“All right, before we say anything else here, let’s shoo the elephant out of the room: zero effect on Messi’s legacy. Losing a World Cup final no one expected you to reach at the age of 39 is not a diminishes-your-greatness type of scenario, especially not when you hauled your team there in a wheelbarrow, and especially not when the rest of your team is so thoroughly outplayed that you barely get your toe on the ball until stoppage time’s dying breath. Lionel Messi’s greatness, if it was ever in doubt, was confirmed for once and always four years ago in Qatar; this go-round, probably his last World Cup ever, was all bonus points. This ruling is final and cannot be reviewed by VAR. Good? OK, let’s talk about the match. It was kinda dull! I would love to gin up a sense of drama to make you read to the end of this piece (please do, my family is starving). …”
The Ringer
The 2026 World Cup Is an Experiment Like No Other (June 10)
“One way to understand the modern World Cup is to think of it as an experiment in capitalism. How much will customers put up with if the product is good? Every four years, FIFA rolls out a new iteration of the biggest sporting event on the planet. Every four years, the organization gets more transparently corrupt, keener to lease itself out to sportswashing authoritarians—Putin, the Qatari royal family, and Donald Trump in the past eight years alone—and more callous to the human rights abuses that seem to follow wherever it goes. (Strangely, you might think, for an entity so devoted to the cause of human rights.) Every four years, FIFA’s leaders wait to see whether their behavior will stop a meaningful number of fans from paying ever-escalating prices to enjoy the World Cup experience. Each time, FIFA’s customers demonstrate that they’re willing to overlook almost anything for a month of good soccer. Each time, FIFA notes the outcome in its laboratory notebook and sets the bar a little lower for the next four years. And so the experiment continues. …”
The Ringer
“… But Spain’s World Cup-winning side of 2026 should be considered among the most convincing winners in the history of this competition. In eight games, they only conceded one goal, never trailed at any stage, and controlled matches in midfield without being negative or unambitious. By the end — 
“Perhaps it’s too early, with the shreds of gold tape still fluttering through the New Jersey sky, to make a proper assessment. That will only come when everything has sunk in properly, when memories have had the chance to settle and shape themselves, when the consequences of certain events have become clear. But let’s try anyway to make some sort of assessment of where the World Cup that ended with 
“Football’s greatest prize is up for grabs at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. It is Spain vs Argentina in the World Cup final. Europe’s champions take on their South American counterparts. Lionel Messi, 39, faces 19-year-old Lamine Yamal — perhaps the 
“Spain defeated France, 2-0, in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, first scoring off a penalty kick. The second goal came following a breakdown in France’s defense in the 58th minute. Here’s a 3-D view of Spain’s second goal. …”
“World Cup games mean more. England have only ever played 80 games in the finals, which is to say, not much more than two Premier League seasons in the 76 years since they first entered. Those games draw huge audiences: more than 17 million in the UK watched Saturday’s win over Norway, even though it was after midnight by the time it finished. In most countries, 
“A fresh row over racism towards the 
“Spain dominated Austria in Los Angeles to reach the last-16 with a 3-0 victory and looked every bit one of the teams to beat in the World Cup. Among the favourites for the tournament, Spain were in complete control and with Lamine Yamal again pulling tricks and striking fear into defenders, Luis de la Fuente’s side look the biggest challengers to France for the title. They could face the 2022 finalists in the semi-finals in Dallas on July 14. Mikel Oyarzabal calmly slotted home after a cross from the left in the first half before Pedro Porro made it 2-0 in the second half after great work from Marc Cucurella. Another Cucurella cross was then finished by Oyarzabal for his fourth goal of the tournament. …”
An image of DR Congo’s tactics against Portugal DR Congo set up in a 5-3-2 in a bid to frustrate Portugal
“Lamine Yamal did not wait long to make his mark on his first World Cup start. The 18-year-old Barcelona attacker sparked a riotous performance from Spain against Saudi Arabia, scoring after 10 minutes to set his team on their way to a 4-0 victory which all but confirmed their place in the last 32. It was the perfect antidote for Spain, whose status as pre-tournament favourites had been dented by 
“The World Cup saw one of its biggest-ever surprises when Cape Verde, playing its first game at the tournament, held Spain — European champions and many people’s favorites to win this summer — to a 0-0 draw. The first round of games in Group G ended with all four teams on one point, as another shock was avoided by a late goal from Maxi Araujo, as Uruguay came from behind to salvage a draw against Saudi Arabia. Romelu Lukaku made an immediate impact by forcing an equaliser for Belgium, after it had spent much of the game in Seattle trailing to Egypt, while the other game in that group saw Iran come from behind twice to earn a draw with New Zealand. …”
“With 50 days to go until the World Cup, European champions Spain are comfortable with being one of the favourites. Yet manager Luis de la Fuente still has some interesting selection decisions to make before finalising his squad — and picking his starting XI for the opener against Cape Verde on June 15. From the outside, all seems serene for the world’s No 2-ranked team. Is this the case? …”
“Amid the focus on the winter climate and the vuvuzelas in South Africa, perhaps the most important theme of the tournament was the ball. While it had become common for goalkeepers to complain about new footballs ahead of the World Cup, this was the first tournament where outfielders seemed disgusted, too. The lack of panels on the Jabulani, and therefore the lack of ‘drag’, meant long passes became even longer, shots from range were launched miles over the bar, and the general quality of play was poor. Spain, though, seemed largely unaffected — partly because they were completely committed to short passing. …”
Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the defeat by Norway
“Less than four months after Paris Saint-Germain lifted their inaugural Champions League title by thrashing Inter, the 2025-26 edition is upon us. The 36-team league phase of Europe’s premier club competition kicks off on Tuesday, with Arsenal facing Bilbao’s Athletic Club in one of the two early kick-offs. There are plenty of other highlights this week too, with Bayern Munich facing Chelsea in a 
Slovakia celebrate their second goal in the shock 2-0 win over Germany.
“It is just 90 days since Paris Saint-Germain claimed their first Champions League with 
“Boca Juniors storm beaches. They plant their flags and wade through water. ‘The biggest popular movement on the planet’ is how they define themselves — and when they move, they move. They occupied Copacabana before the 2023 Copa Libertadores final against Fluminense. A sunburnt kid leant out of the crowd, his hair wet and eyes clear. His father had sold his motorbike so they could be there. The boy had also given up his PlayStation to pay for the journey to Rio de Janeiro. They didn’t have match tickets but they didn’t care because, as he said, ‘Look around you! Look at this! This is Boca! Come on, Boca!’ A club for the people, made great by their people. …”
“Brace yourselves, the World Cup countdown officially starts…now. … Having 16 more teams means even more of the globe’s best players can showcase their talents on the biggest stage, but who do we expect to be the protagonists next summer? Some names might be obvious, others might not have even earned their first international cap or play for countries whose qualification hangs in the balance. It’s a tricky assignment, but it is fun to try. So, almost one year out, this is The Athletic’s shortlist of those predicted — or expected — to light up World Cup 2026. …”
“The 
Girona’s Miguel Gutiérrez, one of many players with a connection to Valencia who featured in La Liga, dedicates his goal to victims of flooding.
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“Under Luis de la Fuente, 
“One of the wonders of the human brain is how it translates words into experiences, sounds and images. The notion, which is called semantic processing, is how our brain understands what we read by searching for associated words, sounds or images in our memory. Try reading the following words: Spain national football team. …”
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“You’ll see plenty of top 10 lists during this 
“There are 67 hours between the conclusion of the 
“One player arrives at 
“The European Championships are almost upon us. Where the continent’s best and brightest gather to decide once and for all (or until 2028) who is the top dog. You have probably done all your research on the players and the teams and the tactics, so now it’s time to judge their outfits. And we’ve got some bad news for you folks: this has not been a vintage year for home kits. Too many templates, too many dull shirts, not much to get you excited about. And then there’s the kit that will make the players look like they’re wearing a diaper. So read on, and judge for yourselves…”
Scissors Kick 