Lewis Hamilton incites rage after confirming who he’ll support at World Cup | F1 | Sport

Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he will have split loyalties during this summer’s World Cup. The 41-year-old says that he will be supporting both England and Brazil at this summer’s tournament, which will be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

England will face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in their Group L fixtures in the tournament, and will also take on New Zealand and Costa Rica in warm-up matches later this month. Meanwhile, Brazil have been drawn in Group C and will take on Morocco, Haiti and Scotland during the initial phase of the competition.

Hamilton is currently gearing up for the Monaco Grand Prix, which takes centre stage in the F1 calendar this weekend. The seven-time world champion is currently in fourth place in the World Drivers’ Championship standings and earned his first podium finish of the season so far when finishing in second place behind Kimi Antonelli at the Canadian Grand Prix last month.

Hamilton discussed the World Cup this summer and why he will be supporting both England and Brazil during this summer’s tournament. “For me, it’s tied with England,” Hamilton said ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. “Honestly, Brazil has always been my favourite team.

“Growing up in England, I used to love watching Brazil play. I think it’s the colours, the culture, and the players always just looked the most skilled, they were so cool.

“I just appreciate where they come from. Many of the players come from the streets where they play with no shoes and there’s something quite special about Brazilian culture.”

There has already been some controversy ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with FIFA announcing that fans will no longer be able to bring reusable water bottles into stadiums. This decision has led to criticism from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who told LBC: “It’s just wrong. And I can’t help but think that it’s about making money.

“So you can’t bring plastic bottles in but you can buy a bottle of water when you get in the crowd? And then it’ll be expensive. The tickets themselves cost a fortune, far too expensive in my view.

“So the ticket sales are too high. And this is the wrong policy.”

FIFA went on to explain their decision, with a spokesperson saying: “FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff.

“FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees. Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums.

“FIFA works closely with each host city committee and local authorities on heat mitigation factors for fans travelling to the stadium, which can include resources such as misting stations, fans, hydration stations, cooling tents and more around the stadium footprint.

“Inside the stadium footprint, pricing for water bottles for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will remain consistent with other events held at each stadium.”