I understand it's difficult for a lot of football fans to appreciate his contribution as he's not flashy and not "visible" in games.

Hi, absolute football noob here who only watches casually here and there throughout the years.

I'm just kind of surprised at so many people considering Spain boring to watch. When I actually watched them playing during the World Cup, I thought it was beautiful to watch, it just felt like they were playing so optimally like a well-oiled machine, fully understanding how to retain possession, move and coordinate with passes to slowly push the ball deeper and deeper into their opponent's half, and go in at the right time for the kill. They just seemed so tactically superior to all the other teams and were suffocating everyone they played against. Even France could barely get any momentum.

Is there something I'm missing? Or is it just that Spain's play isn't particularly "explosive" with goal-scoring that people complain over? Because I don't know much about football but I found them so damn fun to watch.

I’ve seen a lot of controversy around Argentina at this World Cup, especially after the Egypt match.
I’m still pretty new to football and didn’t follow the 2002 World Cup at the time, so I’m curious about how people in Italy and Spain reacted after their matches against South Korea. Was the criticism mostly focused on the refereeing, or did people genuinely believe the tournament was rigged? And was the reaction much stronger than what we’re seeing around Argentina now?

He might be one of the very few players to play for both Barcelona and real madrid in his prime and not be hated by either side.

Also we say lamine yamal is a beast at 19 but just looking at the stats r9 was crazy 100+ goals by 19 and with almost 1 goal per match and also by the compilation I see of him he didn't look like a poacher but rather an all round attacker

I think they'll get a lot of shit. Especially Fernandez, who has repeatedly said how much he loves Real Madrid and wants to leave Chelsea.

I personally thought Argentina deserved to win against England but I was so ecstatic to see them lose in the fashion they did against Spain.

I think Martinez might be safe at Villa, I think Romero will receive flak at spurs. Fernandez will most likely be booed out of the stadium for a few games if he does stay. Glad he got sent off in the final as well. I'm a Chelsea fan but this guy has the ego of Zidane with the playing ability of someone far from it.

Fifa to announce record $15bn World Cup revenue, smashing expectations

Gianni Infantino will feel this shores up his position

Fifa will announce record $15bn (£11.2bn) revenues from this summer’s World Cup, significantly exceeding the targets set before the tournament.

Fifa’s member associations were informed of the boost in income by Gianni Infantino on Saturday. Originally the governing body had projected $11bn in earnings. Sources have indicated that hospitality and ticketing, especially through the steeply priced secondary market, account for a significant amount of the increase. Fifa takes 15% from the buyer and another 15% from the seller on the secondary market.

It is likely that football associations will reap the benefits of Fifa’s expanded World Cup pot, although details are yet to be finalised. The financial situation will come as a boost to Infantino, who will feel it further shores up his position after a controversy-ridden month in the US, Canada and Mexico.

It is likely that football associations will reap the benefits of Fifa’s expanded World Cup pot, although details are yet to be finalised. The financial situation will come as a boost to Infantino, who will feel it further shores up his position after a controversy-ridden month in the US, Canada and Mexico.

There was widespread fury after Fifa was perceived to have bowed to pressure from Donald Trump in suspending the red card given to Folarin Balogun, the US striker, against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32. Fifa has said the decision was taken independently by its disciplinary committee but that has continued to fester among European FAs in particular. Infantino has nevertheless received more than 200 pledges of support from Fifa’s member associations for his re-election in March. The prospect of extra funds from bumper World Cup revenue is likely to dissuade some FAs from making any discontent public.

Such a bonanza may also increase the chances of the US hosting another edition in the near future. The next World Cup available for bids is the 2038 tournament. At a reception on Friday, Trump confirmed his country’s eagerness for a repeat performance. “You should choose the United States of America again,” he said. “This time we will leave Canada and Mexico out.” The US has also held talks with Fifa about hosting the Club World Cup in 2029.

Source:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/18/fifa-record-15bn-world-cup-revenue

Rogers to Chelsea for £117m, done deal, most expensive British player ever, beating the Anderson to City move from last month. Wild part is Arsenal were reportedly favorites the whole time, but he picked Chelsea to play under Xabi Alonso instead. Boro also quietly cash in again off a sell-on clause from the 2024 sale. Does £117m for a guy playing next to Palmer actually make sense, or is this just Chelsea flexing after the Alonso hire?

Source: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13564944/morgan-rogers-transfer-news-chelsea-complete-record-breaking-lb117m-deal-to-sign-forward-from-aston-villa

Prior to this world cup, Deschamps was often criticized for being too defensive despite the array of creative talents at his disposal. He fielded Matuidi to pair with 2 central defenders in 2018 and Griezmann deep in the midfield in 2022. This time around, he bucked that trend and fielded 4 all out attacking players. It worked out fine until they ran into an actual contender and their midfield got completely overrun.

It reminded me of Brazil in 2006. That team was blessed with even more attacking firepower and like France in 2026, was the pre-tournament favorite. They started Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Adriano. A converted winger Ze Roberto partnered Emerson in the midfield. They looked awesome until they ran into France in the quarterfinals. Compare this to the title winning 2002 squad, where they had 3 out and out attackers supported by 2 defensive minded midfielders (particularly after Kleberson replaced Juninho) and 3 centerbacks.

So the question is, is it counterproductive for national teams to have too many star attacking players? Managers don't have time to mold them into a cohesive unit like in club teams, have to deal with egos, and if they bench a star, there will be complaints along the lines of "how can you start this bum over so and so?" Are there examples of national teams that fielded 4 super star attackers and succeeded?

I've seen some comments saying they didn't like Mbappé or Haaland before the WC but changed their minds as the tournament went on. Others say they will return to hating them when the regular league football season begins. What about the Argentinian players, i.e., Enzo Fernandez, returning to the Premier League? Will Chelsea English supporters continue to support him? How much does the World Cup affect your opinion of players? Or is the WC an anomaly where club support is suspended but then it's back to regular programming?

Inter Miami are being investigated by Major League Soccer after signing Casemiro from Manchester United. The probe is over claims of possible transfer rule breaches linked to the player’s MLS discovery rights. Casemiro has signed until 2027, with an option to extend his stay until 2029.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3304ex7n7xo

And so the real questions are:

1. Will Ronaldo score +24 in '26/27 season to hit 1K❓
2. Will Messi score +81 before his contract ends in 2028❓
3. Can Mbappé catch up to Messi's pace❓ (behind over last 3 seasons)
4. Will Haaland & Yamal join the race❓ (outperforming Ronaldo, but trailing Messi & Mbappé)

🔗 https://1k.any.digital for full stats
fully open-source tracker by Blades CSS using r/Eleventy

Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has announced his retirement after the 2026 World Cup. The 41-year-old shared an emotional farewell, thanking his family, teammates and fans. He said he gave everything for Mexico and passed on the goalkeeping gloves to the next generation.

https://www.tudn.com/mundial-2026/equipos/seleccion-mexico/guillermo-ochoa-anuncia-su-retiro-del-futbol-tras-jugar-el-mundial-2026

I think both competitions overlap so much that it pretty dumb to have these 2 staged in the same year somemore.

Previously, they had to change SEA Games football to U23 to preserve legitimacy for AFF Championship.

Im a 16 year old 6ft2 goalkeeper and i play at the regional level currently, im not too sure how to go about it nor do i know if im even at the level to be thinking about this so please dont curse me out

When the nations league was first conceived i hated the idea, i thought it was gonna dilute international football, i thought instead of replacing meaningless friendlies just don't do friendlies, but it's steadily grown on me especially for smaller teams, do you guys still think it's a dead 3rd tier "Glorified friendly" or has it grown on you as well?

same as title

So I looked up some stats on average goals per match since the first World Cup and there were much more goals scored on a average between 1930-1958 than it is now.

My first thought was that goalkeeping and defending was worse but attacking should equally be "bad" compared to now. The other weird thing is that it was much easier to time sink since the goalkeeper could pick up a pass from their own team.

FIFA World Cup

1930 (Uruguay) 3.89

1934 (Italy) 4.12

1938 (France) 4.67

1950 (Brazil) 4.00

1954 (Switzerland) 5.38 Highest

1958 (Sweden) 3.61

1962 (Chile) 2.78

1966 (England) 2.78

1970 (Mexico) 2.97

1974 (West Germany) 2.55

1978 (Argentina) 2.68

1982 (Spain) 2.81

1986 (Mexico) 2.54

1990 (Italy) 2.21 Lowest

1994 (United States) 2.71

1998 (France) 2.67

2002 (South Korea/Japan) 2.52

2006 (Germany) 2.30

2010 (South Africa) 2.27

2014 (Brazil) 2.67

2018 (Russia) 2.64

2022 (Qatar) 2.69

2026 (United States/Canada/Mexico) 2.94

(Stats are from fifa and is not including penalty shoot-outs)

New fan here from the US who fell in love with football during the 2026 World Cup!

I keep seeing debates about Messi being the GOAT, but I also keep seeing that Pelé won 3 World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970).

How do older fans view his legacy compared to modern players like Messi or Mbappé? Is 3 World Cups the most unbreakable record in sports history?

The 2026 World Cup gave us hydration breaks, which were milked for advertising $$$, listening to 3 national anthems before the match, President's interference with rules & regulations, insane ticket prices and a halftime show forcing the Finale into the Superbowl mold.

As.much as I liked the proximity to the games and option to attend games in person, I think USA influence on the sport is negative and threatening more negativity with each time, should the US host again.

American media has been hyping it's football with borderline supremacy "NO ONE can match our energy!" statements airing 20-30 times a day.

I hope the upcoming NFL season will distract Americans away from football and they they forget about it over time. Late stage capitalism has advanced the furthest here in the US, hopefully American football, baseball and basketball keep the USA preoccupied and limit the interest and the influence to "local" sports.

Hi guys, I really need your help. I want to come to Spain to Barcelona and watch the el classico with my father around October. The only problem are the tickets. My father says we won't go unless the tickets are under 300 euros. Now I've been looking and presale prices are 700+ euros as much as I've seen. And when I look on the offical barca site it says i cant just buy the regular tickets because I'm not a member but the ticket is more expenicve but it includes tickets to the museum, some subscriptions... Now to be honest, I don't really care where I sit, as long as I can see the players and the tickets are as I said under 300 euros. I'm also afraid that once the tickets are out that they are going to be sold out in a flash, because I mean, it's an el classico. So can someone please help me, tell me how when and where to buy the tickets, and when thease tickets are even going to be published because if I get the tickets I also have to buy a flight and those aren't cheap either. So please Culers, help!!!!!