Yellow cards — the fine line between professional or consistent fouls and a sending off — are a part of almost every match, especially at the World Cup when the stakes are highest. Accruing yellow cards will get a player suspended. But when are yellow cards wiped in the World Cup in 2018?
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.
For the first time since 1982, 36 years later, Peru will be playing in the FIFA 2018 World Cup. But we all know that story and, frankly, defeating New Zealand isn’t that special. Sorry, Kiwis. What is more shocking than that is Peru’s latest streak of record-breaking success which, despite the country’s current political climate and doping national team captain, might earn them a decent spot in the World Cup. Or they could win it, why not?
Here’s Peru’s World Cup qualifying goal against New Zealand by Jefferson Farfan:
We are going to go on record here and say that democracy is, generally, a good thing. Voting for leaders, holding them accountable with a free press and repeating the process is probably the most effective way to run a government. But when it comes to deciding the greatest World Cup goal of all time, voting might not be the best method.
The faded soccer ball, covered with scratches and thousands of signatures, is a testament to soccer's power to bring the world together. Kings, prime ministers, monks and professional footballers have knocked the ball around. The Ball has been kicked and headed all across the world. The Ball travels from Battersea Park in London to the World Cup every four years, and it started a new journey on March 25.
Morocco isn’t pulling any punches in its fifth bid to host a World Cup. Competing against the U.S., Mexico and Canada for the right to host the 2026 event, the Morocco World Cup bid is telling FIFA to consider the poor safety record of the U.S. and Mexico, particularly when it comes to murder rate and gun circulation.
For anyone who paid the slightest bit of attention to Argentina throughout the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying cycle, Spain’s resounding 6-1 defeat of La Albiceleste comes as no surprise. Without Messi, Argentina has zero business being at this World Cup. The statistics, again, bear repeating:
Without Messi, Argentina played eight matches in qualifying. They won one. They scored 0.75 goals per game. They lost to Ecuador, Paraguay and Bolivia. They drew with Venezuela. Tata Martino was sacked and so was his successor, Edgardo Bauza.
After a former Russian double agent was poisoned in Britain, the resulting international uproar has led to (and included) Iceland boycotting the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Just the government, though. The team will still compete in the tournament. The Viking Clap cheer will presumably also travel to Russia.
#BREAKING Iceland announces diplomatic boycott of 2018 World Cup in Russia
Historically speaking, things look pretty bleak for the five South American nations set to compete in Russia this summer. Over the history of the World Cup, the event has taken place in Europe 10 times. Collectively, if you break those tournaments down by how things finished, European nations have accounted for 34 of the 40 top four finishes (85%), leaving South America with only six success stories:
Every four years, the footy community gathers together for one of the most famous, most important traditions in sports: goalkeepers complaining about the World Cup ball.
This is what three goalkeepers who will probably feature in Russia had to say about the ball:
David de Gea: "It's really strange. It could have been made a lot better."