Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães running back, slowly, painfully, for the rest of time

“It’s a very religious, spiritual atmosphere." Paul Clement on working with the Brazil squad — & with Ancelotti again: "Carlo is always a great fit for a big team; big characters, big personalities. "They’re desperate for that 6th star on the shirt" 🇧🇷 nytimes.com/athletic/7339451…

Tim Ream 👀

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

When Julian Quinones earned Mexican citizenship in 2023, national team fans welcomed the decision. But that reception had become lukewarm after he only managed to score twice in his first 23 appearances. That matters little now. Fresh off scoring 33 times for Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah, he delivered in one of Mexico’s biggest moments in recent memory. Moving forward, Quinones won’t sneak up on any team that Mexico face at the World Cup. He has become their new danger man at exactly the right time. 📝 @FelipeCardenas nytimes.com/athletic/7352858…

For the past five years I've had an unrelenting goal: tell Canada's story for a home World Cup. On the day of the biggest game in Canadian soccer history, the longest story I've ever written: 26 stories about 26 people, unlocked at @TheAthleticFC #CANMNT nytimes.com/athletic/7348886…

At the Azteca, a beer-soaked feast for the eyes and soul nytimes.com/athletic/7353105…

Julian Quinones’ opening goal was a perfect little World Cup moment, as if bestowed from on high. Also from on high: beer. It rained indiscriminately down from the back seats. So did a seemingly endless supply of card sombreros, handed out before kick-off — decent souvenirs, sure, but even better frisbees. The effect was dazzling, the sense of release palpable. After all the anticipation, all the nostalgia over Mexico’s World Cup heritage, this occasion could so easily have fizzled out, a party with an early curfew. Instead, it took flight. @JackLang experiences excitement, nostalgia and about 43 metric tons of opening-day nerves at the Azteca. Free to read: bit.ly/4xpWkvp

“For many LGBTQ people, hearing it in a stadium recalls decades of discrimination, bullying and exclusion.” After a decade of fines and campaigns, can Mexican football finally banish ‘el grito homofóbico’? (Free to read) nytimes.com/athletic/7341987…

Since 2015 the Mexican football federation have been fined more than $1m by FIFA for their fans' repeated use of a homophobic slur during matches. It is a chant that has both shamed and divided Mexican football over the last decade. Attempts to stop it — including Mexico's most famous players begging the fans not to do it — have had little impact. Mexico fans have even started teaching it to supporters from other nations. @JackLang on the slur that hangs over Mexico ahead of the World Cup opener. nytimes.com/athletic/7341987…

Listen, fair play. We’re LIVE here: nytimes.com/athletic/live-bl…

The run-up. The technique. The clearly evil goalkeeper. The mind games. The 90s optimism. The haunting figure with a clipboard. The fallout. The agony and – yes, unironically – the glory. Diana Ross and the penalty: a love story (Free to read) nytimes.com/athletic/6757908…

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…

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑪𝑪𝑬𝑹 ⭐️ 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒍 𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆 🇫🇷 Olise is a dreamer. “I like players who play with freedom,” he told L’Equipe Magazine last year, and he enacts that on the pitch. He is constantly trying things, none of them dull. There are neat little flicks, slalom runs, full-body feints, through balls. When none of that is feasible, he’ll just knock out a 30-yard curler into the top corner. ✍️ @jacklang 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/7279880…

Diana Ross waves to the crowd, throws her arms in the air and starts to move downfield. She walks and she runs and she skips. She fails to bring the microphone to her lips for one of the lines, making it obvious that she is, for the time being, miming. Fair enough, really; she has enough to think about. Does she know she is about to be responsible for one of the World Cup's iconic moments? This is the story of that penalty at the 1994 opening ceremony, just one wild element in a bizarre series of events featuring Oprah Winfrey falling into a hole, a peanut seller and an ‘astonishing’ lack of security around President Clinton. 📝 @JackLang FREE TO READ: bit.ly/49Nxb3C

Welcome to The Athletic's team-by-team guide to all 48 countries competing at the World Cup, featuring: 🇭🇹 The manager who has never set foot in the country he leads 🇯🇵 The team that used 65 players across 13 matches in 2025 🇩🇿 The legend's son playing in goal for a different nation 🇲🇽 The country that battled back from the darkest period in its history From tactics to key players, squad selection to fascinating facts, this is everything you need to know. Free to read 🆓 bit.ly/4fvVaYJ

The World Cup is days away, so our writers are making predictions. But do you agree with their choices for: 🏆 Winner? ⭐️ Breakout star? 🎁 Surprise package? 🥇 Golden Boot winner? 🌎 Best host nation? 📺 Game I can't wait to watch 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/7339419…