Global football, written sharply
FIFA has spent two years bragging about the stadiums. Thirteen of the sixteen World Cup 2026 venues are LEED-certified. Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta runs on more than 4,000 solar panels and became the first professional sports venue in North America to hit LEED Platinum. Water-saving fixtures across the host cities are projected to save over … Read more
Iran’s squad arrived in the United States carrying more baggage than any team at this World Cup. Visa delays. Restricted training sessions. A formal FIFA complaint filed on June 19 after Amir Ghalenoei’s squad found that credential approvals and entry permits were not the same thing. They navigated all of it, played three Group G … Read more
As New York dances and Mexico qualifies, cartel violence keeps millions watching indoors. María Castellano on the World Cup’s uncomfortable contradictions.
Two group-stage matches risk being played out as calculated draws. The 48-team World Cup’s structural problem isn’t theoretical anymore — it’s on the sch…
On June 27, 1982, Austria and West Germany played 10 minutes of genuine football in Gijón, Spain. West Germany scored. The teams then spent 80 minutes passing calmly between themselves while Algeria, which had beaten West Germany three days earlier, watched from the stands as the result that would eliminate them was held in place … Read more
The 2026 World Cup hit 100 goals in just 33 games, the fastest since 1958. We examine the tactical, technical and structural reasons behind the scoring surge.
