Welcome back to the World Cup Weekly. After an excellent international window that locked in the final 48 teams we’ll see this summer, we got a nice break from qualifiers and friendlies as we pivoted back to domestic competitions. However, there’s still plenty to dive into off the field with just 64 days until the start of the tournament:

ii. Quickly, here are a few of the best goals from yesterday’s Champions League action:

🇩🇪 We’re truly running out of ways to describe Harry Kane’s finishes, here he is sealing the win for Bayern Munich over Real Madrid. Let’s go with “inch-perfect” this time.

🇪🇸 While it was a tough loss for Los Blancos at home, we did get an assist from Trent Alexander-Arnold that reminded everyone, and especially Kylian Mbappé, of just how precise he can be. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Lastly, Kai Havertz’s 91st-minute dagger is further proof that winners are best served late and that corner flags are most certainly designed to be stomped.

iii. If you’ve ever wondered what players like to eat or drink right before kickoff, please enjoy this BTS walkthrough from a nutritionist for Turkish club Kocaelispor. Let’s just say that Jamie Vardy would definitely approve. ⚡️

Cheers,
Jacob Schneider, Tommy Stewart & Max Bonem

P.S. This is wonderful. Keep vibing, Chris! 😁

Ghana’s Extensive Manager Search 🇬🇭

The Black Stars sacked head coach Otto Addo after a 2-1 loss to Germany in the March international window that served as their fifth-straight defeat under his watch. Now, their federation is on the hunt for their next manager and that search is… well, it’s going places. They’ve reportedly received over 600 applications for the job, which in football terms, is like the casting directors for HBO’s new “Harry Potter” series apparently watching over 40,000 auditions before circling in on a lead. Ghana is the only team without a manager heading into this summer’s competition, but whoever is appointed will get two friendlies before the start of the competition to integrate their system. Phew.

An Update on Iran’s Evolving World Cup Story 🇮🇷

Iran’s participation in this summer’s tournament has been a very hot topic recently. For a refresher on what’s happened so far, check out our explainer from a few weeks ago, however, this week, we’re sharing the latest from their national team’s camp and where they stand.

Iran’s Minister of Sport, Ahmad Donyamali, has confirmed that FIFA has not officially responded to the country’s plea to move their matches from the U.S. to Mexico. “If [our request to FIFA] is accepted, Iran’s participation in the World Cup will be certain,” Donyamali told Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency. In response to remarks from President Trump around Iran and their World Cup participation, Donyamali has asked FIFA to ensure specific security arrangements for their players.

“He is making morally and ethically unbalanced statements,” Donyamali said of Trump. “Under these circumstances, the possibility of Iran participating in the World Cup matches in the U.S. is very low, but if the relevant security guarantees are provided, our government will make the final decision.”

DR Congo Players Make Request for AFCON Superfan 🇨🇩

After securing qualification for this summer’s competition through last week’s Intercontinental Playoff, players of the Democratic Republic of Congo, led by captain Chancel Mbemba, have called for President Félix Tshisekedi to send internet legend Michel Nkuka Mboladinga with them to the World Cup. Widely known as “Lumumba Vea,” he went viral for dressing up and standing like former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba during last winter’s AFCON. Unfortunately, he was unable to travel to Mexico to support the team during the Intercontinental Playoff due to visa issues, but players have formally asked that Lumumba Vea be included as a part of their delegation this summer so that they can ensure he’s present for their matches.

NYC Shifts Its Summertime Priorities 🗽

As New York prepares to be one of the central hubs of this year’s World Cup, important changes are (hopefully) coming. On one hand, as his first “emergency order” related to the tournament, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Parks have decided that permit applications for “special events” may be denied during the tournament due to “efficient deployment” of police resources. Those events could range from concerts to large gatherings, and with the 250th anniversary of the USA happening during the competition, the mayor and NYPD want to ensure they have all resources available for what is expected to be a rambunctious summer.

On the more fun side of things, there is a bill on the table that would theoretically allow area bars and restaurants to serve alcohol outdoors in anticipation of the World Cup. The European mind cannot comprehend the joy of watching football in the streets with a hot dog and lager in hand. Wait, actually they probably invented that…

More: The U.S. Darts Masters will be held at Madison Square Garden the same weekend in June that England play Panama at nearby-ish MetLife Stadium, in what will be a very good weekend for English representation in Manhattan’s streets, but a very bad one to be a beer of any kind in the greater NYC area.

Time to Stay Up, Stay Out and Watch Football in Philly 🍻

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro recently signed a bill into law allowing a temporary ‘Philadelphia 250 Permit’ for bars, restaurants and nightlife venues to stay open an extra two hours—from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. ET between June 11 and July 30—during the World Cup and for other celebrations around the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. Philly is set to host five group-stage matches and another in the Round of 16, with all games being played at Lincoln Financial Field.

"If we can keep our bars open, if we can keep more activity happening across our Commonwealth, that means more dollars in the pockets of our restaurants and bars," Shapiro said. "More money for our workers and more opportunities for Pennsylvanians to capitalize on having the World Cup right here in Pennsylvania."

Over the next nine weeks, we’re going to look back at some of the greatest, weirdest and most glorious moments from World Cups past. And to kick things off, we’re focusing on something that the world’s biggest football competition does better than anyone: epic sh*thousery.

Maradona’s Hand of God: In an insane four minutes of football at Mexico 1986, Argentina’s Diego Maradona produced arguably the best goal in World Cup history and the mother of all WTF-ery with his infamous Hand of God. The duality of a genius.

Nigel de Jong’s Unpunished Kung Fu Kick: Handed only a yellow for this shocking tackle in the 2010 final, Nigel de Jong went full Falcon-Kick on Xabi Alonso’s chest. Ironic that Howard Webb, referee for that match, is now in charge of VAR in the Premier League.

The Headbutt Felt Around the World: Minutes before penalties in the 2006 World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane tried to put a hole in Marco Marterazzi’s sternum after the Italian defender said something abhorrent about the French captain’s sister. It takes a special kind of sh*thouse to get literally laid out in front of billions of people and still emerge as the villain. 

Ronaldo’s Wink of Death: It’s a miracle that Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo won three consecutive Premier Leagues together after the Portuguese forward helped get his clubmate sent off in the 2006 WC quarterfinal, sealing the deal with that smug gesture towards his bench.

Uruguay’s Master of the Dark Arts: Yes, Luis Suárez did try to bite a chunk out of Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder in 2014, but his goalkeeping against Ghana, and subsequent celebration when Asamoah Gyan missed his penalty, makes him the GOAT of World Cup sh*thousery.

For this week’s trivia question, we thought we’d stay on our sh*thousery theme. So, we want to know: Which men’s World Cup holds the record for the most red cards (a stunning 28) in one edition?

Email us with your answers for a chance to win a much-coveted MiB patch!

Last week we asked for the past three Golden Boot winners at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The answers: Colombia’s James Rodriguez, England’s Harry Kane and France’s Kylian Mbappé. Congrats to Mike Jerman for being the first to send in the correct trio. Mike, your patch is heading your way soon!

👋 We’ll see you again tomorrow. In the meantime, keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

🙌 If you’re enjoying this newsletter, we’d love an assist. Forward this email or share this URL with a friend, family member, or fellow football fan.

📧 First time with us? Sign up here to get the next edition sent straight to your inbox, and be sure to check out our other newsletters too.

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

Sign up now!