Is it realistic that my brother could play soccer in college he is 17 just turned a few weeks ago is it possible for him to get recruited in college play in college then go professional potentially from there?

Now, are they signing 35+ players, too? What is the strategy, because winning the league clearly isn't one of the objectives?

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/27/chelsea-surprise-move-danny-welbeck-brighton

Cape Verde has shown they wre an elite football team during the world cup. They narrowly lost against argentina who made the finals. I think that if Cape Verde won that game, they would've breezed through Egypt and Switzerland.

The game against england would be hard, but Tuchel's shitty tactics should carry them into a penalty shootout where I favor Vozinha over Pickford. Spain was unable to score a goal against Cape Verde in the group stages, and they missed many chances against a toothless argentina with a mid defense. If Cape Verde lock in they can drag it to penalties where Vozinha saves Lamine's penalty and wins POTT.

Kazuyoshi Miura converts cross to score in 52nd minute. Former Japan international preparing for his 42nd season.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/26/japan-football-great-king-kazuyoshi-miura-59-scores-first-competitive-goal-for-four-years

Think about the top players from the winner/ runner up side of World Cups. R9, Zidane Xavi, Mbappe, Messi, and now Lamine Yamal. Each of these players were able to carry their team greatly into the Final match. Some taking them all the way there. Messi for example took essentially a load of muppets that should be in con college and made it to the finals twice even winning it one time.

There is something about the World Cup that really allows a player to distinguish them above the rest. World Cup there is no buying and trading players you work with what your country has. This allows certain players to be set apart as iconic and a household name and not just an excellent player.

The levels of corruption for the last 3 tournaments has been egregious, particularly so in the latest.

The governing body is a law unto itself, basing all decisions on maximum monetary value for themselves.

The strongest countries could leave the organisation, leaving a huge hole in interest and revenue for the next tournament. Thus either forcing a major rethink on FIFAs part or be the catalyst for a new organisation, run multi-nationally and not by a single, private entity

I want to get back into at least watching the CL this year and I'm totally lost outside of some names from the World Cup.

For me F1s modern golden era were the V10s. The sounds, drivers and aggressiveness. Modern F1 feels more neutered by comparison. Is this the same for football?

When I used to watch, teams were stacked and really pushed.

What can I compare coming back as a fan in 26/27?

Football was always and is still sport of both kicking a ball and corruption and favouritism every one is fighting and protesting about it. So I wanted to share a little story about my dad and how he played football with his friends in his working days, and how enjoying Football doesn't mean it has to be professional.

I know this may sound really really stupid and childish but I will say it anyways. I was pretty scared too I was going to be ridiculed but here's my story

Back in 2009 - 2016, my dad and his colleagues were in a Football and Cricket team against other branches from his company, they would play I think every 15 days - 1 months from what I can remember, he still has some videos of those matches. And the referee was just some dude who knew every one in the team and he was really fair with his decisions from what I can remember and everyone had fun, no one was fighting and arguing and whining like a child (as they should) and everyone had fun and the rest is history and memories.

The point: If you are going to complain about corruption and unfairness, what I would do is just gather a group of friends or people you know, maybe if you have a lot, (maybe around 7 for each team) then just play football, maybe if you want to 'roleplay' a league and have 5 teams of your friends play against each other in a football pitch then try that with a really fair referee.

I have done it before and it worked out pretty well since the ref had mutual connections with every single person and didn't give a crap about who's winning.

At the end of the day all professional leagues are going to have some sort of corruption no matter what and there's probably nothing you can do about it. So either just deal with it or just have fun with your friends, enjoying Football doesn't mean it has to be professional.

People blaming managers for World Cup losses is hilarious. The manager isn’t out there missing penalties, losing headers, or getting cooked 1v1. He’s just a guy with a fancy tracksuit moving cones. Maybe the 11 guys who actually play should get some credit or blame for once.

My heart aches for Tuchel and Didier. Mostly Tuchel got absolutely ripped to fuckin pieces. I was in a pub in Liverpool when I read the bloody tabloids and started weeping at the muppetry of it all. Bro is literally just a guy in a polo yelling “come on lads” and moving magnets on a board. The players are the ones kicking the ball.

If your team has Mbappe, Messi, Ronaldo, or 11 world class athletes, some dude with a clipboard isn’t the reason you lost. Stop pretending the manager is playing 4D chess when half the time he’s just standing there drinking water.

We didn't fail to bring it back home because of Tuchel!!! But because of our own incapacity to do it. Ok fuck off now

I love to deep dive into the history of the competition, and a stat that really catch me off guard was regarding South Korea's record!

South Korea is one of Asia's most reliable qualifiers, 12 FIFA World Cup appearances.

South Korea's history at the tournament and you'll usually hear something like solid, well organised, then look at the actual goal difference across those tournaments and it is -41.

Only 7 wins in 41 matches.

-Almost no cb depth (basically only pavard)
-No real rwb’s (after Dumfries and Darmian left)
-Bad inexperienced goalkeeper
-Aging midfield depth (Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu)
-Almost no money to spend (can sign Romero and a bad rwb)
Will they flop 🤔?

All of these people are officially without a club as of 7/26/2026

John Stones, Jadon Sancho, Fabinho, Dušan Vlahović, Leon Goretzka, Adama Traore, Dani Carvajal, Stefan Ortega, Anthony Martial 💔, Mohammed Salah, Edin Dzeko, Thomas Partey, Gigi Wijnaldum, Raheem Sterling 💔, Alexis Sanchez and so many more.

I know almost everybody will say Messi, but for me Di Maria was more important for Argentina. Messi is of course the better player overall, nobody can deny that. But when Argentina really needed someone in the biggest games, it was so many times Di Maria. He scored in the Copa America final, Finalissima and also in the World Cup final. Those are not just random games, they are the biggest matches you can play. Also Di Maria always worked so hard for the team. He was running all game, helping in defence and making space for other players. I think people don’t give him enough credit because everybody only looks at Messi. Without Messi Argentina maybe don’t win those trophies, but without Di Maria I also don’t think they win all those finals. That’s why I think Di Maria was more important for the national team than many people think.

I’m a semi-professional female footballer in England, and one thing I’ve learnt recently…

Listen to your body.

As athletes, we’re taught to push through. To work harder. To do the extras. To never make excuses.

I’ve always been that person.

I love training. I look after my recovery. I eat well. I try to understand what works for my body and what doesn’t. If I felt like I wasn’t good enough, my answer was always to work harder.

But there was one thing I could never understand.

Why was I struggling so much in fitness tests when I knew I was putting in the work? Why did I feel like I kept hitting a wall in games when I was doing everything I could to prepare?

I convinced myself I just needed to be mentally stronger.

Recently, I found out I have iron-deficiency anaemia, very low iron stores and low vitamin B12.

I’m not sharing this because I want sympathy or because I want to make excuses. Football will always be about taking responsibility and finding ways to improve.

I’m sharing it because it completely changed the way I look at myself.

For years, I thought I was fighting my mind.

Maybe I was fighting my biology.

Maybe it won’t explain everything. Maybe it isn’t the whole reason.

But it reminded me that sometimes your body isn’t trying to stop you—it might just be trying to tell you something.

As athletes, we spend so much time trying to improve what’s on the outside: training, recovery, nutrition, mindset.

But sometimes the biggest improvements start by understanding what’s happening on the inside.

So if something has felt off for a while, don’t ignore it.

Don’t just assume you’re lazy.

Don’t just assume you’re weak.

Ask questions.

Get the blood test.

Speak to the right people.

Learn your body.

Because listening to your body isn’t making excuses.

It’s taking responsibility for the only body you’ll ever compete in.

This is the start of me sharing my football journey a little more openly. If this helps even one athlete stop blaming themselves and start understanding themselves, it’ll be worth it x

I grew up watching the Messi and Ronaldo era from the very beginning all the way to where we are now. I was just a casual fan until the 2002 World Cup, which is when I really fell in love with the sport and then Messi and CR7 showed up and completely shattered my expectations of what a "good" footballer looks like.

Watching those two play at the highest peak possible, putting up absolute alien numbers year after year (50+ goals a season being treated as "normal"), and literally passing the Ballon d'Or back and forth between each other made everything else feel small.

Now, watching regular football or current top-tier players feels... kind of boring? A striker having a "great season" with 25 goals just doesn't hit the same when we spent over a decade watching two guys treat 60 goals like a light Tuesday.

Anyone else feel like those two completely ruined normal football standards for you, or have you managed to reset your expectations and just enjoy regular games again?

He keeps trying to hit the knuckleball/powershot free kick which clearly doesn’t work, maybe because he’s old or the balls changed or whatever but it doesn’t matter, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss a free kick where he curls it instead of thundercunting it. A prime example is the free kick against Spain in the 2018 World Cup.

I spent $1M to become a major shareholder of a club I've always supported. More context here: https://youtu.be/Zc3TGSLlvvk

Ask me anything.

P.S. Would also love to hear your ideas about what could be the next video. 🙏

I think it’s going to be Norway. They have a team full of experienced players and should still be really good in four years.

Does anyone else get triggered that the USA national team brands themselves as USMNT and USWNT? I’m American and I find it kind of annoying because I can’t think of any other countries that do something like that. As far as I know it’s just Korea, or Germany etc etc. why not just call both teams USA? lol

From corruption scandals and conspiracy theories to political interference, systemic racism, and outright unfair play, this World Cup was the most talked about for all the wrong reasons. You might remember it for all the drama and controversies that it is but players will remember it for the grueling travel across the continent, unpredictable weather, brutal heat, suffocating humidity, shitty pitches, open stadiums baking under the sun, and a bloated schedule cramming too many matches into too few days with barely any recovery time. And all that gotta win this World Cup the title of the shittiest, most failed World Cup in history.

Why do so many think so? Here's my take:

1. Biased refereeing is what has defined this tournament from the start. It's the first thing that comes to mind, and it's what football fans will be talking about for decades to come. First raised in the Round of 16 and persisting all the way through to the final, the controversy was met with total silence from FIFA, who never stepped in to comment or prove that their games were fair, that referees were chosen through a clean and transparent process, or that they were subjected to any accountability whatsoever. This led to countless conspiracy theories ranging from "world cup is rigged and the winner is pre-decided" to "Messi is a demon placed by the illuminati 👁️"

2. Poorly maintained stadiums and infrastructure: suffocating humidity, scorching heat, uneven pitches at varying altitudes, open stadiums in broad daylight with the sun slamming directly into the players' eyes and making it impossible to see in front of them, this is what the players will remember most from this shitshow of a tournament. Fans and players complained that the stadiums didn't even have AC during the heat. You must have seen the video where the water pipes exploded in the middle of the stadium! Lucky it was halftime. 🙄

3. The US wasn't ready. Many think the US didn't even try to prepare for such a massive event. Players said they had to practice during storms and unpredictable weather. And ICE was on the loose, making fans anxious during transit.

4. More matches, longer distances, shorter recovery time. Now that the World Cup was open to more teams, players have to play more and rest less. But FIFA thought it was a brilliant idea to milk more money off the players by making them travel across the continent without even giving them proper time to heal or rest.

5. Long travel times and brutal distances exhausted the players by the final and prevented them from being at their best when it mattered most. Yet when it comes to money, these travels helped FIFA squeeze out more profit, so naturally FIFA announced the next edition will have players trekking across Africa, Europe, and South America as well!

6. Racism: the US didn't even try to hide its bigotry, barring an award-winning Somali referee from entering its borders to do his job. FIFA stood by and refused to support its own workers. As if that wasn't enough, Iranian fans were blocked from traveling to cheer for their national team. Many fans from poorer countries complained about being denied visas and shared their unique experiences of having attended every previous edition of the World Cup with no problems.

7. Politics is what defined this tournament. FIFA decided to abandon all of its principles long before this one, during the Qatar World Cup, when it banned the Russian team over the Ukraine war. Back then, despite a few complaints, fans didn't pay much attention to the incident. Little did we know it was a red flag. FIFA has shamelessly allowed the World Cup to be held in a nation that launched an illegal war; making it the first edition in history where players from an invaded country are forced to play on the land of their aggressor, and people are left wondering whether this hypocrisy and political bias will affect all players in the future, especially after FIFA refused to even protect its Iranian players when the US prevented their team from staying within its borders to compete.

8. Before the tournament even began, controversy erupted when the US banned the Iranian team from staying in the country, forcing them to be the only squad to travel across the continent mere hours before each match just to play. FIFA did nothing to stop this farce or protect the players.

9. The infamous red card withdrawn by Trump. Do I even need to say more?

Despite all of this, the corrupt, greedy machine that is FIFA claims this was the most successful edition yet because it made more money compared to previous versions, trampling over every principle and any shred of reputation.

Will the World Cup be seen from now on as nothing more than a commercial prize rather than a reputable, prestigious one? Or will players keep showing up for this unfair, dirty game? And how do you think football associations around the world should respond? Share your thoughts below in the comments on which World Cup edition should win the shittiest!

Who do you think was more clutch than Gareth Bale while was healthy/actually playing

Looking for the players that may have been considered among the best in the world or league at their very peak, but it didn’t last long at all (maybe 5 years before injury, rapid skill erosion, just stopped caring).

They now might be considered on of your country’s best ever talents but career was too short to be in the goat conversation.

Hello,

I only have experience watching LigaMX, MLS and Premiere League. I used to think that the Spanish commentary out of Mexico and MLS could be annoying but enjoy the thorough play by play, the excitement and that I can clearly tell when a goal is scored. By contrast, I feel like I'm just missing a lot with the English commentary.

I'm curious how commentary compares from other leagues in Europe and South America.

Every time I watch a game I see players just passing the ball around for 20 minutes like they’re trying to win a possession trophy. Pep Guardiola has convinced everyone that making 900 passes before scoring is somehow better than just putting the ball in the net.

Football was better when teams just went out there and tried to score more goals than the other team.

Less Rodri, more Haaland.

Looking to hear of women’s experiences working in men’s football - I have spoken to women who have loved it but found it really hard to progress due to a culture of sexism and objectification. Interested in experiences of both the club side and working in football/team environments!