The biggest battle in the soccer world this summer — at least from a U.S. perspective — will take place before a ball is kicked at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Prior to the start of the world’s greatest tournament, FIFA will determine the host of the 2026 edition. And the only thing standing in the way of the U.S. (along with Mexico and Canada) winning the vote is the Morocco World Cup bid.
The 21st edition of the World Cup kicks off in Moscow on June 14. It’s the most popular tournament for the world’s most popular game. But do you actually know how the World Cup works?
The World Cup has had dozens of different formats since its inception in 1930. Since the World Cup expanded from 24 to 32 teams ahead of the 1998 edition, the tournament has finally found a system it likes. FIFA has stuck with the same format of eight groups of four turning into a 16-team knockout playoff for six tournaments now, including Russia 2018.
Starting on May 29 (16 days before the World Cup officially kicks off), you’ll be able to download a free update to FIFA 18 that focuses solely on bringing the 2018 FIFA World Cup to life. EA SPORTS just announced the content, which features a “2018 FIFA World Cup Russia” mode, a “Custom Tournament” option (let’s go, USMNT!) and “FIFA World Cup Ultimate Team.”
Donald Trump put the joint 2026 World Cup bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada in jeopardy on Thursday with an ill-advised social media post. The Trump soccer tweet was an overt threat to all nations who refuse to support the united bid — and a direct violation of FIFA’s code of ethics (if that still means anything).
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup is the hottest ticket in the world. Football fans from around the globe gather in one location for the biggest sporting event known to mankind. With 64 matches over 30 days, there are plenty of opportunities to watch the tournament unfold. So the first question anyone who wants to attend must ask himself or herself is: How to get World Cup tickets. The next: How to get World Cup tickets for cheap.
The most anticipated sporting event in the world brings people together from every background, race, culture and origin. The World Cup's power has been known to stop civil war by giving hope to entire nations. So why is the World Cup every 4 years? After all, it is the most-watched sporting event in the world and you would think teams, players and advertisers alike would love this kind of visibility year in, year out.
Sepp Blatter is a douchenoggle, I believe we can all agree on this. The former FIFA president oversaw decades of corruption in football’s world governing body before eventually being banned from the sport. But this dude can’t stay out of the limelight, as evidenced by another absurd Sepp Blatter tweet on Thursday.
The World Cup is quickly approaching, and anyone who doesn't take time to familiarize themselves with the World Cup 2018 groups is going to look foolish, and, even worse, lose arguments in bars. Don't let that happen to you. You're better than that.
For a full month (and a day) the Russia 2018 World Cup will dominate the sports landscape. But the first thing any fan who wants to watch the world’s most popular event needs to know is the World Cup 2018 schedule, from fixtures and dates to start times and TV/streaming info.
Despite a decade of evidence to the contrary, FIFA has been trying to show it has some shred of human decency recently by stating that human rights are an aspect that must be considered when voting for the 2026 World Cup bid. According to a recent Associated Press report, Morocco has been trying to hide one of its human rights violations from FIFA — and it could cost them the World Cup.