Learning to Lose This is the week when the sweetest World Cup dreams die. A requiem, then, for the fallen. Read More
Babylon on the Beach Nathan Thornburgh takes in the World Cup from Rio’s Copacabana Beach, where the atmosphere is somewhere between Spring Break and the Fall of Saigon.
In Front of Team Iran’s Hotel The Iranian team has been hounded by sanctions and a deeply divided fan base. But on the day of their first match of this World Cup, none of that bad blood or bitter history matters.
An Exceptional Country? The debate about soccer’s rightful place in American culture opens a wider conversation about America’s place in the world.
Soccer in Solitude It’s the carnival of the masses, but sometimes the only way to watch soccer is on your own.
In Brazil, Fighting for the Women’s Game Brazil may be the spiritual homeland of global soccer. But its women have had to fight hard just to be taken seriously as footballers in their home country. One group—the Guerreiras—is helping lead the charge.
Beijing’s Green Army Like much else in China, soccer has developed rapidly and attracted huge investment, but a fan culture has developed that is independent of—and sometimes a challenge to—the state.
The Non-Fifa Renegades What happens if the place where you live isn’t regarded as a nation by FIFA? You start your own federation.