Entrepreneur & husband & father of 2. Love start-ups, technology, sports & food. Ex Meta, Yahoo! & SixApart, Co-Founder Whitetruffle, now CPO @ The Athletic.
The 2026 World Cup is less than a week away, and itโs gigantic.
Three countries, 12 groups, 48 teams, 1,248 players.
To help you get to grips with such a sprawling tournament, The Athletic's data & tactics writers have analysed every group and picked out the stylistic trends and key players you should keep an eye on this summer.
๐ https://t.co/d0gwLVStcA
NEWS: The Cleveland Browns are trading two-time NFL defensive player of the year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, per @JourdanRodrigue.
The Browns will receive Jared Verse and a 2027 first-round pick.
https://t.co/5bQcvYaDUO
If this was a normal World Cup year, the French football journalist Christophe Gleizes would be very busy.
But for Gleizes this World Cup year has been like no other.
In June 2025, the 37-year-old was handed a seven-year prison sentence in Algeria for โglorifying terrorismโ and โpossessing propaganda publications harmful to the national interestโ.
His supporters and human rights groups are adamant the charges brought against him were a nonsense, cooked up by an Algerian regime eager to inflict harm on France at a time of profound diplomatic tension between the countries.
With the World Cup 13 days away, and France and Algeria both competing in the tournament, Gleizes remains in Kolea Prison.
@tomwfootball spoke to Gleizes' mother, friends and colleagues to tell his story, and shine a light on the campaign to liberate him.
https://t.co/MhIiSStVzH
๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป'๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป
๐ฅ Lamine Yamal | Barcelona
โHe has scored 24 goals this season and provided 18 assists. He has carried the team on his shoulders in Barcaโs toughest matches. Those figures are simply mind-boggling for an 18-year-old.โ - @Laia_Cervello
#FCB | #LaLiga | #TAFCAwards26
๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป'๐ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป
๐ฅ Harry Kane | Bayern Munich
"You would be fully justified in giving Harry Kane all the awards youโve got based purely on numbers: 58 goals in 50 games this season, bettering his two previous campaigns in Munich, in both of which he got over 40.
"Even for those of us slightly desensitised by the goals tallies of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at their peaks, itโs still astonishing." - @NickMiller79
#FCBayern | #Bundesliga | #TAFCAwards26
Pep Guardiola will leave his role as Manchester City manager this summer, ending one of the most successful managerial tenures in Premier League history, with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expected to replace him.
Full story from @David_Ornstein and @SamLee โ free to read โฌ๏ธ
https://t.co/xQWlJyLfKU
Few places carry the global presence of New York.
But this summer, the stage will stretch beyond the city into New Jersey, where eight World Cup games, including the final, will be played.
@DeanJonesSoccer tells you everything you need to know about the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Supported by @StubHub
https://t.co/KGYc274Kr8
France, one of the favourites to win the World Cup this summer, have announced their star-studded squad for the tournament.
Manager Didier Deschamps named a squad filled with an eye-catching array of attacking talent on Thursday.
In the forward positions, Deschamps can choose from an illustrious list comprising of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marcus Thuram.
More from @TBurrows16 โฌ๏ธ
๐ https://t.co/XzdCpFL3Kn
Florentino Perez plunged Real Madrid into further turmoil as he called for a new presidential election in a rambling, and at times worrying, hour-long speech.
@dermotmcorrigan makes sense of the chaos and explains more, including:
โ Reaction to Perez's sexist remarks
โ His reply on Mourinho
โ Who are the โrivals in the shadowsโ?
โ How does the vote work and when will it be?
๐ https://t.co/hFMEeL4fGH
Eight years after it was awarded to the United States, Canada and Mexico, the World Cup is now one month away.
Here at The Athletic, we are getting excited and our team of reporters are preparing to head to all corners of the three countries to cover the tournament from every angle.
We asked some of them to tell us how they are feeling about all things World Cup as the clock ticks down towards the first match on June 11.
๐ https://t.co/M6gFiOSqfQ
Real Madrid will finish the season empty-handed after Barcelona sealed La Liga in a Clasico against their rivals for the first time.
The changes could be far-reaching.
@GuillermoRai_ breaks down how it all went wrong.
โ Vinicius Junior's spat with Xabi Alonso
โ Jeers against stars and Florentino Perez
โ How confidence faded in Alvaro Arbeloa
โ Will Jose Mourinho be next?
๐ https://t.co/XnZhFbpvbZ
FIFA are planning to hold opening ceremonies at each of the first games of the World Cup featuring host nations this summer, as well as special ceremonies to mark Americaโs 250th anniversary at games in Houston and Philadelphia on July 4.
According to sources familiar with the planning, FIFA has lined up a catalog of artists to perform ahead of kick-off at the opening games featuring hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States.
These include -
โ Canadian singers Michael Buble, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara
โ Katy Perry
โ Future
โ Los Angeles-based DJ Sanjoy
โ Lisa, the Thai rapper and singer who shot to stardom with South Korean girl group Blackpink
Exclusive story from @AdamCrafton_ here โฌ๏ธ
๐ https://t.co/dkmHi6Ug3x
This week has brought a truly unprecedented level of drama to Real Madrid, a club that is no stranger to big moments.
@MarioCortegana, @GuillermoRai_ and @dermotmcorrigan tell the inside story of the violence and chaos that has descended behind the scenes.
โช๏ธ Full details of Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverdeโs dressing room fight
โช๏ธ Bleeding Valverde knocked unconscious
โช๏ธ A wider picture of the discord that runs deep
โช๏ธ Barcelonaโs mocking response in the build-up to El Clasico
๐ https://t.co/SlOlwUyIVr
Real Madrid team-mates Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a dressing-room fight at the clubโs training ground on Thursday, one day after an earlier altercation between the pair.
Sources briefed on what unfolded, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, stated Valverde was taken to hospital to undergo assessments after sustaining a head injury during the incident.
Madrid intend to take action over the situation but at this stage it is unclear in what form any potential sanction will take.
Full story from @David_Ornstein, @MarioCortegana and @GuillermoRai_ โฌ๏ธ
https://t.co/E4ygO02CSD
Real Madrid team-mates Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde were involved in a dispute in training four days before the Clasico on Sunday.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously as they are not authorised to do so publicly, said the fight started at the end of training and carried on in the changing rooms on Wednesday.
More from @GuillermoRai_
๐ https://t.co/nsOe5ozo3h