Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the defeat by Norway
“Welcome to The Briefing, where The Athletic discusses three of the biggest questions to arise from the weekend’s football. In this edition, focused on the World Cup qualifiers, Portugal hammered Armenia without Cristiano Ronaldo, Troy Parrott delivered a moment that will live long in the memory of every football fan from the Republic of Ireland, and Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy were beaten by Norway, who completed a perfect qualification campaign. Here’s what happened in the world of football over the international break. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
The Briefing: Portugal’s Ronaldo dilemma, Azzurri blues, and who could still qualify?
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“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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“One player arrives at 
Scissors Kick 