The host city is doing all of the hosting, none of the headlining
Miami Gardens built the stadium. Miami built the brand.
Politics
The secret to becoming a sporting superpower
Norway’s minister responsible for sports reveals her country’s recipe for success.
Poll: Politics shapes patriotism, from the US to the UK
An international edition of The POLITICO Poll details how national pride differs across six major democracies of the West.
Norway’s other World Cup campaign: Getting Israel kicked out of soccer
The Scandinavian country is playing a long game in the Middle East, using institutional pressure rather than fan protest or outspoken players to get Israel suspended from FIFA.
Why FIFA is putting down roots in Miami
The Zurich-based organization wants a permanent foothold in the Americas.
Progressives think they’ve found a way around their old social media posts
Far-left candidates are betting voters care more about economic populism than old posts calling to defund the police. Republicans are salivating.
Why the Olympics won’t have a Balogate
The International Olympic Committee has approached the Trump White House very differently than FIFA has.
Anti-discrimination reports sent to FIFA over Mexico games
The country has faced past scrutiny over a persistent anti-gay chant from its fans.
For Belgium’s Beltway fans, a rout was the best revenge
The Balogun controversy is still alive in Brussels. In Washington, it’s old news.
Who will cheer for Palestine now?
The political cause without a World Cup team searches for a new champion.
Spot the pol!
Spot the pol! Study the photograph carefully. Only the political figure is missing. Guess who it is.
How Trump radicalized the Belgians
Belgium’s national team did not arrive at the World Cup with a political identity. It has one now.
Spain’s post-separatist team
The Spanish squad is filled with Catalan and Basque players, but now no rumbles for regional sovereignty.
Dutch deputy leader slams Moroccan football fans after riots
Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius accused supporters of acting like “madmen” regardless of whether Morocco wins or loses.
Belgium’s Red Devils get royal pep talk
King Philippe joined a growing club of royals cheering on their national teams in North America.
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here’s an offering of the best of this week’s crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Southern Black leaders warn their power is on the line — and Democrats are looking elsewhere
Black lawmakers and activists in the Deep South say they are fighting an existential crisis on their own in the wake of a major Supreme Court ruling.
‘They got their rear end kicked,’ DeSantis says of US team
The governor made his blunt comments on a radio show – while admitting he’s not a soccer fan.
Emmanuel Macron cheers Les Bleus. So does Jordan Bardella.
France “is now just two games away from the ultimate achievement!” grins president of the far-right National Rally, which has had an uneasy relationship with the national squad.
Macron’s sports protectionism
French president and dedicated soccer fan Emmanuel Macron is having himself a day. He attended the Tour de Francein the Pyrenees earlier Thursday, hours before France’s World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco. French outlet RMC Sport reported that shortly after the cycling stage finished, Macron urged star French rider Paul Seixas to remain with his team: French outfit Decathlon CMA CGM.
It’s not the first time Macron has tried to influence a French star to stay with their French team — he lobbied Kylian Mbappé to remain at his club Paris Saint-Germain and not transfer to Real Madrid … a battle he eventually lost.