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FIFA invites Thai soccer team trapped in cave to World Cup final

YE AUNG THU / AFP / Getty

In a letter to the president of Thailand's FA, FIFA president Gianni Infantino invited the 12 young Thai boys and their soccer coach currently trapped in a flooded cave to the World Cup final, circumstances permitting.

Those circumstances hinge primarily on whether they will be freed before the final on July 15.

As of Friday, the boys and their coach remain trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system in northern Thailand and the situation is reportedly worsening, with monsoon rains expected and oxygen levels in the cave system dropping, according to Vox's Radhika Viswanathan. The flooding is not expected to abate for months.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, and unfortunately resulted in a fatality Friday when 38-year-old volunteer Saman Gunan, a former Thai Navy SEAL, lost consciousness and died while transporting spare oxygen tanks.

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