent trades, expect the Jets also to add strong young defensive talent in April — beginning with the second overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Aaron Rodgers' market:Aaron Rodgers said last week on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he did not have a contract offer on the table, from his most recent team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, nor anyone. The four-time MVP's market has not gotten smoother in the last week, with a sudden influx of not just available but also extremely cost-effective veteran quarterbacks. Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins and Geno Smith are all getting paid to not play for their former teams — making them attractive options for the veteran minimum cost of $1.3 million. Tagovailoahas reportedly already landed with the Falcons. Rodgers' arm still flashed during the 2025 season, he wasn't an in-season distraction, and his ability to diagnose defenses in real time is arguably the best in the game at the position right now. But will a suitor whom Rodgers wants also want him? The Steelers and Minnesota Vikings remain the most likely to appeal to him.

Right-handed QB3s interested in Atlanta:With the Atlanta Falcons on track to sign Tagovailoa, the Falcons will now have left-handed quarterbacks at each of their top two spots on the depth chart. Whoever joins Michael Penix Jr. and Tagovailoa should recognize that practices, and offensive installations, will be geared toward southpaws. This might sound silly, but protections and formations are often flipped for left-handed quarterbacks and thus coached accordingly. If teammates are used to running plays that way, a right-handed quarterback may have more difficulty getting on-field familiarity from players to the side favoring his dominant hand. And while third-string quarterbacks may seem like an obscure position to care about in March, both Penix and Tagovailoa have significant injury histories (torn knee tendons, concussions, respectively) that could thrust a third quarterback into action.

The Eagles' Super Bowl defensive corp:When the Eagles won the Super Bowl 13 months ago, their top-ranked defense's dismantling of Mahomes and Co. played a huge role. Already last spring, key contributors including defensive linemen Milton Williams and Josh Sweat departed in free agency. As of Monday, the Eagles have now also lost linebacker Nakobe Dean to the Las Vegas Raiders and safety Reed Blankenship to the Houston Texans. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is more likely than most in the league to identify and develop replacements. But as coaches and players are courted elsewhere, the defense that already dropped from first in yards per play allowed in 2024 to seventh last year must again hit on draft picks. Restocking the cupboard with some rookie contracts will help offset high-priced extended players including linebacker Zack Baun and defensive tackle Jordan Davis.

On a day that saw NFL rivals poach several key contributors from their Super Bowl roster, the Seattle Seahawks made a big commitment to retain explosive playmaker Rashid Shaheed.

The wide receiver and kick returner has agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal that includes $34.7 million in guaranteed money, according to ESPN. He joins cornerback Josh Jobe and linebacker Drake Thomas in agreeing to new contracts with the reigning champions.

The news of Shaheed's deal came after the Seahawks lost a trio of players on Monday. Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III agreed to a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, defensive back Coby Bryant is joining the Chicago Bears and pass rusher Boye Mafe is departing for the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Shaheed, 27, was one of the Seahawks' biggest offseason priorities after the team sent fourth- and fifth-round picks to New Orleans to acquire the speedster in November. While Shaheed's production in the offense was spotty, he provided numerous big plays in the return game, including returning the opening kickoff of the NFC divisional round game against San Francisco 95 yards for a touchdown.

Undrafted out of Weber State in 2022, Shaheed produced 10 touchdowns of 30-plus yards for the Saints before being dealt to Seattle, where he was reunited with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. In 12 games with the Seahawks (including the playoffs), Shaheed caught only 18 passes for 266 yards and did not reach the end zone, although he did add 86 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Kubiak departed to become the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach, leading some speculation about whether Shaheed would remain with Seattle. The Seahawks have replaced Kubiak at offensive coordinator with former 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury.

--Field Level Media

By Jack Queen and Deepa Seetharaman

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Anthropic on Monday filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist, escalating the artificial intelligence lab's high-stakes battle with the U.S. military over usage restrictions on its technology.

Anthropic said in its lawsuit that the designation was unlawful and violated its free speech and due process rights. The filing in federal court in ‌California asked a judge to undo the designation and block federal agencies from enforcing it.

"These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company ‌for its protected speech," Anthropic said.

The Pentagon on Thursday slapped a formal supply-chain risk designation on Anthropic, limiting use of a technology that two sources said was being used for military operations in Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic after the startup refused to remove guardrails against using its AI for ​autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance.

The two sides had been in increasingly contentious talks over those limitations for months, Reuters first reported. Trump in a social media post ordered the entire government to quit using Claude.

The fight is seen as a test of the administration's power over business and whether the government or companies that make AI have the last word on its use.

AI AND NATIONAL SECURITY

The dispute is notable in part because Anthropic aggressively courted the U.S. national security apparatus before most other AI companies. CEO Dario Amodei has said he isn't opposed to AI-driven weapons, but believes the current generation ofAI technologyisn't good enough to be accurate.

Anthropic officials said the lawsuit doesn't preclude re-opening negotiations with the U.S. government and reaching a settlement. The company has said it does not ‌want to be fighting with the U.S. government. The Pentagon said it wouldn't comment on ⁠litigation. Last week, a Pentagon official said the two sides were no longer in active talks.

The designation poses a big threat to Anthropic's business with the government, and the outcome could shape how other AI companies negotiate restrictions on military use of their technology, though Amodei clarified on Thursday that the designation had "a narrow scope" and businesses could still use its tools in projects unrelated ⁠to the Pentagon.

"This could have a ripple impact for Anthropic and Claude potentially on the enterprise front over the coming months as some enterprises could go pencils down on Claude deployments while this all gets settled in the courts," said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

Anthropic and some of its business partners have said the Pentagon designation only affects use of Claude for contracts between the Pentagon and its suppliers, even though Trump in a social media post ordered the entire government to quit using Claude, and the lawsuit names many other federal agencies as ​defendants.

SUPPLY-CHAIN ​RISK

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In a second lawsuit filed on Monday, Anthropic said the government had also designated it a supply-chain risk under a broader law that could ​lead to Anthropic being blacklisted across the entire civilian government.

The scope of that designation is ‌not yet clear because the government must conduct an interagency review to determine how broadly the restrictions should apply, according to a person familiar with Anthropic's legal strategy.

A group of 37 researchers and engineers fromOpenAIand Google filed an amicus brief in support of Anthropic on Monday. The group, which included Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, argued that the episode could discourage AI experts from openly debating AI's risks and benefits.

"By silencing one lab, the government reduces the industry's potential to innovate solutions," said the employees, who spoke in their personal capacity and not on behalf of their employers.

Anthropic said in the second lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the designation was unlawful and violated its constitutional rights.

Reuters has reported that Anthropic's investors were racing to contain the damage caused by the fallout with the Pentagon. A group including some of these investors as well as OpenAI expressed concern over the government's move.

Trump and Hegseth's actions came after months of talks ‌with Anthropic over whether the company's policies could constrain military action and shortly after Amodei met with Hegseth in hopes of reaching a ​deal. The Pentagon said on Feb. 27 that it would declare Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. It officially informed Anthropic of that designation on March 3.

The ​Pentagon said U.S. law, not a private company, would determine how to defend the country and insisted on having ​full flexibility in using AI for "any lawful use," asserting that Anthropic's restrictions could endanger American lives.

Anthropic said even the best AI models were not reliable enough for fully autonomous weapons and that using ‌them for that purpose would be dangerous. The company also drew a red line on ​domestic surveillance of Americans, calling that a violation of fundamental rights.

After ​Hegseth's announcement, Anthropic said in a statement that the designation would be legally unsound and set a dangerous precedent for companies that negotiate with the government. The company said it would not be swayed by "intimidation or punishment," and on Thursday Amodei reiterated that Anthropic would challenge the designation in court.

He also apologized for an internal memo published on Wednesday by tech news site The Information. In the memo, which was written last Friday, Amodei said Pentagon ​officials did not like the company in part because "we haven't given dictator-style praise to ‌Trump."

The Defense Department signed agreements worth up to $200 million each with major AI labs in the past year, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI announced a deal to use its technology in the Defense Department network ​shortly after Hegseth moved to blacklist Anthropic. CEO Sam Altman said the Pentagon shared OpenAI's principles of ensuring human oversight of weapon systems and opposing mass U.S. surveillance.

(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; ​Additional reporting by Deepa Seetharaman in San Francisco; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Lisa Shumaker, Daniel Wallis, Nick Zieminski and Deepa Babington)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertentlyhastened Richard Nixon's resignationoverthe Watergate scandalwhen he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.

Obit Butterfield

His death was confirmed to The Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and went on to, along with Butterfield, helpexpose the wrongdoing.

"He had the heavy responsibility of revealing something he was sworn to secrecy on, which is the installation of the Nixon taping system," Dean said. "He stood up and told the truth."

As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield oversaw the taping system connected to voice-activated listening devices that had been secretly placed in four locations, including Nixon's office in the Executive Office Building and the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Butterfield later said that, besides himself and the president, he believed that only White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, a Haldeman assistant and a handful of Secret Service agents knew about the taping system.

"Everything was taped … as long as the president was in attendance," Butterfield told Watergate investigators when testifying under oath during a preliminary interview.

The tapes would expose Nixon's role in the cover-up that followed the burglary in 1972 at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate building. To avoid impeachment by the House, Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Butterfield believed he'd had a hand in the president's fate. "I didn't like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was, in a lot of ways," he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Butterfield, a college friend of Haldeman's at UCLA who had contacted his friend to ask about opportunities in the new Nixon administration, served as a deputy assistant to Nixon from 1969 to 1973. In that capacity, he worked under Haldeman and, among other duties, was secretary to the Cabinet and helped oversee White House operations.

The Air Force veteran had left the White House to become administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration when Senate committee staffers privately questioned him on July 13, 1973, during their investigation of the Watergate break-in. A routine question about the possibility of a taping system had been prompted by former White House counsel John Dean's testimony that he believed a conversation he had had with Nixon may have been recorded.

When Butterfield acknowledged that a taping system indeed existed, he was brought before a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The public revelation on July 16, 1973, of a taping system designed to record all the president's conversations stunned Nixon friends and foes alike. The tapes promised Watergate investigators a rich vein of evidence in their quest to determine what Nixon and others knew about the break-in — a great deal, as it turned out.

Efforts by investigators to gain access to the tapes sparked a yearlong legal battle that was resolved in July 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nixon had to give them up.

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The thousands of hours of tapes made public over the years — they are now controlled by the National Archives — provide a unique, if often unflattering, view of Nixon. His words exposed a bad temper, vulgar language, bigoted racial and religious views, and unvarnished opinions about national and international figures.

"I just thought, 'When they hear those tapes …' I mean, I knew what was on these tapes … they're dynamite," Butterfield told the Nixon Library. "I guess I didn't foresee that the president might be put out of office or impeached, but I thought it would be a perilous few years for him. I guess I couldn't conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of office. It had never happened before."

Butterfield later said he believed that Nixon's successor, President Gerald Ford, fired him as FAA administrator in 1975 as part of an agreement worked out between the Nixon and Ford staff members. He said he had heard from White House friends that he had been targeted shortly after his testimony to the Senate committee.

After leaving the FAA, Butterfield worked as a business executive in California. He earned a master's degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 1994.

Alexander Porter Butterfield was born on April 6, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida.

He left UCLA to join the Navy and later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master's degree from George Washington University in 1967.

In 1948, he joined the Air Force and served as an instructor at a base near Las Vegas during the Korean War and later served in Germany. In Washington, he was a military assistant to the special assistant of the defense secretary in 1965 and 1966 and later served as senior military representative of the U.S. and representative for the commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces, Australia. He retired at the rank of colonel after 20 years in the Air Force.

Butterfield was unsparing in his criticism of the former president in later years. While he commended Nixon's achievements in foreign affairs, he considered his former boss "not an honest man" and "a crook" and believed that Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in before it occurred and was the architect of the ensuing cover-up.

Butterfield found himself "cheering … just cheering" the day Nixon resigned, he told the Nixon Library, because "justice had prevailed."

"I didn't think that it would for a while," he said. "This guy was the ringleader."

Daniel, the primary writer of this obituary, retired from The Associated Press in 2023.