‘A surprising success’: US, Mexico and Canada fans on hosting the World Cup
The joy, love, hope and fun provided by fans outweighed the commercialism, extortionate prices and ugly politicsThis summer has been so vibrant and full of life. I had my doubts but, as the World Cup approached and Boston got ready to host its first game, I started feeling the excitement and enthusiasm in the air. That mainly had to do with the huge numbers of Scottish fans who arrived for their match against Haiti. They were a delight, what with their shenanigans of putting cones everywhere, wa...
Why many Black Americans were rooting for Argentina to lose the World Cup | Etan Thomas
Many Black Americans were not cheering Spain’s complicated history. They were rooting against the racism, politics and silence associated with ArgentinaThere are moments in sports when you realize people aren’t just watching the score any more. They’re watching values. They’re watching who speaks. They’re watching who stays silent. And they’re watching what those silences say.I found myself thinking about that throughout this World Cup. On paper, Sunday’s final looked simple. Spain v Argentina....
'World Cup lost its credibility': Blatter says politics overshadowed football
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter criticised the 2026 World Cup's credibility. He urged fans and associations to reclaim football from political influence. Spain defeated Argentina to win the expanded 48-team tournament. FIFA president Gianni Infantino highlighted record attendance and viewership figures. Despite controversies, the tournament saw strong on-field performances and high viewership.
Andy Burnham’s first Labour cabinet: who’s in and who’s out?
From the Treasury to the Home Office, we look at who is heading up key departments in new PM’s governmentUK politics live – latest updatesBurnham vows his arrival in power will be ‘circuit breaker’ moment for UKSix highlights from Andy Burnham’s first Downing Street speechAndy Burnham has appointed his first cabinet, with the new prime minister rewarding those who have been loyal to his takeover efforts. He had promised to pick his top team from all wings of the party in an effort to show he is...
A World Cup of records, redemption and remarkable stories: How football won the summer
Spain and Argentina fought for the sport's biggest prize right down to the very last kick of extra time, watched by a global audience that dwarfed anything politics could ever hope to command. In the end, the football did what it has always done best, it brought people together, across borders and languages and passports, no matter what was happening outside the stadium gates. That, more than any scoreline, is why this World Cup will be remembered as the biggest and perhaps one of the best ever...
‘Rifts began to appear’: Why many Latin Americans want Spain to beat Argentina in the World Cup final
A history of racism and ongoing footballing rivalries have made the choice of which team to get behind in Sunday’s final a charged topicThe Brazilian journalist and columnist Julia Duailibi usually writes about politics in her weekly column for the leading Brazilian newspaper O Globo, but last Thursday she took a different tack, writing instead about why she would not be supporting neighbouring Argentina in the World Cup final.“I have always been an admirer of the hermanos [as Brazilians affecti...
Infantino’s Faustian bargain with Trump has stained football’s biggest stage
The Fifa president sought influence with the US leader. Instead, Fifa’s president has entangled football in politics and wounded the game’s credibilityEver since the United States won the rights to co-host the 2026 World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has worked to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump at all costs, supposedly to secure preferential treatment for Fifa from the American government. Predictably, he suffered the same fate as everyone who has made a Faustian bargain with the US...
Adam Silver calls Caitlin Clark a 'political football' as the WNBA keeps dodging reality
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is taking a notably passive approach to the safety of the WNBA's biggest superstar.Rather than directly addressing the repeated physical treatment of Clark, Silver seemed more interested in tamping down the controversy.On Thursday, as Silver addressed Clark's treatment at a CNBC Sports Summit in New York, the commish had an opportunity to demand greater accountability but instead argued that the Clark controversy has been fueled more by politics than by what is happe...
Argentina players hold banner claiming the Falkland Islands after knocking England out of the World Cup
Argentina players hold banner claiming the Falkland Islands after knocking England out of the World CupJANE FRYER: History, politics, national pride... for so many reasons, we won't EVER cry for you, Argentina See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:42, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 02:36, 16 July 2026 e-mail 122 shares
JANE FRYER: History, politics, national pride... for so many reasons, we won't EVER cry for you, Argentina
JANE FRYER: History, politics, national pride... for so many reasons, we won't EVER cry for you, ArgentinaREAD MORE: Argentina players hold banner claiming the Falkland Islands See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JANE FRYER Published: 00:08, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 02:22, 16 July 2026 e-mail 21 View comments
War has nothing to do with England game - Scaloni
War has nothing to do with England game - ScaloniTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedWar has nothing to do with England game - ScaloniClose00Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni says that history and politics between England and his country will have nothing to do with their World Cup semi-final.READ MORE: We shouldn't confuse politics and football - ScaloniSubsectionWorld CupPublished16 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout shar...
The World Cup used to let us micro-dose politics. Now it is engulfed by it
Whether it is our ‘identity maths’, naked nostalgia or diaspora experience. All seem scarred by the political contexts bearing down on this tournamentDon’t already get The Long Wave in your inbox? Sign up hereI have measured my life in World Cups. The first blurry moments of childhood memory, the passing into adolescence, starting university. Each tournament marks a season of life. Each one is also associated with potent, formative emotional events: Roger Milla dancing around the corner flag whe...
‘Knocking you out was a huge joy’: reliving the dramas of England v Argentina in 1998 and 2002
How Diego Simeone, Michael Owen and Glenn Hoddle remember the two classic World Cup matches between historical rivalsAmid the acrimony, the wars, the deep history going back to the British invasions of 1806 and 1807, the hand of God and the boot of Beckham, there is also an acknowledgment from those closest to the struggle that England and Argentina make perfect footballing sparring partners.Described as the only trans-continental derby, a rivalry hewn in politics and history as well as football...
How Spain can knock France off their 'World Cup favourites' perch
And so there were four. As it happens, the four still standing at this World Cup are the same quartet who sit atop FIFA's international food chain. A semi-final line-up for the ages. Aren't we lucky?Perhaps this was the inevitable outcome when the draw was seeded in a way that made it impossible for the top-rated nations to meet one another before this stage. But let's not dig into politics. Not now anyway. Two tantalising ties are the upshot, starting with France vs Spain on Tuesday.
How Spain can knock France off their 'World Cup favourites' perch
And so there were four. As it happens, the four still standing at this World Cup are the same quartet who sit atop FIFA's international food chain. A semi-final line-up for the ages. Aren't we lucky?Perhaps this was the inevitable outcome when the draw was seeded in a way that made it impossible for the top-rated nations to meet one another before this stage. But let's not dig into politics. Not now anyway. Two tantalising ties lie in wait, starting with France vs Spain on Tuesday.
Roger Goodell among notable sports figures donating to ex-NFL kicker Jay Feely’s Trump-endorsed House bid
Jay Feely spent years in the NFL trying to deliver in high-pressure moments. Now, the former kicker is facing a different kind of pressure point as Republicans look to protect their slim House majority in November’s midterm elections.Feely hung up his cleats after the 2014 season, closing a career that still leaves him 30th on the NFL’s all-time scoring list. He later spent several years covering games as a broadcaster before making the jump into politics.Feely announced his bid for one of Arizo...
Stacey Dales provides much-needed logic to ESPN's Caitlin Clark coverage, dismantles race-baiter on set
On Thursday, we explained how ESPN has failed to represent more than one side of the Caitlin Clark discourse, acting as if its coverage is indicative of the consensus opinion. Since Clark's debut in the WNBA in 2024, ESPN has often prioritized discussions about identity politics over the product on the court.That was evident when the network chose David Dennis Jr. to fill in for Stephen A. Smith this week on "First Take." Dennis claimed with a straight face that Clark isn't even "one of" the top...
Superstars, politics & hydration breaks: Themes of the World Cup so far
A rest day at the World Cup provides the opportunity to take stock of how the biggest-ever edition has gone so far.
Superstars, politics and hydration breaks: Themes of the World Cup so far
A rest day at the World Cup provides the opportunity to take stock of how the biggest-ever edition has gone so far. Have pre-tournament presumptions about off-field issues been proved correct? Which players and teams have set the storylines on the field? And what will be the legacy of the 2026 competition?
Democrats to choose between progressive and establishment candidate in Michigan as McMorrow drops out of race – US politics live
Candidate Abdul El-Sayed emerges as the party’s frontrunner in the primary campaign after Mallory McMorrow withdrawsHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Progressive Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed has emerged as the party’s frontrunner in the Michigan primary campaign after Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race.The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, designed to shield individuals from soaring electricity prices amid the datacenter boom, would fail to meaningfully protect the p...