Ireland’s players celebrate their dramatic 3-2 win in Hungary on Sunday
“… Troy Parrott’s puffy red eyes and trembling voice captured the elated disbelief of an entire nation. He had just completed a stunning hat-trick in the Republic of Ireland’s 3-2 victory away to Hungary on Sunday night, sealing it with a stoppage-time strike that tore the runners-up’s play-off place in Europe’s Group F away from opponents who needed only a draw to secure it. The sight of Parrott buried beneath an ecstatic mountain of team-mates and coaching staff on the Budapest turf was utterly unthinkable a week ago. After the ignominy of a 2-1 away defeat against Armenia in September — a team ranked 105th in the world then and beaten 9-1 by Portugal yesterday — Ireland needed a sequence of results few believed possible to keep their World Cup hopes alive. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
How one of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping weeks in Irish football history unfolded
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Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the defeat by Norway
“Seven months from now, thousands of miles from Wembley, England will start their 2026 World Cup finals challenge. Their qualification campaign so far has been perfect — six games, six wins — and their two remaining group matches are now effectively dead rubbers. England host Serbia on Thursday before playing Albania away on Sunday. When the final whistle goes in Tirana, England will not play another competitive game until the big kick-off. Just two home friendlies in March and then likely two more pre-tournament in Florida in early June. …”
“Exasperated fans who 
“To many other football countries, sacking a national team coach is a regular event; almost part of the fun. But in the history of the Sweden men’s football side, no national team coach had officially been fired. They’d resigned, or they’d reached the end of their contract. Until now. Jon Dahl Tomasson has become the first exception to the rule. Sweden’s 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in Gothenburg on Monday was arguably the lowest point in the history of Swedish football — not because the result was a shock, but because it wasn’t. …”
“It is the small hours of the morning and outside the Red Bar in central Belgrade, there are a dozen or so travelling England supporters making themselves heard ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Serbia. There are the usual chants that provide a soundtrack to England’s overseas trips, but there’s also a new addition to the national team’s songbook: ‘Stop the boats, stop the boats,’ they chant. ‘Nigel Farage, we’re all voting for Reform UK.’ …”
“President Trump suggested to reporters Thursday that he would move matches for next summer’s 2026 men’s World Cup away from U.S. host cities that are ‘even a little bit dangerous.’ Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump first guaranteed that the World Cup would be ‘very secure,’ but then suggested that he would intervene and strip host cities of matches. A reporter mentioned Seattle and San Francisco, which will host six games each, as cities that have pushed back against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. …”
“Brace yourselves, the World Cup countdown officially starts… now. In precisely 367 days, the 2026 edition will kick off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with the tournament being hosted across three nations for the first time. To mark the upcoming milestone, The Athletic has a week of content lined up, looking ahead to the expanded 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. …”
“GUADALAJARA, Mexico – At Canteritos El Guero in the town of Tequila, Jalisco – a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists – a group of friends mingles with strangers, dancing to the sound of live banda music. Many of the men are wearing jeans and charros, a sombrero similar to a cowboy hat that is an emblem of Mexican identity. Tequila, the liquor that is most synonymous with Mexico, originated in this small folkloric community. The land that surrounds the region is replete with the blue agave plant that is the main component of the distilled spirit. Guadalajara, the largest city in the state of Jalisco, is also the birthplace of mariachi music and many other Mexican customs. …”
“England made it four wins from four in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, but it was far from convincing stuff. There was a fresher look to Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all out injured, but despite maintaining complete control of the match and never looking in any danger of dropping points, there was little to get the Villa Park crowd off their seats. A first-half own goal and a second half Declan Rice header were enough to preserve their five-point lead at the top of Group K, as they prepare to travel to Serbia — the biggest threat to their qualification hopes — on Tuesday. …”
“France struck early through Michael Olise and sealed the points with a late Kylian Mbappé breakaway to open their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland. Mbappé’s 82nd-minute strike, set up by his Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni at the end of a rapid counterattack, took the forward to 51 international goals, drawing him level with Thierry Henry in second place on France’s all-time scoring list behind Olivier Giroud, who has scored 57. … Italy opened Gennaro Gattuso’s reign as coach with a 5-0 home win over Estonia in World Cup qualifying, wasting chances for almost an hour before exploding in the final stages of the second half to turn dominance into a rout. …”
Slovakia celebrate their second goal in the shock 2-0 win over Germany.
“FIFA president Gianni Infantino has received a letter signed by over 90 civil society groups, the majority of which are based in the United States, expressing ‘deep concern’ about immigration policies and enforcement measures in the U.S. and their potential impact on the 
“As the enormity of what they had achieved started to sink in, the emotions of Uzbekistan’s football squad became too much to bear. This was the greatest moment of all of their careers. The players were crying, the staff were crying, even the unused substitutes were in tears. Heroic goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov, who made several outstanding saves including one in the eighth minute of added time, was on his knees, blubbing like the rest of them. …”
“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. …”
“On average, about one in every 30 corners leads to a goal. The success rate tends to go up dramatically, however, when the goalkeeper and their entire defence are standing outside their six-yard box when a corner is taken. That was the remarkable scene during the UEFA Nations League quarter-final in Dortmund on Sunday. Germany’s Jamal Musiala turned the ball into an empty net against an Italy team who acted like they thought the game would stop for them to hold a debrief into where everything had been going wrong for them during the first half. Joshua Kimmich had other ideas and the combination of his brilliant quick-thinking and Musiala’s goal-hanging — allied to a ball boy who was, well, on the ball — led to Germany doubling their 1-0 lead from a highly unusual corner on 36 minutes, and making fools out of Italy in the process. …”
“Football fans love the idea of the clean break, the fresh start, and the new era that is unlike anything that has come before. When Thomas Tuchel got the 
“It was referred to as the darkest period in Mexican football history. Following Mexico’s exit in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico lost to the U.S. 2-0 in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League in 2023. Before that, El Tri had lost to the Americans in the 2019 Nations League final, and also suffered a defeat in Cincinnati in 2021 during the World Cup qualifiers prior to Qatar. Shortly before the 2022 World Cup, then-Mexico federation president Yon de Luisa fired his entire sporting department in what was viewed as a last-gasp effort to change the national team’s direction prior to the tournament. Yet Mexico crashed out, snapping a streak of seven straight knockout-stage berths, while the U.S. escaped its group. El Tri were no longer the Kings of Concacaf. Instead, they were forced to look up at their most bitter rivals, as the U.S. celebrated an unprecedented run of success against their neighbors to the south. …”
Israel football team supporter at the 2023 Euros.
“Football’s memory is short, particularly when it comes to national sides. The most successful resemble club teams in that they have a core of players and a clearly defined style of play. There’s always an in-form player around whom a clamour develops, but continuity is just as important, perhaps even more so, in the international game. But next week inevitably represents a new start as Thomas Tuchel picks his first 
Scissors Kick 