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Europe Today: World Cup fever, new EU migration era and the Pope's message to Spain
The biggest-ever World Cup got underway with hosts Mexico beating South Africa and South Korea upsetting the first European team in action. In Europe, the EU's new Migration and Asylum Pact takes effect today, while Pope Leo XIV wraps up his visit to Spain with a special mass in Tenerife.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/12/europe-today-world-cup-fever-new-eu-migration-era-and-the-popes-message-to-spain
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The biggest-ever World Cup got underway with hosts Mexico beating South Africa and South Korea upsetting the first European team in action. In Europe, the EU's new Migration and Asylum Pact takes effect today, while Pope Leo XIV wraps up his visit to Spain with a special mass in Tenerife.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/12/europe-today-world-cup-fever-new-eu-migration-era-and-the-popes-message-to-spain
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:14Good morning. It is Friday the 12th of June. I'm Maeve McMahon and this is Europe Today.
00:20Your daily fix of European news and context live here on Euronews.
00:24Coming up, a glimmer of hope in the Middle East. Donald Trump says Washington and Tehran are on the verge
00:31of a peace deal and that planned missile strikes have been called off.
00:36The announcement follows two days of escalating attacks that threatened to shatter a very fragile ceasefire. Tehran, however, says no
00:44final agreement has been reached.
00:45This as the European Central Bank raises interest rates for the first time in years in a bid to stop
00:52the surge in prices triggered by the chaos.
00:55We'll hear exclusively from the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristina Gorgieva, about how the Middle East conflict
01:02is damaging the European economy.
01:03And two years after it was agreed, the EU's Migration and Asylum Pact comes into force this very Friday.
01:11From now on, all 27 EU member states will be required to follow the same rules on asylum procedures, screenings
01:18and reception conditions.
01:20We'll be hearing from the European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Pruner.
01:23But first, let's talk about the World Cup 2026.
01:27And for that, I'm thrilled to have a co-host for the next 40 days, Vincenzo Genovese.
01:36Good morning, good morning, everyone.
01:39Indeed, Maeve, after all the controversy, the magic of the World Cup 2026 started yesterday night in Mexico City.
01:47Of course, it was the afternoon in Mexico and it started with a great ceremony, lot of fun, lot of
01:54colors, stunning atmospheres.
01:56Over 80,000 people in the stadium, great singers, the local hero, Mana, Andrea Bocelli, and of course, Shakira and
02:06the Nigerian rapper, Burna Boy, who literally stole the show with this new anthem, Dai Dai.
02:13Maeve, are you already singing this, no? Dai Dai?
02:16I've been watching it, yeah. It's pretty cool.
02:17And this is not the first contribution of Shakira to the history of the World Cup, because everyone remembers in
02:24the 2010 Waka Waka.
02:26Waka Waka, it's time for Africa.
02:27It's time for Africa. I love it. Still love that one.
02:30Let's see. Let's see, of course, if Dai Dai will be as famous as Waka Waka in the next weeks
02:35and months.
02:36But, of course, the ceremony was not just about songs. There was also a speech from Mexican actress Salma Hayek,
02:44and there were a lot of references to the Mexican culture.
02:50Of course, opening ceremonies in the World Cup are the occasion for the host countries to show a little bit
02:55of their culture.
02:56We saw many costumes of indigenous peoples, which made the history of Mexico, and, after all, the name of the
03:07stadium, the legendary Azteca, is the name of an indigenous people.
03:12And this is an epic stadium for football fans.
03:15Azteca is the only stadium which has ever lost three opening games of the World Cup and two finals in
03:241970 and in 1986, one with Pelé, one with Diego Armando Maradona.
03:32So it's a reference point for all the football fans.
03:36We can go now to Mexico City, straight to Mexico City, to leave a little bit of the atmosphere.
03:42We are with Fraudo Esquerra. He's a journalist from media outlet Animal Politico.
03:48If I'm not wrong, you are connected from Ăngel de la Independencia, which is a square where the Mexican fans
03:55gather after the games.
03:58Please bring us the atmosphere. Tell us how was it.
04:02Yeah, that's correct. Hello to you all.
04:05Yeah, the ceremony inside Estadio Azteca was an historic spectacle for nearly 80,000 fans who could attend, with some
04:14tickets costing over $3,000.
04:17The event highlighted international acts like Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy, alighting the crowd with the performance of Day
04:25Day, the official song of the tournament.
04:27And on the pitch, Mexico achieved an historic milestone by beating South Africa 2-0.
04:33This is the very first time that the national team has managed to win an opening group stage match in
04:39a World Cup.
04:40However, the contrast could not be starker.
04:43While FIFA celebrated inside, the stadium was heavily guarded by security elements of the Mexico City government.
04:51Exactly as the match began, the tension boiled over into violent clashes between protesters and the police just outside the
05:01venue.
05:01It was an opening day of two completely different realities.
05:06Thank you. Thank you, Frasboa. Thank you very much.
05:09Frasboa Esquerra, Connecti from Mexico City.
05:12So, stunning atmosphere on one side.
05:14Tension and protest in the streets of Mexico City.
05:17On the other side, you know, Maeve, this is the longest and the largest World Cup ever.
05:23We have 104 games until the final scheduled to 19th of July.
05:28We have three Austin countries.
05:31Mexico, of course, the United States and Canada.
05:34And we have 12 groups with 48 teams from all over the world.
05:39By the way, sorry.
05:40I'm very sorry that Ireland is not there.
05:43Well, excuse me.
05:44Neither is Italy.
05:46But I was about to say you are in a good company.
05:50Can I ask you who are supporting them?
05:52Because I'm curious now.
05:53Well, countries like Germany, Belgium and Spain, countries that have a special place in my heart,
05:57I'll be shouting for them.
05:58OK.
05:58I cannot tell you.
06:00I'm totally neutral being Italian and being the sport correspondent of this program.
06:05Maybe I will tell you in the next episodes who I don't want to win this World Cup.
06:10But jokes apart, let's go to the games.
06:13Francois has anticipated the result of Mexico.
06:16We had two games tonight.
06:18We had Mexico beat 2-0 South Africa.
06:22And we had South Korea, Korea Republic, defeated 2-1 Czechia.
06:28So the first European team to play in this World Cup started with a defeat.
06:34So the ranking, we can see the ranking.
06:38Mexico and Korea are leading now the Group A with three points.
06:43Czechia and South Africa, zero points.
06:46May I be honest, did you watch the games?
06:48I did not.
06:49I confess I did not.
06:50But I will watch the ones when I'm interested in the teams.
06:52OK.
06:53Nice.
06:53There were two different, very different games.
06:56And we can see some pictures of them.
06:58Mexico really dominated its game with one goal in the first half, one goal in the second half.
07:07And basically no risk, no occasion from South Africa.
07:12There was a record in this game because we got three red cards.
07:18So South Africa ended the game with down to nine players.
07:22Mexico ended with down to ten players.
07:25And this is the most red cards in an opening game in a World Cup ever.
07:32While the most red cards in a single match in a World Cup was in 2006 in Germany, Portugal versus
07:38the Netherlands, the famous Battle of Nuremberg.
07:42This is another story.
07:43Let's get back to America.
07:46For South Korea, Czech Republic was very much closely contested.
07:53South Korea conceded the first goal, but then there was a comeback and they scored in a minute 80 for
07:59a final result of 2-1.
08:02We have seen, we watched some goals yesterday night.
08:06We will watch others.
08:08We have very great players in this World Cup.
08:10We have, of course, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two greatest players of our time, I would say, of
08:19this century so far.
08:20They are both at their last dance, probably in a World Cup at least.
08:25We will have Kylian Mbappé, Florian Wirtz, many other players, rising stars such as Arda Gouler, other seasonal players like
08:34Harry Kane, many players to watch.
08:38We also have some issues in this World Cup and we have a big elephant in the room.
08:44The participation of Iran.
08:45Of course, we know that Iran is one of the team playing and Iran is at war with one of
08:52the host countries, the United States.
08:55And Iran has to play three games of the group stage in the United States, two in Los Angeles and
09:03one in Seattle.
09:04This, of course, is complicated.
09:06Let's listen to Gianni Fantino, the president of FIFA, on this matter.
09:10When people were saying, well, it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup.
09:16I told them and I promised them that they would come and if I had to go with a bus
09:22to Teheran and drive them here, I would do that.
09:27Their answer was we will take the bus ourselves and drive it if need be.
09:31We qualified and we want to play.
09:33And this is the spirit of football.
09:35Of course, there are challenges.
09:37Of course, it's not easy.
09:40Chill, relax, everything is under control, said Gianni Fantino in another part of this conference.
09:46But indeed, there were some consequences.
09:49The first one is that Iran had to move its training base from the U.S. to Mexico.
09:57There are also some concerns for other aspects of the tournament.
10:03Another one is the U.S. policy on migration and stricter border controls.
10:08For example, the first victim was this referee, Omar Artan.
10:12He's a Somalian referee.
10:14He's one of the most prominent African referees.
10:18He was set to be part of the World Cup.
10:21But it was denied the entry in the U.S.
10:24He was stopped at the Miami airport.
10:26And he had to come back to Somalia.
10:29In Mogadishu, he was welcomed as an hero.
10:31And by the way, the UEFA, the European football body, picked him up for the Super Cup game.
10:39Paris Saint-Germain versus Aston Villa.
10:42So a very great gesture, I would say, from the Europeans.
10:46But let's back to America.
10:47And let's back to the upcoming games.
10:50Because there are games every day.
10:52Literally every day.
10:54Every day.
10:54Today.
10:559 p.m. Brussels time, of course.
10:57Group B, Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina and other European countries.
11:03So it's not part of the EU.
11:04And always on Sunday, I would say, because it's 3 a.m., United States versus Paraguay.
11:14The debut of the long-awaited debut of the U.S. team.
11:17And then on 9 p.m., Brussels time, on Sunday, Qatar, Switzerland.
11:22So these are the games.
11:24Mayf, get ready if you are not ready.
11:27I'm ready.
11:27And Brussels is ready.
11:28In such an international city, it will be noisy.
11:30It will be noisy because we have citizens from all the countries participating.
11:34In Brussels, everyone is ready, even Ursula von der Leyen.
11:37The president of the EU Commission posted this picture in her social media.
11:42And this is a tribute.
11:43This picture is a tribute of another one from a former president of the Commission, Jacques Delors,
11:49who was a very massive football supporter of a French team, Lille.
11:54Do you think you can do that?
11:56I could try.
11:56I'm good at football.
11:58And she's brilliant, too.
11:59OK, let's try.
12:01I want a picture of you to be posted in the next episode.
12:05But while waiting for the next games, please take a look to our FIFA World Cup coverage on euronews.com.
12:13And see you on Monday.
12:14Ciao.
12:15Thank you so much, Vincenzo Gineveva, for bringing all those details and all that passion about the football.
12:19We're so excited about all the games and the coverage here as well on euronews.com.
12:24But now, back to business.
12:25European finance ministers are continuing today their two-day gathering in Luxembourg
12:29after the European Central Bank warned in its latest monetary policy decision on Thursday that, quote,
12:35the war in the Middle East is generating inflationary prices, justifying an increase in interest rates.
12:40For more, we can bring in our very own Europe editor, Maria Tadeo,
12:43who's been in Luxembourg for the last couple of days following the meeting and is still there for us this
12:47morning.
12:48Over to you, Maria.
12:49Yes, Maeve, indeed.
12:50It is day two here in Luxembourg where European finance ministers are gathering with energy very much in focus.
12:56This is their biggest concern.
12:58They're having to deal with a European economy in which the growth outlook,
13:02the growth expectations have been dented as a result of the instability in the Middle East
13:07and the situation in Iran.
13:08But inflation is going up as a result of the energy crisis and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
13:14That instability now pushing the European Central Bank yesterday to increase interest rates by 25 basis points to 2.25
13:22percent.
13:23Up until now, for the most part, the European Central Bank had kept interest rates steady.
13:27Also in attendance yesterday in this meeting, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva,
13:34who told finance ministers at this stage they have to be careful in the way that they deal with the
13:39energy crisis.
13:40Measures have to be tailored and they have to be targeted.
13:44Otherwise, there is a risk that they could contribute to inflationary pressures.
13:48And that is exactly what the European Central Bank is trying to avoid.
13:52The head of the IMF also told me that at this point, and this is critical and it is relevant,
13:57as conversations around the next European common budget are about to begin,
14:02that Europeans should and they must invest together collectively in areas that are fundamental for the 27,
14:09meaning energy and defence.
14:12So once again, the IMF reiterating an endorsement of joint public borrowing
14:17when it comes to the European Union doing it together.
14:21Let's take a look at this conversation.
14:23Unfortunately, conditions have worsened since we put out our projections for European growth
14:30and inflation in April, growth down, inflation up.
14:35It is now even worse.
14:38So we are downgrading once again our growth projections for the Eurozone
14:44and uplifting once again our inflation projections.
14:49Very difficult balancing act for Europe to manage.
14:54And just a quick word on this point.
14:56You are the head of the IMF, but you are also a commissioner, and you are from Bulgaria.
15:01And you like to repeat that you are a European above all.
15:04The European talks around the budget, they're about to begin.
15:07This is going to be a difficult fight.
15:08What would you advise to everyone sitting around the table, the capitals, but also the commission?
15:12Concentrate on European competitiveness.
15:16Make sure that the European budget has the strength to lift up productivity and growth in Europe.
15:25And that means fund together where together you would be more impactful.
15:34Defence, energy security, and of course do it with the recognition
15:39that in exchange the European Commission has to demonstrate value for money.
15:47So go at it together, that's your message still, with the joint debt.
15:51When you don't have much money, spend it wisely, put it together, invest wisely.
15:57Just in energy, if we invest jointly, it would be 7% cheaper for the European taxpayer.
16:08Now moving on, after years of bitter political wrangling, the European Union's new migration and asylum pact takes effect today.
16:16The reforms are designed to reshape how Europe handles asylum seekers and migrants, but they remain deeply controversial.
16:23For more, I'm joined now by our EU correspondent, Angela Scugins.
16:26Good morning, Angela.
16:27Just tell us, what kind of tone is Brussels trying to strike with this overhaul?
16:31Good morning. So it's firm but fair.
16:34This is the rhetoric that we've heard ricocheting across the European Union in the run-up to today.
16:38In a nutshell, the 27 EU member states have had two years to implement the Migration and Asylum Pact.
16:44This aims to overhaul the EU's rules when it comes to new arrivals.
16:48Now they've had those two years and they've implemented them to varying degrees.
16:52But in a nutshell, this spans 10 major legislative files,
16:56but the most important being the border checks, the safe third country concepts and the return hubs.
17:02This is shorthand for deportation centres set up outside of the European Union.
17:07This has got NGOs particularly up in arms.
17:09They're concerned that these individuals will not be regulated properly as it sits outside the confines of the EU rules,
17:16with some NGOs such as Amnesty International describing this as potentially punitive and cruel.
17:21And remind us why this reform was necessary.
17:23Yeah, so if we look at the data, there does seem to be a problem when it comes to returning
17:27some of these individuals.
17:29The most up-to-date information that we have from the European Commission highlights
17:32that only 29% of individuals in the last quarter were actually returned to their country of origin
17:38once the courts deemed them illegal to stay.
17:41So clearly this puts a strain on communities as well as social services.
17:44But Frontex also has some interesting data stating that arrival levels have fallen for the last four years.
17:51So it's important to hold those facts side by side.
17:54But clearly the EU member states are crying out for help.
17:57We know the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, which is a country that has accommodated a large amount of Ukrainian
18:02refugees.
18:03They've stated they don't want any new arrivals as part of this scheme.
18:06But then we look at Spain, which sits on the band of those Mediterranean countries.
18:10That country's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, only last month gave 500,000 undocumented migrants the legal ability to stay.
18:18So clearly this is a polarizing issue, a political flashpoint clearly.
18:23I spoke to the man of the hour, the European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, in exclusive comments to Euronews.
18:29I put to him the first question that I asked him was about this division.
18:34I asked whether migration was a problem or an opportunity for Europe.
18:39It's both, I would say.
18:40It used to be a problem, definitely.
18:43Ten years ago we did take a lot of responsibility as a European Union, but we didn't have a system.
18:48We didn't have the rules, the fitting rules, and we didn't have control over what is happening in the European
18:53Union.
18:53So it used to be a problem.
18:55It became a problem.
18:57But it can also be an opportunity in the future.
19:00If we have control, if we manage to fight the illegal migration, then there is room.
19:06Can you explain how the Migration and Asylum Pact gives the control back to the 2017 member states?
19:13Yeah, we have firm but also fair new rules.
19:17This is the first time we have actually a comprehensive system, a European-wide comprehensive system,
19:23with better border controls, border checks at the external European border, asylum procedures at the border,
19:31being more efficient, effective, quicker also with the asylum procedures.
19:37So it's a whole set of new rules, of reforms also.
19:43Do you think Europe is ready for the change in mindset?
19:46Of course it is.
19:47And we are ready to do the reforms.
19:50And we have to bring our European house in order.
19:53That's the first thing.
19:54That's what we're doing with the reforms.
19:56And the next step will be to get more engaged with third countries outside the European Union,
20:01to work together with them on readmission, for instance, on returns also.
20:06And that's where we have to put the leverage we have as a European Union on the table,
20:11always together with migration, be it visa policy, be it trade policy.
20:16And if we look at the most up-to-date data from the European Commission,
20:19only 29% of individuals that were ordered by the courts to go back to their country of origin were
20:26actually deported.
20:27Is the EU migration and asylum pact the silver bullet that will fix this?
20:32It's not about the asylum pact, actually.
20:35That's about the return regulation.
20:36And the return regulation will improve the situation, of course, as well,
20:39because, as you said, it's just not acceptable.
20:42It's only that only one out of four at the moment who have no right to stay in the European
20:47Union are being returned.
20:48So that's why we have the return regulation.
20:50That was a missing piece from the pact, actually.
20:54Pope Leo is visiting the Canary Islands.
20:56This is a major Spanish migration hotspot.
20:59He received a standing ovation from the Spanish parliament earlier this week,
21:03calling for love and dignity for some of the most fragile individuals.
21:07Do you think that the views of the Pope in terms of migration are compatible with Brussels?
21:13Definitely, yes, I would say.
21:15I had the chance to meet the Pope myself some months ago and I had a conversation with him exactly
21:22on that topic.
21:24And yes, of course, I mean, human dignity, international law, this is all in the center also of the reforms.
21:32We're not negotiating about these facts.
21:37That is really important for us also as lawmakers, as a European commission altogether.
21:44And we have set standards also.
21:46And we have to differentiate between illegal migration, where we have to do everything to fight against,
21:51because it's about the business of the smugglers and the human traffickers,
21:55and legal migration as a second part.
21:58And the third part is protection, of course, and that's where the Pope comes into play.
22:03And we have to do everything and we have a responsibility also as a European Union
22:07to protect those people whose life is under threat in their home countries.
22:11And that's what we try to do.
22:13Fighting illegal migration, pathways for legal migration and, of course, protection.
22:20Well, as you heard there, Pope Leo is in the Canary Islands,
22:23where he's wrapping up his visit to Spain with a special mass at the port of Tenerife.
22:28For more, we can bring in Paloma GarcĂa Ovejero, a former Vatican spokesperson
22:32and now the head of communications for the NGO Mary's Meals International.
22:37Good morning, Paloma.
22:38Thanks so much for bringing us up to speed on the Pope's visit.
22:41Just tell us first, what were the main takeaways from his visit
22:44and how have locals been reacting?
22:46Well, definitely, dignity has no passport.
22:51And from the port of shame to the port of hope, those are, for me, the main highlights of yesterday's
22:59speech.
23:00But the emotion, the hugs, the tears, that was a historic moment,
23:10not only for the Puerto de Arginagin, but for the Canary Islands
23:14and for everyone involved in the Mediterranean Sea, in the migration negotiations.
23:24This is not about the present.
23:27This is about the future and also, of course, the future of Europe.
23:31Well, you just heard there from Magnus Pruner, the European Commissioner for Migration,
23:34on the very topic of migration.
23:36And the Pope alluded to what European governments are doing when it comes to this migration pact.
23:40He talked about their indifference to the plight of migrants.
23:44Let's just take a listen together to Pope Leo.
23:48We cannot grow accustomed to counting the dead.
23:51Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.
23:57Tell us more, Paloma, about what you have to say about this.
24:01Well, don't forget that Pope Leo has just started his pontificate.
24:07Donald Trump will disappear.
24:10Ursula von der Leyen will disappear.
24:12Many of us will disappear.
24:14And probably he will stay as a pope because he will stay there until he dies.
24:22So his words come from the gospel 2,000 years ago.
24:27This is not about politics.
24:28This is about human beings.
24:32And this is also about the new era.
24:36This is the pope for a new era.
24:39And probably he will stay with us.
24:42He will come back to Spain.
24:44And he will repeat once and again.
24:47This is about being human and trying not to flee from the country.
24:54Try to help them not to flee from the country.
24:56Paloma Garcia Ovejero, thank you so much for bringing your point of view there on the Pope's visit to Spain.
25:02You can read more, of course, on that visit on Euronews.com.
25:05Or you can reach out to us with your thoughts or views.
25:08EuropeToday at Euronews.com.
25:09That is our email address.
25:11In the meantime, though, stay tuned for more news and analysis here on Euronews.
25:14Take care and see you very soon.
25:27We'll see you very soon.
25:46Euronews.com.
25:57Euronews.com.
26:06Euronews.com.
26:12Euronews.com.
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