Football
Spain’s internal shirt-number rule leaves Lamine Yamal without the 10
Seniority and caps accumulated, Yamal remains a few years behind Dani Olmo and his teammates.
Maurizio Sarri at Atalanta, a gamble both sides needed
The coach arrives after a draining spell at Lazio, the club coming off a season below expectations: a double reset is possible, provided a compromise is found between the different parts of this new project.
Japan without several key players, holding its own against anyone
Moriyasu’s Japan without Mitoma and Minamino among others, a strong showing against the Oranje.
The World Cup’s halftime breaks are popular with almost no one
National team coaches and former players have raised concerns, while the fact that several broadcasters use them for advertising adds to the perception of football increasingly aligned with North American sporting models.
Brazil–Morocco night and 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, talent and personality evident from the start
Refined technique, relentless focus, athletic build and the lightness of elite players: the Lille midfielder has the qualities to play at the highest level of football.
A Morocco national team unlike anything seen before
High tempo, refined technique, few familiar names: behind Hakimi and Brahim, the World Cup turns to the rest. Brazil included.
Juventus need rebuilding from the ground up and put Giovanni Carnevali in charge
The former Sassuolo CEO is well suited to the rebuild, both in experience and in managing relationships.
Mauricio Pochettino as US head coach, with involvement from a group of American billionaires in the process behind his appointment
A strong start could vindicate the decision for the home World Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti has become the focus of Brazil’s attention after restoring order to the Seleção
It took a year for the Italian coach to become the reference figure of a national team full of talent and problems. And to be appreciated almost everywhere, in Rio and across his new country.
The 2026 World Cup includes an unprecedented number of players over 40, the highest in the tournament’s history — and it is no coincidence
New training methods and approaches to physical maintenance have redrawn the limits of a footballer’s career, and the American tournament makes this even clearer.
Hosting the World Cup, the United States faced a complex logistical challenge: transforming major NFL stadiums into football venues
The main issue concerned the playing surfaces, as the NFL does not require teams to play on natural grass.
The 2026 World Cup is vast, as football and the world have become vast
The 48-team format, the three host nations, the political contradictions: in North America, the tournament reflects the present.