KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Debus, a Kansas City artist, last week opened his internet browser and initiated a search for just one item.

He needed a Netherlands shirt, and maybe the brighter the orange the better.

He doesn’t know much about the Dutch national team, and certainly not its history and traditions, but a recent conversation with a ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — The World Cup has exceeded all high expectations that come with its insane price points on everything from the price of tickets to keychains.

How people afford attending more than one of these matches is a testament to wealth, the power of savings, or the willingness to live with debt.

FIFA gets away with these prices ...Read more

Who had ranch dressing or Waffle House or pantomiming rowing a boat among the topics of discussion when the World Cup initially touched down on these shores?

I will admit it: I certainly didn’t expect much 2 1/2 weeks ago, before this tournament began its 39-day run in North America. Here in the U.S., little was expected of the men’s ...Read more

DALLAS — Argentina rolled to a 3-1 victory over Jordan despite Lionel Messi, the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup, sitting on the sidelines for the first hour of the match Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.

While most observers would rather see stars like Messi play the entire match, ultimately the decision is no different from the ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a dramatic draw in Kansas City, both teams won.

The 3-3 outcome between Austria and Algeria before 69,045 at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium on Saturday night meant both teams advanced to the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

How it happened, in the very last game of the global soccer tournament’s group ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — While most of the fans at Hard Rock Stadium for Saturday’s highly anticipated group stage match between Colombia and Portugal were there to cheer on Colombia, all eyes were still on 41-year-old Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

But in front of a pro-Colombia crowd that turned Hard Rock Stadium’s aqua seats yellow...Read more

In one way, no matter what happens the rest of the World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino has been an undeniable and unprecedented success.

Pochettino, the 54-year-old Argentine coach of the U.S. national team, American soccer’s $6 million man, has not only accomplished what no other Team USA coach has, he has done what no one else, certainly no ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Colombian soccer fans had been eagerly awaiting Saturday’s World Cup match against Portugal since the draw was announced back in December, counting the days, shelling out big bucks for tickets, dusting off their blonde, curly Valderrama wigs, so they didn’t mind waiting for hours in the sweltering heat to get into ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — When it comes to the World Cup, Philly has been treated to Brazil’s magic, the powerhouse that is France, and the sheer might of Ecuador.

Additionally, coming through has been one of the World Cup’s best stories in Curaçao, and the impressive skill of a young and eager Ivory Coast team, not once, but twice.

Philly’s ...Read more

NEW YORK — England’s Group L finale on Saturday against Panama salvaged a mostly underwhelming group stage trio of matches for Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

The Three Lions woke up Saturday already through to the round of 32, but a 2-0 result against the Panamanians showed no real progress — for most of the match — from last Tuesday’s 0-0 ...Read more

SEATTLE — After knifing through New Zealand’s box and burying a goal 92 years in the making, Mohamed Salah effectively summarized the stakes. He stood inside Vancouver’s BC Place stadium Sunday, minutes removed from the first World Cup win in Egypt’s soccer history, with stray gray hairs in his neat black beard. With magic in his famous,...Read more

It wasn’t too long ago that naysayers, especially those overseas, predicted that the 2026 World Cup would be a disaster. Some even suggested it would be the worst World Cup ever.

Among the concerns:

Ticket prices are at an all-time high, so stadiums will be half-empty. Foreign visitors will feel unsafe because of U.S. immigration policies. ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If the first of the six 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Kansas City were any indication, 400,000-plus people will have attended the mesmerizing events at Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead) through the July 11 quarterfinal.

With data indicating the majority attending are from out of town, that means hundreds of thousands of ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — After the congratulatory hugs, picture posing and victory lap, Yan Diomande pointed to the sky.

It was unclear whether the Ivory Coast forward was thinking of his departed sister or just his country’s unprecedented accomplishment in the World Cup as he exited the field at Philadelphia Stadium following a 2-0 win over Curaçao...Read more

SEATTLE — In the end, it became just a soccer game. One of immense drama and nearly a winning goal multiple times in the dying minutes for a team that’s faced challenges like no other at this FIFA Men’s World Cup.

The final score on Friday night was Egypt and Iran playing to a 1-1 draw in the final group stage match of Group G. But the ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — What’s been the most vicious sporting event America has hosted for its 250th birthday?

Did you think it was that UFC card on the White House lawn?

Wrong.

It was the Australia-Paraguay World Cup match in Santa Clara on Thursday night.

While the rest of this soccer-loving country — and, let’s be honest, the world ...Read more

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Christian Pulisic is back. Back like Captain America, revived and ready to go after being put on ice for a spell, needed to save the day.

Forget everything else about Thursday's match against Turkey at SoFi Stadium and marinate on that.

Never mind the United States' 3-2 loss in their final World Cup Group D match; the ...Read more

FOXBORO, Mass. — Nearly all the talk heading into the matchup between France and Norway at Boston Stadium centered around two megastars in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland squaring off.

But with Norway opting to rest Haaland and nine other starters for the contest, all eyes turned to Mbappe. And while Mbappe flashed his elite skills, it was ...Read more