History

Can an African team win the World Cup?

Many football lovers hope an African team will finally win the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup. The world has been waiting for this since the great Brazilian player Pelé predicted (in the 1970s) that an African country would win before the year 2000. That didn’t happen, but it didn’t stop Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, from saying (in 2021): "An African team must win the World Cup in the near future."

39-year-old Dani Alves named in final Brazil World Cup squad

Brazil just announced their final squad ahead of the start of the World Cup this month and they're one of the first big nations to do so.

Big names, young stars and attacking machinery. The clear outcast? A very, very familiar face in world soccer.

Dani Alves will be at his third World Cup with Brazil in Qatar

Gareth Bale has no role to play in MLS Cup — can he even be a factor against the USA?

Toward the end of September, it looked like LAFC was about to unlock the best of Gareth Bale. He hadn't scored in his last seven appearances (totaling 245 minutes) after finding the net twice in his first four (96 minutes), but more importantly, the 33-year-old Welshman had just recorded his second start.

Team-by-team guide: 2022 Australia World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Australia World Cup preview who’ll play in Group D against France, Denmark and Tunisia.

Australia World Cup Preview 2022

World Cup Appearances: 6th

Best Finish: Round of 16 (2006)

No hubo milagro: Pachuca es campeón del Apertura 2022 e impone un récord goleador

Pasó lo que todo imaginábamos que pasaría. Pachuca superó a Toluca en la final del Apertura 2022 y consiguió la séptima estrella de su historia en la Liga MX. 

Los Tuzos hicieron gran parte de la tarea en el duelo de ida, triturando a los Diablos con un 5-1 a domicilio. Y en la revancha, no hubo relajo. En el Estadio Hidalgo, el Pachuca ganó 3-1 para un global de 8-2, el marcador más abultado en una definición del balompié azteca.

David Luiz se suma a la exclusiva lista de futbolistas campeones en Champions League y Copa Libertadores

Dentro de la lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir de cualquier futbolista sudamericano, seguro que hay una línea en que dice ser "campeón de una Copa Libertadores y campeón de una Champions League". Sin embargo, en la historia son pocos los jugadores que pueden presumir haber ganado los trofeos de los torneos continentales más importantes del planeta.

Pero de vez en cuando pasa y el central brasileño David Luiz es testimonio vivo de que ese deseo puede ser realidad.

Born in the Northeast: the forgotten history of soccer-specific stadiums in the U.S.

In 1862, a group known as the Oneida Football Club gathered at Boston Common for a historic function: the first recorded soccer match on American soil. Their match, which predated the formation of the English Football Association by a year, was a sign of things to come for soccer in the region.

The Northeastern United States became a hotbed for American soccer in the early 1900s, and the game thrived among the communities of European immigrants that populated the burgeoning industrial centers of the eastern seaboard.

The American Outlaws prepare for two World Cups in one year

Soccer is nothing without the fans. Traveling to games to be part of a collective; a group to support your team, whether it’s home or on the road. Fandom brings people together and breeds community, fostering relationships that may not have happened without the shared bond of sport. This is what the American Outlaws do best. 

New adidas Predator boots bring World Cup USA '94 nostalgia to life

Since launching in 1994 ahead of the United States World Cup, the adidas Predator range has become synonymous with the game's history and its most celebrated players (Zidane, Beckham, Xavi) while moving into the future after making a return five years ago.

The latest edition of the boot is the Predator Edge, which dropped last January with a two-piece PRIMEKNIT collar and rubberized ribs across the instep and toe box. Now, less than one month out from the 2022 World Cup, adidas is launching the Predator Edge 94+, which honor the OG '94 Predators.

Alisson's excellence: The best (and worst) penalty stoppers in Premier League history

When Jarrod Bowen stepped up to take a penalty kick in the 45th minute of West Ham's match against Liverpool on Wednesday, he was already at a disadvantage. While the odds of converting a penalty are between 75 and 80 percent, just 58 percent of penalties faced by Liverpool keeper Alisson in the EPL had found the back of the net.

Despite a solid 75 percent conversion rate in his professional career, the English winger's spot kick was saved by the man in black in the Liverpool goal as the Brazilian preserved a 1-0 advantage for the Reds.

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