The 2026 FIFA World Cup may buy former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro a few extra weeks before his next court appearance, after federal prosecutors in New York requested that a scheduled hearing be postponed because of logistical and security challenges associated with the tournament.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York formally asked to delay a status hearing in Maduro's narcoterrorism case from June 30 to July 22, or a later date determined by the court. The hearing had previously been scheduled by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein as part of the ongoing criminal proceedings against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.