VIRGINIA – World Cup excitement continued to grow across the Washington region Tuesday as Croatia’s national soccer team arrived at Dulles International Airport ahead of the tournament.

The team’s plane touched down shortly before 4:30 p.m. under clear skies at a private area of the airport. While fans were not able to greet the players upon arrival, media crews watched as team members eventually boarded buses and departed the airport, with some players waving as they passed by.

The buses carrying the team were escorted from the airport by Alexandria police as Croatia headed to its World Cup home base in Alexandria.

Local perspective:

The team’s arrival comes just days after Alexandria celebrated Croatia with a community festival called “Flavors & Sounds of Croatia.” The family-friendly event featured music, games and cultural activities while highlighting the growing partnership between the city and Croatia.

Alexandria was selected by the Croatian national team as its base camp for the tournament. The team is expected to stay at a local hotel and train at a high school in the city during its time in the region.

Local businesses are also joining the celebration.

Shops throughout Old Town Alexandria are participating in “Shop the Checkers,” a promotion featuring Croatian-themed displays, discounts, giveaways and flags displayed outside participating stores, according to city officials. 

What you can do:

World Cup festivities are planned throughout the D.C. area in the coming weeks.

District officials announced public watch parties will begin Friday at Franklin Park, where fans can gather to watch matches, including the United States’ game against Paraguay.

Additional events are scheduled for June 19 to 21 at Tingey Plaza in Navy Yard

The ethics board for the D.C. government has censured Council member Trayon White and fined him $900 for failing to disclose his personal finances three separate times.

White violated the city’s code of conduct and undermined the public trust when he missed the deadlines to disclose his finances in November 2024, May 2025 and November 2025, the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability said in its decision Monday.

Council members are required to file a Public Financial Disclosure Statement (PFDS) twice a year and White was aware of his obligation to file, the board said.

“Public service is a public trust. The requirement for elected officials to file public financial
disclosures stems from the recognition that they should be held to a higher standard,” Norma Hutcheson, chairperson for the board, said in the decision. “The Council held themselves to that higher standard by requiring that Councilmembers file semiannual disclosure reports, instead of the annual reports required for other public officials … [White’s] failure to file the three reports at issue undermines that public confidence.”

White is back on the D.C. Council months after fellow legislators expelled him.

White is expected to go to trial later this year for a federal bribery charge. He was indicted in 2024, accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in exchange for using his position to pressure employees of the D.C. Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend several contracts, prosecutors said.

White received $35,000 in four cash payments in the alleged scheme, according to court documents.

He was reelected to the Ward 8 seat after the D.C. Council expelled him in February 2025.

In January, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said she “can’t wait” for White’s trial.

“I expect a conviction,” she added. “I think the evidence is solid. I’ve seen the evidence. I don’t like individuals who work for government – whether it’s federal, state, local – and who use that as an opportunity to line their pockets. It’s unacceptable.”

After a cool start in the 50s, we’ll see temperatures reach into the lower to mid-80s under partly sunny skies Tuesday afternoon. A stray thunderstorm is possible over the mountains region, otherwise any rain or storm chance holds off until at least late Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The heat and humidity will be building in for the rest of the week. Wednesday, highs will reach into the lower 90s, although we’ll likely see mainly cloudy skies, the WSW wind will usher in the heat and we’ll be dealing with scattered storms developing in the afternoon and evening.

Thursday will be hotter and humid with highs into the mid to upper 90s, but expect heat index values to reach into the triple digits thanks to dewpoints into the lower 70s. Thursday will be partly to mostly cloudy with isolated PM storms.

Friday brings a better chance of thunderstorms as a cold front will be swinging across the region. Highs will still be able to reach into the mid to upper 90s ahead of the front with heat index values into the triple digits again. Some of these storms could be on the strong to severe side, we’ll continue to monitor as we get closer.

For the weekend, highs will be back into the lower 90s, with isolated thunderstorm chances Sunday. Monday will bring scattered storms and highs back into the upper 80s.