The decline of #LCFC has been as astonishing as the rise over the past 15 years. There is one burning question fans want answering - how has this been allowed to happen? For @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/7218400…

Clive Tyldesley, the ‘godfather’ of football commentary, reveals his broadcasting secrets: 🗣️ The art of knowing when to ‘shut up’ 🗣️ Reading his own professional ‘obituary’ 🗣️ What he really feels about Sam Matterface 🗣️ The greatest game he ever worked on 🗣️ Why he’s still in love with the sport @DTathletic nytimes.com/athletic/7347263…

RT @Dan_Sheldon_: 🚨 Exclusive: Thomas Partey is unavailable to play in Ghana’s opening World Cup match against Panama in Canada on June 17…

#LCFC winger Jeremy Monga is in demand with #AFC leading the chase. Here is why they all want him and what he needs to work on. For @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/7350736…

Who are the dark horses at the 2026 World Cup? 🎙️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗖 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁

The men’s World Cup will be many things: searing elite-level competition, a monument to hypercapitalism and, for better or worse, a fashion show. With an expanded 48-team tournament comes an expanded catalogue of football shirts for eyeballs to feast upon over the course of 37 days. @NickMiller79 has ranked all 48 home kits that will be on display this summer ⤵️ FREE TO READ: nyti.ms/4alMCQM

England head into the World Cup with Bukayo Saka, one of their key attackers, nursing an Achilles issue. Game-time for the Arsenal forward, has been carefully managed for the past 18 months. But how does this affect Thomas Tuchel's plans? How many games can Saka realistically start? 📝 @ArtDeRoche nytimes.com/athletic/7347361…

Can you pick more correct matches than our Soccer Experts? More than our analytics machine? More than a six-year-old child? More than a dog? Well, now is your chance to prove yourself. Build your Soccer Streak by picking as many correct matches in a row as you can. Get one wrong, and you start again. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/pickem/…

Language of Soccer 🇦🇷 Pasion - Passion Argentina fans believe they might just be the most passionate supporters in world football. “What Argentines do is illogical,” says Christian Crivelli, founder of the La Banda Argentina group. “We do the opposite of what’s considered rational in order to be there alongside the national team. I've been to the most remote places on Earth because Argentina played a match there — and I'd never imagine going back.” That level of fandom, he says, can only lead to two outcomes: heartbreak or ecstasy. In 2022 it was the latter. Which will it be this time? ✍️ @FelipeCar Free to read | #Sponsored 🔗 bit.ly/4opHFwg

Welcome to Stars of Soccer, The Athletic’s World Cup player guide. Lionel Messi is here, and there’s room for Cristiano Ronaldo too. There are legends of the game, the current elite, rising stars and others who really make their teams tick. They are old and young, some at their first World Cup, some at their sixth. They are players you should enjoy this summer, and we are here to tell you all about them (and how to pronounce their names). 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/7279880…

The World Cup starts tomorrow and here are the players to watch out for... all 200 of them. Enjoy. @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/interac…

It may be a World Cup year but in the Cotswolds every Whitsun is an Olimpick year... Comeplete with the World Shin-Kicking Championships. World Shin-Kicking Championships: Broken legs and broken toes – ‘It’s not for the faint-hearted’ nytimes.com/athletic/7323462…

Brian Cox speaks to @AdamCrafton_ for the first of The Athletic's special World Cup series, 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 "I was a f***ing disaster as a player. The worst player ever!" "Embarrassingly, whenever a team was picked, I was the last one called. I started to be known as, 'I suppose we'll have to have Cox', because I was disastrous. Sometimes, I didn't get picked at all." Free to read here ⬇️ 🔗 nyti.ms/3PDSMVu

▪️ A big summer in store for Premier League players ▪️ Erling Haaland's fearsome goal record ▪️ Experienced Panama vs youthful Ivory Coast ▪️ The six players in their 40s ▪️ And why Crystal Palace are bigger than Real Madrid @Conor0Neill_ analyses the make-up of the 48 squads heading to the 2026 World Cup. Free to read 🆓 bit.ly/3RIJacx

Is global sport being hit by a tidal wave of fixing? Over an eight-month long investigation, The Athletic has learned that: ▪️Two players going to the World Cup have been reported to the national federations where they play their club football for suspicions of spot fixing. ▪️There have been highly suspicious betting patterns around games involving a top tennis player ▪️Hundreds of football games around the world have been flagged as suspect by integrity experts in the last year ▪️ Amateur sporting events, even games between minors, are attracting multi-million dollar bets 📝 @jwhitey98 nytimes.com/athletic/7306675…

Forty-eight nations, each with a distinct football culture. The fans who believe their team is cursed. The country where early adopters were ridiculed and abused. The supporters who will bring 'the whip' with them. The nation where football has united the people when all else has failed. Over recent months, The Athletic has been speaking to supporters of every team that will compete at this summer's World Cup to explore each one's rich and diverse football culture. From Algeria to Argentina, Canada to Curacao, the Netherlands to New Zealand and all other corners of the globe, this new series takes in traditions, psychology, food, history and much more. Welcome to The Language of Soccer. 🔗 bit.ly/433qJBV

The story behind England’s viral World Cup squad collaboration with The Beatles: 🎶 ‘Hard Day’s Night’ or ‘Come Together’? 🤔 Uncertainty around big names 🗽 Shutting down a street in New York City 😅 Delivered with 35mins to spare 📝 @SarahShepSport nytimes.com/athletic/7316327…

Andoni Iraola is in talks with Liverpool. So what could he bring as head coach? ■ Front-foot tactics & high press ■ Demanding with players - but inspires trust ■ Intense but charming with referees ■ Bond with Hughes & happy to ‘stick to coaching’ ■ No media rants 📝 @CaoimheSport, @ThomHarris_ and @Refsplaining 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/7323768…

Exclusive interview with @GaryLineker: ◾️ Why his BBC ‘marriage’ ended ◾️ His anti-Semitism regret ◾️ How he built a podcast empire by accident ◾️ Fears for the World Cup ◾️ ‘Rivalry’ with Stick To Football 📝 @mjshrimper Free to read: bit.ly/4fW4Xr5

📆 The group-stage matches that went to extra time 1️⃣ The only team to have played just one game ❌ The country eliminated without conceding a goal ⚽️ Messi and Mbappe's battle for goals record This is a history of the World Cup in numbers, featuring lots of great feats and some weird and wonderful quirks. 📝 @will_jeanes 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/6693751…

England’s players are relying on the same wearable fitness trackers worn by Rory McIlroy, Patrick Mahomes and others as they try to maximise their recovery at the World Cup — and they will be wearing them during the matches. Full story @TheAthleticFC: nytimes.com/athletic/7329981…