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First a message from our editor, James Andrew:
The first World Cup I remember watching was back in 1990 in Italy. Toto Schillaci’s goals, Roger Milla’s dancing, Rene Higuita playing the sweeper-keeper and The Three Tenors singing Nessun Dorma – all those moments passed me by. I was six, and all I cared about that summer was England.
Instead, I remember Mark Wright’s bloodied head, David Platt’s volley, Gary Lineker’s accuracy from the penalty spot, and of course the tears from Gazza. By the time the next World Cup came around, England were nowhere to be seen, so at USA 94 I learned to appreciate the football and the stars who were playing, regardless of which team they were from.
Fully 32 years later, we’re Stateside again, ready for the biggest World Cup yet, with more teams and more global stars than ever. While Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric will make their final bow on the global stage, Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland will make their debuts.
MASSIVE 2026 World Cup wallchart
Keep track of every game at this summer’s tournament with our biggest wallchart ever!
Your ultimate World Cup guide
Get in the know before June’s big kick-off with expert previews of all 48 countries, every stadium and the 26 reasons to be excited.
England’s American dream
The Three Lions have turned to a German in their quest to win the World Cup – the heat of a North American summer means it will be far from easy, but as far as players past and present are concerned, there’s no doubting Thomas Tuchel.
Jordan Pickford: “I thrive off pressure”
The 32-year-old has produced some of his best performances in major tournaments – including his shootout exploits at the 2018 World Cup.
How Cole Palmer’s Euro 2024 heroics inspired Morgan Rogers
The Aston Villa midfielder was watching at home two summers ago – now he’s a key part of the England squad, eager to emulate his pal at his first tournament.
Scotland heroes relive that night in Glasgow
For the first time since 1998, Scotland and their fans are back at a World Cup, thanks to one of the greatest nights in the country’s football history. Next up? Bring on Brazil…
Andy Robertson, Ryan Christie and Lewis Ferguson Q&As
The Scotland trio on making World Cup history, their dressing room DJ and the fitba-calcio crossover taking Italy by storm.
Mauricio Pochettino answers YOUR questions
The United States boss opens up on his time at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, whether he’d return to north London, and managing Messi, Mbappe and Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain.
The World Cup’s greatest upsets
With 48 teams and more minnows than before, anything could happen this summer – as these previous shocks illustrate. Beware balding Bulgarians…
We meet Canada boss Jesse Marsch
The ex-Leeds manager thought he’d be guiding the USA into the 2026 World Cup, until his job offer was scrapped – instead, he’ll be managing another host nation with high hopes.
The Boy’s a Bit Special
Lamine Yamal might not be the only talented teen starting for Spain at this World Cup, plus three more young players set to shine at the tournament.
Inside Curacao’s unlikely qualification
With a population of just 155,000 people, Curacao will be the smallest nation ever to play at a World Cup this summer. We visited the island to find out how they’ve made it.
Haiti: the team who can’t go home
Curacao hosted some of Haiti’s World Cup qualifiers – Scotland’s group-stage opponents haven’t been able to play games in their own country since 2021.
Asamoah Gyan’s World Cup story
Ghana are in England’s group this summer – their biggest World Cup moment came in 2010, when they almost became Africa’s first ever semi-finalists. In his own words, Asamoah Gyan tells us about his fateful penalty, which followed Luis Suarez’s infamous handball…
Around the grounds in the EFL, non-league and Scotland
Shamrock Rovers defender Pico Lopes explains how he was called up for Cape Verde via LinkedIn, and Micah Richards steps in to coach England’s worst team.
Singer-songwriter PG Ciarletta reveals the inspiration behind his World Cup tune for Scotland. We also meet the super fan who regularly attends games for his two favourite clubs, even though they’re 6,000 miles apart.
Pele, the Reverend and the world’s oldest club: Reverend and the Makers frontman Jon McClure is the new chairman at non-league Sheffield FC, with plans to climb the pyramid.
The Mixer
This month’s merch round-up features retro-inspired goodness from Adidas, Spike Lee promoting Brazil’s away shirt and a pop-up primer to buff your World Cup knowledge.
Classic Kit looks back at Coventry’s infamous chocolate strip, while our latest Team Selection partners Quentin Tarantino with, er, Fenners.
Upfront
Test your World Cup smarts in our Ultimate Quiz, then find out why TNT Sports’ Jules Breach is getting excited for the tournament hitting the US.
Thierry Henry and Luca Toni relive their World Cup glories, John Barnes picks the four people he admires most, and James frontman Tim Booth compares Gordon Strachan to Beyonce.
The FFT team argue for their World Cup winners in our latest debate, and we look back on Diego Maradona’s display of bastardry and brilliance against England in 1986.
In the Players Lounge this month…
Javier Zanetti tells us why David Beckham’s France 98 red card was harsh, Salif Diao explains how Senegal’s 2002 World Cup win over France was a victory for every country ever to be colonised, and Mexican keeper Jorge Campos reveals the story behind his vibrant jerseys.
Perfect XI
Pepe Reina fills his side with fellow Spain legends, complemented by a Liverpool icon and two Napoli greats.
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