World Cup

You Will Need 108 Bathroom Breaks To Complete This World Cup Road Trip

On Thursday, FIFA announced the plans for the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, an immense trek across the vast landscape of Russia as the world’s most coveted hardware visits 24 cities from Sept. 9 to July 7, 2018.

For World Cup groupies, better stock up on gas, Red Bull and beef jerky if you want to follow along.

Here’s a closer look at scheduled route. 

(While FIFA didn’t give details on travel arrangements, we’re going to assume the trophy travels by plane at the start and end of each of two phases and by car the remainder.)

Notoriously Dumb FIFA Rankings Actually Nail Iceland’s Ascendancy

When it comes to the notoriously ill-advised FIFA World Ranking system, there’s generally a lot to laugh at. Nations are cruelly punished by virtue of not playing (the United States, unbeaten since November of 2016, drops 12 places to 35th) while others largely benefit by playing lesser sides in meaningful competition (Poland is up to sixth after waxing Romania in World Cup qualifying).

German Guy Says Germany Will Win World Cup, If Germany Has Anything To Do With It

It turns out Trump was right. You can get sick of winning. Germany winning, that is. Especially when German guy Lothar Matthäus starts rubbing it in.

Before you get your undies in a bunch and start telling us that "Lothar Matthäus isn't just some 'German guy,'" and that he may or may not be the greatest German player in history, let us cut you off. We know. We know he played in five World Cups. We know he's the most capped player in German history. We have the internets.

How Does Confederations Cup Performance Compare To World Cup Performance?

So Germany won the Confederations Cup on Sunday. It’s exciting for the players and the fans always want to watch their team win, but what does it mean in the big picture?

More precisely: What does it mean for Germany's chances in the 2018 World Cup next summer?

The Confederations Cup, in its current format, has been played the summer before the World Cup prior to the last five four-year cycles. 

The 10 Countries With The Most Miserable Soccer Fans

Soccer has fans in all the nations of the world, with countries as small as San Marino (population 33,000) and as big as China (1.38 billion) fighting for the World Cup trophy. 

Regardless of size, some countries, like Uruguay, are far more successful than others, say, Indonesia.

But what sets the following nations apart isn’t their success or failure, it’s their fans' relationship with the latter.

Iran Could Play Spoiler At Next Summer's World Cup

If you're looking for a sleeper team at the 2018 World Cup, Iran is a good candidate.

They were recently the third team to qualify for Russia 2018, having gone undefeated in both the second and third rounds of AFC qualifying to this point (12-4-0).

Russia's Entire 2014 World Cup Team Is Under Investigation For Doping

With just a year to go until the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Russian National Team finds itself in a bit of trouble. All 23 members of its 2014 World Cup squad are being investigated by FIFA for doping. A total of 34 Russian players are facing investigation, the Daily Mail reported.

5 USMNT Gold Cup Players Desperate To Make An Impact Before The World Cup

Bruce Arena has finalized his 23-man roster for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and it’s an interesting mix of veteran players that are desperate to impress and make one final World Cup squad while the next generation of talent aims to prove that their time has arrived.

While every player on the roster stands to either gain or lose a lot with regards to the ultimate goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, here are five players that could use this tournament as a springboard to more important roles next summer.

Americans Plot Sabotage On Torsten Frings Exactly 15 Years Later

Torsten Frings is finally getting his comeuppance, 15 years and 24 hours to the day. 

The former German international became head coach of SV Darmstadt in January, around the time American Terrence Boyd joined the team.

Darmstadt was promptly relegated to 2. Bundesliga.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Texan McKinze Gaines signed with the club. One can only assume he’s planning to help finish the job Boyd started.

Why might these young Yanks be plotting revenge on a new coach of high regard who spent a couple years in MLS before retiring?

The Best (And Worst) Soccer Fans

With the Russia World Cup less than a year away, we here at The18 asked ourselves who are the best (and worst) fans in the world.

We’ve compiled a list below of superlatives to break down what makes each country’s fans unique, for better or worse.

Note: We limited results to nations that are or have been regular World Cup qualifiers. Scroll to the bottom for the best and worst fans.

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