Growing up as a reader of Sports Illustrated and a fan of soccer were two mutually exclusive things. Every week, I’d immediately flip through the magazine looking for an article from Grant Wahl or a blurb concerning the world’s game, but it was an extremely rare occurrence.
Argentina began its World Cup tune-ups in earnest on Tuesday with the first of two friendlies before opening group play against Iceland on June 16. La Albiceleste welcomed Haiti to La Bombonera in Buenos Aires — a meeting between the nations currently holding spots five and 108 in the FIFA World Rankings.
After the dust had settled and Real Madrid walked off the field in Kyiv as champions of Europe for the third consecutive season, the soccer world shifted its attention to answering one simple question: Is Mo Salah out for the World Cup this summer?
Following close to 24 hours of speculation, Salah tweeted that he believes he will be back on the pitch in time to represent Egypt.
Celebrating its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 36 years, Peru sent a fantastic reminder of its footballing heritage and indomitable spirit to Group C rivals France, Denmark and Australia via Twitter.
The two-minute hype video will send shivers down your spine with shots of the Andes mountains, the Amazon Basin, Lima, Machu Picchu and the nation’s brilliant World Cup qualifying campaign (take a seat, Luis Suarez).
The World Cup contenders have all released their provisional rosters for Russia, and it's clear that a few countries have an embarrassment of footballing riches. Led mostly by French and Spanish players, the following team comprised of World Cup snubs could make some serious noise if granted a wildcard into the tournament (get on it, FIFA).
Spain manager Julen Lopetegui announced his 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia on Monday, and the big news is that the Chelsea quartet of Alvaro Morata, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and Marcos Alonso have all been omitted after a disappointing season in the Premier League.
Folks, we are so close to the World Cup we can taste it. Over the next 32 days, we will be releasing our team by team preview for the 2018 World Cup.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the man who invented football in 2006 and created Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger using nothing more than some bits of string and an abandoned Doritos bag, is targeting a top-four finish at the 2018 World Cup after finishing fifth in the Hex.
There’s a lot to like about this Moroccan side at the World Cup, and I’m not just talking about hunky French manager Herve Renard.
In 1998, France won its only World Cup title, defeating Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France just outside of Paris. It was the culmination of an impressive tournament for Les Bleus and the perfect way for the country to win its first World Cup on home soil. Apparently, it was too perfect, according to France’s Michel Platini.